Felicity was in love with Jared.

There was no doubt about it. As she woke the next morning in his arms, feeling safe, sated, and happy to the point of being ridiculous, there was no denying what she felt. She lifted her head enough to slide her chin across his naked shoulder so she could study his sleeping face. She wanted to memorize each feature—the aquiline nose, the sweep of dark lashes that graced his cheeks, the slight pout of his relaxed mouth. She wanted to paint them each upon her memory, to cherish through the rest of her life, wherever it would take her.

Looking at him was like coming home in the truest sense. It wasn’t the home she’d grown up in, in a little house too small to accommodate her and her parents, but rather it was the home she’d always craved, the one she’d always hoped she would deserve someday. The one that would make her happy, nourish her, excite her.

If only she didn’t have class, she could’ve stayed in bed all day and just cuddled with him. But the day was slipping away, she had Professor Willoughby’s class, and he would be returning the scored tests. Jared stirred, rolling onto his back, exposing his bare chest. All that smooth, perfect skin was irresistible. She laid her palm on his chest, relishing the way his heartbeat thumped slow and steady.

He opened one eye and looked her way, making her jolt. She hadn’t thought he was awake. Jared flashed a sleepy smile at her startled jerk.

“What if we pretended we didn’t have work or class?” he mused softly.

“Hmm,” she sighed softly. He had no idea how tempting that was.

“Is that a yes?” He rolled onto his side to face her, offering her a winning smile that she strove to commit to memory.

“I can’t. I’m getting my exam paper scores back today for my colonial art exam. Don’t you need to work?” she reminded him gently.

The smile on his lips faded, and it cut her deeply, knowing that she’d splashed them both with an unwanted wave of reality. He leaned over and kissed her, showing her just what she would miss by choosing class over him. It was a kiss that sent her heart skittering and a flush of heat beneath her skin.

“Right, I’d better get up before I talk myself out of going to work and instead just stay right here, keeping you flat on your back on my bed.” Jared climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him, creating a silent barrier between them. The sound of the shower pushed at her uneasiness, forcing her to sit up and face the day. She shoved the covers on the bed back and sat up, shivering. She retrieved a clean T-shirt from Jared’s closet and padded over to the bathroom.

Felicity lifted her hand to knock, unsure of whether or not she should do what she wanted, invade his space, give in to those baser instincts Jared had created in her.

Would it be so bad if I extended our morning just a little?

She licked her lips, her eyes catching on one high heel shoe strewn on the floor, forgotten in the heady rush of lovemaking the previous night, and her skin heated anew. Determined to get what she wanted—Jared, naked in the shower—she pushed open the door. Emboldened by her own desire, she stepped into the bathroom and made her way to the shower.

She found him in the glass shower, back to her, his head resting against the back wall, water cascading down his body. His lean muscled body was fully exposed to her gaze, the shadows playing across the planes of his body, from his shoulders to his tight buttocks. When he turned to look her way, she saw his tortured gaze.

“Jared?” she whispered. The tentative note in her voice was mixed with a husky desire she couldn’t conceal.

He opened the shower door and held out a hand to her.

“Join me.”

She placed her palm in his and let him tug her into the stall with him. The water was cool on her skin, soaking the shirt in seconds as he pulled her to him under the showerhead and captured her mouth with his. Fire exploded within her as his erection brushed against her abdomen, the spacious shower suddenly smaller as he crowded her toward the tiled wall. He broke their kiss, reaching between them and tugging the hem of her shirt up, his fingers trailing against her wet skin, tickling her and stoking the fires already lit, even as he lifted the shirt over her head and let it fall onto the marble floor with a smack.

They stared at each other for a long moment, the heat between them only getting stronger. Without a word, he turned her around to face the wall, and he slowly, agonizingly stroked her body with his hands. His palms massaged her shoulders, cupped her breasts, pinching the nipples lightly. He shaped her hips and teased the backs of her knees with exploring fingertips until she was shaking, her core wet and throbbing. Felicity parted her legs and arched her back, pressing her bottom into his groin, encouraging him to take her.

With a throaty growl, he gripped her hips, pulling her ass toward him even more, and then she felt one hand leave her hips. The tip of his shaft nudged her entrance, and she relaxed, letting him sink into her inch by delicious inch. He rode her slow, gentle, deep, one hand on her hip, the other on her shoulder, using it to anchor her to him. Her palms slid against the tile, and she rested her cheek there, breathing hard as sensations overwhelmed her, as he overwhelmed her. She was so close to coming, so close she just needed…

He moved his hand from her hip around to the front of her and feathered his fingers over her pulsing clit. She cried out, her body jerking hard with a long, powerful climax that ended with a whimper from her lips. He picked up his pace, thrusting harder into her a few more times, hard enough to make her see stars, and then he groaned and she felt his cock jerk inside her as he came.

Jared leaned over her, their bodies connected. The moment their bare bodies were flush against each other, he nuzzled her neck, kissing her softly, but she could feel the tension in every line of his body.

“What’s wrong? Talk to me,” she begged. They separated, and she turned around to face him.

“It’s so easy to forget my job and the things I need to do when I’m with you. That’s dangerous, Felicity. I could fuck up everything if I’m not careful.” His words were uttered roughly, as though he truly worried about it, but as he spoke, he brushed a lock of her wet hair back.

She flinched at the sting of truth in his words. This was what she’d feared since the moment she’d met him and realized she’d wanted more than just a night in bed with him. She was a distraction to him, a burden, and couldn’t be anything more to him without causing problems. No woman wanted to be a problem to the man she loved. It made her emotions raw just beneath the surface.

