Right now, the heart was leading bigtime.
The mattress dipped beneath Asher’s weight. He hadn’t touched me yet, but the warmth of his body curled around me in sensual tendrils as he dragged his gaze up my legs, over my stomach, and to my face.
I instinctively tensed. Self-consciousness coiled around me in a defensive shield, but unlike previous hookups, he didn’t stop to gawk at the surgery scars on my hip and stomach or struggle to hide a flash of revulsion.
When his eyes met mine, they were filled with nothing except pure, appreciation-fueled desire, and it was that, more than anything else, that ended the war inside me.
Heart: one. Mind: zero.
No one had ever looked at me like that, like they could see past all my shields and pretenses to the imperfections I fought to hide. Like those imperfections didn’t matter, and not only did they not matter, but they were a reason for appreciation instead of an obstacle.
It was the first time anyone had seen me for me.
Emotion tangled in my throat as Asher’s lips brushed mine before he trailed a series of slow, excruciatingly gentle kisses down my throat and chest. He unclasped my bra with deft fingers along the way, and I bit back a moan when he turned his attention to my breasts.
Every inch of skin flamed like it was fire and he was oxygen. The heat spread, slowly at first, then gathering speed as he reached the aching center between my thighs.
My mind was so muddled, I didn’t know when or how he’d slipped my underwear off, but I had enough faculties left to ask the question that’d plagued me since he showed up at my door.
“Why did you come back?” The words slipped out somewhere between nerves and anticipation.
I had an inkling, but I wanted to hear him say it. I needed to know that if we opened Pandora’s box, we would brave the consequences together.
Asher paused, his breath soft against my parted thighs. The moonlight carved valleys and shadows across his face, but when he looked up, I saw the answer before he said it.
“I came back for you.”
Simple. Honest. Raw.
Then he dove in and drove every other thought out of my mind.
There was no time to reflect on his answer or the way it made my heart fold in on itself. There was only the silkiness of his tongue, and the pleasure pouring through my veins, and the sharp, undiluted need to be as close to him as possible.
If I thought Asher was thorough with his kisses, it was nothing compared to the way he gave oral.
He left no inch of flesh unattended, no piece of want unfulfilled as he ate me out like I was his last meal. When I craved more pressure, he added it; when I wished for more attention on a certain spot, he moved there. It was like he had a crystal-clear look inside my mind, and my defenses were no match for his targeted onslaught.
“Please,” I gasped. I grasped his hair, desperate for any hold that would keep me from slipping too far too fast. “I can’t…I…oh fuck.”
He dragged his teeth across my clit, and only the steel grip of his hands on my hips kept me from shooting off the bed.
Electricity shot through me, causing tears to pool at the corners of my eyes. My words devolved into unintelligible moans as Asher soothed me with gentler laps of his tongue.
“Fuck, sweetheart, you’re so wet.” He groaned, the sound rumbling through me like a match to gasoline.
I was still shivering from the aftereffects when he sucked my already swollen clit into his mouth, and the world splintered again.
I cried out, my back arching up again. But no matter how hard I bucked or how many times I instinctively tried to scoot away, he dragged me back, his mouth and tongue and teeth working in tandem as he continued his brutal, delicious assault against my senses.
My mind was fracturing, its hold on reality slipping with every lick and suck. I was so soaked, I almost didn’t notice when he pushed two fingers inside me. They slid in with little resistance, but when he curled them just so, pressing against my most sensitive spot, my orgasm tore through me with blinding ferocity.
Another sharp cry clawed up my throat, but it was drowned out by pleasure so intense it seemed to unravel straight from my core. Wave after wave rushed through me, stealing the breath from my lungs and filling my vision with bursts of light.
I dimly heard the rustle of clothes and the rip of foil. Fireworks were still exploding behind my eyes when Asher tucked a pillow under my hips and pressed the tip of his cock against my pussy. The orgasm had wrung me out, but that didn’t stop a whimper from escaping.
As good as the oral had been, I needed more. I needed something to fill the empty ache inside me.
Asher’s lips grazed my ear. “Hold on tight.”
My anticipation pulled tight into a painful knot, but I didn’t get a chance to respond before he pushed inside me with a smooth thrust.
This time, my gasp only made it out halfway. It cut off into a half-moan, half-squeal that would’ve embarrassed the hell out of me had I had enough presence of mind to be embarrassed.
Since I didn’t, I could only cling to him for dear life as he settled into a hard, relentless rhythm, my nails digging into his shoulders, my hips rising to meet his. The headboard slammed against the wall every thrust, and the sound of flesh slapping flesh mingled with our harsh breaths and cries.
I was sure I’d get a nasty note about the noise from my neighbor tomorrow, but I was so lost in the moment that I didn’t care.
My condition meant sex could be difficult and painful if I wasn’t in the right position or my partner didn’t know what they were doing. However, the wine from dinner and my orgasm had loosened my limbs, and Asher managed to hit my sweet spot every single time.
Our bodies moved in sync like they were made for each other. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this connected to someone during sex, and it had less to do with the physicality of the act than it did with the emotions behind it.
For once, I didn’t feel the need to perform. I could simply bask in the sensations, and the result was so overwhelming that part of me was afraid I’d never be the same after this.
Asher captured my mouth in a kiss. “God, you feel good,” he murmured. “Your pussy takes my cock so fucking well, sweetheart. I could fuck you all day and night and you would still be wet and ready for me, wouldn’t you?”
Heat pulsated in my core at the image he painted. “Yes,” I panted. My nails sank deeper into his skin. “Please.”
He groaned again. Tension corded the muscles of his neck and shoulders. His hands dug into my hips, and I could tell he was on the verge of breaking.
