I felt like I’d just been given a late Christmas present, all wrapped up in shades of blue, topped off with a nervous smile.

Raye leaned against my kitchen table as I settled back on my heels to study her, half-expecting her to disappear in front of me.

Half of me wouldn’t have been surprised to wake up suddenly to find that this had been a dream. After all, I’d done quite a bit of dreaming about this very woman since I ran into her that fated New Year’s Eve. But even after I’d fought those guys off…even after that first kiss…I never dreamed we’d be here, together, like this.

I essentially had carte blanche with the woman who kept me awake at nights with a hard-on, and when she wasn’t keeping me awake, she was giving me sweet dreams that had me waking with a smile on my face.

Not that anything would ever come of it.

Jake would kill me, that was the truth.

Besides, I wouldn’t ever let anything come of it. A girl like her deserved better than a roughneck like me.

But I could do this for her – she trusted me to do this for her. She wanted me to do this for her, and damned if I didn’t want to do it.

The sweater, soft against her warm skin, tickled my roughened palm as I stroked it up her arm, then curved it around her neck. “Come here,” I whispered, tugging her in close so I could kiss her.

I kept it light and easy, something I’d have to do throughout this entire thing.

If she’d only had sex the one time, and every other time she’d attempted intimacy, things went south, it explained why she was so nervous, I guessed. Not to mention that episode on the street New Year’s Eve. The way she reacted made me think it wasn’t the first time some dick had tried to force the issue with her, and that would make her reservations about sex that much worse,

But she hadn’t had so many reservations when I touched her.

She didn’t have any now as I kissed her, sliding my tongue past her lips and delving deep into the sweet recesses of her mouth. She tasted like wine and woman, and it was enough to make me drunk on her. Deepening the kiss, I tugged her against me, turning as I did so that my hips were against the table and she was half-leaning against me. She stiffened at first, like she had several times the night I’d brought her to climax, but she relaxed almost immediately.

“I want to touch you,” I whispered against her mouth.

“You don’t have to ask,” she said, drawing back to peer up at me.

“I just want you to know what’s coming.” I held her eyes as I slid my hand under her sweater and placed my palm on her side. She was built so delicately and felt almost fragile under my touch. I could feel each rib as I slid my palm higher, up until the heel of my hand grazed the curve of her breast.

Her breath stuttered in her chest.

The sound of it made my heart speed up.

Every reaction was so open, so…new.

“I love your tits,” I muttered, dipping my head to nuzzle her neck. “I didn’t get to play with them enough the other night. I’m going to take your sweater off now.”

She whimpered in her throat but relaxed against me, letting me tug the material up, baring her flesh one slow inch at a time. I did it that slowly to tease myself as much as I did to let her adjust to it, and by the time I had the sweater off, I was almost ravenous to taste her. But I held back, leaning away so I could take in the sight of her.

It almost did me in.

She wore a bra so dark blue, it almost looked black, and her pale skin glowed like a pearl against it.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” I muttered. Grasping her around the waist, I hauled her up against me and buried my face between her breasts.

A startled cry escaped her, but before I could worry if I’d moved too fast, she dipped her hands into my hair and arched against me.

She might think she was awkward or too nervous at this, but she was wrong. Raye was a natural, filled with a buried sensuality that was only now coming to the surface. I intended to enjoy every bit of it for as long as it lasted.

She moaned as I trailed a line of kisses down the fragile skin that covered her breastbone, whimpered as I kissed my way back up.

Did she know she had her legs wrapped around me?

I sure as hell did, and my cock felt like a rocket about to explode.

Grasping her hips, I began to move her up and down against me, dragging a low, hungry moan from her throat.

“I could come, just doing this to you,” I whispered against her throat. “You’re already wet, aren’t you, baby?”

She shuddered as I spoke, and I couldn’t hold back a smile. I didn’t know if she planned on this being a one-time thing. I didn’t know if she planned on this lasting beyond tonight. But if I had my way, sometime soon, I’d have her stretched out naked in front of me, and I’d tell her a thousand dirty things, and I’d see if I couldn’t just talk her into orgasm.

“Are you wet?” I asked when she didn’t answer. “Tell me.”

“I…I think so.”

“Let’s find out.” I popped the button on her jeans, turning once more and propped her on the edge of the table. She squirmed as I dragged the zipper down and her lashes fluttered shut when I slid my fingers past the top edge of her panties. But then I stopped. “I want you to see.”

She jerked, startled by the words.

“I…what?”

“Check and see if you’re wet. Tell me.”

Her cheeks flamed, and I waited to see if she would. Her tongue slid out, wetting her lips, and I almost whimpered when she slowly lifted a hand and slid it along the lacy edge of her panties. “I’m not very good at this,” she whispered, the words shy and nervous.

