Felicity sighed and dropped her clutch on her bed. What an awful, embarrassing night. She was going to kill Layla for this.

But I was dumb enough to think I could go to a dance club where I knew I’d get stuck in crowds. She had to own up to her own idiocy. She just wished Jared hadn’t seen her pass out like that.

She covered her face with her hands. Her fingers were icy from being gloveless in the cold, but they felt good on her flushed face.

Large masculine hands settled on her shoulders, then slid under her collar as they removed her coat.

“Let’s get you into bed,” Jared murmured, his warm breath fanned over her left cheek. How could he do that? Make her feel so safe and warm and yet desperate for more of what his hot gazes promised? Maybe it was time to stop fighting her desires and just surrender to them?

“Bed?” A little shiver rippled through her, but it wasn’t from the cold.

He chuckled. “So you can rest.”

Something wild and completely unlike her took over. “No reason you can’t join me.” She started to turn around, but his hands gripped her waist and held her still. She’d been trying not to think about it for the last few days, but the truth was…she wanted to be with him. She wanted to experience making love, and for the first time in her life, she knew who she wanted to be with. After going out with Thad tonight and failing miserably at a casual date, it was obvious what her choices were. To stay alone…or to be brave and go after what she wanted. Jared.

“Felicity, I’m not a saint. Please, don’t tempt me, not when I want you as bad as I do.” His voice was ragged, a breathless whisper. His fingers dug into her waist a little as he begged.

There it was, that glimmer of hope, that single silver star in her night sky that reassured her that life hadn’t sucked her into a black hole. She rested her hands on his wrists and squeezed in response.

“Stay the night. Nothing else has to happen.” A silent prayer for more went unheard by him, but the feeling of it rang through her body like a clear bell. If she kept gently nudging him toward sex, she’d get what she wanted.

He laughed, the sound rich with amusement. “Princess, you really don’t know a thing about men.”

Her breathing quickened with irritation, and she knocked his hands away from her body as she turned on him. Why did he always have to make this about her age? She was twenty-four, she wasn’t a child, and it wasn’t like he was ancient. He was only thirty—they weren’t that far apart in age.

“I may not know a lot, but you don’t have to make me feel like a kid,” she snapped.

His eyes narrowed, their focus falling to her lips. “I don’t you think of you as a kid. Trust me, that’s exactly the problem.”

“Then why are you being such a jerk?” Her entire body was tense, and her muscles were screaming for some release of the energy that filled her from head to toe.

He stepped closer, their bodies almost touching. “If I don’t remind myself to stay away, I’ll end up doing things to you I shouldn’t, princess, starting on that bed behind you and probably moving on to any other flat surface in the next several hours. You aren’t ready for that. Trust me.”

“You don’t know that—you don’t know me.” But I want you to. She lifted her chin and gazed up at him from beneath her lashes, hoping he’d still want her enough to take a chance on her. He stepped closer, that single decisive action jolting her heartbeat into a wild gallop.

The art of breathing was forgotten. There was only this moment, this connection of gazes. Then he reached out to tip her chin up. She let him, knowing he would see the silent invitation to take something more. Caught between that single feather-light touch and the heavy promise of wild passion in his gaze, she was torn asunder.

Please, Jared. Don’t let me shut you out. Make me open up. Fight for me.

“Fuck,” he growled and captured her mouth.

The kiss was dark and thick with sensuality. She wrapped her arms around his neck and then squeaked in shock as he lifted her up in the air. She was flying with him, and then they hit the bed and bounced. He covered her body with his, the weight of him enticing and exciting. The small smile on his lips between kisses made her heart jump and skip in her chest. His hands swept up her outer thighs, pushing her dress toward her waist. Her legs clenched together as her body panicked out of sheer instinct.

“Easy,” he coaxed as his hands abandoned her thighs and moved back to her waist, holding her as he plundered her mouth with sweet, intoxicating kisses. Her head spun as the world tilted on its axis, everything around her cartwheeling in dizzying glory until it settled on him.

