Kaylee watched with a gaping mouth—an expression she’d found herself making a lot in the last few hours. Ethan unbuttoned his shirt before draping it across a stool. He undid his pants and pushed them down, revealing his boxer briefs. A moment later, Dave looked away as those hit the floor.

“I’m not a big fan of seeing other people naked,” Dave muttered.

“You don’t like naked women?” Janie asked sardonically. She cleared away space and set up her station. They would be doing this in the living room. “What about the guys in the porn you watch? Do you mind seeing them?”

He frowned at her. “I realize that these are good points, but you know what I’m saying. There is a reason I don’t like changing in the locker room. There is a time and place to let it all hang out.”

“You don’t want my bells and whistle hanging out on your couch?” Ethan asked with a smile, totally at home standing completely nude in a friend’s living room.

Suddenly, the picture of Kaylee with frizzy hair and makeup all over her face didn’t seem so bad. “Get a towel, bro,” Dave said. “I’m not kidding. I don’t need your hairy balls on my leather.”

“Dick would be shocked that you’re asking someone else to use a towel.” Ethan tsked before sauntering from the room.

“In this instance, I don’t think that’s true.” Dave leaned against the kitchen counter and looked at Kaylee. “So your first official date, huh? How did you get so lucky?”

“Well, I mean, I kind of have been so far. Except for my date posing nude for another woman while her boyfriend watches.”

Janie burst out laughing. She paused mid-preparation of her paint, shaking the board she was using as a palette.

“What did I miss?” Ethan asked as he waltzed back out with a white towel.

“Really, bro? The white one?” Dave scowled. “I hope your ass is clean, or prepare to be embarrassed.”

Ethan didn’t even pause. “Crack cleaning is a regular occurrence. I’ve got no cause for concern.” He settled onto the couch.

“Okie-dokey, let’s see that thing in action.” Janie waited in front of her easel, looking at Ethan.

“He’s really going to get hard? Right here?” Kaylee asked Dave in a strained whisper.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this is batshit crazy.”

“You won’t want to compare our paintings when this is through, brother.” Ethan smirked and closed his eyes, easing back just a little more. His large manhood sprang to life, lifting as if through a magic trick. “You’ll get a complex.”

“Doubtful. You’re the one who’s gonna be jealous if Creepy Rich Guy hangs them side by side.” Dave shook his head and looked in the fridge again, taking out ingredients for what looked like more drinks.

“Good God almighty. How did you guys all find each other?” Janie asked as her eyes widened. “Did you have to go through a dick-measuring contest to make sure you’d live up to the big dick name?”

“Nice, isn’t it?” Ethan’s grin turned into a smile. Kaylee couldn’t help laughing at the absurdity.

“We are gods among men,” Dave said, puffing out his chest. He angled himself so he couldn’t easily see the couch as he filled the mixer.

“Try douches among men. Okay. Here I go. Do not judge me, or I’ll cut your eyes out.” Janie took a deep breath, closed her eyes, faced her easel, and opened her eyes again. Her eyes glazed over for a moment before she homed in on the blank canvas. She began painting, without sketches or anything. Just applied paint to the canvas and went with it. Her body moved like a dance, and it was beautiful to watch.

“She hates doing this in front of people,” Dave said quietly. “I think it’s one of her biggest fears.”

“I kind of picked up on that,” Kaylee said. “Why is she letting me stay?”

Dave shrugged. “You’re part of this whole thing. So you should be part of the whole thing, do you know what I mean?”

Kaylee grimaced, her eyes roaming Ethan’s hard body and erect manhood. “This is a bit much, though.” But as her eyes drifted over him, heat unfurled in her gut. Her blood sizzled. She wanted him inside her again. Wanted his body moving against hers. “How long does this take, exactly?”

Janie’s eyes flicked upward, darting past her canvas and finding Kaylee. She paused, her head tilted to the side.

“Oh no,” Kaylee muttered. “I don’t like that stare. I have a feeling I’m going to end up on another table. Do I look okay?”

