Time ran away. Krys didn't have a care in the world as they sipped delicious drinks, sat in cozy lounge chairs, and made their way over and over to the dance floor for a spin. She had a good buzz, and the music and easy conversation only made her more heady and relaxed. When she excused herself to the bathroom for the second time and finally checked her phone, she was shocked to find it was after midnight.

To her relief, she hadn’t missed any calls, and she didn’t have any emergency texts or anything. Putting the phone away, she sought Dex out where he stood at the end of the bar, a few feet from the restrooms. “How did it get to be so late?” she asked, incredulous.

He shook his head with an easy grin, the shine of his eyes brightened by his own imbibing. “Do I have to repeat the cliché about time flying when you’re having fun?” She rolled her eyes, but before she could answer, he yanked her against him and kissed her hard and long. When he pulled back, his expression had changed into that predatory need. “I think it’s time to go home now, don’t you?”

The sensation started at her core, causing moisture to gather between her thighs, and it spread up her spine until it tingled in her fingers and down in her toes. Her head spun slightly, and she had difficulty regulating her breathing. “I’m ready when you are,” she told him, her voice husky.

He didn’t need any further encouragement, pulling her close against his side as he motioned for the bartender to bring the tab and paid the bill. They wound their way through the full house and stepped out into the cooler night breeze, where Krys was surprised it didn’t immediately sober her. Instead, it added to the euphoria and excitement of the evening, and she grew giddy, wanting to giggle as Dex whistled for a cab.

“What’s so funny?” he asked as one of the green ones pulled up in front of them.

She shook her head, not realizing she’d actually made a sound. “I thought whistling for a ride was just in movies. Besides, how can they hear you over all the city noise?”

Dex beamed. "It's the gesture. And maybe I just do it because I've seen it in movies. Who knows?" He laughed softly as he opened the door for her, and Krys slid across the seat as Dex got in behind her. She didn't have to give her address; apparently, Dex already knew it by heart.

She stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what that meant. “So, do you have a good memory, or are you preparing for a future as my stalker?”

He took the teasing lightly and shrugged. “I just care. I’ll only have to stalk you if you decide to make me watch you from afar.” He winked, and Krys snorted a laugh. She scooted toward him, resting her head on his shoulder, and Dex wrapped an arm around her. She settled in for the ride, completely at ease even though all she could think about was getting down to bare skin and wrapping herself around him. In public, this was as close as she could get. She would take it.

When they’d made it through an unholy amount of traffic for such a late hour and arrived at her apartment, Krys passed her keys to Dex, not wanting him to see how much her fingers were trembling. Her anticipation had her reeling, and she suddenly felt like it was her first time all over again, not just with Dex but at all. It didn’t make sense, considering they’d just been together a week ago, but she couldn’t shake the nerves and the newness she felt.

She stumbled over her own feet entering her apartment, and Dex caught her, frowning at her. “Are you alright?”

She tried to smile, but it was shaky at best. “I’m fine.” He raised an eyebrow at her, looking worried, and she decided that maybe honesty was the best course. With a sigh, she averted her eyes and told him, “I’m a little overwhelmed. I don’t know why, but I’m suddenly really nervous, in a good way but nervous just the same.”

Cupping her chin in his hand, Dex forced her to make eye contact. “Listen to me, Krys. I’m never going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. You don’t need to feel obligated to me in any way.”

"I know that." And she did. "I want this. I want you." She blushed, realizing part of her problem. "I just feel highly inexperienced, I think, especially in comparison to the history you must have." If she was completely upfront with herself, she'd only orgasmed twice with another man, but she wasn't going to say that out loud.

“I haven’t slept with that many women, Krys,” he told her, sounding slightly offended. “I don’t go from conquest to conquest, and I don’t pick women up to take home at random. I know it sounds crazy, especially the way men are today, but I want sex to mean something, not just be a way to relieve some tension. I can do that all by my lonesome.”

That was how she felt about it, which was why she’d taken care of her own needs for so long. She hesitated to believe him, but he sounded so genuine she couldn’t help but take his words to heart. “What is it you see in me, Dex?”

