Ally stared at the ceiling, the room spinning around her as she slowly came back to her senses. The ceiling fan was on overdrive, its chain clicking ceaselessly against the glass lamp, but despite its best efforts the air was still thick and hot and heavy, and a sheen of sweat coated her skin. Normally she didn’t like the heat, but now it felt sultry and seductive, laced with something secret and forbidden she’d denied herself for far too long.

Her body was still trembling from the epic orgasm Roscoe had just given her with his mouth, but she wasn’t even close to finished. She wanted him on top of her. Needed him there, hot and slick and hard, finally fulfilling the promise inherent in his every touch, every kiss since the very first.

For so long she’d promised herself that this would be it, their final epic act together before they went their separate ways. But all of her carefully laid plans and protections seemed so ridiculous now, unnecessary and impossible to uphold. She was falling for him, hard and fast. No matter what happened next, she could no more turn her back on this than Reggie could turn her back on hockey.

Roscoe was still on his knees, the hot mist of his breath warming her thigh. Hands threaded in his hair, Ally tugged gently, urging him to begin the long and sensuous ascent of her body. And that’s exactly what it felt like—an explorer mapping her curves and dips with his mouth, claiming the territory of her body one kiss, one inch, one whisper at a time. By the time he reached her mouth, she was wet and throbbing again, so desperate for the hot thrust of him that she almost begged him.

Roscoe was just as eager, and they moved to the center of the bed, his cock pressed against her belly, hard and hot, all for her. She’d had him in her hands before, in her mouth, sliding between her lips as her tongue teased and stroked and tasted. She’d felt him through the fabric of his jeans, grinding against her as they’d rolled around at the park. But she’d never had him inside her, and the anticipation of what was coming unleashed a rush of energy that electrified her nerves and sent her into a full-bodied shiver.

Roscoe shifted until the thick ridge of his cock pressed against her clit. At her involuntary gasp, he kissed her neck and said, “Okay?”

“More than okay,” she whispered, nipping at his earlobe. “Just… Give me a second. Just like this.” It had been so long since Ally had felt the full, delicious weight of a naked man against her body, she wasn’t ready for it to end. She felt small and protected, nestled snugly beneath this strong, kind man who could make her laugh as easily as he could drive her wild. She wanted to savor everything about this moment, this feeling, to store it up and save it for her loneliest nights, those agonizing stretches of darkness where only the shadows kept her company.

Because right now, with Roscoe in her bed, skin slicked with sweat and heat and desire, both of them panting and wild, Ally felt the sun blazing inside her, chasing away those old shadows that had kept her hiding and scared for so long.

He reached up to brush his thumb across her lips, unleashing another shiver, then pressed his mouth to hers. The kiss was exquisite, and Ally moaned his name, arching her body to get closer.

Roscoe grabbed the condom from the night stand and tore open the wrapper, rolling it on and teasing her entrance with the tip of his cock. Ally cried out in pleasure, her muscles wound tight, everything inside her simmering. She couldn’t wait another moment.

She wanted him inside her, filling up all the spaces that had gone empty for so long. Too long.

Parting her thighs, she rolled her hips and dug her nails into his back, and Roscoe plunged into her, strong and perfect and full.

I’ve done it. Made love to another man.

Hot guilt raced suddenly down her spine, settling like a rock in her gut. Her thighs clamped involuntarily, and Ally felt her throat tighten, tears threatening to spill.

It’s not cheating. He’s gone, Ally. He’s gone.

Ally closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. She hadn’t felt this way with Roscoe that first night in the park, his fingers slipping inside her, touching her until she moaned with pleasure. She hadn’t felt this way when she’d taken him into her mouth, not on that night nor all the nights since. She hadn’t felt this way moments ago, his face between her thighs.

But this? This was everything. The most physically intimate moment a man and a woman could share. And for the first time in her entire life, she was sharing with a man who wasn’t Dan.

Ally opened her eyes, meeting Roscoe’s gaze. His eyes were dark with lust, but also full of the genuine concern she’d come to know from him.

“Okay?” he asked again, his whispers a caress on her lips.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Her body was trembling, her thighs clenching, her stomach tumbling, but Ally knew in her heart she wanted this. Needed it. Needed him to take her away from all of the pain, all of the ghosts, the endless ache inside her.

