“Perfect,” he insisted, his hands cupping her breasts, each thumb teasing a nipple.

Asha squirmed on the counter, the heat and need pulsating between her thighs unbearable. “I need…” she groaned, not quite sure exactly what she needed to make her body stop quivering.

“I know what you need,” Kade answered, his voice low and sultry, his heated breath against her neck. “You need a man to make you come. And that man is going to be me.”

Asha shuddered as she felt his hand move slowly down her belly, caressing her naked skin as he moved lower and lower. The button on her jeans popped open, the zipper yanked down impatiently, and suddenly, Kade’s fingers were there where she needed them, gliding easily through her wet folds and zeroing in on her clit. Each stroke of his talented fingers drew a ragged moan from her lips. She closed her eyes, the pleasure so sharp and intense that it nearly made her come undone. “Yes,” she whispered. “Touch me.” Opening her thighs wider, she wrapped her legs around Kade’s hips, thrusting forward with every stroke of his fingers.

“I don’t know if I can take this.” Asha’s chest was heaving, her entire body quaking with the intensity of her impending climax.

Cupping the back of her head, Kade demanded, “Take it, Asha. Enjoy the ride. Look at me.”

Her eyes opened obediently, her whole body going up in flames as her gaze met his, the blue fire shooting from his eyes nearly incinerating her.

“Come for me, sweetheart. You’re so wet, so fucking hot. Take what you need and let it all go.”

Kade was relentless, his fingers repeatedly stroking over her clit, teasing her into a frenzy of hot, jumbled need. His will was strong, and Asha could feel his determination. In the end, she had very little choice but to let her climax roll over her, unable to hold back her moans and whimpers as it rocked her body helplessly. “Kade,” she groaned as she finally closed her eyes, unable to bear the intense look on his handsome face. “Too much.”

He kept stroking her as her orgasm subsided, extending it, while his lips captured hers in a kiss, a masculine groan escaping right before he clamped his mouth to hers.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him like her life depended on it, savoring the taste of him, wishing she could crawl inside him and never come out again.

Ending the passionate embrace, Kade pulled her shivering body against his and cradled her head against his heaving chest. Both his arms wrapped around her like steel bands, holding her against him like she was someone precious to him. And for just a few moments in time, Asha let herself luxuriate in the feel of his body, revel in the sense of belonging. Trying to turn off her brain that was telling her that what had just happened wasn’t right, Asha let her heart lead for once in her life, and wrapped her arms around Kade’s ripped, strong body, letting him hold her close. Maybe it was a false sense of protection, but it felt so good that she didn’t want it to end.

“Best damn thing in the world,” Kade said in a cocky, masculine whisper against her ear.

“What?” she murmured, confused.

“That’s how you watch a woman come, sweetheart,” Kade answered arrogantly. “And it’s fucking fantastic.”

Knowing she should probably be mortified because she’d just let a man she barely knew bring her to climax in the middle of the day on a kitchen counter, Asha opened her mouth to chastise him for his arrogance. But then she closed it again, no words spoken. Honestly, shecouldn’tanswer. He was right. It had been better than good. Kade had rocked her world, and something told her she’d never be the same again.

Finally, she simply said, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Kade asked, confused.

Asha wasn’t sure she could really explain, wasn’t sure exactly how to express the way she felt. “For making me feel like a desirable woman,” she answered simply. How long had she felt broken and defective because her female organs were incapable of producing a child? “I don’t feel so damaged anymore.”

Kade’s arms tightened around her reflexively. “If you think you’re damaged, you should see my fucked-up leg,” he grumbled.

“You should see my screwed-up lady parts,” she retorted lightly, trying to make fun of herself to take Kade’s mind off his injury. Honestly,she’dnever seen her damaged parts. She just knew she was internally flawed.

“If that’s an invitation, I’d be more than happy to see them,” Kade’s sexy baritone voice offered hopefully. “They all felt perfect to me, but I’d love to do a closer examination.”

Realizing exactly what she’d said to distract him, Asha laughed delightedly, beginning to feel a feminine power that she’d never experienced before. Her laughter ended in a short cough, a little residual effect of her illness.

“Dammit. I forgot that you’re still sick,” Kade said as though he were irritated with himself.

“I’m fine,” she told him adamantly.

Kade lifted her gently from the counter, letting her slide down his body before she found her feet. “You’ll rest before we eat dinner,” he replied anxiously, righting her clothes before taking her hand and tugging her gently to lead her out of the kitchen.

Asha barely had time to scoop up her purse and bag before she followed him.

“I can find a place to stay, Kade. You don’t have to put me up while I’m working,” Asha said nervously.

The hair at back of Kade’s neck stood on end. The thought of Asha wandering around Tampa, looking for a place to stay, while still not fully recovered from her pneumonia, made him want to throw her over his shoulder and deposit her in his bed with him there to watch over her. There was no fucking way she was leaving his house right now. Finding out she had been abused by her asshole of an ex-husband had nearly made him come unglued. “You’re staying,” he answered simply. “And you’re not a damn employee. You’re a guest.”

Kade passed his own bedroom regrettably, leading her to the room across from his and opening the door. It was only room he’d skipped on their tour. He smiled as he entered, knowing immediately that Mia and Maddie had been here. It was the only room in his entire house liberally splashed with color. “Your room,” he told Asha, completely certain he was going to be hard every single night knowing she was sleeping across the hall from him. He was used to her draping her sweet body over his, seeking him out in her sleep. Fuck! He was going to miss that. But he needed to stop pushing her, needed to let her get used to him and his world. Stubbornly, he wanted her to come to him, want him. Having her here would be both heaven and hell, but after finding out about her abuse, he needed to stifle his caveman instincts.