The fear that one wrong move, one moment where his control slipped even a little, could hurt her or the baby. It was unlikely. Hell, the odds were practically nonexistent. But Lucas didn't do odds. He dealt in absolutes. And the absolute truth was, if something happened to Ava or their child because of him, he would never forgive himself.
So, yeah. Celibacy was his penance. Torturous, self-imposed, and entirely unsustainable.
Which is probably why her every touch lit him up. She could have blinked in his direction, and he'd be halfway to howling. So when she slid her hand beneath the covers and wrapped around him, he didn't stand a chance. Especially not this early in the morning, when his defenses were down and his hormones were standing at full salute.
He moaned softly, more of a sigh, really. A breath of confused bliss. It must have been all the invitation she needed because the next thing he knew, she was tugging his shorts out of the way and replacing her hand with her mouth.
