The One You Fight For

by Roni Loren

  He grimaced. “Taryn, I didn’t—”

  “No, why wouldn’t you think that? I’m the do-gooder, like you said. The mission first, always. At all costs.”

  “That’s not a bug, though. That’s a feature. It’s an amazing thing about you, your dedication,” he said gently. “That’s not something to be ashamed of.”

  She propped herself up on his chest to look at him. “I’m not ashamed. I’m just, I don’t know, mad.”

  His brows lifted. “Mad?”

  “Yes. Mad that I’ve let my life become so narrow. Mad that I shrieked so loudly out there because…” She glanced away.

  He put a finger below her chin and drew her gaze back to him. “Because why?”

  She rubbed her lips together. “Because I’ve been with so few guys that I didn’t even know it could feel like that, not just physically, but that I could want and be wanted that way. That I could feel that level of desire. I thought that just happened in books or movies. I shouldn’t be thirty-one and not have felt those things.”

  He pushed her hair away from her face. “You’re right. That is a travesty.” And it was. He couldn’t imagine a woman with this much passion never having let it run free. “But that’s not your fault. You can’t help it if those other guys weren’t as awesome in bed as I am.”

  She snort-laughed and he smiled, happy to see his joke take away the melancholy look on her face. She shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “I know. But seriously, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re still young. You’ve got time to do all those things you want. Launching your program. Changing the world. Getting really, really hot sex and loud orgasms with me. And I bet I can even last at least three minutes now.”

  She laughed again, and he wanted to bottle the sound and keep it in his closet for when she was gone and he had bad days. “You better not be making promises you can’t keep, mister.”

  He pulled her all the way on top of him. “Well, you’re a researcher, so you must know there’s only one way to find out.”

  Her lips curved as she straddled him, T-shirt bunched up around her hips. “Of course. Run lots and lots of trials.”

  Shaw stared up at her, the lamplight making the edges of her hair glow like a halo. In that moment, he could believe it really was one. This woman had earned her wings, but he could hear it in her words and see it on her face. The do-gooder warrior needed a damn break from her life. She needed to be selfish, to feel good, to have fun. He couldn’t give her much, but he could give her that.

  In fact, he’d never wanted to give anyone anything more.

  He reached for her T-shirt and lifted it up and off, taking his fill of the view. Lush curves and a sexy smile. He’d never seen anyone more beautiful in his life. He let his fingertips track over her body, watching the goose bumps rise on her skin in his wake, her nipples going tight, her breath quickening. She was so very hungry—like him. Starved for touch. Starved for pleasure. Starved for a few moments where they didn’t have to be anything but in their own skin. He wanted to feed them both, gorge on everything they were offering each other tonight.

  He moved his hands down her body, his thumb finding the swollen, slick nub between her thighs. He’d grown hard the moment she’d straddled him, but at the sound she made, his body revved like he hadn’t just had an orgasm a little while ago. “Those other guys must’ve had no clue what they were doing. You’re so sensitive and responsive. It’s beyond hot.”

  She splayed her hands on his chest, leaning forward and smiling. “Those other guys weren’t you.”

  The words hit him in a way that took his breath for a second. She’d probably meant that she was simply more physically attracted to him, but something inside him unfurled. She wanted him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever had that. In college, girls wanted the popular, on-his-way-to-the-Olympics athlete. After Long Acre, Deidra, his girlfriend, had liked the drama and infamy of his background, how the press still followed him. That seemed exciting to her—until it didn’t anymore. But Taryn had no angle. If anything, she should want nothing to do with him. Still, she hadn’t been able to stay away, even knowing it was the best thing. She wanted him badly enough to be with him despite their shared horrible history. She knew him and was still here.

  She doesn’t know everything.

  Taryn draped her body over him. “Ready for trial number one?”

  He pushed the ugly thought away and smiled up at the woman above him. “I’m ready for you.”

  * * *

  I’m ready for you.

