“Think I’m the luckiest man on earth,” I tell her, pressing my mouth against her jaw and moving down to her neck. She arches against me, wrapping her arms around my neck and encouraging me. I’m not stopping there, though. I need to taste her everywhere. I slide lower, cupping one of those perky little tits and teasing the tip of it with my fingers.

“You are,” she agrees, breathless. “Consider yourself blessed with my pussy.”

“And tits,” I say, licking the tip of one. “Can’t forget the tits.”

“Mmm, I think they need a bit more encouragement before they feel blessed.” She arches her back, pushing against my hand.

“That so?” I nuzzle the tip of one. “O great and glorious titties, let me bestow you with my ever-abundant thanks.” As I speak, I tease one nipple with my fingers and nip at the other.

She wriggles and arches underneath me, panting. “Save the abundance for later.”

Naughty thing. I love her wicked, weird sense of humor. I nip at her breast again, this time a little harder. “Hush and let me work on my devotionals.”

“Hushing,” she says, breathless. She can’t stop moving underneath me, her body flexing and undulating as if her movements can somehow encourage mine. Doing a pretty damn good job of it, too. I caress and tease her breasts, using my mouth and hands and even my beard, until she’s writhing underneath me and making soft little cries. Fuck, I love how noisy and restless she is. It’s like she can’t contain herself. Makes me crazy with need for her.

But I love the playful vibe we have going, and I want to continue it. I flick her nipples with my thumbs and then begin to slowly skate down her body, kissing the valley between her breasts and moving ever downward. “O great and powerful pussy, bless me with thy juicy taste.”

She laughs, wiggling underneath me again. “You’re officially the worst. Or the best. I can’t decide.”

“The best in all the worst ways, baby.” Man, I’m already living for that laugh. I continue to kiss down the slope of her belly. I deliberately scrape my beard along her skin, because she shivers each time I do, and her little breathless moans grow louder. It feels like eternity until I kiss my way to that little patch of hair over her pussy and press the first (of what I intend to be many) kisses there. “Hello there, promised land.”

“Don’t mind me saying so, but you’re weird,” Lexi tells me. Her voice has gone all lush and soft on me, and when I caress the inside of her thigh, she opens up like a flower, ready for my touch. God, she’s beautiful. I’m the luckiest son of a bitch alive that I get to have her in my bed tonight.

Of course, tonight is just the beginning, I’m thinking. I always thought it was a little strange that Boone said Ivy was his the moment he saw her. Clay’s always only wanted one woman, ever. Never thought that made sense . . . until now. With Lexi clutching at my hair as I nuzzle her sweet pussy, it makes total sense to me.

This is the woman I was born to be with. We’re perfectly in sync, both in mind and body. I ain’t never felt this way about anyone. It doesn’t matter to me that I just met Lexi, or that she lives three hours away, or that she’s five years older than me.

She’s mine.

And tonight, I’m going to show her. With that thought in mind, I use my thumbs to part her slick flesh and bury my face between her thighs.

She cries out, her hands tightening in my hair. Gone are the teasing laughs and the inane commentary. She’s panting and breathless now, her heels digging into my mattress as she squirms underneath me. “Knox. Knox. Oh god. Your mouth.”

I lift my head, just because I know it’ll drive her crazy. “You want it somewhere else, Sexy Lexi?”

“Don’t call me that,” she mutters, and then hooks one leg over my shoulder and digs that heel into my back. “And quit talking and get back down there.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I lean in and drag my tongue over her folds, enjoying her muffled shriek of response. She’s definitely sensitive here. “You like getting your pussy eaten out, baby?”

“Never . . . had . . . it . . . before,” she gasps.

Never? Well, shit. I’m about to blow her damn mind. With a pleased grin, I get back to work. I drag my tongue over her delicious little cunt, back and forth until she’s lost in the moment again. It’s clear she likes it best when I move toward her clit, so I deliberately avoid that, choosing to tease the slick opening to her core with my finger and skating my tongue along her sensitive skin. I save her clit for last, and just barely brush over it when I do.

She makes a sound of protest and her hands flex against my skin. She pushes me higher when I try to go low, lifting her hips as if she can guide me.

Goddamn, but she’s fun to tease. I let my mouth move where she wants it and nibble on her clit with my lips. Her low, tortured moan tells me I’m on the right track, so I continue doing that. I lick and suck and tease her clit, then slide a finger deep into the hot well of her cunt, pumping her as I do.

