Whatever Kylie said to Jordan must have calmed him, because he paid little attention to how much of the night Krys spent with Dex after that. They shared conversation over drinks, his slight southern drawl as intoxicating as the beverages, and they danced over and over again, until Krys just knew her lungs would burst.

He was charming, and he acted like a perfect gentleman, though his hands found purchase in some of the most enticing and yet innocuous places on her body throughout the evening. It did just enough to keep her fuses lit without causing her to explode. The tension built, and she realized halfway in that, if he suggested spending the night together, she wouldn’t refuse. She needed the release, and if she knew nothing else about Dex, she trusted him far enough to have one long night filled with hot sex without any consequences or expectations.

“Your mind’s somewhere else right now,” he said in a low growl as they swayed to another slow song, both recovering from the exertion of the previous song. “What are you thinking about?”

She blinked up at him, debating telling him how much she wanted to put her hands and mouth all over his body, to memorize each angle and defining line between muscles. Instead, she went a different route. “I like you, Dex, and I don’t like a lot of people.”

“I guess I should feel privileged, then.” He pulled her closer and lowered his head so his nose almost touched hers. “I like you, too. In fact, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the moment we met.” He didn’t wait for a response as he pressed his lips to hers in a short but passionate kiss. When he pulled back, Krys stared at him, her mouth gaping and her eyes not quite focused as her head spun. Just that brief kiss had set a bonfire in her gut, and she felt moisture gathering in her panties.

Swallowing hard, she tried to find her voice, but it came out raspy. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

This time, his smile was predatory, and his eyes sparked with mischief. “I’m going to take you home, strip you naked, and take you to bed. I’m going to make you come over and over, and I’m going to fuck you till you tell me to stop because you’ll never walk again if I keep going.”

Krys wasn’t one for dirty talk, but the words did something to her she couldn’t explain. This wasn’t the gentleman she’d danced with all night. This was a prowler, one who wanted to use her body, and she found she wanted to use his just the same. The question was, how did she keep Jordan out of the way?

Of course, she realized quickly it didn’t matter. She was an adult, and she didn’t answer to her brother. If he had a problem, he could take it up with her later. Biting her lip, she gave Dex the most seductive look she could muster, glancing up at him from under her lashes. “Why don’t you come to my place?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. With his fingers splayed at the small of her back, Dex led her off the dance floor, and she slipped out of the venue easily. If anyone noticed, they didn’t try to stop her, and that was all that mattered right now. In eight years, she’d had her vibrator to relieve herself and nothing more. Tonight, she expected great things, and she didn’t want any interruptions. She only hoped Dex didn’t disappoint.

To her surprise, Dex had a car waiting, and he shrugged. “Big events and all that. I take the train a lot. I do enough driving when I go home or out to Seattle.” He ushered her into the back seat. “Tell the driver your address. He’ll get us there.”

Sher rattled off her address, and the driver nodded and pulled away. Her nerves got the best of her, and she couldn’t manage to start a conversation, so when Dex reached around her and pulled her against his side, she let him, relieved that the contact was comfortable and didn’t require any words to fill the silence.

As they drew closer to her build, Dex ventured, “You live pretty close to Jordan.”

She nodded. “It’s convenient. When he wants to see Amy, it’s easy to make the exchange.”

“That’s good. It means you can have more time to yourself.”

Krys had never thought of it that way. Being a mother had been her dream, and she’d never regretted her decision to have a child alone. She’d never resented the limitations of having a daughter, even when Amy had been deathly ill. But it had been nice over the past few months to have some time to herself. She’d nearly forgotten what it was like to be alone for any length of time, how much less draining it was to have two parents involved full time.

“I suppose you’re right,” she conceded. “But Amy is everything to me. She’s a survivor, and I admire her as much as I love her as my daughter.” At Dex’s look of confusion, she realized she’d said more than she meant. It was too late to go back, though. “Amy had cancer. She’s better now, and she got through it with grace and style, even as a small child. I’d like to think I could handle myself as well.”

