“I know you have demons, and you don’t have to share them with me,” she said softly. “But don’t lock us in a dungeon with them. We’ll never survive. I had to trust you to let you touch me. Maybe you can try to trust me, and we can move past your demons together.”

THE PAIN IN Diesel’s eyes was so unexpected, Tracey wished she hadn’t said anything. She could feel his muscles tensing and steeled herself, for fear he was going to climb out of bed and put an end to them.

“I don’t know if it’s possible to move past them,” he said gruffly.

Something told her she was seeing a side of him no one else ever had, and that trust made her want him even more. “Do you want to?”

“For you? Fuck yeah.”

“Then I know you will.” He might not be eloquent or romantic, but if she’d wanted only that, she’d be with Damon. Not the man whose emotions were as real and powerful as the sea. She leaned up, whispering, “Kiss me.”

His mouth covered hers, rough and demanding. His big hands moved down her hips, lifting her bottom as he thrusted, entering her fast and hard. For a moment she couldn’t breathe for the overwhelming pressure and unfamiliar sensations filling her up. But he didn’t stop, and she loved that he couldn’t hold back, because for the first time in her life, she didn’t want to, either. She bent her knees, opening her legs wider as he took her deeper with every thrust, his thick cock driving, stretching, claiming, filling her so completely, she could barely think. But she didn’t want to think; all she wanted was to feel. She reveled in the weight of him, the thundering of their hearts, and that magnificent feeling of a perfect fit as he buried himself to the hilt and stilled. He put his arms around her, kissing her passionately, the pressure inside her mounting until it was exquisitely painful.

He tore his mouth away, gritting out, “Fuck, Trace…Fuuck.”

Thankfully, he reclaimed her mouth, because she was so caught up in the feel of him, she needed his breath to breathe. Lord, this man knew how to love a woman. Every thrust of his hips sent shocks darting through her body. She clung to his arms, ran her hands down his back, his muscles bulging and flexing beneath her fingers. She grabbed his ass, and damn, like the rest of him, it was incredible. But he flinched. She smacked his ass, and he jerked, breaking their kiss.

“What the…?”

“It’s like a shock collar. I want to grab your ass. If you don’t want a smack, don’t flinch.”