“Horny,” Dave said with a laugh. “You are going to really hate that art show, I know it. You and she can hang out together and be annoyed.”

“You’re not helping,” she said through clenched teeth.

“I seldom do. It’s more fun that way.” He laughed at her and shook the drink mixer.

It took an hour for Janie to be done with Ethan. She wasn’t done with the painting, but she had enough details to satisfy her need of a model. That hour hadn’t just been used for him, however. As desire raged through Kaylee, kept on a very short leash, Janie’s eyes found her often. That tilted-head stare spoke volumes.

While Kaylee was pretty sure she’d buckle and let Janie use her face in the paintings, she didn’t want to see the finished results. She’d die from mortification.

“How was that?” Ethan asked when he was mostly dressed. He hadn’t bothered with his briefs or buttoning his shirt.

“Very…odd,” Kaylee said as she walked to the car with him. “Are you going to have to do that again?”

“No. Not unless something goes wrong. I really think she has a sort of art photographic memory. She can look at something for a while, and then that’s all she needs. It’s in her head and she paints it. Of course, she probably lets the mood and tone embellish the details.”

“She didn’t embellish much on that painting of me.”

“I do love that painting.” Ethan pointed at the car waiting for them. Cabs weren’t nearly as plentiful in the area as the ride-share services. “So you’re talking to me.”

“Yes.”

“Am I forgiven?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll go home with me?”

“Yes.”

“How about marrying me?”

Kaylee laughed. “Let’s wait until at least the second date before you pop the question.”

When they were dropped off at Ethan’s house, he walked her to the front door and unlocked it. There he waited for a moment, turning to face her. He took a deep breath. “I feel like I know you, but there’s still a lot for us to learn about each other. So this was guesswork. I’m sorry if it’s another horrible surprise.”

“Is this the last surprise of the night?”

“That depends on how many orgasms you think I’ll give you.”

She stepped toward him in a swirl of passion. She yanked open his pants and unzipped them before firmly grabbing his hard length. With her other hand, she dragged his head down so she could kiss him, plunging her tongue into his mouth before dragging her hand from his head and down his perfectly sculpted torso. “Let’s move right to that last surprise.”

“We have to get to the bed first. Or at least off the porch.”

“The floor in the entryway will work.”

“You are so hot.” He swooped her up into his arms, turned, and opened the door. She spared one glance at the interior of the house as they stepped into the entryway and he shut the door.

She pulled back and gasped. “What is this?”

Obviously sensing the shift in her mood, he slowed and put her down, so adept at reading her whims. “Happy birthday.”

Rose petals in various colors were sprinkled on the floor, leading down the hall and turning, hopefully headed up the stairs where she’d be dragging him later. Balloons swayed on the ceiling with the recent draft from the door, their strings raining down. A banner stretched across an archway that looked like it led to the kitchen, wishing her a happy birthday.

“I didn’t know where you’d want to be, so each room is decorated.” He helped her out of her shoes before taking her by the hand and leading her into the kitchen. There were unlit candles on the island. “I have chocolate-covered strawberries chilling in the fridge. As well as wine, champagne, and beer. I’m not great at mixed drinks. But you have your choice of the other.”

He continued the tour by guiding her into the living room. A leather couch and loveseat faced a large TV. The modern-looking blue-gray chair in the corner accented the color scheme of the room. More unlit candles sat on the coffee table and balloons bobbed on the ceiling. Two flower arrangements decorated the small tables next to the couches, each with a little sign wishing her a happy birthday.

“If you hate balloons as much as birthday cake, I can chase them out of any room you choose. Spoilsport.” He smiled and rubbed her back. “The bathrooms aren’t done up, so I won’t bother to show you those. Do you want to hang out here for a while?”

“What does upstairs look like?” she said with a tight throat, more tears drowning her eyes.

