I looked forward to staying tangled in Dylan's arms. Actually, it was the best idea I could think of. If it weren't for his body being tethered to mine, I would've floated away into bliss by now. His dark blonde hair, soft and smooth, just grazed his collar. I wanted to play my fingers through the strands that tickled my knuckles. I wanted to feel his skin against mine, kiss him all over and enjoy the ecstasy his lips promised.

Oh, who was I kidding? Kissing Dylan was like floating on a cloud. He was feather-light touches, and air-soft sensations. I couldn’t wait to get lost in Dylan Highsmith.

"Let me make love to you, Haven." He spoke in a low voice. "Let me show you what flying feels like."

"Okay," I whispered against the column of his throat, breathless from the onslaught of passion tearing its way through my soul. I wanted this man. I wanted him to show me a tenderness I’d never known.

And for some reason, I knew it would be just that. Tender. Sweet. Perfect.

Just like Dylan.

He was everything I never knew I always wanted…and that night, I was one-hundred percent his.

Without breaking our kiss, Dylan reached down and wrapped his arm under my knees, cradling me to his chest. His kisses turned feather-soft as he padded down the hall to what I assume was his room. "Wait here," was all he said as he gently placed me in the center of a massive navy blue bed. It was soft and supple, the material like worn cotton under my fingertips.

He left and returned not even a minute later with two votive candles in his hands. I inhaled the scent of the vanilla and sandalwood as the flame flickered over Dylan's features.

"Wow." He looked at me with complete awe. "You are beautiful, Haven. I have never seen anyone more so than you."

My cheeks heated and my eyes lowered as I continued to fan my fingers across the cool, smooth linens. "You aren't so bad yourself, cowboy." My voice sounded sultry and soft, it was unlike I’d ever heard it before.

With Jude, it had always been rushed. A dirty little secret. Hushed voices, stolen moments, and rough takings. This was going to be a welcomed change. Dylan was everything Jude wasn’t and I was beginning to think my desires were misconstrued. I wanted—no needed to know if this was truly what I was looking for, if Dylan was what I was looking for.

I set Jude to the back of my mind and focused on the man who’d spent so much time wooing me. Dylan deserved to have all of me present with him and I deserved to be in the moment with him. My feelings had been growing and there was no doubt in my mind, I was ready for anything this boy had to give.

I patted the space next to me. "Come to bed, Dylan. Show me what I've been missing." I smirked up at him moving my knees open just slightly, giving him a tease of my inner thighs. “Did you bring the spurs?” I jested.

He chuckled, “No sugar, no spurs. Just me. Can you handle that?” I could see the challenge in his eyes across the dimmed room. My response was instantaneous, “Oh cowboy, I look very forward to handling all of you.”

He set the candles on the night table, and pulled his shirt over his head. “If the rest of you tastes as sweet as your lips, I look forward to it too, and devouring you ‘til the sun comes up and maybe until it sets again."

He lowered his knee to the side of the bed, crawling his way toward the center where I waited. I couldn't help but to reach out to him; my need to feel him was almost instinctual. Hard muscle under soft, smooth skin greeted my hands.

My fingertips grazed a small bump and scar on the top left of his chest as I worked my way down to the hard ridges of his abdomen. It seemed out of place on his otherwise perfectly tanned skin.

My brows knitted together in concentration, which he promptly broke as he lowered me toward the plush down pillows, my hair cascading across the midnight fabric like raven’s wings.

"Mmmm, you taste amazing, like dessert." His tongue trailed on my stomach as he raised my blouse over my head, his thumbs and forefingers pushing down to pull off my skirt and panties. Each digit skimmed the surface of my thighs as he brought his hands back up the sides of my body. The way he traced my lines felt as if he were trying to memorize me. It was erotic and sweet, all at the same time.

He continued to undress me and explore the peaks and valleys of my body, all the while referring to his favorite delicacies. "Cheesecake…cherry pie…blueberry…chocolate…crème brulee…strawberry ice cream…Goddamn, I could die tomorrow and be completely satisfied," he mumbled into my breast.

My giggle turned into a gasp just as he sucked a peaked nipple into his mouth. I let a soft moan escape my lips. Dylan was holding true to his promise at the bar: I was being worshiped. Never in all my life had I felt cherished and needed like that. I never had the time to feel this way with Jude. This feeling of being cherished was unexpected and exactly what I needed.

A lone tear escaped my eye as I succumbed to the feelings Dylan evoked in me.

For a moment, I considered if my rush of emotion was what love felt like.

The fluttering in my belly and the heat pooling between my legs was exactly what I pictured love to feel like…and Dylan couldn't be more perfect.

With his body against mine as he laid on top of me, my legs naturally wrapped around his waist, wanting nothing more than to be closer to him. "Shhh, relax, sugar. Let me take care of you." His hushed voice was warm against my fever-chilled shoulder.

"I need you inside me. Please, Dylan," I begged. I needed to know the connection wasn't all in my head. I wanted to know that when we joined, he felt me as much as I felt him.