Morning light peeked through the slit in the curtains, illuminating the back of Cael’s eyelids. Shifting in bed a bit, before he opened his eyes he felt a warm, very female body draped over him. She was curled into his side with her leg slung over his and her arm wrapped around his middle. Her head lay on his shoulder and his arm was holding her closely to him. The feeling was unusual, considering he never spent the night with his hookups. He had been truthful with her—hookups were not frequent— but he didn’t mention that he had not been in a relationship since before he had been in the Army.

He had no idea what time it was, but with the light already bright, he knew the early dawn had passed—not surprising when he considered they had spent the night burning through the strip of condoms he brought. When he had recovered after the first time, she had ridden him, her long hair forming a curtain around their heads. Then they went at each other again as they took a long shower, both discovering shower sex. The desk had not been broken in yet, but after sleeping for a while, they had woken up for another round in bed. Granted, the last time had not been particularly athletic. Instead, they had both moved slowly, discovering each other’s bodies in a way that made him uncertain he wanted an early goodbye today.

Shifting slightly, he peered down into her face, memorizing the sprinkling of freckles across her nose, the dark lashes forming crescents on her cheeks, and the way her mouth was barely open emitting a cute, little snore. Blinking, he wondered what he was doing. Why the hell am I memorizing anything about her face? He tried to convince himself that they could walk away in the morning’s light and that be it, but he knew that was not what he really wanted. Please let her want to stay longer as well. I want more time with her…no, I need more time with her.

As though she could hear his thoughts, her eyes opened, confusion quickly morphing into a beaming smile. “ ‘Morning,” she said.

“Good morning to you, beautiful,” he greeted. Leaning forward he kissed her gently, nipping her bottom lip.

She sat up, dragging the sheet over her breasts as she stretched. Looking down at him over her shoulder, she sighed. “I guess I’d better get dressed. I want to thank you for last night…it was way more than I ever expected. I’ll just—umph,” she grunted, wide-eyed, as he flipped her over onto her back, his large body pressing into hers. “What…?”

He kissed her, his tongue delving, unable to get enough of her taste. Pulling back, he held her eyes, declaring, “We need to eat.”

“Eat?”

“Yeah. Breakfast.”

“Breakfast?”

Chuckling, he said, “Red. Are you just gonna repeat what I say?”

Narrowing her eyes, she said, “What about our agreement?”

“We didn’t say anything about not eating.”

Regina bucked her hips but did not move Titan an inch. Instead, she just felt his morning wood pressed between her thighs. Eyes jerking open wide, she said, “Again? You’re ready again?”

“Sorry, babe,” Cael laughed. “Some things I can’t control. But, I promise, no more…for now. Not until we get some fuel in us.” Seeing the confusion pass through her eyes, he sobered. “Look, Red, I know we started as a hookup with no names and no regrets. But, like I said last night, one taste of you and I knew I wanted a whole night, not just an hour or two. I haven’t had a whole night with someone in a very long time.” He brought his hands to either side of her face, gently rubbing his thumbs over her petal soft cheeks. “Something’s happening between us. I don’t really know what it is, but I just know I want more time with you. I got nowhere I need to be this weekend and no one who’s expecting me. I propose the whole weekend.”

Sucking in her lips, Regina’s chest rose and fell with each breath, uncertainty filling her. He wants more? More time? The whole weekend?

“You got somewhere you need to be right now?” Cael asked, a sliver of worry now curling through him at her expression, wondering if she did not feel what he was feeling.

“No, not really. Well, actually, not at all.” Her eyes sought his. “I just don’t want this to get complicated.”

“Won’t be complicated if we keep it simple.”

“Still no names and no regrets?” she asked.

“Absolutely, Red,” he grinned, kissing her quickly before rolling off her. “Do you want to grab some breakfast downstairs?”

“You don’t want to order room service?” she asked, wondering about wearing clothes that had been lying on the floor all night.

Jerking the sheet off her, he leered at her naked body as he jumped up from the bed. Giving her a little slap on the ass, he said, “Come on. Get dressed. We’ll be spending enough of our time in this room, we might as well get out for a little while this morning.”

“You are too damn cheery this early in the morning,” she grumbled, climbing out of bed and grabbing her clothes from the floor. Putting them on, she looked up as he strolled from the bathroom, his jeans on, but his chest gloriously on display. “If we’re going to spend the weekend together, I’ve got to get a toothbrush and some deodorant. Plus moisturizer.”

“They got those downstairs…we can get them from housekeeping.”

Cocking her hip, she glared. “And I at least need to get some clean underwear. And don’t tell me that I won’t need it!”

Laughing, he said, “Well, you won’t, not in here. But, we won’t stay in the room the whole time, so yeah, I guess you might need a change of clothes.”

She met his grin with one of her own as she pulled her clothes back on.

“Don’t worry about anything…it’s not a problem. They got shops nearby. After breakfast, we’ll take a walk and pick up some things.” He pulled his shirt over his head and smoothed out the wrinkles with his hands.

