‘My name or a request?’ she murmured.
‘Either. Both.’ His body twisted, trying to get satisfaction. ‘Please.’
She let him go, fumbling with the button of his pants. He moaned when she got it free and lowered his zipper, dipping her hand into his briefs to wrap her fingers around him.
‘You like that?’ she asked coyly.
‘You know I do. Please, Mercy. Pick a place. Sofa or bed. I won’t make it much longer.’
‘Oh, I think you will.’ She worked him with long strokes, just as she had that morning. She’d quickly learned what he liked.
He strained, thrusting into her fist, then remembered something important. Feeling blindly in the interior pocket of his jacket, he pulled out his wallet and found the condom he’d stored there.
‘Boy Scout,’ Mercy teased, a husky, breathy sound.
He cursed when she twisted her fist around the head of his cock. ‘If you truly want to feel me inside you, you’ll stop right now, or it’ll be all over.’
She pulled her hand away abruptly, rolling to her feet. ‘Then hurry.’
Levering himself off the couch, he ignored the sharp pain in his leg and kicked off his shoes. Grabbing his cane, he followed her to the bed, grateful for once that the studio apartment was so small. He was shrugging out of his shirt when he froze once again.
She’d pulled her sweater over her head, leaving her in her jeans and bra. It wasn’t a lacy bra. It was practical. Functional. But the plain cotton cupped her breasts like a dream and he held out his hand when she went to pull down the straps.
‘Let me,’ he said, amazed that his voice didn’t shake.
Obediently, her hands lowered to her sides, and she waited, her eyes expectant.
No fear, he thought, relieved. Just anticipation. Which was exactly as it was supposed to be.
Rafe rounded the bed, shuddering when he touched her. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, proud of the shiver that pebbled her soft skin. ‘You’re beautiful. Tell me that you know that.’
She tilted her head against his and he could feel her swallow. ‘You’re biased, I think.’
He straightened to meet her eyes. ‘You’ll say it eventually. I’ll make you believe it.’ He slid his arms around her back, unhooking her bra with only a little difficulty.
She chuckled. ‘Can I say that I’m glad you’re not so good at that?’
He kissed her smiling mouth. ‘My reputation as a player was a sham. Kept my mother and sisters from trying to set me up with all those women who weren’t you.’
He stepped back, taking her bra with him. Then taking a breath as he drank in the sight of her. ‘It’s been too long.’
‘It’s been sixteen hours.’
‘Too long.’ He tossed the bra and made quick work of her slacks, leaving her in a pair of equally practical panties and a pair of socks. Winding one hand in her hair, he tilted her face up for a kiss, pressing her backward until her legs hit the bed. She fell to her back, bouncing slightly before propping herself on her forearms.
‘You too. I want to see you.’
The husky demand sent a new shudder through his body. He shoved his slacks and briefs down in a jingle of coins and keys, suddenly done with the dance. He yanked off his socks, then yanked off hers.
‘Lie back,’ he ordered, waiting until she’d complied before reaching for the waistband of her panties. And . . . something changed. She bit her lip and looked a little scared. You promised you’d stop.
You promised. So he would. He closed his eyes, releasing his hold on her underwear. ‘It’s all right, Mercy. We’ll stop.’
‘I’m not changing my mind,’ she blurted out.
‘All right.’ Drawing a breath, he sat on the bed, his hip to hers, bending his knee so that he could see her face. ‘Then what is it?’
‘I have a scar.’ She pointed to her lower abdomen, still covered by the white cotton. ‘I didn’t want you to freak out about it. It’s not big, but it’s . . . not pretty.’
His mind spun for a few seconds, trying to put together what she was telling him. Had Ephraim stabbed her? And then he remembered. The night she’d escaped, DJ had shot her in the abdomen. On top of whatever issues had caused her mother to smuggle her out, she’d had to fight a gunshot wound to survive.
But she had survived.
‘Do you trust me?’ Rafe whispered.
Swallowing hard, she nodded.
‘Thank you.’ He leaned in to kiss her, long enough to have her sighing. He pulled the cotton away from her body and relaxed. It wasn’t that bad a scar. To her, though, it had been the culmination of a catastrophic year. A catastrophic life. And the night she’d lost her mother.
Gently, he rubbed the pad of his thumb over the puckered skin. ‘You could tattoo it,’ he suggested lightly, knowing that his reaction would be one she’d remember forever. ‘Maybe a small fox, peeking out of the bush?’ He grazed the neatly trimmed line of her pubic hair.
She stared at him for a long, long moment, eyes wide with disbelief. Then laughed, a true belly laugh that made her breasts jiggle in the most tantalizing way. ‘You’re ridiculous.’
He bent to kiss the scar, relieved as hell. ‘So is any worry about this. I have plenty of scars, Mercy. Whenever I see yours, I’ll just remember that you’re still here. With me.’
She lifted her brows. ‘Planning to see it again, are you?’
He settled himself between her legs, bracing himself on his forearms so that she didn’t feel trapped. ‘Planning to make you so addicted to me that you won’t even remember it’s there.’
She brushed his hair away from his brow. ‘I don’t think that’ll be too hard. Kiss me, Rafe.’
So he did, putting everything he had into the kiss, groaning when she slid her arms around his neck again and kissed him back.
‘I’m going to take my time with you,’ he murmured as he kissed his way down her throat. ‘Not gonna hurry. Not gonna rush.’
She did that swivel thing with her hips that made him lose his mind. ‘There’s a very good chance that we’ll be doing this again,’ she said, already breathing hard.
He kissed her collarbone. ‘That’s not why I’m going to take my time.’ He skimmed his lips down to her breast, licking her nipple. Making her gasp.
She let out a soft moan. ‘No?’
‘No. Not because I’m afraid this is it. It’s because you deserve to be worshipped.’ He sucked her nipple into his mouth and she cried out. He’d watched her that morning. He’d use everything he’d learned to give her this, their first time together, something she’d never forget. He moved to her other breast, sucking, then returning to kiss her mouth again, before repeating the routine until she writhed beneath him and his cock was leaking all over the sheets. He was shaking with the effort of holding back, but he wanted her mindless.