  The words wound around Taryn, wrapping her up in a blanket of contentment. She’d found herself heading into a melancholy zone, lying there with him, thinking of all the things she’d missed along the way in her life. But Shaw had a knack for bringing her back, for making her laugh, and for taking her mind right back to where it needed to be. Enjoying this moment. Enjoying him. All her worries and stress could wait outside tonight.

  She leaned down to kiss him, and Shaw rolled them over, putting him above her. He braced his arms beside her as she tugged down his pants. His erection sprang free, landing heavy and hot against her thigh, making tingly heat spread up her belly. So much of her wanted to just part her legs and feel him inside her, no barrier, just skin to skin, heat on heat. But she wasn’t on any backup birth-control method and couldn’t take the risk.

  She gazed up at Shaw. “Don’t like a woman on top, huh?”

  His grin went sly. “Baby, I could look up at that view all damn night. Just thinking about your hips rocking and your breasts bouncing as you rode me makes me want to roll you right back over.”

  She wet her lips, his talk making her flush all over.

  “But after what you told me, I want to make you feel every part of this. You have to trust me, though.”

  “Trust you?”

  “Yes.” His gaze tracked down her body before meeting her eyes again. “I’m a good student, professor. I paid attention when I was touching you out there. I’m learning your favorite spots. Taking notes.”

  The thought made her shiver. “Are you going for an A plus?”

  His lips curved, dark promise there. “With extra credit.” He touched her hip. “I want you on your knees and elbows. Put a pillow under yourself if you want extra support. Your arms may give out on you.”

  “Elbows and knees?” she asked, feeling suddenly shy. She’d never done that position with anyone. That wasn’t get-to-know-each-other sex. And she’d only had get-to-know-each-other sex with guys.

  “It’s not the most romantic position.” His eyes flickered with heat as his erection brushed against her belly, leaving a trail of damp arousal along her skin, marking her. “But it will let me touch you. It will let me angle my cock to rub just where I rubbed you with my fingers.” He leaned down, his lips against her ear and his body pressed against hers. “It will let me fuck you so good and deep that I bet I can make you scream loud enough for Rivers to hear even if he isn’t home.”

  Her body went awash with need, and a gasp escaped her. She’d never considered whether or not she liked dirty talk. No one had really gone there with her, but she wouldn’t have to run an experiment now. She had her answer. She liked it. She liked it a whole helluva lot. She swallowed hard. “I better get on my knees then.”

  “That’s my girl,” he said, a growly rumble in his voice.

  My girl. She liked the sound of that, even though it wasn’t true.

  He lifted up so she could roll over and get settled. He tucked a pillow beneath her, and she heard the unspoken promise. This is going to be so good you won’t be able to hold yourself up. She indulged in the mental image of him rising up behind her, cock in hand, her body spread before him like an offering. Liquid heat rushed between her legs.

  Now would probably be the time to feel self-conscious. She was about to put her ass in the air, but she was to
o turned on to care. She wanted exactly what Shaw was offering. A hot fuck. The word still made her want to bite her lip like she was twelve and shouldn’t be thinking such a thing. She had always thought of sex in more clinical terms, but hearing the crude words directed at her did things to her body she hadn’t expected but liked.

  Maybe this was what had been wrong with all her other encounters. Sex wasn’t polite. Or clinical. Sex was inherently raw and crude. Naked bodies. Sweating. Begging. Urges as base and animalistic as they could get. She took a breath and settled herself in the position.

  Shaw made a sound that seemed to come from somewhere deep in his chest. She peeked back over her shoulder, finding him staring down at her with a ravenous look. His gaze flicked to hers. “You gonna watch me fuck you, gorgeous?”

  She gathered the boldness that was coursing through her and gave him a salacious smile. “Maybe I will.”

  Shaw ran his fist over his erection, keeping his eyes on her, and then rolled the condom on. “If you can keep eye contact, you win.”

  “And if I can’t?”

