The sound of footsteps in the hall pulls me awake. I open my eyes, but can’t orient myself. Where the fuck am I? I blink once, twice, and try to get my bearing. That’s when I see Eliza sleeping soundly beside me, looking so goddamn beautiful and sated, it’s all I can do not to wake her and take her again.

My mind rewinds to last night, and all the things I did with my childhood crush. Truthfully, it was the best fucking night of my life—years in the making—it’s a wonder I lasted as long as I did. The second she put that sweet mouth of hers on my cock, I was done for. So fucking done for I had to pull out every trick in the book to keep from exploding down her throat.

Truthfully, I have no idea where we stand this morning—except that she wants sex again—but last night, for some unexplainable reason, I needed her to look me in the eye, know it was me, Braxton Freeman, who was worshiping her body and bringing her to bliss.

She murmurs in her sleep, and I touch her hair, pull the long dark strands from her face. She breathes deep, an adorable sound of contentment, thanks to a night of mind blowing sex and powerful orgasms.

I want more.

As I think about that, a knot tightens my gut, and a pounding begins at the base of my neck. Jesus Christ, here I am pretending to be her boyfriend, preparing her sexually for another man. How the fuck can we continue with this charade? She wants another guy, and I’m helping her get him. Only problem is, I fucking want her to myself, selfish bastard that I am.

She’s not yours, asshole.

What the fuck was I thinking, agreeing to something so asinine?

Oh, probably because this is sweet, Eliza and you’d do anything for her.

“Hey,” she whispers, and put her palm on my cheek. “You okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

She sits up a bit, looks me over. “You look like you’re in a bad mood again. Is everything okay?”

Shit, I wish she couldn’t read me so well.

“I need coffee.”

She laughs. “That’s right. I forgot how much of a grouch you are before your first cup.”

I make a move to go, and her hand drops to my arm. She gives a little squeeze and I turn back to her. “About today,” she begins, her lashes flashes rapidly—a nervous little tick of her. “What I asked you to do.”

“I got this, Eliza. Don’t worry.” Really, how hard can it be to pretend to be into her, when no pretending is needed.

“I…”

“When Jason finally takes his eyes off his phone and sees who you really are, he’s not going to know what hit him.”

I know what I’d like to hit him with.

She gives an uneasy chuckle. “Okay, thanks.” She runs her hands along the blankets. “Just checking to see if you were okay and still wanted to go through with this.”

“I’ve come this far, haven’t I? I’m not a quitter, Eliza. You know that about me. I see everything through to the end, for better or for worse.”

“I know and that’s what I love about you,” she says, then her eyes go wide and she shakes her head, all that sexy loose hair falling over her bare shoulders. As if realizing she’s still naked from the night before, she grabs the sheet and tugs it to her neck.

“Oh, there is something you love about me is there?” I tease, wanting the sweet, relaxed Eliza back, the one who was so open and honest with me last night, one who shed her inhibitions and freely gave me every inch of her body. Body, not heart. Get it together, dude. “All this time I thought you hated every inch of me.”

A blush crawls up her throat and deepens the pink in her cheeks. “You do have a lot of inches,” she says, then chuckles.

I grin, hardly able to believe what my sweet Eliza just said. I stare at the woman beside me as her lips twitch. Seeing her like this, playful, teasing, all relaxed after the best sex of my night is a total mind fuck. Sexy, smart, funny as hell when she wants to be. The perfect trifecta.

More footsteps sound in the hall, and lacking any sort of modesty, I kick off my blankets and stand, showcasing all my inches in their early morning arousal. Her gaze drops, and her breathing changes.

“You keep looking at my cock like that and we won’t be leaving this room any time soon.”

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m…sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I loved the way you worked my cock with that sweet mouth of yours. You owned it, Liza. Took me in like you were on a mission and it was fucking amazing. It was all I could do not to fill your throat with my cum.”

“Ohmigod, Brax,” she says, her eyes wide as she chuckles again.

“What, are you saying you don’t like my dirty mouth?”

“…No.”

I grin at her, and take my cock into my hand. “That’s what I thought.”

A knock comes on our door. “Breakfast in twenty minutes,” Richard’s wife Michelle, says.

“So answer me. Am I crawling between your legs again, or am I tugging one out in the shower.”

She points to the bathroom. “Go, or everyone will know what we’re doing in here.”

“So?”

“So…we need to make the breakup believable, right? If we spend all our time in here, and not out there, it could look suspicious.”

