“Put it on me,” Garrett says thickly as he undoes his jeans and pulls his cock out. “Then I’ll fuck you hard.”

A tremor of need races through my body and I feel a little light-headed. My hands shake as I open the condom packet and try not to drool over the impressive shaft hovering just in front of my lips. I try to ignore it…just ignore it.

Oh, damn. No ignoring that. I bring one hand up and grasp Garrett at the base of his cock, giving a little tug to pull him forward while I lean in to him.

“Oh, hell, no,” Garrett says as he pulls away from me, snatching the condom out of my hand. “My girl said she wants a hard fucking, and I’m on a mission.”

I start to giggle, but the feral look in Garrett’s eyes stops me. He swoops the condom on so quickly, I’m not even sure how he managed to do it, then lays a big hand in the middle of my chest. With a slight push he says, “Get on your back and open up those pretty legs for me.”

“Oh, jeez,” I mutter as I fall backward on the bed, spreading my legs just as he asked me to. “That’s so hot.”

Garrett gives me a quick smirk and then falls on top of me…still fully clothed while I’m completely naked. Raising my legs up, he stares at me just a moment before plunging deep into me. I cry out over the invasion because it’s the best thing that I’ve ever felt and then cry out again when he pulls out and slams back in.

“This might bruise a bit,” Garrett rumbles just before he slams his mouth down on mine. His hips piston wildly against me, slamming in and out in the hardest fucking he’s ever given me. His tongue lashes against mine, and he bites at my lips.

God, I so needed this. Exactly like this.

Because he makes me feel alive. He makes me feel everything.

Garrett drives into me harder, drives me higher and higher. His breath pants into my mouth, his fingers dig into my legs as he holds them up. He overwhelms me and I don’t ever want him to stop.

“Baby…I’m going to come,” he gasps against my lips. “Tell me you’re close.”

“So close,” I moan.

Pulling his face away from mine but never missing a beat with his thrusts, he stares down at me. I can feel him tunneling in and out of my body, but it’s his eyes that have me so turned on right now. Warm, tender…filled with something that I’ve never seen on another man’s face. He may be taking me hard and fast, but his eyes tell me something else. They tell me that he cherishes me and would never hurt me for the world.

My orgasm slams into me violently…completely unexpected, because there was no delicious buildup. No, the minute I accepted what Garrett was showing me in his eyes, I blew apart into a million warm and fuzzy pieces of contentment.

Arching my back, I let out a long moan of satisfaction. That’s all it takes, and Garrett is following me, pushing back in deep one last time, and then his entire body shudders in ecstasy. He never takes his eyes off mine. Just stares at me as we both quake and rumble against each other.

Garrett releases my legs and brings his elbows down to the mattress so he can support his weight. He remains lodged deep inside me, and I flex my muscles to give an extra squeeze.

Smiling, he dips his head and brushes his lips against mine. “Was that what you wanted?”

Looping my arms around his neck, I pull him all the way down on me. “Yeah…that’s what I wanted.”

“Guess I’ve been acting a little foolish, huh?” he asks with a sheepish grin.

“I’m not going to break,” I tell him with an understanding smile. “I’m strong. You know that, right?”

“Strongest woman I know,” he affirms. “Doesn’t mean I won’t treat you with care.”

“You treated me with care just now. Rough care, but care all the same. Because you cared what I wanted. What I needed.”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment but rather nuzzles his face into my neck. The stubble on his face abrades my skin, sending cascading prickles all over me. When he pulls back up, he says, “I can’t help that I worry. But if I overstep…you need to tell me. If I understep…you need to tell me too. Okay?”

“Okay,” I agree, and then lift my head up to kiss him. “It’s a deal.”

Chapter 23

Garrett

For a moment, I think I’m dreaming as I hear the faint notes of Buckcherry’s “Crazy Bitch” playing through my mind. But I start to come awake and realize with a start it’s my ringtone for Alex.

I blindly grab at my phone on the nightstand, having to dislodge Olivia’s body off mine a bit to reach it. I open a bleary eye and see it’s almost four A.M.

“Hello,” I croak into the phone and give a short cough to clear the sleep from my throat.

“Garrett…it’s Alex,” he says. I scrub my hand over my face and lay my head back down on my pillow. I’m so tired, because Olivia and I ended up christening a few places in my house last night, so we didn’t get to sleep until just a few hours ago. After an afternoon game against the New York Vipers, we spent the evening back at my house just hanging and…well, fucking. I think we’re both feeling the pressure of her next treatment looming close.

“Yeah, I know who it is. Why the fuck are you calling me so early?”

“Garrett,” Alex says, and his voice breaks. I’ve never heard Alex sound this way, and I immediately sit straight up in bed, which wakes Olivia up. I hear her grunt and then she’s sitting up beside me.