I wake up the next morning freezing below the waist. The covers are scrunched up in the middle of the bed and my naked ass is in the wind.

But Mya is in my bed.

She’s on her stomach, one leg kicked up as she clutches the stolen sheets to her chest. Her hair has come loose from her braid and sticks to her forehead. She’s smiling in her sleep.

Waking up with Mya is quickly becoming my new favorite thing.

The clock on my nightstand tells me it’s noon but I’m having trouble believing it. With my insomnia, it’s extremely rare for me to sleep past eight in the morning and that’s if I’m exhausted. But then I remember all the ways Mya exhausted me last night. I lay back against the pillows with a sated sigh, enjoying the chance to be a little lazy.

I have a to-do list a mile long and couldn’t care less what is going undone. I finally have the woman of my dreams right where I want her.

In my bed.

“Why are you over there talking to yourself when it’s so early?” Mya mumbles, pulling the sheet over her head.

“Was I? Sorry, I didn’t realize. But I have to inform you that it’s actually almost lunchtime.”

She grumbles and it’s so adorable that I don’t even care she just snatched the last bit of linen covering me. Butterball ass naked is fine with me.

“If I haven’t had coffee yet, then it’s early.”

“Duly noted.” I climb out of bed and walk into my closet to find a pair of sweatpants.

Mya is snoring when I come out. She’s still snoring when I return ten minutes later with a cup of coffee and a tray with toast and scrambled eggs.

Her head pops up when I sit on the edge of the bed. “Is that coffee? Oh my god, you’re the best.”

Another thing to add to the Mya files, coffee is a must. Once she’s had a few sips, the line in the middle of her forehead relaxes and she looks less like she might stab me.

“Welcome back to the land of the living. You went a little Walking Dead on me for a minute there.”

She laughs and shoves my shoulder. “Shut up. Not all of us can look like we just fell off a billboard first thing in the morning.”

“You look gorgeous all the time. And you’ll look even better when you’re naked in the shower with me.”

Mya is grinning like a loon as I take her coffee mug and set it on the night table. I grab her hands and tug her from the bed.

“Come on, troublemaker. I’ve been fantasizing about getting you in this shower ever since I got it redone.”

“Have you?” Mya hops into my arms and wraps her legs around me. I carry her into the bathroom and set her down gently.

“I am willing to admit that I’ve pictured you in my shower a time or two. Or fifty.” I move behind her and sweep her hair over her shoulder, baring the fragrant skin to my touch. I kiss the hollow of her throat then her collarbone, my lips leaving a moist trail.

“Tell me what you imagined,” she breathes. She sends me a cheeky look over her shoulder before pressing her round bottom against me. She smiles when my fingers tighten around her arm.

“You, naked and wet. All these amazing curves covered in suds.” I skim my hands up her belly and cup her breasts, the tight peaks of her nipples pressing into the center of my palms. She melts against me as she surrenders to the sensations my fluttering fingers create.

She turns in my arms and pulls me down for her kiss. I kiss her mouth as if making love to it, intense in my exploration, my tongue thrusting against hers intimately. I ground against her, nestling my cock directly over her clit. The feeling of bare skin reminds me that I need to grab protection. If I let things progress too far I won’t have the willpower to stop myself from taking her skin-to-skin. I give her a quick kiss and jog back into the bedroom to get the box of condoms. By the time I return, I already have a condom in place. I set the box carefully on the edge of the counter closest to the shower.

“Get up on the counter.” My voice is rough with lust. I can see the answering desire in her eyes. My command excites her. She hops up on the counter and crosses her legs in a sultry pose.

“Open your legs. Show me that pretty pussy.”

Mya flushes but after a beat, she obeys. Swallowing against the surge of animal lust I feel looking down at her bare, pink pussy, I shake my head to clear it. With Mya, I want more than just the physical pleasure of release. I want to give her a level of satisfaction no man has ever given her, make her crazy. I want to leave my mark on her.

