The steam curled up from the enormous bath, and I let the robe I had been wearing slip from my shoulders as I headed over to join him. He reached out for me, reminding me of the night before in the hot tub. Except this time, we weren’t even trying to pretend that we were in this for anything but the sex.

I slipped under the steamy water with him, and he drew me onto his lap at once. I straddled him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and he held me steady as he ran his hands up my waist and grinned at me.

"You’re so fucking beautiful," he murmured as he leaned forward to draw one of my nipples into his mouth. I groaned and cradled his head, holding him tight, as he lazily trailed his tongue around my breast, baring his teeth and sinking them in for a moment. His hair was damp and soft, his stubble rough on my skin, and the contrast between the two sensations was already getting my pussy flooded with desire for him.

"I really need to be inside you right now," he growled, and I wasn’t going to deny him a moment longer. He had brought some condoms from the bedroom with him – I would have called it presumptive, except that he knew exactly where this was going. Everything he had told me, everything we had spoken about, had me more confident with him than I had ever been before. He had made it clear that he wanted me, no matter what, which was something that I had never really experienced before with a guy. With my ex, it had always been this silent promise that he would pull away from me if I wasn’t up to his standards. Morgan had convinced me that this wasn’t the case for him.

I grabbed a condom and opened it slowly, reaching down beneath the water to slide it over his erection. He tipped his head back and groaned at my touch. I wasn’t sure I would ever get over how good it felt to have him like this, to have him wanting me so very badly.

As soon as he was sheathed, he grabbed my hips and pulled me forward so that I was positioned over his cock; I lowered myself down slowly, dipping myself below the heavenly water, the steam wrapping soft fingers around my skin. I took him inside me, feeling his length slide up and into me, and I let out a moan that echoed around the room.

"You feel so fucking amazing," he murmured, reaching up to brush a strand of hair back from my face. He grasped the back of my neck and leaned up to kiss me, thrusting deeply into me at the same time, and just like that, I lost myself to him once more.

With his tongue in my mouth and his cock in my pussy, he began to fuck me, and fuck me hard. I sank my fingers into his shoulders and held on to him tight. The way he was taking me was driving me crazy already, the feeling so deeply satisfying that I knew I would never get over it. I didn’t want this to end. I rocked my hips back against him, pushing him into me deeper, and he let out a long, guttural groan against my lips. I felt it vibrate through me, my body shuddering as his pleasure melded into mine.

He moved his hand between my legs, finding my clit and beginning to stroke me softly. He slowed his movements inside me, grinding instead of thrusting, letting me feel every inch of his cock as it spread me wide. I tipped my head back as he ran his mouth greedily over my neck, the heat of his mouth and the heat of the water meshing into one glorious sensation.

Our bodies were moving in perfect harmony, his hand on my pussy as his cock buried deep inside me, and it felt different than the night before had. Not that that hadn’t been amazing, but we had been learning each other then, figuring out how this worked, and taking our time to explore each other. This time around, we were just fucking – frantic, furious, and focused. We knew exactly what worked for the other person, and we were determined to give it to them. I couldn’t get enough of him.

But there was still that twinge of guilt at the back of my mind over what we were doing together. I loved this, was already obsessed with it, but I was supposed to be doing my job while I was here. Not hooking up with some movie star in his bath. This was ridiculously unprofessional, and nothing I could say or do would unwind that truth.

But then, he began to move a little faster into me, and any doubts I had been carrying seemed to slide away again, just like that. How could I focus on anything but how damn good this felt? There wasn’t room in my brain for anything else, not anymore, and I wanted to indulge in this feeling – I wanted to feel his hands on me, feel his cock moving inside me. I needed him. Wanted him. Ached for him. I let my head fall back, and he kissed up my throat, tasting me. All at once, I felt the feeling grow to undeniable levels inside of me.

"Ah..." I groaned, and that noise seemed to be all I needed to push myself over the edge. Moments later, I felt my pussy clench around him hard, my body shivering from top to bottom as the sensation flooded through me. I leaned forward, burying my head in his shoulder as he clasped my body close, holding me tight and keeping me safe. Then he thrust a few more times into me and found his own release, buried deep inside of me.

We slowly unraveled ourselves from each other – but not before exchanging a few last giggly kisses – and he pulled himself out from me and disposed of the condom in a nearby trashcan. I sank back into the enormous bath, drifting backwards, letting the water wash everything away.

"Mmm," I sighed with satisfaction as I lay there in the water. He reached over to run a little more hot water to warm the tub up once more. As if things in here weren’t steamy enough already, right?

"You okay?" he asked, sliding his hand over my knee under the water. I nodded.

"I feel awesome," I replied, and he grinned at me.

"Me too." He shifted over in the bath and wound an arm around me, pulling me in close. I lay my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, sleepy and happy and sated. I could have just stayed there for the rest of the day if he’d let me, but I knew I had more to do – I had to go back to the work we had been figuring out, had to finish the stitching and the sewing and everything else. But I could already feel my eyes getting heavy. I felt so safe next to him; I just wanted to fall asleep right here in his arms.

