No One But You (Silver Springs #2)(69)

But this...this was an entirely different experience, something fresh and new and beyond titillating. She liked the way Dawson handled her body. He was confident yet respectful. And although he seemed to be as caught up in her as she was him—as eager for his own release as any man would be—he made her believe that the more she enjoyed their lovemaking, the more he enjoyed it, as well.

Maybe that had been the problem with Sly. Even when they were having sex, she’d felt alone, or merely a means to an end. Occasionally, he’d gone so far as to show her a porn flick in order to teach her how to “really” turn him on, which made her feel as if she didn’t have the power to turn him on as she was, and that only made matters between them worse.

“I wish we were in the house so I could see you clearly,” Dawson breathed as her legs began to quiver. “I love watching this, love watching you.”

She didn’t need any encouragement. She’d had too many fantasies that involved him. But what he said certainly didn’t hurt. A moment later, the most spectacular climax rushed through her. With a groan, she let herself soar with it, let herself embrace the pleasure he was providing.

The release felt so welcome, so cathartic...

She closed her eyes, savoring the moment, and didn’t open them again until he pulled her earlobe into his mouth. “That was nice,” he murmured.

“That was the best thing I’ve felt in a long, long time,” she admitted.

“Good.” She could hear the satisfaction in his voice. “I’d like you to come again, when I’m inside you, but I shouldn’t make any promises. You’ve got me so excited I’m not sure I can hold out for long.”

He’d taken the safe route to guarantee she wouldn’t be disappointed. She recognized that—and found it endearing.

“Remember, you’re dealing with a guy who’s been in jail for a year,” he added.

“You don’t have anything to worry about,” she told him. “You’ve already surpassed all my expectations. I just wanted to be with someone and have it be free and easy and enjoyable for a change.” Although she made it sound as if almost any man would do, that wasn’t true. She’d felt an attraction to him from the first moment they’d met, and that attraction had only grown stronger as she’d come to know him. She just didn’t want him to think she was taking this too seriously when she’d promised otherwise. And, since she’d be leaving as soon as she could save enough money, she didn’t want to misconstrue what he could expect in the future.

“Should we go inside—to my room?” he asked. “You can’t be too comfortable out here.”

She considered the suggestion but shook her head. This was a moment out of time, and it needed to stay that way, needed to be separate from the lives they were living, or it could change everything, and she couldn’t afford to have it do that. She needed her job. She also needed a safe place to stay, until she could get out on her own.

“No. That’s where reality resides,” she said. “This is...something else, a dream, and I’m not ready to go back to reality quite yet.”

He seemed to understand, because he didn’t press her. “Okay.” He kissed her—slowly and gently at first but with more need and urgency as their tongues met and intertwined. After that there was no time for talking. Sadie didn’t want to talk, anyway. She was too busy removing his pants.

“What about birth control?” he asked.

She could tell he’d been putting off the question, that he hadn’t wanted to ruin what they were experiencing by forcing her to face the possibility of pregnancy.

“I don’t have anything,” he admitted.

She was still on the pill, because of what Sly had done, insisting she provide sex even though they were split up. She wasn’t about to allow her ex to get her pregnant. One child with him was enough. “I’ve got that covered.”

She was afraid Dawson would question her. If she and her husband had been split up for a year, and she hadn’t been with anyone else, why would she still be on birth control? Any guy would wonder. But Dawson was too caught up to think about the ramifications. In this moment, he wanted only one thing, and that one thing precluded critical thinking.

“Thank God,” he responded and pressed inside her.





18


He was having sex with his sister’s caregiver on the ground outside, and she’d worked for him less than a week. On some level, Dawson knew it was pathetic that he’d caved in to his libido so soon. From the beginning, he’d pretended he hadn’t hired Sadie because he was attracted to her. He’d told himself she was too skinny, that he was only trying to help her, that he had too much going on at the moment to worry about satisfying his sexual urges.

Now he knew that was at least partially a lie. He’d tried to keep his thoughts where they needed to be, but he liked so many things about her. And those legs! Every time he’d seen her since that night at her house, he’d felt a tug down deep in his gut. He’d gone to the bar, hoping to find someone with whom he could safely vent his sexual frustration, but no one had been remotely appealing to him. Sadie had been all he could think about even then.

In any case, he couldn’t regret succumbing—not when feeling her beneath him brought such sweet pleasure. Since he’d already gotten her off, he thought she might become sort of impassive. He’d had a partner or two like that before, who reacted mechanically. But what happened earlier didn’t seem to make any difference with Sadie. She remained engaged and responsive, which excited him even more. He enjoyed every second with her, loved the way she cast all reservations aside and threw everything she had into making love with him. Despite the fact that he was the only person she’d ever been with besides her ex-husband, she wasn’t timid.