He kissed her softly. “Well, when I first met you, I saw an absolutely gorgeous woman. Maybe I’m shallow, but you have to admit it’s hard to develop feelings for someone you aren’t at least a little attracted to.” She nodded her agreement. “And then, when I talked to you, I heard intelligence and kindness, and I saw someone who knew how to have fun, even if she rarely ventured out to do it. The more I’ve gotten to know you, the more I’ve admired your personality. You’re a gem, Krys, and you shouldn’t let anyone make you think any differently.”

All choked up, she didn’t speak, not wanting her voice to quake or squeak. She didn’t know what to think. No one had ever said anything like that to her, even after she’d been seeing them for a lot longer than she’d been seeing Dex. “I’m terrible with compliments, you know.”

“Well, you don’t have to say anything. Just know that you’re beautiful, but you’re more than a pretty face to me.”

Krys swallowed hard, and when she finally managed to find her voice, it was barely a whisper. “I think I’d like us to be more than that.”

Her response triggered something in him, and this time, when he leaned in for a kiss, it bruised her lips, his arms crushing her ribs as he wrapped her up so tight she thought they might fuse together into one being. Her fervor matched his own, and she returned the kiss almost desperately. Could this be what she’d wanted all her life? Could it really work out between them?

It didn’t matter. In this moment, they had something resembling a relationship, with emotion and physical drive. It was enough, and she threw her arms around his neck, threading her fingers into his hair so she could hold him to her. She couldn’t breathe and didn’t care. She’d be perfectly content to drown in the kiss, right here and now.

Dex slid his hands down to cup her ass and lifted her off her feet, carrying her to the kitchen and setting her on the counter. She spread her legs, welcoming him as he stepped between them. She wanted him as close as they could get, and she moaned as she felt his erection pressing against her, harder and fuller than last time.

He fondled her breasts and grunted in frustration, literally tearing her shirt and bra to get them out of his way. Krys gasped, but he kissed her to stop her from protesting. “I’ll buy you three of each to replace them. Just shut up and help me get the rest of your damn clothes off before I rip them to shreds.” His voice came out in a growl, and she moved quickly, pushing up with her hands to lift her ass so he could yank her pants and underwear down.

She squealed a little when she sat back on the counter, the cold of the marble hitting her and making her shiver. “Don’t worry,” Dex grunted as he tore at his own clothes to get free of them. “I’ll warm you up just fine.”

Krys didn’t doubt it, the sight of his cock at full attention enough to warm her blood several degrees. If she had to bet on it, she figured she’d melt the counter before it froze her.

When he stepped toward her, he yanked her forward, so she was barely perched on the edge. It gave him perfect access to her pussy, and he grabbed the base of his dick, rubbing the head along her slit and coating it with her juices. “God, you’re so wet,” he groaned as his lips sought out the sweet spot on her neck, just behind her ear. “I can’t believe how wet you get for me.”

“Neither can I,” she moaned as his tongue swirled around her earlobe and just beneath, lighting up some of the most tender nerves in her body. How did he know the spots that drove her mad when she barely knew any existed?

Before she could think anymore, his fingers and thumbs pinched her nipples, rolling the hard buttons which he stroked lightly around her breasts. She sighed, his mouth sliding down to the base of her throat and licking a line from there to first her left peak and then her right. He treated each with equal care, licking and sucking, before moving to the other, always working them both at the same time with the help of his capable fingers.

When he knelt in front of her, Krys held her breath, and as his lips closed over her clit, she thought she might collapse from the insane sensation of his warm wet tongue that felt cool against the heat of her mound. He pressed his tongue flat against her, then flicked it over her, and then he suckled and circled it until she couldn’t breathe, let alone keep her cool. She shattered into a million pieces, the orgasm breaking her and sending her into convulsions so hard she nearly fell off the counter. But Dex’s hands on her thighs tightened, holding her in place as she shook and cried out.

He didn’t stop, either, shoving his tongue into her and thrusting with it in short pushes that kept the orgasm going far longer than she would have believed possible.

