Lauren’s lips are softer than I imagined. She presses them to mine and I swing my arm around her waist pulling her into me.

A current of warmth rushes down from my lips to my toes. I want to unleash her hair from that braid and bury my hands in her long dark strands. She opens her mouth to me and I slide my tongue in between the seam of her lips. I groan when we make contact and she sinks farther into my body.

Our kiss continues like we’re saying a long goodbye and parting for a long time rather than heading back to the same house, but I’m more than okay with that. We delve deeper and then lighter, and my cock strains against the zipper of my jeans. The hunger for one another that we’ve been denying each other unleashes. My hands slide down her body until I cup her ass. She hops up and straddles me, so I turn us around and she’s pressed against the truck.

I’m grinding and she’s bucking, neither of us able to get enough of one another. Needing more, I close the kiss, letting her legs go.

She slides down my body and rests her forehead against my chest, both of us gasping for breath. “I just told my mom I’m not a virgin, let’s not scare her too much.”

“Home?”

“Definitely.”

I open the truck door, Lauren slides in and I round the front of the truck, sliding the key into the ignition immediately.

On the way home, my mind works overtime questioning why she decided to kiss me now. I tell myself that it doesn’t matter, who cares? I’m finally doing something I’ve wanted to do with her since I was fifteen. Only an idiot wouldn’t take what she’s giving you and ask questions instead.

But I am an idiot because instead, I say, “Why?”

“What?” Her voice pierces the darkness of the truck’s cab.

“Why did you kiss me?”

“Because I’ve wanted to for a long time and your speech made me realize that I’ve been a coward. I’ve been so worried about you not feeling the same that I’ve shied away.”

I let her words sit with me for a moment because I almost can’t believe them.

“You wanted to kiss me?” I know we had that moment on the couch, but I considered it a one time heat of the moment thing for her.

I stop at a traffic light and lean over to kiss her on the neck. Let her get a glimpse of what’s going to happen in fifteen minutes when we pull up to the house. If we make it to a bed, it’ll be a miracle.

But her lips find mine and my hand lands on her cheek as our tongues try to perfect a rhythm.

Horns honk behind us and I strip myself away from her.

“I have,” she answers the question I asked before we lost each other again.

“For how long?” I ask.

She leans over the console, her head resting on my shoulder for a second. “I don’t know, but from that kiss, I’m thinking you might have wanted to kiss me, too?”

We’re stopped at another light. Seriously we can’t catch a break. “Lauren, I’ve wanted to kiss you again since we were fifteen.”

I catch her smile right before I land a kiss on her lips, but we’re cut short when the green light illuminates the cab of the truck.

“What? We haven’t kissed before.” I haven’t seen her this easy going and happy in so long. It shouldn’t elate me as much as it does seeing her like this.

“We kissed during spin the bottle, remember?”

She laughs. “I do remember, I’m kidding.”

Thank God for a second I thought I was the only one.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since then.”

“Luca, you can’t be serious.” She’s shaking her head and her body is buzzing with energy. Energy I need to make good use of.

Finally, I get us into the garage, but I have to see her face when I confess. So we file out of the truck into the house and I toss my keys on the kitchen island.

“Lauren, since you’ve decided to throw balls to the wall tonight—”

“Well, not really balls,” she says.

“Tits to the wall?” I ask, and she laughs, falling into me.

“I guess so.”

“Regardless, since you’re taking a chance, I need to as well. Just don’t freak out.”

“Okay.” She slides up on the counter, opening her legs for me to nestle between them. With my hands on her outer thighs I rub back and forth.

God, it’s so good to be able to touch her how I want. Now that the invisible wall has dropped away from between us, I’m not going to stop touching her.

“I’ve had a thing for you for a long time. I meant everything I said at the Christmas party and earlier today. Caramel and vanilla do remind me of you. I used to watch you with Cody, wishing it were me. This entire engagement was for my mom, but being this close to you again, made all those feelings resurface. You’re the girl I’ve compared all others to since high school and the prospect that I might hurt you scares the hell outta me.”

Her hands land on my cheeks and our eyes lock. I have no idea what she’s thinking so I stand there on edge until she speaks.

“You won’t hurt me. I won’t let you.” She smashes her lips to mine and I don’t shy away from where this is going.

Somehow, I manage to undo her braid, unwinding her hair with my fingers and once the silky strands are freely moving through my fingers, I groan and dig deeper, never having enough of her.

“Upstairs,” she mumbles against my lips.

She’ll get no argument from me. Picking her up, we make our way to my bedroom.

I place her on the bed, toeing out of my shoes and she flings hers off. Then my lips are attached to hers again as she slides up the bed to the pillows. My leg wedges between her thighs and she grinds along my hard thigh.