No, she realized with a start. That was her fallback line, the one she’d told herself in her mind all the times she’d thought about this moment. Now that it had arrived, she knew deep down that her need had nothing to do with the past and everything to do with right now. With Roscoe. With the way she felt in his arms, safe and protected and cherished.

Roscoe brushed a kiss across her lips. “You sure?”

Ally smiled. In the wake of his tenderness, the prickly feeling inside subsided, cresting and falling away again like a wave. She waited a beat, then another, but it was gone.

“Yes,” she whispered, reaching up to cup his face.

I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life. She opened her mouth again to tell him just that, but those felt like big words, huge words, too heavy and important to say out loud just yet. So she leaned forward and kissed him, hungry and eager, sealing away the words for another day and telling him in every other way she knew how: yes, I absolutely want this.

Roscoe’s perfect cock thickened inside her, growing even harder as her body relaxed to accommodate him fully, her hips urging him into a new rhythm, slow and deliberate, then faster, deeper, harder and faster still, each stroke urging her closer to the edge until finally her thighs clenched and her body gripped him tighter and Roscoe came with a roar, shuddered against her body until she let go too, all at once, losing herself in their shared release until everything in her began to spin in the most delicious way, faster than the fan over their heads.

* * *

“I have a confession,” Ally announced. She’d been drifting in and out of sleep, wrapped up in Roscoe’s embrace as he traced slow circles on her back, and she had no idea how much time had passed. It wasn’t dark yet, which meant they still had a while before the kids returned from their date, and Ally had no plans to move from the bed until she absolutely had to.

Roscoe nuzzled her neck, his hair tickling her chin. “You want to do that again?”

“No. I mean, yes, of course. But that’s not it.” She sighed into his hair, inhaling the scent of his shampoo. It was better that he wasn’t looking into her eyes. “When we first started hanging out, and it was clear we’d eventually… You know. Get physical and—”

“Oh, you mean when you mauled me in an old folks’ home?”

“Hey! We’ve been over this. You mauled me.”

“Fine. Let’s just call it a mutual mauling.”

“A mutual mauling. Right.” Ally laughed, but her smile faded and she closed her eyes, snuggling tighter against him. “I told myself that as soon as we finished doing this, we’d have to end things.”

“Finished what? Sex?” Roscoe pulled back and reached for her chin, tilting her head so she had no choice but to open her eyes and meet his gaze. His eyes were guarded, all traces of humor suddenly gone. “Are you saying this is it?”

“No! No, nothing like that.” Her cheeks heated in embarrassment, but somehow Ally knew Roscoe would understand. “It sounds ridiculous now, but I just… I was scared. I thought it would be better to go out with a bang before things got too complicated. End on a high note, you know?”

“Ally.” Roscoe shook his head. “Why did you think we’d end at all?”

“You’re an NHL player. You’ve got training and media stuff and traveling and games, all the attention that goes along with that. And I’m just…” She broke their gaze and lowered her eyes, unsure how to complete the thought.

“Just what?”

“Just plain old—”

“Stop. Look at me, Ally.”

Ally sighed, finally meeting his eyes again. The earlier confusion was gone, replaced with fierce determination.

“The only acceptable answer to that question,” he said, “is that you’re just the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. Your attention is the only attention I care about.” He tightened his hold on her, sighing against her skin. “As far as I’m concerned, no one else exists. Not for me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Ally’s heart hammered against her chest. She had a pretty good idea.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m… I’m saying the same thing.”

She was overcome again with that same feeling she’d had that first time with him in the restaurant—the night they’d come to refer to as their first non-date—when he’d held her hand beneath the table and brought her back from the darkness of her thoughts. Now, just as then, she felt safe with him. Calm. Content.

And this time, there was no fear lingering on the doorstep, waiting to rush in and burst that perfect bubble. No anxieties and what-ifs and worst case scenarios.

This time, there was only Roscoe, warm and naked and alive, holding her close.

A feeling of pure joy bubbled up inside her, spilling out in a laugh.

“Okay,” Roscoe said, returning the smile. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way.”

He rolled on top of her again, settling between her thighs. He was hard and ready for more, and a rush of desire flooded Ally’s core.

“What are you doing, Roscoe LeGrand?” she teased, already parting her thighs to accommodate him.

“I figure if you’re kicking me out as soon as we finish having sex, there’s only one option.” Roscoe reached for another condom, grinning like an idiot. “We’re not going to finish.”