She stepped up to him and stilled his movements with her hands on his. “You’re fine, Titan. In fact, you’re so fine, believe me, no one will notice a wrinkle.”

“I was thinking the same thing about you,” he confessed. Kissing her again, he linked their fingers and they headed out of the room.

Soon ensconced in a booth with steaming cups of coffee in front of them, she ordered the French Toast breakfast with scrambled eggs and bacon. She was stunned as he ordered a double stack of pancakes, four eggs, double bacon and sausage, breakfast potatoes, and a large juice.

As soon as the food was delivered, she stared in unabashed awe as he managed to put away his entire breakfast, including part of hers that she was unable to finish.

Leaning back in his seat, he patted his stomach. “You ready to do some shopping?”

“Yes,” she agreed. “I need to walk after all that food.”

Grabbing her hand and gently guiding her out of the booth, he said, “Don’t worry about that. We’ll work that off later.” Laughing as she rolled her eyes, he led her outside and they walked down the street, their hands clasped together. The sidewalks were not crowded, but she still noticed people turning to look at them.

Looking around, she said, “You must get gawked at a lot.” Settling on his face and seeing his raised eyebrow, she added, “Being so tall.” She waited a beat, and asked, “How tall are you?”

Pulling on her hand so she had to stop and look up at him, he bent to kiss her. Standing up again, he replied, “Six feet, seven inches.”

“Holy moly! No wonder everyone is looking at us.”

“Babe, they’re staring because you’re so fuckin’ gorgeous.”

Smiling at his compliment, they continued to walk and soon came to the entrance of a park.

She gave a little tug on his hand and said, “Let’s walk over there. It’s so nice out today, the fresh air will do us good.”

Allowing Red to lead, Cael nodded and they crossed the street. The day was perfect for a walk—sunshine, blue skies, and warm temperatures. He could not remember the last time he had done something so casual as walk hand in hand with a woman with no particular destination in mind. Glancing down at her, he noticed how her hair caught the sunlight, causing the copper and gold to shine even more. Her face was split with a wide grin as her eyes took in their surroundings.

“This is so pretty,” she said. “I’ve never been here. Well, I suppose on the far side, closer to the campus, I might have walked some, but this park is so huge.”

“How old are you?” he asked, suddenly curious.

She shot him a glare. “First of all, it’s rude to ask a lady how old they are, and second, we said anonymity.”

“You tellin’ me your age is hardly the same as telling me your name,” he argued, “and after the night we just had, don’t you think that I’ve proven I’m not rude?”

She barked out a laugh. “Yeah, last night was definitely not rude.” Cocking her head to the side, she asked, “You afraid of robbing the cradle?” Now it was his time to glare while she just smiled before replying, “I’m twenty-eight. I was born and raised in Richmond, but left to attend UVA in Charlottesville and then did my master’s work here at VCU.” Grinning up at him, she lifted a brow and asked, “Good enough?”

He squeezed her fingers as he grinned. “Yeah.”

“Hey, turnabout’s fair play,” she complained. “What about you?”

“I’m twenty-nine as well. Did four years in the Army after high school. Corps of Engineers. Like working with my hands, so I continued with construction. Work for a big company, but the work is basic conversions. Warehouses into condos, that sort of thing. I prefer restoring old houses, but for now I just do that on the side.” He glanced down at her, suddenly wondering about her reaction to his confession. Did I say too much?

She smiled brightly and said, “I think that’s wonderful to get to do what your passion is. I would hate for you to feel caged in. Do you have any hobbies?”

He warmed at her words, surprised that it mattered to him what she thought. With another squeeze, he continued, “I’ve got a little house I bought and have been fixing it up on the side, so I guess my job and my hobby are one and the same.”

Neither spoke for a moment as their feet took them toward a small lake in the middle of the park. The water reflected the blue sky and created a picture-perfect scene. Several benches sat facing the lake and she tugged on his hand, leading him toward one. Once seated, he threw his arm across her shoulders, tucking her into his side. She laid her head on his shoulder and they sat, quiet, appearing to any outsiders, he was sure, as a couple.

After several minutes, she leaned up and twisted her head around to peer at him. Seeing his brow lift in question, she said, “Is this weird?”

His brows lowered and he repeated, “Weird?”

Nodding, she said, “Yeah…this.” When he did not respond, she continued, “Us…sitting here…like a couple. Not two strangers.”

“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet,” he said, realizing he was quoting Miss Ethel.

Her eyes widened as she said, “Uh…stranger-danger? A stranger could be a serial killer waiting to do you in.”

Unable to resist, he leaned forward, whispering, “I’d like to be in you when I do you.”

Slapping his chest with her hand, she laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Oh, God, that’s bad. You are so cheesy.” She held his gaze as her mirth slowed, then sighed heavily.

