Ten minutes on the road feels like a lifetime as Braden pushes the old pickup truck to its limits, running two yellows and getting honked at more times than I can count. By his death-grip on my hand, I wonder if he thinks I’m going to open the passenger’s door and roll out into traffic to avoid sleeping with him. I’m not so sure he’d be wrong.

As he’s squealing around the corner to his house and slamming on his brakes in the driveway, my heart pounds against my ribs. Should I stop this and take a cab to the airport? The idea hits me hard and fast, drawing my breath tight. He may be mature, but he’s still just a kid, hardly older than Connor. What if sleeping with him and leaving right away messes with his expectation of every future relationship? What if it breaks us both?

My brain takes on the dialect of a caveman when he drags me across the pickup bench to drop a slow, intoxicating kiss against my lips.

Sex, now.

Sex, good.

His strong arms lift me out from the pickup and we run to the house hand-in-hand. As he’s fumbling for the right key, I slip my hand into the back of his board shorts and stroke the firm globe of an ass-cheek with my fingertips. Bless him, who knew a male physique could be so flawless? At this point I’m so drunk on desire that I’m ready to take him on his front step.

Once the door’s finally open, he spins around and scoops me off my feet, carrying me in his arms the short distance to his bedroom. I drag my fingers across his beautiful chest as he flips the light switch, revealing a room that’s neat and simple like the rest of the house.

When he tosses me down on the unmade queen bed, I’m shocked by a row of mirrors that stretch across his closet doors. Someone’s awfully full of themselves. Wondering what it will be like to watch myself as he drives into me, I shiver.

“Don’t worry, beautiful,” he says as he’s ripping his t-shirt from his body and kicking his shoes into the corner. “I’ll warm you up in no time.” His shorts go next with one tug, and suddenly he’s completely naked, his beautifully hard length bobbing between his muscular thighs.

Biting down on my lips, I give myself a moment to appreciate his delightful form a second time. I’m not usually one to enjoy ogling totally naked men, but I’ve seen my share of racy shit thanks to pictures my horny friend April is always sending, so I recognize that a cock as beautiful as his could be considered a rarity. He’s thick, smooth, slightly curved, circumcised, and the most delightful shade of pink with a pattern of dark veins pulsating beneath the surface. Whoa. Guess there’s a good reason he’s so full of himself.

“Your turn.” Chin dropped to his chest, he waits for me to comply. When I don’t move, he shakes his head. “You’re so damn sexy, Katie. I want you to understand—to see what I see whenever I’m looking at you.”

I shake my head methodically and lock my fingers around the zipper of the neoprene top. “Birth does strange things to a woman’s body. I don’t want you to find the girl of your dreams one day and decide you don’t want kids because you’ve seen the potential damage firsthand.”

“Take. It. Off,” he snarls, eyes darkening with impatience.

With narrowed eyes, I draw my lips down to match his scowl. “You’re not the boss of me.”

He lunges, landing on top of me and sending my heart leaping into my throat. Instead of ripping my clothes off as I expect, he pins my wrists on either side of my head and grinds his warm, hard cock against my thighs.

My nearly dry swimsuit bottoms instantly soak with my arousal. Gasping, I press my hips into him, dying for relief from the overwhelming gnawing need to have him. Yes, please!

“Feel that?” he snarls, sounding oddly pissed despite the situation. “You did that to me. You know why? Because you are so fucking sexy. A million stretch marks couldn’t make my cock limp at this point.” Warm lips drag across my jawline. “You.” Down my neck. “Are.” Between my breasts. “Hot.”

“Fine, I get it,” I mewl, wiggling my wrists from his hold. I slip one hand over his tight ass and take his firm erection in the other. “You know you’re not too hard on the eyes yourself. Do you want to talk about that, too, or can we get on to the part where you fuck me senseless?”

He backs away, hands held up at his sides, dimples appearing with a smirk. “Not touching you again until you’re one hundred percent naked, sweetheart.”