“Now you get why I tried to stop this before it started.” She dropped her hands from his shoulders and tried to get around him to exit the shower. He caught her by the waist and pulled her back against the wall.

“I didn’t say I wanted you to leave. I just…” He paused as though searching for the right words. “It’s going to be hard, that’s all. I want to make this work. Because I need you in my life.” He gazed at her with ragged desperation. “Do you feel the same way about me?”

Felicity swallowed the lump in her throat. “I do. But we have to keep each other in check. I can’t risk my scholarship, and you can’t risk your job. I want a relationship with you, not just sex. Don’t get me wrong, the sex is amazing, but if we stay together I want something more.”

He closed his eyes a brief moment before he opened them again, and she caught a glimpse of that steady determination that made him a wonderful lover.

“Me too,” he admitted. His voice, soft and rich now, made her tingle, and a glimmer of hope blossomed in her chest.

“Busy people date all the time. We shouldn’t be any different. We can do this.”

Felicity nodded, the small well of hope inside her growing into a surge of joy at knowing he wanted to make this relationship work. She curled her arms around his neck and pressed herself closer, clinging to him. Maybe they could actually do this, have a relationship and not let it ruin anything they had built in their lives before they met each other. Jared’s lips brushed along the column of her throat, and she moaned softly.

“Felicity, I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to think about it before you say no. All right?”

She felt so good in his arms at that moment, and she was quite sure he could’ve asked her anything. “What?” she murmured and tucked her head underneath his chin.

“Would you…” He paused, and she took the moment of quiet silence to enjoy the hot water and the sexy man holding her. His heartbeat thumped against her ears when she pressed her cheek to his chest, and his muscles twitched beneath her palms as she slowly explored his arms and back and dropped kisses onto his warm skin.

“Just ask.” She prodded him gently in the ribs when he didn’t immediately speak.

Jared’s low, throaty laugh warmed her insides. “I’m nervous, princess. But here goes. Would you think about coming home with me over Christmas? We’re going skiing in Colorado and staying at our house in Steamboat Springs. I want you to come with me.”

Felicity was caught between two warring factions inside her, elation and panic.

“Jared—”

He squeezed her waist gently. “Don’t answer now. Think it over.”

“I know, but the plane tickets…” Even if she wanted to go, there was no way she could afford it.

Jared pulled back and lifted her chin. “All that’s on me, princess. I know you have this whole pay-your-own-way view of the world, and I admire that, but this trip is a gift I won’t let you repay. I just want you to enjoy yourself and be with me.”

“And meet your family?” she asked. His parents…Oh, God. She was being asked to meet his family? What would they think of her? Where would she sleep? His bed, the couch, a spare room? What if they didn’t like her? What if they thought she was poor and trashy and not good enough? The questions swirled around in her head, making her a little dizzy.

“Yeah. My parents, and Tanner and Layla might be there if they don’t go to visit her family over the winter break.”

Layla would be there? That was a huge relief. She wouldn’t be completely alone with Jared’s family. She’d have her best friend as backup.

“Think on it, okay? You don’t need to answer for a week or so. I’ll be buying plane tickets and letting my parents know then.”

Felicity nibbled her lip. She’d promised to drive home to Nebraska for some part of the holiday break to see her parents, and she didn’t want to miss seeing them.

She buried her face against his neck and murmured shyly, “If I go…would you…want to visit my parents for New Year’s Eve? I promised I’d come home for part of the break.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want you to miss seeing them. I’d love to meet your parents.” He stroked the pad of one thumb over her bottom lip. “So does this mean you’ll come to Colorado with me?” The look of hope in his eyes made her blush when she nodded.

“I’ll go. I still can’t believe were doing this. We’ve barely known each other a week…”

Jared grinned sheepishly. “I know. It’s nuts, but how I feel when I’m with you…it’s never been like that with anyone else. Ever.”

How was it possible that this man made her hungry for him all over again just by uttering those words? She wasn’t like anyone else he’d ever been with; maybe he felt the same way about her as she did him.

And then he bent his head to kiss her. It was one of those kisses a woman dreams about. One that was a blend of carnal fire and sweet tenderness. It drove out every worry and fear, replacing it with warmth and hunger for just one more minute alone with him. It was a kiss to build hopes and dreams upon. He cupped the back of her head, holding her captive for his tender kiss.

I’m lost. There’s no coming back, not after this kiss.

How could she love him after just a week? It was crazy, but she did. She loved the way he bent over his desk and kept one highlighter between his lips while he worked, and that he used an expensive ink pen to sign his letters, and the way he sang in the shower, slightly off-key, and that he knew just what movie she wanted to watch when they cuddled on the couch. And he knew just how to make her body surrender to pleasure, drugging her with potent kisses before he brought her to screaming climaxes. But it wasn’t just the mind-blowing, bed-breaking sex they had. In just seven days she’d learned so much about him as a person, and she adored him. And now she was going to blow it by telling him she loved him.

“I love you.” She whispered the words against his lips, and he froze, his dark lashes fanning up with startled surprise. She tensed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” She floundered and finally went silent, shutting her eyes in mortification.

His lips touched her forehead, and he curled his arms around her.

“Felicity, look at me, princess.”

She opened her eyes, dreading what she’d see: pity, regret, annoyance. Instead, her whole world spun wildly as she saw a bright echo of her own emotions in his eyes.

“I love you, too.”

Oh. My. God.

And then he kissed her again.