When he finished, he stood and kissed her, the taste of her still on his mouth. She welcomed it, the excitement of it making her core tingle again. And as if reading her mind and knowing she needed that itch scratched, he thrust into her, several inches at once. Then, he stilled as she gasped for air, letting her adjust to his size. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to his massive cock, but it gave her such great pleasure she didn’t care if she had to halt for a minute every time they had sex.

When she was ready, she pushed her fingers into his hair and drew him back into the kiss. He took her cue and pushed further, deeper, inch by slow inch. He drew out when he reached the halfway point and thrust again, the movement smoother and easier with the growing lubrication. Krys had never been so wet before. But then, she’d never come the way she did with Dex, either.

He found a rhythm, fast and even, and Krys latched onto him with arms and legs, trying to hold herself steady as he slammed into her over and over, deeper with each thrust. His mouth sought out her neck, her ear, her mouth, her jaw, and she tilted her head back to give him access. This was red, hot, glorious sex, and yet, there was an attachment forming between them that made it all the more enjoyable.

Trying not to overthink it and ruin her body high, she took in his scent, as intoxicating as it was, and let herself go. She focused on the way his cock stroked her pussy, the way his hands slid over every inch of her skin, and the way his mouth devoured her. It heightened her arousal, and she got lost in the absolute pleasure of skin against skin. In no time, she was rocked with another heavy release, and she clutched at Dex, feeling like she might float away from the earth if she didn’t hold on tight enough.

He couldn't seem to slow down, either, as his own control slipped. He moved faster and harder, grunting, and when he came, he screamed loudly, his voice deep like a growl. Krys' inner walls convulsed around him, milking his orgasm until he had nothing left, and still, he twitched with the overall sensation.

When he finished, he rested his head on her shoulder while they caught their breath, and then, without a word, he wrapped his arms under her thighs and lifted her, still wrapped around them with their bodies still joined. She was grateful, considering she knew her legs would never work for her. He carried her with choppy motions that belied his usual grace, his own limbs probably exhausted, all the way to the bedroom, where he laid her back and dropped down beside her.

He drew the covers gently over her and lay on his side, staring at her while he stroked her arm. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked.

Krys shook her head. “Not at all. I’ve honestly never had better in my life.” Somehow, she managed to prop up on her elbow to study him. “You are something else, you know that, Dexter Collier?”

“I aim to please,” he joked.

But Krys shook her head. “It’s not that. There’s something entirely different about you from every man I’ve ever known. There’s something about you that makes me at ease, comfortable. And I’ve never truly felt like I could be myself around any man before. Except Jordan, who doesn’t count. Family never counts.”

Dex chuckled. “I can’t help you. I don’t know what it is. But I can tell you that you’re the first woman I’ve ever met who makes me want to be a better man. I feel like I’m a good man, but when I’m with you, I want to be perfect. I don’t ever want to disappoint you or make you angry or let you down.” He caressed her face with the backs of his knuckles and then folded his arms behind his head. “I think there’s just something incredibly special about you, and I’m a lucky man because no one else has snatched you up yet.”

Anyone else would’ve more likely put out the light of her soul, but she didn’t say that out loud. She didn’t want to bring heartache and negativity into the conversation when things felt so right. “Maybe I could take you to Australia one day. We could go to Sydney and to the Reef and maybe on a short weekend in the outback. I think we’d have a good time.”

“I’m game,” he said. “You set it up outside of soccer season, and we’ll make it happen. All of us – you, me, and Amy. I want to see your home and how you live.”

“Really?” She never ceased to be amazed at how much interest he took in her and especially in Amy.

“Of course. I told you, you’re something special, and I want to get to know you inside and out. I want to know everything about you, and I can’t do that if I don’t see where you’re from. But that means you have to come to Dallas sometime, too. Is it a deal?” he asked.

She nodded vigorously. “It’s a deal.”

“Good, then come here and lay down with me. We’ll either fall asleep or get all rowdy again.” Laughing, Krys settled into the crook of his shoulder, already knowing which it would be.