“I didn’t know. Jordan never said anything.”

“He’s a private person,” Krys told him, not wanting to talk about Jordan anymore. Tonight was her time, and she didn’t want anything to stand in her way. “It’s how we both grew up.”

Dex’s hand slid down from her shoulder over her arm and to her waist, his fingers tickling at her side. “So, you like your privacy, too. Is that what you’re telling me?”

“To a point.” She craned her neck to look up and back at him. “But I did ask you over. So there are some things I’m willing to share, with the right person.”

Dex grunted and took her mouth, this time with more force. His tongue pushed at her lips, coaxing her to let him in. When she opened to him, she moaned, the taste of liquor and something that reminded her of the heat of a summer day overwhelming her. She stretched her throat, twisting so she could tangle her tongue with his, exploring his mouth, and she felt the boiling low in her gut as her core started pulsing with desire.

She needed this. She needed the release. She needed Dex.

She trembled as they pulled up in front of her building and Dex sent the driver on his way. Anticipation crept along her spine, and she could barely manage her keys as she struggled to open the door to her apartment. As soon as she shut it behind them, she whirled on Dex, trapping him against the wall as she kissed him, letting her desire fuel her.

He kissed her back, but only for a moment before gently taking her by the shoulders and setting her a few inches back. With a breathless chuckle, glowing eyes, and red cheeks, he laughed softly. “Slow down, doll. I’m not going anywhere all night. I want to savor this.”

It was as though the words played across her heart like plinking piano keys, making the moment more tender and less frantic. Maybe she wanted a fling, but she needed the gentleness that spoke of something more, even if it was a lie or charade.

She leaned into him, and he reached behind her, drawing the zipper of her dress down slowly, his fingers making the bare skin beneath tingle and burn in their wake. His lips trailed over the line of her jaw, back toward her ear, and his hot breath tickled her neck, making her shudder in delight. She sighed, releasing the last of her tension, and arched her back so she could feel his hard-on pushing against her. She could almost smell his arousal, and the sensation of his cock begging to get closer to her made her moan.

He rained kisses over her throat, and she ran her hands up his chest, reaching for the buttons on his shirt. She fumbled a bit, but Dex was patient and let her work them until she untucked the tails and finally managed to push the fabric open. The emphasized lines along his toned muscles and the hard planes of his chest and stomach left her breathless, and she traced the deep indentations with her fingertips.

He held completely still, barely breathing, and when Krys glanced up at his face, she saw how hard he was fighting to control himself in the set of his jaw and the wrinkle between his brows. It thrilled her to know that, despite his insistence upon taking it slow, he was just as desperate to reap the final reward as she was.

With the lightest of touches, Dex pushed her dress from her shoulders, sliding it down her arms until it fell from her chest. The strangled noise he made had her grateful she’d worn the only lacey bra she owned, a pretty black thing with matching panties. He looked ready to devour her, but still he moved slowly, carefully, and he let her dress fall and pool at her feet. With a gentle caress, he traced the curves of her breasts, and Krys’ head fell back, her eyes closed at the sensation of fire crawling across her skin.

Growing a little restless with need, Krys tugged at his jacket, prompting him to back away enough to pull it and his shirt off. If she’d been impressed with his chest, the addition of his shoulders and arms perfected the image, and she inhaled sharply at his beauty. A single scar marred his skin, a raised white gash about three inches long on his shoulder, but it somehow made him more appealing, more real. Otherwise, she might have thought he was just a figment of her imagination.

She glanced down and bit her lip, noticing that the lack of clothes made his erection more pronounced inside his pants. Or maybe he’d just gotten more excited. Curiosity about his size – and if it matched the impression it gave inside the clothes – she reached for his fly, and he didn’t resist as she made fast work of it, shoving his pants down his hips and freeing his cock from his boxer briefs.

Krys’ mouth ran dry as she stared down at him. Smooth skin covered a swollen, massive dick, perfectly straight and formed almost as if from the mold of an ideal phallus. This man was picturesque, built like a god in every way, she thought as she wrapped her fingers around his base and drew them slowly upward in a long stroke. Dex grunted and hissed, and his cock jumped in her hand, seeming to grow larger by the moment.

