His cock springs free, hard and at full attention, and I lick my lips as I nudge him back until he sits on the couch. I kneel before him and remove his boots and clothes, and then push myself between his knees.

He reaches up and tucks his index finger below my chin before running his thumb across my lips. I suck his thumb into my mouth and it sets his eyes ablaze with lust. “Let me please you.”

I grab the base of his cock in my hand and stroke it one time. His mouth drifts open as he watches me touch him, and it turns me on knowing I’m turning him on.

I tuck my hair behind my ears and then lean in, taking the tip of him in my mouth. I swirl my tongue around the ridges of his head, and he gasps.

“Holy fuck!” he whispers loudly and then lays his head back. “Jesus. You can’t keep doing that. I’ll come. I’ve wanted you too long. I won’t last.”

I smile devilishly as I suck him as far into my mouth as I can without gagging myself. I only pump him in and out a few times before he taps my shoulder and says, “Not like this. I want to be inside of you the first time.”

I pull back and nod, agreeing because I’m still so turned on that I’m not done with him yet. My body craves him—needs him inside of me.

He reaches down and grabs a foil package from the pocket of his jeans, and I raise an eyebrow. “Expecting to get lucky tonight?”

He chuckles as he rips the package. “Not expecting, but hoping.”

I laugh as I take the condom from him, and things turn serious again the moment I touch his cock and begin rolling the thin sheath down his thick shaft.

Ace guides me to stand up and then to straddle him on the couch. The moment his cock slides against me, I rock my hips a few times to coat him in my arousal.

I groan into his ear as he pulls my chest against his and holds me tight. He raises his hips and thrusts once, and the tip of him enters me. My fingers curl into a fist, clinging to him as he allows my body to adjust to his considerable size.

“‘This is the very ecstasy of love,’” he whispers in my ear and then sucks a quick breath between his teeth as he pushes all the way inside of me. “‘Such is my love, to thee I so belong, that for thy right, myself will bear all wrong.’”

I moan as he presses his cheek against mine, and I allow myself to get lost in the essence of him.

I close my eyes as I rock my hips in time with his. Each thrust, coupled with the sweet lines he’s whispering in my ear, stokes the coals of desire smoldering in my core.

I buck wildly, searching for my release, and he digs his long fingers into my hips. “Jesus, Iris. I don’t know how much longer . . . fuck.”

Loving that he’s losing control, I pump faster, wanting him to get lost with me. Warmth spreads through me, and I cry out, gripping a handful of his hair as I come even harder than I did only moments before.

“Ahh . . . Iris,” he groans as his body grows rigid and he comes.

I watch in awe as this man below me lets go and his face contorts in pure pleasure.

I collapse against him and he traces light circles against the bare skin on my back.

“That was . . .” I sigh contentedly, so relaxed I can’t even finish a coherent thought.

“Phenomenal,” he finishes for me, and we both laugh.

I pull back so I can gaze upon his breathtaking face, and then I push a loose strand of his bronze hair off his forehead. “That was pretty amazing.”

He gives me an adorable smile. “You’re amazing.”

I lean in and kiss his lips and correct him. “We’re amazingly perfect.”

We lie there, still attached as one, enjoying each other for a while, kissing and caressing each other’s bodies. When he pulls out of me to discard the condom, I immediately miss his warmth but am pleased when he rushes back from the hallway with the blanket from my bed in his hands.

Ace lies back down beside me, putting me between the couch and his side before throwing the blanket on top of us. I hook one leg over his and rest my head against his chest. I absently trace patterns across his toned chest while reliving what he just did in my head.

What happened between us just now was clearly more than casual sex. Those quotes . . . they were the some of the sweetest words I’ve ever heard. It’s hard to fathom that this very sensual man feels that way toward me. It blows my mind.

“What are you thinking about?” His voice rumbles in his chest.

I sigh, not wanting to admit what’s on my mind, but also wanting him to open up to me. “Why me?”

His thumb absently strokes my shoulder, and it feels nice. “At first, I’ll admit, I was drawn to your looks, and that pissed me off.”

I giggle and snuggle in tighter. “You were mean to me because you liked me? That makes it sound like we’re in the second grade.”

He chuckles. “I suppose it does. I was a complete asshole to you and I apologize. You did nothing to deserve my animosity.”

“But you didn’t like me much at one time?” I ask, unsure if I really want to hear the answer to that, but I know I need to.

“Yes,” he says simply. “I didn’t want to be caught up in anything, and you . . . I knew if I allowed myself the chance to get to know you, that I would be hooked. I wouldn’t ever want to leave you if I had you like this, and I was angry that you were making me want to stay and abandon all my plans for a life on the road.”

“What changed your mind?” I ask, questioning his sudden change of heart.