I stiffen, her words—a reminder of what this really is—are like a punch to the gut. “Shower it is then.”

I step into the bathroom, and shut the door, all the while trying to keep my anger in check. I’m the one who agreed to this, so the only one I can be angry at is myself. I just hope this guy is worth it, and so far he’s proving otherwise. Seriously though, what kind of guy only notices a girl when she’s worthy enough for another guy. That shit is fucked up.

I shower quickly, rinse the scent of Eliza from my body, and wrap a towel around my waist. “All yours,” I say and walk into the other room to find her dressed in yoga pants and a t-shirt her fingers flying across her phone. She sets it down, and I glance at it.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just Valerie wondering what’s taking me so long to get downstairs.”

“Did you tell her your legs are too tired to carry you because I fucked you last night?”

She laughs. “Yeah, Brax, that’s exactly what I told her.” She jumps from the chair, and casts me a quick glance. “She said Jason was looking for us.” I make a sound, a grunting little noise. “What?” she asks.

“Nothing.”

She plants one hand on her hip and studies me. “You don’t like him,” she says, a statement, not a question.

“I don’t know him like you do, Eliza.”

“Well, hopefully by the end of the day we’ll all get to know each other better.” She turns to head to the bathroom, and I wait until the door is shut.

“Can’t wait,” I say under my breath. I rake my hands through my hair, and tug on my board shorts and a T-shirt. I grab a ball cap from my bag and toss it onto my head. Eliza comes from the bathroom and goes still when she sees me.

“Something wrong?”

She smiles and shakes her head. “With that hat on, you look like you’re eighteen again.”

“You don’t like it?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just you pull off a suit so well, and yet…this look.”

“What about it?”

“It somehow suits you, too.”

“You’d better careful.”

“Why?”

I step up to her, toy with the knot on her towel. A quiver moves through her body and her eyes widen. “You keep complimenting me like this and I might get the wrong idea…or the right idea,” I say.

She lifts her chin slightly, a show of defiance, but there is something in her eyes, something that looks a lot like lust when she says, “I was just stating a fact, Braxton.”

I grin down at her, focus on her mouth, and her lips fall open. Is that an invitation? My gaze flies back to hers. How can a girl with so much desire on her face be chasing another man?

Because she wants you for sex only.

“We, ah, should get going,” she says.

I step away from her and adjust my ball cap, bring it lower over my eyes. “You want me to wait until you get dressed, or do you want to meet me down there?”

“You go ahead. I’ll follow in a minute.”

I nod, and leave her alone. When I step in the hall, I work to pull my shit together, and get my goddamn cock under control. Yeah, she said she wanted to have sex tonight, and by rights I should say no. Why the fuck would I want to prepare her for a douche like Jason?

I make my way downstairs and follow the sound until I find everyone outside, gathered around a large patio table. Three young girls are dressed in crisp white shirts and black dress pants, pouring the coffee. I sit, turn my coffee cup over and give a grateful smile to the server who fills it.

“Thanks,” I say, and she nods and walks off. I steal a glance around. To one side of the massive backyard, a beautiful buffet is set up, the food kept hot in covered chafing dishes. I glance around, and all eyes are on me, including Jason, who has yet to remove his phone from his hand.

“She’ll be down in a second,” I say and take a much needed sip of my coffee. From my peripheral vision I catch the curious way Valerie is watching me, a small grin on her face. I bite back a scoff. Hell, I probably have a night of hot sex written all over me. I hope so, then maybe Jason will realize Eliza’s not his.

Goddammit, Brax. That’s the whole reason for being here.

“Sorry I’m late,” Eliza says as she breezes to the table, looking fresh face, relaxed…well fucked this morning. I pull her chair our and she takes a seat beside me, our legs bump, and as little pulses zap between us, she places her napkin on her lap and sits up a little straighter. “Mmm, coffee. Just what I need.” She flips her mug over and one of the servers is right there to pour her a drink. She breathes in the rich aroma, then glances at the cloudless sky. “Great weather for today’s activities.”

“Perfect weather,” Richard says, then does another round of introductions, for my sake, I assume. I gesture a nod to the man named Alex, who is directly across from me. Like me, he’s tagging along with his girlfriend for the weekend. I turn my attention back to Richard, who is explaining the plans for the day. “Mason, from Building Bonds, will be joining us shortly to get things under way. We play for a few hours, have a lunch break, then resume afterward. Tonight however, is meant for drinks at the pool and either sunset swims, or moonlit sails.” I nod, maybe I’ll get some sailing in this weekend after all. Then again, it’s not like Eliza will want to join me, and I’m not about to leave her on shore while I’m off entertaining myself. Then again, she might want me to disappear. With me out of the picture, it might give her the perfect opportunity to get closer to Jason.

