When I arrive at the penthouse, the raw memory of Cash’s accusations the other night comes back to me. I consider turning around and going home, but I think I’m far beyond the point of no return now. The sharp soreness in my thigh is a constant reminder of what will happen if I don’t pay Benny soon.

I place my thumb on the fingerprint scanner and the soft click of the door unlocking is warm and welcoming. When I enter, I pass through the foyer and find Cash standing near the wall of windows, his back to me as he gazes at the dazzling lights of the Strip. He’s wearing slacks and the sleeves of his shirt are rolled up. Even from behind, he manages to look gorgeous. The man has an ass that even a girl could envy.

“You’re late,” he says, his gaze still focused out the window.

“I had a sit down with Mick after my shift,” I reply, making my way across the plush wool rug in the center of the living room. “He wanted to know if I was in some kind of trouble.”

He glances over his shoulder at me as I lay my purse on the coffee table and walk over to join him. “Are you… in trouble?”

“I don’t know, am I?”

He shakes his head. “Honesty, Kara. It’s all I require.”

“I seem to remember you saying something about doing with me as you please,” I reply with a smirk.

He doesn’t appear amused. “How’s your leg?”

I sigh. “It’s been better.”

He turns around and places his hand on the small of my back. “You should lie down. Come.”

I chuckle. “I’m fine. I’m supposed to stand up and walk around at least once every hour.”

Finally, he smiles. “Then, you can spend the next hour lying down.”

I roll my eyes, but I follow without protest. I don’t know why or how this is possible, but I trust Cash. I know he won’t push me beyond my limits. Maybe it’s because I know how deeply he regrets, even blames himself for, what happened to Vanessa. Or maybe I’m just blinded by lust and my need to be touched by him. Either way, something inside me is telling me to trust him, and this both scares me and thrills me.

His movements are fluid and commanding as he directs me to lie down on his bed where I woke up next to him eight days ago. So much has changed in little more than a week, yet I still feel the same heightened sense of anticipation. My stomach flutters as he casts a seductive glare at me over his shoulder as he reaches into the top drawer of his nightstand.

“Lie down on your belly,” he says, pulling a small bottle of something out of the drawer.

Holy shit. Is that a bottle of lube?

He smiles as he watches me tentatively get on the bed, continually glancing at the bottle in his hand. “Relax, Kara. It’s massage oil.”

I let out a sigh of relief as I lie down on my belly, laying the side of my face on the pillow so I’m facing him. “I knew that,” I reply.

He shakes his head as he unbuttons his shirt, peels it off, and tosses it onto a chair in the corner, then takes a seat on the edge of the bed. “I’m going to undress you gently. Let me know if you feel any discomfort.”

“I can do it,” I say, pushing up onto my elbows, but he shakes his head again and I lie back down.

“You will do nothing tonight,” he says, brushing my hair aside to expose the back of my neck. “Tonight is our second official ‘date’ as an engaged couple. And I’m going to spend it getting to know every inch of you.” He softly pinches my earlobe and rubs his thumb over it, a small gesture that instantly relaxes me. “Your ears are pierced. Why don’t you wear earrings?”

I close my eyes, savoring the feeling of his skin on mine as he traces his fingertips around the back of my ear. “I’m allergic to the kinds of earrings I can afford, so I don’t bother,” I reply, my voice barely louder than a whisper as my body sinks in a deep state of relaxation.

“I’ll buy you some earrings,” he says as his fingers slide through my hair, sending a chill over my skin.

I chuckle softly. “You haven’t even bought me an engagement ring.”

"Oh, I'll get to that later," he replies, as he pours a pool of oil in the center of my back.

He rubs the oil gently over my entire back, and I close my eyes as the stiffness in my muscles melts away. His touch is firm enough to relieve the tension, but soft enough to feel like he’s teasing me. As his hands glide over my shoulders, brushing my hair to the side, he leans over and places a lingering kiss on my nape. My breath quickens as his fingers slides down my spine, his hand coming to rest on the small of my back.

He trickles some more oil onto my cheeks and smoothes the silky liquid over my bottom. “You have the ass of a goddess,” he murmurs as his hand glides over my skin, his finger slipping into my crease and massaging me gently. “If you weren’t hurt, I’d ride this ass into the sunset.”

