“B-but you don’t smell like me,” I tried to argue, the ache between my legs suddenly pulsing to the beat of my heart.

“My cock does, though,” he rasped against my ear. “Because I use your body wash to jerk myself off.”

I clenched my eyes shut as that image played out in my head, my entire body trembling at how turned on it made me.

“You are always on my mind, Nova. The first thought in my head when I open my eyes each morning. I stare at all of our pictures together on my phone before I can fall asleep. A million times throughout the day, you filter through my brain. Each and every time, I get so hard, it nearly brings me to my knees.” He trailed his lips from my ear down to my shoulder, where he sank his teeth in, pulling a moan from deep within me as he marked my skin. “Sometimes, just the smell of your body wash when I get into the shower is enough to make me go off the second my hand touches my cock.”

“Oh my God.” I tried to scoot closer, but he grasped my ass cheeks in each hand and held me in place. “Ryan, please.”

“Please what, my heart?” he murmured. “Tell me.”

“Please touch me. Just once,” I begged shamelessly. “Th-that’s all it will take, I swear.”

“Hold that thought for two seconds,” he said as he released me and turned to the stove.

The loss of his hands on my body bordered on pain, and I couldn’t contain my cry as he transferred the soup to a different burner. Two seconds were all he needed, and then he was back, using his hands on my knees to spread my thighs wider before pulling me to the edge of the counter and pressing his hardness right where I needed it the most.

“Ryan!” My scream was muffled against his shoulder as my arms went around him, holding on for dear life as pleasure detonated inside me from just the pressure of his cock against my core. It felt so good that tears stung my eyes, and I quickly tried to hide them from him.

“No, don’t ever hide from me,” he growled. When he saw the tears glazing my eyes, his face tightened. “Did I hurt you?”

“I’m just so happy,” I told him honestly, unable to keep from sniffling. “I never thought this would be possible—that you could or would ever want me the same way I want you. Tonight has been better than any birthday or Christmas present I could have ever gotten.”

He touched his lips to the center of my forehead. “Speaking of birthday and Christmas presents, I still need to give you both.”

I looked up at him through my lashes. “Does that mean more of what I just got?” I asked hopefully.

“There will be plenty of that, I promise,” he said with a smirk. “I’m talking about actual presents. I accidentally forgot your birthday present on the plane last month, and then we didn’t see each other for Christmas.”