“Damn you’re beautiful.” I stroke the sensitive skin of her thighs. She shudders and tries to close her legs instinctively as I continue to tease her. Her eyes drift closed and she whimpers softly.

“I love how you touch me…” Her brown eyes are dewy as she twines her arms around my neck. My hand stays where it is, playing gently in her wetness, toying with her clit until she squirms. I wait until her eyes are frantic with wanting, until she has to acknowledge who holds her pleasure. She looks up at me, her eyes begging.

Then I enter her with a thick thrust that steals both of our breath.

I pound her hard and fast, unable to hold back the urgency I feel. I’ve had her slow and sweet and now I need her all at once, want to consume her with big, greedy bites. She obviously feels the same rush because she urges me on with her nails in my forearms and her heels at my ass. I know she’s getting close to another orgasm when she coils her legs around me, tightening like a vise.

“Milo, please!” She grips my forearms and wails, her nails leaving tiny crescent indentations in my skin. I’m too close to completion to slow my pace, too far gone to gentle the force of my thrusts even as her pussy tightens around me. She shudders violently, absorbing the force of my pounding. I hold her under the arms, clasping her to me as my own release takes over. All my joints and every muscle lock up in intense pleasure as my orgasm rips through me. When it’s over we both lay against the counter panting and spent. I look up and meet my eyes in the mirror behind Mya’s head. I look as if I’ve just run a marathon.

“Damn, girl. You’re a workout.” I pull out gently, part of me reluctant to leave her warmth. I help her up from her awkward position cramped over the counter.

Mya snorts out a laugh and runs a gentle hand through my damp hair. “I think we can both use that shower now.”

I reach in and turn on the dual showerheads, adjusting the temperature until it’s perfect. She coils her long hair up into a knot on top of her head before she follows me under the streaming water.

“This is absolute heaven.” she sighs as the water hits her back, rolling her shoulders to relieve the tension. “I’ve only seen these in magazines.”

“I went a little overboard in here, I guess. I couldn’t afford stuff like this growing up so it’s hard not to buy it now that it’s within reach.”

She opens her eyes and her gaze is like getting hit with high beams. Last night we stayed up late talking about our lives growing up and somehow segued into talking about our past relationships. After my comment about Tess, she was curious. I told her the whole story and surprisingly, it wasn’t as difficult to talk about this time. There’s something about Mya that makes it easy to talk about anything.

“You’ve worked hard for everything you’ve achieved. You deserve good things.” She taps my chest lightly to emphasize her words.

“Does that include you?” I clear my throat and pick up a bar of soap as an excuse to look away.

When I turn back to her, she stands up on her toes and kisses me square on the mouth. “You think I’m a good thing?”

“I think you’re the best thing.” I hold her gaze as I say it, knowing that I’ve never spoken truer words.

Our connection is deeply sexual of course, a dead man would want her, but more than that I want her to trust me to take care of her. I want her to turn to me for all her needs, physical and emotional. I want no more secrets between us.

“I’ve never felt like this about anyone, Mya. But damn if I know what to do about it.”

Talking about feelings isn’t easy for me but I need her to know this isn’t a casual thing for me anymore. Due to my checkered past, I’m worried that she’ll continue to think that this whole thing is just about sex. It might have started as scratching a sexual itch but every moment we’ve spent together has led to this, my overwhelming need to have her in my life.

She shakes her head and laughs shyly, covering her mouth with her hand. “You are such a puzzle, Hamilton. Because after yesterday, I was sure that you didn’t feel the same way.”

“I’m sorry about yesterday.”

Her hands find their way to my cheeks and she holds my face between her palms gently. The way she’s looking at me, a man could live on that look alone.

“Yesterday is over. I’m living in the now. And what I’m feeling right now is something I’ve never felt before either.”

* * *

The next day finds me relaxing on the couch while Mya enjoys a shower alone. I’ve been banished since according to Mya, she never really gets to shower properly when I’m in there.

