Sightseeing after dusk is another bad idea that’s just made my bad-ideas-in-Montana list.

A balmy breeze whispers around us as Kellan leads me out of the bar and into the dark street. A group of teens squeeze past us, pushing me into him so hard I almost take a tumble. His hand reaches around my waist, steadying me until I’ve regained my equilibrium.

“Hey, guys, watch it,” he calls after the teens, his voice conveying more anger than is necessary.

“It’s okay.” I touch his arm.

Kellan shakes his head. I can feel the waves of anger wafting from him. Suddenly, he seems a million miles away.

“Hey.” I touch his arm again, this time to get his attention. “They’re just kids having a good time.”

His attention returns to me, and for a second I think I see something in his eyes.

A fierceness that isn’t lust.

A spark that isn’t want.

He’s protective.

My body’s still pressed up against him. His arm is still wrapped around my waist.

I use the proximity and rise on my toes to kiss the corner of his mouth, though only manage to reach up as far as his chin.

“What was that for?” Kellan asks, his tone just a little hoarser than it should be.

I shrug and ease out of his embrace. “You’re not such a bad guy after all.”

“Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment.” His lips twitch, the heaviness between us gone.

“I didn’t say you were a good guy either.”

His arm goes around my waist. “I know almost nothing about you.”

The statement takes me by surprise. My eyes rise to meet his, and I flinch at what I see in them.

For a moment, it’s like I’m looking at a different person…someone who’s genuinely interested in me, not in peeling off any layers of my inhibitions.

Or maybe it’s a ploy to do just that.

Either way, I sort of like the sudden gentleness about him.

“I’m a single child. Both of my parents are composers.”

“Ah,” he says. “That’s why you hate music.”

“No.” I frown as I consider his statement. “Maybe. I’m not sure.” I shrug. “Does it matter? They wanted me to follow in their footsteps, but I wasn’t really interested. For the life of me, I just couldn’t figure out the cello. Surely you can imagine how disappointed they were that I didn’t inherit their talents. I wasn’t a child prodigy. They were so enthusiastic and pushy, until one day they realized their plans of raising the female version of Beethoven or Mozart were nothing but a pipe dream.”

“So, what did you do?”

I shrug. “I moved out, went to college to study journalism, and now I write articles.”

“About what?”

I laugh. “Whatever pays the bills. I’m a journalist. Mostly, I dig out all the crap I can find about companies and expose them.”

“Sounds like you’re no-nonsense.”

I glance at him to take in his expression. He’s seems honest, serious. “I am. I always try to uncover the truth. If you dig hard enough, you’ll find that most companies have secrets, but some are shadier than others.”

His brows shoot up in interest. “Yeah? Like what, for example?”

I shrug. “Like writing off charity donations when the charity’s just some bogus company. Or a company cutting employees’ pension funds while raising their board members’ salaries.” We resume walking. “Josh mentioned brothers,” I start, ready to shift the focus on Kellan. “How many siblings do you have?”

Kellan hesitates, but only for a moment. “One sister. Two brothers.”

“Must be nice to have a big family,” I say. “I’ve always wanted siblings.”

“You can always borrow mine.”

I laugh. “Only if they’re nice. So, what were you doing back in NYC when your life seems to be here?” I can feel him tense before I’ve even finished the question.

He doesn’t pull his hand back, but his grip loosens, the soft butterfly strokes on my skin ceasing.

For a moment, he’s perfectly still, his eyes hooded, his expression cagey.

“Business,” he says matter-of-factly and clears his throat. “Montana’s beautiful, but not the only beautiful place in the world.”

A tactical change of subject. It’s not even a subtle one.

The feeling he’s hiding something is stronger than before.

As soon as I get back home, I know I’ll be trying to find out as much as I can about Kellan Boyd.

That’s a promise to myself.

I nod, sensing the usual ‘one day I’ll take you there’ BS guys always dish out. But it never comes. I take off down the dimly lit road, unsure which direction to take.

“You said you wanted to show me around. This is your chance.”

His laughter echoes behind me a moment before I feel his arms on my body again, guiding me into what looks like a deserted dark alley.

“And I was planning on using it. There’s definitely something I need to show you.”