"Hey, let’s get you out of here before the water goes cold," he murmured, scooping me out of the bath easily and carrying me to the bedroom. I smiled and nuzzled into his neck, pressing my head to his chest so that I could hear the steady beat of his heart beneath his skin.

He laid me down on the bed, and I stretched out, feeling like a cat that had just eaten. I was so tired – it seemed like all of that time out in the snow had really taken it out of me. He slipped into bed next to me and wound his arms around me, spooning me from the side. I grinned and closed my eyes, letting him hold me close.

"Mmm, you smell so good," he murmured, running his nose over my skin. I wriggled against him, already feeling a flood of desire for him one more.

"I smell like you," I reminded him.

"Well, then I smell great," he replied, touching his finger to my chin and kissing me once more. As soon as our lips met, I knew where this was going. Even though we had barely finished making love, I wanted him again. I wanted him here, now; I wanted every part of him. I wanted him while I could still have him. I didn’t want this to have to be over, not yet.

He took me from behind this time around, running his hands over my body as he did so – normally, I would have been urgently pulling the covers over my body so that he couldn’t make out what was going on underneath, but I didn’t care so much with him. The way he touched me, he made it clear that he wanted nothing more than to be with my body in that moment, than to lose himself to the newness and the sureness of my form. I remembered what he had said to me before – that it wouldn’t have mattered to him what I looked like. I wondered how true that was. But as he touched me, he scrubbed any last thoughts of doubt from my mind, and I finally let go of the lingering insecurity with him.

He moved inside me slowly, pushing my leg up so that he had deeper access to me, and kissed my neck as he fucked me. I closed my eyes and lost myself to how good he felt. But as much as I tried to keep it out of my mind, I couldn’t help but remember that there was a time limit on all of this. Yes, this was incredible, and no, I didn’t want it to end, but that wasn’t how this worked. It was never how this worked. We had to function with the knowledge that as soon as I walked out of this cabin, this was over. Nobody could know about us, nobody could hear about us, and nobody could find out that I had given myself so keenly to a man I barely knew. A man I was supposed to be working with, no less.

It would be a scandal if any of this got out. Exactly the kind of scandal that neither of us needed. Him, because he was in the process of trying to rebuild his reputation and gather himself after everything that had happened over the course of his career, and me because I had a family to think about, and I had no intention of dragging them into the fresh hell of dating a movie star. I would be crazy to even consider it.

But still, as we made love on that bed, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness that this was really all going to be over soon. I didn’t want this to end. This cabin had been our enclave from the real world, a place where the two of us could act like who we wanted to be without fear of judgement or reprisal. And soon, it was all going to be over. Just like that.

I came around him again, crying out hopelessly into the pillow, and he thrust himself deep inside me one last time and reached his own release soon after. We were wound around each other again, like vines around the trunk of a tree, and it was so tempting to just turn to him right then and there and ask him not to bring this moment to an end. To somehow have him scrap the movie career that I was supposed to be in the process of saving and stay here with me instead.

But rather than say that, I pulled myself away from him and snuggled down into the bed. Damn, I was going to miss these pillows. This place was so comfortable. Or maybe it was just that I felt comfortable here, safe in knowing that I would wake up with him next to me.

"You tired?” he asked, leaning over to plant a kiss on my cheek. I smiled and nodded.

"You’ve exhausted me," I replied playfully. He kissed my bare shoulder and then pulled the covers up over me.

"You get some rest," he told me. "I’ll carry on with the toys."

"Are you sure?” I replied, pulling a face. "I don’t want you to think I’m just lazing about in here, getting nothing done..."

"Well, you are, but you’re doing it on my orders," he said as he brushed a strand of hair back from my face. I smiled at him, feeling that now-familiar twist in my stomach that came every time he did something sweet.

"I don’t think I’m allowed to argue with those," I murmured before closing my eyes and letting myself drift off to a warm, comfortable sleep.

When I awoke a few hours later, it was to a strange light outside – dark, but bright with a seemingly artificial light. When I opened my eyes, I saw snow covering the ground beyond the window. I sat up straight, my eyes wide with shock. That was way worse than it had been a few hours ago, right? How long had I been asleep?

"Oh, Kari, you’re awake."

I heard a voice from the doorway and looked up to find Morgan there waiting for me. He was carrying a small paper bag, which he laid down on the bedside table next to me.

"I brought you some dinner," he explained, and I tore into the packet ravenously. There was some kind of vegetarian stew within, warm and spicy, and it was delicious.

"I have some bad news," he admitted. I looked up at him, my stomach twisting with sadness.

"What’s going on?” I asked.

"The snow’s coming down worse outside, and there’s supposed to be a storm moving in tonight," he explained. "I think we should get out of here tonight, just to be on the safe side."

"Are you serious?” I asked, my stomach dropping.

"I really don’t want to have to cut the weekend short," he replied regretfully, sitting down on the edge of the bed and squeezing my leg underneath the covers. "But I don’t want you to get stuck here, away from your work and your kids and...everything."

