I lie back down and push down my yoga pants and panties, now completely naked next to him.

He takes a moment to appreciate my body, his eyes traveling over every curve and valley, his hand dragging over his mouth almost in disbelief. It’s such a turn-on that he finds me attractive, that I can have that kind of effect on such a beautiful man.

“Fuck, Ren. You’re so goddamn gorgeous.” He holds himself over me, stroking my lips with his before traveling down my body, passing over each breast with a flick of his tongue. He continues his pursuit farther down until he’s pressing his hands against my knees and spreading me wide.

“Griffin, what are you—”

His hot breath strokes my arousal just before his mouth presses against my center, his tongue parting me with one long stroke.

“Oh fuck,” I say as my eyes shoot open and both my hands fall to my sides, gripping the blanket. Never once has a man gone down on me. Feeling Griffin now has my orgasm building immediately. “Yes, God, yes, Griffin.”

He runs his tongue along my slit, taking his time, hitting every nerve, until I feel like I’m going to lose my mind, before he shortens his strokes into short flicks right against my clit.

Up and down.

Up and down.

Darts of pleasure shoot up my legs as my stomach bottoms out, and every last inch of me is focused in on this one singular feeling.

In seconds, my orgasm comes crashing down on me, my voice catching in my throat as I lift up on the blanket, a numbness floating through my body, hitting my legs, my arms, my stomach, my chest, with every last nerve ending shooting off as my clit spasms against his tongue.

“Griffin,” I mumble, my eyes fluttering closed.

Blissful, eyes closed, I barely register Griffin moving above me until I feel the head of his cock brush my thigh. I open my eyes to see the strain in his neck as he slowly moves his shaft up and along my soaked valley.

The unbridled passion is coming off him in waves. He needs release, badly, and there is nothing I want more than to be the woman who gives it to him.

Spreading my legs farther, I reach between us and bring his cock to my entrance, where, with a thrust of my hips, I encourage him to press forward.

“Fuck,” he blows out as he inches forward, his girth filling me up. “Deep breaths, Ren, let me in.”

I press back against the blanket and bring my hands above my head. He clasps them in his and takes deep breaths as he works himself inside of me inch by wonderful inch.

He peppers kisses along my jaw, my neck, and then back up to my mouth, where our tongues tangle, our mouths molding, and it isn’t until he stops moving that I realize he’s fully inside me.

I take a few deep breaths. “So full. I’m so full right now.”

Neck strained, he asks, “Do you think I could move a little?”

“I need you to move, Griffin. I want you to move. I want to feel you moving in and out of me.”

“Hell,” he grumbles and starts to move his hips in and out, lightly pumping.

His mouth separates from mine as he props himself up on his palms, his arms straddling my shoulders, his hips flexing in and out, his attention focused on our connection. It’s incredibly hot to me that he’s so transfixed by what’s happening between us that he has to watch.

I hold on to him tightly, meeting his slow thrusts with some of my own, clenching around him with each pulse.

“Christ, Ren. I’m not going to last long. Please tell me you’re right there with me.”

I lock eyes with him and nod, as I can feel my body gearing up for round two.

“So tight. So beautiful.”

He thrusts into me.

Grips my leg.

Thrusts.

Holds down my hip.

Thrusts.

Grunts out his pleasure.

Thrusts twice, harder each time.

“Fuck, where are you, Ren?”

“Right there,” I gasp as my pussy contracts around his cock, pulsing and squeezing him tight.

His pace picks up, pumping harder and harder, hitting me in that perfect spot every time, making me cry out his name into the night as I wrap my arms around his neck, my mouth finding his shoulder, where I bite down, my orgasm overtaking me.

His hips still, and his grunt is guttural as I feel his orgasm take over, white-hot pleasure tearing through the both of us as we ride out the moment with tiny little thrusts until there is nothing left inside of us.

We lie there, Griffin on top of me, as we try to catch our breath, all the buildup of our relationship finally coming to a crescendo.

