“What do you mean you don’t deserve me?”
He looks into my eyes again, and a little piece of my heart breaks when I see the guilt sitting heavily on his soul. “I mean, I’m a broken man, Ari. More than you know. I don’t deserve your light or your sweetness, but you give them so freely anyway. I don’t deserve you, but damn if I don’t want to keep you all to myself.”
“Me?” I whisper, unsure of what to do with his confession.
“Yes, you, beautiful,” he replies, those teal eyes never leaving mine.
“I thought you were mad.”
“I was mad at myself. For hurting you. For making you feel like you have to clean or prove your worth. You’re incredible all on your own.”
“Me?” I ask again, my head spinning from the emotional whiplash.
He chuckles and leans down, his lips hovering an inch above mine. “You don’t seem to believe my words, so why don’t I show you how much I want you?”
I barely get the chance to agree before his lips are on mine. The kiss is slow, deliberate, and focused. Wilder slips his hands under the hem of the large t-shirt I'm wearing and teases me with light, barely-there touches as he sips from my mouth, drawing a soft moan from somewhere deep inside of me.
He continues trailing his massive hands up my body, inching my shirt up as he goes. Wilder brushes his thumbs across the underside of my breasts, causing an unexpected shiver to run through me.
Wilder groans into our kiss. The vibrations run through me and settle in my lower belly, creating an intense pressure. His tongue slowly drags across the roof of my mouth, making me whimper as he pulls away. I automatically follow him, wanting more of this slow burn.
He smirks, his eyes growing dark and heavy with desire. “Patience, beautiful. I’ll give you everything, but I’m going to do it my way. Will you give me control, Ari?”
I look up at him, the fog of lust clearing enough to consider his question.
Wilder nuzzles my neck, scraping his beard against my skin and heightening the pressure in my belly into a sweet, sharp ache. “Giving up control is its own kind of freedom if you trust the person you’re giving it to. Do you trust me?”
“I trust you, Wilder,” I whisper. He breathes me in before placing a sweet kiss on the side of my neck.
Wilder continues to inch my shirt higher and higher until he finally lifts it over my head. His lips immediately latch onto my breast, sucking at my nipple and rubbing his tongue on the sensitive peak.
“So fucking beautiful, Ari. So beautiful when you give in to me. So beautiful when you let me love you like this.”
Love? Did he say love?
Before I can even process his words, Wilder pulls away. Did he mean to say that? Is he freaking out? Does he…
My world turns upside down – literally – as Wilder tosses me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing. I shriek and then laugh as he carries me toward the bed. Apparently, he's unfazed by what he just said. I'll have time to worry about it later. Right now, I need his touch more than I need his answers.
Wilder tosses me down on the bed, making my extra weight jiggle. I cover my belly, even though he’s already seen almost all of me after this morning’s makeout session. Still, how could I possibly measure up to the shredded god of a man standing before me?
Wilder growls before he kneels over me with one knee on the bed. He grabs my wrists and pins them above my head with one of his massive hands while the other hand slides down my body, tracing the contours of my chest, my torso, and my rounded belly.
“I already told you you’re fucking perfect. I guess I’ll have to show you that, too, angel,” he whispers into my lips.
I think he’s going to kiss me, but instead, Wilder rubs his nose against mine before trailing his lips and nose down my neck, over my collarbone, between my breasts, and lower, lower, lower…
He nips at the soft flesh of my belly, sending a jolt of electricity to my throbbing clit, followed by a warm rush of wetness dripping out of my pussy. Wilder takes a deep breath and lets go of my wrists, sliding the rest of the way down my body so he can focus on my pussy.
“I fuckingsmellhow much you want me,” he growls as he peels the sweatpants off me.
Wilder spreads my thighs and runs his nose up and down my slit. I close my eyes, not sure what to do with his attention. An animalistic sound rumbles out of him. I can feel his need as it vibrates through me, making my nipples and clit ache. My channel clenches as more of my arousal leaks out.
Wilder growls hungrily as he slides his tongue along my pussy, parting my folds. I force my eyes open and look down at his muscular back, rippling and flexing as he devours me. It feels like his tongue is everywhere at once—in my entrance, traveling through my folds, swirling around my clit. It’s everywhere, and it’s consuming me completely. It’s all I can focus on. The intense feeling. The wet, smacking sounds. The pressure and heat.
It makes me even hotter knowing he’s loving this. The greedy way he grabs my ass, the hungry, desperate moans, the eagerness for more. It all shows me how much pleasure he gets from this. His rough palms slide to the back of my knees and he shoves my legs open wider, pinning them to the bed so he can sit back and stare at me. Wilder growls and dives back in, licking me with fury, pushing deeper, harder, faster.
I reach down and tangle my fingers in his hair, pulling and pushing him away in equal measure. I can’t decide if it’s too much or not enough. Not that Wilder gives me a choice in the matter. I gave up control, and now I have to trust him to take care of me.
