The weight of what an asshole I'd been in the morning felt extra heavy on my chest as I pulled up to the house and saw Shay's sad little car parked out front. I'd worked myself into a fucking jealous lather without even knowing for certain that she was off meeting another man.

I walked inside. Music was playing, but Shay wasn't around. I headed down to her bedroom but heard a noise coming from my room. I pushed open the door and stopped to catch my breath.

"This is what you wanted, right?"

Shay was curled on her side, stripped naked and looking like an edible confection. Her skin had to taste like cream. I swallowed thinking how sweet her pussy would taste with my mouth buried against her. My dirty thoughts went into overdrive. I had never wanted anyone so badly.

There was the slightest pout in her full bottom lip that let me know she was still angry with the way I spoke to her earlier.

She rolled back onto my quilt. The sight of her stretched out and naked on my bed made my heart pound against my ribs.

"Shay, I was an asshole this morning."

"Uh huh." She smoothed her hands over her breasts causing her nipples to pucker. Then she let her thighs drop open. She trailed her hands over her belly stopping against her pussy. "But you're right. We're running out of time." She was working on sounding seductive, but there was a touch of hurt in her tone.

She turned over and pushed up to her knees and came closer to the edge of the bed before lifting her breasts with her hands. Not that she needed to do anything to arouse me. She could have been sitting in the center of my bed in rain gear, and I would have been turned on.

Speaking was almost impossible with all the energy rushing from my head to my cock. I took a few steps, bringing myself close enough to see the tiny freckle near her belly button, a freckle I'd already become far too familiar with.

"You have your goal—to drop the playboy act and regain your focus and your place in the world of high finance." Shay lathed her thumb over her nipple. I watched that thumb as if my life depended on it. "And I have my goal," she continued with a soft, husky tone. "A million dollars would keep me from ever having to work in a sketchy strip club again."

I lifted my gaze to her face. Her head tilted slightly and her expression softened. "I'm here for your entertainment, Nash. What would you like me to do?" We were back in full competition, and she had the upper hand in every possible way. I needed to change that. I needed to render my opponent utterly defenseless by making her dizzy with wanting me as badly as I wanted her.

I stepped up to the side of my bed, close enough that my legs were pressed against the edge of the mattress. I motioned her closer with my finger. She moved across my bed on her knees and stopped as near to me as she could without coming in physical contact. But I could hear every breath she took, and if I concentrated I could count the freckles on her nose. But concentration wasn't easy with every muscle in my body tense from holding back. Even my fists were curled to keep from reaching out to touch her. That was all it would take, a light brush of my fingertips over her skin and I'd be out a million bucks.

"This is just what I needed," I said with a forced casual tone. "I've been too easy on myself. But like you said, you're not here to break any bad habits, so—" I walked across the floor and closed the blinds so shadows filled the room. I flipped on some quiet music and walked to my closet and pulled out the box from the top shelf.

"Something tells me that box is not filled with winter sweaters." Shay dropped back to her side on the bed.

"Not quite." I pulled out a bright purple vibrator, still in the package. I held up the sex toy. "Sometimes my guests leave with a party favor." I walked over to the nightstand and pulled out a tube of lube and tossed it and the vibrator next to her on the bed.

"Seriously, a party favor?" She picked up the vibrator and surveyed it. "You really are damaged, my friend."

"Yes, I am. But that's already been well established. And I'm horny as hell right now, so watching you play with that toy should pretty much take me to the height of withdrawal pain."

"Or maybe you'll want to play too." She winked at me as she unwrapped the vibrator and examined it with a good deal of curiosity.

"Don't tell me you've never used one of those."

"O.K. I won't tell you." She flipped the switch and it took off in her hand, causing her to startle.

"You're kidding?"

"Yes, I am," she quipped. "I keep two or three in my purse. When I'm in the mood, I just flip the switch and go for it. Grocery store, theater, dentist’s office."

"I get the point." I motioned for her to scoot back against the pillows. I stood against the side of the bed, staring down at her like a man possessed.

Shay poured some lube on the vibrator and leaned back against the pillows. "Sure you don't want to do the honors?" she asked. "You wouldn't be touching me, technically. I'm not sure if I can get into this alone."

"Why is that? The women generally love those toys." I thought about earlier in the day when she went off on another unexplained errand. "Maybe you've already had too much sex today?" That one stupid moment of jealous thought blurted out loud stopped her short.

