“Fuck…sorry. You’re so tight. I don’t want to hurt you.” And he didn’t want to come before he’d even got halfway inside her either.

Her legs slid up and around his waist, ankles locking at the small of his back, opening her up more fully to him. “It’s been a while. Two years. Apparently I’ve been saving up for the good stuff.”

He grinned and leaned down for a quick kiss. “You trying to get in my pants with all that flattery, Ms. Gambol?”

“I believe I’m already there, Sheriff Chase.”

“Indeed you are.” With one last grunt, he seated himself fully within her.

With slow intensity, he dragged nearly all the way out before sliding back into her. Before too long, she matched his movements with a roll of her hips, her body meeting his, swallowing him, pulling him back inside.

The thought that she was made for him, her body was a haven for his own, flashed through his mind. He cupped the back of her head in one palm, protecting her from the ground below.

He wished it was as easy to protect her from her ex, from the past that had her flinching in the presence of unknown men.

Cassie looked up into his face as her body met his in an easy rhythm. Their breath mingled, the scent of honeysuckle and star jasmine hung thick in the warm night air. The lap, lap, lap of the lake against the shore was like a metronome to their movements.

The way he sliced through her pu**y as he thrust into her was so intense it rode up her spine. Her body just molded to his, made room for him like he was meant to be there.

His gaze tenderly roved over her features and there were moments when she felt like he saw straight to her soul.

“Are you with me, darlin’?” His voice was soft and he held his weight off her with his upper arms.

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“You feel so good, Cassie. I want you to feel good too. Are you all right? Am I squishing you?”

Somehow, the tenderness, the concern in his voice just got to her. He wasn’t coddling her, he cared about her. Part of her that she’d closed off because it had simply been crushed into nothing by Terry, sparked back to life. And when it did, she felt what she’d been missing for four years. Not the intensity of someone’s attention that she’d mistaken for love and adoration from Terry in the early years. No, this was a man who truly wanted her to be okay. Thought about her feelings.

Tears blinded her as he changed his angle and his pelvic bone crushed into her mound and created friction over her clit. A deep moan broke from her lips.

“Baby? Those good tears or am I hurting you?”

She laughed through her tears and reached up to wipe them away with the back of her hand. “Good ones. Now shut up and f**k me.”

Her thighs began to tremble as each press and grind of his body against her clit brought her closer to orgasm.

“Cassie, darlin’, I’m really close. You with me?”

“I…” And it broke over her, shattering her into wordlessness, eyes blurring and back arching. She heard his muffled curse and felt his c**k jerk and spasm deep within her as he came as well.

With a long, satisfied sigh, he rolled off her and to the side, quickly dealing with the condom and coming back to lie beside her. Panting, sweat cooling on their bodies, they both looked up into the night sky.

He reached out and linked fingers with her.

“Thank you.”

He turned to his side and looked at her. “Darlin’, the pleasure was all mine, I assure you. God, I can’t believe I f**ked you on the ground. You deserve a soft bed and candlelight. I just had this vision of you, bathed in moonlight, making love to you with the sweet smells of night against our skin. I hope you don’t think I was disrespectful. I’m sorry.”

“Shane, don’t.” Tears laced her voice. “I can’t seem to stop crying. I hate that. You have nothing to be sorry for. It was beautiful. You were wonderful. Gentle and patient. I enjoyed myself, believe me. Twice.”

He laughed. “I’m sorry about that. It should have been at least three times but I had to have you. I’m usually more finessed than that.”

“Three times? Wow. Well, I’m quite pleased with two. Hell, I’m thrilled with one.”

He looked at her, shocked. “Do you know how f**king beautiful you look when you come? Your neck arched, eyes desire-blind, mouth slightly open, your ni**les hard and pretty—just thinking about it right now makes me hard. Any man should want to see that as much as possible. Your ex needs his ass kicked. But then I suppose if he’d taken care of you I wouldn’t be here beside you now.”

“They aren’t very nice anymore. They used to be lovely. But time. Well you know.”

He sat up on his elbow. “No. I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

Her hands moved to put her bra back in place but he stopped her, kissing each hand and putting them back at her sides.

“My br**sts. They used to be higher. They’re sort of saggy. I’m sure you’re used to tight bodies and perky br**sts. I’ve seen some of the women in town, the ones who give me the dirtiest looks, their bodies are nicer than mine.”

Shane exhaled sharply. “Cassie, how old are you?”

“Thirty-three.”

“And you think you have saggy br**sts?”

She sat up and moved to fasten her bra and button up her camisole. “Yes. And my belly has this little pooch and my thighs are flabby.”