Chapter 6
Nova
Warmth.
That’s the first thing I feel.
Maverick.
All heat and solid muscle, wrapped around me like his body decided in the night I belonged there. One arm around my waist, palm spread just under my ribs. One leg thrown over mine, anchoring me. His chest at my back, the slow, steady rise and fall pressing into me with every breath.
I don’t move.
I don’t want to.
Because this… this is everything I didn’t know I was starving for.
His hand shifts slightly, fingers flexing in his sleep. His nose brushes the back of my neck. Then I feel it—his lips. A slow, soft kiss to my shoulder, like a reflex.
And I melt.
I close my eyes, heart full and aching all at once.
Then I feel something else.
Lower.
Hard.
Pressed firmly against my backside.
My breath catches.
Maverick makes a low noise, almost a growl, and I can’t tell if he’s still asleep. But his hips shift, just slightly, and now I’m wide awake.
So is he.
His voice rumbles behind me, deep and rough with sleep. “You okay?”
“Yes,” I breathe, too quickly.
He exhales slow. “Did I wake you?”
“No,” I whisper. “Not really.”
Another pause.
Then his hand slides higher, slowly, tracing the shape of my ribs beneath the oversized shirt I wore to bed. His thumb brushes just beneath my breast. My nipple hardens instantly, and I feel his body respond behind me.
“I couldn’t stop dreaming about you,” he says, voice low and raspy.
I swallow hard. “What kind of dreams?”
His answer is a kiss to my neck. Then another, lower, slower, warmer. His hand cups my breast fully now, palm rough, touch reverent. His thumb flicks lightly over my nipple.
I arch into him, lips parting.
“That kind,” he murmurs.
I shift to face him, needing to see his eyes. He looks down at me like I’m something holy. Then he leans in and kisses me. Soft and slow, but with heat building under the surface.
I wrap my arms around his neck. Our bodies press close, heat blooming where skin meets skin. His thigh slips between mine. I feel the thickness of his cock, hard and hot through his briefs, and grind against it just once.
His breath stutters.
“Tell me if you’re sore,” he says, pulling back enough to search my face.
I nod. “A little.”
His eyes darken. “Then we’ll take it slower.”
He helps me out of my shirt and panties, his touch feather-light, lips following. He kisses each breast, slower this time, mouth worshipful, tongue teasing just enough to make me whimper.
My legs part for him instinctively.
“I want to taste you again,” he says, voice hoarse.
I nod. “Yes. Please.”
He doesn’t hesitate.
He disappears between my thighs like it’s his favorite place on earth, and this time, I’m ready for it.
He licks and sucks with slow precision, like he’s savoring every sound I make. His fingers tease, but he doesn’t enter me, just strokes along my folds until I’m trembling again.
When I come, it’s softer than last night. Slower. But deeper somehow. My body arches, thighs clenching around his shoulders, breath catching in my throat.
He kisses up my stomach after, hand sliding up my side, and meets my mouth again like he’s starving.
“I want to be inside you again,” he rasps. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
He rolls me onto my back, pushes his briefs down. Then he settles between my thighs, takes his cock in hand, and eases inside me with exquisite care.
It still stretches. Still burns just a little.
But this time, I’m ready.
And when he’s fully seated inside me, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer. We move slowly together, a lazy rhythm, all heat and pressure and connection.
His forehead rests against mine. Our breaths sync. Our bodies glide together like we’ve done this a thousand times, not just once.
He kisses me through it.
“You feel so good,” he murmurs, voice thick with need. “This is how I picture heaven.”
The words hit me harder than they should. My chest aches in that way it does when you want something too much—when you’re afraid to believe it could be real.
Then his voice roughens. “Don’t leave.”
I still, just for a moment. My heart slams against my ribs.
“Stay here with me,” he says, slow thrusts keeping time with every word. “Not just this weekend. I want all of it. Waking up to you. Cooking for you. Taking care of you. I’ve never wanted anything like I want you.”
His hand finds my cheek, rough and gentle at once. His eyes burn into mine. “Say you’ll stay.”
“I want to,” I whisper, my voice barely there.
“Say you’re mine. Forever.”
It should scare me. It should feel too soon.
But it doesn’t.
It feels like gravity.
Like falling and finding solid ground at the same time.
Emotion swells, thick and bright, and I break apart around him again, crying out his name as he follows me over the edge.
His body tenses. He groans, deep and wrecked, and I feel him spill inside me, everything tight and hot and perfect.
We collapse together, tangled and breathless, hearts racing in sync.
He shifts, pulling me with him, keeping me close like it’s instinct.
Then he presses a kiss to my temple and mutters against my skin, “And to think, you bought me at an auction.”
I smirk, lips brushing his chest. “Best four hundred bucks I ever spent.”
He huffs a laugh, low and warm. “Underpriced, if you ask me.”
“Oh, don’t get cocky now,” I tease. “There were flowers involved. And steak.”
“And orgasms,” he adds, deadpan.
I grin, wicked. “Might need a few more before I determine full value.”
He rolls me under him again, eyes dark with promise. “Challenge accepted.”