He lifted his hands and pushed the cups of her bra down, freeing her breasts so he could pinch her nipples between finger and thumb. He rolled them, and she whimpered, squeezing a little tighter around his hard length. He groaned and leaned in, taking her mouth with force and demand, thrusting his tongue in and out like a preview of what he wanted to do to the opening between her other lips.

She met that demand with her own, releasing her hold on him to pull his head down and press her skin to his. This was what she’d longed for, the feel of human heat without barriers, the scent of sex and desire permeating the air around her. The pressure low in her gut and between her thighs grew, and her pussy throbbed, wanting more. At the same time, it was heavenly just anticipating the outcome and reveling in the shared passion of the moment.

Dex curled his arms around her waist, dropped his hands to her ass, and pushed her hips forward, grinding against her so she moaned into his mouth, wanting to feel that cock buried deep inside. He clutched at her, palming her ass, and then she was off her feet as he lifted her, urging her to wrap her legs around him. He never broke the kiss as she adjusted herself, and he simply turned so that her back was suddenly against the cold door.

Gasping at the chills it gave her, she felt the rigidness of him against her folds, through the thin panties, and it made her pour. The lacey material would probably be ruined, but at this moment, she didn’t care. He braced her against the door with his body, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra, and then he caught it and tossed it aside as he tucked his face between them. He kissed the valley between and the swell above before taking each taut nipple into his mouth in turn, suckling and nipping at them until she thought she might lose her mind in the pleasure of it.

She rested her hands on his shoulders, curling them tight until she nearly pierced the skin with her nails, and it seemed to fuel him. Gone was the patient, careful man who’d come into the apartment, replaced by the beast Krys had tried to unleash at first. It awoke something in her she hadn’t known existed, and she wanted to be thoroughly ravaged, with harsh, demanding hands and mouth. “Dex, just let go. I don’t need you to be gentle. We have all night for that.”

He paused, his chest heaving against hers, and she realized he was fighting with himself, with his own needs. “I want you to enjoy it, Krys,” he gritted between clenched teeth.

“I’ll take immense pleasure in you letting go and taking what you want from me,” she assured him.

He didn’t hesitate then. He shoved one arm behind her back as his mouth bruised hers, and with the other hand, he shoved her panties aside, running his fingers along her wet slit. He shuddered, and Krys thought she might shatter into a million pieces from the contact. She exploded as he slipped a finger inside, arching her back and crying out with the sudden and unexpected release, and Dex pushed into her over and over with the penetrating digit, drawing out the orgasm to the very end. And still, she felt another building, even as he took his fingers away.

She whimpered at the loss of sensation, until he rubbed his length over her folds, slicking himself with her moisture, and the cries turned to moans of ecstasy. When his tip pushed at her opening, she screamed in pleasure, and he thrust forward, filling her inch by inch with fast, hard motions. He stretched her but didn't waste time burying himself deeper with each rock of his hips, and she took him in, reveling in the growing swirl of need in her loins.

She moved against him, shifting her hips to take him deeper, and Dex took the guidance to heart, slamming into her fully so she gasped, at the brink where pleasure and pain collided. He stilled for a moment, giving her time to adjust to the tightness, and she shivered as her body took to his incredible size. She’d had little enough experience, but she certainly hadn’t had sex with anyone this well endowed before, and it was shockingly wondrous.

With a thrust of her hips, she urged him on, and Dex took the hint, plowing into her vigorously, a sheen of sweat developing between their bodies as they moved together. It eased the friction and enticed Krys, the moisture only making her skin tingle more as her full, heavy breasts brushed against his chest. His fingers dug into her ass as he gripped her, and she pushed her heels into the small of his back, as if it would draw him closer.