  He ran his hands over her hips. “You still win.”

  She didn’t know exactly what he meant, but she watched. Watched him settle on his knees behind her, watched him take in the view, lick his lips, caress her. Felt him run his fingers over her slick flesh, sending sparks of sensation up her spine.

  “You’re so wet for me,” he said, almost to himself. “So sexy.”

  Then his gaze came back to hers as he positioned himself at her entrance and pressed the head of his cock against her. He took it slow, agonizingly slow, as he slid in inch by inch, stretching her, waking up dormant nerve endings, and setting off a cascade of new sensations. A groan slipped past her lips, the feeling of the invasion like sweet torture, the slow ride up the highest peak of the roller coaster. All the while, they held eye contact—the intensity of that connection making the physical awareness more amplified. She could see the tense lines appear around his mouth, the muscles in his neck flex when he seated himself fully inside her.

  He took a slow, deep breath as if talking himself into not rushing, and then he reached around her hip and slid his fingertips over the place he’d so thoroughly worshipped with his mouth earlier. A sharp breath cut through her at the blissful feel of that rough skin over her most sensitive spot, and she broke the eye contact for a moment. Feeling filled by him and then having his fingers teasing her was almost too much. She tried to breathe through the rolling sparks and find his gaze again, but then he started to move. Pumping into her slowly at first and then grabbing her hip with more purpose and angling deeper, rubbing across that electric place inside her. All hope of looking at him went down in flames. She moaned and her face planted into the bed, her elbows already quivering.

  “That’s it, baby.” His voice was almost soothing, but it was edged with sharp, male determination. “You feel so damn good. I can feel you gripping me every time I go deep.” He angled again and every part of her body clenched. “Yes. Right there. Take what you need, gorgeous. Use me.”

  She couldn’t hold back then. She rocked her body toward him, helping him get to that secret place that felt like heaven wrapped in lightning dipped in oh my God. Over and over just where she needed, his fingers still working her like magic. Her sounds got louder, and her fingers gripped the comforter as if it were a lifeline. He went faster, his movements sure and confident, but she could feel him unraveling along with her, could hear the hitch in his breath. How long had it been for him?

  Right now, it didn’t matter because the man sure as hell knew what he was doing. Sex had never felt like this for her. Ever. Not even close. He’d paid attention to her. Taken mental notes. Was figuring out exactly what made her lose it. He didn’t just want her. He wanted to please her, to make it amazing for her. To make it perfect. For some reason, that made her want to cry.

  But she didn’t have time for tears. Shaw got more urgent, his hips slapping her backside and making the most delicious, erotic skin-to-skin sound. His grunts became louder, feral. Her inner muscles flexed, her nerve endings alive with every beautiful sensation the female body was capable of. It felt like a wonder. Like a gift.

  Her breaths became loud and sharp, the bed squeaking beneath them with the force of their joining. Rough. Desperate. Perfect. Her arms collapsed beneath her, putting her at a more severe angle, surrendering to all of it. And that was when it happened. His cock rubbed against her inner wall at the same time his fingers touched just the right spot. Fireworks exploded through her system, wrecking her.

  She cried out with a scream that made the one on the couch sound like a whisper, and her body jerked with the force of the orgasm. Her fingers flexed in the sheets and her muscles spasmed as if the energy had to escape but had nowhere to go, so it just kept looping through her, sending hard waves of pleasure through her again and again. Shaw was cursing and groaning and finally lost the fight to hold off. He buried himself deep, holding her against him, and cried out with guttural relief as he came loud and long.

  The neighbors were probably calling nine-one-one.

  She didn’t care.

  There was a fire. She was on fire.

  But she wasn’t going to let anyone come in and put it out. Burn, baby, burn.

  Shaw collapsed on top of her, bracing his weight with one arm, but his face buried in her hair. His heart beat hard against her back, and she pressed her cheek to the sheets. Her glasses had fallen off at some point, so everything was a little blurry, but she had a feeling that even if she had her glasses on, her vision would be cloudy.

