Dem couldn’t be this close to her, not when she was practically vibrating with energy. The fire that blazed in her called to him, whispering promises of melting the ice that had surrounded his heart for so long. The urge to feel, to kiss, to take, it was . . . overwhelming.

When his mouth connected with hers, he hadn’t even realized he was going to kiss her, but as soon as they made contact, all the frustration and rage that had been swirling around them exploded. Hands, lips, teeth, everything was involved. Their bodies clashed against each other, pushing and pulling. She tasted like fire and spice with a sweet undertone that he couldn’t get enough of.

Her mouth opened for him as he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips. He swept inside, his own tongue tangling with hers, demanding and unrelenting in his claiming of her mouth. Acting on instinct, he had released her hands so he could press her against him, so his hands could explore her body as his tongue had explored her mouth. It had been a mistake, though.

She knew all his buttons, had learned them when they spent the weekend together. Now, her nails ran lightly over his skin, coming down and grazing over each nipple in turn. A growl sounded in his throat. At this rate, they wouldn’t make it to the bedroom. Hell, they might not even make it to the couch.

His brain finally kicked in and warned him to slam on the brakes, but his body wanted to override the command, and reminded him how it had felt to be loved by her. He paused for the briefest moment, deciding whether to listen to his brain, but when she ran her hands around and squeezed his ass, pulling him into her body, he chose to ignore his brain. The chemistry between them was undeniable and liable to catch fire if they didn’t do something about it.

When he gave in, all the walls that he had been putting up to stop the oncoming storm that was Aster and his attraction to her were knocked down. All that was left was him. All the knotted emotions, grief, rage, obsessiveness, it was all laid bare to her if she wanted it.

Kissing a line down from her ear to her collarbone, Dem nipped at the delicate skin, earning a moan from the wild blonde woman in front of him. Her hands were in his hair then, grabbing the strands and pulling as she kissed him, biting his lower lip until he groaned under her touch. She slid her elegant hands under his T-shirt, rubbing up his stomach, tickling the fine hairs on his chest as she pushed the material up.

Dem pulled the T-shirt over his head, and she grinned. He didn’t like the distance between them, though, preferring having her body up against his own. Gripping her by her thighs, he pulled her up so she could wrap her legs around him, his cock resting against her core. She was still shorter than him, even like this, but he didn’t have to bend as far to kiss her. Plus, he could hold her up with one hand so his other could still explore the soft skin of her body.

His erection throbbed painfully against the zipper of his jeans, every fiber of his being longing to be naked with her already. Her nails scratched against his shoulders as he kissed her, sending little jolts of electricity to his groin, causing him to buck against her.

Small, encouraging noises came from the back of her throat, each and every one spiking his desire for her higher and higher. The scent of lilac and honey filled his nostrils as he licked and kissed his way down to her cleavage. There was too much clothing in the way for him to do much, but the sensation of her supple breasts under his mouth drove him wild. He needed her naked. Now.

“You sure you want to do this?” His voice came out in a ragged breath. He needed to know she was all in.

“If you mean am I ready to do you, the answer is yes.” Her lips grazed his ear as she spoke.

With a grunt of acknowledgment, which was all he could manage, he untangled her legs from around him and set her on the floor. Kneeling in front of her, he could look up at her like the goddess she was, her blonde waves fanned out around her face as she stared down at him.

Slowly, he pushed her T-shirt up, placing kisses on her stomach, the muscles flinching and flexing under his lips. Her whole body began to quiver as he pushed the shirt up over her breasts, and when she raised her arms, he pulled it off over her head.

The dark blue lace of the bra filled his vision. Blue flowers covered her soft, pale skin, but when he went to run his hand around to the back, the texture shifted. The lace was only on the cups of the bra. The rest was bands of material, like sections of it had been cut out.

Dem found that he liked the bra too much to take it off immediately. The midnight-blue paired with the golden blonde of her hair made him want to sit and admire her, so instead, his fingers began working the fastenings of her jeans, peeling them down her legs, revealing her to him inch by inch. When he realized that her panties matched, he practically drooled with desire. Finally, shoes and jeans were off, and it was just Aster before him, with the flimsy material of her bra and panties the only thing stopping her from being naked.

His cock raged inside his jeans, his hunger for her taking on a painful edge. When he reached for the panties, she stepped back.

“Pants off first. Fair’s fair.” She grinned.

They had played this game before. Only allowing a piece of clothing to be removed once whoever still had more clothes on had reduced their clothing to a matching amount.