Before she could say anything else, he said, “Look, Red, we may have started out as a hookup, but I think we both know this is anything but just that.” He watched as she sucked in her lips, thoughts moving behind her eyes. Leaning in to place a sweet kiss on her lips, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with two people enjoying some time together.”

Her voice soft, she said, “It feels dangerous. Like I’m playing with fire.”

Kissing her once more, he said, “I promise you won’t get burned with me. And when I promise something, I never beak that promise.”

He expected her face to soften, but instead, she widened her eyes and snorted as she laughed. “Did you just quote Tangled to me?”

Blushing, he mumbled, “Maybe.”

She grabbed his face with both of her hands and pulled him in for another kiss. Angling her head, she took the kiss deep, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. He reciprocated and the kiss lasted long minutes, until they finally separated, both panting from the sensations.

“Gotta say, Titan, never had a man quote a Disney movie to me before. But with how you said it? That was the sexiest line I’ve ever heard.”

“Fuck, girl. If I had known Disney was all it took to pick you up, I’d have made my move quicker last night.”

Giggling, she settled back into his embrace as they watched the ducks on the lake for several more minutes. “You know, ducks are fascinating. They look so calm on the top of the water, but underneath, their feet are paddling like crazy.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but was unable to come up with anything to say other than to burst into laughter.

Blushing, she said, “I realize that sounded so random.”

“Yeah, it did, Red. But, I gotta ask, what made you think of that?”

“I just think we’re a lot like the ducks. You know, we see other people and they are so calm on the outside, but we don’t really know what they have going on inside. Many of them might be paddling like crazy.”

He tucked a flyaway strand of her hair behind her ear, his smile still in place. “Is that you? Are you a duck?”

Laughing, she nodded. “Yeah, sometimes I think I’m just like that.”

As their mirth subsided, they continued to enjoy the view of the park, the sun shining down on them. She finally sighed and said, “As nice as this is, I still need to go shopping.”

“We can come back if we want,” he said, standing and linking fingers with her again, as naturally as breathing. They walked out of the park and down the street in front of the hotel.

Passing a drug store, she said, “I can run in here and grab some underwear.”

Not letting go of her hand, he said, “Oh, no, Red. I got a glimpse of the green satin you’ve got on now and I’d like to see more. There’s a lingerie shop across the street.”

“Seriously?” Planting her hands on her hips, she said, “Why should I spend money on lingerie when it’s just going to be stripped off and end up on the floor?”

“Don’t worry,” he argued, “I’ll make it worth your while. Plus, I’m buying.”

Coming to a sudden halt, she planted her feet. “Oh no, you’re not.”

“Sure I am. I’m the one who’ll benefit from the show so I’ll pay.”

Not allowing him to tug her further, she argued, “Titan, buying a woman underwear is not casual. It’s…it’s…it’s personal.”

Figuring he should pick his battles, and not wanting to confess that what they had was quickly becoming very personal to him, he agreed reluctantly. Entering the shop, he carefully observed as she lightly fingered the silk and satin bras and panties. Moving past the sets, she grabbed a pack of bikini panties and a sleep tank top with matching shorts. As a saleswoman approached her to talk about their newer line of exercise clothing, he nodded to another clerk, handing her his card.

She added a racer-backed tank with a pair of leggings to her purchases and moved to the register, where she pulled out her credit card. Distracted by the clerk again, she never noticed that it was not her card that was charged, nor that a few extra items had been placed in her bag. As they made their way out of the shop, he carried her bag and led them across the street.

Entering the drug store next, Regina made a beeline to the toothbrushes, deodorant, and cosmetics, grabbing her favorite shower gel and moisturizer. Meeting at the end of the aisle, she noted the large, Titan-sized box of condoms in his hand. Cocking her hip, she lifted a brow. “You must be feeling lucky.”

Wrapping a long arm around her waist, he snatched her closer. Bending to take her lips, he muttered, “Oh, yeah, Red. I feel like my luck has definitely changed for the better.”

Laughing, they paid for the items and headed back out. Linking fingers, Cael checked his phone but there were no updates from his sister. Red noted his worried expression and squeezed his hand. “Hey, you okay?”

Hesitating, he nodded, then decided he wanted to share at least a tidbit. “I’ve got a relative in the hospital and was hoping to hear something today.”

“Oh, my God, Titan. I’m so sorry. Listen, you can call them. I’ll go on up to the room and you can talk here. Or you go on up and I’ll—”

“Hey, it’s okay. If there was news, they would call. So, for now, let’s go up to the room. We can relax, maybe watch a movie, have some fun, order room service later on…whatever we want.”

Regina studied his profile as they entered the elevator in the hotel a few minutes later. As the doors closed, she thought about how much had changed since the night before in the same elevator. How much her heart was just a little lighter having him near. Sucking in a quick breath, she pushed those thoughts from her mind. “So, what if that whatever includes opening your new box of condoms?”

“Damn, Red. You are a woman after my own heart,” he laughed, right before he reclaimed her lips.