I drop her off at the door to her apartment. We stand in the hall making out for so long that her face is red from my two days’ worth of whiskers and I’m hard as fucking granite by the time she pulls away for the last time.

“I have to get changed and get to the gym.” She sighs and leans her head on my chest for a second.

“Come to my place when you’re done, okay? I’ll make you some supper.”

“You cook?”

“I’m no Gordon Ramsay but I can make a few things.”

She smiles at me and chuckles a little. “What am I doing?”

“You’re falling for Mr. Right.”

“At exactly the wrong time.”

I shake my head. “Not possible. Can’t you feel it? Everything is finally falling into place. Right now. Right here. And it’s going to be perfect.”

She stares up at me, her face full of emotion. Nodding, she says, “Yeah, I think I know what you mean.”

I pull her in for a hug, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. “Now, you go hit the gym. I need to see if I can rustle up some groceries and tidy up my place. You’d be surprised what a mess a couple of guys can make in two days.”

* * *

I all but jog down the stairs of her building and out onto the cold sidewalk. There’s a small grocery store on the other side of the Athletes’ Village campus. Light snow begins to fall and I stuff my hands in my coat pockets, finding myself feeling warm and happy in spite of the bleak day. I am in love. For the first time in my entire life, I am madly, completely, crazy in love. And I know it’s insane to feel like this after only a few hours, but I do. I just do and there’s no stopping it.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and text Hunter: I’ll be entertaining a lady this evening. Can you teach me how to make that pasta sauce, then make yourself scarce?

A moment later, I get a message back from him. Uh-oh! Sounds serious.

Me: I hope so.

Hunter: Who the fuck is this and why do you have Clint’s cell phone?

* * *

Three hours later, I’ve tidied our little apartment, done all the dishes, learned how to make a Bolognese sauce, made a huge salad, and prepared a pot for the angel hair pasta, which Hunter said not to cook until she gets here. I’ve also showered again and shaved so I won’t give her whisker burn. I stand, staring out the window, watching for her to come hurrying up the sidewalk. The sky is growing dark now, and I actually don’t even like the thought of her walking alone over here. She’s too little to be out in the world without someone to protect her. I consider going over to her place to walk her here, but then realize that she might be coming straight from the gym.

Hunter, who is getting ready to hit the town with the rest of the team, comes out of his bedroom. He pulls his coat on and shakes his head at me. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

“Like what?” I turn and look out the window.

“Like an old lady. Tidying, cooking. You even shaved your beard for once.”

“I don’t know how many old ladies you know, but most of them don’t have beards.”

Hunter chuckles. “You know what I meant. She must be something for you to go to all this trouble.”

“She is, man.” I glance over my shoulder. “And if you tell anyone, you’re going to wake up tomorrow morning with no eyebrows.”

* * *

I don’t have to wait long after Hunter leaves for her to show up. As soon as I see her, I rush downstairs and out the front door of the building to meet her. She looks lovely, her hair is down, curling out from under her wool cap. Her hands are shoved deep into her jacket pockets and she looks chilly. I’m overwhelmed by the need to warm her up, unable to stand seeing her so cold.

“Hi,” I say, trying to sound casual, even though I’m anything but around her.

She looks up and stops walking, clearly surprised that I’m out here waiting for her. Suddenly, I feel like an idiot. How to play it cool, Clint.

Dani smiles and warmth flows through my body. “Hi, yourself. Have you been waiting out here for me?”

“Just happened to see you out the window and figured I’d come down.” I shrug. “In case you forgot which apartment I was in.”

“I remember.”

I take her hand and lead her into the building, my heart pounding in my chest for some stupid reason. I want everything about this evening to be perfect for her. When we get inside the apartment, the warm air, along with the smell of the pasta sauce, greets us.

“Wow. Smells wonderful in here.” She says, pulling off her hat. “Did you really cook?”

