Page 174 of Ransom

Laughing, he drops his forehead. "I didn't know it could be like this. I didn't know we could laugh. And tease each other. And all of it would be so fucking right."

"I didn't either. But I really like it. It feels like it's exactly the way it's supposed to be."

He sighs with his whole body, sinking further into me, his hardness pressing right against my pussy. I want him in me now. When I tell him, he groans, breathing heavily against my cheek.

"We need to have that conversation. The one where I ask you if we need a condom."

Right. That conversation. "I wish I could say we didn't. But this has happened so fast. For today, we should." I don't say the rest of it, because we both know. We've had other partners. And in a matter of a week, all of them are in the past. But I love this man too much to put him at risk of anything. So we'll use a condom, and when life gives us a fucking break, we'll do the tests.

I'm worried it might be a mood killer, but he just nods and wiggles in a way that makes me very happy as he fishes his wallet out of his back pocket. He pulls a condom out, then tosses the wallet on the floorboard.

I snatch the condom from Ransom's fingers, impatient and way too eager. The tension between us is thick, electric, and I'm enjoying drawing this out, making him squirm. His eyes, dark and hungry, follow my every movement as I tear open the packet.

"You know," I say, my voice low and teasing, "I've never been very good at this part. Always fumble and make a mess of it." I pause, the condom poised at his tip, watching as his breath hitches. "Maybe you should give me a hand?"

Ransom's chest rumbles with a low growl. "Blair," he warns, his hands gripping the seat beneath us. I can see the restraint in his muscles, the effort it's taking him not to take control.

I lean in, my lips brushing against his ear. "Or maybe," I whisper, "you should just sit back and let me figure it out."

He groans, his forehead dropping against mine. I take my time, my fingers tracing the length of him, feeling him pulse beneath my touch. I roll the condom on, slow and deliberate, my eyes locked on hard length. His jaw is clenched, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"There," I say, my voice barely a whisper. "Now, where were we?"

Ransom's hands are on me in an instant, gripping my hips, pulling me against him. I can feel the heat of him, the hardness, and it sends a shiver down my spine. His mouth finds mine, his kiss hungry and demanding. I press against him, my body aching for more.

That's when we both realize I still have my bra on. There's no fumbling this time. He unclips that thing like he's done it before. And all of a sudden, a memory pops into my head, and I dissolve into laughter.

Ransom nips at my chin. "You're hell on my ego. What's so funny?"

Giggling, I peer up at him. "Do you remember when you stole my bra and," hiccuping, I bury my face in his chest. When I look back up, his ears are red. "And you strapped it on that chair. And I walked in on you trying to unstrap it one-handed?"

"Nope. I don't remember that. It never happened. Must have been someone else."

"Oh, it was definitely you. You jerked away from that chair so fast you fell over and cut open the back of your head. How did I forget that?" Maybe it was easier to remember the bad stuff. Maybe the way we ended colored the way I viewed everything else. But there were good times. A lot of them. And I want to remember them, and talk about them.

"I wish you would," he groans. "That wasn't my finest moment."

"It was adorable. And I liked taking care of you after."

"I expected you to give me shit about that, but you never did. Why?"

I widen my thighs, reaching down to guide him into me. "Because I hoped you were practicing for me. Even then. And if you weren't, I didn't want to know.”

He smiles, and it's like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. "It was always you." And then he's pushing into me, slow and steady, his eyes never leaving mine. I gasp, my body stretching to accommodate him. He feels so good, so right.

He begins to move, his hips rocking against mine. I meet him thrust for thrust, my hands clinging to his shoulders. The gear shift digs into my thigh, but I barely notice, too lost in the sensation of him inside me. "This is so weird," I whisper, arching up and gasping. "If you stuck your finger up my nose, I'd have a problem with it. But you can do this to me anytime you want."

He's laughing as he leans down, capturing my mouth in another kiss. His tongue slides against mine, and I moan, my body tightening around him. He groans, his pace quickening, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "I never imagined it this way. I didn't imagine laughing so much our first time."

"Are you disappointed?"

"Not even a little bit. This is perfect. You're perfect."

Then his hips pick up speed, and his jaw gets tight. "Blair," he breathes, his voice hoarse. "I'm close, baby. I'm so close."

I nod, my own body teetering on the edge. "Me too," I gasp. "Ransom, please..."

He reaches between us, his fingers finding that sensitive bundle of nerves. He strokes me, his touch firm and sure, and I tumble over the edge, my body convulsing around him.

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