I hadn’t been thinking, not even barely. When he moved again, I savored the way the underside of his cock slid against my slippery, swollen clit, sending sharp streaks of pleasure through me.

  Another moment later, he was rolling a condom on, protecting us both.

  I rose up as he asked, “Are you sure?”

  “Please,” I responded.

  I felt his crown pressing at my entrance, followed by the slow glide of him filling me. He was thick and long, and I was tight. It created the subtlest burn. I sank down slowly, shimmying my hips.

  “Open your eyes,” he ordered.

  I would’ve done anything Jack asked me at this point. I dragged them open. I found his gaze waiting, hot and dark. I was restless. I shifted my hips slightly, but his palm curled on my hip to stop me. “Wait.”

  “What for?” I was pushy and impatient.

  “Just a minute.”

  He lifted a hand, trailing his fingertips along my jawline. Goose bumps rose on my neck as his touch trailed down, teasing over my breasts and belly. I felt the press of his fingertips on my hips.

  “Now,” he said when his hips rocked up.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jack

  I dragged my eyes open, drawing in a deep breath and scrambling to maintain control. With McKenna clenching around me, I was awash in deeply intense pleasure.

  “McKenna,” I rasped.

  Her lashes lifted. In the light cast from the kitchen, we stared at each other. Her entire body trembled. Her skin was silky and damp. Keeping one hand on her hip, I slid the other palm up her back, levering her forward just slightly.

  I felt the soft give of her breasts against my chest, the tight points of her nipples. She smelled sweet with a salty hint. I dipped my head, breathing her in as I pressed lingering kisses along the side of her neck. I savored the way she shivered slightly and arched into me.

  I relished every second of touching her, every subtle motion. Yet I was buying a little time, just enough to keep myself from pounding into her and finding my release in a blazing hot second.

  She rocked her hips a little, and I lifted my head, watching her face. She bit her bottom lip, and that was it. What little control I had snapped. I grabbed her hips, nudging into her deeper and deeper. She was slick and clenching around me, and my release was already threatening. My balls drew tight, and it felt as if an electric fire flickered at the base of my spine.

  McKenna’s teeth sank more deeply into her bottom lip as she rose up and sank down again. She was tight, so very tight around me. Once again, I had to reach deep for something, anything, to keep me from losing control before she did.

  I leaned forward incrementally, bringing my mouth to hers in a messy kiss, nudging deeper with each rise and fall of her hips. I felt her begin to quicken again, her muscles tightening and her breath becoming shorter. Leaning back, I reached between us, bringing my fingers to where we were joined and circling them over her slippery, swollen clit.

  I watched as her eyes fell closed, and she cried out sharply. Only then did I let go, my release cracking like lightning, hot and fierce. My mind blanked as the force of it surged through me.

  We shuddered together, and I curled my arms around her to anchor myself, to hold her close as I gradually relaxed after the intense release.

  Several moments later, she took a shaky breath, and I slowly loosened my arms as I leaned back into the couch. “McKenna,” I whispered.

  She opened her eyes. We studied each other for a moment before she shocked me. “Just so you know, technically, I was a virgin.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  McKenna

  …technically, I was a virgin.

  Jack’s expression shifted from relaxed to something neutral to shocked before his eyes narrowed. “What?”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s no big deal. Virginity is just a social construct. I mean, technically.”

  “Technically? You just said you were technically a virgin. What exactly does that mean?”

  I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “It means that I’ve had plenty of experience fooling around. In the modern era, toys make things a little less of a big deal. I wasn’t saving myself for anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  Jack closed his eyes and took a slow breath. I sensed he was maybe confused by this. When he opened them again, he was quiet for several beats. Although my pulse had been working overtime for the last hour or so, it picked up the pace again. I regretted saying anything. To be honest, I didn’t know why I did.

  “I shouldn’t have mentioned it. It’s really not a thing.”

  “What do you mean by social construct?”

  “It was originally turned into an issue, a construct for men, a way to ensure they could confirm paternity. They linked that to women’s purity. This whole thing about the hymen is a joke. You don’t even have to have intercourse or…” I tried to formulate my thoughts.

  “Use a vibrator,” Jack interjected helpfully.

  When a giggle slipped out, I was relieved to see the tiniest hint of a smile when his lips curled up at one corner.

  “Yes. Anyway, for some reason, I decided to mention it to you.”

  “Why me?”

  That question made me squirm inside just a little bit. I shrugged again. “I’m not sure.”

  I was hedging a little, and I knew it. The truth was the chemistry I had with Jack was something I’d never experienced before. I’d given up on ever experiencing anything like that. I’d given up so thoroughly that I’d convinced myself it wasn’t even a possibility.

  My response to Jack had me rethinking some of my past assumptions. For example, I had concluded you could maybe get a fluttery belly, and your pulse could race, but it didn’t always mean anything. Sometimes you felt the feelings, but then you kissed someone, and it wasn’t all that great. The chemistry fizzled into nothing but smoke and mirrors.