I slowly reach for the zipper on my shirt and huff. “Can you at least turn the light off so we can ease into this slowly?”

“Hell no. You got the full deal with the lights on. I deserve the same.”

“Cocky bastard,” I mumble under my breath. With a trembling hand, I tug at the zipper.

“Slower,” he barks. “Do it like you know exactly how irresistible you are.”

The weight of his challenging tone gives me an unexpected boost of confidence. I rise to my knees, drawing the slider down one tooth of the zipper at a time. Meeting Braden’s hungry stare, I draw my bottom lip into my mouth and dip my chin, taking on the persona of a highly paid showgirl. Or at least that’s how I envision myself. With my luck I look more like Betty White amidst a stroke.

Once my breasts spring free from the neoprene, Braden’s intense expression slackens. Gripping his cock in his fist, he nods once. “That’s it, gorgeous. Keep going.”

Painfully aware my stomach is out in the open, I suck it in and stretch myself out taller while reaching for the string holding my bikini top in place. One tug and it’s gone, releasing my heavy breasts. No longer having the elasticity from ten years ago, they droop slightly against my ribs.

Releasing a guttural groan, Braden slides his fingers up his shaft to the base of his engorged head before they slip back down. “So fucking beautiful.”

It’s incredibly erotic to watch him pleasure himself with the sight of my body. He’s too far gone to notice my imperfections, like the silvery strands running beneath my bellybutton or the slight pucker inside my thighs. Maybe I can do this after all.

Here goes my dignity.

Fueled by the blatant display of ecstasy written all over his face, I hook my thumbs into my swimsuit bottoms and drag them down to my bent knees. It’s shamelessly hairy between my legs, but at least I have the presence of mind to keep it neatly trimmed just in case.

Based on the incomprehensible sound stirring in Braden’s throat and the wild look in his eyes, he’s good with what he sees.

“Shit…oh, fuck…Katie…”

His hand quickens, jerking up and down along his hard shaft. Head tipped back slightly, eyes still raking over every inch of my naked body, feral noises rumble against his throat. The sight’s shockingly beautiful and erotic enough that I’m ready to touch myself so I can come along with him. But then he grunts and a long white rope shoots over his stomach.

“See what you do to me?” he asks in a gravelly voice. “See that, beautiful?”

Blinded by my own arousal, I think I nod but I’m not entirely sure. He scoops his t-shirt off the floor and wipes himself clean before stalking toward me, eyes still deliciously dark. I hold my breath in anticipation as he bends to slip my swimsuit bottoms down from around my knees and off one leg at a time. Then he twists my shoulders so I’m facing the mirrored closets and settles on his knees behind me, nudging my legs apart.

“This here?” he whispers in my ear, gently stroking skilled fingers over my curly mound. “Quite possibly the most beautiful pussy I’ve ever seen.”

Eyes closed, I buck into his busy hand and arch back against his hard chest.

“Eyes open, beautiful,” he says as two thick fingers seek my heated center, slipping in easily with my slick arousal. “I want you to witness how sexy you are when you come for me.”

Watching him masturbate had me so turned on already that I’m over halfway to reaching an orgasm when he reaches around with his other hand to toy with my hardened nipple. I watch myself as a flush creeps up my neck and my lips part with a silent cry.

The worn-out, middle-aged mother that I perceive myself to be is nowhere in the reflection staring back at me. Instead I see an attractive woman opening herself up to a gorgeous, thoughtful man, allowing herself the most basic gratification in life: to feel wanted. And as Braden uses the same hand on me that he used mere minutes ago on himself, I swear I can feel how badly he truly wants me, as if he’s transferring the memory of seeing me naked through every talented brush of his fingers.

All at once every muscle in my body becomes warm and thick with satisfaction as my clit explodes from Braden’s skilled touch. I witness my chest rise and my mouth drop as I come with a swift and violent explosion, swear words bursting from my throat. Braden watches along over my shoulder, his expression smug as his fingers gently ride out the blissful feeling, seeking and stroking with the expertise of a seasoned bassist.