“Aster, you know if these jeans come off, I’m not going to be able to hold back anymore. I will be inside you before you can say my name.”

“You have more self-control than that. I’ve seen it.”

“I’m hanging on by a thread here, love.”

She looked down at him. He was still on his knees in front of her. Her pupils were dilated and her lips were swollen and red from his earlier attentions. She looked like sex. Everything about her made him want to spend all day every day in bed with her. There was a sharpness to her now that she hadn’t had during their weekend together, and it only made him worship her all the more.

Aster held out her hands, and he took them, the firm grip still surprising him even though he knew she was a hell of a lot stronger than she looked. Helping him up, she looked pointedly at the jeans he was still wearing, her hands resting on her hips, highlighting her toned body.

Without further protest, he flipped the button of his jeans and shoved them down, kicking out of them and his shoes in one motion. She hadn’t realized he’d gone commando under them, and when she saw his rock-hard erection sticking out toward her, she licked her lips. He just about lost his damn mind.

One step and he was in front of her, crushing her warm body against his own, his cock now resting against her tight stomach. The starved passion that had taken them to that point came back tenfold. Being skin to skin, he couldn’t resist her. Lifting her up once more, he cupped her lace-covered ass while his mouth claimed hers in a way that made it clear she was his. Nipping and biting, causing little moans and gasps to escape her as his cock brushed against her core.

Slipping his hand under the edge of the lace, his fingers found her hot and wet, completely ready for him. He couldn’t wait any longer. Hell, it’d be a challenge to last more than two seconds once he was inside her, but he needed to be inside her, needed to quench the thirst he’d felt for her since he left that weekend.

Pushing her panties to the side, he slid just the head of his cock into her slick opening, causing Aster to gasp in surprise. When she adjusted, he pushed in further, her tight, wet heat engulfing him, making his breath hiss through his teeth as he tried not to come right then and there. She groaned as he filled her, the sound music to his ears.

Dem hooked his arms under each leg so he supported her completely. As her fingers latched around his neck, he began to move, pumping her up and down on his cock as his hips flexed back and forth, losing himself in the rhythm they moved together, the noises she made telling him whether to speed up or slow down. Everything seemed to stretch out to eternity in this one complete moment. They were in sync with each other in a way they hadn’t been since they first met, and he knew that was his fault.

Her voice rasped out a strangled cry of pleasure as he pounded into her.

The sounds of their skin smacking together echoed through his head, combining with her calling his name. Suddenly, it all became too much, and as he pulled her down onto him one last time, he grunted as his orgasm whipped through him, pulsing his cock inside her and flexing his hips. Breathing ragged, he looked down at Aster. Her eyes glowed as she gazed at him.

* * *

“You okay?” Dem said, a bashful look on his face that made Aster want to hug him.

“Yeah.” She smiled up at him in lazy satisfaction. “You?”

“More than okay.”

Without pulling out, he walked them into the bedroom and lay her down on the bed, the comforter luxuriously rumpled under her. His strength amazed her. It had the first time they had met, but now she knew he’d been holding back. The sex they had just had was one of her favorite kinds. He’d done all the work, and she just had to enjoy the ride. Sure, she hadn’t finished, but she trusted he would take care of her shortly. Plus, it was amazing just to have him touching her again.

When she took him home for a one-night stand, she hadn’t expected to miss him after he left, but that one night had turned into a weekend, and by the time they were done, the physical attraction had matured. It was only a few days later that she’d been taken.

He rolled off her and sighed happily before turning to face her.

“Ready?”

“For what?”

“Round two.”

She smiled at him then. There was no way he could be ready again. When he propped himself up, his mouth went to one nipple and a hand went to the other. Gasping, she rolled her head back in bliss. His fingers were rough with callouses, which only added to the sensation, each one grazing a line of heat around the sensitive flesh, even through her bra.

He began kissing her neck, moving down inch by inch while his hands slid underneath her, unclasping her bra and pulling it free from her arms. Her breasts were finally exposed to the air. His kisses continued at a steady, luscious pace until he was over her nipples. His tongue flicked out, the sudden wetness making her gasp and then shiver as the cool air hit her damp skin.

While his mouth worked on her breasts, his hands moved down to her panties. The simple fact that he’d pushed them aside because he couldn’t wait to be inside her made her hotter than hell. Now, his fingers hooked inside and pulled them down while his mouth traveled lower, kissing from her stomach, down her thighs, even to her toes as he freed her from her remaining clothing.

