The next morning I let Katie sleep in while I run a few quick errands. Things got out of hand after a round of hot sex in the pool, turning into one of the wildest nights of my life. I’m not sure there’s a part of either of our bodies that went untouched, and somewhere along the way I lost track of how many times I made her come. Part of it was determination on my part to make her see how good we are together. Another part was the fact that I have zero fucking control when it comes to her.

After she passed out, sprawled over me naked, I held her while racking my brain on how to convince her to give us a chance. I’m addicted to her body, her laugh, her smell. The way her eyes light up when she gives me shit. The way she charms everyone, even if they’re just serving her a glass of water. The way she treats my dog better than I do. Hell, I can’t think of a single thing I won’t miss.

Knowing she’ll be gone soon made it impossible to sleep, so I finally got up around the time I knew the mall would open. Once back home, I whip up a plate of eggs and bacon while brewing a pot of coffee.

“Holy shit, the man can cook.”

I glance over my shoulder to where my sleepy girl leans against the fridge, lips curled with a little smile. Even makeup free with messy hair she’s a knockout in my Thrashtag t-shirt. My dick almost feels guilty for getting hard when she’s wearing her brother’s shirt.

“Figured I’d give you a morning off,” I answer with a half-shrug. “I seemed to have worked up a serious appetite after last night.”

As she starts for the coffee pot to pour herself a cup, her eyes travel down to the stiffy in my boxers. “So I see. Need help with that?”

A quiet groan rips through my throat. Though I fucking love the idea of throwing her on the counter for another round, I have to prove what I feel for her goes well beyond her sweet pussy. I’m pretty sure by now I’ve made it clear how I feel about that part of her.

“Maybe later, beautiful.” Quickly throwing the eggs and bacon on a plate, I hand it over. “Sit down and eat while I fill you in on our plans for the day.”

She heads over to my little table while I hit the hallway closet to grab her present. She’s making this sweet-ass little groaning noise when I take the chair at her side.

“If I had known you were this good, I would’ve let you make breakfast every morning,” she tells me with her eyes closed. “What seasoning did you use on these eggs?”

“Family secret,” I tease, setting the shopping bag down on the table.

“Braden,” she scolds playfully, throwing a suspicious look between me and the giant paper bag. “What’s this?”

“Maybe if you looked inside the bag you’d find out.”

She reaches over to pinch my bicep. Hard. “Smart ass.” I swear she looks like a little kid opening a birthday present when she stands and reaches inside. Pride swells in my chest as she grins from ear-to-ear while pulling out the athletic leggings and long-sleeved shirt before getting to the shoebox. A saleslady helped me pick everything out since I’m not really sure what’s considered fashionable for women, so I was nervous to watch Katie’s reaction.

“What’s all this for? Are we going for a run on the beach?” Opening the box, she sucks in a deep breath. “I can’t believe you seriously bought me tennis shoes! And they’re so damn cute!” Taking one from the box, her eyes squint accusingly. “What are you up to?”

“Figured we could take you up the mountain for your first camping experience. I arranged for Hap’s family to watch Jazz for the night. Can’t let you leave Cali without giving you a better taste of what you’ll be missing once you’re back dealing with arctic temps in New York.”

The second I’m done talking, she comes at me for a soft, lingering kiss, tangling her fingers in my hair. When I wrap my hands around her face, she presses her forehead to mine and whispers, “Dammit, Brae. Stop giving me reasons to miss you.”

I grin to myself, intending to do the exact opposite.

* * *

Cali weather doesn’t disappoint as we set up camp early afternoon with the sun beating down on our backs. I picked a remote spot where we’d have as much privacy as possible while still providing Katie with a killer view. And thanks to the removable roof on Hap’s tent, we can spend the night stargazing.

Katie’s so damn sexy with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, new long-sleeved shirt I bought tied around her waist, leggings clinging to her ass while she eagerly follows my directions. If I ever run into the saleslady again, I swear I’ll kiss her for picking out the tight pants.

Katie clears her throat. “Did you actually plan to take me for a hike, or did you just buy me this outfit so you could stare at my ass all day?”

Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I lift one eyebrow. “Would it be wrong if I said a little of both?”

“Let’s go, perv,” she says with a cute little laugh.

The next couple of hours we carry on a mostly comfortable string of conversations as we climb the trail. When she mentions her boys would like it in Cali, I hold my breath and don’t have much to say in return. Is she imagining herself living out here, or just hoping to bring them out sometime? Either option could be a step in the right direction. At least I hope.

