Staring at my phone with furrowed brows, my lips pressed tightly together, and a blast of hot breath escaped my nose. The video wasn’t long, only 23 seconds, but I still couldn’t stop looking at it. There, sitting on my porch, was the biggest animal I’d ever seen. It was easily twice the size of any bear in any documentary and three times the size of the ones at the zoo. Long, brown fur hung down and dragged along the porch, and claws as long as my forearm played with the remnants of my mug.

“This is why I never wake up before 9 a.m..” Grumbling down at the screen, I swiped my thumb to pull back to counter to the beginning for the third time. “Thanks for the heart attack.”

With my face buried in this video, I couldn’t even react to what my mother had so cheerfully suggested during our call. Having sex with Ryan haunted my dreams, but I couldn’t act on it. I was leaving in a month, and it wouldn’t be fair to either of us if we took whatever was between us any further.

But she does have a point. I can always work online if I wanted to stay here. The thought came unbidden, and I groaned before setting my phone on the floor. Being an accountant was a job that I didn’t need to be in the office to do, but I enjoyed going to work. I liked my daily chats and interactions with other people. True, I might not have had a passion for it, but I was far from unhappy.

“Ugh! Mom! Why do you do this to me?” Pulling up my legs to rest my forehead on my knees, my complaining surged through the r empty, quiet house. My thoughts didn’t stop, though. No, they continued to torture me with logic. Plus, now I have this big house, no payments, no bills, and money coming out of my ears if I were to sell some of the stuff in the attic…

Clapping my palms over my ears, I took a deep, hard breath and shook my head. No, no- Sylvia, you can’t think about this stuff. Ryan is sexy and nice and sweet, but you met him a week and a half ago.

… But I don’t need to be in love to have sex - very gratifying, prolonged sex.

“God… why me?”

Carefully pulling my homemade pizza out of the oven, a smile lifted my cheeks at how perfect it looked. Thick, chunky pieces of bacon sat on top a bubbling layer of cheese that had browned in some spots, and the crust was a nice, dark golden brown. Setting the tray on the stove, I took a moment to admire my handiwork before taking off my mitt.

“Sylvia? I’m coming in.” Ryan’s deep, naturally hoarse voice tickled my eardrums, and my heart pounded against my ribs. Whirling around, my eyes widened as they locked on his form. Today he hadn’t even bothered to wear a shirt at all, and a lump formed in my throat. Each defined, bulging muscle that roped around his bones shifted with his gait, and a low burning heat swirled into a ball in my abdomen.

“Ryan… um- I wasn’t expecting you until 2 p.m.,” Only barely did I manage not to stutter around him, and Ryan arched an eyebrow as he stepped into the kitchen.

“It is 2 p.m., Sylvia. But if you have something else to do I can leave and come back later.” Pausing a few feet from me, Ryan tilted his head to reveal his ponytail as it fell over his broad, bare shoulder. My fingers twitched at the sight, and a plume of heat billowed up my neck as my mind scrambled for an answer.

“N- no… that’s okay. I just… lost track of time… I guess. I was doing some research- but this morning I saw a bear-” Relief poured into my chest as I grabbed my phone from the island. “Oh my God, Ryan, it was huge! It came right up to my back porch!”

I was beyond glad that the topic wasn’t as awkward as before, and I thumbed through my phone with steady fingers. Sidling up to me, Ryan’s closeness made my breath hitch, but I forced the sensation away. It took me only a second to get to the video, and he reached to wrap his large hand around mine.

“That’s definitely a male…” Amusement colored Ryan’s tone, and he let out a laugh as the creature on the screen leaned back to show off his chest. “It looks like he’s posturing himself. Oh God - that’s funny. I guess I’m not the only one that thinks you’re beautiful.”

Glancing over, heat overwhelmed my face at the compliment. Ryan’s eyes met mine, and goosebumps washed my chest and arms. His orbs shimmered with merriment, and the corners of his eye crinkled slightly. Brushing the back of my palm with his thumb, he seemed to suck me into a place where nothing else existed but us.

“You think that?” The sound of my weak, breathless voice made me tense up, and Ryan released my hand to take hold of my chin.

“I know it.” It was such a cheesy, typical line, but it still made my breath hitch and my abdomen twist. Leaning down, Ryan’s nose brushed against mine and my eyelids automatically shuttered together. “I want to kiss you, Sylvia.”

Soft, questioning, Ryan’s lips hovered only an inch from mine. I couldn’t breathe, my heart beating too rapidly in my chest. My mind was blank, neither screaming at me that this was a bad idea nor telling me to take that step.

“B- but… But I-” Callused skin stopped my stuttering protest, and Ryan trailed his thumb over my lips.

“Don’t tell me ‘no’ because you’re only here for a short while, Sylvia. Tell me ‘no’ because you don’t want me.” There was a hard edge to Ryan’s tone, and I sucked in air through my teeth. Blinking back the colors in my eyes, I licked my lips only to catch the rough skin of his thumb pad. Gasping at the thick, heady taste that attacked my taste buds, my lung shuddered in their cage.

“Yes…” I didn’t even have a fraction of a second to worry about the repercussions before Ryan descended on my lips. His kiss was electrifying, and the soft peach fuzz hairs on my body stood straight up. Rough, chapped lips dominated mine with a fury that made my head spin.  I dropped my phone, forgotten, to wrap my arms around his strong neck. A harsh gasp burst from my throat when his hands cupped my butt, and he slid his soft, wet tongue past my teeth.

Moaning softly, I touched my tongue to Ryan’s before they tangled together. Our kiss deepened, and I tightened my grip on his neck as his muscles flexed against my chest. Pulling me up onto the island, he wrapped my legs around his waist as my juices threatened to seep through my underwear.

Rolling my hips, I buried my fingers underneath Ryan’s pony tail as he pulled up my t-shirt. It was the only thing keeping my tight, aching breasts from his gaze, and they quivered in anticipation. The fabric scraped against my skin, but never lifted the shirt up past my underarms.  He only splayed his hands against my ribcage. The space between his thumb and pointer finger cradled my breasts, the globes heavy from  lack of any support.

Arching my back, my silent plea didn’t go unnoticed. Ryan tore his mouth from mine, and our harsh, ragged breaths mingled in the tiny space between us. Forcing my eyes open, they rolled slightly as the frantic pumping of my lungs rubbed my nipples raw.

“You…” Gulping down the dryness in my throat, my tongue tingled from the loss of his as it ran over the roof of my mouth. “You stopped…”

Ryan’s gaze met mine, and the swirling, dark desire I found there made my skin ripple. Instead of saying anything he just shook his head, and my brows came together. Slowly, heavily, reluctantly, his palms fell from my chest, and I blinked hard as he carefully rearranged my shirt.

“I’m not going to jump you in your kitchen, Sylvia. When we get there, I’d rather take you somewhere where we’re not restricted to two positions.” My eyes narrowed as annoyance flooded my being, and Ryan reached to take my face between his warm, clammy palms. “Don’t be like that, baby. There are much more comfortable places for lovemaking, and I’ll take you on all of them. But not today. We need to get some work done in your attic, and I have to get back to the bar to open up.”

My body betrayed my mind. Displeasure coated the lining of my veins, but I could only huff as my rational side told me this was for the best. In fact, it would be best if this kiss was all it was, it whispered.

But something told me this wouldn’t be the last time our lips touched.  Not by a long shot.