  With Jack, every touch, every look, every moment with him just amped up the feelings. But I wasn’t about to go into all of that with him. That was far more than I wanted to share. Contemplating it, I felt vulnerable and unsure.

  Jack pressed his tongue into his cheek. “I think there’s more to the story, and maybe someday you’ll decide you trust me enough to tell me.”

  I opened my mouth to argue the point as my cheeks heated. Maybe I would trust him enough to tell him. Right now, trust wasn’t something that came easy.

  I didn’t know how, but I dredged up some composure.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jack

  McKenna stood in front of me with one foot curled over the other. She wore bright blue socks paired with leggings and a fleece sweatshirt that hung below her hips. Her hair was a tousled mess, and her gray-blue eyes were bright. Her skin was still flushed.

  “Did you even eat?” Her voice punctured the haze in my mind.

  After my electrifying encounter with her, my mind was still blown by her startling statement. Intellectually speaking, I understood her point. Maybe I’d never studied up on the social context around virginity, but it made sense. I realized it didn’t have to be a big deal. Hell, there was nothing glorious about when I lost my virginity. I’d been a senior in high school, and Jenny had been the prettiest girl in the universe ever to me. She’d unceremoniously stomped on my heart when she dumped me a month later for another guy. Oh, to be that young again.

  Somehow, inside of a single hour, things had gone beyond just fooling around with McKenna. The situation felt as if it was barreling out of my control. All things considered, she was probably smart to stick with toys. I came with messy, emotional complications. For me, there was also a firm boundary about not getting involved. I had other worries. A job that wasn’t safe and took me away for stretches of time, and a sick brother who was going to come live with me until he died. I didn’t have the bandwidth for any kind of emotional complication.

  “Jack?” she prompted.

  What the hell had she asked me? Oh right. “I didn’t eat,” I finally said. “Why do you ask?”

  McKenna waggled her brows, her eyes tilting up at the corners with her smile. “Because your stomach just growled. I didn’t eat either. Let’s order some pizza.”

  Maybe McKenna wasn’t my first, but I experienced a first with her. I didn’t want to just get the hell out of here. After my last serious relationship ended when my ex declared she assumed I’d change my mind about wanting kids (spoiler alert: I still didn’t want kids), I kept scrupulous boundaries. Usually, I was in a rush to make sure there was no confusion, and a part of that meant not spending too much time together. But with McKenna, I wanted to stay. Beyond the fact that she was sexy, delectable, and cute, I liked being around her. I wanted to linger in her presence, and it wasn’t about sex.

  Without thinking, I nodded. She declared pepperoni to be her favorite, and I wasn’t about to dispute that point. There was nothing like a good pepperoni pizza. She lifted her phone to dial and hesitated before saying, “Fuck it.”

  After she quickly called in our order, I asked, “Fuck what?”

  “I wasn’t going to order from Fireweed Winery even though it’s the best pizza in town, and I’m not just being biased. But I don’t want to waste money on so-so pizza. The only other place is the grocery store deli, which is good in a pinch, but that’s about it.”

  “Is there a problem with ordering from the winery?”

  She gestured for me to sit on one of the stools by her kitchen island. “Not really. It’s just if the delivery driver feels like gossiping, they might mention to someone in the family that you were here tonight.”

  I chuckled. “Ah, the unintended consequences of living in a small town.”

  “And having a nosy family and too many siblings.”

  I mentally counted. “There are seven of you?”

  McKenna’s lips twisted to the side in a lopsided grin, but something dark flickered in her eyes. “There are seven of us, and I’m the youngest and the only girl.” She paused, a mix of emotions crossing her face before she added, “Our oldest brother Jake died from alcohol poisoning in college.”

  “Oh. I’m really sorry.” Those words felt inadequate, but that was all there was to say.

  “Thank you. You’ll hear about it around town. Gossip is a thing in small towns, and Fireweed Harbor is no exception. I try to ignore it most of the time, but I know there are rumors about our family.”

  I nodded after a beat. “I can imagine. Aside from the usual small-town chatter, you all own an international corporation. I heard someone describe your family as Fireweed Harbor royalty.”

  McKenna rolled her eyes at that. “Trust me, we’re not royalty. Unless you count the messy family history.” She didn’t seem to want to talk further.

  “Is there any family that isn’t messy?” I commented lightly.

  Her expression was soft as she looked at me. “I suppose not. But when it’s yours, it feels so big.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “How many siblings do you have, if any?”

  She couldn’t have known just how loaded that question was. I had practice with keeping my emotions in check. “Just one. My brother.”

  “Older or younger?”

  “Derek’s older.” I took a breath, steeling myself. “By one year. We’ve always been close. I’m in a hurry to buy my own place because my brother is sick. He has nonsmoker’s lung cancer from exposure to radon gas. He’s dying. He’s had three rounds of treatment and doesn’t want to go through another.”

  McKenna’s hand flew to her chest just as she began to open the refrigerator. She turned back to face me. “Oh no! I am so sorry.”