He paused in his kiss and stared at her, his bold gaze softened by the slight crinkling at the corners of his eyes in a hidden smile.

“Shouldn’t we get out of our clothes?” she asked, puzzled. Her body hummed with a delightful daze like bees in summer, dancing from flower to flower. She felt light and ready to fly with the approaching pleasure they’d soon share.

“If we’re going to do this, princess, we’re going slow and we’re going to savor it.” A full smile burst on his face as he trailed a fingertip down the bridge of her nose and over her lips. “We have all night.”

A mischievous merriment stole through her as she replied, “You did say you could go for hours.”

“Minx.” He bit her bottom lip and then licked away the sting.

This time her thighs squeezed together to repress the sudden burst of need that swept through her. She was empty and yet parts of her throbbed and burned, demanding things she didn’t quite understand, things she had felt only for brief seconds in her life before now.

“Jared, I haven’t done this before…” She had to tell him the truth, in case it mattered. It seemed important for him to know, in case she wasn’t good in bed.

“You’re a virgin?” his brows lifted.

She nodded, her lungs burning as she held her breath. His silence terrified her.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner—” She started to tug her dress down. Apparently they weren’t going to make love after all.

“No.” His hands cupped her face, and he kissed her softly, sweetly, almost chastely. “You told me at the right time. I’m glad you said something. This is big, Felicity. As long as you are sure you want this, then I am honored to be your first.” He pressed a finger to her lips when she tried to respond. “If you want to stop at any time, you just say it. We don’t have to do this tonight, or ever if you don’t want to, all right?”

Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked rapidly, feeling so emotional.

“What is it? Talk to me, sweetheart.” He wrapped his body around hers, holding her.

“It’s you. Why do you have to be so…perfect?” She swallowed down the sob she held back and embraced the happiness that she felt sharing this secret part of herself with him. He was the right man to be with, the right man to do this with tonight. She didn’t want to wait. Jared was the right one.

“I’ve been called many things, but perfect isn’t one of them.” He laughed, and her body shook with his rumbling response. It made her smile.

“Well, you are to me.”

Jared held her, their bodies pressed close, and he met her with a suddenly solemn gaze.

“Thank you, Felicity. For this, for tonight, for opening my eyes.”

He smoothed his hands over her back, warming her even more. This was all so intimate, full of a myriad of emotions she’d been scared to feel before. Tonight she was letting go of that and embracing this pure joy of being with him and being happy.

“Now can we get out of our clothes?” she asked again.

“Why do I have a feeling your eagerness is going to rush this?” He sat up and pulled her to sit up with him. “Face the wall,” he instructed.

She kicked her legs over the side of the bed so she was sitting on the edge with her back to him. His hands grasped her dress zipper, dragging it down. The whirring sound was the only noise in the room apart from their slightly rough breaths. He didn’t tug her dress down or try to rush the moment. He simply waited. It heightened the vulnerable, exposed, and blatantly sensual act of waiting for him to undress her. She had to resist the urge to squirm.

“Can we turn off the lights?” She blushed. Something about being totally naked with him in bright light was a little frightening. It might be smarter to ease into all of this.

“Sure.” He bent forward to press his lips on the center of her back between her shoulder blades. Sharp shivers of desire shot straight to her clit, and her abdomen clenched. She curled her fingers into the bedding beside her hips as he got up from the bed and flicked off the overhead light. He walked over to the bedside table and turned on the small lamp, which only cut into the dimness with a heavy glow of gold light.

Jared didn’t come back to the bed. He removed his jacket and tossed it to the floor, unbuttoned his shirt and removed his tie, then dropped them on top of his clothes. He toed off his shoes and removed his socks. Felicity watched all of this in fascination. His movements were so calm, so controlled, while she sat there, fully dressed and trembling. The man was too beautiful, his bare chest, the rippling muscles, the V-shape half-hidden by his trousers… Her mouth was dry, and she tried to swallow but found it nearly impossible.

