I open my eyes and look down at Cole to find him gazing up at me with an expression of such complete adoration, it makes my heart flip.
He rasps, “Goddamn, baby,” then tips his head back, closes his eyes, and releases a guttural groan from deep within his chest.
My own orgasm is still pulsing through me, but watching Mr. Dark and Stormy lose control and give himself over to pleasure is so enthralling, I can’t look away.
His abs are clenched. The veins in his neck are popping. His whole body strains upward into mine as he clutches my hips and shudders. He moans again, but this time the sound forms the shape of my name.
“Shay. Fuck. Shay. Oh God, sweetheart—fuck—”
I feel like he plugged me into a socket. Electricity surges through me, crackling hot. Along with it comes a sweet, unexpected tenderness that makes me want to kiss him all over his handsome face, take him in my arms, and promise him I’ll never let anything hurt him again.
Then I give myself a bracing mental slap across the face.
Snap out of it, dummy! It’s just sex!
I know it’s more than that, at least for me, but I’ll be damned if I’ll admit it aloud. I’ve done enough caretaking of men for one lifetime. I’ve given enough of myself away for nothing in return. Tonight is about taking back my power and shoring up my battered self-esteem.
The fact that I’m using a sexy stranger with a magnetic personality and a big dick to do it is just the icing on top of the cake.
He pulls me down to lie on his chest and sinks a hand into my hair. Holding my head steady, he kisses me with searing passion, stroking his tongue against mine as he releases himself in jerks and shudders. After one final moan and a full-body twitch, it’s over, and he’s bathed in sweat.
And still kissing me.
It turns from desperate and passionate to slow and sweet. His big hands cradle my head. His ragged breathing returns to normal. He explores my mouth with his tongue until I’m dizzy, then tucks my head into the crook between his neck and shoulder and heaves a tremendous sigh.
He’s still buried inside me. Still hard.
Closing my eyes, I smile.
After a while, he stirs. His voice husky, he says, “You okay?”
“Okay is far too weak a word for what I am right now. Job well done, cowboy.”
He kisses the top of my head, releasing another long breath and a chuckle. “That was only round one, sweetheart.”
“Really? How exciting.”
He chuckles again. I love the sound of it, the low, leonine rumble under my ear. It sends a shiver of delight over every nerve ending. I cuddle closer to him, enjoying everything about this moment.
“You’re very large. Everywhere.”
His chest shakes with laughter. “Thank you?”
“It’s a compliment. I like how big you are. How strong. It makes me feel—”
I was about to say safe, but stop myself, suddenly bashful. But Cole proves he’s a mind reader once again.
“Good. I want you to feel safe with me.”
I crinkle my forehead. “How did you know?”
He thinks about it for a moment. “Are you familiar with Star Trek?”
“Now that’s a strange segue, cowboy.”
“Is that a yes or a no?”
“Yes, I’m familiar with Star Trek.”
“So you know who Mr. Spock is.”
“How are we talking about Vulcans while you’re still inside me?”
“I’m getting there.”
“Get there quicker.”
He gives me a soft swat on my ass. “Be quiet now.”
Smirking into his neck, I say, “Good luck with that.”
He sighs, then says, “We have a little bit of that Vulcan mind-meld thing Mr. Spock would do.”
“But without having to touch each other’s face to merge our thoughts.”
“Exactly.”
“So it’s not at all like that Vulcan mind-meld thing. It’s just telepathy.”
“Are you always this argumentative?”
“I’m not being argumentative. I’m being logical.”
“So that’s a yes, then.”
It’s my turn to chuckle. “I suppose so.”
He wraps his arms around my back and gives me a hard squeeze. Into my ear, he whispers, “You’re so goddamn cute.”
My face flushes with pleasure. My heart melts. But because I don’t want to seem like too big a sap, I play it off like his praise doesn’t faze me. “I’d be even cuter if my stomach wasn’t growling.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Famished. The girls and I didn’t have supper before we went out tonight.”
His tone turns disapproving. “How old are you?”
“Thirty…ish.”
“Well, Miss Thirtyish, you’re not very good at adulting.”
“Because I didn’t eat supper?”
“Because you went out for a night of drinking without putting food in your body first. You don’t take care of your basic needs.”
I push off his chest and sit up, smiling down at his stern, handsome face. Then I wriggle my hips and lightly scratch my nails over his abs. “On the contrary, cowboy. I’m taking care of my basic needs right this very moment.”
He glowers up at me in that way of his that he thinks is terribly scary. My smile turns into a grin.
Then he’s rolling me over onto my back and tickling me, and I’m screaming with laughter.
The only way this night could get better is if he left me a hundred and fifty million dollars on his way out the door.
