He shook his head, jaw tight.

“I thought, ‘I’ve never really wanted before.’ Because the way I want you, it’s more powerful than pretty much anything else.” I leaned closer, and this time he didn’t try to move, just let me run hands over him. All that dark brown skin, sinew and muscle.

Patrice’s body was like carved ebony. Every inch of him was perfect. I took care of myself, worked out. But Patrice was pure beauty.

I ran my palm lazily down his chest, the sparse wiry hair tickling my hands. I stopped just above his cock and looked up at him.

I turned my hand and possessively ran it over his erection. I gripped him hard like I knew he liked, still looking at him. My mouth watered as I felt him pulse against my palm.

“I dream about touching you like this.”

He shuddered out a breath, still not saying a word, and pulled me in for another kiss, his tongue licked at the seam of my lips, and I opened for him again. I lifted my hands and put them on either side of his face. Wanting to stay like this, locked with him. He sucked on my tongue hard and I whimpered, his hands making their way down my back until he was at my hips. My awareness of him suddenly overwhelming. I froze for a second and he pulled back, looking at me with that barely restrained intensity.

“Easton. I don’t know if we can do more than this.” He didn’t say anything else, but I understood what he meant. He wasn’t sure he could give me more than this one time, and it hurt to hear it, but there was no stopping this.

“I know.” I nodded and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the coiled metal staircase that led to his bed. I hadn’t seen it after he’d moved in, and as I led him up I didn’t look behind me, scared that he might change his mind.

I would have to think about this more closely some time. Patrice was right, we couldn’t keep doing this. I would end up resenting him for how little he could give, and he would grow tired of keeping me at a distance. But did that knowledge stop me? No.

When we got to his bedroom he pulled me toward him, looked at me for what felt like minutes, and then very gently pressed our mouths together. It felt so intimate, as if he wanted to mark this moment.