“If you need me, I’ll be at the pool getting a little work done,” I say, and try not to look as annoyed as I feel. “Good thing my laptop is in the car.”

“Me too,” Alex pipes in. His girlfriend smiles at him, and I can’t help but think they’re a cute couple—without a hidden agenda

“Aren’t you going to play any of the games?” Eliza asks.

I put my arm on the back of her chair, a show of possession and stretch out my legs as Jason zeroes in on us. “Not my company, babe. I’m just here because you asked me to be.”

“At least agree to be in the tug of war,” Richard says. “We could use a good strong anchor like you.” Richard grins at Jason, who folds his arms across his chest, a challenge of sorts. “Give Jason a run for his money this year.”

“I’m in,” I say quickly, and Eliza’s gaze flies to me. So does Valerie’s. I ignore them both and drain my coffee.

Richard puts his hands on the edge of the teak table and pushes to a stand. “All right then, let’s eat, shall we?”

“Are you really going to work today?” Eliza asks.

“I can’t very well join in the bonding games.”

“I…suppose.” She looks down for a moment, almost apologetic. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

I catch the way Jason is watching us. “I planned to get some work done this weekend, whether I was here or not, Eliza. It’s fine. Plus, Richard said something about a sail tonight.”

She crinkles her nose. “I took you away from that this weekend, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”

I put my hand on her cheek. “I can sail here and work. Two birds,” I say.

She nods up at me, understanding exactly what I’m saying. “So you brought your laptop?”

“I don’t go anywhere without it.” Although I do know when it’s appropriate and not appropriate to open it.

“This is supposed to be a device-free weekend.”

Maybe someone should tell that to Jason.

“I don’t think those rules apply to me.”

She shakes her head. “I suppose, and I should have realized you’d have work to do,” she adds and that’s when I realize she’s given me the perfect opportunity to set things in motion.

“All work and no play, isn’t that what you always say about me?” It’s a lie. While I’m a hard worker, I know when it’s time to play. It’s that balance that makes me a success.

As everyone moves about to fill their plates with breakfast foods, she hesitates for a second. I catch the way Jason is lingering at the table, taking his time to finish his coffee as he eavesdrops.

“Ah, yeah. That’s what I always say,” she says, clueing in to my tactics as she leaves the table, following everyone to the buffet.

I wait a second until my coffee is refueled again, take a big sip, and follow behind. Jason jogs to catch up with me.

He nudges me, like we’re old friends bonding over something. “Women, huh?”

“What about them?”

“A guy like you doesn’t get where he is today by taking weekends off.”

“Eliza asked me to be here, so I’m here. I’d like to think you’d do the same if she were your girlfriend.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Absolutely.” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his board shorts, and fall in place behind me in line. “We never got to have that drink last night. Maybe we can talk later,” he says from behind me. I already know what he wants to talk about. My success. My business. If I have any place for him on my team. But I plan to keep my word to Richard, and I’m not about to poach.

Why didn’t you keep your word to your best friend?

“Maybe we can take the sailboat out later,” he says to me.

“Eliza doesn’t really like the water.”

“I’m sure she won’t mind staying back.”

“I’ll mind.”

From the buffet line ahead, Eliza turns and her gaze lands on me, obviously having heard our conversations. We exchange a long look, then she hurries forward and fills her plate. I load up on eggs, bacon, and toast, and grab my seat back at the table. Soon enough, everyone is talking, and I can barely follow along with the numerous conversations going on around me.

“You sure you’ll be okay at the pool by yourself?” Eliza asks me as her knee brushes mine.

Below the table I put my hand on her thigh, and she makes a wheezing little sound that takes me back to when she climaxed around my cock. “Relax.” I lean into her, purposely put my mouth to her ear, my words for her only. “This is what you hired me for.”

She does a quick check around the table, but there are no eyes on us. Her mouth moves to my ear and when the heat of her breath washes over me, my cock swells, eager to have that sweet mouth wrapped around it again. “Technically, I didn’t hire you,” she says, her voice a low breathless whisper that matches mine “We do have that whole tit-for-tat thing.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“You never did tell me what you wanted,” she says quietly.

