“It’s your turn,” Niyol told Margery, clearing his throat.

Margery looked at the pool table a little dubiously and struggled to get her breathing under control as her heart rate slowed down. She had agreed to a game of pool to get out from under Niyol’s heated gaze, but she had no idea what she was doing. She cast a bewildered look toward Niyol who grinned at her.

“Margery, have you ever actually played pool before?” he asked, amusement in his voice.

“I’ve seen other people play it.”

He chuckled. “Come here. I’ll show you how to do it. This round can be a practice one.”

Margery stepped closer to Niyol, inhaling his scent as he motioned her closer to the table. He smelled like vanilla, sandalwood, and a spicy undertone she couldn’t name. She walked up to the edge of the table.

“It’s a good idea to turn your hips this way,” Niyol said, his strong fingers grasping her hips and turning her sideways. His hands lingered there for a few seconds before sliding away. He reached his arms around her, enveloping her from behind. Margery fought the urge to lean back into him and concentrated on what he was saying. He placed the pool stick in her hands and then cleared his throat. “You have to lean over,” he rasped in her ear.

Heat spread through her body, pooling just below her belly button and burning her face. “Okay,” she squeaked and bent at the waist.

His hands came around her again and rested over her hands, positioning them on the pool cue. Margery forced her mind away from another stick she could be holding and tried to pay attention to Niyol’s instructions. She realized how much of a mistake it was to give him her full attention when his scent hit her like a freight train a moment later, making her pleasantly dizzy. She turned her head to look at him.

Would he think me crazy if I threw him down and had my way with him right now? she thought, her mind buzzing from both the alcohol and his scent. Probably, but it might be worth it.

A small smile spread across her face, and she mentally shook herself. What the hell was wrong with her? She was acting like a teenager. Taking a deep breath through her mouth, Margery mastered her self-control with difficulty and listened as Niyol explained the best strategy for hitting the cue ball and why she should avoid hitting the black eight-ball.

Talking about pool strategy was the only thing Niyol could think of to keep his mind off the warm, soft body pressed against his. He knew the moment he leaned over her that this would not end well for him. It had been too long since he had held a woman in his arms, and it didn’t help that Margery smelled so damn good. Niyol moved her hands into the correct position and helped her pull back on the cue, giving it a little extra power to make the shot he had told her about. The pool cue met the cue ball with a small crack, sending the white ball into its intended target with another softer crack.

Clearing his throat, Niyol straightened. “Now you try,” he said, his voice hoarse.

Margery nodded and moved around the table, squinting at the balls scattered on the green felt. She picked a shot directly across from him and, leaning over, took careful aim.

Niyol bit back a groan and looked at the ceiling as she gave him a view of her ample cleavage. At this rate, he wouldn’t survive the game. He heard the two cracks signaling she made contact, and then she squealed. He tore his gaze away from the ceiling and looked back at her face. She was beaming at him as she rushed over and threw her arms around his neck.

“I did it,” she squeaked in his ear. “I made my first shot!”

He whispered words of congratulations or encouragement—he wasn’t sure which because he could only think of her breasts smashed against his chest, about pushing her down onto the pool table and—

No! he told himself. For God’s sake, get ahold of yourself! You are not a sixteen-year-old boy with your first woman. Stop acting like it.

That was easier said than done, he realized as her enticing scent wafted over him. She smelt of flowers with a sweetness underneath that practically made him drool. The sound of drinks being set on a nearby table snapped him out of his desire-induced haze. Margery released her hold on his neck and turned around, her face beet red.

Rose stood next to a tall, circular table, eyeing them with a suspicious twinkle in her eye. “Thought you two could use a drink.”

Niyol narrowed his eyes at Rose while Margery downed the contents of one glass.

Rose gave him an innocent smile before shrugging and walking away. They played a couple more rounds of pool before Niyol noticed that Margery was feeling the alcohol’s effects. She swayed a little as she walked, and he figured he better get her to her room before she fell over. He asked Rose where she was staying, and Rose told him, giving Margery a concerned glance. Taking her by the arm, Niyol led Margery up the cellar stairs and then up another flight of stairs to her assigned room. Stopping outside the door, he fiddled with the keys, attempting to unlock the door for her.

“I really enjoyed talking with you, Niyol,” Margery whispered.

