"Did I tell you to move?" he asked.

"N-no." She bit her lip as if it required special concentration to think through the sensations bombarding her.

"Then stay right there if you want my dick," he snarled, letting her have what she'd asked for...his passion, fully unleashed.

Lucas could only hope that she liked the man he was beneath the polite coverings as much as she had thought she might. If not, it would crush him. He was fully exposed, completely vulnerable and prepared to give her every bit of him there was.

In every way.

Ellie stayed stock-still. She could have been bound to some of the bondage equipment at Black Lily for how flawlessly she maintained the position he'd set her in.

"That's good, E. Perfect. You're so fucking hot," he growled as he put his hands around her waist and used her to anchor himself as he stood. Balancing on his left foot, he leaned slightly to one side, cantilevering himself so that his center of gravity adjusted. With her fuckable ass on display, and making a perfect handhold, he found it was actually pretty easy-and surprisingly comfortable-to enter her this way.

So he did.

He took his throbbing cock in hand and pumped it a few times, afraid to get carried away, but needing a little relief at least before he pummeled her harder than she would enjoy.

With her head down, she could observe him.

Ellie must have had a great view because she cried, "Yes, Lucas. Put it in me. Come on, quit playing with my prize."

"You have been awfully good, haven't you?" He smiled savagely as he leaned forward and kissed along her spine as well as he could in their positions.

She shivered in his grip.

"Damn straight," she replied, making him laugh even in the midst of the hottest, most desperate sexual encounter of his life.

And that was when he knew, without a doubt, that he loved her.

Not that he planned to share that tidbit at the moment.

Not when they were both fanatical with lust.

He had other things to attend to first. Primarily, her.

"Then I think I have something for you." He took his cock and slapped it against her pussy, loving the moist smacks that resulted, filling the afternoon air with the undeniable sounds of their joint arousal.

"Yes!" she shouted when he notched the tip of his dick to her opening and leaned toward her, allowing his weight to drive him inexorably inside her.

"E!" He would never tire of this moment, the one when their flesh entwined as closely as their hearts and minds seemed to be most times. There was magic in that first contact, their bodies becoming one.

She felt it too, gasping and rocking back to aid his advance. When she bumped her ass into his pelvis, she inadvertently knocked him slightly off-balance.

He hopped to keep himself upright, causing his cock to slip from her pussy. He didn't let that deter him. Instead of wasting time being embarrassed, he simply followed his instincts, which insisted that he get the hell back inside the paradise between her legs as soon as fucking possible.

Ellie sighed when he fitted himself to her and glided to the hilt in a single stroke.

For a couple of seconds, he stayed there. Still. Allowing himself to simply revel in the clasp of her body. Her pussy clenched and released, making him certain that if he lingered there long enough, he could shoot from that sensation alone.

But she needed more.

"Lucas, please." Her fingers clenched on the tree steadying them both.

He gave her what she desired. Himself too.

Using her waist to guide them, he shoved himself inside her. He withdrew before yanking her onto his dick then repeating the motion over and over.

When she came on his cock, slathering him in fresh lubrication, he gritted his teeth and threw his head back, staring at the blinding light in the sky to keep from joining her.

It still wasn't half as bright as looking at her as she found her ecstasy.

So he redoubled his efforts, fucking her nearly as madly as he loved her.

It felt a little weird to have his stump swinging free as he pounded her, but it acted as kind of a pendulum, helping him to return to position before starting another circuit within her.

If she minded it bumping into her from behind, she sure was a phenomenal actress.

Lucas bent at the waist. He slid his hands up her torso, from her hips to her breasts, squeezing them as he humped her harder, faster and more furiously than ever.

Almost immediately, she was crying out his name in the unique tone she used when she was surrendering to her pleasure. He couldn't get enough of her and her bliss.

He bit her shoulder, above her tattoo, hoping she wouldn't mind if he left a mark. He wanted to be represented there, in her depiction of her ideal self. It was egotistical, but honest.

This time when she shattered, she went limp, unable to stand any longer.

Together, they tumbled to the blanket. Lucas kept them locked together and cushioned their fall.

They'd barely hit the ground when he blanketed her prone body, drilling into her harder now that he had both knees to use for leverage.

He reached beneath her and cupped her shoulders in his hands, yanking her to him as he filled her savagely. Her face was turned sideways as she surrendered to his ultimate possession. He couldn't wait for next time they were intimate so that he could let her ride him and return the favor.

He wanted to belong to her every bit as much.

Hell, he already did. He'd given her every ounce of himself, even if she didn't know it yet.

Lucas leaned forward so that he could growl in her ear. Stopping now would be impossible. He'd pushed himself beyond even his restraint. Taking her like this, so that she had to know he was staking a claim, threatened to burst his heart right in his chest.

"Next time, I'm coming with you," he promised.

"Please. Need it. Feels so good when you come in me. Makes it stop." Ellie's speech was fragmented, spoken in spurts as he rocked her body against the blanket.

He didn't quite understand what she meant, but he figured there'd be time for clarification later. As if the promise alone of his release was enough to inspire her final orgasm, she went stiff beneath him. Her entire body gathered, froze and then seized.

She screamed his name so loudly it echoed off the lake, shattering the stillness of the afternoon.

Before she'd finished spasming, he withdrew his cock.

Lucas couldn't say what made him do it, except maybe the possessive streak he didn't know he had, which reared its head right then. He rolled Ellie onto her back then pumped his cock, his fist flying over the impossibly engorged length of his shaft.