She was sprawled naked on his bed, and there was no place she’d rather be. His hooded eyes watched her, roaming her body as though he were surveying his kingdom. The deep midnight-blue was captivating, and she watched him, biting her lower lip as she wondered what his plan was, not that she’d have to wait long to find out.

Dem kissed his way back up her other leg, even dropping a few pecks on the back of her knee, which made her squirm. When his mouth trailed a fiery line of kisses and nips along her inner thigh, she shivered with anticipation. His hand cupped her core, and she ground into it like the wanton sex fiend that she was when it came to this man. An approving noise came from low in Dem’s chest, sounding almost like a growl. His thumb began rubbing up and over her clit while a finger or two stroked her folds.

He remembered exactly what she liked from that weekend they had spent together. Every movement with his hands was one he had experimented with before, and when he finally found what worked for her, he was merciless in bringing her pleasure. The swooping motion of his thumb combined with him thrusting his fingers into her made her body clench as an orgasm built inside her. She could feel it coming, her body preparing for it, but every time she was moments from cresting the wave of pleasure, he would back off.

When his mouth found her nipples again, the noises she made were embarrassing. She called his name, pleading with him without using words to stop teasing her. His teeth grazed one nipple and then the other while her hands fisted the sheets or comforter or whatever they could find.

The pace of his thumb increased, and she was almost there. When he bit on one of her nipples, she crashed over the edge, unprepared for the level of pleasure the orgasm would produce. She screamed his name, in praise, in thanks, in love. He didn’t stop, though. His thumb kept rubbing around her clit, making her body jerk and her eyes roll back in her head.

Without warning, another orgasm crashed into her, this one even stronger than before. When his hand moved away from her core, she expected him to let her ride out her pleasure, but the blunt head of his cock was pushing at her entrance, and with one solid thrust, he was inside her. Another wave of orgasms hit her, each one seeming to ricochet off the other until she became a limp, quivering mess.

His cock filled her. Each twitch of her muscles reminded her that he was there, completing her in a way no other man ever had. Her eyes flickered open, and he stared down at her. His dark brown hair was ruffled in a way that it only ever was from sex, and a slow grin spread over her face.

She noticed that his hand was held away from their bodies, the wetness on it gleaming in the light. Without thinking, she pulled it toward her, taking the fingers that had been pumping into her moments ago into her mouth and sucking. His hips bucked into her, and she moaned around his hand. The taste of herself combined with him and the rough skin of a man who worked hard filled her senses. When he started to move inside her, she looked up at him, pushing her tongue between his fingers before taking them into her mouth all the way to the base of his fingers once more.

He moaned and his hips bucked wildly, his skin connecting with hers over and over again. Finally, she released his hand.

“Can you pull out for a second?” her voice rasped as he kept the steady rhythm going.

Concern pinched his eyebrows, but without complaint, he pulled out. She rolled over, pushing her ass up into the air, and she heard him groan.

“By the gods, Aster, I don’t know how I can last with you like that.”

“We’ve got time. We can play more later,” she said, winking at him over her shoulder. She wiggled her butt at him, and it was all the invitation he needed.

Dem speared into her once more. She moaned into the pillow, arching her back so he could get even deeper. She could swear it felt like he was brushing against her cervix. As his tempo increased, her breasts swung in the air. His long arms came around and grabbed hold of them, almost using them as handles, while he rolled her nipples between two fingers on each hand.

She couldn’t think. Everything was on fire for him. When his fingers backed off, she reached between her legs and rubbed her clit. Another orgasm was right there already. His balls slapped against her, which turned her on even more, to the point that she was panting, sweat beading on her back while they moved together.

“Lay down.” The words were clipped from his control.

She did as he asked, and he pushed her legs together so his legs were on either side of her. His cock felt twice as big like that. Her breath caught at the new sensation. As he rocked into her, she turned her head into the pillow to muffle her cries of pleasure. He grabbed a handful of hair, tugging just enough that she gave him what he wanted and let her voice ring out, no longer muffled by the pillow.

Her hand was still pinned under her, and she had just enough room to circle the sensitized nub of pleasure. His fingers gripped into her hips, holding her at a specific angle that had her screaming for him. Dem’s rhythm became erratic, and Aster began to play with herself once more. Dem reached his orgasm first, calling out her name, which in turn pushed her over the edge. Stars sparked behind her eyes, and her body bucked and shuddered while wave after wave of pleasure hit her. She felt like she was floating away on the tide of bliss.