“No big deal. It’s just pasta and some salad.” I spin her to me and unbutton her coat, then slide it off her and hang it up on the coatrack. Picking up her hands, I warm them in mine, then lift them to my lips and kiss her cold skin. When I look at her face, she has this expression I can’t quite read. It’s like she’s in shock but she’s happy about it.

“You’re going to make it impossible for me to say no, aren’t you?” she says, her voice thick with emotion.

“That’s my plan.”

“Please don’t do this if you don’t mean it,” she says. “I’ve been hurt before and if it happens again, I…I just don’t think I could take it. Especially not right now.”

I lower my face to hers and let my lips hover above hers. “I mean all of it, Dani. I’ll never hurt you. Not now. Not ever.”

I kiss her gently at first, then, as she parts her mouth to let me in a little, I press harder, showing her that I mean it. I wrap my arms around her and pull her to me, so I can feel her body against mine. She’s toned and tight and firm, but has all the right curves at the same time. I want those curves against my skin like I’ve never wanted anything in my life.

Our kisses grow more urgent and we both forget all about dinner. She tugs at my shirt, and breaks away from me long enough to pull it over my head. I help her get it off, then toss it onto the couch while her eyes rake over my body hungrily. Her hands follow, exploring the ridges of my abs and the muscles in my chest. She lets out a low, ‘wow,’ which makes me chuckle a little.

“You like what you see?”

“Oh, yeah,” she whispers.

“It gets better,” I say, as I pull her sweater over her head and toss it, leaving her in her bra and jeans. I smile down at her, my cock rock-hard as I cup her perfect breasts with both hands. I see her nipples pebble as I rub the fabric of her bra with my thumbs and I want to lick what’s under there. I plant kisses on her neck as I reach around with one hand and undo the clasp on her bra. Sliding the bra off, I replace the cotton with my hands to cover her from view. When I look at her face again, her cheeks are pink, and she looks a little shy.

“Now it’s my turn to say ‘wow,’” I murmur, lowering my mouth to hers again so I can kiss her some more.

We stay like this, just holding each other and making out, our chests pressed together, for a long time. I don’t want to rush this with her. I want to take my time, so by the time we go all the way, she’ll be more than sure about what we’re doing. I pick her up by her ass and hold her against me while we kiss some more, then I walk over to the couch and sit down with her on my lap facing me. She grinds herself against my cock and even though we’re both wearing jeans, I know for a fact that she’s drenched. I unbutton her jeans, then stop myself in case what we’re doing is all she’s ready for.

She slides her hand down her flat stomach and unzips her jeans the rest of the way, then takes my hand and presses it to her panties. I take her not-so-subtle hint and glide my hand inside the tiny fabric, feeling the wet, warm skin waiting for me. Dani lets out a little groan and lifts herself off my lap a little to give me room to work. I slide my finger inside her and find her throbbing bud, stroking it carefully, softly until I draw out a long moan from deep within her. It doesn’t take long for her body to start to shudder with pleasure and for her muscles to tighten around my fingers as she grinds herself against my hand like she’s starving for this.

When she’s done, she rests her head on my shoulder, panting a little while she calms down. I slide my hand out and the scent of her fills the room, bringing out the beast in me. I have to fight to restrain myself because all I want to do is rip off her clothes and plunge my cock deep inside her right now, but I have to hold back. It’s one thing to pleasure her with my hand, but I’m so big and she’s so small that if I’m not careful, I could do some damage.

Dani climbs off my lap, then does the best thing I can think of—she pulls off her jeans and panties, and stands naked in front of me. I reach out and grip her hips, smiling as I take in the look of her like this, completely bared to me in the soft light coming from the kitchen. I pull her to me and kiss her stomach, swirling my tongue over her silky skin as she leans over me and rubs her hands down my back. I plunge my mouth over her right breast, sucking on her pink nipple until it’s hard, then move over to her other breast. She responds by moaning and gripping my back with her hands. When I can’t take it anymore, I lean back and pull her onto the couch, then slide myself onto the floor, on my knees in front of her.