She rose onto her elbows and smiled at him then cupped her breasts, making the perfect canvas.

Lucas roared as his climax hit. He jacked himself as his balls gathered then launched streams of semen from his cock. He used the opalescent fluid to paint himself all over her front from her mound to her chest and even rained a few drops on her swollen mouth.

And that was when he saw it.

The instant his come decorated her skin with the proof of how she affected him, the animalistic hunger in her eyes faded to something manageable, though no less steamy. She looked up at him with a combination of fulfillment and gratitude.

The final surges of come dripped from him onto her skin and he suddenly needed to kiss her. To show her that the fierce loving he'd given her had come from a place deeper than lust.

Lucas settled over her, staring into her eyes for a moment before pressing his lips to hers for the sweetest, most tender kiss he'd ever had the pleasure of giving or receiving in his life.

While they sipped from each other, he kept rocking softly over her, as if the motion were burned into his motor memory. Hell, it probably was.

His softening cock rested between them and the mess he'd made of her, which mingled with their sweat to help him glide lightly across her entire front.

It took a while for him to wind down from the incredible peak she'd lifted him to. When he did, he flopped to his back, gathering her to his chest, wondering if she could hear his heart speaking so deafeningly to hers that he could hardly hear anything but the three words it dared him to utter.

Lucas might have.

If the first of Ellie's tears hadn't fallen on his skin, making everything inside him freeze.

"E?" He lifted her face so he could read her expression. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Shit, I'm sorry-"

He couldn't even say that he didn't mean to be so rough with her, because he had.

"I'm happy"-she sniffled then put her fingers over his mouth, silencing him-"so don't ruin it with your big mouth."

When she took her hand away, he grinned. "Didn't hear you complaining about that earlier."

She smacked his abs, reminding him to thank his trainer for torturing him with endless crunches. He'd used the hell out of those muscles today.

Then she opened up to him, spilling her guts as surely as he had done in a more physical way with her minutes ago. "I feel like you're finally being honest with me. Not holding back. Giving me your true self. And I'm so, so grateful. Thank you."

"E, that's not necessary-"

"It is." She beamed up at him, a tear running down her cheek. "You're the first person to treat me like I'm not broken. And maybe, after a while, it will be true."

The affection in her stare made him nervous. Could he live up to her expectations? All he'd done was give her what had been inside him for her from the start. Was that the same thing?

He needed to think when he wasn't riding on endorphins.

As he mulled it over, she kept talking, shocking the shit out of him.

"Lucas?"

"Yeah?" He ran his fingers through her hair, loving the feel of the silky strands between his fingers.

"I'm different than before."

She hesitated as if she didn't know how to say what she meant. So he gave her a moment to collect herself while amusing himself by stroking her.

"I like things I never tried before that time. Today...was amazing. Everything. Do you think we could experiment more later?"

"With what, E?" He paused, lifting his head to look more closely at her.

"I like when you're in control," she admitted. "Knowing that I can trust you to take care of me and satisfy my needs, even when I'm completely at your mercy...it's freeing. I want to do more. Will you tie me up sometime? Stuff like that?"

It was eerie how her thoughts ran along the same lines his had while he was buried balls deep in her body. But now that they were back to reality, he wasn't sure it was such a good idea.

"I don't know," he hedged.

Her face fell and she nipped her bottom lip. "Is it weird that I would like that, considering..."

"No." He hugged her tight. "I just want to make sure we know what we're doing. Would you mind if we talked to JRad and Lily about it? They're experts. Not only in how to do it safely, but in the emotional aspects too."

She grinned. "Professionals, even. No, I don't mind at all."

"We'll do that then, E. Just know this. Whatever you need, I'm going to be the one to give it to you." He curled his arms around her tighter, refusing to let her go.

"In that case...can I ask one more thing? It's fine if you don't want to, though."

Her indecision made him sure he would say yes, simply because he wanted to deserve the trust she put in him even to ask.

"Of course." He brushed his lips over her forehead.

"If we're going to keep doing this"-she wiggled a finger between them-"would you mind coming to some of my sessions with my therapist, kind of as a couple?"

"Is being physical with me upsetting you?" He frowned, hoping he'd gauged things correctly.

"No, but I want to make sure we're being responsible, you know? I don't want any misunderstandings to sneak up on us when things are so new. It's complicated between us. Confusing sometimes. I don't want either of us to get unintentionally hurt. And I definitely think we should try to avoid either of us coping by putting distance between us again."

"It's probably not a bad idea." He shrugged, willing to do whatever it took to make their relationship viable long-term, even if they weren't committing to that aloud just yet. He knew what she was really asking, and he planned to be there for her. "Sure, E. I'll go with you."

"Thank you." She kissed him so gently, for agreeing to something simple and decent, he thought he might shed a tear of his own.

"No, thank you." He felt it was only fair to be as open as she was. "For taking me as I am, I mean."

"You're finally listening, Lucas." She tossed him a sassy wink as she patted his chest then sat up, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her cheek on her knees so she could keep him in sight.

Though he was sad to lose her heat, a sudden urge came over him.

He dug through his shorts until he found his pocketknife. Fisting it, he said, "I'm going to open my knife. Are you okay with that?"

Without tensing even a bit, she nodded.

Maybe seeing him use the blade for something positive would help lessen her fear.

He opened it then crawled to the tree trunk. While she watched, he carved a heart into the bark, putting their initials and the date inside it.