I inch back, and relax into my chair. “No, I didn’t, did I?”

“Are you going to let me know anytime soon, or do I have to guess?”

“Not sure.”

“Brax—” she begins, but her boss’s voice stops her. All eyes lift in time to see Richard stand and shake hands with a middle-aged man, then introduces him as Mason, today’s instructor. After introductions, Mason talks about the games that are going to be played. I quickly excuse myself from the table, set my dishes in the big gray tray, and make my way to my car. I reach into my pocket, fish my keys out and grab my laptop from the trunk.

I grab a lounge chair by the pool, peel off my shirt and settle into it. I open up my email but since I can’t really seem to concentrate on too much, I scan through the messages and sort according to importance. I answer a few, yet continually lift my head to see what the team is up to.

“Are you sure you don’t want to join them?” Michelle says as she brings me a cold glass of lemonade.

“Positive. I have some work to catch up on, and I’m not part of the team, so it doesn’t really seem fair.”

“You’re kind of a part of it.” She gives a knowing little laugh, and I lift my eyes to hers as she perches on the end of my chair. “I mean, you are here with Eliza.” She follows my gaze, and watches me take in the group trying to release themselves from the human knot. Every time Eliza laughs, or shouts out an instruction it pulls my focus. She’s a strong, take-charge woman at work, and I admire her for that. But fuck, when she handed her body over to me in the bedroom, trusting me enough to know I’d take care of it, well, that shit just messes with my mind, and truthfully it’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly. I blink my eyes, the rush of last night’s erotic memories pulling a groan from me. I cough to cover it, and shake my head to clear the sexy visions. When I open them again, Jason is laughing with her, touching her. He wraps his hands around her waist as they try to break free, and acid fills the back of my throat. The only hands I want on her body are mine, goddammit.

“She’s something, isn’t she?” Michelle says, pulling my thoughts back. “Richard has so many great things to say about her.”

“Yeah,” I say. “She’s got it all, doesn’t she?”

“I heard you two go way back.”

“Her brother is my best friend. We met in high school.”

“Ah, I see. How does he feel about the two of you?” She laughs, like she’s remembering a joke only she’s privy to. “I’m asking because Richard was my brother’s best friend, and I think he was lucky to walk away with only a broken nose once he found out about the two of us.”

I should be so lucky.

“He’s fine with it,” I fib.

A moment of silence as the sun beats down on us, and then, “You don’t have to worry, you know?”

I swipe at a bead of perspiration on my forehead. “Worry about what?”

“Every time Jason goes near Eliza, you look like you want to hit something.”

I sit up a little straighter. Maybe this would be a good time to allude to trouble in our relationship. “I just—”

“She’s as in to you as you are to her, Braxton, but I have to say, it’s kind of sweet to see San Francisco’s Most Eligible Bachelor brought to his knees by an adorable, down to earth girl like Eliza.”

I laugh. She might be astute, might have picked up on how much I’m in to Eliza, but the girl I’d give my left nut sack just to kiss, well, this is all about sex and experience for her. “What can I say to that, Michelle.” I pick up my lemonade, lift it in salute, and take a big drink.

Alex plunks down beside us. Michelle excuses herself, and Alex boots up his computer. As the sun rises higher in the sky, both Alex and I work. Every now and then we make conversation, and I have to say, I like the guy. During our easy conversation, I learn he works in sales for Vericomm, one of America’s telecommunication giants. The best part of talking to Alex is, unlike most people, he doesn’t want anything from me. When I catch his girlfriend chatting with Eliza during an egg-carrying contest, Alex informs me he and Tamara go way back—high school sweethearts.

Before I can think better of it, I say, “Same here.”

I catch the confusion in his eyes. “Really. But I thought…” He shakes his head. “Well, you know what the papers say, so I didn’t think you were serious about anyone.”

Am I serious about Eliza? Fuck yeah, I am, and when she gets with Jason, that shit is going to mess me up big time.

“Technically I met her in high school, but we didn’t get together until recently.”

Because she needed to use me to catch another guy…and to teach her all about sex.

He laughs and adjusts his ball cap over his eyes as the sun moves through the sky. “Can’t believe the papers anyway.”

As I laugh with him, I’m suddenly picturing the four of us on a double date.

Wait, what?

