Page 47 of Soaring Sweethearts

As her fingers descended, button by button, his relief from his animal instincts dwindled, and once again, his self-control hung by a thread. Her fingers pushed the fabric to the side as she went, and she explored the newly revealed skin, driving him wild.

By the time she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants to reach the last few, he hardly dared breathe. The effort to hold back from the brink had become too great. But he was determined not to rush her. She’d never touched a man before, and he had to ease his way into it.

The last button unbuttoned, he sprang free, anxiously watching her face for any sign of fear or repulsion, but she smiled and reached out to touch him, then paused. “Show me.”

“One moment. Let me take off my shirt.” He was going to come hard, and he didn’t have a clean change of clothes with him.

“Let me help you.” She opened his shirt and the sleeveless union suit beneath and pushed it over his shoulders. As she did so, the carousel ring fell out of his pocket and onto the bed between them.

Her eyes widened, and her lips parted in an “oh.”

He froze, his heart banging in his chest. He’d meant to tell her about it eventually, of course, but not when everything was so fresh and new. What if it scared her? It was too much too soon. It was bad enough taking off his clothes in front of her, but this was nakedness of a different sort. There was no hiding the depth of his feelings now.

“Is that—? No, it can’t be.” She stared at it on the mattress between them, brow furrowed, her sweet lips turned downward.

He prayed as hard as he’d ever prayed that he hadn’t just ruined everything. “It’s the carousel ring you gave me when we were kids.” It was no use trying to prevaricate. “I kept it. It’s always been my good luck charm.”

“It has?” Those big wide eyes pierced his soul.

In for a penny, in for a pound. “I know you think everything was one-sided and that I didn’t have feelings for you, but I did, even if I tried to convince myself otherwise. I didn’t think I was good enough for you. I’m still worried I’m going to find some way to mess this all up and hurt you, but…”

“But?”

“You are everything to me.” That was definitely too much to say, but he couldn’t pretend this was less momentous than it was.

She reached up and touched his cheek, eyes glistening. “I had no idea. Oh, Jack. That’s how I feel about you.”

Pulling him against her, she kissed him deep and hard, then tugged him on top of her, wrapping her legs around him. It was too much, and he lost control. He loved her so much, and it was clear from every movement she made that she wanted him, welcomed him, even with all his messy desires. The tip of his cock slid against her, nudging at her entrance, and she arched up to take him. Just one little thrust, and he would be home. One little thrust, and…no.

He stilled. This was Constance. She trusted him, even when she shouldn’t have. It was obvious that she didn’t know what she was inviting, and they had no protection to prevent unwanted consequences. He couldn’t do this, no matter how much they both wanted it.

With a groan, he rolled away and onto his back, taking deep, gulping breaths.

“Did I do something wrong?” Her small voice pierced him to the core.

“No, sweetheart. Not you. I got carried away and almost did something that I swore I wouldn’t.” But he had to find release, or he was going to make mistakes they were both going to regret. So, despite his better angels, he asked, “Would you…touch me again?”

It wasn’t the slick heat that his body craved, but with his cock still coated in her wetness, her touch would still be heaven. Which he absolutely did not deserve after what he’d almost done.

She nodded, pink coloring her cheeks.

Taking her hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed it before reaching down and guiding her to wrap her fingers around his shaft.

“Move your hand like this.” He showed her the pressure and speed he needed, his hand wrapped around hers. “That’s it. Oh, it’s so good, sweetheart.” He let go once she got the rhythm and let his head fall back against the pillow as he squeezed his eyes shut, giving in to the release that he’d been holding back.

“I’m so close. Oh, God.” The pulsation of his climax started deep and tore through him, making him see white even with his eyes closed. He called out her name as hot liquid spurted across his belly. It drained him completely, her hand still moving and milking the final dregs from him. As it came to an end at last, he reached down and pulled her hand away, unable to take anymore.

“Was that all right?” The concern etched in every feature tugged at his heart strings.

“It was exactly what I needed.” He leaned over and kissed her gently. The urge to say, “I love you,” almost overwhelmed him, but it was too soon. He didn’t want to complicate things further than he already had. Instead, he just said, “Thank you.”

He wanted to stay and snuggle, but he had to get rid of the gooey mess on his chest. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”

“I’ll be right here.”

He hurried to the bathroom and cleaned himself up with some water and a washcloth. Pulling his union suit back over his shoulders, he buttoned it up and zipped up his pants. As he looked himself in the mirror, he shook his head. That was too close a call. He’d been a whisper away from taking Constance’s virginity.

Ernie was right about him. He couldn’t be trusted with her. While he had every intention of being the first and only man to ever make love to her, it was far too soon. First he needed to prove to her, and himself, that his intentions were honorable. Which meant openly courting her for a respectable period without touching her until things were settled between them.