"You're fucking gorgeous," he said, and the sincerity in his voice made me feel beautiful in a way that had nothing to do with validation and everything to do with being genuinely desired. "You know that?"

Before I could respond, he hooked his fingers in my panties and dragged them down my legs, leaving me completely bare. Then he dropped to his knees at the edge of the bed, grabbed my thighs, and pulled me toward his mouth.

"Oh fuck," I gasped as his tongue made contact, licking through my folds in one long, slow stroke. "You don't have to—"

"I want to," he interrupted, his breath hot against my...