To Live by Dori Lavelle Page A

her, and she closed her eyes and arched her back.
    Shaun pushed and removed his tongue from her in the same rhythmic motion he had used with his fingers. He pushed it in deeper and Kelsey clutched his thick hair between her fists, pushing him even further into her. He stopped and sucked on her clit, then slid all the way back up her body.
    He moved his face close to her ear. "Open your eyes, Kelsey. I want you to look at me when I fuck you."
    Kelsey did as she was told.
    Shaun's eyes darkened to the color of the sky before a thunderstorm. He slipped one of his hands under the nape of her neck, holding her firmly, and with the other he reached down.
    Any moment now it would happen. She would have sex with Shaun, and she was ready.
    Still gazing into her eyes, he took a deep breath and pierced her, tearing her apart, unraveling her, shattering any remnants of the doubts she might still have had. He plunged in again and pressed himself hard into her, grinding from side to side as though he was trying to make himself fit inside, despite having already filled her completely.
    With each movement, a million stars burst before Kelsey's eyes.
    Grunting, Shaun gripped her shoulder and slammed into her harder, deeper, faster, until she almost forgot how to breathe.
    When he slowed down, Kelsey found her breath and wrapped her legs tighter around him, pulling him deeper. She wanted to get as much out of the night as she could. She would take as much of him as she had the right to.
    Shaun buried his face in the side of her neck and whispered between his heavy breathing, "hold on tight."
    Kelsey held on to his solid arms and braced herself.
    Shaun pulled out completely but his tip still touched her. Then he let out a deafening groan and slammed into her again so hard she screeched. He did it again and she screamed even louder, the sound rubbing her throat raw.
    This time there was no slowing down. Shaun pressed his lips against her mouth, swallowing her screams as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge of desire. With a moan, he jumped over it with her until they were both falling, falling, until they exploded in mid-air.
    He pulled his lips from hers and laid his head next to hers, their sweat mingling.
    As he throbbed inside her, Kelsey knew without a doubt this was the best sex of her life. Now that he had ripped her apart, how would she hold all the pieces together? He wouldn't be there to fix her.
    "How's that for a Christmas present?" Shaun asked, panting.
    "The best I've ever had," Kelsey said honestly.
    They didn't stop at the kitchen table. Shaun had meant it when he'd said he wanted her to be his for the night. He took her on a journey around the cottage. They made love in the dining room, the living room, on the stairs, in the bathroom, and finally in her bed.
    "I have something to admit." Shaun stretched along the length of the bed, after he'd had a chance to recover. "The many women everyone in town thinks I've slept with don't end up in my bed, and I don't end up in theirs. I've been interviewing them for my book." He paused and turned to look at her. "I used to be that kind of man, the one who slept with a lot of women, but that life is behind me. I still stay away from relationships, but I don't lust after every woman I see."
    Kelsey sighed with silent relief. So he wasn't a womanizer, after all. Not that it mattered, since their time together was pretty much over already. But still. She pulled herself up on one elbow, the bed sheet falling to reveal her breasts. "Why do you let people think you are a womanizer?"
    "I've learned one thing in life. People choose to hear what they want to hear. And they'll talk, no matter what you do or don't do." He flipped onto his stomach and rested his face on his hands.
    Kelsey inched closer to him, wanting to savor the last moments they had together, wishing she could make the night a few hours longer. She let her eyes rove over his body. "Wow, that's one big tattoo," she said, and