I peer around me, unsure what exactly we could possibly see in the dark. My confusion intensifies when he opens a gate leading into someone’s back yard and pulls me inside, closing the gate behind us.

“We’re trespassing,” I hiss.

“Are you afraid of being caught?”

“No,” I say slowly. “But someone’s not going to be happy.”

“Well, that someone isn’t going to be me.” Kellan laughs and pushes me against the gate, capturing my hands in one of his and raising them above my head.

Holy shit!

We’re in someone’s back yard, and Kellan has me pinned against the gate, his mouth inches from mine as his other hand begins to roam over my body.

“I’ve waited so long for this,” he whispers, his hot breath sending an electric tingle down my spine. “Do you have any idea how much my hand hurts?”

The sudden memory of him jerking off pops into my head, and wow, it’s hot.

“I know what you did last night,” he whispers. “While you were taking care of yourself, I was imagining myself replacing your fingers with mine.”

My breath halts. The shock is short, but sweet.

Heat pools between my legs.

If he were to touch me down there, he’d find me dripping wet and ready for him.

He lets go of my hands and unbuttons my top. The cool breeze brushes over my skin, beading my nipples, a moment before his hot mouth encloses one, sucking it into his mouth for a second, then moving on to the other one.

The moon is hidden behind rainclouds. Away from the street, the light of the lamp doesn’t reach us. We’re hidden from the street, but the house isn’t too far away.

 “Someone might hear us,” I whisper and moan involuntarily as his fingers pull my top out of my skirt and move across my stomach back to my breasts.

The entire situation is completely inappropriate. We’re probably breaking a few laws, too. And yet, all I can do is catch my lower lip between my teeth as a myriad of sensations awaken, all at the same time.

“You’re right. Someone might hear us,” Kellan mutters, not really helping. “Let’s be quick, then.”

His fingers are like fire on my skin, his touch on my breasts not as gentle as I imagined.

Rough has never been one of my preferences, but coming from him, his decisiveness does strange things to my body.

Tossing my head back, I moan in response, the mixture of pleasure and pain taking over.

“What are you doing?” I ask in a sudden moment of lucidity.

He doesn’t reply. He just lets go of me and slides up, his body pressing me against the gate.

I can feel the entire length of his erection pulsating against my abdomen. He’s hard as a rock, ready to take me to pleasure heaven, which I’m sure is the plan if I let him.

“Kellan.” His name slips out of my mouth. It sounds like a question. I don’t know what to do. I’m not Mandy, who can so easily live in the moment and think about consequences later.

It’s just a hook up.

Enjoy it.

“Yes, baby. Just like that.” Kellan groans, and I realize I’ve just pressed myself flush against him, closing the remaining space that might have been between us.

Our gazes meet. In the moonlight, I can sense the mixture of apprehension and lust more than I can see it.

He trails his hands down my hips and lifts up my skirt, then steps back to appraise me. My pale skin looks white and smooth in the darkness, all the faults I never liked about myself hidden.

His eyes drink me in. All of me. I’m holding my breath, waiting for his reaction.

“Damn, woman,” is all he says. A moment later, his lips crush mine. His tongue is forcing its way into my mouth, probing, tasting, while his fingers brush the front of my panties.

My breath hitches as my clit pulsates to life against his insistent fingers, and I moan into his open mouth.

I can feel my wetness coating my panties, readying me for his hard cock. I want him inside me so bad, I whimper, almost considering begging if he won’t speed things along.

So much for my resolution to stay the fuck away from him.

So much for my decision not to join his collection of conquests.

How many were there?

How many will there be after me?

I shake my head to get rid of the seed of jealousy settling at the back of my mind.

It doesn’t matter. He’ll be a sweet, delicious memory by the end of the week.

He’ll be the one past indulgence I’ll think about when I’m old and settled into my boring, middle-class life, chasing after two kids and the passion I once felt for a stranger.

“This means nothing,” I whisper, more to convince myself than him.

“Hmm.” Kellan stops to bite my lower lip, sucking it into his mouth. His fingers pry my legs apart and squeeze beneath my panties.

His groan reverberates from his chest. It’s deep and sexy and all the answer I need to know what he’s thinking about my wet pussy.

