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“Oomph!” His breath rushed out as I jumped, my legs curled around his hips, my arms wound around his neck. Then I pulled his head down, claiming his full soft mouth. Unlike the soft first kiss he’d teased me with, I pressed my lips against his and devoured. His deep moan and tight grip on my hips were the response I craved.

With our tongues clashing, teeth nipped, his or mine, it didn’t matter. I just needed more. He spun and pressed me against the wall.

My heels dug into his ass as I arched into him, pressing closer against his erection. Seeking relief from the pressure building inside me. Ross drove his hips against my core; the contact hitting me exactly where I needed it. I cried out with pleasure. “Again!”

“Not here.” He growled.

“Yes. Now.” I dropped my legs, and with shaking fingers, I unzipped my slacks, stepped out of them along with my panties, and would have jumped back up if he hadn’t slammed his hands onto my hips. His forehead pressed against mine. Heated, heavy breathing filled the space between us.

“Our first time will not be in this damn hallway, Hannah.” He didn’t give me warning. Just swept me into his arms and strode through the dimly lit hallway. He entered a room with a bed in it. Good enough for me.

Then time slowed. He carefully placed me on top of the mattress, stood back and stripped. Oh, my. I removed the rest of my clothes. Eager to touch him, I lifted my arms and brought him down on top of me.

Our mouths collided. Our kisses frantic. And years of need, of lust and something else I wasn’t ready to name yet, exploded. He dipped his fingers between my legs, skimming the soft flesh of my inner thigh. When his thumb brushed across my clit, I jerked from the contact. Bliss filling me. And then I was arching my back, lifting my hips, desperate to get closer.

He plunged a finger inside me, and I sighed, “Oh, Ross.”

“Fuck, you’re so wet. I don’t think I can wait, Hannah. You know that, right? As much as I want to go slow...I’m not sure I can.”

“I don’t want you to. I need you, Ross.” I reached down, circled his shaft, but he brushed my hand away.

“Not yet, baby. Not until I taste you first.” His words barely registered before the first swipe of his tongue brought me up and off the mattress.

“Yes!” My voice didn't sound like mine as I released a long moan then shouted his name as he flicked his tongue between my lower lips. Over and over, he lashed my clit before diving his tongue inside me. I screamed out his name once more, then met his thrusts, pumping my hips, chasing my release.

Ross pressed his thumb against my clit as he worked me, and my orgasm slammed into me. He devoured as it peaked, prolonging it masterfully. Tiny white dots flashed behind my eyelids, and my body tensed. He didn’t stop, not until, incredibly, I felt another build, delicious spasms erupting with each flick of his wicked tongue. The climb was quick, the pleasure sharper and then....

Then I heard a tearing of foil, and with hooded eyes, I watched as Ross rolled a condom onto his cock. Lord, he was huge. I knew he would be. No longer frustrated that he’d stopped before my second orgasm hit because he was going to be inside. Every hard inch of him. Finally.

Bracing himself, Ross captured my chin. Then my heart. “You’re mine, Hannah. I’m yours.” His lips pressed against mine. His tongue mimicking the tip of his cock as he pressed it against my entrance. Slowly, he filled me.

I lifted my hips and took him in until he was fully seated. Pulling out, I cried at the emptiness until he filled me again. Our gazes locked as he set a steady pace. His hand snaked between our bodies to stroke my clit. Another sweet coil of heat began to build, and I eagerly met each of his thrusts.

He went deeper, harder. He was unrelenting. Throwing my head back, I widened my hips and took everything he gave me. I crested first, but he soon followed. His body bowed as he emptied his release. My inner walls clamped around him, milking him as I rode his cock, crying out as aftershocks rocked through me.

Ross collapsed against me; my arms held him tight. My fingers roamed slowly over his muscled back, marveling at how wanton I’d become in his arms. At how my long-buried feelings had morphed into love.

A love that was always there but needed time and forgiveness to become real.

“I love you, Hannah. Always have. Always will.”

“Damn you, Ross London. I was going to say it first. I love you. Always have. Always will.”

This.

This was the salvation we both needed.

EPILOGUE

FOUR DAYS LATER, CHRISTMAS DAY

HANNAH

Since that first magical night with Ross, my life had been crazy. From setting up a new artist in their space, to finalizing the art therapy class just in time before Ridge rushed Addy to the hospital for the birth of baby number two the day before Christmas.

Ross and I found time to be together in between it all. Even his search for office space had been achieved amid the chaos of it all. His place wasn’t far from mine, and he’d been putting out feelers to several contacts he’d made over the years.

How we kept our new relationship from getting back to Jett before I was ready for that discussion had been tough. But today was the day. Christmas morning. And Ross was in my bed. What? He’d moved his things in two days ago, and I was still wondering who had suggested it first.