“Let’s go see.” He picked her up again, holding her against his chest as he headed to the stairs. The petals did lead that way, changing from multicolored to the solid red of love. “I couldn’t be sure you’d want to…head up here, so I figured all the colors would be good for downstairs and a more focused…feeling could be used up here.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling at the realization that he wasn’t taxed, or even breathing heavily, from carrying her up the stairs. Streamers hung down from two doorways that they passed, probably guest rooms. “Another bathroom,” he said as they passed a doorway without any dressing up. “It felt weird decorating a bathroom. I mean…it’s a place where you get rid of waste. That’s not happy.”

She laughed as a tear dripped down her cheek.

The room at the end of the hall stood open. Vases filled with long-stemmed roses accented with baby’s-breath stood at equidistant intervals along the dresser. More flower petals dotted the crisply made bed. Clusters of candles covered the other surfaces, waiting to be lit.

“Which room would you like to start in?” He put her down slowly. Her body ran down the length of his, catching on his unzipped pants and pushing them down his muscular thighs. “Don’t let my lack of pants sway you. That was a happy accident.”

She laughed through her tears.

“Are you okay?” he asked. His breath feathered her face. He wiped away a tear with a thumb. “Did I screw up?”

“This is…perfect. Unbelievable. No one has ever gone through so much trouble for my birthday.” She blinked, trying to clear her misty eyes as she looked around the room. “You did so much. You hardly know me.”

“That’s true. We both know this is crazy. But I love you, Kaylee. I can’t deny that. Something about you pulls at me in the right way. I feel like I’ve just woken up. Like I’m breathing fresh air for the first time in my life. Each thing I learn about you makes you more interesting. I want to savor each new discovery.” He shrugged, running his fingertips down the sides of her arms. “This feels right.”

She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. “I agree. Like you said, it’s crazy. Totally nuts. But I love you too. I’m in. I’m excited to go along for the ride.”

He grazed his lips against hers. “You didn’t tell me. Which room would you like to start in?”

“This one. I want you, Ethan. Right now.” She shrugged out of her sweater.

“Wait. One sec.” His jaw clenched as he stepped on his pants to get them off and then darted for one cluster of candles.

“I’ll just…get comfortable, will I?” She pulled off her tank top and unclasped her bra, letting it tumble down her chest. He struck the match, then froze, his eyes roaming her bared upper body. She undid her pants and pushed them down slowly, taking her time and bending at the waist to step out of them and pull off her socks. She turned around as she did so, showing him where the thong disappeared between her cheeks.

A rush of air escaped his mouth. The match flame went out.

She straightened up and faced him, running her hands over her breasts then down her stomach, spreading her fingers as she did so. She hooked her thumbs into the small lacy strap of her panties.

He didn’t move to light another, so fixed was his stare.

She pushed her panties down her legs slowly, now bending without anything to cover her. After she’d stepped out of them, she crossed to the bed and climbed up onto the soft mattress. Once on her back, she spread her thighs and lightly traced her sex with her fingers. “Are you almost ready?”

He startled out of his trance. “You are so incredibly sexy. So beautiful.”

“You make me feel beautiful.”

He shook his head and tore his gaze away. “That’s not hard to do.”

She smiled as he lit the candles, and she worked her clit, revving herself up. A moment later, the light in the room clicked off, and the soft, flickering glow of candlelight took its place.

“They smell good, too,” he said, climbing onto the side of the bed. He crouched beside her spread thighs before removing his shirt and throwing it off the bed. His need for order clearly took a back seat to sex. “Where to begin my worship…”

He ran his hands up her legs, over her knees, and up to her hips. He scooted closer before running his tongue up her slit and around her clit.

“Hmm,” she sighed. “That’s good. But fucking me, deep and slow, would be even better.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Though he smiled, he didn’t hurry to follow directions. Instead, he lightly bit and licked, teasing her, before slowly moving up to lay gentle kisses on her hipbones.

She wiggled under him, feeling tickled, teased, and so damn turned on. His lips ran over her stomach before the tip of his tongue stuck into her belly button.

“No! Oh my God.” She giggled, which quickly turned into sucking in her breath and running her thighs up the sides of his body as he moved up and took a nipple into his mouth. “Ethan,” she whispered, running her palms along his smooth back.

He moved to the other nipple before his hips pushed forward and his hard length rubbed up her center.