Mila Wilson is quiet, anxious and a little bit of a mess. Panic attacks have ruled her life for as long as she can remember - but starting college is her chance to take control. Love? Not something she believes she's built for.
Then she meets Jace E...
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His words bring me back to the surface for a moment, grounding me in the kind of clarity only he seems capable of pulling from me. I'm not ready to let go—not yet. "No, I..." I murmur, breath catching as I reach down, gently wrapping my fingers around his hand to still him. "Not before..." I try, but the words falter on my tongue. I feel ridiculous even trying to say it out loud. I've never been good at this—never good at turning desire into language.
Jace's eyes soften instantly, but there's something else behind them too—heat, patience, a quiet kind of knowing. "What is it, Mila?" he asks, his voice low and steady, as if he doesn't already know. "Say it," he adds, a little more firmly this time, like the words matter, like I matter. Like he needs to hear me claim this moment as mine.
I swallow hard, the weight of it all tightening in my chest. My voice barely rises above a whisper. "I... want you."
Even before the last word leaves my lips, his hand finds my face, cradling it so gently it nearly undoes me. His thumb brushes across my cheek, a quiet promise.
"If that's what you want," he whispers, gaze steady and reverent.
I meet his eyes and nod—slowly, deliberately. This time, there's no hesitation. My hands slide down his chest, like his did earlier on mine. I find the hem of his sweatpants, letting my finger glide over it gently, trying to build up as much anticipation as him earlier.
His whole body tenses when I move closer. "Don't tease me," he almost begs sternly. "I don't know how much more I can take."
Without thinking twice, I slide my hand into his pants slowly. I wrap my hand around him, and his body tenses for the second time. His lips find their way back to my neck, almost encouraging me to move my hand up and down. And so I do.
His groans tell me to pick up my pace, and I focus on repeating the same motion over and over. He touches me again, giving me as much pleasure as I'm giving him. Even though I have a good height, I feel small beneath his broad chest and towering frame - delicately tucked away. Safe. Protected.
Two of his fingers enter me, and the pleasure is even more intense than before. I pull on Jace's pants, needing him to take them off. I don't think I've ever been more ready, but I need to feel all of him. His pants join mine, scattered around on the floor, his underwear along with it. He reaches for the drawer in his nightstand, followed by the sound of plastic.
"Are you sure about this?" he asks me sincerely, patient, trying to find any hint of doubt in my eyes. I fall silent, but nod my head at him genuinely. "Okay," he breathes, opening the package with his teeth. He slides the protection on, and hovers over me with one lower arm on each side of my head.
"Tell me if you want me to stop," he orders, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.
"Okay," I whisper back this time, the anticipation still building up in side of me.
