Dina typed the online order on the keyboard, then rocked back in the chair and said, “Have you heard from Josh?”

Natalie removed her hairnet, and tossed it on the desk. Ten more minutes and she’d be off the clock—she could finally leave and go back home. To her man, for as long as he’d have her. For as long as he stayed. “We’ve been through this, Dina. Dinner was a week ago, and you keep asking. I’m not seeing him again.”

Dina lowered her reading glasses and tilted her head, giving her a look full of attitude. “Did he do you wrong when he drove you home? You can tell me, mija. I know his father. I’ll kick his ass if I need to.”

Natalie sighed. “He’s a good guy. I like him as a friend. There’s just no sparks.”

Dina swiveled her chair, shaking her head. “Sparks don’t make a relationship last. Trust me, I know. Got infatuated with a younger man when I was in my twenties and should have known better,” she said, then glanced at the wall remotely, almost as if she had forgotten Natalie was in the back room with her.

She’s talking about Vincent. Natalie stood, removing her apron and hanging it on the hook. “Do you mind if I leave early today?” she blurted. “I, um, wanted to go to the store before it’s too late, and it’s been pretty quiet around here anyway.” Natalie managed to sound casual, and hoped the warmth she experienced didn’t break out on her cheeks and neck.

Listening to Dina talk about her broken marriage wasn’t right. She felt bad enough about sleeping with Dina’s ex-husband. No way did she want to be her soundboard too. That’d only make her feel even worse.

Dina blinked, as if yanked from her reverie. “Sure, you can go. How’s Vincent doing?”

Natalie looked away. How could she feel bad about sleeping with Vincent when he made her feel so good? Still, she doubted Dina would ever accept it. Not that she had much to accept. After he finished her house, he’d go back to his life in New York. Her stomach clenched. Best not to think about that yet. “He finished the roof. He’s good… I guess.”

“Has he told you about anyone he’s seeing in New York? Or did any of the town broads make a pass at him already? You know Lucy divorced her second husband last year,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

Natalie swallowed. Shit. What if he had someone else back home? She wanted to believe he wouldn’t cheat on a girlfriend, but how could she be sure? “Why do you care?”

“Humor me.” Dina shrugged. “Don’t you think it’s strange he never remarried or even got a significant other?”

“Well, you never remarried,” Natalie said, then her hand flew to her lips. She hadn’t meant to give Dina any attitude, but it came out wrong. She cleared her throat, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. You’re an attractive woman,” she added truthfully.

A few white streaks blended in Dina’s smooth brown hair. Although almost a foot shorter than her, Dina had a nice figure, and a stunning mocha skin from her Mexican heritage. She owned a successful small business and was a hell of a cook. Why didn’t men ask her out more often?

“Thanks. I didn’t remarry at first because I wanted to be there for Clint. Then, he grew up and began making mistakes, and I guess I used them as a reason not to think about my love life,” she said, sadness touching her dark eyes as it did whenever she spoke about her lost son. Despite all the pain Clint had caused her, Natalie’s heart shrunk. A mother should never have to bury her own son.

“You can think about it now,” Natalie said, nudging her elbow. “It’s not too late.”

“Coming from a twenty-four-year-old,” Dina said, rolling her eyes. “It’s easy to be hopeful at your age.”

Could it be true? A part of her had stopped being hopeful for as long as she remembered. After living through a broken childhood and an abusive marriage, she’d slipped into convenient survival mode. And now… ever since Vincent had come into her life, she’d felt alive. Invincible. Hopeful.

Natalie walked into her house, following the annoying sound of the saw on the back porch. Because of daylight savings, sun still shone in her yard, breaking through the canopy of oak trees and spreading dappled light across the lawn.

A shirtless Vincent, complete with jeans and steel-toed boots, used the fancy machine he’d brought to fix some of the wood planks from the living room. Lord, his body was an invitation to sin. Pastor Abbott had talked about the misleading temptations of the flesh, and her father-in-law personified each one of them. Sweat glistened on his skin, sneaking down his jeans. His face remained unshaven, giving him an edge.

Her nipples hardened, remembering the way he’d taken her the past week. They hadn’t wasted time speaking much, but they sure had fucked like two wild rabbits. “What are you doing?”