I find Eliza in the crowd, and once again Jason is laughing with her. She’s coiling her hair around her finger, a sexy, suggestive move that spikes my anger. The scent of food reaches my nostrils and I turn to see the three servers placing chafing trays on the long table. I push to my feet, toss my hat to my chair, and jump into the pool to cool off—for numerous reasons. I surface at the other end, and find Eliza standing there, grinning down at me with her hands on her hips. I grip her ankles, give her a teasing tug.

“Braxton,” she cries out, her eyes wide in warning. “Don’t you dare. You know what happened last time.”

Guilt eats at me. “I’m sorry, Eliza. You know that, right? I never meant for that to happen.”

“I know. It’s okay. At least you dove in and saved me.”

“Not all lizards can’t swim,” I tease.

“You’re not funny.”

“Not even a little?”

“Not even a little.” She crouches down, her face close to mine, her cleavage right there for my personal viewing. “Lunch is about to be served.” My cock thickens beneath the water when she brushes my wet hair from my forehead. It’s all I can do not to pull her in with me, kiss the fuck out of her beneath the water. Or better yet, take her back to the bedroom and show the sweet girl just how dirty I can be. She casts a quick glance over her shoulder then focuses back in on me. “It’s going well today, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, Jason can’t seem to keep his hands off you.” I turn from her. The last thing I want is for her to see how much that bothers me. After this weekend, we have to go back to being friends, or enemies, or whatever the hell we are, and I don’t want any awkwardness between us. Her family was like my family, and while I might be all grown up now, a goddamn successful millionaire, there are still some things I can’t lose.

“Brax,” she says and I turn to her. Her brow wrinkles as her big brown eyes move over my face, hold me hostage. “If you’re not comfortable…”

Why the fuck does she keep giving me a way out. Now that she has Jason’s attention, she no longer needs me here. I said I’d see the weekend through, but maybe I should just leave now.

I grip the edge of the pool and pull myself out. Water drips from my shorts, and to wipe the worry from her face, I shake my hair and get her t-shirt wet. Only problem is I can now see the sexy outline of her lace bra.

The warm sun dries my body quickly, and I tug on my shirt and follow her to the buffet. I grab a hamburger and hotdog and plunk myself down at the table with the rest of her co-workers. They all laugh and cajole each other, talking about the games they’d played.

“Up next is tug of war. Brax and Alex, we’d love it if you both joined.”

“I want Braxton on my team,” Tamara, Alex wife says. Everyone laughs.

“Hey,” Alex says.

“No offense,” Tamara says and drops a kiss onto his cheek.

“No offense? Now why would I take offense to that?” Alex returns, but from the teasing look on his face, he’s taking it all in stride.

From beside me, I get a little nudge from Eliza. “Are you going to join us?”

I stare at my hamburger. “Which team are you on, Eliza?”

When she doesn’t readily answer, I angle my head, take in the way she’s crinkling her nose. Jesus, she is so fucking beautiful. “Jason already asked me to be on his team.”

I nod. Of course he did. But seriously, what kind of douche goes after another guy’s girl? My hate for this asshole just keeps growing. “Yeah, okay. No problem.” I take a bite of my hamburger, chew and wash it down with a swig of lemonade.

“Brax, unless you want—”

“Nope, I don’t want,” I lie. Oh, I want. I want a fucking hell of a lot from this girl, but that’s not going to happen and I can’t risk telling her and losing her from my life. “But you do leave me with quite the dilemma, you know.”

“What’s that?”

“I always play to win, and yet I said I’d never do anything to hurt you. So how am I supposed to win the game and keep you out of the mud if you’re on the other team.”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle a mud bath. Besides, who says you’re going to win?”

I touch her hand, stroke her warm skin with my thumb. “Is that a challenge, Eliza?”

She visibly quakes, and my chest practically puffs out. I do this to her. Me. Not Jason.

“Maybe.”

“You’re not going to like eating mud,” I say.

“Care to make a wager?” she asks with a tip of her chin.

I grin at her tenaciousness. “Okay, sure, if that’s what you want. What do you suggest we lay on the line?”

“I’ll have to think about it,” she says.

I take another huge bite of my hamburger. “You do that, and in the meantime, you might want to change into something old. I’d hate to see you ruin those clothes.”

She whacks me, and I nearly choke on my hamburger. “Maybe you should do the same.” Her gaze rakes over me, and my pulse jumps when I catch the heat in her eyes. She might be here for another man, but there is no doubt that the physical attraction between us is off the charts.

“What do you want if you win?” she asks.

