I nip at her neck and down to her shoulder, lightly biting her skin. It’s not enough to leave a mark, but it’s on the list. The male satisfaction I would feel seeing her with my hickeys on her neck in the office, no one knowing where they came from, is indisputable.

She trembles in my arms as her thighs quake and I grin victoriously, already learning what drives her crazy. “I like how responsive you are.”

“Are we going to have sex?”

The blunt question surprises me, and I can’t help but burst out laughing. She frowns, folding her arms across her chest, trying to find the humor.

“Is that funny to you?” she presses.

“If it’s not obvious enough already, I would absolutely love to fuck you right now.”

I roll my hips forward so she can feel exactly how badly I want to sink into her. How funny it is we only have a layer of clothes keeping me from sinking deep into her heat. How good it would be to have her clench around me as I pound into her, again and again, finding the perfect angle and tempo. Holding her up under her thighs, the tips of my fingers grip the swell of her ass. Hard.

“I’ve been imagining at least seven different spots just in this room.”

“Seven?” she sputters, eyes bouncing from the bed to the floor.

“Mhm. Believe it or not, I want to take this slow. I don’t want to rush anything. The physical part will be a great reward, yeah, and I’m looking forward to it. I also just like being with you. You… You make me happy, simply by existing.”

I’d be out of my mind if I didn’t want to study and learn her body lazily, leisurely, working at an unhurried pace until I have every part of her committed to memory. More importantly, I want to lie on the mattress with her, listening to her talk until the early hours of the morning. I want to count the freckles on her arms. To hear her steady breathing while she sleeps soundly, knowing I’m the one keeping her safe and protected through the night.

I want so much more than a few minutes inside her, no matter how spectacular they might be.

Her legs loosen, dropping from my body, and I set her down, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. I can’t go a second without touching her, it seems. She stares back at me with understanding eyes, nodding, the weight of my admission heavy in the small sliver of space between us.

“I like just being with you, too. They’ve been some of my favorite moments the last few weeks, and I want more of them. I can take things slow.”