For dinner we go to a local restaurant on the edge of the water with a patio. The sun set hours ago, but we’re not tired in the least. I never get tired in good company, and these three are the best company I could imagine right now. My best friend Axel, his girl, and of course, Krista.

The soothing swish of the surf nearby crashes into the rocks, and the smell of salty-sea water fills our nostrils. The sound of distant music hums through the air from some dance club along the beach. People murmur around us, engrossed in their own conversations. Personally, there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than right here, right now.

Krista looks so damn hot. Since the entire resort is quite casual in spite of the niceness of this restaurant, she’s got on a loose-fitting, semi-transparent summer gown over her bikini and that’s it. I’ve got a half-chub going on below the table and we haven’t even gotten our drinks yet. She says something to Amelia, and I hear her voice but I don’t understand the words, just hear her lighthearted tone and laughter. Flipping her hair behind her ear, she lets out a laugh, and I smile.

I could stare at every one of her minute actions all day. Maybe that makes me obsessive, but I don’t care. I know what it feels like to lose someone close to me. On the hiking trail back to our cabin, as we talked nonchalantly about the weather and other innocuous things, I couldn’t help the vision I had. It was of that fucker Nick reappearing back in Chicago, and me wrapping my hands around his neck until…

I shouldn’t have been thinking about this. I shouldn’t have thought it then, and I shouldn’t be thinking it now. It’s not right to kill another man.

I slide my hand over Krista’s right leg and squeeze her flesh. She purrs so softly I’m the only one who can hear it, and she darts an almost-secret glance at me. As I stare into her beautiful blue eyes, for some reason, my sister pops into my mind.

After she died, I’d been in a haze for months. Maybe years. Hell, maybe I hadn’t been zapped out of that foggy depression until Krista stepped into my life. My heart had been filled with hatred, and the worst part was I couldn’t even direct the hate at anyone specifically.

So it got directed at God in general. Or the fates. Whoever or whatever I’d believed in before she died.

I couldn’t understand it. My mind shot back to a question I’d asked my priest in sixth grade, and one Father Roger never gave me a serious answer to.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

If the Lord is so damn all powerful, why do innocent people die on his watch?

I swallow uncomfortably and run my hand over the rose tattoo on my elbow.

They all looked at me like I was crazy when I said I’d kill Nick if he came close to Krista again. I was dead serious. I’d kill him, and I wouldn’t regret it.

“You’re quiet,” Krista says in a kind voice, running her hand on top of mine. “You okay?”

I nod, then run my hands through my hair. “I’m fine.”

Luckily the server interrupts our moment when he opens a bottle of wine for our table. We erupt into an exaggerated golf clap, started by Amelia and Ax.

He shoots the four of us a weird look. “Most tables don’t clap for wine.”

“Well this table does,” Ax says.

The server nods as if now this makes sense, but he clearly doesn’t get the goofy mood we’re all in.

He pours the wine into my glass, and I taste it and nod like I’m a sommelier who knows anything about wine at all. “Mmm. Notes of red rubies and dark cherries. We’ll take it.”

Krista rolls her eyes a little, a smile underneath her veiled sass. The server fills Axel and Amelia’s glasses before he leaves.

We raise our glasses together, and a genuine smile fills me and warms me in a way I once never felt was possible.

“What are we cheersing to this time?” Amelia asks.

“It’s your party,” Ax winks, turning to me. “You pick.”

“It’s our party All of us.”

“Yeah, but we aren’t the ones keeping track of the number of dates. What is this, number nine for you two? I heard you saying how the trip to the natural hot springs was date number eight. Which would mean this is number nine.”

I nod thoughtfully, twirling my glass just a bit in my hand. “Nice to know you’ve finally learned how to do math. Miss Jacobsen would be proud,” I add, a dig at our high school math teacher.

“Hey, don’t change the subject. What happens at ten dates?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I say, darting a glance at Krista. Her blue eyes and wavy brown hair are killing me, absolutely killing me. I’m so done with our third-base antics, not that I haven’t enjoyed them. Quite the contrary, in fact. I loved the way she screamed while I knelt before her and licked her clit outdoors in the damn woods. But I want her whole body. I need to make her mine just like I did that first night.

Krista butts in, raising her smooth and sexy voice. “How about this for a toast. Tonight dates everywhere—may they morph into something wonderful and hot.”

Ax shrugs. “I was thinking more along the lines of an irish toast but that works for me!”

We clink glasses and crack up as we all take sips of the delicious malbec. Eventually we sift through the menu and order a plethora of plates to share.

We start with a course of mouth-watering calamari, a ceasar salad, and then move onto filet mignon, roasted pork shank, and ribs. We eat ravenously, all starved from our long hike back from the hot springs.

I ease back in my chair and run my hand along Krista’s inner thigh.

Normally, I’m not one for public displays of affection. But with Krista it’s different. I can’t keep my hands off her at any time. It’s like she’s got this magnetic pull drawing me in.

She leans over, putting her hand on my shoulder, and whispers in my ear.

“Damien. If this is date number nine, we only have one more to go for date ten.”

I nod. “True. So what are you saying?”

Her eyes dance, and she lightly raps her fingers across my arm. “You really don’t get it?”

I shake my head. “Maybe it’s the wine. I’m slow right now. Enlighten me, baby.”

She wiggles her eyebrows, and nods her head in the direction of the music. “I’m saying if we go to the club on the beach…that’s date number ten.”

“Oh. Ohhh…”

She throws her head back in laughter. I look over at Amelia and Axel’s side of the table, and they’re making out. I nod in approval.

“You really are kind of a ditz sometimes,” she adds.

I chuckle. I don’t want to tell her how my brain has been in a fog today since I can’t stop my thoughts about her and Nick. I shrug.

“Really? Nothing to say for yourself?” She lowers her voice to a whisper, then glances left and right to see if anyone’s watching her. The restaurant is mostly empty since we’re eating so late. She plasters a devliish look across her face.

“What are you do—?”

I have my answer as she slides her hand down my shirt, feeling my abs.

But she doesn’t stop at my ab muscles. She keeps going, her blue eyes sparkling as her hand lands on the outline of my cock through my board shorts.

“Well, well,” she grins. “Looks like someone is definitely ready for date number ten.”

The corners of my mouth turn up in a smirk. I groan as she rubs my dick over the thin layer of clothing.

Taking hold of the back of her neck, I bring her mouth to mine for an aggressive kiss.

It’s not sweet and soft.

This is a territory marking, ‘I own you and I told you I’ll kill your ex if he comes around again’ type of kiss. When I release her, Krista’s eyes are wide.

She’s got intuition.

She knows I was marking her. I take it one step further. Drawing her toward me, I growl right in her ear. “After we fuck again, I’m going to own your pussy. I’m going to fuck you so deep, and so hard, you’ll never be satisfied with anyone’s cock but mine. Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I lean back, and a broad grin spreads across my face as I watch Krista’s jaw drop.

Her fingers still on the outline of my cock, she glances below my waist and then at my face again to gauge my reaction.

I’m smiling. And unwavering. And in my heart of hearts I’m dead fucking serious. I’m not even joking.

She swallows and flutters her eyes, moving her mouth but not responding.

“Hey lovebirds,” I shout across the table to Ax and Amelia. They stop making out and look at me. I cock my head in the direction of the music. “What do you say we get out of here and take this make-out party to the club? You know, bailar un poco.”

“Ohhh si si si!” Axel nods. He says a few more words in Spanish to Amelia and she giggles.

“Vamos,” I add, and wave to our waiter. “Check please!”