He turned off the saw, removed his safety glasses and glanced at her. “Figured I can fix your floor, or most of it anyway. There’s a whole section in what’s supposed to be the dining area I want to replace.”

She stepped toward him. “Sounds like a lot of work.”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “It is.”

“Do you want me to get you some sweet tea?” She offered. “Or a Shiner?”

He closed the distance between them, pulling her into his arms. “I can think of a different way you can quench my thirst.”

Vincent slammed his lips on hers, his arms wrapping her in an airtight embrace. Her heart throbbed against her ribcage, the maddening pulse expanding to her ears. She linked her arms around his head, thrusting her fingers into his hair, loving his groan against her lips.

She squirmed against him, every female part needing more from her male counterpart. His cock poked her, hard and undeniable. She was thankful the overgrown trees were due for a trimming. Her fences faced a greenbelt no one visited this time of year, and her neighbors from either side usually arrived home much later. They had the privacy they needed.

“Let’s take this inside,” he murmured, nipping at her lower lip and sending a jolt of excitement through her.

“No,” she said, touching his bare, incredibly sexy male chest. “We’re doing it here.”

He peered at her, his hazel eyes darkening to matte black. Her limbs loosened, and she almost fell on her ass. The way he looked at her, with quiet hunger, never failed to melt her insides.

In a matter of weeks he’d leave her town, her house, her life. She needed to have memories of Vincent screwing her in every room and nook of her home to replace all the loneliness and darkness from before. This is me being hopeful.

He led her to the porch area facing the greenbelt, leaning into the wooden rail. She hoped it wouldn’t give out while they fucked. As he pressed into it, a lazy creak filled the air, and she suppressed a chuckle. Her house was falling apart… and he was the man helping her pull it back together. Vincent.

“I jacked off today, thinking of you,” he whispered in her ear, his breath fanning her lobe. Goosebumps rose on her arms, and she moaned, delighted with his candor. Vincent wasn’t a man of many words, but he did make them count.

“Yeah?” She touched his chest, which gave a light shiver under her caress. She reveled in the chance to feel his bumps and ridges, the smoothness of his skin covering the hardness of his body. The body of a man who worked hard. “What was I doing?”

“You were sucking my cock. Then I fucked you over the kitchen table until we both came.”

She slid her hand down, stopping on his waistband. “I think the real-life version is better.”

“Let’s see,” he hissed out.

She unzipped his pants, and squealed when his cock greeted her without the confines of underwear. Moaning, she fisted his large cock, then ran the tip of her finger up and down his length. He threw back his head, closing his eyes for a moment, his lips thinned like he wanted to trap a guttural sound inside.

A sense of empowerment traveled down her spine, and she continued her exploration, loving to fondle his velvety skin, pleased that he was that phenomenally hard for her.

Unable to wait any longer, she kneeled in front of him. He watched her, and though she felt her cheeks warming, she kept going with her plan. This was in plain daylight, unlike when they’d made love in the room after dark. Or in the living room the day before. The rays of sunshine greeted them, and his every reaction she’d imprint in her mind.

She licked his cock, her tongue lazily swirling around his salty flesh.

He groaned. “That’s right, Natalie. You like my cock, don’t you?”

“I love it,” she said, squeezing his heavy, tight balls. “Every part of you is so big and overpowering.”

“It’s all for you, baby. All for your naughty mouth and body.”

She continued to lap at his cock, as a coat of her own essence drenched her underwear. Pleasuring him made her feel fucking hot, and aroused.

“Fuck, Natalie, you’re killing me. You suck me so good, baby. No one ever sucked me the way you do. You want me so much.”

“Yes I do, I do.” She licked him. “I can feel you’re close,” she said, tasting the pre-cum from his head.

“God, yes. Do you want me, Natalie? Do you want all of me? My seed, in your throat, as I fuck your sexy mouth until I explode inside of you?”

Her pussy clenched. “Yes. Oh, God, yes. I want it, Vincent. So bad.”

“Don’t move, darlin’,” he said, holding her shoulder. “Let me fill you with my load.”

