I need her. Fuck, I need her and not because Rich is asking me to do his dirty work. My desire for Skye Banner is purely selfish. Primal. Ever since I saw her this morning in those red and white track pants that hugged her ass so snugly I could easily picture myself between her thick thighs, I’ve thought of nothing else but coming inside of her. Skye’s the type of woman I want to fill with my babies, not deceive.

And after this is all said and done, there won’t be a thing keeping me from putting my baby in her.

She was mine from the instant I took this job and opened that folder. Only now I’m determined to make that permanent.

The wait from my first glimpse of her in person until midnight is physically painful. I can practically feel my balls turning blue. I want to shut my eyes, picture her ass in those running pants again, and wrap a fist around my hard dick. But I’m not going to do that yet. As much as it hurts, I’m saving up until I can sink my cock into her tight, wet pussy. Even then, I won’t come until after I’ve gotten her off multiple times first. She deserves nothing less.

I’d lingered as long as possible in the diner, taking my time on the overdone steak. Normally, I’d speed my way through it, but with Skye to distract me, going slow was simple. I could watch that woman all night and still want to see more. I’ve already memorized the way her hips sway when she passes back and forth from the kitchen to the tables in her section. She’s got this subtle roll in her walk that makes her ass bounce too irresistibly. I can’t decide if I want to spank her or grope her, or just lick and kiss and suck her. Her whole body, really. Every milky-white, porcelain inch of her.

It doesn’t help that she kept making eye contact, either. Every time she strutted past my table—which seemed to happen a lot more than any other table, to the point where I could tell she was walking a whole aisle out of the way just to accidentally pass me—her eyes would flash to mine.

Yeah, I want her alright. She’s already snagged her hooks into my chest with those big, innocent blue eyes and a smile that would tempt a saint.

Good thing I’m far from a saint and plan on doing a lot more than just lusting after her.

The only problem? This job. The whole reason I met her in the first place. If she ever finds out that I’m doing this to use her because an asshole like Rich ordered me to do it in the first place? That I plan to fuck over her brother in the process?

Well, I can’t imagine her sending sweet “fuck me” eyes my way again.

And after just one day of watching her, following her, trying to plant myself in her life as firmly as possible, I can’t stand the thought of her hating me. Of never getting to kiss those pouty pink lips. Of never getting to taste her, to lick her from head to toe and savor every inch of her body.

Sitting in my truck, windows fogging up because I’m breathing like a goddamn virgin before his first ride, I struggle to train my gaze on the silhouettes inside the diner. I haven’t seen hers in a while, not that it makes a difference. Every time I blink, I swear she shows up behind my eyelids. Perfect bow-lips smiling, blue eyes heavy-lidded and seductive, her hips cocked to one side the way she does whenever she’s taking orders or poised at the register.

It’s not just her body. It’s her scent—like vanilla, sweet and inebriating. Teasing me every time she sauntered by. It’s her throaty voice, her almost shy smile, the way she blushed so fiercely every time I complimented her, like she’s not used to that, which is a crime against humanity. That girl deserves worship, and I’m going to enjoy being the one to give it to her.

At close to two, after a painfully long wait where my dick is rock hard at least half the time, and my head swims the rest of it, the door to the diner swings open. The last flood of people trickle out, this time the staff.

I pop my door open and call out her name. She’s standing in a semicircle with her co-workers, their manager right behind them, but her eyes light up when she hears me. The same spark of desire I saw in them earlier is back, and I know I’m in before she says another word.

“Xander Stone,” she says, breaking away from her group. She bothered to memorize my name, a voice at the back of my head adds excitedly, not caring how stupid it was of me to pay with my credit card. This isn’t like the other jobs because I want her to know who I am. I want her to call my name when I’m balls deep inside of her.

“It’s just Stone,” I call out to her.

Jogging the last few feet toward me, she breathlessly adds, “You waited. I didn’t expect you to actually wait.” Behind her, her co-workers linger, their eyes on us, curious and searching. I watched the way those girls acted around her. All smiles to her face but then whispering in huddles, their smiles bitchy and ugly, the second she turned her back. They think she’s beneath them. They’re too blind and stupid to see she’s a million miles out of their league.