  Shaw let out a long, satisfied breath. “I win.”

  She laughed beneath him. “Oh, no. I think I really, really won. Someone needs to bring in a trophy.”

  He made a happy grunting sound, his chest still rising and falling with panted breaths. “Let’s call it a tie. We’ll definitely need a rematch.”

  “Definitely.” She felt as though she were spreading out and melting into the bed, her muscles made of warm honey. “But maybe not tonight. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to move again.”

  He laughed. “Ditto. Hope you like me because I think we’re stuck like this in this bed forever now. We’ll have to have food delivered.”

  “I—”

  A loud knock sounded from the living room, startling them both.

  “Uh-oh,” Taryn said, trying not to laugh. “May have bothered the roommate after all.”

  Another pounding knock.

  “Shit,” Shaw said, pulling out and rolling away from her as if she’d burned him. “Give me a second,” he called out, but she couldn’t imagine anyone outside could hear him from all the way in here. “Get some clothes on, baby.”

  Taryn forced her limbs into action and flipped over lazily. Shaw disposed of the condom, his movements a little frantic as he searched for his sweatpants. She indulged in the view as he bent over and grabbed them. “I don’t even know where my clothes are. It’s probably just Rivers. Can’t he wait?”

  “No, he—”

  Taryn heard the click.

  “Has a key,” Shaw finished.

  Her eyes went wide, and she yanked the covers up to her neck. “Crap.”

  “One second!” he called out. “Don’t come in here.”

  Shaw was just yanking up his sweatpants when Rivers poked his head in the bedroom. “Dude, what is—”

  “Out!” Shaw demanded.

  Rivers stared at Taryn like he’d never seen a woman in his life, his lips parting. “Oh shit. I… Hi.”

  Taryn cringed, her cheeks burning. He’d come over because she’d screamed so loud. Now he knew exactly what the noise had been. She barely resisted pulling the blanket over her head. “Um, hello.”

  Shaw hurried over and herded Rivers out the door. “Get the hell out of here, man. Privacy. Damn.”

  Poor Shaw looked so ha
rassed and Rivers so shocked that Taryn couldn’t help it. A laugh bubbled up as they exited the room. It was all so ridiculous. Was this what college sex would’ve been like? Nosy roommates showing up when they weren’t supposed to. She had no idea. She’d barely had any sex in college.

  Shaw had shut the door, but she could hear the boys talking in low, tense tones out in the living room. She should probably get dressed or be more concerned, but she couldn’t find the energy to worry right now. So she just lay back in bed, too blissed out on sex to give a damn about much of anything.

  She grinned up at the ceiling. Guess Shaw had finally gotten revenge on his loud roommate.

  Chapter

  Nineteen

  “Riv, what the fuck?” Shaw demanded, tying the drawstring on his pants and glancing over his shoulder to make sure the bedroom door had shut behind him. “You can’t just walk in like that. I told you to give me a sec.”

  Rivers stared at Shaw, his expression horrified. “I always walk in here. You woke me out of a dead sleep. I thought you were having a stroke or something.”

  Shaw raked a hand through his hair. “Maybe assume the ‘or something’ first and call me instead.”

  “Right. I should assume you have a woman over because you never have anyone over ever and have sworn off sex. So yeah, I should just assume that shit.” He swept his hand toward the bedroom door. “And don’t ‘what the fuck’ me. I’m the one who gets to say that. Dude. What. The. Fuck?”

  Shaw flinched and motioned for Rivers to lower his voice. “Can we talk about this tomorrow? I have a guest.”

  “No shit. Have you lost your mind? Are you drunk? High?” Rivers looked around, noticing the discarded clothing near the couch, which apparently he’d missed when he’d first come in. He continued in a whisper-yell. “Are you aware you have Taryn in your bed? Long Acre Taryn. The woman you were in a panic over. The woman you moved your entire schedule to avoid.”