“So you wouldn’t try and talk me into it, or change my mind or just take what you want?” She swings her legs over the edge of the bed and I want her so bad I can’t see straight. But I stay where I am.

“No. I would never force someone to be with me if they didn’t want to.” I shuddered, remembering… No. I would never take something that wasn’t mine to take.

She waits for what feels like eternity. And then she smiles slowly.

“Come here.”

I resume my walk toward the bed and she stands up and meets me halfway.

“Take off your shirt,” she says. I loosen my tie and then pull it over my head. My hands get to work on the buttons of my shirt. She doesn’t offer to help, just watches as I undo them and then take the shirt off. I’m wearing a white undershirt and I take that off as well.

“So many tattoos,” she murmurs. She’s seen them before, but it’s hard to take them all in in just one viewing. She walks around me, not touching, just looking.

“I want to take pictures of them and then figure out what they all mean. You’re like a walking piece of art. And I really, really like art.” I nearly jump as her fingertips barely brush the skin of my upper back. Back at the coffee shop, my need for her was like a roar, but now it’s slower. Calmer. Still strong, but I know that the payoff will be greater. There’s something to be said for savoring.

“Would you get a tattoo for me?” she asks, coming around to face me again.

“What would you want me to get?” I say. It would have to be something relatively small. I don’t have a whole lot of free skin left.

“I don’t know. But would you do it?”

“Maybe.” If she really wanted me to, yes. I would. I’m making all kinds of promises to this girl. But whatever I have to do, I’ll do.

“Hmmm, that’s something to think about. Now, take off your pants.”

“Not until you take off yours,” I say, standing my ground.

She puts her hands on her hips.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to piss off a redhead?”

I shrug.

“I like to live on the edge,” I say. She almost smiles.

“Take your damn pants off, Quinn. Or I’m walking out this door.” She’s such a liar, but I’ll play her game. I reach down and start undoing my belt. It’s partially to appease her and partially because I’m very uncomfortable at the moment.

The zipper on my pants is loud in the quiet room. I drop them to the floor and I’m left in just my black boxer briefs. She looks me up and down as if I’m something she wants to devour. I want to do the same thing and she hasn’t even taken her clothes off.

“Get naked,” I say, stepping out of my pants and walking toward her. It’s time to take control. I wait for her to argue, but she wraps her fingers around the hem of her shirt and pulls it up and over her head. Her bra, jeans and panties follow and then she’s finally devastatingly naked for me.

She’s absolutely fucking perfect. Curves and dips and sweet, sweet skin. I want to be everywhere at once.

Saige backs toward the bed and I just… attack her. Our mouths clash and she makes a little sound, but I swallow it and kiss her deep. She kisses me back as her arms go around me, nails digging into my back.

Somehow we get horizontal and I take my mouth from her lips, but only so I can taste the rest of her. I’m frenzied, kissing her everywhere. Behind her ears, at the pulse on her neck, her collarbones, her bellybutton and lower.

I don’t even have to ask her to spread her legs for me. She does and I taste my way down to her core. Just before I lick her, I look up and meet her eyes. She’s staring at me, her eyes wide and sparkling. Green. So green.

I don’t break eye contact as I lick her up and down with my tongue. Her head jerks back and her hands clench on the blankets.

Fuck, I could do this for eternity.

I settle in and go to work, figuring out what she likes, what makes her moan more and what makes her legs tremble and then clench my skull. Her hands find their way into my hair and she yanks me to the right spots.

I’m merciless and she seems to prefer that. I know just when she’s reached her climax and I let her have it. The moans she makes nearly make me come. I want to bottle that sound and keep it forever.

So I make her come again. And again.

“What… about… you…” she pants and I rest my head on the inside of her thigh.

“What about me? I could do this all day, Redhead.” I didn’t mean to call her that.

“Come here,” she says, pulling me by my ears. I crawl up her body and then we’re face-to-face again.

“Don’t you want to fuck me?” she asks, smoothing my hair back. Her skin is flushed and glowing. I love knowing that I’m what put it there. I want her to remember this. Remember me. Remember what I can do to her.

“So much it hurts,” I say, using one hand to stroke her damp hair off her forehead.

“Why don’t you?” She seems… puzzled. As if I’ve done something unusual.

“Because I wanted to go down on you first.” She studies me for a few seconds and then presses up to kiss me. My mouth fills with her taste and it’s almost dizzying. I’m high on her.

Hands creep down my back and around my chest and south. She strokes me on the outside of my underwear before yanking them down my hips. I have to stop kissing her to get them off, but I do and toss them on the floor. I’m about to kiss her again, but she stops me.

“Condom?” Shit. I should have thought of that before I got all cavalier and tossed my pants away.

“Yeah,” I say, scrambling off the bed like an idiot and groping for my pants. I find one of the several I’d shoved in my back pocket and roll it on as fast as I can.

“I know we didn’t use one the first time –”

I stop her explanation with a kiss. Our first time was probably a mistake and I’m not going to make it again. Can’t take the risk.

Neither of us is doing much talking now. I kiss her slow and deep as she moves her legs and reaches down for me. Once I’m in position, I start to push. Slow. She moans as I fill her and all I want is to slam into her, but I resist. Inch by inch I enter her until I’m as far as I can go. She trembles and then arches up, asking me to move. I pull out ever so slowly and wind up.

“Faster,” she gasps, and I let go. I slam into her so hard, she’s pushed back into the mattress. But like the first time, she asks me for more. Fingers digging into my back, legs wrapped around me, hips urging me onward.

I want to last longer than I do, but she’s just too much. I come so hard I’m afraid my brain is damaged. I nearly collapse on her, but tip to the right so I don’t crush her.

“Jesus fuck,” I say, trying to get my breath back.

“Pretty much,” she says, turning her head to the side to look at me. I can barely move.

“Sorry about the biting,” she says, touching my shoulder.

“The what?” I can’t process words and their meanings. She repeats herself and I look down and realize there are teeth marks across some of the tattoos on my shoulder. I don’t even remember that happening.

“No harm done,” I say. It’s not like they’re going to show with all that ink already coloring my skin.

“Good. I should have told you I’m a biter. I can’t really help it.”

“It’s not a big deal. Really. You can bite me all you want, Redhead.” Shit, I called her that again. I need to get my head screwed on straight. Saige has filled my brain and pushed out all of my common sense.

“Okay. Maybe I will.” She turns on her side and I get a chance to really look at her.

“Stay the night with me?” I blurt out. I was going to wait until after dinner to ask her, but the words come out. I have a tendency to say just about anything post coitus. Like being drunk.

She smiles softly and runs her fingers across my chest.

“Okay.”