It was a dream. It was all just a dream.

My subconscious stubbornly repeats the mantra as my conscious mind drifts toward wakefulness and I become aware of the slight ache between my legs and the feather softness of my flannel sheets on my bare skin. I’m sleeping naked—I never sleep naked; I was raised Catholic for God’s sake—and my body is tender in places that haven’t been tender in far too long.

And then a warm, heavy arm slides around my waist, pulling me back against Dylan Hunter’s also very naked body, and any doubt that last night was real vanishes in a rush of breath and body-wide tingles.

“I’ve got to go soon, Blondie,” he says, his erection pressing against my bottom, awakening the hunger I was sure we’d sated last night. “Morning chores aren’t going to do themselves.”

“No, they won’t.” My fingers skim back and forth over his lightly furred forearm as I add, in a sex-kitten voice I barely recognize, “But then, neither will I.”

He laughs and hugs me closer, his breath warm on the back of my neck. “You’re insatiable, woman.”

“I’m just committed to the cause.” I arch my spine, rubbing my tailbone against his thickness. “I’m only able to conceive today and maybe tomorrow. I haven’t been taking my basal temp so I can’t be sure, but…” My words trail off as his other hand finds my breast, cupping me beneath the covers as his thumb brushes lazily back and forth across my nipple.

He hums softly. “I see. So the fact that my cock is the best cock in the entire world has nothing to do with it?”

“Maybe a little.” My breath catches as he pinches my nipple, sending a surge of electricity straight between my legs. “Maybe a lot.”

“I bet you’re wet already, aren’t you, princess?” His voice is as rough as the palm he skims down my quivering stomach. “Fuck, I love that. How hot you get for me.”

“Yes.” I nod, not knowing exactly what I’m agreeing to until Dylan urges my leg up and over his, making room for him to enter me from behind.

But oh yeah, yes to this. Yes, yes to this a thousand times.

I cry out as the thick head of him presses through where I’m still sore from last night, but the pain is almost immediately banished by a wave of pleasure as he glides deeper, stretching my inner walls, filling me so perfectly I can’t believe I ever thought I’d had quality sex before him.

Yes, I’ve gotten off, but I’ve never felt anything like the full-body glow that takes over my being as we begin to move together, slow and easy this time, him stroking in and out with deep, sensual thrusts that make me certain he’s a wonderful dancer.

He’s just…brilliant. The way he moves. The way he holds me so tight, making me feel so precious and safe. The way he kisses my shoulder, whispering encouragement, telling me how amazing I feel, how much he loves being inside me, how hard I make him, how much he wants me to come with him.

To come now…

Now…

“Oh, please, now,” he groans, fingers gliding over my clit as we move faster, faster. “Come with me, Emma.”

And I do, my body contracting in fierce, beautiful waves that make me feel like I’ve swallowed starlight, making me glow as bright as the moon outside my window.

The moon that is still bright in the dawn sky when Dylan leans down to kiss me goodbye.

“See you tonight?” he asks. “Around six?”

I nod. “Yes, six is good. But I’ll need to pop into the lab before bed and do a last brix check on the juice we brought in last night.”

“I can help you with that. I know my way around a refractometer.” He pauses, crouching down to bring his face level with mine. “Speaking of knowing my way around… I was thinking about what you said. About you only being able to conceive a couple days a month.”

I nod, nibbling my lip to keep from telling some falsehood about weird windows of fertility in order to keep him in my bed on a more regular basis. We have a deal, and sleeping together simply for fun isn’t a part of it.

Though, God, I wish it were. I had no idea sex could be this good.

“Well, the way I see it…” He trails off, glancing down at the rumpled quilt, his hair falling into his eyes, making them even harder to see in the near darkness. “Maybe we shouldn’t limit this to a couple times a month. I mean, I would think the more I know my way around, the better the chances of success.”

“Know your way around…me?”

He looks up, a guilty grin curving his lips. “Yeah. Am I pushing my luck?”

I smile so widely my jaw starts to ache, and hundreds of tiny fireworks explode in my chest. “No, I think you’re right. Back when Jeremy and I were trying, my girlfriends were always saying I needed to take things less seriously. Being comfortable and relaxed with your partner is important.”

“So, is that how I make you feel, Blondie? Relaxed?” His fingers twine through mine as he presses my hand into the mattress, reminding me of the way he held me down as he took me for the fourth or fifth time last night.

My breath rushes out. “No, you don’t make me relaxed. You make me hungry. And wild. Maybe a little crazy.”

“Me, too.” He kisses my forehead before continuing in a husky voice, “I can’t wait to drive you wild again tonight. And don’t worry about dinner. It’s my turn to cook at the house, so I’ll bring leftovers with me.”

“Okay,” I say, his words making me feel strangely shy. Fucking me is one thing; feeding me is something else. Something that makes me feel cared for in a way no one has cared in a long time.

And though I know it’s dangerous to appreciate him too much, I can’t help but whisper, “Thank you. For being so sweet.”

He grunts. “I’m not sweet. I’m grouchy, and I’m about to prove it by kicking my nephews out of bed and making them help with chores because I’m beat from staying up late banging this smoking hot woman who can’t get enough of my cock.”

“Well, I heard it was the best cock,” I say seriously. “How was she supposed to control herself, I ask?”

His laughter warms me nearly as much as the final kiss he presses to my lips before heading out the door. When he’s gone, the room immediately feels colder, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Because he’s going to be back tonight. And we’re going to get to do this all over again.

And maybe by this time next month…

I close my eyes and lay a hand over my belly. I swear it feels different. I feel different. And maybe, just maybe…

“Maybe baby,” I murmur as my eyes close and I stretch like a cat who lapped up every bit of cream and lived happily ever after with a litter of gorgeous kittens.