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  He took his cues from the way Ivy’s grip would change on his ears, urging him up or down. He plunged his tongue directly into her body, tasting her juices, before working back up and suckling gently but firmly beside her clit. Ivy’s muscles tensed, and he traced his fingers over her strong thighs, down to her calves, back up, his tongue never stilling, lips pursed around her.

  She screamed out, and Cole could’ve sworn he heard a fragment of his name, cut off, garbled in the throes of Ivy’s ecstasy, and he gradually eased off from her clit, letting her enjoy the waves of orgasm as they crashed over her. He glanced up at her face, smiled at eyes that seemed to be glued shut, and tried to back away to give her space. Most women he’d been with preferred some time to process everything after a performance like that.

  But Ivy grabbed hold of his biceps as he backed off. He should’ve suspected she’d be different. Because up until this point—and including it—she’d been so unique. Unlike anyone he’d ever been with.

  He let her draw him up, draped himself over her, noting the swell of her breasts beneath his chest. She kissed him without hesitation, her tongue in his mouth, and he was in danger of coming right there and then, imagining what she thought about tasting her own essence on his lips.

  “You…” she whispered, and it was both a command and a plea.

  Cole sunk gratefully into her, careful to take it slow. She was wet and relaxed, but she was still so tight. He should’ve eased her into it better with his fingers, but when he tried to withdraw to do it right, she hooked her legs around him, dug her heels into his ass, kept him in place. Green eyes blinked up at him, languid, questioning.

  He took her into his arms immediately, holding her to his chest. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised her. “I’m right here.”

  He was dimly aware that he was echoing her own words from when he’d rushed them into the apartment. But all other capabilities of thinking vanished as he thrust into her. She felt so good around him. So close, her inner muscles flexing around his length every time he pressed inside. Cole could feel sweat springing to every pore. He held himself back as much as he could, stroking back and forth slowly, rocking, until her body could accommodate him better. Loosen. Soften.

  Cole bent her legs against her chest and angled in differently. Ivy choked out a moan, one hand clawing at the sheets beneath them, the other digging into his back.

  The spike of pain only sweetened his pleasure, and he thrust again, finding that deep, resonating spot inside of her body that formed her lips into a perfect “O.” He wanted to make her come again. Wanted to keep her coming for as long as she could take it.

  He reached between them and pulsed the pad of his thumb against her clit. He watched her come completely apart and felt the lightning within him, exploding into her body.

  It took him several seconds—his orgasm ebbing, throat sore from groaning—to realize he’d squeezed his eyes shut so tightly that he was seeing stars.

  He slipped out of her wet warmth and drew her to him, both of them panting, unable to say a word to each other. Cole could barely keep his eyes open. He could only guess at how Ivy felt after two orgasms.

  He curled around her, the sweat on her body cooling even as her breathing deepened in slumber. He felt strangely protective of her, like he’d do anything to ensure her happiness. All he wanted was to make her feel good. Make her smile. Treat her like a princess. Give her anything she wanted.

  How could he feel so strongly about a woman he’d just met?

  It wasn’t a thought that kept him from sleeping, though. He eased into a doze quicker than he had in months, soothed by Ivy’s warmth pressed up against him.

  Chapter 7

  Ivy

  Ivy blinked awake slowly, warm and comfortable, secured by a pair of burly arms. She smiled, listening to Cole’s steady breathing, her body aching in all of the right spots.

  As far as celebrations for the end of the semester at school, she could’ve done a lot worse than last night. Cole had been attentive, dominating, as much interested in her own pleasure as his… Ivy smiled, remembering.

  Still, all good things had to come to an end, even this hot spooning session. There was a lot she’d neglected running up to her finals, and she needed to get back on track—mainly with Whisper Line, simple chores around the house, and general “life admin.”

  Ivy twisted out of Cole’s embrace as discreetly as she could, immediately feeling bereft of his warm strength. Just when she thought she’d successfully made her escape, though, those arms came back, wrapping around her naked body, stopping her just short of rolling off the bed.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Cole asked, his warm, sleepy voice making her smile.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you up,” she said, shuffling round to face him. He was adorably rumpled, but her proximity to those muscles and his handsome good looks made her lose her breath a little. “You should go back to sleep.”

  “How can I when you’re right here next to me, dressed like that?”

  She laughed. “I’m not wearing anything.”

  “Exactly.”

  He kissed her, and Ivy was only too happy to allow that tongue entrance to her mouth, the velvet press of his lips against hers. They’d had a good time last night, but she really hadn’t expected anything to come of this morning. And here Cole was, surprising her yet again.

  She could understand hooking up with someone on a drunken night. The connections had been there; there was no use denying them. But the morning after was an entirely different animal. Being with someone again the next day meant there was something real there. Something that had potential of continuing.

  Ivy forgot all about Whisper Line for a moment, about the textbooks still decorating her apartment. She focused on Cole, the smell of him, sleepy, musky, comforting, in those soft sheets. She relaxed against him, letting him draw her closer. Because God, he felt good to her. That warm body. Those heavy muscles, working just for her, keeping her secure.