“You’re ready for me.” Kellan’s voice is hoarse, dripping with want. “I could fuck you right now and you’d be milking me for all I’ve got.”

“Then fuck me.”

I don’t know where that came from or who this woman is, because it’s sure not me.

His fingers trail my folds. A gasp escapes my mouth as they find their way inside me, and I spread my legs a bit, rocking against his big hand.

His thumb finds my clit and presses gently while he plunges two fingers in and out of me.

It feels so good to have him inside me.

Desire rolls over me in sweet, long waves.

“Ava, look at me.” His command enters the periphery of my mind.

Unwillingly, I open my eyes and meet his gaze. Half of his face is veiled in darkness, reminding me of our first encounter in front of Club 69. This has been my dream for so long, I know it’ll be my undoing.

“Yes, baby, look at me and tell me how much you like this.” His tone is low, barely more than rasps of breathing.

“Kellan.” His name is all I can say, over and over again. His eyes are fixed on me, feasting on my lust, as his fingers work their magic, taking me to the brink.

“I’m so close,” I think I whisper, but I’m not sure because all I can hear is the thrumming of my blood flooding my veins.

The pulsing between my legs intensifies. I close my eyes, ready to succumb to my imminent orgasm.

“No.” The word is sharp, forceful. An instant later, Kellan’s magical fingers stop and his hand is at my chin, forcing my head up. His index finger traces the contour of my lower lip.

“What are you doing?” I practically whimper, and my eyes flutter open, my gaze imploring. The throbbing between my legs intensifies, but it’s not the good kind.

I’ve never felt so unsatisfied. So…empty.

“I want you to come on my tongue. I want to taste you.” His tone is gentler, but there’s a forceful undertone to it, like it’s his way or none.

“You want to—” My voice breaks.

I’m too wet for what he wants. I’m so slick he could slide inside me, all of him, right to the hilt, and I’d probably moan his name in the process. And I don’t even know why. It’s never happened before, with none of my few boyfriends. As a result, I don’t know how he’d react to it.

I don’t know whether he’ll like it.

“We could just fuck,” I say. The word fuck is barely more than a wanton whisper.

“No.” His groan is almost feral as he slides my panties down my hips. I lift my legs one by one, helping him remove them even though that’s the last thing I should be doing.

I know that. I’m not stupid…just momentarily rendered brainless.

“I’ll fuck you when I say so,” Kellan says. “Until then, you take what I give you.”

“You’re such a jerk.”

He was one before, and he’ll continue to be one.

A jerk who needs to be in control.

I’m not surprised to find that a guy like him finds his thrill in power.

“A jerk who’s going to make you come hard.”

Maybe.

I’m so on edge, I’m definitely ready to see that happening.

“Tell me what you want me to do,” Kellan demands. His thumb traces my lower lip again while his hard cock presses against my abdomen. I can taste myself on his skin. I can smell my scent on him.

I flick my tongue over his thumb hesitantly and hear him catch his breath. “Fuck me.”

I’ve never begged a man to take me. That I’m doing it now is a sure sign that I’m losing my morals in Montana.

“No. That’s not what I want to hear.” His hands trail down the front of my shirt and gather on either side of my hips, pulling me to him.

Waiting.

Stalling.

Forcing me to ask him for the one thing I’m not comfortable doing.

This is the moment to shut down this little episode between us.

And yet, I find myself wondering what it’d be like to have his mouth between my legs.

He brings his lips close to my ear. “Say it, Ava. Tell me what you’d like me to do.”

“Taste me,” I whisper, instantly ashamed of myself as I repeat his words. “I want to come on your tongue.”

Others have gone down on me. I’ve never come.

I’ll let him try, if it makes him happy…so we can move on to the fucking part.

Kellan smiles, his smugness so obvious I’d slap it right off his glorious face if I weren’t so damn horny.

“If you hold back or fake it, you’ll regret it.” The threat lingers in the air. It should make me afraid of him, eager to get the hell away. Instead, I can’t help but wonder what kind of punishment he’d have in store for me.

A slow trail of heat begins to throb to life. My clit’s on fire.

I like the idea of surrendering all control to him. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

I push my chin out, my eyes challenging him. “If you want all of me, you’ll have to earn it. I’m not easily pleased.”

