I lean my head back, exposing more of my neck. It’s not intentional, but I’m not mad about it because Cole uses the opportunity to plant kisses across my jaw.

The scent of his body, sweet and warm, invades my senses. The pressure of his lips and fingers against my skin is almost too much to bear. The anticipation of what’s next, what’s to come, has me ready to crawl out of my skin.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask. “And why is it taking so long to get there?”

He chuckles, kicking a door open.

The room we enter is flooded with light. Before I can get my bearings, he tosses me onto a bed. The mattress recoils with my weight.

Cole stands next to the bed and smiles. “Was that fast enough?”

“No. I said I needed you, like, three minutes ago.” I smile back at him. “You’re giving me time to back out.”

His grin wobbles. “If there’s any chance of you backing out, we shouldn’t do it to start with.”

My shoulder blades dig into the mattress as I stare back up at him. How is this man even real?

I get on my knees and hold his gaze. Then, with courage that I didn’t know I possess, I lift the hem of my shirt over my head.

The cool air wraps around my bare skin and through the lace of my bra. It’s quite the juxtaposition to the heat building inside me. The contrast makes me light-headed but not unsure. So, under the weight of Cole’s unbelieving watch, I undo the button of my jeans.

His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. He doesn’t move.

I hold his gaze and undo my zipper, then slip out of the denim and discard it onto the end of the bed.

My curves are on full display. My cellulite and the cesarean scar across my belly from having Ethan are visible. The stretch marks across the top of my breasts and at my hips are there for him to see.

Typically, those elements that I consider flaws make me nervous, and I hide them if at all possible. But not today.

Cole’s lips twitch as he takes his fill of me visually. “Damn, Palmer.”

“This is me.” I hold my arms out to the side. “If there’s any chance of you backing out, we shouldn’t do it to start with.”

He grins at my words, the same ones he just gave me. “Backing out isn’t an option for me, sweetheart. I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you.”

His fingers find the edge of his shirt, and he rips it from his body.

My eyes nearly pop out of my head.