Even after the long night, dragging myself out of bed to wade out into the frigid waves with my board was nothing compared to how hard it was to pull myself away from Rikki. I could have stayed all damn night with her under the canvas tarp. But she worried her dad might wake up and look for her. So, I gave her a ride home and then headed back to the beach to fall into bed.

Stryker had been the first one up, and he pounded hard on my window to tell me the surf was up. I had been in such a deep sleep, I shot up and nearly fell of the fucking bed. It gave him a good laugh.

He was still grinning about it two hours later as we sat on our boards waiting for the next set.

"Just wish I'd had my phone ready to film it," Stryker quipped as he leaned his hands back on his board and lifted his face to the breaking sun. "I just couldn't do it justice when I told Flint and Wilder about it. I needed video. You can be sure next time I will have my phone poised and ready for action."

"You should. That way when I torpedo out of bed and come crashing through the window to throttle you, you can get the whole damn thing recorded. Then I can watch it again and again."

"Wow, someone is grumpy after being startled awake. Where were you last night after work anyhow? Flint said you dragged your ass into the Seven Sins just before closing with no real explanation of where you'd been."

I glanced back and saw a swell rolling toward us. "Oh, I have an explanation. I just don't choose to explain it." I leaned down and started paddling. The board rose up and I pulled my arms through the water to get ahead of the wave. I braced my hands against the board and pushed to my feet. The rush of riding a wave and the salty sea air had helped wash some of the sleep from my head.

I rode in close to shore and then dropped back down on the board. Flint was just heading out to the break line with his board.

I spun the nose around and paddled back out alongside of Flint. "Wilder said he had shit to do. He's done surfing for the morning," Flint said as he lowered himself down over his board

A wave went over us as we paddled out toward Stryker, who was still relaxing back on his board soaking up sun.

He straightened when he heard us swim up. "I think I'm going to head in. I've got to pick Willow up from her veterinarian technician class in an hour."

"How is she liking it?" Flint asked.

Stryker laughed. "Let's just say she's a little advanced for a beginner's vet tech class. I think the teachers are learning from her. Still, she needs that certificate to get a job, and she's determined to get one."

"Good for her." I sat up and straddled my board.

"Hey, isn't that the pretty girl from the Seven Sins that you swept right out from under my charming smile?" Flint asked.

I spun my board around to face the sand. Rikki stood on the shore, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her sweatshirt. The sun reflected off her shiny hair. She pushed a fluttering strand back behind her ear. There was a hint of a smile on her lips.

I lowered myself down over my board to paddle to shore.

"Whoa there, big guy," Flint said. "Is that who you were with last night? Who is she?"

I glanced back. Both Stryker and Flint were waiting for an answer, which of course I couldn't give. Or at least not most of it. "She's a local girl," I blurted but knew exactly what would follow. I brought my arm around to paddle to shore, but Flint reached forward and grabbed the tail of my board.

"Wait, Max. What the hell is going on?"

I looked pointedly at the hold Flint had on my board, and he released it.

"Max," Stryker spoke up sharply. "You know local girls are off-limits unless they are Wynter Fare. We don't need people in the area asking questions about us."

I sat up and turned my body so hard the board spun around with it. "So only you get to have a real relationship, and the rest of us are stuck with casual fucking?"

The words spit out fast, without thought, and as they fell out, I wished I'd taken the time to edit them. Flint's mouth dropped open as he looked at Stryker. "Well fuck, some cutie has finally landed the biggest fish of all."

Stryker shook his head at Flint. "Yeah, cocky asshole, just wait until it happens to you." He turned my direction. "You know with Willow it's different. She already knew everything about the underworld and what we do for a living. A human girl—" He glanced toward shore. "No matter how adorable, she can't know anything. There's no way to make it work."

"That's where you're wrong, buddy." I lowered my chest down to the board. "This is different too."

"Wait," Flint said but thought better about grabbing my board this time. "What do you mean different?" he called to me, but my focus was now on the woman standing on the beach.

I rode in on the next wave and coasted into shallow water before stepping off the board. I picked it up and wedged it under my arm. Rikki walked through the wet sand to meet me. I wanted badly to kiss her, but even without looking back, I knew we had an audience out on the water.

"Hope you don't mind I showed up here," she spoke quickly as I took hold of her hand and led her up toward the houses.