He chuckles, the self-satisfied sound speaking volumes. “Your pussy won’t stand a chance against my tongue.”

Oh, gosh.

I’ve never met anyone so delusional…or full of himself.

If he weren’t so darn sexy, I’d—

In one swift motion, he’s kneeled before me, his hands cupping my ass, bringing one leg around his shoulders. My balance is so off, I have no choice but to lean into him. To open myself up, leaving my most private spot at his mercy.

“Ready for the ride of your life?” Is that another chuckle before his mouth descends upon me?

“Ride?” I ask stupidly, cursing the fact that my head’s just turned into a big, empty cloud, when his hot tongue dips into me. The movement comes so unexpected, I almost whimper and thread my fingers through his hair, unsure whether to pull his mouth closer or push him away.

My leg wraps tighter around his shoulder, bringing his mouth closer to my entrance. His tongue dips in again, then licks all the way back up to my clit, through my swollen folds, moving back up to my clit.

I suck in a gulp of air and close my eyes, my fingers still tangled in his hair as arrows of pleasure shoot through my core, my pussy tightening around nothing, begging to be filled.

“I’ve been thinking about your wet pussy,” Kellan whispers appreciatively between another dip and lick, then another and another.

“You taste even better than I imagined.” His voice is deep, hoarse, sexy as hell. “I’m going to make you crash so hard, you’ll be spoiled for every other man after me.”

“No false modesty,” I more moan than whisper.

His tongue focuses on my clit for a moment. His mouth sucks the little mound between his lips, then he flicks his tongue across it.

I moan and arch my back.

It feels so damn good, but it won’t be enough.

Laughter echoes somewhere to our right, reminding me that we’re in someone’s back yard. We could be discovered any minute with my skirt literally hitched up around my waist. A surge of adrenaline rushes through me, the excitement almost pushing me over me edge.

“Be quiet,” Kellan whispers, but his tongue doesn’t ease up on me. It slides through my slickness, leaving a hot and moist trail behind just long enough for the wind to cool me down, before he begins again.

He’s such a professional at doing this.

Too calm. Too focused.

Of course, he’s probably licked more pussy than he can count. I, on the other hand, feel like I could be dying on the spot. Both from desire and sheer mortification at what we’re doing. And from being so ready to give him what he’s been wanting all along.

Somewhere, a door closes. Then a click.

Footsteps thud in the distance.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“I think someone’s coming,” I whisper needlessly and try to push his head away. He grabs my ass tightly, holding me in place as he adjusts his mouth.

“Kellan,” I whisper, mortified.

His tongue is more unrelenting now. Barely giving me time to breathe between the hard flicks on my clit. My pussy tightens, squeezing the air, the delicious pull of an oncoming orgasm forming, but not quite there.

The footsteps stop, and a male voice begins to talk quietly…into a phone?

I can even make out a few words.

Oh, God.

We’re going to be found out.

Talk about bad timing.

“Kellan.” His name swooshes out of my mouth in another silent moan.

“Hush! He’ll be here soon.” The way he says it, it sounds like he knows the person. I want to follow up his remark with a question. I even open my mouth when he thrusts a finger into me, then another, stretching me, filling me.

I nearly cry out, the sound lodged deep in my throat.

It’s getting harder to breathe.

Kellan’s tongue flicks faster while he finger-fucks me hard, rubbing against that one special spot inside me I know will have me crying out his name.

Red-hot waves of lust threaten to crush me. My legs begin to tremble. I bite my lip hard so I can’t cry out. The taste of blood registers somewhere inside my mind, but I don’t care.

All I want is more.

More of him.

More of this.

I think the footsteps are heading for us now, but I can’t move.

Whatever Kellan’s doing to me is way too good to stop him.

“Oh, God.” A moan erupts from my chest.

The familiar blackness of an orgasm is descending on me a moment before my body lights up, then crashes in flames. A tremor rocks my entire body over and over again.

Faintly, I think I feel Kellan set me down and place a hasty kiss on my lips.

He tastes of me.

It’s so darn sexy, my core flares up again.

Yes, I definitely want more of him, until the lights in the back yard go on.