I knew she was in great shape since she has boundless energy when it comes to sex, but once we reach the top, she’s breathing normally while I huff at her side, making me feel like the older one.

While she’s taking in the view of the valleys below, I toss my backpack on the ground before slipping my arms around her from behind. Her sweet scent is so damn tantalizing that it’s a fucking miracle I don’t take her right on the cliff. “Pretty cool, right?”

With a small hum she leans back against me, holding onto my arms. “I totally get why you decided to stay out here. Still, it must kind of suck being so far away from your family.”

“Sometimes,” I admit before kissing the top of her head. “But Shel and Hap take good care of me. I’m okay with doing my own thing. I was kind of the forgotten kid growing up anyway.”

Turning her head, she kisses my bicep. “I’m sorry, Brae. It must’ve been hard watching your mom die when you were little, and Ev tells me your dad was a total workaholic.” Her fingers drag back and forth against my arm as she lets out a thoughtful sigh. “I know it’s not the same, but since the boys’ father had nothing to do with them, I always worried that I didn’t give them enough attention when they were young. I was so damn immature myself that half the time I had no clue what I was doing. Around the time Charlie started seeing Evelyn I was convinced I had broken Connor—he was such a dick! I’m sure you heard the story of how he told the paparazzi where they could find Charlie and your sister in the Hamptons.”

“You definitely didn’t break him. From what I’ve seen, he got over it and grew up.” I press my face against the side of her head and squeeze her tight. Knowing how hard she must’ve struggled raising two boys on her own has me seeing red. “Did you see anyone else after their dad?”

“No one worth mentioning. I never brought anyone home. I didn’t want the boys to have to deal with a strange man coming into their lives, telling them what to do. Their Uncle Charlie was enough of a surrogate father, although he did do a few things along the way that I wished Connor and Allen hadn’t known about.”

“I fucking hate that asshole for getting you pregnant and taking off,” I say with a low growl. “You deserve so much better, Katie. You deserve a man who will spoil the shit out of you—try to make up for what that douche did. Someone who will lo—”

“Stop being so dramatic.” Before I can finish, she’s wiggling out from my arms and turning her back to me as she plucks her water from my backpack. “I’ll be happy if I can at least find a guy who doesn’t have a criminal record or some creepy fetish. One of my friends thought she’d met the perfect guy at the gym until he took her to meet his parents and he was suddenly a Norman-Bates-kind-of-weird with his mom. Maybe I’ll give one of those websites a try. At least you have your pick of nurses from the VA and don’t have to resort to online dating.”

Jesus Christ. Where the fuck did the sudden attitude come from? “Babe, what—”

“I’m going to check out a trail I saw off this other way.” Stepping backwards, she stabs her thumb over her shoulder. There’s a smile tugging at her lips, but it’s total bullshit. “Try to keep up, junior.”

As she starts for the other trail, I scratch my head while trying to piece together what the hell just happened. The only way that could’ve gone any worse is if she had thrown herself over the goddamned bluff.

* * *

We make it back to the campsite before the sun sets. Katie continues to treat me like an old buddy—nowhere near, at the very least, like the fuck-friends we’ve become. Far as I can tell, I freaked her out when I brought up her ex and dating. It’s sure as shit not how I envisioned our last night together, but I refuse to let her ruin it with her flippant attitude. I play along like nothing’s changed.

After cooking brats and s’mores over the campfire, we settle in the tent and she surprises the shit out of me when crawling into the two sleeping bags we zipped together. At the very least I figured she’d want her own sleeping space. Hell, the way she’s been acting I wouldn’t be surprised if she asked me to sleep in the truck.

“Come on in, big guy,” she says with an evil-looking grin, holding the corner of the sleeping bag out. It’s almost scary how sinister she looks with light from the electric lamp flickering across her upturned lips. “I have a going away present for you.”

So we’re back to being fuck buddies again, just like that? Aw, hell. As hard as I’ve tried to make my point, there’s no stopping myself from doing wicked things to this beautiful woman regardless. By now my dick’s trained to react to her smoldering looks and verbal cues, so why wouldn’t I dive right in?

I fold my arms, looking down the bridge of my nose at her. “First show me how you’re going to take care of yourself once I’m no longer around.”

Lips opening and closing like a fish out of water, she glances over my shoulder as if expecting someone to walk in and save her.

That’s right, beautiful. You want to play hardball? I’m all in.

Then her eyes narrow on mine. “You know what? I think I’m kind of tired.”

“Scared you won’t be able to do the job as well as I can, sweetheart?”