I’m a tingling mess, the throbbing sensation spreading from my center all the way down to the bottoms of my feet. Why have I resisted this for so long? We could’ve spent all day getting each other off. I drop my head back against his shoulder, panting heavily.

He drops kisses to my temple and cheek. “Did you see it?” he whispers. Fingertips stroke over my bare ass. “Do you see why I can’t resist you?”

“You make me feel beautiful.” Tears spring to my eyes as I blink back at my reflection.

“I’m not making you feel anything. You’re just finally seeing the truth.”

“You better fill me now like you promised,” I say, reaching up behind me to stroke his strong jaw. “I think we both earned it.”

With a deep chuckle, he flicks my ear with his teeth. “That we did, baby.” Then he has me down on my back, his hands holding my thighs apart as he lowers down. “First I have other plans.”

Nausea sweeps through me when I realize what he’s doing. “Oh, no no no!” I protest, trying to tug him up. “Braden, no! I just came! I’m going to taste—”

“Delicious,” he growls right after his hot tongue licks between my legs like I’m a popsicle. The sexy groan he makes creates a delightful vibration against my swollen clit. I slip my fingers inside his hair and whimper.

Only one guy has ventured down on me in my entire lifetime. He was Latin and a highly passionate lover. Paranoid that I either smelled or tasted funny, I made him stop. But there’s nothing embarrassing about the way Braden’s lips and tongue caress me with precision, as if he has all the time in the world. As if he’s addicted to my flavor.

Another blinding wave of ecstasy seizes my muscles as the pressure builds around my center. His skillful tongue has me writhing and fisting the bed sheets as I cry out. How is it literally possible to come again after the first one left me completely shattered?

But here I go, crying out his name among a string of curses as I’m zapped with another delightful orgasm. Head tipped back, eyes closed, I allow myself to sink into the bed as the final jolts pass through me. Before I can process what’s happening, Braden’s cupping my face and his lips are back on mine, giving me a taste of my bitter arousal on his tongue. Guess there’s a first time for everything.

I groan, unable to find the strength to kiss him back or wrap my arms around his perfect body. “No more.”

“So you don’t want this?” he teases, nudging his hot erection between my thighs. “I suppose I could finish myself off again.”

“No way, you cocky shit. You know I want you. My God, do I want you. Preferably now.”

Energized by the visual of him stroking himself, I grab his arms and wrestle him around to his back, climbing over him to ravage his sweet mouth. I’m still tingling from the dual orgasms, but I can’t wait any longer to feel him spread me open. He’s just as eager to hurry things along, grabbing my hips and lining things up between us.

“Condom!” I shout after pulling away. “Please tell me you have condoms!”

“Nightstand on your left.”

His hands don’t stop exploring my body as I bend to open the drawer, shivering a little when seeing XL written on the black box. Braden rips the foil square from my fingers and rolls it on in record time. I pounce back to his mouth and slowly lower my hips, bracing myself on his thick shoulders. Eyes squeezed shut, I wince with the feeling of his thick tip spreading me open.

Come on, Katie. It’s not like you’re a virgin.

“Take it slow,” Braden encourages. “If it hurts too much, tell me to stop.”

I shake my head. “No way I’m stopping now.”

As I continue to slip down onto his massive cock, the initial burn transforms to a warming glow that taps my quivering center. Braden hums his approval, guiding my hips to slowly rise again. I do it again and again until the biting sting becomes pleasurable and I’m able to increase my thrusts. Gathering my hair behind my head, I stretch taller and challenge my inner cowgirl, riding the beautiful man like a bucking bronco.

“Fuck yeah,” Braden cheers above the sound of our slapping bodies, his eyes never leaving me. “Ride me, beautiful. Watch yourself—see how fucking hot you look right now.”

Obediently turning my head, I watch as he twists a nipple and my lips form a perfect ‘O’ shape. Then he’s toying with my clit and I’m a goner. My muscles ripple and contract around his giant cock and I release with a throaty roar, becoming paralyzed by the intensity of coming for him a third time.

