Lust was quickly drowning out the last echo of reservation. How did Balen know she needed this, needed the freedom to touch him, to explore and get comfortable with his body. And damn, was it one hell of a body. Unarguably, this guy was every woman’s fantasy. And here he was—all hers… Well, for the time being, anyway.

Unpleasant thoughts tried to invade her conscience but she pushed them aside, refusing to allow doubts or insecurities to ruin the moment. She couldn’t think about Balen being with anyone else, though it was an inevitable conclusion to their story. What mattered was this moment—and right now he belonged to her.

That knowledge, spurred on by a healthy dose of possessiveness she had no right to feel, emboldened her to do what she’d been working up the courage to do for the last thirty minutes. She couldn’t resist sweeping her thumbs over the V at his hips one last time before taking his solid length in her hand. Soft as velvet and hard as steel, she firmly gripped him, gliding her thumb over his crown and slicking the evidence of his arousal down his shaft.

“Oh fuck…”

The need in his voice became a palpable ache she felt deep in her core.

“Yes… Autumn, don’t stop.”

She pressed her lips to his chest and felt Balen’s pulse pounding. His breaths quickened as she moved lower, tracing the mapping of muscle across his stomach with her tongue as she slowly went to her knees. Perhaps she couldn’t remember her first night with him, but she was damn determined neither one of them would forget this one.

As she worked his erection, Autumn slowly licked that delicious V of his hips. Balen’s hand shot out to the headboard, the wood creaking in protest of his grip. His other hand slipped into her hair, cupping the back of her head as the most sexy, masculine groan rumbled in his chest. She expected him to get pushy, to try to guide her a little to the right, but he didn’t. His fingers just massaged the back of her scalp, twisting and tangling in her hair until he was fisting her fiery tresses.

Deciding to give him what she knew he wanted but wouldn’t ask for, she parted her lips and took him deep. He inhaled a hiss through clenched teeth and exhaled a vividly graphic curse. His grip on her hair tightened and tremors of excitement shot through her at both the vulnerability of her position and the power she seemed to hold over him.

Balen let her set the pace as she took him to the back of her throat. It had been a long time since she’d been on her knees for a man, and doing this with Balen was an incredibly erotic experience. He stirred her in ways no one ever had before, which was slightly alarming considering this thing between them had a closely approaching expiration date.

It wasn’t long before he used the grip he had on her hair to pull her away. What was he doing? She wasn’t finished with him yet—far from it. “What’s the matter? Did I do something wrong?”

He appeared surprised by her question as he lifted her to her feet. “Wrong? Autumn, if you do anything more right, I’m going to break my promise and fall in love with you right here and now. That mouth of yours is absolutely going to wreck me.”

She knew he was kidding—about the falling in love part, anyway—but just hearing him say those words, even in jest, shouldn’t have made her pulse quicken like it did, or her heart warm with emotion she had no business feeling for this guy. It was just a blow job, not a marriage proposal, for crissake.

Before she could respond, his hands cupped the sides of her face. For the briefest moment, his gaze met and held hers and the emotion she saw reflecting back at her had to be wishful thinking, but it melted something inside her anyway. His fingers threaded into her hair as he bent his head and kissed her. His tongue plundered her mouth, claiming her in a kiss so deeply possessive and somehow erotically tender, she felt it all the way to her soul—which was not where she should be feeling him. There were a lot of places she would like to feel him, however, but that one was off limits.

Startled by her emotional response, she was about to pull back when he suddenly broke away, whispering against her lips, “Your mouth is my new favorite place in the whole world.”

She laughed. “Your favorite place, huh?” She took the opportunity to lighten the sexual tension building between them. This felt too intimate. If they were going to keep messing around like this, and she absolutely wanted to, she was going to have to figure out a way to disconnect her emotions—fast. And without the aid of alcohol, that was going to be easier said than done.

Balen smiled, flashing those irresistible dimples, and backed her into his bed before pulling up her top. “For now.” He kissed her bare shoulder and cupped her breasts, his thumbs teasing her sensitive nipples. “Give me a little time and I bet I can find a new favorite place.” His deep, throaty chuckle sent a little tremor right into the place she was hoping that would be.

Balen tugged off her shorts and laid her back on his bed. Starting at her ankles, he slowly began kissing his way up the inside of her leg. “Am I getting warmer?”

She loved his playfulness. It helped put her at ease as she battled the nervous butterflies he woke with his touch. She had no problem touching him. It was the other way around, the loss of control, that was making her a little uneasy.

“Are you looking for my favorite spot or yours?” she teased.

“Mmm…” The throaty vibration of his chuckle sent darts of pleasure arrowing into her core. “Good point.”

His lips were grazing the inside of her thigh when his cell on the nightstand began to vibrate. If he heard it buzzing, he gave no indication of it. He was getting close to ground zero and she needed to decide if she should alert him to the call or let him continue where he was heading. The cell stopped. Dilemma solved—until the humming vibration started up again. Shit…

“Balen, your phone’s ringing.”

“Let it ring,” he whispered against her flesh, before sweeping his tongue between her sensitive folds.

The jolt of pleasure that shot through her was electric. Her lungs seized in a startled gasp and when they finally released their air, it was to moan his name with unguarded abandon. Holy hell, having Balen Kroft between her legs was absolute paradise. His wicked tongue was relentless, giving her no choice but to surrender to the pleasure he was offering.

“Oh yeah. I definitely found it,” he growled against her silky flesh. Driving his point home, Balen slipped two fingers deep inside her and stroked that sweet spot he seemed to instinctively find. Her body tensed, her core poised to shatter. “This is definitely my favorite place.”

