Chapter 5
OPHELIA
I ’ve never felt more exposed in my life.
Rowan hasn’t even undressed me yet, but the way he’s looking at me makes my skin prickle. He’s crouched beside the couch, one of his big hands resting on my thigh, his other sliding slowly up over my ribs. His touch is gentle but firm, his palms hot against my skin. My body hums with desire.
My heart pounds so hard I’m sure he can hear it. I’m breathless, and I feel so shaky. I don’t know what to do with my hands. I don’t know how to act. I’ve never done this. Yet… I don’t want to stop. I want to experience everything with Rowan.
Because he’s looking at me like I’m precious and the most desirable woman in the world. For the first time, I finally understand why my girlfriends rave about men and sex. It just took me this long to meet a man who makes me want to share myself with him. More than ever, I want to give myself to Rowan.
Deep inside me, a wild desire is raging. I didn’t know I was capable of this kind of desperate need, but it’s making me crazy.
His hands roam slowly—over my stomach, my waist, and the undersides of my breasts through my tank top. It’s not even skin on skin yet, and still, my whole body tightens. My nipples are hard, and there’s a deep ache blooming between my legs that makes me squirm. I’m aching with anticipation.
“I’m going to take my time with you.” Rowan’s voice is thick and rough as he strokes my body. “You deserve more than a quick fuck on the couch. But right now? I need to taste you.”
My breath catches in my throat. My legs shift involuntarily, thighs brushing, and I realize just how wet I already am.
“I… I’ve never…” I swallow. “No one’s ever…”
Rowan leans in and kisses me gently. “I know, baby. I’ve got you.” His hand finds mine and squeezes. “You don’t have to do anything but feel. Let me show you.”
I nod, unable to talk. My need for Rowan is so urgent and blinding, nothing else exists.
He kisses me again—this time with more pressure. His mouth is hot and searching, his tongue sliding over mine and commanding our kiss. I gasp into him, my arms winding around his neck because I don’t know what else to do with this heat burning through me. My hips move instinctively, grinding against him.
When he pulls away, I whimper. I want more.
“God, baby,” he murmurs, brushing his mouth along my jaw, “you don’t even know what you do to me.”
He stands and strips off his shirt. My breath catches. His body is carved—broad chest, strong arms, those deep lines cutting down his hips. He’s beautiful in a way that almost hurts to look at. And when his hands go to the button of my shorts, he pauses.
“May I?”
I nod, barely able to find my voice. “Yes. Please.” There is something unspeakably hot about how he keeps asking if I’m okay. One of my friends has told me stories of men who just rush through sex like all they care about is their own pleasure. That’s not Rowan.
He unbuttons them slowly, dragging my shorts and panties down over my hips and thighs, inch by inch, his eyes glued to me like I’m a gift. I lift my hips, letting him pull them off, and when the cool air hits the heat between my thighs, I suck in a sharp breath.
Rowan groans as he stares at the most private part of me. He looks like the happiest man in the world.
“Fuck, sweetheart. You’re already soaked.”
I cover my face with my hands, equal parts flustered and turned on.
He eases my hands away. “No hiding. I want to see all of you. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You have no idea how sexy you are and how much I love how your body responds to me. It means you want me just as badly as I want you.”
My body burns with embarrassment and desire. I’ve never let anyone see me like this—curves and softness and all—but the way he looks at me…it’s like he loves that I’m not small. Like I’m everything he’s ever wanted.
He lowers himself between my legs and presses a kiss to the inside of my thigh.
I jolt. “Wait… I…what are you—”
His breath ghosts over me. “Shh. Just trust me.”
His hands slide beneath my thighs, lifting and spreading them gently, and when his mouth closes over me—hot, slow, firm—my brain shuts off, and all my senses sing at full volume.
My back arches as pleasure bursts through my core. “Oh…oh my God…”
He licks me again. Long, slow. Then circles my clit with the tip of his tongue. My entire body wakes up, electrified.
I gasp as pleasure overwhelms my body. My fingers scrabble against the couch cushion.