Just as expected, the challenge sends her over the edge. She looks livid as she peels off the leggings I bought her, then a pair of bright pink underwear, tossing them on the tent floor between us. Eyes still locked with mine, she begins to move her arm in slow circles.

“Pull the sleeping bag back,” I demand. “I want to watch you play with those gorgeous tits too.”

In a strangled voice, she pleads my name.

I only shake my head, refusing to show any mercy. “I need something to hold onto after you’re gone.”

Rapidly blinking, she pulls her shirt up over her head. Next she removes her ponytail band. Then her bra. As her hand slowly sinks down her belly and between her legs, tears tumble down her cheeks and her chest rises with a muffled cry.

Way to go, asshole. I may be the cocky prick she’s always accusing me of being, but I’m not a total bastard. I care too much about this woman to let our time together end with her in tears. Quickly stripping down to my boxers, I sink to my knees and gather her off the ground. Wet face pressed against my chest, she trembles inside my arms.

“Please don’t cry, beautiful. It fucking guts me to see you anything other than happy.”

With a sniffle she wraps her hands behind my head and nudges my mouth down to meet hers. The way her tongue prods and seeks with urgency, I almost wonder if she’s experiencing a change of heart. But since she doesn’t stop crying quietly as I make love to her under the stars, it’s obvious her mind has been set.

She’s leaving and doesn’t plan on ever coming back.

* * *

The next morning when I park the truck beneath a sign advertising Katie’s airline, a rush of panic rises in my throat as she throws her purse strap over her head and gathers her things. If I let her leave without telling her what I want, I’m positive she’ll completely give up on the idea of us.

“Do you want more kids?” I blurt.

“What the…” Slapping her hands over her face, she groans, “Seriously. Braeden…”

“I need to know.” I pull her hands down, wrapping our fingers together as I search her pinched expression for the truth. “Is it even possible, or did you have something permanently done after Allen was born?”

“If you’re worried about birth control—”

“No. That’s not it. I’m asking if you’d ever consider starting a second family.”

“Holy shit! What? No!” Drawing her hands from mine, she slides away from me until her hip is pushed against the door. “How is that any of your business when we agreed to end this once I’m gone?”

“What if I don’t want it to end? We’re fucking awesome together. Why not keep going?” I attempt to reach for her hands again, but she turns away. “We both know this is more than a fling at this point. Last night went well beyond good sex and you know it. Baby, I think I might be falling—”

“No, you’re most certainly not!” she scolds, reaching for the door handle. “There’ll be none of that talk! This was a specific arrangement that revolved strictly around mind-blowing sex and nothing more! It was supposed to be about two lonely people finding temporary comfort in each other!”

I clamp my hand over her wrist, hoping to stop her from running. “It may have started out that way, but things changed!”

“This,” her fingers dance between our chests, “isn’t happening! And not just because our families wouldn’t understand! Whatever Hap said the other night to upset you is only the beginning! I guarantee if you throw your life away to be with an older woman, you’ll never hear the end of it, especially when I’m ordering off the senior menu and you’re just entering your prime!”

“That’s bullshit! It’s reverse age-ism! No one bats an eye when an older man marries a younger woman!”

Tipping her head back, she huffs loudly. “I had a great time with you. But I live in Brooklyn and you obviously love it out here.” Her eyes meet mine, filled with a sympathetic look that I fucking hate. “You’re a great guy, Brae! You’re brave, and loyal, and sweet, and funny, and so damn sexy that you’ll have your pick of women your age. And whether or not you can admit it to yourself, you’re fucking young. You should take advantage of the GI bill. You could pursue a professional job that works with veterans or kids with a messed up childhood, because you’re so damn good at that kind of thing. You have so much potential. I’m not going to do anything to hold you back. The best years of your life are still ahead of you.”

“What if the ‘best fucking years of my life’ suck ass because I let you walk away? What if it wasn’t some kind of stupid fluke that you came out here this week and we ended up together?” I flex my hands, wanting to pull her into my arms but knowing she’ll only resist. “Why do you think it’s up to you to decide what’s best for me?”

She looks ready to cry when she leans in to press a reluctant kiss against my cheek. “Thank you for this week. It was beyond my expectations. It was amazing—you’re amazing.” When I reach up to tangle my fingers in her soft curls, she leans back and shakes her head with wet cheeks. “Goodbye, Braden.”

Agony wrenches my heart so violently as she hops out of the pickup that I expect to see a hole in my chest when I drop my head. It isn’t until she disappears with the sea of travelers passing through the automatic doors that I realize she never answered my question about children.