There’s no harm in pretending, right?
The sound of cardboard ripping had Ellie blinking herself back into the moment. It was then that she realized the box of condoms was brand new, something that made her far happier than she had the right to feel.
“I’m clean, just so you know.” Lucky rumbled as he began rolling the unpackaged condom over his rock-hard length. A damn sexy sight, if she ever saw one. “I mean, I always use a condom,” he continued. “But we also get tested for the job.”
“Why is that?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Inquiring minds, and all that.
“All sorts of reasons, really. One big one is to prevent the spread of a disease that can be spread through the blood.”
He finished donning the protection before climbing back onto the bed. Correction…before he climbed on top ofher.
The weight of him pressing against her from shoulders to toes was surprisingly comforting, offering Ellie a sense of safety she didn’t think she’d ever felt before.
Safety.
Comfort.
A sense of belonging.
And as he took her mouth in his and lined their bodies up just so, Ellie had the strangest, most wonderful feeling that being with Lucky—like this—was simply…
Right.
“You ready?”
Ellie nodded as his hand slid down to guide the hot, blunt tip of his erection to the heart of her core. She spread her legs wider, hoping that would give him the only other answer he needed to be sure.
She got her answer with the next beat of her thumping heart.
Keeping the weight of his body balanced on one elbow to keep from crushing her, Lucky locked his breathtaking gaze with hers and began moving his hips forward. He entered her in one long, slow, gentle thrust, not stopping until he was fully seated.
Time ceased to exist, and suddenly, she couldn’t eventhinkof trying to breathe. She couldn’t think atall, actually. And for that one glorious, unforgettable moment in time, Ellie was finally able to let everything else go.
She set it all free. Her parents’ divorce. Her mother’s inability to commit, and willingness to just up and leave both her and her father as if they’d been nothing.
When Lucky began to move, those thoughts and more floated away into nothing. George Ray Harvey and his threats, the shooting, the fire…
His hips thrust back and forth with hers in a slow, sensual rhythm that drove her positively mad. As he made love to her with slow, easy caresses, Lucky’s lips traveled from her mouth, to her ear, down along her neck, and lower…to her breasts.
Ellie gasped, her head falling back onto the mattress as her eyes drew shut. She held onto his broad shoulders for dear life, fearful that if she let go, she’d fall farther than ever before.
Careful, El. That kind of thinking can get you in serious trouble.
She ignored her inner voice and everything else that tried to darken the otherwise incredible moment. Ellie didn’t think about the fact that this was most likely the only time she’d ever be with him, nor did she allow herself to entertain thoughts of regret.
The only thing she thought about…the only thing thatmattered…was the way Lucky’s body felt as it slid in and out of her hot, wet, welcoming heat. And for the first time in Ellie’s thirty-two years, she finally felt…complete.
“God, you feel good.” Lucky’s deep rasp reverberated against her chest. His hot breath struck the side of her neck as he spoke between thrusts, the tantalizing sensation creating a line of goosebumps racing across her skin. “So…fucking…good.”
He felt better than good. The man felt…perfect.
The way he moved. The sweet words he began to whisper. Even the way he ran his hands along the length of her body in a loving caress was perfect.
And when she felt the telltale tingles of a second impending release spreading across the lower part of her spine, Ellie realized Luckywasthe perfect man.
And he’s mine.