“I need to taste you, Kitty.” I spread her legs with my hands and dip my head in between her thighs. Kissing along her delicate pink flesh, I run my tongue along her folds until she opens for me, letting me get my first taste of her sweet essence. The flavor is so perfect that I almost come, but I stop myself, needing to stay ready for her. I plunge my tongue into her pussy and lick and thrust as deep as I can, over and over, until she grips my head with her hands and pulls me in just that little bit more while she thrusts and bucks her hips and moans out my name. I lap up her sweet juices with my tongue, loving that I did this to her. When it’s over, I lay my head against her stomach as we both calm down.

“Clint, that was amazing,” she says in a lazy voice. “I’ve never come that way before.”

“Really?” I lift my head off of her and smile.

“Let’s just say last boyfriend wasn’t exactly attentive to my needs.”

“What an idiot.” I reach up and kiss her softly on the lips. “You hungry?”

Nodding, Dani smiles. “But, not for pasta.”

She reaches down and unzips my jeans, giving me a naughty smile. I stand and rid myself of my clothes, letting her see me in all my glory for a moment before I pull her to standing.

Her eyes grow wide. “Holy jumpin’!” she says. “That’s like porno big.”

“Thanks.” I lift her under her knees and carry her to the bedroom where I’ve stashed a package of condoms. The entire walk, we kiss and moan, knowing what’s coming. Urgency builds in me like it never has before. Having her once will never be enough and I know it.

I put her down on the bed and just look at her for a moment like this, so perfect and open to me. I run my hands up and down the length of her body, then open the nightstand drawer and take out a condom. When I’m wrapped and ready to go, I lower myself over her, kissing her and stroking her hair with one hand. She wraps her legs around my waist and shimmies her hips to line herself up with me.

“You sure you’re ready for this?”

She nods and kisses me, then bites my lip to make her point. I slowly slide my way inside her, feeling every tight inch of her pussy as I fill her completely. She winces and I stop for a second, letting her get used to what I’ve got to offer. Finally, she nods and smiles, then moves her hips, showing me she’s ready for more. I lower my mouth over hers and thrust my tongue inside her, mirroring what my cock is doing inside her tight warmth. Our bodies move together perfectly as she grips me with her legs and explores me with her hands. I hold back, taking my time until she’s so ready she’s practically begging with her body. The way she moves is one part lust, two parts frustration, and I know she just wants me to give it to her hard, but I won’t yet. I’m going to take my time so when I do bring her over the edge, she’ll never forget our first time together.

“Please, Clint, I want it,” she pants, nipping at my neck with her teeth.

I slow down my pace instead of speeding up and she lets out a little pouty moan. “Please.”

I speed up for three thrusts and feel her curling up around me, but then I slow my pace again, driving her wild. I do this again and again, bringing her just to the edge, then pulling back until she’s gripping my ass with her nails trying to make me go faster.

I look down at her. “I’m going to make you come so hard, you’ll be feeling me next week.”

Dani turns her head to the side, thrashing under me like she can’t take it anymore. I pump myself into her hard now, over and over, until she comes, her voice raspy from panting as she cries out with the force of her orgasm. I feel her body sputter and her muscles tighten around me even more as I spill myself into her, throbbing as I come with her.

Collapsing onto her, I then roll us over so I’m not crushing Dani under my big body. She lays on top of me, panting and smiling as our sweaty bodies meld together.

“Oh my God. That was the biggest orgasm I’ve ever had,” she says finally.

“That was nothing. I’ll make you come harder than that.”

“Not possible. I blacked out for a second there.”

“Good.” I lift my head off the pillow and kiss her on the forehead. “You let me eat you. Now, you’re going to let me feed you.”

“This is like the perfect date.” She says, grinning at me.

“That’s what I’m going for. I’m going to ruin you tonight, Dani. So that no other guy will ever be able to get close to you like this again. Only me.”

“I think you already have.”