“Like what you see?” His mouth kicked up in a playful grin.

“Uh-huh,” was the only answer she could get out. This was happening. She was going to sleep with Jared. Her heart beat against her chest hard enough that she feared it would shatter her ribs trying to break free.

Jared walked over to stand in front of her, and then he knelt on one knee and reached for her feet. He took off one black pump and then the next, pressing kisses on the inside of her ankles before setting her feet back down.

“You still want to do this, princess? You don’t have to.” He meant it. She could see that clearly enough. Despite the way his hands trembled as he took her hands in his and the desire that was flaring between them like fourth of July sparklers, he would stop if she asked. He was that kind of man. A good one.

“Yes. I’m sure.” She took a deep breath and reached for his waist. She hooked her fingers in the front of his trousers and pulled him closer. Felicity met his eyes as she unbuttoned the waistband of his pants, her hands fumbling with the zipper as the smooth texture of his trousers slipped against the pads of her fingers.

“Better let me do that.” He finished unzipping them, and then he shrugged out of his pants. He took a moment to dig through the pockets and pulled out a shiny foil packet before he kicked his trousers away. He held it up with a cocky grin.

“Always be prepared.” He chuckled.

“How very Boy Scout of you,” she teased before her gaze dropped down to his practically naked body. It stole her breath, how beautiful he was.

He tugged his briefs off, and she stopped feeling stupid altogether. The sight of his erection erased all thoughts she’d just had. He was large, very large. She’d never seen a man naked before, outside of the occasional piece of art or R-rated movie. Curiosity got the better of her, and she was reaching for him before she realized it. When her fingers closed around his length, she marveled at the way it felt silky yet hard.

“Ah,” he hissed softly, and his hips jerked in her direction. Her grip loosened, but he took her hand and made her squeeze him again. “That felt so damn good. Don’t stop,” he encouraged in a ragged whisper.

“You like this?” Her own body was responding to his arousal as wetness dampened her panties.

“Oh, fuck yes,” he growled.

Her nipples beaded in response to his gruff utterance. She would never tell him, but she loved it when he lost enough control that he started to curse. There was something incredibly sexy about it. She tightened her grip again and moved her hand, this time down to the base of his cock and then back up. There was a tortured look on his face, but his little growls and groans showed her he liked it.

“Okay, enough teasing me, sweetheart. It’s your turn.” He removed her hand from his length, and then he reached for her dress, peeling it down to her waist like he was folding down the petals of a flower. Then he urged her to lie back on the bed.

“Lift your hips.” After she did that, he slid her dress all the way off.

“Red panties, hell,” he muttered at the sight of her red silk underwear before he reached for them and slid them off her body. She hadn’t worn a bra, only the panties. Her hands shot to her bare chest as she remembered that, but it was too late. He caught her wrists and pinned them on either side of her head as he climbed between her spread legs on the bed.

“What about my red panties?” The question came out breathless.

He lifted his gaze to hers, a wicked grin on his lips. “I may have snooped through your bag while you were taking your test. I saw a pair of these.” He nodded at her underwear. “It made me so fucking hot, princess.”

“Really?” She couldn’t picture him staring at her panties and getting hot, but…

“Oh yeah,” he growled softly. “I was picturing how it would feel to peel them off your legs and drop them on the floor.” As he spoke his voice was rough, and his words scraped against her ears in a delicious way that made her nipples harden into tiny points and her belly quiver.

“Are you sure we can’t turn off the lamp?” she begged, suddenly terrified. What if he looked down there and she wasn’t…oh God. “Please, Jared.”

“You are beautiful. I’m going to prove just how hot and sexy you are.” He released her hands and sat back on his heels as he picked up the condom package from the bed. He bit into the corner and then tore it open.

“You still okay?” He didn’t put the condom on yet. She swallowed and nodded.

“Yeah,” she admitted.

“Don’t worry,” he promised, rolling the condom on before he covered her body with his. Somehow, this full-length skin-to-skin contact soothed her. She felt protected by him.

