Page 36 of Rough and Rugged

“Alex,” he moans. “We have to stop.”

“Why?” I whine but lean back so I can look at him.

His pupils are blown, and his whole body is a mess of taught muscle underneath me. “I don’t want our first time to be right before we won’t see each other again for the next few weeks.”

Sound logic, but I also feel like I’m going to die if we wait. “Isn’t that a good reason we should?” I try to sound confident so he’ll concede to my logic.

“I don’t think it’ll work that way.” His fingers clamp down on my hips when I shift. I meet his glower with a knowing smile, sliding my palms down his arms and linking our fingers together.

“Why not?”

“Because.” He heaves a deep breath and squeezes my hands. “Once is definitely not going to be enough. I’ll never make it two weeks away from you. Not once I’ve tasted you. Not when I’ll know the sounds you make when you cum.”

My heart does a little trippy dance in my chest, and my stomach swoops in anticipation. All-consuming passion is not something I’ve experienced before, but that’s what I’m feeling for Noah.

Andthank God,that’s what he’s feeling for me too.

“What if we just didn’t go all the way?” I’m still hopeful that we can still take this a step further.

His Adam’s apple bobs and his eyes squeeze closed. “You’re a terrible influence.”

I lean forward, letting my chest brush against him when I whisper in his ear. “Think of it like an appetizer.”

His teeth graze against the side of my neck, and he licks over the sharp points. “I don’t think I could resist.”

“I don’t want you to.” I suck on the spot just below his ear, and I can feel him strain against me in response.

“Two more weeks, and I’ll give you whatever you want. I promise.”

My sigh sounds pitiful even to me. “All right.” I lay against him, and he wraps his arms around me. He’s so warm and so much bigger than me, it’s like being snuggled in a blanket. I love how he makes me feel delicate with his presence but strong and powerful because of the way he treats me.

His hands trace up and down my back, and my eyelids drift lower with each pass of his fingers along my spine. While his body is starting to relax, I can still feel the hard ridge of him underneath me, and guilt makes me want to give him at least some relief. My hand drifts lower, hovering between us. I toy with the buckle on his jeans. “Maybe I could…”

“Alex,” he growls, and I can’t help the laughter that bubbles up.

“Fine. But you can’t tell me that’s something you can ignore.”

“Not when I’m around you,” he grumbles but pulls me against him again. “Just let me hold you a little longer, and then I have to go home.”

We’re quiet for a long stretch, the TV still paused on the end credits for the episode we finished. “I’m going to miss you,” I whisper.

“Me too.” He kisses the top of my head. “I’ll call and send updates whenever I have reception.”

“You’ve got everything ready?” He’d told me a little bit about the myriad of things he does to prepare for one of these expeditions.

“Yeah. Guys should be here tomorrow morning.”

I climb off his lap and stand, watching as he lifts his big body off my couch and straightens up. He tugs me in for another hug, and I steal a few kisses before he heads for the door.

When he steps out onto the porch, I grab his hand. Worry for him urges me to keep him here. “Stay safe.” I know he knows what he’s doing, but anything can happen.

“I will. I’ll come back to you, try not to worry about that.”

With one last smile, I let him go and start counting down the hours until we can be together again.

About The Author

Cecelia Conway is a romance author based in Southern Wisconsin.

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