She remained still, and he began thrusting and withdrawing himself out of her. She parted her lips wider, feeling him throb inside her, his veins expanding. Soon, he released his jism, and she swallowed him, tasting him, allowing the generous flow of his hot seed down her throat. When he stopped and slipped his semi-hard cock out of her mouth, she licked a drop from the corner of her mouth with her tongue.

“What am I going to do with you, Natalie?” he said, stretching out his hand to help her to her feet.

“Oh, I have some ideas.”

A devilish smile formed on his lips.

Then, the sound of the doorbell along with some hard knocks on the front door almost made her jump.

* * *

“Stay here, love. I’ll go see who it is,” he said, zipping up his pants, and grabbing the white undershirt he’d removed earlier from the outdoor metal chair. Love. Why had he used that term of endearment with so many others available? A warm sensation moved through him, and he found himself smiling as he crossed her house.

Just because Natalie brought out his soft side didn’t mean he’d lost his common sense. Their “relationship” was nothing more than a fling—a controversial and forbidden fling, should anyone find out.

When he opened the door, Dina greeted him. “Oh. Hey.”

His breath caught in his throat, and he had to swallow the lump of guilt. If his ex found out he was banging Clint’s widow… “Dina. Hi.”

“Natalie told me she was going to the store, and she left the shop but forgot her cell phone,” Dina said, fishing Natalie’s cell phone from her bag. “Can you give it to her when she comes back?” She offered it to him, and he took it.

“Of course.”

“Who is it?” Natalie’s voice sounded from behind him. “Dina?” she asked, with a nervous smile on her lips.

Vincent stretched to his full height, wishing he could disappear. This was the first time he faced both of them after he’d slept with Natalie. “Dina came by to give you your cell that you forgot.” He handed it to her.

Natalie took it from him. “Thanks, Dina.”

Dina waved it off. “Don’t sweat it, kid. I’m on my way to bingo night. I just wanted to drop this off. I thought you’d be at the store.”

Natalie clutched the phone in her hands. “Right. I forgot some coupons, so I came home to get them.”

“Alright.” Dina clapped her hands together. “Well, I better get going. You know how Pastor Abbott gets when one of us is late for bingo. Maybe some other time I can see all the renovations you’re doing in the place, Vincent.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said, saluting her. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Thanks. Y’all have a good night.”

He turned around and he closed the door, letting out a sigh. Man. I’m too old for this shit.

Natalie put the cell phone on the table, and clasped her hands together. She shot him a concerned glance, and he didn’t need much reading between the lines to figure out why. Natalie may not feel guilty because of the crappy husband Clint must have been to her, but she didn’t want to hurt Dina. That much was obvious. Well, damn it, neither did he.

“Do you think she noticed anything?” she asked.

He scratched his day-old stubble. “Nah. Doubt it.”

Her shoulders dropped a notch. “I feel bad about lying to her.”

“You can have your own life, Natalie. And do what you want.”

She winked at him. “And who I want.”

“Listen, I don’t give a frog’s fat ass about what Dina thinks of me. She’s no angel herself. I agreed to keep this quiet because you know how she was attached to— he stopped in his tracks, words trailing off. Attached to their son. The son whose wife just swallowed his cum.

She stepped in his direction, but he stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck. “Don’t you dare,” she said. “Everything’s peachy as long as we’re screwing. Otherwise you just don’t communicate.”

“What’s there to say?”

“I’m sorry for lying to Dina, as I hate lying in general. But what’s happening here,” she said, circling her index finger, gesturing to both of them, “for that, I’m not sorry. You know why? Because I had a crappy ass husband. I was weak, and I didn’t leave when I should have. I waited until it got worse.”

A flicker of pain flashed in her pretty eyes, and his jaw clenched. Damn it. This wasn’t a convenient rationalization to sleep with him—she’d been hurt. He curled his fingers into a ball. He could punch the bastard—his own son for Christ’s sake—for causing her so much heartache. I need to come to terms with Clint being the one who did this to her. “I’m sorry.”

Challenge supplanted the pain in her eyes. “I’m done waiting. I’m done not doing what I want to do.”

“Fair enough. What do you want?”

“I want you. I want to have you for as long as you’re in town,” she said, then worried her bottom lip. “If you’ll have me.”

