Page 76 of Sheltered

At the very moment I felt the waves subside, my eyes fluttered open. I caught sight of Blaze’s heated stare and held it for mere seconds before he moved. Faster than I could keep up, Blaze had somehow rolled to his back without ever losing the connection to me, and my body was draped over his. One of his arms was wrapped around me so tightly, it was a wonder I could still breathe.

Keeping that firm hold on me, Blaze’s opposite hand drifted down my back toward my ass. He squeezed the flesh there as he kissed my mouth. And within seconds, he tore his mouth from mine, groaning as he began powering his hips up relentlessly.

There was no reprieve. No break.

He went hard. Faster.

And if I hadn’t been so blown away by his ability to be doing what he was doing, I believed I might have been able to feel the buildup of another orgasm.

But I was too focused on Blaze.

On the way his arm was clamped around my body.

On the way his teeth were claiming the skin on the side of my throat.

On the groans of pleasure that spilled out of him.

And on the way his hand never left my ass.

Then it happened.

Even though I’d used my hand to bring Blaze to an orgasm before, I hadn’t anticipated what it would be like to see or feel it like this.

“Fuck, Harlow. Fuck,” he growled against the front of my throat just seconds before his head dropped back and the veins and muscles in his neck bulged.

Watching it move through him, I finally understood.

The heated stare I’d seen on his face after I came suddenly made sense.

Because I felt the same now.

There was something about seeing the man I loved like I was seeing him now, to know it was being with me, sharing our bodies with one another, that had made him feel that way.

I never looked away, too fascinated by it all.

And when it finally left him, and his eyes opened, all I could see was undying affection for me in them. Unsure if he could see the same in mine and needing to be sure, I said, “I love you, Blaze. I love you more than I ever thought was possible.”

Disbelief washed over him as the hand that had been resting on my ass drove into my hair. “Do you know how incredible you are? God, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

I would have answered if I could, but Blaze didn’t give me a chance. He urged my head in his direction and kissed me senseless.

TWENTY-ONE

Blaze

Thinking back on all the moments in my life that were so profound and unforgettable, I couldn’t recall one that had left me feeling like this.

The early morning sunlight was filtering into the room, giving me the perfect opportunity to stare at the woman who’d changed everything.

There had been several opportunities over the last few years, as I watched my coworkers and friends find women and fall in love, when I wondered when it might happen for me.

While I had remained self-assured that it would eventually happen, I hadn’t had a clue it would be like this. The idea I would meet someone who made me feel the way Harlow did, who was able to put a smile on my face with just one thought of her, was unbelievable.

Fortunately, I curbed my disbelief and stayed present in my reality. And the reward had been far better than I could have ever hoped to have in my life.

How it was possible that a woman who had so few experiences in her adult life could make me feel as though I was experiencing them for the first time when I was doing them with her was beyond me.

There were so many things we’d done together that I had thoroughly enjoyed, but as plentiful as they were, nothing compared to last night. I hadn’t even been anticipating it would happen, but as was not uncommon when it came to Harlow, she found a way to surprise me.