“I know.” Another kiss, and then he half sat up and reached for a condom.
Tonya watched as he opened the packet, rolled on the condom and came down over her.
Kneeing her thighs apart, he whispered, “It’s not uncertain anymore.”
“How can you say—”
With one thrust, he entered her, burying himself deep. She sank her fingertips into his solid shoulders; he closed his eyes and groaned.
They stayed like that, holding the moment, until Tonya couldn’t take it anymore and shifted under him.
He locked an arm around her hips. “The future,” he murmured, and three deep breaths later, he continued with, “It is set, you know. There’ll be ups and downs, good times and bad. But Kevin isn’t going anywhere.”
“Never.”
He smiled, kissed her softly. “I see you,” he told her gently. “You and your responsibilities. The challenges you’ll face. The fun.”
Fun? Yes, with Jesse, everything was fun. But with or without him, she planned to make it so for Kevin. He deserved it. “Okay.”
“You need to understand, honey. None of it scares me.”
Nothing scared Jesse. From the moment she’d met him, he’d been rock-steady. “Maybe I’m afraid enough for both of us.”
“You don’t have to be. I’m here with you.” He started a slow rhythm that sent heat spiraling through her. “And no matter what, I’m staying put.”
For how long? Tonya wanted to ask. But with his slow, heavy thrusts, her every nerve ending sparked. It had been so long since she’d been held, even longer since she’d been loved.
“Jesse...”
He kept her hips tilted up so that each slide of his body on hers gave the perfect contact. “God, you feel good.”
“You feel better.” She put her legs around him, lifted into him and whispered, “Harder.”
Growling, he lifted up to his elbows, watching her as he gave her what she asked for. The bed rocked.
Jaw tight, color high on his cheekbones, Jesse stared at her with glittering green eyes until she cried out at the start of her climax.
Done fighting off his own release, he gathered her closer, his face in her neck.
She felt the coiled tension in his shoulders, the heat pouring off him, and she let go.
Seconds, maybe minutes later, Jesse lazily kissed her shoulder, her neck, her temple.
“Don’t move yet,” she begged, wanting to hang on to this moment...forever.
“Not yet,” he agreed. Then he surprised her by saying, “Soon though.”
“Soon?”
“So I can look at you some more.” He lifted up to see her. “And kiss you some more.”
And love her more?
He touched his mouth to hers. “And love you more.”
He was so good at that—at reading her mind, and making love to her.
“What?” he teased, smoothing his thumb over her brows. “You’re frowning—but I know you came.”
“I did,” she confirmed, not that there was really any question. “You’re amazing.”
“And it’s been a long time?”
A lifetime. “Yes.”
“We have—” he rose up to see the bedside clock “—several more hours. Plenty of time.”
“For what?” She liked him like this, all mellow and sated. But she liked him ramped up and turned-on even more.
“I ended up rushing things, after all. But I’m blaming you for that.”
Pretending outrage, she said, “Me?”
“Mmm. The way you smell, how you taste.” He bent to her and whispered, “Those sexy sounds you make.”
“I don’t—”
“Totally set me off.” He sat up beside her, his attention on her breasts. “I wanted to spend a lot more time on these.” So saying, he cupped each breast, using his thumbs to tease her nipples into stiffening again.
Tonya breathed harder. “Okay.”
“And your belly.” He bent to press one soft kiss there—while wedging a hand back between her legs. “And here...” He kissed his way downward; the fingers already there opened her, and he licked her clitoris. “I especially wanted to spend some time here.”
Fresh excitement curled in her belly, then spread heat out everywhere. “Yes.” She had no doubts she’d like that. A lot.
“Don’t move,” Jesse told her as he stood. “I’ll be right back.”
She watched him walk out to the bathroom, heard the water run, and in less than half a minute later he was back.
Expression intent.
Wicked smile in place.
Good thing she hadn’t moved.
*
SPRAWLED ON THE bed on her stomach, Tonya tried to catch her breath while Jesse trailed his fingertips down her sleek spine, down to her sexy tush. God, she was amazing.
And he wanted her still.
He wanted her always.
Squirming, she murmured, “Mmm. That took the edge off.”
Jesse cupped one cheek in his palm. “You think so?” Her open thighs drew his attention, and he went to one elbow to look at her anew. “Because I think it only stoked the fire for me.”
Groaning, she opened one eye to peek at him. Gathering herself, she pushed up to her elbows too, in a pose guaranteed to make his blood burn.
“Really?” Her gaze went over him. “Well, then maybe—”
With a loud meow, Love came to the door.
Most of her “cat sounds” were loud, maybe because she was deaf. But this time was different.
Jesse sat up and found the cat staring toward him anxiously. He and Tonya shared a look.
Almost as one they scrambled out of the bed and began pulling on clothes.
Jesse checked the clock. “Kevin will be home in an hour. Damn, I hope she holds off until he’s here.”
Tripping herself while pulling on panties, Tonya asked, “What do we do?”
He shucked up his jeans and grinned at her. God, she was sweet. And serious. And so incredibly loyal and bighearted.
Not to mention amazing in bed.
Long ago she’d lost her braid, and now her long blond hair tumbled everywhere. He took his time smoothing it down, then tucking it back behind her ears.
Just...touching her.
After the afternoon they’d had, he should have been sated, and in some ways he was.
In other ways, he knew he’d never get his fill of her.
Twice he’d brought her to climax, once with his mouth, then again with his fingers, before using the second condom and joining her in a release so strong it had pretty much rocked his world. A world he wanted to share with her.
“Jesse?”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “We don’t do anything except make sure she’s comfortable.”
“Okay, I can do that.” Tonya looked around. “Oh my God. Where did she go?”
“I can guess.” And sure enough, Jesse found her in her nook—on Kevin’s old shirts. “Hang on, Love. Kevin will be home soon.”
It was a guess who was more distraught—Tonya or Love. The cat knew what to do, and she went about it naturally. But Tonya was a woman who needed to help, only she was totally out of her element now.
“You’ve never seen kittens born?”
She shook her head, her worried gaze remaining on the cat as Love occasionally cried, shifted, squirmed. “My parents didn’t allow us to have pets, not when they already had their hands full with Cissy. And after I moved out, well, it never seemed fair to have an animal when I put in so many hours.”