With a bowl of popcorn and a large bottle of sparkling Moscato, Reece and I sat through the first two Terminator movies without missing a beat. I loved those movies and all their science-fiction goodness. There was no denying they were classics.

They were his favorite, too. High on his movie list. This was why he saw my story and immediately fell in love with it.

As the theme music played, Reece slid his hands over his face and laughed. "I should've ordered us food to go with the movies. I feel the buzz."

Already? The buzz wasn't too bad. I felt a tiny bit, but my drinking glasses weren't as tall as his. I purposely kept mine small and sip-able to keep it together. I wanted to be sober for you know.

He looked at me from the top of his fingers. "I'm ordering tacos. You want tacos?"

Who wouldn't? "Sure." I smiled and picked up my half-empty glass.

"Cool," Reece slid his phone out of his pocket, "the place down the block delivers quick. Maybe twenty minutes. Gives us time to recharge." As he tapped away on the screen, he stood, glancing at me. "What kind of tacos?"

"Chicken." I sipped from my glass. "Three? If that's okay."

"Nah, that's fine. You'll have three," tap, tap, tap, "and I'm getting four. With fries."

I giggled. "Big eater?"

He repocketed his phone. "Hey, got to keep my strength up "

I looked at the muscles on his shoulders and held my breath. Strength indeed.

"Um, I'm going to run to the bathroom. I brought another bottle and put it in the fridge if you wanted more." He slowly stepped back. "But you can stretch your legs and walk around, see a book. I'll be back quick."

As he turned toward the bathroom and closed the door, I stood. He didn't have to tell me twice. His apartment was cute and cozy, but the bookcases sold me. How he installed these and made them look so perfect amazed me. And as I walked toward them, I passed a small wooden desk I hadn't noticed before.

What was on top made me stop.

There were journals. All kinds. All sizes. I slid my hands over the spines because they were tattered, used, and had to be filled with so much love and words. He had said he was a poet.

I could've walked away with my imagination intact, but there was a small stack of papers in the center of the desk. One with a title and his name underneath:

Dark Roses – Reece Jackson.

I bit my lip as I scooped the papers in my hands and flipped past the title page. The first paragraph pulled me immediately:

"Daren always felt the hand of another closing around his neck. He never knew who or why, but the suffocating pressure kept him up at night. Without sleep, he saw the shadows. People. Groups that weren't there.

He wondered, 'Am I going insane?'"

The toilet flushed but I couldn't look away. I skipped ahead, going to the next page.

"'What do you mean I need to kill it? How can I do that if I can't see it?' Daren shouted, dropping to his knees.

The old woman in front of him only smiled.

'Say something,' he reached for his knife, 'I came to you because they said you'd know what to do!'"

The bathroom door opened. I glanced back, still not putting the papers down. Reece saw me and approached. "I guess you found a book to read, huh?"

I only looked at him. I didn't turn. Nor did I put his story back in its place. "You write books?"

Reece stood behind me. "I try. I'm more of a poet. I told you that, right?"

"You did." I looked back at his rough draft. But was it? It looked pristine to me.

"But I had a horror story in my head and needed to write it, so," he pointed at the papers, "I did."

"You make writing look so easy," I sighed.

Reece pressed himself against my back, pinning me to his desk with his arms at my sides. Holding his story tightly, my breath hitched as I looked back at him. I caught the glint in his eye, the burning desire seeping into their auburn-brown. When his hands slid over the old mahogany wood, my belly tightened.

"It isn't easy, but if you put your mind to it, it's achievable." His breath was hot on my shoulder. I smelled the hint of lingering alcohol. But there was nothing off about him. The buzz must have gone, or his tolerance was higher than he made it seem. "Anything is possible when you want it enough," he added.

I knew he was going to hold me. I was in his apartment. In his space. And he already asked me to spend the night. With his hands inching closer, his chest to my back, I knew what was coming. This was more than last night. It had to be.

If he was prepared, so was I.

"You know, I've been thinking about you all day," he whispered huskily on my neck. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me against him in a gentle hug. "Missing you."

I bit my lip, slowly putting the sheets of paper back down where I'd grabbed them. "I missed you, too."

"Yeah?" He kissed right behind my ear. "What'd you miss?"

Was I supposed to tell him that I kept thinking about his hands, his kisses, and the sexy look in his eye? Or that I thought about the possibility tonight could bring because last night could've been more if we were just—

A knock came on the door. Both Reece and I looked back at it as a man's voice came from the hallway. "I've got a delivery for Jackson!"