  I ignored the stinging sensation in my heart and swallowed through the knot aching in my throat as I took in a slow, careful breath. “Thank you. He’s coming up here as soon as he can. We have family in Diamond Creek and have visited over the years. We’ve both always loved Alaska. When I took this job, and he found out the cancer was back, he asked if he could come stay with me. I want to fix it, and I can’t.”

  McKenna looked at me quietly. “I can imagine. You seem like a fix-it kind of guy.” Her words were soft and understanding.

  “I can’t fix this, and I hate it. I imagine you would do the same for one of your brothers.”

  She nodded without hesitation. “If there’s anything I can do—” Her words cut off abruptly before she pursed her lips. “I like to fix things too, and there’s really nothing I can do to fix this, but I’ll help if you need anything.”

  “I appreciate that. You know what it’s like to lose a brother.”

  Something flickered in her gaze, something like sadness. It felt as if she wanted to say more. At that moment, the doorbell rang, the sound snapping through the moment. McKenna practically jumped out of her skin at the sound. She blinked. “I’ll get that.”

  I reached for my wallet, only to discover it wasn’t even in my pocket. “I can cover it,” I offered as I stood. My wallet had to have fallen onto the sofa in the midst of our heated encounter when I was fumbling for a condom.

  She waved me away and walked briskly toward the front door. “Family gets a deal for pizza.”

  Moments later, the pizza was spread out on the counter, and McKenna sat across from me. I shouldn’t have been distracted by the sight of her eating. She was just eating. But I happened to look up right after she finished a slice of pizza. She swallowed, and her tongue darted out to the corner of her mouth before she dabbed at her lips with a napkin.

  My nerves sizzled with fire. Fuck me.

  Beyond the burning need I felt when I was with her, I found the more time I spent with McKenna, the more I liked her. It was easy to talk with her. I’d surprised myself by telling her about my brother.

  As if she could read my mind, she asked, “So when will your brother be moving here?”

  “I’m scheduled to close on the house next month.” I glanced at my watch. “Which is why it worked out for me to find a short-term rental like I mentioned before. Once I move in, I’ll have to do a few things to make sure it’s set up for him, and then he’ll move here.”

  “What do you need to do?”

  “Not much. I need for the house to be accessible and so on. He can walk on his own, but he’s pretty weak, so I want to make sure it’s comfortable. It’s a single-story home, so it’s pretty easy to manage.”

  McKenna looked worried. Her brow furrowed, and her teeth sank into the bottom corner of her lip. “I want to give you all kinds of suggestions for medical options in Juneau.”

  “Trust me, I’m full of suggestions for my brother. He’s already done all the things. He’s had world-class medical care, three rounds of treatment, and then some. He just wants to be comfortable. I’ve already been in touch with the hospital here. His medical team down there is coordinating to ensure he can have palliative care when it’s time.” I paused as my heart thumped with an ache that got sharper as time passed.

  “Would you change anything if you could?” she asked, her tone soft.

  “Of course. I wish he wasn’t this sick. I wish a lot of things, but that’s where we’re at. It’s his call, not mine. I do understand. I was with him during his last round of treatment, and it was brutal. He was so miserable. I’ve never had cancer, but what I saw is nothing I’d want to experience. The doctors have said the odds aren’t good.”

  As McKenna held my gaze, my heart eased a little. While I was caught in the undercurrent of pain and sadness for what my brother was experiencing and the loss I knew was coming, I sensed she understood.

  A few moments passed while we ate before she asked, “Do you want to keep talking about this?”

  “Of course not. I don’t mean that I mind you asking, but it’s hard. I know it’s coming, and I’m there for him.”

  “Okay.”

  “Tell me about what it’s like to grow up with so many brothers.”

  Her lips pressed together before she let out a muffled snort. “It’s something all right,” she said dryly. “I grew up with seven, lost one, and then we learned we had an older half-brother a few years ago. Fortunately, he’s awesome.” She paused before lifting her hands and letting them fall. “It’s complicated and I’m not even joking.”

  I chuckled. “I can imagine. My brother usually feels like he has a say in my life, and there’s just one of him.”

  She grinned. “I do the same to them. It’s just a different dynamic. At times, I wished I was an only child and still do. But then, I also wouldn’t trade it for anything. We haven’t always had it easy.”

  “It must’ve been hard to lose your older brother,” I offered.

  She studied me quietly. “It was, it is. But…” She shrugged. I sensed there were a lot of tangles in that answer.

  “And there we go talking about hard things again,” she said softly.

  “Should we talk about the weather?” I teased lightly.

  She laughed, the throaty sound sending a fiery sizzle through me.

  “Well, you moved here smack in the middle of winter. Speaking of weather, I hope you don’t mind the cold and snow.”

  “Not at all. I’ve always loved snow. We lived in the foothills of the Cascades, so I’m used to some snow. Maybe not as much as you get here.”

  “Do you like to ski? Your family owns that ski lodge in Diamond Creek, right?”

  I nodded. “I do like to ski, both downhill and cross-country. What about you?”

  Not much later, McKenna was putting away plates and tucking the leftover pizza in the box. She glanced over at me after she closed the refrigerator door.

  “Do you want to stay or go?”

  Chapter Twenty