But she couldn’t lose herself in his body. In the way he cared about her. Too many risks to run to him when she was upset.

“I’ve got too much work to do. Really. You can make me dinner another night.”

He sighed heavily. “I want to see you.”

“It hasn’t been that long, you know.”

He laughed. “Well, as I’d like to wake up to you every morning and spend all my time with you, long isn’t the issue. I want to see you every day.”

She wanted to believe it.

“We can see each other Sunday at dinner.”

“Sunday is three days from now.”

It was her turn to laugh. “You’ll survive. Use your hand. And don’t forget to give me all the details. Or maybe let me watch another time.”

He made that sound of his, the one he used on her and rendered her to goo. “You’re killing me.”

“I have to go. I’m putting together this dress and it’s all hand-sewing work at this point.”

“Don’t stay up too late. You need to rest.”

Oh he was so much. Damn it. Too much to resist. “Thank you. You too. I’ll see you later. Sweet dreams.”

She wanted to give all that to him. To unload her fears and anger and let him help her be okay. But she was chicken.

So she just kept working and tried not to think of the way he said her name.

She opened her door to find him on her doorstep nearly five hours later.

“What are you doing here?” She yanked him inside, looking around.

“No one saw me. It’s dark and your steps are at the back of the house. I even walked so my car isn’t around.”

“It’s midnight! Why are you here?”

“You’re upset.” He moved to her after locking the door. Brushing his thumb over her cheek, he peered closely at her face. “You’ve been crying.”

“I don’t want to talk just now. I need to sleep.”

He looked around at her sewing stuff. “You do. But it doesn’t look like you have been.”

She didn’t want to talk about any of it. Having to confront her mother had been more than enough emotional upheaval for the day.

His gaze went hooded and a shiver ran through her. A delicious awareness of his presence. “Hi.”

He smiled. “Hey, Miz Travis.” In two steps he was touching her, his hands roving all over her body. “Too many clothes.” He unbelted her robe and pushed it from her body, leaving her in nothing more than boxer shorts and a tank top. “Well now. I like this.”

She used to wear his boxer shorts back when they were together. She loved to sleep in them.

“Whose are these?” He slid a fingertip inside the waistband and slid it around her body, leaving gooseflesh in his wake.

“Mine. All you guys wear boxer briefs now so I just went and got my own. Why are you here?”

“Because I needed to touch you. I needed to kiss you and sink inside you. I’ve missed you.”

Flattered, she smiled up at him. “We only saw each other two days ago.” Heat flashed through her as she remembered that stolen time in Beth’s closet.

“But remember, I didn’t get to taste you.”

She forgot anything she was going to say and didn’t bother to argue when he sat her in a nearby chair and got to his knees between her thighs.

He pulled her boxers down and off and simply stared at the beauty of her body. Her ni**les were hard and visible through the threadbare tank she wore. The outline of that sexy piercing showed, thrilling him, making him even more glad he’d taken the risk and finally just gone to her.

“Open your thighs wider. I can’t get to all of you unless you let me.”

She closed her eyes for a long moment and then complied. More beauty as the dark, slick, pink cleft was bared to his gaze. “Your pu**y is so lovely.”

Her blush was pretty. Not an embarrassed one, she didn’t show any signs of embarrassment with him when it came to sex. Which he appreciated and knew was an important step to their finally being together in reality. Out in the open. No, he knew her reaction was a flattered one.

“Were you wet before I arrived?” He kissed up the inside of her thigh and then cut his gaze to her face, mouth hovering near her pu**y.

She shook her head.

“This is all me?” He didn’t stop the smile.

She nodded.

“Cat got your tongue, sweetness?”

“You should use yours. On me. Right now.”

He chuckled, the breath washing over her clit. She sighed as he pressed a kiss to her clit, her fingers tangling through his hair.

He continued to kiss, open mouthed, that beautiful pu**y that was all his. Didn’t matter who came between. She was his now and he’d never let her get away again. He wanted to worship this sweet and salty spot forever and ever.

Her clit was hard against his tongue as he drew the flat of it over and then tickled the underside with the tip. Her gate was hot, wet as he slid a fingertip around it a few times until slipping it in deep, and then added another.

So good. Sweet holy f**k she tasted perfect. Like nothing and no one else, and he couldn’t seem to get enough. He wasn’t a man who shirked away from going down on his partners, but this was different. Whatever it was between them was different and always had been.

He craved her. Craved her taste, the sounds she made as he licked and suckled. Found himself thinking of eating this pretty pu**y at least three dozen times a day.