“Jesus, that was—shit, that was amazing, Ren.” He lifts his head and cups my cheek, gently placing a kiss on my lips.

“That was everything I imagined it would be.”

“You imagined us having sex?” He quirks a sexy brow at me.

“Many times.” I run my fingers over the back of his neck, suddenly shy. “That was the first time a guy has ever gone down on me.”

“Really?” He’s stunned.

“Yeah.”

“Well, it sure as hell won’t be the last.” He kisses me again, this time finding my tongue with his. “Going down on you was just as good for me as it was for you.”

“You liked it?”

“Loved it.” He rolls to the side and takes me with him, bringing me to his chest, where I rest my head. “There’s nothing I loved more than watching you fall apart on my tongue. I take great pride in being able to make you come, Ren, and if I can do it with my tongue, then I will. I would ask you if you liked it, but I think the orgasm speaks for itself.”

“It does,” I chuckle and run my hand between his pecs, lightly playing with his chest hair. “Is it sad we couldn’t wait until Wednesday to do this?”

“No,” he says with a serious note to his voice. “It just shows the powerful connection between us, and now that I’ve had you, I’m not letting go.”

And now that I’ve had Griffin, there is no way in hell I’m letting him go either.

CHAPTER TWENTY

GRIFFIN

“Did you seriously just walk Mrs. Davenport all the way back to her house, carrying her fudge?” Reid asks from the window he’s washing as I slide behind the counter, taking my place beside Jen.

“I did.” I busy myself with stacking more fudge boxes.

“Isn’t that the second old lady you helped get home today? What’s with you?”

I try to hold back the smile that’s been plastered to my face ever since last night, but I can’t seem to shake it. Fuck, I’m happy.

Ren makes me happy.

And for the first time in two years, I finally feel free. Like this solitary life spent hiding behind a curse is finally coming to an end. I think my brothers were right: I paid my penance, and now I get to live again.

Last night was the start of it all.

Ren is my new chapter.

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s not the first time I’ve walked them home.”

“Yeah, but you did it with this gleeful smile. That’s different. Normally you come back from walking customers home with a chip on your shoulder.”

True. Even though I do it, I usually at least have something to say about it when I get back.

“Does this have to do with Ren?” Reid asks. “I heard her parents came into town.”

What? How would he know that?

“Where the hell did you hear that from?”

“Mr. Hopkins from across the street told me this morning. I’d just gotten in from the camping trip and was walking over here when he intercepted me. Said he saw a moving truck and two older people outside of Ren’s house last night. He also said he saw you enter her house and leave out the back door.”

Christ. I really hope Mr. Hopkins was asleep when I walked past his house with a blanket last night, and when I walked back early in the morning—and when I say early, I mean two in the morning.

After Ren and I had sex, we curled into the blanket and held each other, talking about everything from our childhoods to the crazy people in town. We laughed, we teased each other, and we partook in two more rounds of sex before we decided to make our way back to our respective houses.

It’s one of the best nights I’ve ever had. So sue me for having a gigantic smile on my face.

“So do you have something to admit to me?” Reid stands close, staring me down, looking for answers, but I keep my mouth shut, knowing I’ll drive him crazy.

That’s until Ren walks through the doors of the Lobster Landing wearing a yellow dress that wraps around her waist, her hair loosely hanging over her shoulders in waves. Without a second thought, I’m walking toward her, past a few customers, and straight into her arms. I tip her chin up and gently press a kiss against her lips.

When I pull away, all I can see is the spark in her eyes and the flash of her smile. “Hey, you.”

“Hey,” she shyly replies, gripping my sides for support.

Someone behind her clears their throat, causing me to peel my eyes away and focus on the two people standing directly behind her. A man with a thick mustache and cowboy hat eyes me with suspicion as the woman beside him, who looks like an older version of Ren, gleefully sighs.

Shit, her parents.

I was so focused on Ren that I never even saw them.