He stopped talking and I sensed a change in him. It was like he’d put the wall back up and wasn’t going to talk anymore. Suddenly, he stood, and began pacing the room.

I stood and moved towards him. “Nash, what - ”

He cut me off, his voice rough again. “Velvet, I can’t do this with you if we don’t have total honesty. I’m not saying you haven’t been honest with me; I’m just telling you what I need. And I’m not trying to control you when I tell you I don’t want you flirting with the boys. What I am telling you though, is that I can’t be in a relationship with someone who does that.”

The vulnerability in his words touched me. Nash had a way of doing that in the most unexpected moments. He laid his heart out for me, and I had no intention of trampling it. I would happily give him what he needed, and although I regretted the fight we’d had to have to get to this point, I was also grateful for it because it had forced him to open up.

I nodded. “I hear you, Nash. And I understand what you’re saying.”

The look he pinned me with revealed his need. “Can you give that to me?” He expelled a ragged breath, and I watched as his shoulders slumped a little.

I was close enough now to touch him, and I placed my hand on his cheek. Softly. Lovingly. I whispered, “Yes, I can give you that, baby.”

His chest heaved once again, and he curled an arm around my waist. Pulling me into his arms, he pressed a long kiss to my forehead before tightening his hold on me. I lost track of how long we stayed like that. It was time we needed to reconnect after everything that had been said.

When we finally pulled apart, he murmured, “I’m sorry, baby.”

I looked up into his eyes. The anger was gone, but there was still something there. I wasn’t completely sure, but I sensed he had more to tell. He’d shut down towards the end there, but I wasn’t going to push him anymore tonight. I whispered, “Me too.”

He bent his lips to mine, and kissed me. It was a gentle kiss, but I felt his desire tangled in with the softness. I felt his need too; it matched mine. Our lips and tongues slowly explored each other; there was no rushing, no wild frenzy. There was urgency though. Our bodies pressed together, and we clung to each other while we drew the kiss out. I didn’t want it to end; Nash was whispering sweet nothings through this kiss. And for a man who didn’t do hearts and flowers, I knew it meant something.

When his lips left mine to trail kisses along my jaw and down my neck, I tilted my head to the side to accept everything he wanted to give me. His hands moved to the bottom of my t-shirt and he slowly removed it, his eyes firmly focused on my chest. He dropped my shirt on the floor and bent his mouth to my nipple. When his tongue circled it and he began sucking, I moaned, and moved my hand to the back of his head to hold him there. He lavished attention on both my breasts, causing my whole body to light up with desire.

When he’d finished, he looked up at me, and murmured, “I’m a lucky man, sweet thing.”

“We’re both lucky, Nash,” I said.

“Fuck, I need to get you under me, baby,” he growled.

He didn’t wait for a response, he scooped me up into his arms and walked us into my bedroom. My body sung with desire and anticipation in a way it never had for anyone else. He placed me on the bed, and I watched as he removed his clothes. His muscles always drove me wild, especially when they flexed while he undressed.

Once his clothes were off, he grabbed a condom out of his wallet and put it on, watching me while he did this. My tummy fluttered as he watched me; Nash’s attention on me always had this effect. It only intensified when he joined me on the bed and removed my panties. And when his tongue licked my clit a second later, my eyes squeezed shut as I let the pleasure take over. I was no longer in control of my of body; Nash had complete control now.

Strong hands slid under my ass, gripping me while he kissed my pussy. His soft kisses slowly turned demanding, and he began licking and sucking, working both of us up. The growls coming from him were as much a turn on as his mouth. Knowing he wanted me as much as I wanted him caused both my body and my heart to pulse in ecstasy.

He brought me to the edge. I was writhing under him, my hand clawing at his hair, and when I cried out his name, he pulled his mouth away and let go of me. His glazed stare sent a shiver of lust through my body, and I reached for him. “I need you in me, now,” I begged.

Nash wasn’t a man who needed to be told twice. He moved fast, positioning himself over me. But he didn’t enter me straight away. Instead, he rubbed his thumb along my jaw, watching me with that intensity that was all Nash. “I want you, Velvet,” he rasped.

I stroked his arm, my touch gentle, and whispered, “I’m all yours, Nash.” My legs wrapped around him as I said this, trying to hurry him.

He shook his head. “No, baby, I want you in my life, not just in my bed. I don’t want to fuck around with this anymore.” He moved his face closer, his eyes burning into mine, his voice rough and demanding when he said, “I need to know that you’re mine.”

Time slowed, and my entire world became Nash in that moment. I saw only him, felt only him, heard only him. He was asking me for everything, and I was going to give it to him. After years of pushing men away, pushing my need to be loved away, I was finally going to let it in. I moved my hands to hold his face, and I nodded. “I’m yours Nash, only yours.”

A look crossed his face; relief perhaps. And then he pushed inside me. Slowly, all the way. He didn’t pull out, just let himself settle in me. “Fuck, baby, I love being inside you,” he groaned.