“Run your tongue … up me … and around my head.…”

Keeping her stare locked on his, she extended her tongue … and leaned back down to follow instruction.

“Elise …”

Yup, she knew without question she’d gotten it right this time, his erection kicking in her hand, his pelvis pumping, his expression of total heat and wonder.

“You are so beautiful …” he gasped as he watched her.

Lapping at the tip of him, she opened wide and tried to keep her teeth out of the way—and she must have succeeded, because although he went stiff all over, there were no yelps. Instead, he arched his spine and worked with her as she found a rhythm: Up and down, sucking him, stroking him on the bottom with her palm. Faster … faster …

“I’m going to come—” He groaned and went rigid—but also tried to push her away.

No, she was going to see this through.

As he barked out a curse, she took all of his orgasm, which seemed to drive him mad with passion, his convulsions and the response in her mouth as erotic an experience as she could ever imagine.

When it was all over, he went limp—to such a degree, his limbs banged into the floor.

“I love the way you taste,” she said as she licked her lips.

And that made his erection flare in her hand.

“Climb up on me,” he said gruffly. “I want to be inside you—climb up.”

For a split second, Elise wondered, was she really going to do this?

The extent of his injuries scared her. If that was what could happen when he went out to fight, every single night, how long before he did not come home?

On that logic, though, she should do this because she could lose him at any moment.

And then she thought of herself, of the years she had spent on the sidelines of life, of her behaving according to values that had been imposed on her, rather than ones she had generated from her own core beliefs.

Right now? A beautiful male who had been nothing but kind and understanding—and supportive of her even against her father—wanted to be with her. And she was unattached, attracted to him, and in the privacy of a sacred space.

It simply didn’t make sense to say no. Especially because she wanted him so badly.

Elise stripped off her fleece and the long-sleeved shirt she had on underneath. Ditched her bra and stood up.

And then she moved slower, because Axe was watching her with those rapt eyes of his, clearly memorizing every nuance of her body. Down went her yoga pants, past her thighs, her knees, and then she was kicking them free … and standing over him wearing only a pair of white panties.

“Turn for me?” Axe said in a tone that was so close to a begging.

Rising up on the balls of her feet, she pivoted around, showing him her backside. That was when she hooked her thumbs into her underwear and took it to the floor, bending her body while keeping her legs locked so she showed him exactly what she knew he wanted to see.

He didn’t have to say a word of approval. His pumping purr and those volcanic eyes told her everything she wanted to know.

Elise stepped over him, straddling his hips. The firelight on her skin, the heaviness in her breasts, the curling urge between her legs, made her feel powerful and commanding—and she was glad it was happening like this.

This was going to be incredible.

Because she and Axe were going to make it that way.

Kneeling down, she put her hands on either side of his head and kissed him, over and over again, aware of how open her core was above his sex, how ready she was, how perfect this felt. And as they continued to move their mouths against each other, the warmth of his body rose up to her, and his palms stroked her thighs, her waist, cupped her breasts. When she couldn’t stand the anticipation a moment longer, she was the one who stood his erection up and she was the one in control as she brushed him against her sex, stroking herself with the head she’d sucked.

They both cursed.

And then she gingerly angled him into the right place, and lowered herself onto him. The sensation of stretching and filling wasn’t painful at all—and she was glad she had lost her virginity before so that the discomfort was out of the way and she could enjoy all parts of this.

Friction.

Using the small of her back and her hips, she began to ride him, and he helped her, countering her thrusts with those of his own, a momentum getting started. Her breasts swayed and her breath caught and the firelight turned everything into slow motion—or maybe that was her brain.

The oncoming release was like a train inside her body, gathering speed, the pleasure compounding on itself, radiating from her sex. And all the time they kissed and locked eyes and—

Her orgasm came first and unexpectedly, like a rubber band snapping, only there was no sting of pain, just a bursting and a welling and round after round of pleasuring contractions that she wanted to get lost in forever. And then Axe was thrusting up hard, going even deeper, a kicking taking over just as it had in her mouth.

After that? After it was all finished?

After the heat started to fade?

He started it up all over again.

It was the best sex of his life.

Absolutely mind blowing, Axe decided much, much later, when Elise was finally stretched out on his chest, their bodies sated, their erotic needs on the back-off, at least for the next hour or so.

Running his fingertips up and down her spine, he loved the smooth feel of her skin, and the weight of her body, and the scent of her sex. He could have stayed right where they were for the rest of his sorry-ass life.