“Rowan, I…” My voice is ragged. “That feels… Oh my God. More!”
He growls against my core, and the vibration makes me buck. The stubble of his beard tickles the inside of my thighs, but I don’t care. The building intensity in my body is driving me wild.
“Good,” he murmurs. “I’m not stopping until you come on my tongue.”
His tongue moves in swirls—teasing and firm, circling places I didn’t even know were sensitive. His lips close around my clit and suck, and I cry out, hips lifting off the couch. I try to close my thighs, overwhelmed by sensation, but he puts his hands under my ass and pulls me more firmly against his mouth.
“Stay still,” he murmurs, his voice jagged and hungry. “I want every drop you give me.”
My whole body feels like it’s about to erupt. The pressure is building fast, sharp, and hot in my belly, and I can’t think—I can barely breathe.
“Rowan, I…oh God…please… What’s happening?”
He groans, mouth working harder, tongue flicking, sucking, driving me right to the edge.
And then I burst.
Pleasure explodes in every part of my body, but especially between my legs, fast and wild and making my body jerk that I’m being electrocuted. I cry out, thighs shaking around his head, hips bucking, but Rowan doesn’t stop. He licks me through it, coaxing every pulse of pleasure until I collapse back against the cushions, panting and stunned.
He kisses my thigh, then lifts his head, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “You taste so fucking sweet. Do you want to taste yourself?”
I can’t speak. My body is electric. I need more of this. “Yes,” I say. This seems so filthy, but I want it so bad.
He leans over me and kisses me softly, and I taste myself on his mouth. I suck his tongue, savoring my musky taste. It makes me wonder what Rowan tastes like. I’m definitely going to find out.
“I need you in bed,” he whispers. “Now.”
Before I can respond, he scoops me up in his arms.
“Wait!” I gasp. “You don’t have to carry me. I’m—” I hesitate, the word catching in my throat. “I’m too big—”
“Ophelia.” His voice is sharp. Serious. He stops and looks down at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You weigh nothing.”
I stare at Rowan. But one look into his green eyes, and I know he’s serious.
Something new and deep opens up in me. I blink up at him, lips parted, chest aching in the best way. I’ve always had a little extra weight, but I’ve never been treated like it was anything other than a flaw. Rowan makes me feel just right, and I love him for it.
He carries me down the hall like I’m precious. Like I’m his.
And when he lays me on the bed, I’m not scared anymore.
I’m ready.
He stands at the edge of the bed and licks his lips as he gazes at me. My heart pounds as I watch him reach for his jeans. Feeling bold, I spread my legs and touch my hot, slick core, my eyes glued to Rowan.
Rowan unbuttons them slowly, eyes locked on mine, then dropping to where I’m touching myself, my fingers running through my soaking core.
I don’t look away from Rowan. I can’t.
My breath catches in my throat when he pushes his jeans and boxers down.
He’s… big. Thick. Fully hard. My cheeks burn, and my core pulsates with an overwhelming need.
Something must flicker across my face because he moves closer and lowers himself beside me, one hand stroking my cheek.
“You don’t have to be scared,” he says, voice low and intense. “I won’t hurt you. I’m going to take care of you and make you feel so good.”
A laugh bubbles up in my throat—nervous, breathless—and I nod. “Okay.”
He takes my hand in his and guides it to his cock. The moment I touch him, he lets out a ragged groan. His cock trembles as I stroke his thick, hot length.
“Fuck, baby,” he breathes. “Stroke me. This is what you do to me. Every time I see you, I get as hard as this. You’re my first thought when I wake up in the morning, and then I’m hard like this. You’re my last thought at the end of the day, and I’m hard like this.”
I curl my fingers around him, moving slowly. He’s hot and heavy in my palm, the skin smooth and velvety over steel. His eyes flutter shut for a second, and when they open again, they’re darker. Hungrier. I never knew I could have this effect on a man. I’m glad it’s on Rowan. His hips jerk as I stroke him faster.
