“I—” He stops, swallows hard, his lips parting, eyes searching mine like he needs to be absolutely sure he’s allowed.

I nod, slow, deliberate, making sure he understands. “There’s no wrong way to do it.”

His jaw clenches. His hands flex. It’s hesitant at first, careful, like he’s still waiting for me to tell him if he’s doing it right, but the second his fingers slip beneath the waistband of my leggings, I feel his breath hitch against my skin.

I help him, lifting my hips slightly, letting him slide them down, his hands warm and steady as he helps me out of them, as he sees exactly how much I want this. I’m about to say something, about to tell him to relax, to take his time, to just feel, but then his hand is slipping between my thighs, and every thought I had completely disappears. Oh, fuck.

His touch is careful, so careful, but when his fingertips brush over me, when he feels how soaking wet I already am for him, his entire body goes rigid beneath me, his breath leaving him in a sharp, unsteady exhale.

And then in the softest, hottest voice I have ever fucking heard come out of his mouth, he says it. “F-fuck, Haven… you’re fucking dripping for me.”

I almost whimper. Because that, was not expected. Sweet, nervous, inexperienced Carter, just said that?

His breath is uneven, his hands still gripping my waist like he’s not sure whether to pull me closer or push me away before he completely loses it. So I make the decision for him. I reach down, fingers slipping to the waistband of his jeans, feeling the way his stomach tenses beneath my touch, the sharp inhale he tries and fails to hide. His hands twitch, his fingers flexing against my hips, but he doesn’t stop me. So I keep going. I take my time, slow and deliberate, dragging the denim down inch by inch, letting my fingertips graze the firm muscle of his thighs as I work them lower.

I can feel the tension coiling in his body, the sharp way his chest rises and falls as I peel away the last real barrier between us, as I leave him in nothing but his briefs, and see exactly what I’ve been feeling pressed against me this entire time. And holy. Fucking. Hell.

I swallow, pulse hammering as my eyes drop lower, as my breath catches, as I confirm exactly what I suspected. He’s huge.