Something about my dick taking up too much room. Well, that’s not what she said but that’s what I heard. I’m taking it as a compliment. Or that she’s sore from too much sex.

My cell phone rings and I snatch it up when I see my mom’s name.

“Hello son. Is this a bad time?”

“No, I’m just relaxing at home.”

You can almost hear the shock through the phone. Then she says, “Hold on. Ten, your brother’s on the phone! And he’s not working for once.”

I laugh at that. “Funny. What are you two up to this morning?”

“Church. I figured your brother could use a little prayer. Please tell me you’re really relaxing in that beautiful apartment you pay so much for and this isn’t a joke.”

“Mom, I’m actually at home. Things are going well at work. I won’t have to work such long hours forever. But I’m glad you called.” I pause, surprisingly shy about what I’m about to ask. “I wanted to ask if you still have grandma’s ring.”

It’s so quiet I pull back to look at my phone to make sure we haven’t lost the connection. “Mom, you still there?”

“Yes. I was just so surprised. Milo, you haven’t even mentioned seeing anyone.”

I fiddle with a loose thread on my shorts. “Actually, do you remember my co-worker, Mya? You met her when you came up for the company holiday party last year.”

She gasps. “I knew it! I told Ten, he has a crush on that girl. Didn’t I say that, Ten?”

I can hear my brother’s irritated grumble in the background. Then I hear the sound of the bathroom door opening. Mya must be done with her shower.

“I’m not saying I’m proposing or anything. Things are still new. I was just wondering… She’s different than anyone I’ve ever been with before. And I would really like you and Ten to come visit so you can meet her properly.”

“I would love that, honey. Grandma’s ring is in the bottom of my jewelry box. I’ve been hanging on to it for the day one of you boys met your match.”

Mya sits on the couch next to me. Her hair is pulled back into a high bun and she still has droplets of water on her neck. With no makeup and wearing one of my old T-shirts, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. My grandmother’s ring would look perfect on her finger, actually. It’s exactly her style. The thought would have had me running away just a month ago but now it makes me smile.

“She’s more than a match for me, Mom. And I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

Mya looks over at me in surprise when she finally figures out who I’m talking to. Her cheeks go pink with pleasure which makes me want to lean over and take a bite out of her.

“Okay, Mom. Enjoy church. Bye.”

After I hang up, Mya grabs the phone and then climbs in my lap. “You told your mother about me?”

The smile on my face feels so natural. How long has it been since I’ve been this unbelievably happy? Never. That sounds about right.

“I did. She remembers meeting you at the party but I told her I want her and Ten to come visit so you can spend some time together.”

She suddenly won’t meet my eyes. “This is all happening so fast. I’m scared to be this happy.”

Before she can say anything else, my phone dings with an alert. A few seconds later, Mya’s phone chimes. Frowning, she pulls her phone out of her pocket.

“It’s an email from James. Mr. Lavin is going to be in town tomorrow. James scheduled a meeting.” She bites her lip.

“This is what we knew would happen. We’re ready. We’ve been ready. Now it’s time to lock it down. Nothing is going to stop us from getting this account.”

“I just thought we’d have more time.” She won’t meet my eyes. “Once Mr. Lavin picks a campaign, things will be different.”

“You mean we’ll go back to being mortal enemies then?”

She doesn’t laugh.

I tip up her chin, forcing her to look at me. The worry in her brown eyes tugs at my heartstrings. “Mya, no matter who wins the account, that has nothing to do with what’s going on between us. It won’t change anything.”

“Promise? You hate to lose.” Her voice is small, something I’m not used to from her. That’s what lets me know that this is a very real fear for her. And I don’t want her worrying about this for even one minute.

“I promise. And yes, I hate to lose. But I would hate to lose what we have here more.”

Mya nods slowly.

That’s when her words hit me. “Wait, did you just say “I hate to lose” as if you’re sure you’re going to win tomorrow? Brat.” I tickle her and she dissolves into giggles.

I like that sound much better.