“You drive me out of my fucking mind.”
My face burns, but I don’t stop touching him. Rowan makes me feel incredibly sexy.
Rowan kisses me again, deeper this time, his tongue sliding over mine in a rhythm that makes my whole body ache. His hand moves to my breast, kneading gently, his thumb brushing over the tip through the thin fabric of my tank.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful,” he murmurs. “These tits, that ass, this sweet little belly—I want all of it.”
I gasp. No one’s ever talked to me like this. No one’s ever praised my curves like they were something to be worshipped.
He pulls back just enough to tug my tank over my head, leaving me bare from the waist up. He looks at me like he’s seeing something sacred.
His hand brushes down over my belly, slow and attentive. “I love this,” he says. “Every soft inch of you. You were made for me.”
I want to cry. I want to come again. I want everything.
I pull him down to kiss me, clinging to his shoulders as he lowers himself between my legs again. His cock brushes the inside of my thigh, leaving a trail of fire.
“Do you want me inside you?” he asks, voice a low growl.
“Yes,” I breathe, struggling to control my body. “I need it.”
He slides a hand between us, guiding himself to my entrance. The thick head of his cock presses against me, and even with how wet I am, I know it’s a lot.
“Breathe,” he says softly. “Nice and slow.”
And then he starts to push in, slow and steady, and my whole body goes taut.
I feel the stretch immediately. The pressure. The way my body shifts to hold him inside me.
“Rowan! You’re too big…” My breath catches. My hands clutch his shoulders. I don’t know if I can take all of him, no matter how much I want to.
“Easy, baby,” he whispers, kissing the corner of my mouth. “You’re doing perfect. Just breathe.”
He inches deeper, and I feel my walls tightening around him, trying to adjust. It’s not painful—just intense. Every pulse of his cock as he pushes farther into me ripples through my core.
My eyes flutter shut, and I can’t help whimpering at how overwhelming having Rowan inside me feels.
He stills immediately. “Too much?”
I shake my head quickly, eyes wide. “No. Just… so much. I like how you feel inside me.”
He smiles, then kisses me slow. “You’re so tight. So warm. You’re squeezing me like you don’t want to let go.”
My cheeks flame, but his ragged voice makes my body clench around him again. I love that I make him feel like this.
“Do you like this, baby?” he whispers, slowly thrusting into me. “You like my cock filling you up like this?”
“Yes,” I gasp. “Rowan, yes.”
“Fuck, your pussy feels good,” he groans. He lowers his mouth to my neck and sucks, and a blinding white light of lust and pleasure blinds me. Everything he’s doing to me opens deep reactions in me, ones that take my breath away.
I never knew sex could be like this—hungry and tender, filthy and full of feeling. He’s talking to me like I’m the most precious woman he’s ever touched, and I believe him. I feel it in the way he moves. The way he trembles just from looking at me.
When he’s finally fully inside me, I gasp.
“You okay?” he asks, brushing his thumb along my cheek.
I nod, breathless. “Yeah. I’m… Give me more.”
He starts to move, slow at first—deep thrusts that make me gasp every time he pulls back and pushes in. My body adjusts, softens, and begins to crave the rhythm. And soon, that edge starts building again. Each stroke of his cock rubs against something inside me that makes me wiggle my hips and thrust my hips up, eagerly wanting more and more.
Rowan watches me closely. “You’re close, aren’t you?”
I nod, barely able to breathe. “I… yeah.”
“Then give it to me,” he growls, picking up the pace just a little. “Let me feel you come all over my cock.”
I cry out, the pressure coiling tighter and tighter inside me.
He slips a hand between us and presses his thumb to my clit. Circles. Presses.
That’s all it takes.
My second orgasm hits me hard—more intense than the first. My whole body clamps around him as waves of pleasure tear through me. I moan his name, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him as close against me as I can, hips rolling helplessly as he fucks me through it.
“Good girl,” he groans, hips stuttering. “That’s it. That’s so fucking sexy, baby.”