If I will have her? He yanked her into his arms, his lips lowering to hers. Oh, how he loved to stroke her curves, to caress her soft skin and smell her feminine fragrance. She tugged at his shirt, and, understanding her need for skin-on-skin contact, he broke the kiss to pull his shirt over his head, and threw it on the floor.

Unable to wait, he gripped both sides of her dress, and ripped it off of her. An insane carnal urge pounded in his veins, causing him to want to show her just how badly he’d have her—anytime, anywhere. She moaned, the sound soothing his ears like balm on a fresh wound.

“Vincent.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “I know, baby.”

He captured her lips in his again, delving his tongue into her mouth. He intensified the contact, and she squirmed into him, her bra and panties rubbing against his bare chest and jeans. His cock strained against his pants, the craving surprising even himself. His body responded to her like it hadn’t screwed in decades, each time hungrier and more ready.

She reached for the back of her bra and unclasped it, her eyes on his. When she slid the beige underwear off her arms, he sucked in his breath. Damn it, she’s stunning.

She ran her hand from her neck to her chest, touching her tits. She made a circling pattern around her aureoles, showing him the goods. “Like what you see?”

He nodded.

She slid her hand to the hem of her panties, and pulled them down just enough to flash her pelvic bones. “Think you can handle me while you’re in Suarez? Am I not too much for you?” she said, a touch of mischief in her voice. “I’d hate to distract you from all the remodeling you’ve got planned.”

He narrowed the gap between them, inching closer, aroused as fuck. Then, he slid a couple of fingers into her underwear, watching her respond to him. Closely.

Her lips opened in an “o”, her eyelashes sweeping over her eyes. Swiftly, he flicked her clit with light touches, teasing the bud, as she bucked into his hand. She parted her thighs, and he took advantage and furthered his exploration, slipping into her drenched folds.

“I’m so hot for you,” she moaned.

He thrust his finger deeper into her, then withdrew it immediately. Her head bobbed, her pupils dilated, glossy with arousal. “I know you are. I can taste it.” He took his finger, nicely coated with her delicious pearly essence, into his mouth.

She stared at him, somewhat fascinated. He outlined her lips with the same fingers, in a silent bonding pact. She sucked his finger into her mouth, at the same time she lowered her hand down his body, squeezing it into his jeans without bothering to open the fly.

When she touched his rod, he groaned. Because of the tightness of the jeans and his cock, she couldn’t move her hand as freely as he would have liked. The simple act of placing it over his meat caused his blood pressure to skyrocket, sending his desire into overdrive. Every part of him throbbed with awareness, wanting more.

“Your pussy, mouth or ass? Where do you want me?” he asked, barely able to form sentences.

She glanced at him, tilting her head to one side as if she pondered his question. “Pussy,” she said at last.

Pussy it is. “Perfect.” He clasped her elbow, and led her to the formal dining area, where he bent her over the old, wooden round table. He nudged her legs apart with his own, and she acquiesced, lifting her butt.

Vincent took in the delicious sight in front of him… Natalie, wearing only her underwear, yearning for him. When he pulled down her panties, they slid off her velvety skin, and he caught a whiff of her addictive aroused female scent. He made his way up again, and couldn’t resist her large, dimpled ass.

Excited, he took a bite of her plump flesh, and she gasped, squirming.

“I-I said no ass today,” she said, her voice shaky.

“Not today,” he repeated to himself rather than to her. Hell, he’d give a body part to be able to slam into her naughty hole, but he’d wait. Give her more time to get used to him and his size. “Doesn’t mean we can’t mess around a bit,” he said, and kneaded her cheeks.

She moaned at first, then something must have occurred to her because she clenched her butt.

He stood upright, sighing. Why was she scared? He wouldn’t do anything she didn’t want. He kissed the top of her head, and gave a beat or two until she softened against him, the tension from her back gone.

Good. He wanted her soft and warm and willing and lovely.

He’d ask her later why she tensed up at the idea of receiving some good ol’ butt love. Now, he’d enjoy the sensations building in his body. Sensations only she evoked at such a high level. Sensations he needed to sate before the end of his stay in Suarez, Texas. For his good and hers.