Cool, calm, detached Lexi claws at me like a wild woman. I fucking love this. I keep the rhythm up despite her constant movements, propelling her toward an orgasm. I need to see her come. Want it more than anything. I need to know that I can make her lose all control. That I’m making this as good for her as it’s gonna be for me.

So I keep nudging her forward, pushing her even when she’s whimpering and her hips rise off the bed. I keep my mouth right where she needs it and thrust into her with my fingers. She’s hot and slick and her cunt grips my fingers like a vise each time I do. Almost there. Come on, Lexi. Show me how beautiful you are when you come.

She pushes at my face, trying to move me away from where I’ve encamped between her thighs. I ignore her hands, though, because I can tell from the full-body shiver that quakes through her that she’s close. “Oh! Knox!”

I groan and grind my hips into the mattress, because just the way she says my name makes me want to lose it myself.

But then she chokes back a little gasp and her body jerks, and she floods my beard with her wet release. Goddamn, that’s sexy. I keep licking and working her, determined to wring out every little reaction, and she quakes underneath me, shivering and gasping until she pushes me away again.

This time, I let her. I sit up, my cock aching like it’s never ached before, and the taste of her on my lips. “That was beautiful,” I tell her. To my surprise, she blushes, her cheeks as bright red as the rest of her.

“That beard is unfair,” she pants. “And so is that tongue. And that mouth.”

“You’re welcome,” I drawl, secretly pleased I got her to react like this. It’s like she gets more and more perfect with every passing moment. I can’t stop touching her, either. I know I should probably give her a few to catch her breath and steady herself, but fuck that. I slide a hand up and down her leg, caressing, just because I need to touch her. One day and I’m already addicted. “So you’ve never done that before, huh?”

“Did I say that?” her voice is casual, but her nose and cheeks are bright red, which tells me she’s still embarrassed. “Clearly I was full of shit.”

“Clearly.” I don’t believe her for a second. Let her spin whatever narrative she wants. I suspect the truth. Don’t know what kind of fucking jerks a pretty thing like her has been dating that they wouldn’t love that pussy like I did, but that’s fine. Just means that she’s mine and no one else’s.

I prowl forward on the bed, ready to show her that just because I’m a few years younger, it doesn’t mean she should dismiss me. I don’t care that she’s older. All I care about is that she’s her. I love the way she laughs, the way she talks, the way she has no time for other people’s bullshit . . . and most of all, the way she responds in bed. I need to make her come so hard tonight that she won’t protest when I ask to see her again. Or when I invite her to move in. Or when I tell her she’s gonna be my wife.

I see now why Clay and Boone move fast. It just makes sense. You want to lock your girl down so you can have her at your side always. It’s only been hours and I already feel intensely possessive of Lexi. She’s mine to protect and keep safe.

Of course, I need to keep all that shit to myself right now. Don’t wanna scare her. I move over her, bracing my larger body on my elbows so I don’t crush her, and give her a kiss. Her lips are soft under mine, her eyes dazed. Love the way she looks up at me, as if she’s both surprised and impressed by what I just did to her.

Little does she know this is just the beginning. I plan on making her crazy with lust for the next sixty years or so. Course, all I say is, “You taste good.”

“Thank you. It’s my own special recipe.” But her nose is cherry red. So cute.

I nip her nose with a little kiss and then move to her cheeks, her jaw. “Wouldn’t mind another taste of that home cookin’—”

She puts a hand over my mouth. “You’re taking the metaphor a bit too far, even for me.”

I chuckle, because more than anything, I love making her laugh. I get the feeling she ain’t often impressed by much and laughs even less, so the fact that I can make her smile makes me feel like a goddamn king. I tease her nipple with my thumb, watching her reaction to see if she’s ready for more, or if she needs more time.

But Lexi only sighs and slides closer to me, running her hand down my pectorals and tugging at my chest hair. “Maybe you should stop talking before worse comes out of your mouth.”

“If you want a kiss, all you gotta do is say so,” I murmur, and lean in and give her just that. Her mouth hungrily meets mine, and as I taste her, I decide I’ve waited long enough to make her mine. I slide my hand between her thighs and she spreads them for me again, moaning when I tease her folds, making sure she’s still wet enough to take my cock.

I shouldn’t have worried, of course. She’s still slick as hell, and arches her hips up against my hand when I touch her. She’s as eager for more as I am.