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My firecracker kisses like an angel. All soft and giving as she melts into me. Her sweet little body fits against mine perfectly. She isn’t too tall or too short. Not too skinny and not too voluptuous. Some might say she’s average, but not me.

Never me.

Cautiously, her mouth moves beneath mine, and I keep the pressure light, not wanting to ruin this moment. I tentatively touch my tongue to her bottom lip, running it along the plump line until she gasps her pleasure.

Her hands come up, not to push me away but to slide into my hair. I nudge her mouth open, and she parts her lips with a soft moan. Taking full advantage, I sweep my tongue inside and tangle it up with hers.

A fully formed groan leaves me, and I have to make myself stop before I sweep Ashley off her feet and take her to bed.

I lean back, gazing into her gorgeous face. Her lashes flutter open, giving me an up close and personal view of just how blue her eyes can get. They are drowsy, full of desire and lust.

She blinks, and I bite back a curse, because I can see the exact moment reality hits her. Her forehead furrows, and her sexy pink mouth pinches up a little.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” she says. “I didn’t—I took advantage of you.”

That isn’t what I expected to hear. She took advantage of me? I’m six-foot-three and weigh two-hundred-and-thirty-six pounds to her five-foot nothing and a hundred nothing pounds soaking wet.

“No, you didn’t. I did. You licked your lips; I saw an opening.” I shrug. “So I went for it.”

“You went for it?” She makes a face, like the thought of what we did is distasteful.

“Yeah.” I cross my arms over my chest. “And you seemed to like it.”

Her mouth opens and closes a few times as I wait for her to give me a penalty that will send me out of the game we’re playing.

“I’m ready to go,” she announces, marching to the front door. She glances back at me. “I can’t lock it until you’re out. Unless you relish the thought of setting off the alarm?”

“Can’t say I do.” Great. Just great. I’ve lost every bit of ground I gained with her. Except... she didn’t kick me out, and the only reason I know she doesn’t is because of the donation.

If that isn’t a kick to the teeth, I don’t know what is.

She gestures to the door. “After you.”

***

Our date is off to a rocky start, but I’m not out of the game just yet. The place I picked for tonight is thirty minutes southwest of Raleigh, so no one will bother us. It’s Carolina Panthers country in this part of the state.

I lean back in my chair, studying the woman sitting across the table. She’s drinking the last of her martini, trying to capture the cherry that keeps rolling from side to side in her glass.

Finally, her tongue gets in on the action.

That makes me sit a little taller. It also makes my dick hard. All I can think in that moment is her little pink tongue licking my body, like I’m a cherry she wants to eat.

Mercifully, the cherry rolls into her mouth so she can eat it, smiling as she chews.

“In all the time we spent together, I’m ashamed to admit I have no idea what you do for a living,” I say.

Setting her glass down, she leans forward a little. “I stalk football players, sleep with them, and record it, so I can post the video on YouTube and make millions.”

Forget angel. She’s a she-devil. Damn if I don’t love it. “You be sure to get my good side when you do.”

She flounders for a minute. “What side would that be?”

I capture her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb over her wrist. Her pulse is steady at first, but gradually picks up pace the longer I touch her. “I’ll let you be the judge.”

Ashley turns away from me, but not before I see the smile on her face. However, she doesn’t pull her hand away.

“Want to start from the top?” I ask.

She nods once, and then turns to face me. “I’m a designer.”

“How did you get started?” I really do want to know. Everything about Ashley fascinates me, beyond her physical attributes... just one more reason how I know she’s the one for me.

“In college. When my brother lost his leg, he joined a support group, and there were women in it I became friendly with. One of the things that always came up was their dating lives—dressing for them. The prostheses they use are either plain or sporty-looking. Sure, they’re functional and all, but when a woman has a date, she wants options—they wanted options—to wear a dress, a skirt, some short shorts, and show off her legs.”

“You had to fix that.”

Ashley smiles, obviously excited to talk about something she holds so near and dear to her heart. “One day, during art history class, we were studying a picture of a woman partially dressed and she had these thigh highs and garters on—very sexy. And it hit me. I could make those specifically for leg prostheses.” She grins. “So I designed a prototype, got a patent, and started selling them online. A picture of one of my designs went viral on Pinterest, then Instagram, and it steamrolled from there. It got to the point I had to buy a warehouse, more equipment, and hire a bunch of employees to meet demand.”

“You seem pretty relaxed for a CEO,” I say with a chuckle. “Most of the ones I know are tense and stressed and don’t look that good in a dress.”

She laughs. “I sold the business to a major distribution company for a fair price. In return, I get profit sharing as well as stock benefits.”

“And now?” I ask.

“Now... the sky’s the limit. I have so many ideas pinging around in my head,” she says, her blue eyes vibrant and warm like the sky on a summer day. “I don’t know what to do first, but since I don’t really have to worry about money like I used to... I have time.”

You can always start with me. “That’s a great problem to have.”