  Cole cupped his hand and gently held her sex. It was strangely intimate, especially as he flexed his fingers and grazed her clit. It was casually possessive, the way she might touch herself, her hands unconsciously roaming. Ivy’s breath caught in her throat as a slow heat suffused her bare legs.

  Cole dotted a light kiss on her forehead, fingers seeking out that sensitive spot a little less casually now. It almost felt like he was testing her. Seeing what pressure she liked. Patterns of movement. It was gratifying that he cared to figure it out. Most guys Ivy had been with before thought it was a one-size-fits-all solution. Or a button to mash. Or to be avoided entirely. But Cole seemed determined to figure it out, kissing her leisurely as she inhaled sharply, then exhaled with tiny moans that grew and grew.

  Her legs spread of their own accord, allowing his big hands better access. Ivy had a moment of true wonder when she was about to reach for his hand, the stimulation becoming too intense. Sensing her needs, Cole left her clit for a moment and sank a thick finger directly into her body. Ivy groaned, knees pointing upward. It was just the right thing, just the right timing. She was already so wet.

  “All this for me?” he murmured to her, smiling against her temple.

  He crooked his finger inside her and pleasure rang deep through her body, like the peals of a bell. She didn’t have the words to tell him how good it felt, how viscerally right. All she could do was moan and buck her hips, thrusting against him. Just a single finger made her feel like she was losing her mind, her skin covered in goosebumps, nipples peaked in arousal.

  He flicked his fingers against those nubs, adding another dimension to Ivy’s building pleasure, pinching gently just to see how much she could take, a wrinkle of pain sweetening everything else.

  “I want you inside me,” she whispered, when she had the breath to, the last syllable crescendoing on a whimper. He’d splayed his hand against her, thumb easily circling her clit, passage eased by her own wetness.

  “I am inside y
ou,” Cole said, wiggling his finger to emphasize the point.

  He grinned as she sighed and huffed, tilting her body to meet his ministrations. He knew damn well that wasn’t what she meant, that she was having trouble harnessing the power of her words.

  She let her actions speak louder, hand slipping beneath the sheets, fingers wrapping around his hard cock. Ivy gave it a meaningful tug, and Cole’s grin just widened even more. “Well, you should’ve been more specific.”

  In a single, smooth moment, he swung his leg over her, bringing the sheet with him, bright white and billowing in the morning light. It would’ve made a pretty picture, but Ivy was a little beyond that. She was achingly empty, slotting Cole’s trim, muscular waist between her spread knees.

  “I’ve got you,” he promised her, cupping her cheek with his hand.

  With the other hand, he guided his erect length to her opening, teasing her open for the briefest of moments before sliding slowly home, inch by glorious, needy inch.

  She was wet enough to take him, just like she’d been last night, and he overwhelmed her senses. Being filled so completely made everything else fade to the background, made Cole’s thrusts the only thing she could or wanted to focus on.

  Every time he moved inside her, his head pressed up against her G-spot. He never missed. Never even had to reach between them to pay attention to her clit. The angle, her legs around his waist, the relentless push to that secret part of her body so few had exploited up until this point was enough. She was so close. So close.

  She found herself blinking up at Cole’s face. It had been dark last night, his expressions hard to gauge once they were back in his apartment. Now, though, she could appreciate just how damn handsome he was. How his brow furrowed a little as he whipped his hips forward, pumping into her. The way his biceps bulged on either side of her head as he supported his weight above her.

  And when she locked eyes with him, she couldn’t look away. Those blue eyes of his were fixated on her, watchful, intense. They were serious eyes for someone who laughed as much as Ivy suspected Cole did. Or maybe he treated this time with her as a serious undertaking.

  Ivy thought she should warn him she was coming. Thought to give voice to the rising tide of perfection rolling through her body. But she didn’t have the words. Nothing would suffice. All Ivy could do was cry out, try at least to give some sound to what was rolling through her body.

  Cole grunted in response, each of his muscles standing in stark relief, jaw set in effort, before sealing her mouth with a searing kiss, the hot pant against her tongue the only indication that he was right there with her, coming.

  Coming back down to earth, drifting, Ivy had to at least admire his stoicism. There was no way she would’ve been anywhere near coming quietly with him, but he’d somehow managed it. He gave her a rough kiss on the forehead, almost like a thank you, before heaving himself to lie down beside her on the mattress.

  “Tell me what I can do to convince you to spend the rest of the day here with me, naked in my bed.” Cole tucked a stray strand of Ivy’s hair behind her ear.

  She smiled at him. “I wish I could. But I’ve been neglecting life stuff. I feel like spending the entire day in bed would be a little too indulgent.”

  “It wouldn’t be the entire day,” he said. “We’d have to get out of it to use the bathroom. And eat something, unless we ordered in.”

  “It’s seriously tempting, but I can’t.”

  Ivy gave him one last kiss as she slipped from beneath the covers. It was all she could do to pull her underwear and dress back on. Cole just looked so damn good reclining on the bed, still gloriously naked.

  “I have to get my life back in order. I let too many things go in the time leading up to finals, and I can’t excuse things anymore.”