"Why would I mind? But the nosy bunch of crows sitting out on the waves are asking questions, so let's go inside."

She had to run to keep up with my long stride. "I needed to talk to you. My dad told me some things, and I think you should hear what he has to say." She stumbled on a dry mound of sand and pulled her hand free of mine. She was breathing hard. "If you're waiting for me to float up into the air like a kite, it's not going to happen."

"I'm sorry. I'm just fucking dying to kiss you, and I don't want to do it out here in front of Flint and Stryker."

"Oh, well then, what are you waiting for?" She dashed ahead toward the houses but then stopped and looked back at me. "I don't know which one is yours."

"Second one from the right." I reached the house at the same time as her. I drove my board into the sand and leaned it against the side of the house. Rikki and I rushed inside.

I yanked shut the sliding glass door and the curtains.

"Oh, I guess we're going to do something more than kiss." Rikki stepped back and squealed with laughter as I lunged for her.

I pulled her into my arms so hard, she bounced off my chest.

"Am I going too fast?" I didn't give her time to answer before my mouth covered hers. "Sorry, darlin'," I said between kisses. "It's been too long."

"It's only been seven hours, but who's counting?" she said breathlessly as she let her head lull back, exposing her long throat to my roaming mouth. I pushed down my swim trunks and stepped out of them without taking my mouth from her skin. "Fuck, you taste sweet," I muttered against her neck.

She gripped my arms to keep from falling backward. "And you taste salty like the sea," she moaned.

I unzipped her sweatshirt and pushed it off her shoulders. My tongue swept along the hollow at the base of her throat as my hands quickly pushed her jeans down.

"I'm sorry that I'm acting like a damn maniac, but I'm so fucking hard right now. Should I slow down?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"No, please don't stop, Max."

I spun her around and took hold of her wrists. I placed her hands against the kitchen counter. I stooped down, slipped her sandals off, one by one, and was a little more impatient as I yanked her legs free from her jeans.

I used my foot to spread her feet wider and stood back to admire the hot fucking scene in front of me. Her pert round bottom looked as bitable as a ripe apple. "For an underworld ferryman, you have an amazing ass, darlin'."

She gave it a little wiggle. "Glad you approve."

"Oh, I fucking approve. I heartily fucking approve. Don't move." I took two steps to the end table by the couch and pulled out a condom.

Rikki turned back to see what I was up to. "Oh my, how convenient. Do you have those things all over the house in easy to reach locations?"

I shrugged. "Better than not having them."

"Good point."

I crossed the floor in two steps. I bent my knees and nestled my cock against her. She responded by, once again, wiggling her ass. I was already about to fucking explode. I held her hip with one hand and slipped my free hand around and between her legs. She instinctively spread her feet wider.

"That's it, darlin'. Let me feel just how fucking hot and wet you are for me."

She moaned softly as my fingers slid through the moisture pooling in her pussy.

"Fuuuck," I groaned. "That's it. One touch of that satin pussy, and I'm fucking done." I pushed my hand against her to tilt her ass out farther. My cock pressed urgently at her pussy.

"Are you ready, baby?"

"Yes, please," she cried softly.

She sucked in a sharp breath as I jammed my cock into her. Her knuckles were white as she grasped the counter and braced herself against my thrusts. She moved her legs closer together, squeezing my hand between her legs and tightening her pussy around my cock.

She jutted her ass against me, taking in more of me, each time bring me closer to coming.

My thumb stroked against her clit as she absorbed the impact of my blows.

"Oh, Max, yes!" she cried as her pussy clamped even tighter around me, milking me straight to an orgasm. Shuddering waves rolled through both of us as we came together. I held her tightly against my cock, feeling every inch of her around me as my cock exploded inside of her.

Her arms vibrated beneath her from the strain of my weight and the movement against her. I pulled out slowly and picked her up into my arms. She threw her fatigued arms around my neck and kissed my face as I carried her down the hallway.

"I think we should continue this in my bedroom."

She sighed dreamily as she rested her head against my shoulder. "Wish I could stay but I've got to go to work."

I stopped after one step into my bedroom. "Work?"

She lifted her head and looked at me. "Yeah, that ferry won't run itself, and you know how those souls get when they starting piling up in the river."

"No fucking way, Rikki. Now that we know Vapour is up to something, it's too dangerous."