As my cock thickens, my brain shifts gears. “I’m not sure yet, but I bet it will come to me when I see you all dirty,” I say, my voice low for her ears only. “Come to think of it, I do remember you saying something about liking…dirty.”

Pink crawls into her cheek. “I…Braxton. I never meant I liked mud,” she whispers, and casts a quick glance around the table. Once again, her best friend is watching us, a smirk on her face, like she knows something we don’t.

“Yeah, it gets in all those hard to clean places,” I say as I envision us in the shower, my hands all over her.

She swallows, and sets her hamburger onto her plate. With a shaky hand, she reaches for her cold drink. Condensation drips off the cup and beads on her flesh I slide my thumb over it, and then brush it over my tongue.

“Ohmigod,” she whispers under her breath.

“So you still want to be on the other team?”

“Yes,” she croaks out, and I wonder if she’s imagining me in the shower with her, cleaning all those sexy crevices.

We finish our lunches, and we’re all led to another part of the yard where a great big, man-made mud hole has been dug. The teams get divided, and I walk past the mud. I glance at Eliza.

“Second thoughts?” I ask.

“None.”

Alex and his girlfriend take up position in front of me, and Tamara glances at us over her shoulder. “Let’s take them down.”

“You bet.”

“Although I have to say,” Valerie says, as she slides in front of Tamara. “Eliza is going to kill you if you drag her through that mud hole.”

“Yeah, I know.” I wink at her. “But the clean-up will be fun.”

“On the count of three,” Richard says, and I wrap the rope around my waist and dig my feet in. “One. Two. Three.”

We all start pulling, and cheers and laugher ring out. I grin when I see Eliza glaring at me, a challenge in her eyes, and maybe something else. I lean back, tug harder, and we move them a couple of inches.

“Pull,” I yell, and Jason does the same as he anchors the opposing team. I might not win the war with him, but I plan to at least conquer him in a tug of war, as juvenile as that sounds.

We gain a few more feet and cheers erupt from our side as groans sound from the other. “We got this,” Valerie yells out. “Prepare to eat mud,” she says and we all laugh. Another huge tug and we’ve got them, the person at the front of the rope is teetering near the mud hole and screaming at her team to save her. But there will be no saving. If Eliza had stuck with me, she wouldn’t be seconds from eating mud—a hard lesson.

“Okay everyone, one last big pull. Go.” We all lean into it, then the rope goes slack and we tumble backward like dominos as the other team lose their balance and get dragged into the mud.

I jump up, untie myself from the rope and follow my team to the mud hole as they reach in and help the others out. Eliza is laughing and wiping mud from her face and a tenderness comes over me as I take her hand in mine.

“You should have stuck with me, Lizard,” I say, and she turns those dark eyes on me. I’m about to pull her free, when she tugs on my hand. “Jesus,” I yell as my feet go out from underneath me. I land in the water with a splash, and everyone starts laughing.

I sputter, wipe mud from my eyes, and reach for Eliza. I pull her to me as Jason slicks mud from his hair beside her. “You’re going to pay for that one, Liza,” I say, purposely using my favorite bedroom nickname for her.

Her expression changes, heats as I scoop her up and carry her to the dry grass. Richard, Michelle and Mason are laughing and clapping as we all climb from the mud hole. Richard points to the house. “Okay, everyone to the showers.”

I wipe my feet on the mats provided and carry Eliza to our private room. Electricity arcs between us, a new kind of need taking up residency in my gut as I glance at the beautiful woman in my arms.

“Has anyone ever told you how sexy you are when covered in mud?”

“Yeah, right,” she shoots back as I enter our bedroom and kick the door shut behind us. Last night Eliza wanted sex without a condom—for experience. That’s exactly what I plan to give her right now. It’s not smart, it’s not wise, considering we’ll soon be staging a breakup. But before I do, I need to take this woman again, to see if I can finally get my fill of her and get her out of my system once and for all.

I carry her straight to the bathroom, set her on the counter and turn on the water. I turn back to find her staring at me, like she has no idea what comes next. “Arms up,” I say, and when she obliges I peel her shirt off, careful to avoid her face. She remains silent, her eyes locked on mine as I reach around her body and in one smooth move, unclasp her bra.

She lets out a little breath of air. “You’re pretty good at that.”

I grin, but the truth is, I haven’t had as many relationships as most think. No matter who I’m with, if it’s a female, pictures are taken and splashed everywhere. I’m not saying I haven’t had my fair share of women in the past, but I’m not sleeping with every woman I come into contact with. But now that I’ve had a taste of Eliza, how the fuck am I ever going to be with another, without comparing her to this woman?

