When she woke up, he was gone. She knew before she even opened her eyes, could tell by the coldness his empty space had left. Last night—the things he'd made her feel? It was unforgettable, unlike anything she’d experienced before. She’d fooled around with guys before, but even with Sean she’d drawn a firm line. She had a lot of friends, especially in high school and even Sam for a bit in freshman year, who would do “anything but” and consider themselves still a technical virgin. That wasn’t for her. She was an all-or-nothing girl. Nobody, not even Sean, had so much as seen any intimate parts of her.

The night with Henry, it was beyond even the best she could have hoped for. It was pure perfection—until he pulled away. Pushing herself up, Ellie’s mind began to race. I may not know what I want to do with my life yet, but I do know Henry’s the one to take my virginity. All the way.

Clearly, this was proof that Henry, and only Henry, was the person who could turn her on. She hadn’t wanted to admit this, but a big part of her was scared about losing her virginity. She’d heard stories. Some girlfriends said that it hurt, and others said it hurt way past anything they had ever been through. But it wasn’t just that Henry was obviously skilled. He’s probably been with scores of girls before. That wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was just how hungry he was for her. It was like he couldn’t get enough.

Ellie had gotten herself off before, of course. But she’d never made herself come like this. What Henry did was on another level. She didn’t know it could be so delicious, or that the waves could last so long.

Obviously, Henry wanted her just as much as she wanted him. He just couldn’t let go of all those excuses he had. Whatever was holding him back, she was certain she could make him forget. Once he returned, that was. Where did he go, anyway? He'd knocked her out so solidly that she hadn’t even felt him get up. She heard nothing in the office, kitchen, and no shower running upstairs.

After a cursory look around the cabin and finding no signs of him, Ellie pulled a stack of papers out of her bag. In her hurry to get out of D.C. and away from Sean, she hadn’t even waited to say goodbye to her mom. Instead, she’d crammed a suitcase and messenger bag with essentials and random items. Poring over the papers, she found countless brochures for vet schools. There was the thick matte paper from UC Davis, so close to Sacramento. Was she cut out to be a Cali girl? She’d only ever been once, years ago as a child, when her parents had taken Eli, Ryan, and her to Universal Studios. She could barely remember the beaches, the piers, and what she was sure had to be actors walking around like regular people from shop to shop. Still, the promises made by Katy Perry and One Tree Hill were a strong temptation. Could life really be like that? Could changing coasts make all the difference? Driving with the top down, a collie as her passenger with both their hair flowing in the warm breeze without ever having to worry about getting snowbound or cold.

Eli would have an absolute fit were she to move across the country. Who cares? She had her own life to live and, she was seeing, it was just getting started. Ever since her dad had left when they were kids, Eli had taken on the paternal role in the family—at least toward her. The occasional birthday card or call from their father wasn’t enough, and her mom was way too private to ever bring around any boyfriends. In fact, having a real father was a distant memory, just like Los Angeles. In many ways, Eli was the only father she’d ever really known, and he was much more brotherly than fatherly.

The UC Davis Quick Application didn’t ask for much, and she already had her final, official GPA. She filled out the application just to see how it felt, and followed it up with a couple more. Doing so made her feel productive. In control. Just like how she felt in some ways with Henry last night. Except with Henry, it kept shifting. There were times she couldn’t tell which one of them was maestro of that symphony. Seriously, where are you, Henry?

She could smell her sex scent mixed with Henry’s musk all over her body. As much as she wanted to keep it, cradling it close like the best secret, she should probably change. Upstairs, as she stripped naked in her room, the lights fluttered to life. Thank God. Now I can shower with light.

Fresh from the shower, her hair wrapped in a towel, she pulled out her suitcase and started thumbing through it. Her bikini. Of course. What if, when Henry came back, she put on a little show for him? Nothing too sexy, nothing that would scare him off. Just… a little bikini action? A reminder of what he'd had last night, and the temptation of the hot tub on the deck?

