He looked really good. I licked my lips. Damn good.

He smirked. “You checking me out, Connors?”

My chin went up and I narrowed my eyes at him. He was doing the same thing. Suddenly, I was glad that I had changed clothes. I hadn’t had the intention to dress for him, but I wore a tank top and lightweight scrub pants. They fell low on my hip and were tied in a loose knot. I became very aware that I wasn’t wearing a bra and my underwear’s strap was visible above my scrub’s waistband. Sexy wasn’t the vocabulary to describe me, but I knew I wasn’t ugly. My body was trimmed down, even more so since my friends had deserted me. I wasn’t an exercise person, but I had begun eating better. I might’ve hoped to become healthier, even though I knew that food wasn’t going to fix everything wrong on the inside. But it helped, a tiny bit.

“You approve?” I murmured, my voice husky with desire. It had been stirring since his text, simmering, but it was boiling as soon as I heard his knock on the door. It was a full fire when he stepped inside and it was only the two of us.

His eyes centered on my hand.

I lifted it and saw the small burn on the inside of my wrist. It was from that night when I lit my parent’s letter on fire. I hadn’t let go of the letter quick enough and I hadn’t felt the pain so it went unhealed for a while. When I did notice it, it had already healed over. So I left it. No one had been around enough to notice it. As Jesse stepped close and touched my arm, he lifted it for inspection now.

I bit into the inside of my cheek. What would he think? I already knew I couldn’t give him the answers to any questions. I didn’t want him to know, not yet, not on the first night.

Slowly, I eased my arm out of his hold and crossed to my desk. “I met some of your friends today.”

His eyes narrowed and he shrugged.

My shoulders dropped. He had let it go. Relief had me sagging against my desk, but I got myself under control. A grin came over me, but I knew it was half of one. I was still reeling that he hadn’t asked about the burn. “Oh, come on. Chandra, Tiffany, Kara. I think I should nominate them for a Good Samaritan Award. Do you guys have that here?”

The corner of his mouth curved up. “Yeah, maybe Kara. Cord mentioned that you and Tiffany didn’t seem to care for each other.”

“Please tell me you’re not best friends with her or screwing her behind your buddy’s back. I don’t think I could look at you the same.” It came out as a joke, but I wasn’t teasing. I meant it.

The other corner of his mouth curved up now. “No, but she’s protective of me.”

“Great.”

He stepped towards me. His voice softened, “She’s not you, Alex. Cord’s not Ethan. Don’t get confused about that. No one can touch either of you guys.”

My chest swelled with emotion. I found myself blinking back tears. As he moved another step closer, my hand lifted to rest on his chest. His heart was pounding and his gaze seared into me. He was deadly serious. There was no humor, only dark promises swirling in his depths, mixed with the same lust that was pounding inside of me.

I asked, feeling raw, “You promise?”

His hand touched my pants. He tucked his thumb inside of them and pulled me against him. Closing my eyes, I felt him. I felt every inch of him. Then his thumb moved to the front of my pants and slipped farther inside. His entire hand went underneath my underwear until I felt him at my entrance. My legs wanted to press together, but I willed them to stay still. I didn’t move to give him better access. I couldn’t do anything except keep still and stop myself from launching into his arms. My heart was a continuous thunder now and I already knew I was wet for him.

His finger dipped inside. I gasped. My head hit his chest as I concentrated on breathing. In and out. In and out.

I clutched onto his shirt. My legs threatened to buckle, but I couldn’t do anything. Pleasure rippled through me from the sensations he was building. “Jesse.”

He ducked his head down to rest his forehead on my shoulder, then he turned and kissed my bare nape.

I shook my head, struggling to form a thought as a second finger slipped inside.

Kissing down the side of my neck, he nuzzled under my chin before he started up the other side. His other hand gripped my hip and he held me anchored against him.

The edge was nearing. He kept pumping faster, holding himself still against me. When he stopped kissing me, I felt his breathing grow labored as he continued to rest his forehead on my shoulder. My head fell back and my eyes were heavy-lidded, but I saw him from underneath my eyelids. He was watching us. He was watching as his hand moved against me and his fingers kept thrusting into me.

Then I felt myself hurdling over it and I exploded on him. As I trembled against him, he kept his fingers in me, but pressed his forehead against my neck. A sheen of perspiration had built up. I felt the moisture now and then his lips curved against my skin. He pressed them to me in a soft and lingering kiss as he withdrew his fingers.

Pressing my lips together, a moan escaped from between them. A flush of renewed heat flared through me and lit up my face. As he began to lift his hand, my legs squeezed together. I felt empty. I didn’t want him to leave, but he tilted my head to meet his gaze with his free hand. His eyes had darkened until they were black with lust.

Cupping my head with his hand, he ran his thumb over my lips. When it settled between them, my lips parted and my tongue darted out to brush against him.

His eyes fell to my mouth. As he watched my tongue sweep against him again and then tasted the end of his finger, he stepped closer. He crowded me against the door. We hit it with a thud, but it didn’t stop us. I scrambled to lift his shirt, which he yanked over his head then he shoved my pants down with one foot. When they were on the ground, he hoisted me up underneath my arms and carried me to the bed.