“I think you’re wrong. Show me that you’re wet, Raye.” I challenged her with my eyes.

And I was gratified a moment later when she slid her hands inside her panties. Her lashes fluttered, a husky breath escaping her.

“Are you?” I pressed my mouth to hers, waiting for the answer, even though I already knew.

“Yes.”

“Good.” I closed my fingers over her wrist and nudged her hand closer. “Touch yourself. I want to kiss you while you’re doing that.”

She gasped as I pushed my tongue into her mouth and that faint inhalation made it seem like she was drawing me inside her.

Between us, I felt the slow, almost shy movements of her wrist as she massaged herself. I kept my hand on her wrist, and when her movements slowed, I whispered, “More.”

Soon, she was moaning and rocking against her hand, all but riding it as her excitement rose.

“Can you make yourself come for me, Raye? That would be so fucking hot.”

Her head fell back, and she stared at me with bleary, uncomprehending eyes. I let go of her wrist but reached down to press at her crotch through her jeans. I felt her hand, lodged in that tight space and it made me go a little crazy. “Fuck your fingers, Raye. Make yourself come and let me watch.”

Her eyes started to clear so I kissed her, and soon, she was writhing against her own touch again.

She came with a choked, startled gasp and a weak shudder, and when it was over, she pulled away to gape up at me. Even before she said it, I knew. “I’ve never been able to do that before.”

“You just don’t think,” I told her. Watching her, I took her wrist and tugged.

Still watching her, I guided her fingers to my mouth and licked them clean. “I love the taste of you.”

Another one of those pretty blushes scalded her cheeks, and I laughed, dipping my head to rub my cheek against hers. “You just made yourself come in front of me, and that’s what makes you blush.”

“Quit teasing me,” she said, shoving at my chest.

“I can’t help it.” Covering her mouth with mine, I kissed her to let her know I was just playing. “Everything about you is just so fun. Kiss me, Raye. I love it when you kiss me back.”

And she did, sighing into my mouth. She stiffened when I caught her wrist and brought her fingers up, though, replacing my mouth with them. “Taste…see how sweet?”

She hesitated, but slowly, as I watched her, she slid her tongue out. “It’s salty.”

“Sweet,” I corrected her, taking her hand back and closing her mouth over her middle finger. There was only the faintest taste now, mostly gone and I was greedy for more. Tugging her off the table, I eased the jeans down over her hips, then nudged her back down before I slowly knelt in front of her, dragging the material the rest of the way off.

I left her panties alone, although the sight of her encased in the same midnight blue that matched her bra was almost enough to stop my heart.

Once I had her jeans off, I leaned back over her and pressed my mouth to her cunt. Through the silk of her panties, I could taste her, feel how wet she was, and it was enough to make the threads of my control tremble.

But I ignored the pulse of want burning inside me as I focused on her.

Pulling her panties aside, I told her, “I’m going to eat you up now, Raye.”

Her cheeks went red, and before she could decide whether or not to panic, I pressed my mouth to her. She jolted against me, one hand raising, then falling to smack against the table. She cried out and made a low, hungry sound in her throat.

It made my cock throb and pulse, aching like a bad tooth.

Pulling back, I blew a puff of air against her, then caught her clit between my teeth and tugged.

She whimpered.

“Tell me what you like,” I demanded.

She just moaned.

“Do you like this?” I asked, sucking on her clit.

Another moan.

I circled her clit with my thumb and used my tongue to fuck her. “This?”

She whimpered.

“Tell me, Raye.”

“All of it, Kane. I like it all.”

I caught her hand and brought it to my hair. “Show me.”

I pressed my face back to her and slowly, she caught on, her fingers slipping through my hair, then tangling in it. A series of hitching, high-pitched breaths started to burn out of her as I slid two fingers into her pussy and I began to pump them, twisting my wrist so they screwed in and out of her cunt.

“Yes, please!”

She jerked against me, and I felt the start of her climax just as I was ready to pull away. Startled at how easy it was to bring her pleasure, I pressed my mouth to her clit and licked, sucked, worked her through it.

She was whimpering when I finished her off, and I stood up, catching her face in my hands to kiss her. “Taste yourself on me.”

She blushed but didn’t pull away as I kissed her.

As I slid my tongue past her lips, she curled her arms around my torso and arched against me, letting me feel her tight nipples through her bra and the curvy, soft lines of her body. Cupping her breasts in my hands, I plumped them together, groaning in delight at the softness.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” I muttered against her lips. “I can’t wait to feel you wrapped around my dick.”

A sharp noise broke free from her throat, and I lifted my head to smile down at her. “That’s how this is going to end, Raye. I’m going to pick you up, carry you to bed, and you’re going to straddle me and take my dick inside you. You’re going to ride me and make us both go a little crazy.”