His thrusts grew inconsistent, the rhythm lost, and she felt his body rubbing against her clit as he moved with less grace and ease. It brought her to the edge, and in a few thrusts, her inner walls convulsed around his rock hard cock, her body singed and burning from the inside out. Dex cried out with one final shove, and she felt his hot release inside her, only strengthening her own orgasm as he bucked and writhed with his please.

The overwhelming joy sent her soaring, and she didn't know how long she basked in the throes of passion before she finally regained her senses and came down out of the clouds. When she opened her eyes the minuscule amount she could manage, her view was filled with Dex's shoulder. His head rested on her shoulder, his heavy breath tucked into her neck beneath her hair. She was still wrapped around him, though her legs had little strength left and were starting to slip. He had a firm hold on her, though, and in a careful, gentle manner, he set her on her feet, his hands on her waist to balance her until she got her bearings.

The loss of his body heat made her shiver, and Krys was suddenly very aware of her state of undress. She must have been a sight, with nothing but an askew pair of panties and the evidence of their exploits dripping down her legs.

But Dex just smiled and kissed her forehead. “That was incredible,” he said, in a deep, growling voice.

She hated how easily she blushed, and Krys averted her gaze to hide her embarrassment in not knowing how to respond. Instead, she asked, “Would you like a drink?”

“Just water, I think. I’ll regret more alcohol in the morning.”

Krys nodded and turned to pad into the kitchen, trying to forget how vulnerable she was, but a pat on her rear just reminded her as Dex followed her and chuckled. Even as she grabbed the glasses and poured cold water from the fridge, though, she realized how different the situation was from the norm. She was vulnerable in her nudity, yes, but she was also more confident than ever, feeling refreshed and empowered by the new experience. When had she ever had a playful relationship with any man, one that called for slapping her ass and laughing like it was a big joke.

As she handed Dex the water, she told him, “I feel queerly comfortable around you.”

He gulped down half the glass, his penetrating gaze never leaving hers. “Why ‘queerly’?” he asked.

Krys shrugged and took a sip of her own water to delay answering while she tried to decide how much to say. But being completely honest wouldn’t do any harm at this point. After all, they’d had sex already. The worst that could happen was that he would think she was damaged somehow, gather his clothes and leave, and never speak to her again. Better now than later, she supposed.

“I’ve never felt so comfortable around a man is all. I mean, here I stand, practically naked with my hair and makeup a fright, my panties twisted, having a conversation with a man I hardly know who just fucked me senseless against a door with the lights on.”

Dex leaned his hips against the counter, and Krys couldn’t keep her eyes from straying to his nether regions, taking in the size of his cock even when it wasn’t erect. She quickly sought his face again as he spoke. “I’m assuming that’s not your typical male encounter.”

She shook her head. Talking had always been awkward for her with any guy she dated, even fully clothed. And her basic experience in the sexual realm involved a bed in missionary with the lights off. None of it was very memorable, either, and yet, she knew that what she’d done with Dex was seared into her mind for the rest of her life. “It’s been a while anyway,” she said aloud. “I’ve been a little busy with motherhood, and I don’t have a lot of good things to say about the men in my past.”

He gave a wry smile. “Well, hopefully, you’ll have good things to say about me.” He set his glass down, then took hers and placed it on the counter as well. He took her wrist and drew her against him, kissing her with long, languid motions of his tongue. It felt exquisite, the chill of the water having seeped into his tongue and igniting something primal in her.

It apparently affected Dex, too, and she was surprised to feel his erection prodding at her again so soon. She pulled out of the kiss, staring at him in amazement, and a boyish grin crossed his lips. “Darlin’, you’re gorgeous, and I can’t get enough of you. If you’ve never been with a guy who can get it up again that fast, you’ve been with a bunch of flesh that’s a waste of space. How could anyone not want more of you right away?”

She felt the same about him but didn’t know how to express it. So instead, she grabbed his hand and started pulling. “Well, then, I guess we better head to the bedroom because I don’t think I can stay on my feet much longer.” It felt bold, even brazen, and Krys liked it.

But even more than that, she liked that it was shaping up to be a long, blissful night.