“You looked frightened. I don’t want to scare you.”

“You don’t. You could never scare me.” She hoped he heard her unspoken words, that she felt safe with him, no matter what.

“Good. Now lie back, princess.”

He kissed her throat, then worked his way down her chest with gentle kisses before he explored the tip of one breast. She gasped and arched her back, shoving her breast more firmly against his lips. He bit the tip, then sucked on it hard. The tug at her breast made sharp, stinging arousal burst to life in her womb and between her thighs. He scraped his jaw over her sensitive nipple. The slight night beard coming in rasped against the nub, and she whimpered in pleasure. By the time he turned his attention to her second breast, she was writhing and panting and clawing at his back.

Jared only smiled. “Just feel me, feel every touch,” he murmured. He stroked his hands up and down her body, his fingertips tapping a light melody only he seemed to hear. The touches and teasing taps reached the back of her knees, her inner thighs, moving higher and higher. She felt like the white and black keys of an old piano, being tickled to life with a musician’s touch. Right before he reached her sex, he dipped his head down to hers and kissed her.

The consuming kiss was a heady distraction, and she melted into a symphony of breathless moans before she realized his fingers were parting her folds and exploring her entrance. Like a live wire, she jolted to life when he sank one finger into her. Her channel clamped around his finger, and he growled for a second, breaking the kiss.

“God,” he hissed. “You’re so tight. If you do that while I’m inside you, I’ll lose it.” His lashes fluttered, and she saw the molten core of his gaze burning through every defensive layer she’d ever built. He was tearing her battlements down, laying siege to her soul.

He sank two fingers into her, then slid them back out before plunging them back in. With little pants, Felicity concentrated on the pleasure, not the alien feel of something pressing into her.

“That’s it, sweetheart, get used to it.” Then he kissed her again.

At some point in the hazy world of his kisses, she parted her legs farther and he settled deeper into her thighs, only the barest amount of space between them to allow his hands between her thighs. She reached down, trying to find his shaft, wanting to touch it and give him the same enjoyment she was receiving.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Yes.” She didn’t even think what he meant until it was too late to turn back. He withdrew his fingers and replaced them with his cock. The blunt head nudged at her entrance, and when she started to tense, he kissed her again, and that single action made her relax enough.

“Felicity,” he whispered her name like a midnight prayer and then thrust deep.

Pain lanced through her, and she gasped. If felt like a knife had just torn part of her open inside.

“Ow,” she whimpered into his shoulder and then dug her fingers into his back, hoping she wasn’t hurting him. The need to cling to something, to ease her pain, was primal.

“I’m sorry. Just breathe, okay? The worst is over.” He held so still, she would have been worried he was the one not breathing if she hadn’t been able to feel his chest expand against her aching breasts.

“Kiss me,” he said.

It was an easy request, one she happily obliged. For several long seconds, he didn’t move inside her. He simply spoke to her in a language of kisses. His entire body was tense with the need to finish what they’d started, and she sensed him holding back his passion until she could adjust to him without pain. Her mouth trembled against his, knowing his care and concern for her—even at this moment—was at the forefront of his mind. It filled her with a sense of awe and…love. How could she not love a man who would do this for her? Thankfully, the pain was nearly gone.

“I think I’m okay now.” She nipped his ear, hoping he’d believe her.

His hips jerked in response to her love bite, and his thickness filled her, stretching her. It was a little strange and uncomfortable, and she wriggled her hips. Jared groaned and withdrew. A protest formed on her lips, but it faded as he drove back in, hard. This time there was a frightening amount of wild pleasure that exploded in the back of her head. He did it again, and again, sharp, deep thrusts that slammed them together. Her gasps turned to little shouts of encouragement as he pinned her to the bed and pounded into her until she felt the world drop out from beneath her.

Jared’s roar above her was almost distant-sounding as her own pleasure swept her away on clouds. What had happened between them on the couch had been a pale imitation of this. This. Sex with Jared. Her thighs quivered, and she clamped her knees around his hips. Sweat dewed upon their bodies, with a slight slickness. He was still on top of her, his body warming hers like a blazing fire in winter. He was staring at her, his eyes wide, his pupils slightly dilated.

