“Yes.” I hate the relief in my voice, but my whole body relaxes beneath Eli as he watches me for another long moment, and then lays his lips over mine and kisses me sweetly. His hand resumes with its ministrations on my breast, making me tingle.

“I love your skin,” he whispers against my neck. “You’re so soft. And your freckles make me crazy.”

“My freckles!” I giggle and slap his arm playfully. “They’re out of control.”

“They’re amazing.” He grins down at me. “You even have freckles on your pussy.”

“I know.” I wrinkle my nose, making him chuckle.

“Sexy.”

“Silly.”

He slowly shakes his head no and reaches over for a condom, slips it on, and settles between my legs.

“Are you sore?”

“In a good way.”

“I’ll do my best to take it easy.”

I drag my fingertips down his cheek as he positions himself against my lips.

“What do you want, Kate?”

“You,” I reply with a confused frown.

“What part of me?”

Ah, so we’re back to the game.

“That large, impressive part of you.”

He laughs and kisses my forehead. “Words, Kate.”

“Eli.”

He raises a brow.

“I’d very much enjoy feeling your cock inside me now, please.”

His eyes darken as he slowly pushes inside me, all the way, and holds himself still.

“Say it again.”

“Please.”

His lips tickle mine as he grins.

“Just a few more words.”

I rotate my hips and clench around him, making his body tighten around me.

“Eli.”

“Yes.”

“Fuck me already.”

“Damn.” He begins to move, in long steady strokes, panting and groaning, but holding my gaze in his. “I fucking love it when you talk dirty.”

“I kind of like it too,” I admit, and moan when he slips his hand between us and presses on my already screaming clit. “God, Eli, I’m gonna come.”

“That’s right.” He kisses my neck and hooks one of my legs over his shoulder, opening me wider, pushing deeper as he grabs my ass and pulls me harder onto him. “I’m right here with you.”

His strength never ceases to amaze me, and the way his body is working me over is just too much. I can’t help but cry out as I’m consumed by the orgasm, pulsing around him and rocking against him, as I continue to ride the aftershocks.

Eli rests his forehead on mine and swears under his breath, as every muscle in his body tightens and he follows me over into his own release.

We’re both gasping for breath and sweaty when Eli slips out of me and collapses on the bed beside me, his arm draped over my stomach.

“Well, good morning.”

He chuckles and kisses my shoulder. I gaze over at him, and can’t resist pushing his hair back off of his forehead.

“You’re so handsome.”

“Thank you.” He kisses me again, then rolls away. “We have to get up.”

“Why? I thought we decided we aren’t going in to work today.”

“We’re not.” He shoots me a naughty grin. “I have a surprise for you.”

“What kind of surprise?”

“A surprise surprise.” He rolls his eyes as he saunters into the bathroom. “But you’ll need to stop over at your place and pack a bag for the weekend!” He yells out at me.

“Okay, I’ll just go over there now, take a shower, and get ready.”

“No.”

My head whips up at the tone of his voice as he comes back into the room.

“No?”

He shakes his head and takes my hand in his. “We’ll be showering together.”

“Eli, I’m as adventurous as the next girl, but I don’t think I can go another round right now.”

He chuckles as he kisses my knuckles. “I can’t either, cher. But I’m not letting you out of my sight that long. Besides, it’s my mess. I should clean it up.”

“Well, when you put it like that…”

***

An hour later, we’re settled in Eli’s car and headed out into the Bayou.

“It’s amazing how, just a few minutes outside the city, we’re in the middle of nowhere.” I stare at the forests, the swamps, and wonder if there are alligators in the water.

“Not so different from most cities,” he reminds me. He links his fingers with mine and kisses my hand before resting them on his thigh.

“Where are we going?”

“I thought we’d spend the weekend at the Inn.”

“Oh, fun!” I grin and shimmy in my seat. “I’ve been dying to see it.”

“We’ll have my nosy sister and brother hanging around, but I think you’ll enjoy it.”

“You have such a great family.” I gaze over at him as he drives effortlessly down the interstate. “They may be nosy, but they love you.”

“Nosy,” he insists with a grin.

“If you hated it, you would have left long ago.”

His jaw clenches and his hand tightens on the wheel, but he takes a deep breath and finally nods. “True.”

I tilt my head and watch him closely. There’s something here he’s not telling me, but rather than pry, I leave it be for now and decide instead to start telling him a bit about my past.

“I got it after I left my ex-husband,” I say, and turn to look out the passenger window. “Because after being told every day that you’re not good enough, it’s easy to buy into it. But I’m not that person. I am enough.”

“You’re more than enough, cher.” He kisses my hand again. “Look at me.”

I turn to face him and am surprised to see him smiling.

“You’re a strong woman, Kate. Which is a good thing, because it takes a strong woman to put up with my family.”

He didn’t make it awkward. Or turn it into a long soul-searching conversation.

He simply accepts me.

“I love your family.”

He nods and changes lanes. “Tell me about your family.”

“I love them too.” I grin as I think of my ma and da. “My parents live in County Claire, Ireland.”

“Did you grow up in Ireland?”

“No. I grew up outside of Denver. My da got a job there before I was born, so he and Ma moved there. Had me. Then about three years later, my da’s brother and sister-in-law were killed in a car accident, leaving their son, Rhys, behind. So he came to live with us. He’s really more like my big brother than a cousin.”