Luke stopped breathing. Lauren gave him time to answer, but his lips remained parted while no sound came out. The way he stared at her was answer enough.

She pushed herself upright, and the blanket slipped down her body as she swung one leg over Luke’s waist and straddled him. His hands flew away from his face, then hovered uncertainly near her hips.

Her nightgown had ridden high around her thighs. Only his thin pants, her panties, and the light fabric of the gown separated his erection from the heat between her legs.

Lauren lowered herself carefully until his cock settled beneath her.

Luke released a strained breath. His entire body tightened, and his hands curled into the bedsheet instead of touching her.

She could feel his full length pressing against her through their clothes. It throbbed beneath her weight, so hard and eager that her own body answered with an immediate pulse of heat.

Lauren placed both hands on his chest and felt his heartbeat racing beneath her palms.

"You’re impressive down there, Luke," she said. "Mama’s excited."

His cock twitched beneath her, and Lauren bit the inside of her cheek to keep her breathing steady.

Yvonne would have rolled her hips and teased him until he confessed every filthy thought in his head, then rewarded each answer by pressing down harder.

Lauren wanted to do exactly that.

The need between her thighs had become impossible to ignore. Her panties were already growing damp, and every nervous throb beneath her sent another pulse through her body.

Luke stared up at her with wide eyes. Desire was written across his face so clearly that she did not need Oracle’s Glimpse to know what he wanted.

She could take him.

Luke would not stop her. From the way he looked at her, he would probably agree to anything she suggested.

That realization cooled some of the heat rushing through her.

Luke was eighteen. He was legally an adult, but barely. His father had thrown him out, thugs had stolen his savings, and he had been left on the street. He depended on Lauren for a home, food, work, and almost everything else he owned.

His gratitude toward her was enormous, and so was the imbalance between them.

She had been the first person to stop when he needed help, the first to give him a room without demanding money, and the first to tell him that he did not have to earn every meal.

Luke might truly want her, but Lauren could not ignore how much of his life now revolved around her.

Her expression softened as she raised her hips enough to ease some of the pressure on his erection.

Luke noticed immediately. "Miss Lauren?"

She almost smiled at the title. Even while she sat over his cock with her nightgown gathered around her thighs, he still called her Miss Lauren whenever he felt uncertain.

"I want you," she said.

Luke’s eyes widened.

Lauren did not try to soften the truth.

"I want you badly enough that being responsible is becoming difficult. Yvonne is practically begging for a ride, and she’s very excited down here too."

She moved one hand between her thighs and briefly pressed two fingers against the damp fabric of her panties. Luke’s gaze followed the motion, and his hands clenched against the bedsheet.

Lauren removed her fingers before temptation overwhelmed her judgment.

"But wanting you doesn’t mean I should take everything right away."

The desire in Luke’s face gave way to confusion.

Lauren placed her hand over his chest again. "You’re still building your life. You don’t have savings, a stable career, or anywhere else to go if things between us become difficult."

"I can work."

"I know you can."

"I already help at the café."

"You do, and I’m proud of you. That isn’t the problem."

She drew a slow breath.

"I’m nearly thirty years older than you, Luke. I gave you a home when you had nowhere else to sleep. I feed you, employ you, and bought you something more expensive than anything you’ve ever owned."

Luke’s expression tightened. "I didn’t start liking you because of the headset."

"I know."

"I liked you before you brought me home."

"I know that too."

Lauren’s thumb moved gently across his shirt.

"But anyone looking at us from the outside could say I took advantage of you. They could say I used your gratitude, your inexperience, and the fact that you depend on me to get what I wanted."

"That isn’t what happened."

"No, it isn’t."

"Then why should we care what they think?"

"Because even if nobody else believes us, I need to know I didn’t take advantage of you."

Luke fell silent.

Lauren lowered her eyes. She wanted him, but the thought of Luke looking back one day and wondering whether he had ever been free to say no frightened her far more than denying herself now.

"The problem isn’t only what other people might say," she continued. "I need to know that you chose me because you truly want me, not because I was the first person to make you feel safe."

"You are the first person who made me feel safe."

"I know."

"That doesn’t make what I feel fake."

His answer came with more force than she expected.

Lauren looked back at him. The embarrassment in his eyes had given way to something firmer.

"No," she said softly. "It doesn’t."

She leaned down until her black hair fell around them. Her breasts pressed more heavily against his chest, but Lauren kept her attention on his face.

"I believe that you want me now. Your body certainly isn’t leaving much room for doubt."

Luke’s cheeks reddened again, though he did not look away.

Lauren smiled, but her gaze remained serious.

"I want you to have a life outside of me, Luke. Money of your own, somewhere else you could go if you needed to, and choices that don’t depend on whether I approve of them."

Her fingers brushed his cheek.

"I don’t want you staying because you’re afraid of losing your room or your job. I want you to know you have options."

"I know you wouldn’t send me away."

"I hope you know that, but this still matters."

She brushed her thumb across his cheek.

"I’ll help you get there. Maybe you’ll become a hero, maybe you’ll keep working at the café, or maybe you’ll find something else. Whatever it is, I want you to be able to stand on your own."

Luke’s breathing had slowed, though uncertainty had settled across his face. Beneath her, his erection weakened slightly as the seriousness of the conversation pushed aside some of his arousal.

Lauren held his gaze.

"Then, when you know you can leave whenever you want, you can decide whether you still want this old mama."