“Like this?” Her words were barely audible over the pounding of his own heart, but he heard.

“Exactly like this.” He wanted to do the same, to touch her soft skin, to cup her generous breasts in his hands, to feel their weight. To make her sigh in pleasure. But this was her show, so he settled for running a hand down her side, gripping her waist. Otherwise, he remained still as a statue. Letting her explore.

Her fingers skimmed over him, making him shiver. Her kisses made him feel drunk, but they weren’t enough.

Nothing would be enough, not with this woman.

He relaxed his hold when she finally pulled away, her lips red, plumped, and wet. She was breathing hard.

And there wasn’t a trace of wariness in her eyes. Just heat. And want.

And I need to stop now. “Just so we’re clear,” he said, his voice gravelly and rough. “That was exactly right. And we need to stop, because I don’t have that much self-control. Not around you.” She looked very pleased with herself and it made him grin. “You like that, do you?”

“Yes, I do.” She eased her thumb over his lower lip. “What now?”

He laughed helplessly. “Fucking hell, Mercy. Don’t ask me that. Not right now.”

Her gaze dropped deliberately to the erection that there was no way he could hide. Her lips curled up, like a satisfied cat. “Oh.”

He laughed again, joy bubbling up and warming him from the inside out. “Yeah. Oh.” He pulled her against him, settling her against his chest, pressing his cheek into her hair. “I meant it when I said I have feelings for you. I’m not sure what comes next, either. I’m rusty at . . .” He hesitated, then parroted her words back to her. “Being whatever it is that you need me to be.”

“Just be you.” She sounded sleepy already. “I like you.”

“I like you, too.”

She was quiet for so long that he thought she’d fallen asleep, but she surprised him. “Tell me about Bella. If you want to.”

His heart stuttered. “Oh. Okay.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I’ll tell you. But why do you want to know?” he asked. “I’m curious.”

She made a noise in her throat, part huff, part sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe because you know everything there is to know about me now. You don’t need to tell me about Bella, but maybe share one thing that nobody else knows about you?”

It was emotional quid pro quo and he was okay with that, because she was right. She’d opened her personal life like a book tonight and he knew it hadn’t been easy. Hell, he wasn’t sure how he’d managed to listen. He couldn’t fathom how hard it had been for her to reveal.

“That would be Bella, then,” he said. “Nobody knows about her. About our relationship. Well, almost nobody. She was the prosecutor assigned to my task force when I was in Gangs. I’d been undercover for nearly a year, trying to break into one of the bigger drug cartels in the county. She and I weren’t supposed to be together. Bad for our careers.”