"Uh," Reece laughed and turned away from me, "blocked by tacos."

I laughed, too, as Reece headed for the door. I couldn't help but watch him open it and take the bag from the delivery man with a polite yet forced "Thanks."

When he placed it on the kitchen table, he came back. It was the same position, pinned me with his arms, and his lips on my neck. "Where were we?" he whispered.

I hadn't forgotten. "You asked what I missed."

"Right." His fingers rubbed my arms. "Well?"

The time between the question and the delivery wasn't enough to let me think of a response. I was too shy to do that.

Reece came closer and breathed, "You can tell me."

He was excited. That hard bump pressed against my lower back and that heat traveled up, mixing with mine. I trembled as I let out a breath.

He chuckled. "Use your words, Camila. Don't be afraid to express yourself."

I couldn't have writer's block in real life; the story had been in my hands the entire time. From the diner to the cups of tea, to the closeness with each writing session—what had I thought about?

His mind. His kindness. The way he was with words and his gift with people. And that evolved in such, powered by the force of attraction that I thought of his lips, his scent; dreaming of the lines of his body. And after last night, I thought of sex. Hot, passionate, burning sex.

Use your words, Camila. Be honest.

"I want you," I moved around in his grasp, so he held me against his chest "I want this."

"Yeah?" He licked his lip. "I want this, too."

He turned his back to me but kept my hand in his. I followed him and my nerves swelled. My belly burned. As he flicked on his bedroom lights and I saw his neatly made bed, I knew this was it. My skin sparked with anticipation.

Reece placed me before him, then gently helped me sit beside his pillows. He stepped between my legs and his eyes darkened. His voice deepened with need. "I want to know you, all of you," he breathed, crouching over me.

The only place for me to move was back. So, I laid down, I looked up at his smoldering gaze, and moaned just at the sight of him.

"Will you let me?" he whispered.

"Yes."

***

I want this.

My breath hitched in my chest as he pushed away from the bed to turn off the light. He flipped on the lamp beside his dresser while he opened the top drawer. I saw the shimmer of a gold and black condom wrapper between his fingers. As he came back to bed, he tossed it on the nightstand. "Anything I should know?" he whispered, gently pulling his shirt over his head.

The sight of his strong chest glowed in the dim light. The tightness between my legs intensified.

"What do you mean?"

I watched as he kneeled slightly to undo my jeans. I trembled at the friction. Three slow tugs brought them down to my knees. "Anything you don't like or love." He peered at me as he got my pants off and placed them beside the nightstand. "Anything I should avoid?"

It was the same question from last night. And again, I couldn't answer it.

"Can I say I'm honored again?" He smirked, hooking his fingers on the sides of my panties. That's what he said last night; honored to be my first special moment.

My panties were gone. He placed them on top of my jeans and then stood. Laying on the bed half naked, I looked up at him. My cheeks burned as he pulled at the button of his pants, pushing the zipper down.

I sucked in a breath. This was it. It was happening. And when his jeans came off and I saw the bulge in his boxers, I opened my mouth and couldn't help my moan.

He huskily chuckled and licked his bottom lip. "Baby," he said.

My heart pounded. My breath quickened. And he hadn't even touched me yet. "Reece."

"Yeah?" He pushed his boxers down. The length of him came to life, free from its restraints.

I whimpered again and scooted back, pulling my shirt off too. I did everything to contain myself because I hadn't had anything like him in me before. And I was prepared mentally, but was my body?

He hissed as more of my clothes came off. The reaction gave me the courage to let my bra go, too. "Fuck," he breathed.

I traced my hand over my body before opening my legs for him. The rush of air from the room gave me shivers. Unless it was him; the sight of him opening the condom wrapper and then sliding it onto his dick was mesmerizing.

He went to the floor on his knees, grabbed my feet, and gently pulled me to the edge of the bed. I felt his tip at my entrance. I trembled. "Will I slide off?"

He licked his bottom lip. "Oh yeah." His eyes darkened as he looked into mine. "Gravity will push you down, baby, but I'll catch you."

A burning heat passed over my face. "I've never done it this way before," I whispered.

His tip pushed in an inch. My mouth opened slightly as he cooed, gripping my hip with one hand to keep me still. With the other, he helped his swollen dick slowly pass over me; up and down. My brows knitted as we locked eyes. "I want to take you places you've never been before," he hissed. "Can I give you this experience?"

