She groaned into his mouth when he brought one hand around and cupped her tender breast, the nipple hard and responsive as his palm ran across it.

“Oh, Mav, don’t stop . . .” The trembling hunger in her voice pushed him, made him want to strip them both down and finish what he’d started. He had to remember this was about her, no matter how difficult that was going to be.

Breaking his lips away from hers, he slowly leaned down and kissed a path to the breast he was holding. Beautiful, so absolutely beautiful. He cupped the other one and then took a moment to savor the beauty of her full breasts spilling from his fingers as her hard cherry nipples begged for him to taste them.

Leaning forward, he did exactly that, taking one perfect bud into his mouth and sucking it deep, making her buck against him as a cry of pleasure escaped her. Her fingers wound through his hair and he felt the gentlest of tugs as she held him against her.

He took his time moving from one luscious nipple to the next until she was more than ready for him to make her come. Kissing his way back up her body, he looked into her half-closed eyelids and ran his fingers across her cheek.

“Trust me not to hurt you, Lins. Tonight is only pleasure,” he said before kissing the corner of her mouth.

She might have nodded, but he wasn’t sure she was even fully aware in her excitement. He knew how pleased she was feeling. But he wanted—needed her to know that this was only about her.

Lifting her up, he carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed, the spill of her hair on the pillow too gorgeous not to take in for a few breathtaking moments. Then he joined her and began undoing the clasp of her pants. That’s when she stiffened.

“The lights!” she cried out.

“I want to see you, sugar,” he said as he undid the zipper.

“No! Please, turn out the lights. I have scars . . .” She trailed off and he knew this was a battle for another time.

“Sugar, everything about you is beautiful, absolutely stunning. But I can look at you later. For now, I’ll just memorize your body with my fingers,” he said.

Not wanting to take too much time, he jumped up and shut off the lights, then quickly rejoined her on the bed.

She sighed as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again while his fingers pinched and teased her nipples. When she was wiggling beneath him, panting, he moved down the bed and finished removing her pants and panties in one quick motion.

How he wanted to see her, but it wasn’t about him, it was about her.

Kissing the smooth skin of her stomach, he took his time, making his way to the sweet center of her. Spreading her thighs, he rested between them before he finally found her core.

Her sweet scent caused his head to spin as he laid a gentle kiss against her smooth folds. Her body jerked off the bed as his tongue ran up and down, lapping her juices and sucking on her tender bud.

“Mmm, you are perfection,” he growled, barely able to maintain his control.

Spreading her wide open, he devoured her. The cries escaping her as she thrashed against the bed only made him go faster as he pushed his tongue deeper inside her. When he fastened onto her swollen flesh and thrust two fingers inside her, she cried out as she began shaking and clenching at the same time.

He slowed his tongue as he lapped at her until the final throes of pleasure faded and she sank onto the bed, breathing heavily. Only then did he crawl back up her body and pull her against him, rubbing the back of her head while she shook in his arms.

“Maverick . . .”

“Shh. It’s okay, sug.” He kissed her forehead and held her. His body was on fire, but he didn’t care. All he cared about at this moment was her happiness, her trust, and her pleasure.

“But . . . don’t you want to . . . you know?” The frightened timbre in her voice told him he was doing the right thing by waiting.

“More than you can imagine, sugar. I hurt,” he said as he gently took her hand and placed it over his pants where his pulsing erection was practically ripping the material open.

“You can,” she whispered as she squeezed him the tiniest bit. He might just do it right in his pants if she moved her fingers the slightest bit more.

He took her hand away. “No. I made a promise to you tonight. I wanted to give this to you.”

“But it’s wrong,” she said.

He pulled back and twisted over so he could turn on her bedside lamp. She screeched a bit and grabbed the blanket, pulling it over her. He didn’t try to stop her, but he wanted her to see his face as he spoke.

“It is never okay for a person to owe sex to another. People make love because they need each other, they can’t breathe without the other person—without being buried deep inside them. You don’t owe me sex, just like I wouldn’t owe you if I didn’t want to give it. I wanted to give you, and only you, pleasure tonight. And knowing that I did is better than any orgasm.”

Her eyes widened as she looked at him, but he saw the appreciation in her eyes. Though he was certainly going to pay for his altruism, it was well worth it to see trust coming back to her.

He kissed her and then stood.

“What about dessert?” she asked as he moved toward the door.

She sat up with the blanket clutched tightly to her. He looked at her as if he could see through the thing. He almost could. He licked his lips as he smiled at her.

“Oh, baby, I had dessert.” Her cheeks flushed.

“Can . . . can you hold me?”

The trust and vulnerability in her eyes shook him to the core. Without hesitation, he moved back to her and climbed on top of the covers. He felt a strange stinging sensation against his own eyes when she curled against him, her delicate fingers resting on top of the blankets where his heart thundered.