That was all it took. A few pumps of those skilled fingers and that talented tongue on the bead of her sex… The sound of his voice and those sweet words pushed her over the edge. Autumn’s release swept through her like an explosion, hurtling her into mind-numbing bliss. Her fingers curled in his hair as she came so hard his name was a broken cry on her lips. As the final tremors echoed in her core, Balen slowly began kissing his way up her stomach. He paused at her belly button and a ticklish giggle escaped her. She tried to wiggle away but he caught her hips, dragging her back to him with a playful chuckle.

“Stop…” Autumn tried again to push him away but his grip on her was too strong. The dominant undertone of their little game excited her as Balen easily wrestled her into submission. Her laughter was interrupted when his cell went off again. “I think you need to answer that.”

He didn’t look pleased by the idea. Nor was he making any move to do so.

“What if it’s something important?” she pressed as he dipped his head and kissed the divot at the base of her throat.

She could hear the frustration in his exhale as he lifted his head. Keeping one hand on her wrists he’d trapped above her, Balen reached over and grabbed his cell off the nightstand, swiping his thumb over the screen. “What?”

Balen made no attempt to disguise his impatience. He held the phone to his ear, listening to whoever was on the other line as he resumed his oral assault. He kissed her breasts, teasing her turgid nipples with his tongue. He’d just pulled the peak into his mouth, giving it a firm suck, when he suddenly froze. Tension filled his body as he slowly lifted his head, a knot of dread forming in the pit of his stomach.

“You can’t take care of this?”

The curt impatience of his tone mirrored the scowl on his face.

“Well, try harder, dammit!”

The sound of breaking glass echoed through the line and Balen swore. Letting go of Autumn’s wrists, he climbed off the bed and began hunting for his clothes. He grabbed a t-shirt, boxer-briefs, and shorts out of his duffel bag and proceeded to attempt to dress with one hand while he held his cell to his ear. Autumn picked up on his cue and scooted off the bed, quickly pulling on her clothes. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed they’d been interrupted. Just her luck. The first time in over two years she finally decided she was ready to have sex and it didn’t happen.

“You know what, Connor, that’s not very helpful right now. Where I am isn’t important.”

Autumn froze. What did he just say? That being here wasn’t important?—i.e. she wasn’t important? Well, what they’d just been doing had felt pretty damn important to her. Maybe more than it should have and obviously was to him.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hung up the phone, tossed it on the bed, and finished dressing. It didn’t take him long now that he had both hands free. He was completely locked down. Zero emotion was getting through that stoic mask as he grabbed his cell and stuffed it in his pocket. He snatched his keys off the nightstand and was almost to the door before he suddenly stopped. As if she were nothing more than an afterthought, Balen turned back around. Three steps had him standing in front of her, framing her face with his hands. He tipped her chin, forcing her to meet his stare but she couldn’t disguise the hurt.

He wasn’t letting her go and she had no choice but to meet his eyes. When she did, Autumn wasn’t sure she liked what she saw. Regret—undisguised and undeniable. The question was, did he regret what had just happened between them, or leaving her? She couldn’t know and she sure as hell wasn’t going to ask. Besides, she’d already gotten her answer when he’d told Connor he wasn’t anywhere important.

“I’m sorry, Autumn. I gotta go.”

Swallowing down the lump of emotion lodged in her throat, she said, “Don’t worry about it, Balen. It’s not important.”

* * *

If Balen’s mind wasn’t already on the shit-show going down at his house, it wouldn’t have taken him so long to catch the significance of what Autumn had said just before he’d rushed out. It’s not important. He’d thought it a strange thing to say, until it clicked with him why she’d said it.

Oh, shit...

He considered hitting the brakes and whipping Connor’s Jeep around, but he was almost home, and the quicker he wrapped this shit up, the sooner he could get back and apologize to Autumn in person for being an insensitive prick. He hadn’t meant it the way it sounded, but of course she would have taken it that way. Where I am isn’t important. Female interpretation: you’re not important. Balen wasn’t a relationship guru or a woman genius by any means, but contrary to his recent actions, he wasn’t a total fucking idiot, either. Autumn was finally opening up to him. She was starting to trust him, and this was how he repaid her leap of faith?

Goddammit. Balen grabbed his cell from his pocket. “Hey, Siri. Text Autumn.”

“What would you like to say?” the feminine voice asked.

“I’m an asshole.” Send.

Seconds later Siri responded. “Tell me something I don’t already know.” He glanced at his phone to make sure Autumn had truly responded and that Siri wasn’t just being a smartass. Nope, that was Autumn. Awesome...

“I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t important.” Send.

“It’s fine. In two days I won’t be.”

Two days… He quickly did the math and cursed. Where had the last five gone? Did she honestly believe she didn’t matter to him? What kind of a douchebag did she think he was? They didn’t have a lot of time left and it pissed him off that he had to deal with this bullshit when he could be with Autumn right now—on top of her, underneath her, behind her... He didn’t particularly care, as long as he was inside of her.

Before he put too much thought in his response, Balen told Siri, “That doesn’t mean you won’t be important.” Send.

For the longest time his cell was silent. He was pulling into his driveway when Siri finally responded, “Maybe this is for the best. I don’t want to get hurt, Balen.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? He parked the Jeep, cut the engine, and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he pinched the bridge of his nose. She doesn’t want to get hurt? Well, neither do I…

That was why they’d set boundaries, laid the ground rules: No sex and no falling in love. So then why, all of a sudden, did it feel like Autumn was changing the game? As he got out of the Jeep and slammed the door, the thought occurred to him that maybe she wasn’t the one changing anything, and perhaps he’d made more than one promise that day he couldn’t keep.

Before Balen could digest that disconcerting possibility, the front door flew open and a different redhead came bounding down the steps and raced toward him. Seconds before impact, one final thought took precedence in his mind. Fuck me…