Or maybe they can and that’s why they’re jealous.

“I told you already. You’re worth it.” I keep my voice just loud enough for our audience to hear, and I try not to get off on it too much when a couple of those girls’ faces fall, their expressions souring.

“I’m sorry. It’s so late and we’ve been so busy tonight that it took longer than usual.” Skye’s brows tug together and she drags her teeth over her bottom lip in that sexy, innocent way she has. “Everything else is closed now. Plus … I don’t think I can tonight. I just hate that you hung around all this time for nothing.”

I skim my knuckles along the curve of her cheek. The moment our skin touches, the fire that erupts between us pummels me. Damn, this girl is going to be my undoing. “It wasn’t for nothing,” I say so soft she’s got to lean in closer to catch those words. I bend my head too, my hand still cupping her cheek, my thumb brushing the edge of her mouth.

She melts. That’s the only word for it. She melts against me, her soft, curvy body relaxing against mine, so trusting, so full and beautiful. Her lips part, and I can’t stop myself—I slip my tongue between them to twine around hers, savoring the honey-sweet taste of her mouth. Her hips dig into mine, and there’s no way she can’t feel my cock, hard as a rock, pressing into her stomach.

Her arms wind around me in reply, and I let my hand at her waist dip to her ass, not giving a fuck that her co-workers’ gazes are on us as I grip her possessively, hoisting her against me. I want them to see it. Want them all to know she’s mine. Skye gasps into my mouth when my cock twitches against her, and I release a dark laugh. I love the way she squirms beneath me.

“Get a room!” one of the other waitresses finally shouts, and only then does Skye break away from me. Her blue eyes are huge and locked on mine as she stumbles back a few steps, the soles of her tennis shoes squeaking on the blacktop.

“Have a good night, Skye,” her manager speaks up loudly, his voice tight and irritated.

“She will,” I answer before she has a chance to, my gaze flashing his way. Any challenge in his eyes freezes when he sees the look in mine. All night I’ve had to watch the scummy way he looks at her without putting my fist in his throat. I can practically hear his tiny brain screaming at him, pointing out that he’s nearly a foot shorter than me, and about as thick as my left arm.

Right on cue, he breaks eye contact and scurries toward his car, the gaggle of waitresses fleeing in his wake. Soon enough, Skye and I are the only two people who remain bathed in the pool of streetlights out in the diner parking lot.

“I really can’t tonight,” she repeats, but this time there’s a definite note of regret in her tone. She rubs her fingers over her lips and zeroes in on the bulge in my jeans. “I mean, I shouldn’t.”

Oh, sweet, beautiful girl. I’m going to fuck you until you don’t know what the word shouldn’t means.

“No, you’re right,” I say without missing a beat. “I want you to rest. Tomorrow then—Chinese food?”

She’s going to say yes. I noticed the cartons in her trash, when I dug through it for clues like a fucking stalker before I came to the diner tonight. But I pretend to be surprised at the coincidence when her face splits into a huge grin.

“My favorite. How’d you know?”

“Lucky guess.” For a second I feel like shit because her huge, trusting eyes are trained on mine and her lips curve into a smile that’s like breathing fresh fucking air. Pure. “What’s your address? I’ll pick you up at seven.”

She gives me directions to the apartment I spent half the day scoping out, and the empty feeling in my stomach worsens. She’s going to hate me. If she figures out who I am, what I’m doing to her, she’s going to despise me.

She won’t ever find out, the darker corner of my mind points out. I’ll have to find a way to keep her in the dark, to shield her from everything her jackass brother has gotten himself into.

“It’s a date, Stone,” she’s saying now, and I catch her wrist and bring it to my lips, turning her hand palm-up to kiss the center. She shivers and releases a moan—a sexy little mewl that goes straight to my cock and reminds me I’ll be going home alone tonight. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Skye.”

But I already know it’ll be sooner.

This woman will play a starring role in every fantasy I have until I’m able to claim her pussy.