Her eyes were glassy now, and I asked her, “You ready to do that?”

“I…” She bit her lower lip but nodded. “I think so.”

I wasn’t sure if she was, but at least she hadn’t freaked out at the idea of going to my room.

Boosting her up, I said, “Wrap your legs around me.”

She did so and gasped at the feel of me rubbing against her cunt. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Yes…” She moaned, her head falling back.

Unable to resist, I leaned forward and bit her neck, right on the curve where her neck and shoulder joined. She shivered and pressed in closer, her fingers dipping into my hair.

Fuck, I had so many things I wanted to do to her.

Slow, Kane…I had to remember that. We had to go slow.

In my bedroom, I put her on the bed and stood by the side, reaching for the hem of my shirt. “I’m going to take off my clothes. That okay?”

Her eyes cleared momentarily, and something that might have been panic lit her gaze.

“We can wait,” I offered.

But she shook her head. “No.” She touched her tongue to her lips and whispered, “I want to see you.”

How could such a simple statement make me so hot?

I didn’t know, but my hands ended up fumbling a little as I peeled my t-shirt upward, then went to deal with the zipper of my jeans. I’d already kicked my boots off, and I was able to slide the rest of my clothes off in a few economical motions. When I was done, I stood by the side of the bed, waiting.

Her eyes centered on my cock, and it jerked in response as if she’d reached out and cupped me in her hand.

“Nothing happens until you’re ready,” I told her.

She licked her lips once more, and my cock bobbed again, greedy to feel that mouth on it.

But that was a pleasure that would have to wait for another day, and I knew it.

I braced a knee on the mattress next to her and held out my hand. She hesitantly offered hers, and I guided it to my chest. She stiffened at first, then slowly, slid her hand up. “You’ve got scars,” she said, her voice tight, almost rusty.

“Yeah.” I grimaced and glanced down as her fingers played over one on my ribs. I’d gotten that one in prison, trying to avoid a shiv. I hadn’t managed to avoid it entirely, but it hadn’t punctured anything – just scraped the surface. “A few.”

Something that might have been amusement danced in her eyes. “If this is what you call a few, what’s a lot?”

“Let’s not talk about my sorry, scarred hide now. You’ll make me self-conscious,” I teased her, moving to slide down next to her so I was laying while she sat over me.

“I didn’t say anything about you being sorry.” The words seemed to surprise her, and she shot me a look, her lips parted. “I just…I meant…it’s not that you aren’t attractive. You…um…”

I caught her around the neck and pulled her down. “Come here.”

I kissed her, holding her naked body close to mine, but not pulling her on top of me the way I wanted. Once I did that, it was going to be close to all over. Or at least, I’d be pushing for that. The second I felt her weight on me, I was going to want it all, but for now, she still needed time.

And she was letting her hand roam over my chest, and I didn’t mind that at all.

When she reached my shoulder, she pulled away, panting a little as she peered down at me. “You’re not doing anything.”

“I am, too. I’m enjoying things.” Watching her from under hooded eyes, I fought to stay relaxed, keeping my hands loose at my sides. “I want you to do what you want.”

She bit her lower lip. “What I want. Whatever I want?”

I nodded.

She looked me over from head to toe, then dipped her head, pressing a kiss to my mouth. Then she moved lower, her lips cruising down my jaw bone, my neck. She echoed the path I’d taken on her earlier, and when she reached my breastbone, she paused and looked up. “Am I doing this right?”

“I’m naked, and you got your mouth on me,” I told her. “There is no wrong to it.”

Her lids dropped low, and she bent over me once more, her mouth pressing to the midline of my torso. She went lower, and my cock jerked as her breast brushed up against it. I felt her chest move as her breathing hitched, and I wanted to reach down, cup my hand over the back of her scalp and urge her on, but I didn’t dare.

She kept to her own pace and finally, finally, her lips brushed the head of my cock.

A drop of pre-come leaked out, and she pulled up, staring down at it.

“It’s your fault,” I told her. She blinked up at me owlishly. “You’ve got me so fucking turned on, I could come right now.”

“Really?” She cocked her head, and then, as I fought to find words to tell her what she was doing to me, she reached down and closed her hand around my dick, stroking up, then down. I grunted and arched up into her touch before I could stop myself.

Another drop of pre-come leaked out.

She bent over me and licked it away.

I fisted my hands in the sheets and swore a blue streak.

She gave me another owlish look.

“You keep putting your mouth on me, I’m going to lose it,” I warned her.

To my surprise, a slow smile curled her lips. “I think I might like that.”

“I think I’ve created a monster,” I muttered. Reaching out, I fumbled in the drawer of the small table by the side of the bed, feeling around for the box of condoms I’d put inside.

I found it and pulled it out.

“Unless you want this to end the way it did last time, I’m going to need one of these shortly.”

