Page 42 of Refuge for Cherilyn

But his eyes found hers and the smile he gave her in that moment was warm and open. “I’d like it if you fell in love with me too. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Her insides were turning to mush, and she thought she’d faint from pure fear. “Do you think that could ever happen?”

“Honestly, I think it’s a probability. I don’t know if it’s a one hundred percent probability, but I’d say it’s in the high nineties. I certainly have no plans to stop it from happening.”

“Oh. I don’t either, then.”

“Good. Then let’s just see where this takes us. And no, that’s not code for using you and tossing you away. We do this… I can’t speak for you, but as for me, it’s a commitment to building a relationship.”

Something inside her chest trembled and the room seemed lighter. “Same for me.”

She giggled when he winked at her and said, “Then let’s go.”

Shaw dragged her down under the covers with him, his hands warm through the thin fabric of her gown. Once she was flat on her back, he kissed her again, and she could feel that same warmth running down her sides as he explored her body. She rolled onto her side to face him, savoring the strength of his arms and the heat of his body against hers. When he broke the kiss, he pinched the neckline of her gown between his finger and thumb and flapped it up and down a bit. “Ready to get rid of this?”

The eagerness in her own voice surprised her when she answered, “Yes! I am.” Without another thought, she let him grasp the hem of the gown and pull it upward, his forearm grazing her mound and then her belly as the fabric bunched. It was a struggle to get it off over her head, but she managed, and then waited, afraid to look at him for fear of what she’d see, that disappointment she knew he’d feel.

“Cherilyn?” His voice cut through her thoughts. “Cherilyn, open your eyes.” It was hard to do, to face that, but she managed, and when their eyes met, she almost gasped. “Baby, you’re so damn beautiful. I can’t remember ever wanting any woman the way I want you.” Something hard pressed against her leg. “Feel that? Yeah. I want you.”

Those words had never been said to her before, and she’d never before said the words that came from her lips in reply. “I want you too.”

“I plan to make you glad that you said that.” His lips found the side of her neck, and he sucked and nipped the delicate skin there before trailing down to her collarbone. As his right hand cupped one breast, his lips found the other, and he nipped, sucked, and tugged at the hard little nub. Everything below her waist contracted, and she didn’t know whether to whimper or scream. She must’ve made a noise because he whispered, “Shhhh. We’ve gotta be quiet or we’ll wake the girls.”

“Oh, shit, yeah. No. Don’t want that. We don’t… Ohhhhh, my god. Yeah,” she whispered back as he dragged a finger up and down her mound. “Oh, god…”

His breath was warm against her skin when he quietly asked, “Want me to go lower?”

“Oh, god, yeah. Please.” She could feel his hand drifting downward and when he reached her slit, he nipped her nipple. “Oh, damn, Shaw.”

“You need to get ready. My cock is on fire, and I wanna make this quick. I can’t wait to be inside you.” She wasn’t sure what he meant until she felt his fingers slip into her cleft and pull upward.

Pure ecstasy. She’d never known that before at a man’s hands, but she was thrilled. As he stroked her sweet spot, she could feel the tension building in her belly, and her legs quivered. Doing it herself was the only way she’d ever gotten what she needed. Where had this man been her whole life? Something inside her unfurled, and for the first time in her life, she felt free and vibrant and alive. His lips trailed up her chest, up her neck, and found her mouth. “Come for me, Cherilyn. Give it to me,” he murmured into her lips and ramped up his stroking.

The instant her body turned loose, he pressed his lips to hers and smothered her cries with a kiss. Even as her legs stiffened and back arched, he held on, still stroking, still kissing, until he finally stopped the movements of his finger, but he deepened the kiss. It all made her aware of something very important.

She wanted ShawHarrison. He was the kind of man she’d always wished she had in her life, and he was there with her, trying to make her his. If ever Cherilyn had wanted to belong to a man, it was this man. She understood?he was trying to please her, and no man had ever done that. She wanted that, craved it. “God, Shaw, please…”

“Hang on, babe.” There was a little commotion, and then his full attention was on her again. “Had to roll something on. You ready for me?”

“Yes. Oh, god, yes. Please?”

“I’m all yours.” The minute his hardness slipped inside her, Cherilyn knew. She wanted Shaw to love her, because she already loved him. Maybe not that deep, ready-to-marry kind of love, but she loved the man he was, his goodness and his giving spirit. “Ohhhh. Oh, lord, girl.”

Fingers entwined in his hair, Cherilyn pulled his face to hers and kissed him, and he came right back at her, moving inside her, claiming her. God, she wanted him to want her! She wanted him to love her. She wanted him to hold her in those strong arms and never, never let her go. A clawing sensation exploded in her belly and her hips bucked. “Oh my god. More, more. Harder. Faster.” The way he made her feel… it was beyond description.

“Baby, I can’t hold on much longer. Oh, lord, girl, you’re amazing.” There was a second when he felt a little different inside her, and then the warmth she recognized. “Ohhhh, damn. So good, babe. So damn good.”

His weight landed on her and for the first time under a man, she didn’t feel suffocated. She felt safe. Her arms wrapped around his ribcage and she heard him sigh as his wrapped around and under her. When he rolled them to their sides, she looked into his face and found him looking right back into her eyes. All she could think to say was, “Hi.”

“Hi, beautiful. Whew! That was pretty awesome. You okay?”

“Yeah. More than okay. You’re right. That was awesome. Thank you.”

His brow furrowed downward even as he grinned. “You’re thanking me?”

“For making me feel important and special.”

“That’s because youareimportant and special. Woman, I swear to god, don’t you know how much light you have inside you? How much strength and goodness you have in there? Babe, from this moment forward, until we both decide that it’s over, I’m yours. And that decision? I hope it never comes.”

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