I pick her up from the counter, and set her on the floor. “So dirty,” I say as I sink to my knees and drag her shorts down with me. She wiggles out of her underwear and I toss all her wet clothes into the sink.

I frown. “I think they’re ruined.”

Her little fluttery breath washes over me. “I think it’s going to be worth it.”

“Think?”

Her entire body quivers as I run a finger up her thigh, imagining the path my tongue will go once I scrub the mud from her body.

“Okay, I know,” she says, more conviction in her voice as her fingers rake through my wet hair. “Are you mad that I dragged you in?” she asks, a teasing warmth to her voice. Did she want me mad? Want me to retaliate? Oh, Eliza, you’re definitely the good girl I always thought you were, but behind closed doors, you’re so much more.

“Definitely, and like I said, you’re going to pay for that. I open her nether lips, and nearly bite off my tongue when I see her wet pinkness. She’s so fucking hot and ready. For me.

“How do you plan to do that?” she asks.

I grin at her, and swipe my finger over her quivering clit. “You’ll see.” I stand and take in her nakedness as I make quick work of my clothes. “But something tells me you’ll like it.”

I back up, and pull her into the shower with me. The hot spray falls over our bodies and I turn her until she’s under the overhead rain shower nozzle. She sputters and looks down as the water washes the mud from her hair and body. I reposition her, lather my hands and clean her hair. Once I’m done, I grab the soap pump, squirt a generous amount into my hands, and move her until she’s out of the spray. Starting with her gorgeous breasts, I run the soap all over her, taking my time to clean her nipples thoroughly.

Her head falls back on a moan as her nipples swell, and my mouth waters for a taste. “Hands on the wall,” I command in a soft voice as I turn her. She puts her back to me, and braces her hands against the tile.

“Time for me to get at all those hard to reach places.”

I touch her breasts again, then slide my hand downward, over her quivering stomach until I reach her pubic bone. I linger there for a moment, and place warm, open mouth kisses to her back as my slowness amps up her impatience. She wiggles, trying to force my hand lower, but I’m not done teasing her yet.

“Brax,” she cries out, and I fucking love the eagerness in her voice.

“Yeah, baby?” I ask, like I have all the time in the world. I don’t. My cock is so fucking hard, I’m ready to shoot a load all over her back.

“I need you to touch me.”

“You do?”

“Braxxx….”

I grin. “Where do you need me to touch you, Liza?”

“Between my legs.”

I slide my hand between her legs, brush my thumb over her warm inner thighs. “Here?”

“Higher,” she murmurs and squirms.

I go higher, and circle her sweet sex, never touching where she really needs it.

“Oh, god, is this payback?” she asks.

I chuckle against her ear. “It’s just the start. Now tell me exactly where you want my hand. I want to hear you say it.”

“Touch…touch my pussy,” she says and it brings a smile to my face. She moves, wiggles, and I run my finger along the length of her like she asked.

“See all you have to do is ask.” I circle her clit, and she trembles.

“My clit,” she whimpers. “Please touch my clit.”

I do as she demands and her hands slide a little on the wall.

“You do know you have the prettiest cunt I’ve ever seen, right?” As soon as the word cunt comes from my mouth, the good girl trembles. “What, you don’t believe me?” I press down on her clit, and she’s a trembling mess beneath my fingers.

“I…believe you.”

“Where do you want my fingers now, Liza?”

“Inside me. I want them inside me.”

“Inside what? I think you’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Brax, you’re killing me,” she pants out.

“I know.”

A deep fueling breath and then, “I want your fingers inside my cunt, Brax.”

“Yeah, that’s it. When you talk like that it makes my cock so fucking hard.”

My encouragement seems to do something to her. She rears back as I slide one thick finger into her.

“That’s it,” she says. “I want you to fuck my cunt with your finger, I want to come all over your hand, then I want to come all over your face, Brax.”

Holy mother-fuck. What have I turned this sweet girl into? I have no idea, but I damn well like this wild, open woman who makes no qualms about what she wants. That shit is seriously hot.

“I want you to put your tongue inside my hot pussy, then I want you to kiss me so I can taste it.”

My cock twitches, throbs against her ass, and she gives a little moan, a telltale sign that she feels the power and likes it. She’s fucking sexy like this.