“That was—” He licked his lips.

“What?” she prompted, anxious. Surely it had been as mind-blowing for him as it was for her?

A seductive smile tugged at his mouth. “It was fucking amazing.” He dropped his head to hers, letting their foreheads touch. “How are you feeling?” he asked as he rubbed one hand on her bare hip, the touch possessive yet impossibly tender.

“A little sore, but good, too.” She didn’t want any lies or half-truths between them. At least not when it came to something like this.

“I’m sorry. I was rough.” He brushed a kiss on her lips, then very slowly lifted his body off hers. When he pulled out of her, she winced from the tenderness of her flesh, and then she flushed as she saw the streaks of red on her thighs and his shaft.

“Stay there,” he commanded and went into his bathroom to dispose of the condom.

Felicity propped herself up on her elbows, enjoying the sight of his muscled bare backside. The sound of water running was followed by cabinets opening. When Jared returned, he climbed back into the bed, and before she could protest, he was wiping a cloth wet with warm water between her thighs.

She caught his wrist, startled by his actions. “You don’t have to—”

“I want to.” He silenced her with a dominating look, one that reminded her that despite his gentleness he was still an alpha male.

With one scorching look, her body flushed, hot and aching, yet at the same time she wanted to curl into him for the safety he promised. She’d never understood girls who clung to their boyfriends, but now? Oh, now she did. There was something about being with a man, knowing he was yours, completely and totally. You could reach out and touch him, have his body wrapped around yours whenever you wanted. It had never been something she wanted before, a man who belonged to her. Yet as she returned Jared’s gaze, both of them bare-skinned and as open as two people could be, she wanted him.

He stood and walked back into the bathroom to dispose of the cloth. When he returned, he pulled back the blankets on her bed and got her to climb in.

“You’re staying?” She knew it was stupid to ask, but she definitely didn’t want him to leave. Was that too clingy? Would it freak him out?

In answer, he slid into bed beside her and pulled her into his embrace. He nuzzled her neck, and then with a low, raspy chuckle, he nibbled her earlobe, which made her womb clench and the sensitive parts of her newly used body quiver and twinge.

“We shared something special tonight, and you think I’m the kind of man who would get up and leave? You wound me, princess.” His words were serious, but the lightness of his tone eased her fears.

“You have to stop calling me princess.” She nudged his chest with her elbow.

“Nope. It’s who you are to me. My walking fantasy.” He pulled the covers higher up around their bodies and puffed up the pillows beneath their heads.

“A walking fantasy?” Felicity queried, wrinkling her nose. How could she be anyone’s fantasy? She was—

“Stop. Whatever you’re thinking. I can see it on your face. You are my fantasy. Well, better than that. You’re now a reality in a way I couldn’t have imagined. You’re sweet, sexy, smart, caring. A guy couldn’t ask for more in a woman. Don’t think for a second that you aren’t perfect or that I don’t want you.” Jared expelled a slightly frustrated breath. “Hell, I tried to walk away from you, tried to stay out of your life. I lasted a day and a half. That’s it.” He brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “If that doesn’t tell you something about how I feel, then I don’t know what else to say.”

He was killing her with his sweetness. When she burrowed deeper into Jared’s arms, he didn’t push her away. Instead, he held her close, shushing her as her body trembled. She didn’t want to think about what would happen when they went their separate ways. What if he went back to Shana, his ex? It would make sense. The other woman was beautiful and smart and had so much in common with Jared, not like her. Felicity swallowed thickly and didn’t let the tears burning in her eyes escape. He could not see her cry.

“We can make this work. I know we can.” His arms tightened around her body, holding her close.

Her tongue was like thick sandpaper, and her throat closed as emotions battled inside her like angry gods, shaking her down to the foundation of her soul.

“I hope so,” she whispered.