“Fuck, I can feel you tightening around my cock.” He jerks beneath me a second later, shouting my name and growling through bared teeth. I can actually feel his shaft jump as he releases his warm cum into the condom.

Holy. Shit. I’m fairly certain the earth rotated backwards for a moment, making me twenty-four all over again. How else could he have made me feel so alive?

I must black out because next thing I know Braden’s cradling me in his arms, giving me one last gentle kiss before pulling back with a chuckle.

“Told you it’d be epic,” he brags, tracing the curve of my breast with a lone finger.

I close my eyes, humming with the tingling warmth his touch leaves behind as well as the truth behind his words. Tears well up behind my closed lids, mostly out of gratification. Epic doesn't seem to be enough to describe what we did, to explain the way he makes me feel. I didn’t know how badly I needed a man to worship my body that way, to prove how much I’m desired. What we did will never go on my endless list of my regrets, even though it’ll make family gatherings far more interesting.

I’ve never felt so alive and deliciously exhausted at the same time. The man fucks like a rockstar—holy hell, not that! I mean a porn star!—and though my body feels battered and bruised, I don’t remember the last time I felt this refreshed. Alive.

“Katie,” he whispers, stroking my cheek with his thumb, “stay with me longer. Take the week off. I’ll give you a repeat performance of what we just did as often as you’d like. When I’m not busy showing your body the attention it deserves, we’ll take Jazz for walks…visit Walt…try different restaurants…tour the city…hang on the beach for hours. Whatever you want. Hell, I’ll even introduce you to my friends.” My eyes pop open in time to see him smirk with arrogant confidence. “You deserve to be spoiled, beautiful. And if I’m being perfectly honest, I’ve never felt this way about a woman, so I’m sure as shit not ready for it to end. I want you, Katie. In my bed. On my cock. With me…as long as I can have you. Stay. Please.”

With every sweet word, a dizzying sensation builds in my chest. How can I possibly turn him down? Surely Sharlo and Evelyn can handle the business without me for a few days. Anything that needs my attention can be done through emails. I can’t think of a single thing that I need to return home for otherwise. The boys aren’t coming back until the day before the wedding, and Shar seems to have everything for the wedding under control. Charlie’s home to keep an eye on both his pregnant wife and our wheelchair bound mother.

Living in denial for an entire day, pretending I could have a life with Braden is the most refreshing thing I’ve allowed myself in years. What reason do I have to turn down his offer?

Despite a sudden spike of fear—that what we’re doing is wrong and will only lead to heartbreak, or that it’s unhealthy for me to feed what’s beginning to seem like his obsession or crush—I’m still engaged in seriously post-coital bliss, and only focus on the one thing I wanted to hear: he wants to do this to me again, as many times as I want.

Most importantly, he wants me.

“And if I decide to go home today?” I ask with a playful smile.

Brows furrowed in thought, he shrugs. “I’d have to make up for all the chances you’d be denying me right until your flight leaves.”

“Oh, that sounds kind of fun,” I tease.

“I’m serious,” he says, tracing the curve of my lips with a warm fingertip. “Say you’ll stay.”

The pitiful look on his face makes it downright impossible to turn him down. Shoulders slumped, I sigh and wrap my fingers in his hair. “God, you’re pathetic. Fine, but on one condition.”

His eyes spring to life when his lips curl upward. “Name it, beautiful.”

“Once this week is over, we can’t hook up again. It’s already complicated enough as much as our families are commingled, and we both know this can’t go on when we live so far apart.” I gently stroke my hand over his head, suddenly hit with feelings I have no business having. “I want you to settle down with a good woman, Braden. You deserve it. But it won’t happen as long as you’re pining over me. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don’t waste it wanting something that can’t happen.”

I accept the enthusiastic kiss that follows as his agreement to my condition. But I get the nagging feeling it’s more an action of denial.

What have I gotten myself into?