I’m shaking. Glowing. I’m drunk on Rowan.
And he’s still moving. Still hard inside me. “I’m not done with you yet,” he whispers.
I’m still trembling from the aftershocks when Rowan leans down and takes my breast into his mouth.
“Oh—” I gasp, my back arching, my head pressing into a pillow.
His mouth is hot and relentless. He sucks my nipple deep, tongue swirling, licking and pulling until my breath comes in sharp, shallow bursts. His hand cups the other breast, palm rough against my sensitive skin, his thumb stroking my nipple roughly.
“Fuck, baby,” he growls between kisses, “your tits are perfect. Soft and full—just like the rest of you.”
Every word, every touch, sinks straight to my core. My body is no longer mine—it’s his. I’m floating, burning,driven by sensation. He thrusts into me again—deeper, harder—and my breath comes fast and shallow. The drag of his cock against my sensitive core makes me moan louder. He doesn’t slow down. He fucks me deep and hard, holding my hips in place as he pounds into me, faster and faster. I’m in sensory overload, but I don’t want him to stop.
“Seeing you jiggle underneath me,” he groans, “is the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to see you on top. I want to watch you ride my cock. Want to see those perfect tits bounce while you take every inch of me.”
“Yes,” I cry, breathless. “Yes, please—I want that.”
Rowan rolls us carefully, guiding me with firm hands until I straddle him. The shift makes me feel even more of his thick cock, and I gasp, thighs trembling as I settle over him.
“Go slow, sweetheart,” he murmurs, hands sliding up my thighs to grip my hips. “Take what you need. I’m yours.”
I roll my hips gently at first, finding a rhythm that has both of us wild and breathless. I place my hands on his chest for balance, my back arched as I ride him. The way he fills me, the way he watches me like he’s starving—it’s everything.
Rowan wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me down so that we’re chest to chest, then he jackhammers into me so much that I see stars and another orgasm takes my breath away. Rowan bellows my name roughly, slamming up into me before his body stills. He strokes my hair and back, whispering in my ear as we catch our breath. His arms are wrapped around me like he never plans to let go—and I never want him to.
I don’t say anything at first. I’m not sure I can . My body is completely raw and absolutely satisfied. I didn’t know my body could sing like this.
Rowan brushes a hand down my back, slow and lazy. He kisses my temple, then my cheek. “You okay?”
I nod against his chest. “I’m way better than okay, Rowan.” I lean up and give him a slow kiss on the mouth, and I can feel him smiling against my lips.
He chuckles, the sound low and content. “Good. Because that was…” He exhales a long breath. “Fucking amazing.”
A laugh bubbles out of me. “Yeah. It really was.”
We lie there in the quiet, our bodies cooling, hearts still pounding in sync. His hand never stops moving—stroking my hair, my back, my hip—like he’s worried I’ll disappear if he stops touching me.
“Rowan?” I ask softly.
“Yeah, baby?”
I lift my head just enough to meet his gaze. His eyes are soft now, none of the heat gone, tempered by something deeper.
“I love you.” The words are out of my mouth before I realize, but I know they’re true. I knew from the first time I saw Rowan, something about him made me look twice at him and want him. I just didn’t realize it was because I was looking at the perfect man.
His arms tighten around me instantly. “Ophelia.” His voice is thick. “I love you, too. I have for a while. I just didn’t know how to say it.”
My heart swells. I don’t feel nervous saying it. I don’t feel too much or not enough. I just feel his .
“You don’t have to say it perfectly,” I whisper. “You show me. I’ve never felt so wanted.”
He flips us gently, rolling until he’s above me again, braced on his elbows, his forehead resting against mine.
“Good,” he says with a small, wicked grin. “Because I plan to spend the rest of my life showing you.”
I smile so hard it hurts. “I’ll hold you to that, Rowan.”
“I’m serious,” he says, kissing me softly. “I’m yours, Ophelia. If you’ll have me.”
“Always,” I whisper. “I’m yours forever.”
Thank you so much for reading “Burly Lumberjack” !