Ellie pulled on the bikini and adjusted her breasts in the tiny triangle cups, making sure they popped. The string ties on either side of the bottom she purposefully single-knotted, making them easy to unwrap like a gift. Downstairs, a door shut. Perfect timing.

Draped in an open robe, she waltzed downstairs in that sensual way she sometimes practiced on the stair machine at the gym. The stairway to hell, she called it, but now she was grateful for how it had shaped her legs. Bags rustled in the kitchen.

“Henry,” she said, slinking into the kitchen. He turned from the stove, an empty pan in his hand. Henry’s eyes widened as the pan crashed to the floor. With her head lowered and gaze lifted toward him, she willed herself to walk purposefully forward. Don’t stop. You can do this.

Running her hand down his chest, she stuck out her lip. “Do you mind clearing the snow off the hot tub? I want to go for a soak.” She could see him struggling to not look at her chest. She could even feel it.

Scowling, he halted. It was a standoff. “Please, Henry,” she said, using the same voice that came out of her so naturally last night. She’d never heard herself sound like that before. Now, in the kitchen daylight, she found she could summon it up at will.

“Okay, okay,” he said. “Give it thirty minutes to heat up.” With heavy feet, he stomped through the living room and onto the porch.

“Thank you, Henry,” she purred to him as she leaned over the steaming water to test it. He stood by the doors, arms crossed with a permanent frown on his face.

“You sure you don’t want to come in with me? For protection?” she asked. “You never know when those big, bad internet terrorists are going to come after me.”

His look was grave, and she’d already braced herself for a refusal. To her delight, he wordlessly pulled his shirt over his head and his jeans down off his hips. Still silent, he got into the hot tub, donned only in his boxers. “Getting in?” he asked.

She worked every angle, took every advantage to show off her body. The long legs sliding into the bubbling water in tandem, the exaggerated leaning over to wrap her hair into a loose knot on top of her head so he could take a long view of her cleavage. She moved toward him, but he moved to the other side. She tried again—and again he slipped away.

With a growl of frustration, Ellie realized it was no time to play fair. She released her breasts from her top with a single pull of the string. Now she had him. His eyes were glued to her, and he didn’t move when she settled onto his lap, straddling him. His hardness was already pushing into her folds, even with the material between them.

He was hesitant at first, of course. Wouldn’t make the first move. Ellie leaned into him, a shroud of confidence blanketing her. As soon as her lips touched his, he came to life. Plunging his hand into her hair, he kissed her deeply. In seconds, the roles shifted and he was the dominant one. The frustration melted out of her. You can do anything you want to me.

Her nipples were aching, demanding attention. Between her legs, there was an insistent throbbing she’d only felt once before, last night. Gripping her hair, he yanked her head back, exposing her neck. Working down the hollow of her throat, his mouth engulfed her breasts. He knew this territory now, pulled and sucked like he owned her.

Tentatively, she reached down to his hip and let her fingers slowly work their way to his cock. Henry pulled her hand away with a frustrated sound. Ellie lowered herself, no longer making her nipples so readily available to his lips, but now their hips met and she was sliding along his length. He kept his fingers entwined in her hair, controlling her movement.

She could already tell by his touch, how their bodies fit together with ease, that the sex between them would be like nothing else. He slipped one skilled hand between them, below her bikini bottoms, desperate to finger her again. She felt two of his thick fingers slide into her, and she pushed into him greedily.

“Oh!” she said as a small touch of pain rushed through her. What? She’d been getting herself off for years. She thought she’d broken her hymen years ago. Apparently not completely.

Henry looked at her quizzically, and she felt her face turn red. Henry withdrew his hand, picked her up in the water and set her aside. His face was stony, his body shaking with anger as he pulled himself out of the tub.

“Henry!” she managed to choke out.

“Forget it,” he said, pulling on his jeans, erection clearly gone. “It wasn’t meant to be, Ellie. At least you can still say you’re a virgin.” She watched him storm off, struggling to put on her bikini top and too embarrassed to leave the comfort of the water just yet.