Opening her nightstand, she pulled out the unopened box of condoms she’d had forever, and struggled to roll one down his thick length. She took so long her thighs were quivering and his torso was damp with sweat, and with a laughing low groan, he took over the task.

“Sorry,” she murmured, watching him. “Been a while.”

He shook his head. “There’s no hurry—” This sentence ended in a rush of breath as she straddled him, then kissed him. He nudged her closer, kissing her back hard and deep as he thrust into her.

Her own gasp of pleasure filled her ears, along with a rough groan from him, and suddenly she was on the edge all over again, quivering with it, and he hadn’t even moved inside her yet.

Then he did, and oh good Lord. “Pace—”

“I know.” His hand skimmed up her belly to a breast. “I want to—”

She rocked her hips, dragging another rough groan from him. His head was back now, the tendons in his neck standing out in bold relief as his fingers dug into her moving hips, guiding her, urging her into bold thrusts that he couldn’t quite manage on his own because of his injury. He encouraged her with low, wordless murmurs and that was it for her. He was it for her, and she came again, flying high as he joined her with one last hard thrust, her name on his lips.

It took her a while to reacquaint herself with her muscles. When she managed to lift her head from where she’d pressed her face against his throat, she blinked and tried to focus.

He lay flat and utterly still. She could feel his heart still racing in tune with hers, but other than that, he wasn’t moving. “Did I kill you?” she whispered.

Eyes still closed, his lips curved. “Very nearly.”

Good. That made them even. With her body still quivering, she slipped off him to her side and sighed with a bone-deep pleasure. “That should be a required bedtime activity.”

“Agreed. Every single night.” He still didn’t move, and she didn’t mind because the sight of him sprawled there on his back, arms and legs wide, was like a vacation for her senses.

“Pace?”

“Hmm.”

“Did that do it?”

He sighed and blindly reached out a hand for hers, stroking a finger over her palm. “Get you out of my system? No. Not even close.”

She felt herself relax, as if she wasn’t relaxed enough. “I have another question.”

He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissed her palm. “Shock.”

She smiled, but it faded readily enough. “You definitely need surgery?”

His hand went still in hers.