She sat up, still clutching the buzzing vibrator but looking more likely to heave it at me than push it between her thighs. "I was going to say it's hard to get relaxed and horny trying a sex toy for the first time with the man paying me to watch me get off looming over me like a voyeur. All while I sit naked on a bed that has seen multiple sex parties and where the guests leave with gifts." She held up the vibrator. "But you're right."

She climbed off the bed and walked around to the side where I stood. She lifted her chin defiantly, but the whole effect was sort of tempered by the fact that I was fully clothed and she was stark naked. But that didn't cool her determination to let me know just what a jerk I was. "I can't get into it because I've already had at least two other naked sessions in a man's bed. In fact, I've got three gigs just like this one lined up along the coast. But one of the men has found me so irresistible we've been having mind-blowing sex for days."

I lowered my face to hers and moved my body just inches from hers. The nearness of her naked skin, her taut nipples, her luscious scent made my pulse race. "You don't know what mind-blowing sex is, sweetheart."

"No?" she laughed dryly. "You cocky bastard. I've been with plenty of men, who, after one good roll in the sheets—" She pantomimed a head explosion with her fingers. "Mind-blown."

"I don't want you seeing anyone while you're living in this house." I couldn't keep the harshness out of my tone.

"I don't remember that part of the contract," she snapped back, waving the vibrator at me.

"So you admit you're seeing someone? If I can't touch you, no one can. I'm adding that to the contract."

"You can't do that. It's been signed. And why the hell would you care!"

"Because thinking about someone else touching you makes me want to—" I stopped. She didn't need to know that I was filled with jealous rage at the thought of her standing in someone else's arms.

Shay pushed her face up higher, closer to mine. Her lips parted. I was sure she'd tell me to go to hell. "I'm so fucking turned on right now," she blurted. "I'm going to start this fucking party." She pushed the vibrator between her legs, resting it tightly against her pussy. A half laugh, half gasp shot from her lips. "Holy shit. That's fucking awesome." Her head lulled back and her eyes drifted shut.

She was right there, standing inches from me, her skin blushed with arousal. I should have been between her legs. Not the damn vibrator.

She dropped back onto the bed and scooted back to the pillows. "Oh fuck," she whispered.

I sat on the corner of the bed. "Turn your body so I can see better." My words were tight in my throat again.

Shay watched me from beneath a curtain of dark lashes as she let her thighs fall open. Her clean shaven pussy glowed pink with moisture and her dark rose nipples puckered. It seemed she liked me watching her as much as I liked her eyes on me.

She pressed the tip of the vibrator inside of her. Instantly, her back arched off the mattress at the sensations it produced. "Shit, good party favor," she moaned. "I'm already close to coming."

"No," I said sharply. "Not yet. Pull it out if you need to. I don't want you to come yet."

She groaned with disappointment as she pulled out the toy. "Remember, I'm not breaking any bad habits," she said breathlessly.

"No, but I am. Not that you or that sweet pussy would ever be a bad habit." I heard my voice but was barely able to register what I was saying. All I could think of was that hot, wet sheath and my cock slipping comfortably inside of it. "Take a breath and tease your nipples."

Shay's head rolled to the side. She stared longingly at the vibrator as she teased her nipples with her free hand. Her soft moans filled the air, then floated down my pants and around my cock, giving my erection a long hot stroke of erotic sound.

"All right. Again." I leaned down on my stomach close enough that I could almost taste her pussy on my tongue as I watched the buzzing toy disappear. I groaned in frustration, rock hard with wanting her.

Her free hand dropped to the quilt, and she clutched it in her fingers as her body writhed against the vibrations. "Yes, shit yes." She was a sight to see overwhelmed by an orgasm, her lips parted with a satisfied purr and her body writhing with pleasure.

I released the breath I'd been holding and uncurled my fingers as she relaxed back against the pillows and sighed. "Why do I feel as if I just finished an awesome round of make-up sex with myself?"

"Trust me, darlin', I was right there with you in spirit." My body was still tight with wanting her, but I stretched out next to her and rested my head on the pillow. She turned onto her side and looked at me. Fucking hell, she looked so right in my bed, gazing at me from the pillow.

"Do you like my choice of party favors?" I asked.

She tapped the vibrator with her toe. "Very fun." Her brown eyes looked chocolate brown in the shaded room. "But kind of lonely and the afterglow cuddle is seriously lacking a nice, strong pair of arms." She looked pointedly at my arms. It took all my self-control not to pull her against me and hold her. I'd just watched her come with a hot purple sex toy between her legs, but the closest I came to breaking was right at that moment, when she badly needed to be held. And I badly needed to hold her.