I knew what he was trying to say, even if I knew he would never just come out with it. He was trying to tell me that he didn’t want to keep me here away from my real life any longer. He knew that whatever we shared was only here, only now, and that as soon as this was over, it would end. Even though I didn’t want it to. Even though I could hardly imagine a life without him. Which was ridiculous, because I’d hardly known him a few days, but still. Whatever we had, it felt profound, and I wasn’t sure I could hide from it any longer.

I ate and got up and dressed and packed, noticing that he had spent the last few hours that I had been sleeping fixing the toys that I had left out for him. My heart melted when I saw what he had done for me. He was so sweet and so thoughtful. But what version of him was this? Was this just the version that needed me to like him in order to get this career of his moving again?

He helped me take my stuff out to the car, and sure enough, the snow was whipping down heavier than ever around us. He drove the first few miles away from the cabin, and I was glad because I was nervous about the thought of driving on roads like this.

"You alright?" he asked as I turned to watch the cabin retreating away from us. I managed to nod, even though I wasn’t sure I believed it myself.

"Yeah, I’m fine."

We drove for a few more miles, chatting about the Christmas season that was all laid out in front of us. He didn’t have a lot planned – maybe seeing his family, he told me, if he got the inclination up to actually spend time with his mother again – but he wasn’t that bothered about it.

"You know you’re going to have to switch that up if you’re playing Santa for our kids," I reminded him. "You’re going to have to be the embodiment of Christmas cheer."

"I’ll do my best," he assured me, and I reached over to squeeze his hand without thinking. I drew it back at once – that was a little too couple-like for us, for sure. I needed to keep myself in check. I wasn’t here to flirt or to hook up or to fall for anyone. I was here for my job. That was it.

"Hey, pull over and let me drive," I ordered, figuring that the best way to get me to keep my hands to myself was to have them pinned to the wheel instead. He cocked an eyebrow at me.

"You sure?”

"I’m sure," I promised him. "And put on the radio; I like to listen to music while I drive."

He did as he was told, and before I knew it, I was behind the wheel and we were out on the freeway. I was singing along to some terrible pop song that was blasting through the speakers of the car, much to his amusement.

"Man, you really like to sing, huh?” he remarked as the song came to an end and the announcer ran through his usual spiel.

"Yeah, and I know I’m terrible at it, so you don’t need to remind me," I stated.

"You’re a little off-tune, that’s for sure," he teased. I glanced over at him.

"Hey, that’s pretty rich from a dude who released his own single and auto-tuned the hell out of it," I reminded him. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, laughing.

"I didn’t realize you knew about that."

"So I did a little research," I shrugged. "Had to know what I was getting into, right?"

"Who you were getting into," he corrected me. I giggled.

"But yeah, I don’t think you have much of a leg to stand on there, mister," I warned him. "I’ve heard you sing; you’re not much better than me."

"I’d hoped that album had been lost to the eons of time," he remarked. "My agent thought it would be good for me to do it. You know, try to sell the bad-boy image..."

"Yeah, well, a pop song wasn’t the best way to do that," I shot back.

"I can see that now," he protested. "But at the time..."

"At the time, you seriously thought it was a good idea," I finished up. "You know, I’m going to call this radio station and ask them to play it for me. You can sing it for me here, and we can see how it measures up."

"I’m pretty sure I had every copy of that thing destroyed a long time ago," he replied, turning up the radio as the next song came on to cut off any more snarky comments that I might have about his music career. I grinned, deciding to let it drop. I could rip into him about that any time I wanted.

We eventually had to pull over at a gas station to top up the car, and I insisted on paying for the gas – he let me, and I slipped into the shop to pay up. While I was waiting at the desk, I was glancing around, trying to re-acclimate to what it felt to be back in the real world again. And that’s when I saw her.

As soon as I spotted the woman approaching Morgan, I felt my blood run a little colder. The way she was looking at him – with that wide-eyed adoration – instantly stressed me out. I felt as though I had seen that look before, and I knew that I didn’t want any other woman aiming it at Morgan.

She tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around. While I was stuck inside, observing it all without sound, like I was taking in a silent comedy. She was gesturing wildly, and he was glancing around awkwardly, looking as though he wanted nothing more than to find some way to slide out of the conversation. But before he could, the woman grabbed his face, leaned forward, and planted a kiss on his lips.

My heart felt like it had stopped beating in my chest. She was hanging onto him, and he was doing his best to extract himself from her grasp as soon as he could, but the damage was done. Even as he pushed her off, there was a ringing in my ears, and I pushed the money across the counter to the attendant and stormed back outside.

The woman looked cowed as she saw me marching back to the car, but I didn’t want to even look at her. I was seething with…was it jealousy? I wasn’t sure. But what I did know was that it hurt, badly. I tossed the keys to Morgan and climbed back into the car, this time on the passenger side, crossing my arms over my chest and starting out the window. I didn’t want to say a word to him; I knew it wasn’t his fault, but I was still stinging. The reality of what it was going to be like to be with him had begun to sink in – and I wasn’t sure it was quite as sweet as I had once believed it was.