I bit my bottom lip and watched his reaction flare in his eyes. “What happens after I do?” There were threads of hesitation in my voice and I knew he could hear them. He let his arms fall and he turned back to the unmade bed.

I hadn’t really thought very far ahead when I had my hands down his pants in the parking lot or when I was purposely pulling my clothes off in front of him on the dance floor at the Bar. All I knew was that he was the first guy to ever make me want, really want, and he was the first man to ever make me chase him. I never stopped to consider what was going to happen if I actually caught him.

“I can’t answer that, but if I had to guess I’d say it’s probably going to end in destruction and heartbreak. That’s usually what happens when I get something good in my life.”

He crawled up on the bed and then turned on his back and stacked his hands behind his head. “If you want the code on my phone, I’ll give it to you so you can leave. If you want to stay, hit the lights and crawl up here. I promise to behave … for now.”

I looked at him, looked at the phone on the table, and sighed. Really there was only one option and it had nothing to do with him behaving or me leaving. He told me the line was mine to cross and that’s exactly what I intended to do even if it did indeed lead to destruction and heartbreak.

I ran my fingers through my hair trying to untangle it, kicked off my sneakers, and hit the lights. The tiny apartment was immediately lost in pitch blackness and the only thing I could see was the glint of Asa’s blond hair, and I could swear his eyes shimmered in the dark even though I knew that was impossible. Maybe because there was no light, maybe because I knew I had to be all in this time with him or I would never get another chance, but instinct told me that if I wanted to prove to him that the line didn’t exist for either of us anymore, being as naked as he was when I crawled into bed with him was a surefire way to do it.

I pulled my Under Armour shirt off over my head, wiggled out of my sports bra, and left my pants and underwear in a pile on the floor. It was oddly liberating, I thought as I moved toward the bed. I wasn’t shy or reserved, but this was bolder than anything I had ever done. Everything where this guy was concerned had forced me to be the aggressor, the pursuer, and I kind of liked the idea of finally winning the reward for not being afraid of going after something forbidden and oh so enticing.

His long legs shifted as I hit the edge of the bed and reached out a hand to feel my way in the blackness. I felt his calf muscles contract at the first brush of my fingertips and I couldn’t help but grin at the reaction. The bed wasn’t big enough for me to slither up alongside him, so I had to literally crawl up and over him, which had naked skin dragging and brushing against both of us. There was no way he was going to miss the invitation. It also had my hands shaking, my nipples getting hard, and I didn’t miss the way his breathing hitched and shuddered at the contact. His hands landed on my waist as I straddled him in the dark. His thighs tensed under my bare backside and his cock was stirring and rising between us. His thumbs ran along the ridge of my rib cage and he told me gruffly, “This might be the worst crime I ever committed.”

He couldn’t see my expression, but I scowled and leaned forward with my hands on his chest. I liked how smooth and hard his sculpted muscles felt under my palms. He really was like an artfully carved statue created for generations to enjoy and admire.

“What do you mean?”

His hands moved up farther until he was cupping each of my full breasts in his hands. I jerked at the sensation and then gasped when he ran his thumbs over the distended peaks on each side. It felt so good I started to quiver from the inside out. He wasn’t exactly gentle or reverent in the way he touched me and I think that made it even better.

“When a girl that looks like you takes her clothes off, it should be a crime to have the lights out. The idea of you naked is enough to get most guys off, Royal. Having the reality right in front of me and not being able to see it should be illegal.” It was a crude compliment, but it was a sweet sentiment nonetheless. I had heard similar things before, but coming from him, they didn’t seem like throwaway words meant simply as a way to get into my pants. Not like he needed words to do that anyways; my pants were clear across the room already.

I was going to tell him that I felt the same way, he was too beautiful to go to bed with in the dark, but all thought spiraled into nothingness when his stroking thumbs suddenly turned into a light pinching grasp that had my back bowing and my head falling back as sharp pleasure worked from the point of his touch to my core. He hadn’t even kissed me, hadn’t done anything romantic or passionate, and I was already wanting to climb onto the jutting erection that had come to life between us and assuage the ache that was building low in my belly.