I pulled it off and dropped it down next to me. Raye rose to her knees, her hands tucked between her thighs. “Put it on now.”

I eyed her, then reached for the foil packet and tore it open. “You ready for this?” I asked after dropping the empty packet on the nightstand.

A breath huffed out of her, and her eyes slid away as I rolled it on. “I don’t know.”

I tugged her toward me. “You let me know if you decide you aren’t.”

She fell against my chest, her breasts a soft, warm weight. “What do I do?” She stared down at me.

Catching one of her legs, I drew it over my hip. “Ride me.” Her face went pink again, and I chuckled. “You’ve had my dick in your hand, and you’ve touched me all over, let me touch you all over, and that embarrasses you?”

“Stop it,” she huffed out, smacking my chest and squirming against me. Then her eyes went wide.

I knew why, too.

She had wiggled until her wet, waiting cunt tucked snug against my hard, waiting cock and I was so ready to fill her, I hurt with it.

Gritting my teeth against the urge to do just that, I gripped her hips and tugged until she lifted. “You’re killing me, Raye,” I told her, heart racing in my chest.

“I…what do I do?” she demanded, hunger a razor-sharp edge in her voice. She braced her hands against my chest, her hips wiggling and rocking in my hands.

“Take my cock. Hold it up. You’re going to slide down on me. Take as much as you want, or as little. Go as fast or slow as you want. It’s all up to you.”

Her spine arched as she lifted higher, her movements awkward as she followed my instructions. Her eyes widened as the head of my cock pressed against her and the folds of her pussy yielded slowly, opening for me as she let her weight bear down.

A faint whimper escaped her lips, and I steadied her. “Take…” I grunted, sweat beading on my brow. “Take your time, Raye.”

She was so tight…

Another whimper escaped her as she slid down another inch, then she swayed forward, bracing her hands on my chest. Eyes over bright, she stared down at me.

Still cupping her hips, I had to clench my teeth not to thrust up and fill her completely. “You okay?”

She nodded, mouth parted as she rocked back, taking more of me.

Just…not enough.

Fuck, this really might just kill me.

She tightened around me as she started to slip away, and involuntarily, my hands tightened.

She stilled. “What is it?”

“Just…” I shuddered underneath her. “It’s nothing.”

“What?” she persisted, panic starting to edge into her voice.

“You feel too fucking good, and I want more,” I said, arching up the slightest.

Her spine curved and her eyes widened. “Oh…” Lashes fluttering down, she whispered, “Do that again.”

Slowly, I did, and she whimpered, her body opening to take me more deeply. A short cry escaped her.

“More?”

She nodded, her nails kneading my chest. Slowly, I started to rock up against her, thrusting into the cradle of her thighs, pleasure spilling through me with every hot, aching second.

My balls were so tight, I thought they might explode, and I wasn’t even completely buried inside her yet.

She twisted on top of me, her spine arching as she fought to take more of me, then I was buried inside her. She wailed, her mouth parting on the sharp sound. Her nails dug even deeper into my chest, and I stilled. “Are you hurting?”

“A…a little?” She didn’t sound certain. “I don’t know.”

“Do we need to stop?”

“No!” The sound tore out of her, and she went to move against me.

“Okay…okay…” I smoothed my hand down her hip, then rocked upward. “Just…can I?”

I moved against her again, and she nodded. “Please.”

Hungry little mewling sounds escaped her as I thrust up in slow, shallow motions, and she started to move, finding the right rhythm as she began to ride me. I caught her ass in my hands, tugging her down just the slightest every time she went to pull up. Her eyes locked on mine, dazed delight making them cloudy.

“Kane…”

My name came out on a broken sigh as her pussy went even tighter around me, and I knew she was close.

Sliding a hand between us, I sought out her clitoris. “Come for me, Raye. I want to watch you.”

She moaned, her body racking and trembling as the sound escaped her. Fine tremors shook her, and her pussy clutched at me, a tight, snug fist.

Just as the orgasm hit, I caught her behind the neck and pulled her face to mine. “Kiss me.”

She did, and the two of us came together.

* * *

Raye slept next to me, and I lay against her back, one hand on her hip.

She’d told me, right before she fell asleep, that it hadn’t been like that for her before.

I’d never tell her, but it hadn’t been like that for me either. Not ever. As many women as I’d been with, it had never felt…new, like that. I always made sure the woman I was with was happy, but it hadn’t ever mattered as much as it had with Raye, and it hadn’t ever been so…tender before.

I couldn’t let myself get caught up in it though.

It wasn’t just that Jake would have my ass.

I wasn’t good enough for somebody as sweet as Raye.

She deserved somebody, some thing, better in her life. Somebody more than an ex-con with a tiny old garage in Brooklyn and a future that was uncertain at best.