I issue a sharp intake of breath as his hand slides down to the back of my uninjured thigh. “I’m not that hurt,” I protest.

He chuckles and he gently kneads the tension in my good leg, then moves back to my ass. “Dirty girl,” he snarls, as he slips his hand between my thighs and massages my mound. “Do you want me to ride you, baby? I can fuck you gentle.”

“Oh, God,” I gasp as his finger slides between my folds and finds my clit. “Please fuck me.”

His hands glides upward, stopping at my the puckered opening to massage my entrance. “Look at you writhe,” he says as my fist closes around the pillow. “Do you like that?”

I nod adamantly, unable to speak as the pleasure seems to override all my bodily functions. He slides his finger farther inside and I gasp as my entire body spasms. The pain in the back of my thigh feels icy compared to the hot orgasm building between my legs.

He leans down and kisses my shoulder as he swirls his finger around to stroke my entrance. “Breathe, Kara,” he growls in my ear, and I can hear the sound of his zipper opening as he carefully mounts me. “Breathe, baby.”

I let out a high-pitched moan as he slides the tip of his cock along my crease. “Oh, fuck,” I breathe as he rubs the head over my clit, teasing me until he thinks I’m wet enough.

As he slides into my pussy, he lets out a hoarse grunt. “Holy fuck. You feel so fucking good.” He lays his body over mine, his hand grabbing onto my breast as he presses his lips to my ear and thrusts into me slowly. “Tell me if I’m hurting you.”

“You’re not hurting me,” I reply quickly. “Don’t stop.”

And as soon as these words come out of my mouth, I realize he’s not wearing a condom. I should say something.

I open my mouth to speak and he immediately stops moving.

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Are you sure?”

I take a long pause, and against everything I know is right and smart, I nod. “Can I turn onto my back? I want to see your face.”

“Of course,” he says, planting a kiss on my temple before he slides out of me so I can turn over underneath him.

I can’t help but smile at how gorgeous he is. “Thank you,” I say, reaching up to touch his face.

He grabs my hand and lays a kiss on my palm, but he doesn’t say anything. “Are you sure this is okay?” he asks, and I get a strange feeling he’s asking me if it’s okay that we’re having sex without a condom.

I swallow hard as I nod. “Yes. I’m sure.”

His nostrils flare as he seems overcome with emotion, then he leans over and kisses my forehead. I spread my legs a bit more, welcoming him inside. His mouth falls over mine, kissing me deeply as his cock slides into me. I whimper into his mouth as his hips grind into me, stretching me, filling me, prodding my core. My fingers curl around tufts of his dark hair, holding him in place, hoping I’ll never have to let go.

“Oh, God,” I moan as he pulls his head back, so he can look down at me.

His eyes watch me intently as he thrusts in and out, rolling his hips for maximum pleasure. “You’re so goddam beautiful,” he murmurs, holding my gaze as he takes my hand and puts it on my mound. “Touch yourself. I want you to come with me.”

I wrap my good leg around his hips as I swirl my finger around my swollen clit. “Oh, my God,” I whimper, my body trembling as he holds my jaw to keep me from looking away.

“Look at me when you come,” he commands me. “Don’t you dare look away from me.”

He slows his pace when he sees me holding my breath. Finally, I let out a loud moan as the orgasm crashes over me. Moving my hand away, he uses the tip of his cock to finish me. When my body stops twitching, he thrusts into me and lets go within seconds, his gaze locked on mine as he fills me with hot cum.

Out of breath and completely lost in the haze of what we just did, I shake my head as I realize I’m crying. “What… What the hell was that?”

He shakes his head as he brushes a tear from my temple. “I don’t know, but we probably shouldn’t do it again. We might break the universe.”

I chuckle as I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down on top of me. We lie like this for a long while, holding each other in silence. Occasionally, Cash will graze my neck with his lips or sniff my hair, but that’s all. No kissing. No fucking. No touching. Just holding each other.

And I know this is probably the most reckless thing I’ve done with Cash. Magnitudes more reckless than agreeing to his million-dollar bet. But I don’t care. I’ve never felt more safe in all my life.