I held my breath. If we were like this, I'd have nowhere to go. I'd fall against him, and he'd have no choice but to fill me, from hilt to tip. A long, soft moan slipped past my lips as I felt his width gently press inside. Could I do this?

As if he saw my moment of uneasiness, Reece let go of himself and stroked my thighs. "I'll take it slow," he said softly. "If you want me to stop, say the word."

A part of me wanted to slide the rest of the way and let my body try to swallow him. It excited me and my heart screamed. Just do it, take it, and experience it every way you can! Let this man take you to lands you've never seen before!

But again, be responsible. Locking onto his gaze, I said, "Pineapples."

He cocked a brow. "What?"

I bit my lip. "You said a word. That'll be mine."

Chuckling he nodded, repositioning his hands on my hips. "Pineapples. Whatever you say, boo," he said, then locked onto my gaze. "Now, let me see how much of you I can learn tonight."

He gently pulled me off the bed and onto him. The stretch was instant. A strong, tough push nudged at my walls and my body reacted with a small jump. I whimpered as he held me still. "All good, baby?"

My hands fisted the sheets as I bit my lip, looking into his eyes. I nodded, unable to speak. My legs had begun to quiver.

Reece didn't move. He exhaled slowly and allowed my body to adapt and stretch. After a moment, he pushed in again. Deeper. Wider. My mouth hung open as he hissed and creased his brows. "Fuck, Camila."

I trembled from head to toe, burning as he filled me halfway. A small burn passed through me and he still had room to go. "Reece," I whimpered.

He paused as he groaned, eyes fluttering slightly. He enjoyed me, satisfaction etched over his face, and it excited me. When I didn't protest his movements, he took the chance. He thrust the rest of the way and my body wrapped around him, clasping with all of its might and that thickness, that fullness made me moan, arch, and cry out in ecstasy.

"You okay, baby?" he whispered, lifting my body only to do it again, letting me fall onto the sleek wetness.

I whimpered, and nodded, lifting half my body, and balancing on my elbows. I had to watch him, watch the way he eased my body onto him, guided my pleasure to oblivion.

But after a few long, slow strokes, he moved deeper and I couldn't. I fell back, moaning loudly each time he entered me. I never thought of letting a man take control like this; being the one to know when to push, when to pull, and how deep his strokes could go.

He was an expert at everything, wasn't he? In his words. His mind. His hands. And now the feeling of his body entering mine gave me a new level of education.

"Fuck," he hissed, pulling out of me only to enter again, "you're so beautiful, Camila."

He let my hip go and grabbed my hand to pull me up. I struggled to balance, but I did it because I knew he wanted to see me and watch my reactions as he filled me. Did it burn him, because shit, I was on fire.

He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he shifted his hips, thrusting from a different angle. "Pineapples yet?" he moaned.

The angle shift made me whimper, but I shook my head. "No," I whispered my cry. "I like, love—"

Reece's brows pinched together. He bit his lip harder; his dimple showed. As he breathed harder, panting with me, his hands gripped my hips as he brought me down to his base.

I couldn't finish my sentence. I cried out, screaming, my cries of pleasure bouncing off the wall. I covered my face, bit my palms, and let my body slip off the bed and land on his dick. I took him all the way, deeper, harder, crashing into him to let him fill me, and with connection, we locked eyes.

My arms went around his neck. I held him close. And I bounced, whimpering in delight, until he squeezed my hips so hard and growled, I knew he came with me.

We stayed there, me sitting on him as his body relaxed. He took a deep breath before cupping my face. "I hope I didn't hurt you."

I shook my head and kissed him softly. "I didn't call pineapples."

"You didn't," he chuckled, pulling out of me. I slid onto the floor and passed my hand over my face, flushing from head to toe.

He left for a minute but came back with a dry towel. "But that was amazing."

As he handed it to me, I looked up at the mesmerizing man who had taken me to a different world a minute ago. I was coming down, riding my high with deep breaths.

Reece slowly lifted me and put me on the bed with him. "You're so beautiful, Camila."

"And so are you," I whispered, brushing my finger over his lips as I lay my head on his pillow. "I never felt anything like that. You—I—"

"I really like you, Camila," Reece said, kissing my top lip.

"I really like you, too."

Was this exactly what I expected from the night? No. It was better. Reece broke through my insecurities, allowing me to feel and enjoy every bit of him. And as I traced his bare chest, closing my eyes, I felt like he'd follow me into my dreams and let me enjoy him again