I can’t remember the last time I wanted someone this bad. Every taste makes me hungrier for more. My hands are a frenzy of wishing I could touch every inch at the same time. Like I’ll never have enough time to explore her. Like she’ll cut me loose, leaving me a mess of a man who never quenched his thirst for the only woman he’s ever really cared for.

“Luca,” she pants, her head falling to the pillow and I nibble along her jaw and down her neck. My knuckles trace a path between her breasts until I reach under the hem of her shirt. She’s so responsive to my touch. Her torso arches as my hand runs up her bare skin and cups her breast.

She rocks against my thigh and I pull the cup of her bra down, needing to spur another response out of her.

Every moan and whimper are a high I chase with my hands and mouth.

Pushing her shirt up, she groans when my thigh leaves her center. My fingers unhook her bra and she helps me remove her shirt and bra.

Fuck. I gaze down at her, bared to me and my balls pull up tight.

“Pure perfection.” I cup each breast, my thumbs running over the pebbled nipples.

Needing to taste her, I devour one breast while squeezing the other.

Her hands fall to the back of my head and her legs widen for me to fit between them. Please God, let me stay here for infinity.

I unbuckle her jeans and I slide my hand down under her panties. She’s hot and wet and my cock strains against my pants. “I’m not sure how slow I can go,” I admit. I’ve imagined this with Lauren for longer than I care to admit and the fact that we’re here, about to do this, has me on the edge.

She pulls at my shirt. “Me either.”

Clothes make their way off our bodies, landing in a heap on the floor. Before I know it, we’re skin to skin and nothing—nothing—has ever felt so right.

“Condom?” she asks.

I reach across her, grab a condom and get to my knees in front of her.

“Let me.” She takes the wrapper from my hands and rips the foil packet open, sliding it down my length.

My cock in her hands? Beat off material for a month.

“And that’s enough playing before I embarrass myself.” She lies back on the mattress and I follow her down. I entwine our fingers, locking them at her side until I guide the head of my cock into her wet opening.

A groan leaves my throat. She’s tighter than a fist. I pull back and push in a little more, looking down to watch my length disappear inside her.

Taking her other hand, our fingers stay locked together as I fully push inside of her.

“Fuck, Lauren, you feel better than I imagined.” I pause for a second before I lose my load in the first two seconds.

I start rocking my hips, thrusting in small bursts, her hips meeting mine with every push. Soon I have no choice but to unlock my hands, to sit up with my heels to my ass so I can go deeper. I want to claim every part of this woman until it’s only my name to leave her lips.

Her shoulders still press to the mattress as I thrust into her and grind my hips. I have the best fucking view in his position and I glide all the way back and then slide all the way back in, watching while her body accepts me.

Her hands clench the sheets beside her and moans fall from each of our lips at the same time. We find a rhythm that drives us both half-crazed. I should’ve known this is where we’d be perfect. We’re both intent on getting the other off. Making sure it’s the best fuck we’ve ever had because that’s the way we are. Winners in all aspects of our life.

I need to feel her lips, so I adjust back to where we were—her underneath me with her legs like a vise grip around my hips and I search her mouth out.

Pleasure infused words leave our lips as our hands explore every curve and crevice of each other’s bodies. Bringing her leg up to her chest, her fingernails almost break my skin from how deep I claim her.

“This is the best,” she pants.

I kiss her neck, my tongue sliding across her sweat soaked skin. “It’s never been better.”

She’s exactly as I envisioned all those times I’ve beat off. In my mind, I’ve had her bent over my desk, up against a wall, in the shower—and I fully intend on doing all of that with her.

Her hips rise off the bed, and I don’t need her to say the words, I know she’s close. I thrust harder, faster. My kisses grow hungrier. Our caresses turn into grabbing and pulling.

“Luca,” my name falls from her lips like she’s being punished and needs me to save her.

“You’re so beautiful,” I whisper, and I feel her clench around my cock before she gives up her fight and enjoys the spiral back down from euphoria.

I fall to my elbows, my lips at her ear, my jagged breathing unable to even out as my own orgasm builds inside of me. She brings her legs up and squeezes my cock as my hips work double speed, riding out my own pleasure until I come.

I let some of my weight fall and I kiss the skin under her ear, never wanting to leave, praying nothing is awkward with us as I push up on my elbows.

“Luca,” she says, breathless. “That was…”

I tentatively open my eyes. “You’re really fucking good at that.”

She laughs, rising up on her own elbows to kiss me. “So are you.”

I kiss her relieved she wanted this as much as me. It wasn’t just her desire that spurred this, but maybe, if I’m lucky, her feelings for me.