She couldn’t deny the fact that she needed rest, but she grabbed his face and pulled him close, sealing her lips over his. He hooked his arm around her waist and hauled her against him, his tongue spearing past her parted lips, and suddenly she wasn’t tired anymore.

She lifted his shirt and pulled it over his head, then braced her hands on his well-cut abs. He met her gaze and grinned. “No sleep?”

“After.” She reached for the button on his jeans, pulled down the zipper, and slid her hand in, wrapping her palm around his thick erection.

“Point made.” He stripped off his jeans, kicking them aside, and while he added his boxers to the pile, she quickly undressed, too.

She linked her arms around his neck and hopped up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He walked her to the bed and laid her on the mattress, his body coming down over hers. His cock pressed hard and insistent against her belly, and her sex pulsed with desire.

“I need you,” she whispered, running her fingernails over his hair and scalp.

He shifted his hips, his cock slid through her wetness, and he let out a groan. “And I need to feel you hot and slick around me so I know you’re here and safe.”

She met his gaze. “It wasn’t me who got hurt,” she reminded him.

“But it was meant to be you. And I couldn’t take it if something happened to you.”

Tears filled her eyes at the sincerity and caring in his tone. “I’m fine,” she assured him, grateful to be here with him.

Not wanting to wait, she spread her legs and his hips settled in the cradle of her thighs. A low, guttural sound escaped his throat as he braced his hands above her shoulders, poised himself at her entrance, and easily slid into her.

His gaze remained on hers, those breathtaking eyes holding her captive as he began to glide in and out, her entire body aware of his thickness and length filling her completely, rubbing against her as he eased out only to sink in deep again.

She expected hard and fast. After all, they’d had a long, trying day and night, and she figured he’d want to relieve his frustration with the stalker situation by losing himself in fast and furious sex. Instead, she found herself with a gentle, caring Xander and it scared her.

Scared her because, as he held her stare, her emotions rose to the surface. A rush of warmth and feeling swept over her along with a need for him that ran deep. One she wasn’t certain she could escape a second time. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.