I push another finger inside her, and the base of my palm against her clit. “Oh, yes, just like that,” she whimpers. Her head falls forward, and while I like her in this position, I wish I could see her face. My other hand goes to her ass. I squeeze her lush cheeks gently, the slide my thumb along her crevice. She freezes.

“Brax…”

I press into her ringed opening, just slightly, all the while working my fingers inside her pussy and applying pressure to her clit.

“Oh, Brax,” she says. “That feels…” Her words fall off as a powerful orgasm tears through her, sucking my fingers in deeper and scalding them with her sweet release. I stay inside her, moving slowly, prolonging each pulse from her body until she’s sagging against the tile, her body a quivery mess.

I step up to her, put my arms around her and hold her to me. I move her back under the spray, warming her body as she comes back down. Her breathing slows, and she turns to me. Her beautiful breasts press against my chest, her nipples scratching slightly as she goes up on her toes and puts her mouth on mine. Her kisses are slow at first, languid, and I match her rhythm. She moans softly into my mouth, a contented little sound that makes me smile. She inches back.

“Something funny, Brax?”

“No, nothing at all. I just really like seeing you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Relaxed. Contented. Well fucked.” I brush her hair from her face, and say, “I have to say, Liza. I love it when you let go and come undone for me.” She frowns slightly. “What?” Shit what did I say?

She steps back, and my raging hard-on juts out. The elephant in the room. In more ways than one. “Well, let’s see if I can do the same for you,” she says and drops to her knees. Her sweet mouth wraps around my cock, and I grip a fistful of her hair, push it from her face so I can watch. She works her mouth over me, and my heart squeezes. From her sexy sounds to the way she’s worshipping my cock, it’s clear she’s enjoying this as much as I am. Okay, maybe not as much as I am, but still, no woman has ever given me oral pleasure quite like Eliza. My mind races back to her worries about not being able to please me. Fuck man, they were definitely unfounded. No one can please me like her. Then again, maybe it has more to do with the fact that it’s sweet Eliza kneeling before me.

She swirls her tongue, and cups my balls. “Eliza,” I groan, doing my best to hang on. Fuck, I don’t want to shoot off like a pre-teen who found his first Playboy. I suck in air, gather my control, but the more I do, the harder she tries to get me to break. If I unleash myself with her, let down my guard, I’d be crossing another line, then I’d be totally fucking done for when this is over.

She licks, swirls, takes me to the back of her throat until she’s choking. I try to inch out, but she grips my ass, and keeps me locked inside her hot mouth. The water pours over my back, turning a bit cooler, but I don’t care. The whole house could be on fire, and nothing or no one could get me to move a muscle. She moans, rocks against me, takes me impossibly deeper. Lightning bolts of pleasure zap my balls, and I punch my eyes shut for just a second, struggling to hang on, but not wanting to take my eyes off Eliza. My blood rushes, my veins fill with blood, yet I continue to fight it. I need to keep some measure of control if I want to walk away from this thing unscathed.

Who am I kidding? I’m already fucked, in more ways than one.

She looks up at me, her tongue pressing against all my pleasure points, like we’ve been doing this for years, and she knows me inside out. She eats at me, my cock steel beneath her lips as my chest expands. Goddammit, it’s a struggle to breathe.

“I’m going to come,” I say and work to pull her off, but she won’t have any of that. Jesus, she wants my cum in her mouth, wants to swallow. That knowledge fills me with a new kind tenderness. I jerk forward, once, twice, then let my cum spurt down her throat. She swallows, and swallow and swallows some more and I’m so fucking hot for her, I’m not sure I’m ever going to stop coming. When I eventually do, she eases her mouth from my cock, strokes the length like she’s petting a beloved animal. My heart goes into my throat at how much I love her.

Yeah, I fucking love her.

She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and I shake my head. How can she make that gesture look sexy? I pull her to me, and once again I remind myself what this affair is about—and more importantly what it isn’t. Eliza presses her head to my chest, and my heart pounds hard against her cheek. We’re day one into a three-day weekend. We’re supposed to stage a breakup Monday, but how can I do that? How can I possibly walk away from the woman I want in my arms, my bed…my life? This asinine ruse is actually working, and Eliza’s is getting attention from the man she wants, but goddammit, he’s not the right guy for her, and it’s damn well time I proved it. I’m not sure how I can do that, all I know is that I’m a smart, successful guy and I didn’t get ahead by taking a passive stance. No, I’m a guy who fights for what he wants—and what I want is Eliza.