Julia was heavy and sweet in Sawyer’s embrace as they knelt side by side on the polished floor. He buried his face in the airy cloud of her hair, breathing in her scent. This was the only time she was vulnerable with him. In the aftermath of sex, her defenses momentarily blown apart, she would actually be with him for a few moments before she started to erect walls between them once more.

Her breathing calmed, the metronome of her heart thudding under his palm. Despite the torment of his aching cock, he didn’t want the moment to end. At last, she pulled herself upright. She peeked up at him, lips parted and swollen, her hands reaching for the large bulge at his crotch. He’d half-expected her to push him away, aware they were both slightly sticky, sheathed in a blush of sweat from their exertions.

She surprised him, murmuring a husky, eager sound in his ear as her finger traced the outline of his erection. He groaned against the skin of her neck as the palm of her hand continued its relentless provocation, stroking and squeezing him.

“Feel how hard I can make you,” she whispered in his ear, gripping him firmly.

A low growl escaped his lips and helpless to stop himself, he bucked his hips, desperate for her touch. With leisurely movements she undid the button and then the drawstring of his sweats. His mouth went dry as he anticipated her next move. Soft, cool hands pulled him out at last, and he sucked in a sharp gasp of air, adjusting to the delicious sensation.

A smile played across her lips in appreciation. “No underwear either?”

“Julia.” Sawyer muttered back at her, his hand threading through the soft hair at the back of her neck as he pulled her in a for a hungry kiss. She kissed him then broke away, teeth biting her lower lip in anticipation, her eyes dark with arousal. Her slim fingers stroked down the dark happy-trail across his lower abdomen.

She peeked up at him, her cheeks colored pink. “I love touching you.”

A tortured groan escaped him as she wrapped her hands around the swollen head of his cock and stroked him with firm definite movements. She clearly had no intention of being gentle and the thought made him harder still.

Blood pounded in his veins. “Julia—“

He caught her smile just before her tongue found the sensitive crown. Hot breath escaped him as her tongue circled the head, then stroked the perfect spot just underneath. His body and cock stiffened in tandem and his jaw clenched.

The searing wet heat of her lips and tongue on the blunt tip was fierce. Sawyer closed his eyes, his head tipped back in oblivion to nothing but the woman on her knees before him. He swallowed a groan as her tongue unwound his control. Her skilled hands worked him, sleek friction building an aching urgency across his length. A tornado of fiery sensations collided with each other in his brain, and he leaned backward, the base of his spine pressing against the cool wooden rungs of the ladder.

She followed, taking him deep into the back of her throat and driving him hard. Her free hand cupped him, gently raking his skin with her fingernails. Unbearable tension spread from his thighs to the small of his back as she released him, licking the slit of his cock and tasting his arousal. Intense, aching pressure low in his gut hurtled him toward release.

She glanced up at him then, and his vision narrowed to just her face, her hair in messy disarray from his hands, her lips slick with the taste of him. He muttered a guttural groan at the disheveled beauty kneeling before him, his hand cupping her cheek. A lascivious grin graced her lips before she bent over him again, small breathy sounds escaping from deep in her throat. God, he loved the noises she made, perfect murmurings of desire that drove blood into his cock almost to the point of pain.

The nearness of his own release was excruciating as his orgasm grew like wild fire at the base of his spine. Julia sheathed her teeth with her lips, sliding him into her mouth, her expert tongue tormenting him in all the right places. His hips rocked with urgency, his hands grasping the back of her neck. She pulled back slightly, her teeth grazing his swollen crown and the cool contrast of the air to the searing heat of her mouth drove him over the edge. His muscles locked, his climax obliterating everything but her hot, tight warmth as he came in a sudden, primal jolt of release.

Slowly he relaxed, his breathing easing as Julia graced his belly and the tops of his thighs with butterfly kisses. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair mussed as she licked his skin. Finally, she rose and kissed him on the neck then snuggled her face against the crook of his arm. She pressed against his side, wrapping her arms around him.

“Hmm,” she purred in appreciation. Neat fingernails traced a wobbly line from the base of his throat to his belly button. He caught her hand and kissed her palm then the inside of her wrist, savoring the sweet, salty taste of her skin. God, he couldn’t get enough of her.

She stood first, picking up her clothes from where they had been discarded. Sawyer picked up his gym towel, taking a minute to clean himself up. He watched her slide her jeans over the creamy skin of her backside.

He growled low in appreciation and swiped her before she had them fully on. She yelped, and when she turned back to face him, he grabbed her arm and yanked her close, ignoring her protestations. He held her there, planting a slow, gentle kiss on the top of her head.

She relaxed and stilled. Normally, she pulled away as soon as they had finished making love, but today she let him hold her. He wondered if she hungered for the connection that he did right now, if he filled the dark spaces within her the way she did for him.

She pressed a hot kiss to his lips, breaking away from him and the moment. She grinned. “C’mon. Let’s eat.”