The door finally gave a soft click, and Niyol turned to study her face. She wasn’t slurring her words and could stand on her own, so he didn’t think she was drunk, just a little tipsy. He knew from Jill’s wedding that Rose’s homebrewed beer was stronger than your average beer. Two glasses could definitely get someone tipsy but not drunk. He didn’t know why that mattered to him aside from wanting her words to come from her and not from the alcohol.

“I enjoyed talking to you too, Margery.”

Without warning, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. They were soft and inviting, making him groan with need. It had been so long since he’d had a woman, and Margery’s intoxicating scent surrounded him, clouding his mind and taking over his senses. He hesitated, not wanting to take advantage, but she ran her hands up his chest and behind his head to pull him closer, deepening the kiss, her tongue flitting out to trace his lips.

With a last frustrated groan, Niyol opened his mouth, letting his tongue dart out to tangle with hers. Wrapping an arm around Margery’s waist, he fumbled with the doorknob, opening the door and pulling her with him into the room before kicking the door shut with his foot. Margery broke their kiss and took a few steps back, leaving him leaning against the door, watching her.

A sinful smile spread across her flushed face, and her eyes darkened with desire as she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it away. She took her time shedding the rest of her clothes, her gaze never leaving his as she let her hands trail over the skin she exposed.

Niyol remained transfixed, drinking her in with his eyes until she stood naked before him. He stared at her for three beats of his heart before shoving himself off the door and striding toward her. He got there in two steps, gathering her in his arms and kissing her deeply, his tongue pushing into her mouth with a heated intensity he couldn’t control.

Margery’s hands scrabbled at his chest, searching for the buttons of his flannel shirt as he kicked off his shoes. Once his flannel hit the floor, his thermal shirt followed, and he mentally cursed himself for wearing so many layers. Her hands drifted down to the buckle to his belt, but he stopped her before she could undo it; he’d almost gotten carried away, but he wanted to go slow and savor each moment of pleasure they brought to each other.

He claimed her mouth in a slow, gentle kiss while his hands found her large breasts and cupped them, his thumbs brushing over her nipples and making her shiver against him. After a long gaze into her lust-clouded eyes, Niyol lowered his head, pulling a nipple into his mouth and sucking on the hard little bead.

Margery threw her head back and moaned, the sound vibrating through his body and spurring him on. He switched to the other nipple, lavishing it with attention while his fingers found the nipple he’d just left and rolled it between them. In no time, she was clutching him by the shoulders, her nails pressing into his skin. He moved her slowly backward toward the bed, pushing her down when they reached it. Falling to his knees, he spread her legs and pressed a kiss to the inside of each knee before trailing slow, open-mouthed kisses up her inner thighs, making her squirm with anticipation.

After he had explored every inch of her quivering thighs with his teeth and tongue, he blew a long, hot breath on her wet pussy before tasting her with a broad stroke of his tongue. A small gasp from her was all the encouragement he needed to taste her more, flicking his tongue against her pleasure spot while delving two fingers into her hot center. She tasted as intoxicating as she smelled, and he found he couldn’t get enough of her.

She bucked her hips in rhythm to his stroking fingers, faster and faster, her pants and moans intensifying, and Niyol found he couldn’t wait any longer. Standing up, he stripped his pants off in one fluid motion while she stared hungrily up at him. He rubbed his throbbing cock against her slick juices while rolling one of her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. She cried out and clutched the sheets in her fists.

“Now, Niyol,” she rasped, her voice husky with desire. “I need you inside me now.”

Niyol didn’t need to be told twice. He plunged into her hot sheath, then pulled almost all the way out before thrusting back in. He kept his thrusts slow and measured, watching as Margery writhed beneath him. She rocked her hips against his, and he captured her mouth again, imitating the thrusts of his hips with his tongue.

As she moaned into his mouth, her hands gripped his shoulders, and she raked her nails down his back, her muscles clenching around him and signaling her release. He quickened his thrusts, feeling the pleasure build until stars burst behind his eyes and he spilled inside her with a groan of satisfaction.

They lay there for a moment, spent and sated, their muscles refusing to work while they caught their breath. With a pleased sigh, Niyol rolled off Margery, pulling her close and throwing the covers over them. He gave her one last kiss before they both drifted off to sleep, holding each other in a tight embrace.