It made me feel beautiful. Sexy. Strong.

And when he couldn’t hold on anymore, his body going stiff behind me, his fingers digging into my hips, I felt every single throb of his orgasm as deeply as I’d felt my own.

I never wanted this to end.

After taking the cuffs off me, he set me on the counter and kissed circles around my wrists in the dark. Sweet, soft kisses that made me wish the lights were on so I could have watched him do it.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“I wasn’t too rough with you?”

“No. I mean, you were rough, and I might have a couple aches and pains tomorrow, but I loved every second of it.”

“You did?”

“I didn’t say cinnamon, did I?”

“Actually, you might have. I don’t even think I could hear by the end.”

I laughed. “I didn’t. I promise.”

“Good.” He pulled me closer, hugging me to his warm, solid chest and gently stroking my hair. “Can you stay?” he asked.

I could feel his heart beating through his shirt. I wanted to feel it all night long. “If you want me to.”

Sweeping me off the counter, he carried me up the stairs to his bedroom, cradling me like a baby. After laying me in his bed, he undressed me the rest of the way and looked at me in the lamplight. “Shit,” he said, brushing his thumb softly across my sore cheek. “You have a bruise.”

“Granite counters are hard.”

“And here too.” My hips bore deep red marks from where he’d gripped them.

“It’s okay. I kinda like them.”

He looked angry with himself. “I didn’t mean to get so carried away.”

“Noah, I loved it. I’d have stopped you if I didn’t. Honestly, I’ve never had that much fun during sex on both a mental and physical level. The fact that you tested my limits turned me on.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I trusted you the entire time, I promise.” I smiled. “I was maybe a little scared of you for a minute or two, because you almost seemed like someone else, but it was hot. You were strange and familiar all at once.”

He was quiet for a few seconds, then he leaned down and kissed me. “I’ll be right back.”

He left the room and a moment later I heard him taking Renzo outside. Taking advantage of the time alone, I dashed into the bathroom, cleaned up a little, washed my makeup off, and used my same toothbrush from last night. Examining my face in the mirror, I noted the faint blue-purple mark on my cheek, the crimson fingerprints on my hips, and when I turned around, I could see the bright pink skin on my ass.

Damn. I was branded. All over.

It made me smile—Noah had pounced. And I hadn’t felt this sexy in my skin since . . . well, ever.

How wrong was it that I wanted to do it again already?

How bad would it be to hope he left more marks on my body?

How was I ever going to get enough of him and us and this feeling in only five more days?

Fifteen

Noah

While I stood outside in the cool dark waiting for Renzo, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Meg had just said.

You were strange and familiar all at once.

I knew exactly what she meant. Although for me, it wasn’t Meg herself that was strange and familiar. It was more like the way I felt about her. But I wasn’t sure how to put it into words.

Renzo finished up and we went back into the house. Much to his dismay, I closed the door to his room again and renewed my promise to give him extra time and attention tomorrow. Upstairs, I used the bathroom and noticed that it smelled faintly of her perfume. I inhaled deeply before turning out the light, although the scent turned me on and my dick started to get hard. But I told myself not to be an asshole and start poking at her with it so soon. My God, she had bruises on her body. What kind of monster was I?

The bedroom was dark when I entered it, and Meg’s breathing was slow and deep. I thought she might have fallen asleep already, and part of me was a little disappointed. After making sure my alarm was set, I peeled off my clothes and crawled into bed next to her.

She immediately snuggled up to me. “Hi.”

“I thought you were asleep.”

“Nope. I was waiting for you. Can we cuddle?”

“Sure.” I pulled her alongside my body. “Although being right next to your skin tends to rile me up.”

“I don’t mind.”

I kissed the top of her head. “I feel bad about those bruises.”

“Well, don’t.”

“You say that, but—”

“Hey.” She picked her head up suddenly. “Don’t do that. Don’t tell me I don’t mean what I say. I get to decide what’s too much for me. I get to decide how I like it. Yes, you made these marks, but it’s still my body. I own it. I just wasn’t . . . in charge of it for a few minutes down there. But I liked it. I’d have stopped you if I didn’t.”

“Okay.” I pushed her hair off her face. “You know, I kinda like it when you get mad.”

She stuck her tongue out at me and put her head down again.

We were silent for a full minute before I spoke. “I was thinking about what you said.”

“About what?”

“About me being strange and familiar all at once. That’s what it’s like for me too, only . . . kinda different.”

“Different how?”

I exhaled, trying to find words. “It’s not you so much that’s strange and familiar, but it’s like . . . my feelings about you. I’ve always been really protective of you, which was why I never allowed myself to touch you back then. I didn’t want to be just another asshole trying to get in your pants. I wanted to be better than that, even at sixteen.”

“You were, Noah,” she said softly. “You are.”

I frowned. “Yes and no. Because I still have that feeling about you—like I want to protect you. But at the same time, now I want to do all these bad things to you . . . and it’s fucking with me.”

She laughed and kissed my chest. “You’re being too hard on yourself.” Her hand drifted south. “This is all for fun. Just do the bad things.”

I groaned as she teased my thickening flesh with her fingers, then I flipped over, pinning her beneath me. “You don’t know what you’re asking for, Sawyer.”

“I’m not asking.” She squeezed my cock hard. “I’m begging for it.”

Despite what she’d said, I couldn’t bring myself to be as rough with her the second time, and I made sure she came twice before I even thought about my own orgasm. Still, it was wild and passionate and intense, and my sheets were a twisted fucking mess by the time we toppled right off the foot of the bed onto the floor.

So was my brain—I didn’t stop for a condom.

Stop, my conscience said. It’s risky and reckless and you can’t afford a mistake. Don’t be an irresponsible asshole.

But my body wouldn’t listen. She was velvety soft and snug around my cock, so warm and wet, and she took me so deep, her hands on my ass pulling me into her, and her pleading cries—don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop—were so sweet and sexy and all-consuming, I came inside her under a minute later with nothing between us.