Standing up, the towel still fastened in place, I pick her up and carry her to the bed. Her legs are wrapped around me as I drop her weight on the mattress, leaning down to kiss her. I love how she tastes, and I nearly get lost in the way she pulls my bottom lip between her teeth.

While I'm up there, I manage to unclasp her bra and pull it away. As I move my mouth toward her perky, pink nipples, she grabs my face. "Now, Rafe. No foreplay. Fuck me, now."

My cock jolts again. My heart races in my chest. Leaning back, I pull her panties down her legs, and watch as she squirms, needy and ready on the bed. She looks so fucking beautiful in this moment it hurts, and there's an ache in my chest when I think about what this all means. She knows how heavy this moment is for me. The vulnerability she’s showing doesn’t go unnoticed.

I must hesitate for a moment too long because she sits up and touches my cheek. "Do it for me, Rafe. I need it," she moans, pulling my chest forward and placing a kiss on my heart.

This is how she changes everything for me. She knows I can't stop myself if I'm just doing it to please her.

Her fingers pull at the towel around my waist, dropping it to the floor, and she keeps her eyes on my face as I reach for the condoms in the side table drawer. In a rush, I rip one open and roll it on.

"Lie down," I command and she listens. As my fingers run along the slick arousal pooling near her entrance, she squirms again. She wants me. She needs me.

Lifting her legs under my arms, I position myself, and her eyes meet mine. Just as her lips part, I shove myself in, sliding as far in as I can go.

My mind goes blank. There are no thoughts, just the tight, warm sensation of being a part of her. I become an extension of Shelby, and the pleasure is almost too intense.

Her head falls back as she groans. "Yes, Rafe."

Hearing my name on her lips makes my hips jolt forward, and my body moves on its own. There are no painful memories, no traumatic stress—just the feel of her body swallowing me whole, and it’s fucking heavenly.

She squirms, urging me to rear back and slam into her again. She writhes, gripping the sheets in her fists as I do it again and again.

When I pick up the momentum, her breathing gets shallow, and I focus solely on the pleasure it brings her. Making her come is my only goal.

It’s just when I feel her body tense, her legs clamped around my waist and her breathing stopped completely, that I lose control. My orgasm won’t stop. And I don’t know the moment when I collapse on top of her, but when I finally open my eyes, she’s holding me against her chest, stroking my back.