  Those things included cleaning up her apartment, sure, and buying some food for the woefully empty refrigerator and pantry in her kitchen. But it also meant working a little overtime on Whisper Line. She missed the comforting influx of work and money from it. Her phone hadn’t been buzzing with clients. If she was inactive for too long, Whisper Line would stop forwarding people to her direct line. Funny that she needed that kind of silence two days ago and hadn’t gotten it.

  “Ivy, I’ve had a really good time with you.”

  She flipped her hair into a quick topknot and smiled at Cole. “I had a wonderful time, too.”

  “I want to see you again.”

  Ivy couldn’t ignore the thrill of attraction that worked its way up her spine. “Really, if I could stay, I would. It’s just that I have a lot of things to take care of today.” Most of them having to do with earning some money on Whisper Line. She refused to feel guilty about it. It was money. Rent. Bills. Food. Just a job.

  “I get it. I’ve already lost you for today.” He grinned ruefully. “But this weekend, there’s this thing I have to go to. Navy thing. A ball. There’ll be lots of officials there I want to network with. Especially the guy in charge of the security organization I want to work for. It’ll be drinks, dancing, schmoozing, that kind of thing.”

  “Sounds important—and fun.”

  “It will be if you’re there with me.” He smiled at her. “And if you’re by my side to charm the pants off of everyone, I’ll be sure to make a lasting impression. Go with me?”

  “I’d love to,” she said, almost feeling too eager. “A ball is a great excuse to go shopping, I’d get to see you again, there’s going to be dancing… It would be a mistake not to say yes.”

  Cole turned his grin up to its full wattage, and it was like staring at the sun. “I’m looking forward to it, then. I’ll text you.”

  “Sounds good.” She turned toward the door and was almost instantly surrounded by big, warm arms. Cole had risen from bed to give her a hug before she’d left. The knowledge that he was pressed up against her, completely naked next to her being completely dressed, was thrilling in a way Ivy had trouble putting into words.

  She almost caved in, almost shrugged her dress off her body and leapt into his arms so he could take her back to bed. Instead, she turned and kissed him, enjoying the roughness of his stubble against her face.

  “See you,” he murmured, blue eyes all but glowing, and Ivy had to tear herself away.

  It wasn’t until she was halfway home that Ivy realized what a fraud she was. Cole didn’t know what she did for a living, and somehow wasn’t aware he’d texted her via a phone sex service. Something inside her told her he wouldn’t take the news well.

  She shook her head, decisive, sun warm on her face. She wasn’t about to ruin this fling by injecting drama into it. If things between her and Cole didn’t fizzle out over the next few weeks, it would be breaking a years-long streak of hopeful starts that waned after a couple of dates.

  She and Cole could have a perfectly good time for now, seizing the moment, without her having to tell him about Whisper Line. If things didn’t fizzle out naturally, she’d still have to leave him at the end of the summer so she could focus on her last year of medical school.

  If all went to plan, she would never have to tell Cole that she sexted for a living.

  Chapter 8

  Cole

  Cole couldn’t make it more than a couple of minutes without thinking about Ivy. He fixed eggs for breakfast, berating himself for neglecting to feed her before she left. He cleaned and tidied up his apartment, regretting the fact that it wasn’t pristine for her visit. He wondered what she was doing. Whether she wanted company. Help with any of the things she’d said she neglected while studying for her finals. He marveled at just how dedicated she was to getting her education.

  He was obsessed.

  He’d never met anyone like Ivy. Sure, he’d been with some real spitfires in his time. Women who’d challenged him at every turn, who’d taught him things about himself and about the female body that he would remember for the rest of his life. But Ivy was the first woman Cole would’ve done anything for.

  It puzzled him.
He considered himself a gentleman. He’d been told as much several times by women he was seeing. He was polite. He knew to hold doors and offer arms. But all he could think of was what he could do for Ivy, how he could make her life better, how he could spoil her.

  He ran through everything from food deliveries to her apartment to texting her to see how she was doing. He was torn between wanting to make sure she knew he cared about her, and not wanting to smother her. Every hour on the hour for an entire day, he opened and closed their text message thread, wondering what to put. Trying to think of the words that would bring her back to him.

  It was times like these that Cole wished Jason was around to talk to, but his best friend was still away on a mission. Even so, Cole wasn’t sure that he would’ve opened up to Jason about this. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his friend. He trusted him with his life—literally. Theirs was a bond that was forged in extremes. There was something about firing guns and being in mortal danger with someone that really cemented the bond of friendship.

  It was Jason who’d taught Cole the art of having a girlfriend in every port. That way, the girls would never meet and Cole would never have to sleep in a bed alone while he was traveling.

  When Cole was a younger man, fresh out of training, excited about traveling the world and serving his country in the process, it was fine. He’d enjoyed the adventure of everything. All of the women who were happy to share his bed on a casual basis. He was too busy to have anything serious or long-term. And there was always the very distinct possibility that he might not make it back alive from some of the missions he was assigned to. He was used to living dangerously, hard and fast, and his dating style afforded him that opportunity.