Staci’s hand rested in mine as I searched for the key on the keyring in the dark. She giggled as I tried two different keys with no luck.

“Are you sure we are supposed to be here?” she whispered before looking around the neighborhood. “I’m not equipped for jail.”

“Yes. I’m sure.” I gripped another key in my hand and sighed in relief when metal slid upon metal and the lock finally opened.

I pushed the door open and tugged her in behind me.

I watched as she took in the dark space. She ran a hand over the wood covering one wall as her other hand slipped out of mine. She walked toward the kitchen, her fingers flicking the light switch before she turned toward me.

“No lights?” I could barely see her cocked eyebrow.

“No. The electricity won’t be turned on until later this week.” I pushed off the wall and made my way to her.

“If I didn’t know better, I would say that you either brought me here to seduce me or kill me, Mason Connor.”

I chuckled as I reached her, and I pinned her against the counter. My body pressed fully against hers.

“Are you sure that you know better?” I ran my nose along the skin of her neck and breathed in her scent.

“Well, I pray that you didn’t bring me here to murder me.” Her words were breathless, and I knew exactly how she felt.

“Then there is always seduction.” I pressed my lips against her neck where I could feel her rapid heartbeat, and I watched chill bumps break out on her skin.

But she wasn’t completely correct. I had no damn clue why I brought her here. I just knew that I needed more time with her. I needed more than a quick fuck in the lake.

Because if I let it, that was all we would ever be.

So, I pulled away from her and reached for the flashlight that was sitting on the counter behind her before I clicked it on and illuminated her gorgeous face.

“Would you like the grand tour?”

She smiled at me, a smile that was mixed with lust and something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, then she followed me through the house.

“So, you built all this?” She constantly trailed her fingers over different elements of the house. She ran her finger down the wall of the hallway. She rubbed circles with her tattooed finger against the barn wood door that led to the bathroom.

“I mean I didn’t do it all by myself, but yeah, my company did.”

She sat down on the floor of the master bedroom and I followed her before I balanced the flashlight on the ground.

“It’s incredible, Mason.” She laid down, her back pressed against the floor as she stared at the ceiling.

“Thank you.” My shoulder bumped against hers as I rested my head next to hers.

“You’re going to build me a house one day.”

She was so sure of her words, and I turned my head to watch her and I could see her ideas practically dancing in her eyes.

“I want a house with a huge wrap around porch because I love to be outside when I draw. And I want a huge kitchen. Not that I cook or anything.”

I snorted, and she nudged me with her elbow.

“Why do you need a big kitchen if you don’t cook?”

“Because surely someone will cook for me.”

I huffed, and she shushed me.

“Stop talking. You’re ruining my day-dreaming.”

I turned my head back toward the ceiling and tried to hide the smile that was on my face.

“I will have artwork everywhere. I have so many pieces that I’ve collected that I have nowhere to hang in my apartment, and I’m going to have the biggest damn bathtub you ever saw. I mean huge.”

She spread her arms out as far as they would go.

“I will soak in that damn thing every single night.”

“Is your manservant going to come in and feed you cheese and grapes as you relax?” I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, and I watched her mouth twitch.

“If I feel like being bothered.”

I watched her inked skin as she moved her hand theatrically as she spoke. There was a red watercolor rose on her right forearm that had words bleeding into the ink, but I couldn’t make out what it said with such little light. I wasn’t sure how I never cared to read what it had said before.

How was I so uninterested?

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll build your first house if you give me my first tattoo.”

She turned toward me so quickly that I jumped back slightly.

“What are you talking about?” She was on her side, and she had her head resting on her elbow as she stared down at me.

“Which part?” I asked hesitantly.

“You mean to tell me that Parker James is your best fucking friend and you don’t have a tattoo?”

“No. I don’t have one.” I shook my head.

She sat up completely then and lifted my shirt as she went.

“I don’t believe you. There is no damn way.”

“You just saw me completely naked in the lake. I think you would have noticed if I had a tattoo.” But I didn’t stop her search.

“I wasn’t really looking for tattoos at the time.” She pushed against my side to get me to roll over so she could look at my back.

“Distracted?” I asked as I wiggled my eyebrows.

“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t even look down there.”

“Sure, you didn’t.” I chuckled as she rolled me back onto my back.

“Let’s go.” She climbed to her feet, and I just stared up at her.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m going to give you your first tattoo before you change your mind.”

I sat up on my elbows and looked at her like she was crazy. “You’ve been drinking. There is no way that I’m letting you give me a tattoo tonight.”

“Be serious.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and even though I tried my hardest not to, my eyes dropped to her breasts. “I haven’t had a drink in hours. Plus, you drove me here. Would you have done that if we had been drinking too much?”

“No,” I said hesitantly because she was right. I never would have driven her if I was at all impaired.

“Then let’s go.” She rubbed her hands together, clearly excited.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I stood up off the floor and followed her back through the house before looking down at my watch. “It’s two thirty in the morning.”

“Mason Connor, are you being a fuddy dud?” She arched a perfect black eyebrow at me, and even though I did think going to get a tattoo right now probably was a wild ass idea, I was craving her brand of wild.

“Don’t use my own words against me.”

She just smiled, and I clicked off the flashlight and followed her out the door.

She spun around in the yard, the only light that of the moon, and I laughed as she danced around in pure bliss.

“You are not going to regret this.” She pointed at me as she made her way around my truck and climbed into the passenger seat like she belonged there.

“I’ll remember you said that.” My truck thundered to a start and my hand grazed her shoulder as I turned to back out of the driveway.

“Don’t you trust me?” She batted her eyelashes at me playfully, and I wanted to tell her that I didn’t know because the girl in front of me was unlike anything I had ever met. She was different from every other woman.

She was wild, she was real, and even though I did want to fuck the shit out of her, I was genuinely having fun just being around her and that scared the shit out of me.