“I will have every emotion you produce. I’m greedy that way.” He caressed her with his tongue once more. She arched off the couch, fucking his face. Driving her hips up to meet him as he worked her over, she experienced pleasure unlike any she’d ever known. Fuck, his mouth is magical. Why have I never done this before? He flicked her swollen clit, sending tendrils of pleasure through her body. This man opened up an entire world and offered it to her on a platter.

A finger circled her entrance and worked its way inside. Long, thick and calloused, it caressed her walls, stretching her deliciously.

“You’re so tight. Are you a virgin?” he rasped.

“No…it’s been a while.” Please don’t stop. Swiveling her hips with him, she wrung every ounce of pleasure out of his fingers as she could.

“How long is a while?”

“Six months.” The husky answer sounded nothing like her.

“Was it good?” he whispered.

“No.” The memories threatened to darken her mood but she clung to the emotions this man stirred.

“I’ll make sure you forget all about him.” He curled his finger inside her and brushed a spot that made her see stars. She gripped him tight and held on for dear life as a wave of euphoria washed over her, battering her in the sea of lust and emotion he’d forged with his words and caresses.

Afloat on a river of bliss, she came down only to start the climb once more as he continued to work her over with two fingers and his mouth. He alternated sucking and flicking her clit. Fire smoldered in her belly. She clamped her thighs around his head, seeking more. His moan vibrated her sex. She panted as she approached the precipice once more, fast on the heels of her first release. Her thighs shook.

A rumbling growl spread from his chest. He sucked her sensitive nub into his mouth once more. Liquid gushed down her slick tunnel into his mouth. He sucked her dry like a dehydrated man at an oasis. The noisy slurps and growls of approval made her second time even more intense.

The man had done exactly what he’d claimed he would—erased the vivid sting of a painful past. He’d taken the feelings of inadequacy directed at herself and placed them in front of a mirror for her to examine without prejudice.

Her senses and mind were full of the rough-around-the-edges man leaning back on his heels, chin glistening with her juices.

“Have you ever tasted yourself, baby?”

She shook her head.

“It’s time we change that. You’re so delicious, I just have to share.” He crawled up the couch between her legs and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Earthy and slightly sweet, her feminine flavor melded with his unique taste.

Their kiss deepened and her eyes drifted shut. You kiss by the books. The words from the

tragic tale she’d been named after rose up in her mind. Damn, this man had her quoting Shakespeare. Separating only to ingest oxygen, their gazes locked and held. The shell-shocked surprise she felt was mirrored in his expressive eyes. “I think you might be in for more than you bargained for,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because there’s no way I’m letting you walk away after this.” The honesty in his voice sang to her soul.

“Who said I wanted to?”

“It’s written all over you. I knew this wasn’t your norm. You walked on the wild side. Now you want to return to your safe corner of the world and look back fondly knowing a moment existed when you didn’t follow the rules.” His face hardened and the intimacy they’d shared began to recede. His words stung.

Is this where he turns into Peter? Shows his true colors?

“You’re wrong.” Her body went stiff as a board.

“What then?”

“I wanted to live.” Her lower lip trembled and she shoved him away. The lashing from his sharp tongue cooled the arousal he’d raised. How dare he make me embarrassed? There she was, bared for him to see, living free and he’d chosen to attack. “I think we’re done here.” She’d be damned if she walked down this road again.

“The hell we are.” The words rumbled in his chest. Refusing to be intimidated, she pushed to her feet and glanced down at him. No man would steal her sense of self and dignity.

“You think you can judge me and I’ll still let you in my body? You must be crazy. I thought we had a connection. But I guess you spout pretty words to all the women you bring back here. Sad thing is, if you’d kept your mouth shut, you could’ve had me.”

He rose to his full height, towering over her as though she didn’t top six feet. “I’m not an errand boy you can dismiss.” His jaw flexed.

“I never said you were. Regardless, I’m leaving.” She moved to sidestep him. He blocked her. What the fuck was I thinking, letting things progress this far?