I flipped on the light and dropped to my knees beside Colton. His hands were clutched to his eyes, but I pulled them away. Holy shit. They were red. Not the shade of red you get from an hour or so in the sun. Not the bloodshot red that happens when you drink one too many shots of whiskey. No, they weren’t any of those reds. They were the color of ripe pomegranates.

“Damn it, Nik. What the hell did you spray in my eyes?”

“Wait here.” I ran for the kitchen to get a cold towel.

“I can’t go anywhere because you fucking blinded me.” Colton might as well have been a wounded bear. He was as big and angry as one.

I came back with a cold wet towel. “I’m sorry. You didn’t say you were coming home.” I dabbed at his eyes. “I thought you were a robber.”

“Fuck, Nik. I came home early to surprise you.” He rolled to his feet and stretched his arms out in a zombie walk.

“Surprise.” I knew this wasn’t funny, but it kind of was. “Let’s get you in the shower.” I grabbed the can on the way and read the label. “It says to flush your eyes with lots of water.”

“What else does it say?” He stumbled into the bathroom and flipped on the light switch.

“It says in case of accidental exposure, a blow job will cure everything.” I turned on the water and went to work undressing him.

“I’d like to say that would work, but this shit burns, Nik.”

I stripped off my flannel pajamas and climbed into the water with him. While his face was under the water, mine was between his legs. I sucked his flaccid penis into my mouth and sucked. Soon it was hard, and he was paying more attention to me than the pain in his eyes.

“Feels so good … oh … so damn good.” His hands guided my head back and forth as his cock slipped in and out of my mouth.

I tugged at his balls and rolled them around in my hand feeling them tighten. He was close, but I didn’t let up.

“Nik, stop or I’m going to—”

I pulled his throbbing cock from my mouth. “You’re going to forgive me?” Faster than he could answer, I took in his entire length.

His hands left my head and gripped the tile wall in front of him. “Oh … fuck.” He threw his head back and moaned while I swallowed everything he offered. He hauled me up from my knees and pulled me into his arms. “Perfect remedy.”

“Welcome to your home, Colton.” I leaned against his chest and let the warm water run over us. “Next time tell me you’re on your way.”

Colton laughed. “I don’t know, Nik, the cure is almost worth the pain.” He reached behind me and grabbed the soap. Instead of seeing to himself, he soaped me up and rubbed his hands all over my body.

“I’m so sorry. I was scared and overreacted.” I rubbed my sudsy breasts against his chest. The dusting of hair he had abraded my nipples causing them to pull into tight little knots.

Hanging heavy between his legs, his cock came to life. For a man who’d nearly been blinded, he was making a quick recovery.

“You were amazing.” He turned off the water. “You surprise me every time I see you.” Once we stepped outside the shower he wrapped me in a towel. “Who are you?”

“I’m no one.” That might have been closer to the truth than I’d ever come. I was a rich girl on her way to poverty, but for the first time in years, I was happy. That was a revelation. It didn’t take money to make me smile. It took a few budding tomatoes, a ball of yellow fur, and a farmer of energy. Who knew?

Wrapped in terry cloth and joy, I watched him dry off. He was hard and ready, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He was beautiful all the way from his toes to his red puffy eyes.

“You’re someone to me.” He lifted me up towel and all and carried me to the bedroom where Bo lay sprawled on the bed. “Out,” Colton said, and the dog slunk off the bed and out of the room.

Once the bed was free, he tossed me on top. “Surprise. I’m home.” He lay beside me and peeled the towel from my body.

I clapped my hands like a fool. “Yay, I love surprises.”

He rolled over my bare body and straddled my legs. “I missed you, Nik. You sent that damn picture to me, and all I could think about was coming home to you.”

My heart squeezed fist tight. “I missed you too.”

He reached past me to the nightstand and grabbed a condom. Maybe another surprise was in store. “You like these?” I pulled the foil package from his fingers and held it up between us.

“I like what they mean.”

“What do they mean?” I fisted the packet and tucked my hand under my bottom.

He tried to pull my hand free, but I didn’t budge. “They mean I’m going to get lucky.”

“Are you clean?”

He frowned. “I just had a damn shower. Now give it to me.” His voice was pained and impatient. His cock bobbed against my sex.

“I’m on birth control. You’re my first sexual encounter in nearly a year.”

“What are you saying?” His hand reached down and stroked his length. It was the hottest thing I’d ever seen.

“I’d like to skip the condom if possible. I’m latex sensitive and they make me sore.”

“Hell yeah. I’m embarrassed to say how long it’s been since I’ve been with anyone but myself. I’m definitely clean.”

I pulled my hand free and tossed the unopened condom across the room. He was buried root deep in me before I could take my next breath. Nothing had ever felt that good.

This time, sex was slow and purposeful. He gripped my hands and pulled them above my head. He drove into me while I shuddered beneath him. Then he slowed the pace and brought me back to neutral. He did that again and again until I was quivering mess below him.

He stroked my slick, wet, heat, and I screamed his name. “Do not stop.” My voice sounded high pitched and needy.

Without shame, I gripped his hips and pulled him deep inside me. I pulsed and shuddered around him and he followed me over the edge.

We lay sweaty and sated. Our limbs twisted and tangled together.

“How did it go with your dad?”

Colton groaned. “Darlin’, I just had the most magical moment of my life. Don’t ruin it with talk of my father.” He rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom only to return a minute later with a warm, damp washcloth for me. “What did you do while I was gone?”

He cleaned me up and snuggled close to my side.

I told him about the garden and how many starter plants were blooming or budding. We also talked about my progress on the brochure.

“I emailed Max and asked him to put out feelers for potential financiers. Hollywood types are generally tree-hugging liberals—they’re your perfect investor.”

“Who’s Max?”

“He’s my best friend, and the best financial advisor I know. A very good guy to have in your corner when it comes to money.”

“Just a friend, or more?”

Was that jealousy I heard in his voice? I liked the idea of Colton being jealous. That meant there was a level of interest that went beyond the bedroom. I decided to test my theory.

“He’s more than a friend.”

Colton stiffened and rolled to his back. “How long have you been with him?” Every word was tight and rigid.

I tried to discipline my voice—to use complete control, but laughter bubbled in my stomach and busted from my mouth. “Since we were kids. I grew up with him. We went to school together.”

“You brat.” He rolled over and tickled me. “You made me believe he was something more.”

I gripped his hands to stop the ticklish torture. “He is more. Max is the brother I never had. The sister I always wanted. My best friend.”

“But he’s not your lover?”

“No. You’re my lover.” I snuggled into his side and wrapped an arm over his chest and a leg over his hip.

“Let’s keep it that way.” He pulled me on top of him and ran his fingers up and down my back making gooseflesh rise on my skin. “I want you exclusively until you go back to your real life. Can you give me that?”

My heart twisted like two fists ringing it out. I hadn’t considered an end to this, but there would be an end. I calculated the remaining days in my head. “I’m yours for the next seventy-eight days. Can you handle it?”

“Baby, I look forward to it.”