Penny was cocooned, enveloped and warmed by a band across her lower back. She didn’t want to wake up but someone’s annoying alarm wouldn’t shut up.

God, she wanted to sink back into sleep for about a hundred years.

Her bed felt weird. Not bad, nice actually, but weird. A steady thump echoed in her ears as she snuggled closer. “Just five more minutes,” she murmured. Like she could talk the alarm into snoozing.

But the irritating beep kept going.

Her bed rumbled, then let out a very masculine groan.

What?!

That shock to the system had her jerking awake. Then her solid bed began to move. Penny clung tight and opened her eyes. Holy manure, she was nearly lying on top of Diego Ramos.

She was still naked.

And she’d had sex with him. Images and sensations rushed back in.

She’d had amazing sex with him. And oh my God, she had not intended to fall asleep on him.

His firm hand pressed against her lower back as he reached for something. He’d kept his arms wrapped tight around her while asleep.

Umm, what just happened?

Diego thunked his head onto the pillow. Her heart threatened to thunder out of her chest. His very hard, very impressive erection pulsed against her hip. Very big. Penny went a little lightheaded remembering that thick invasion and the resulting orgasm.

Jesus, she was a nympho. But before this morning, she hadn’t had sex in…when had she and her ex called it quits? Months ago, last summer maybe.

“I, you’re um, up, I mean, I should get up….” Oh God. She dropped her head against his shoulder and hid from his gaze. “I need to go.”

He chuckled.

It really wasn’t that funny.

She lifted her head and glared at him.

“We’re both up.” His grin was a little crooked and a lot mischievous. His brown eyes sparkled with wicked intent.

“Not helping.”

She should get up, but she held still for one more second, enjoying the hard male body against her and the way his cock pulsed against her lower belly, in time with the thud of his heart.

Penny carefully extricated from his loose embrace, her face surely a fiery red.

Diego curled to sitting, rubbed his hands over his face.

“You sort of passed out on top of me.” His grin told her he hadn’t minded. Completely unconcerned that he was naked as a jay, whereas Penny wanted to clutch the covers to her chest like a Victorian heroine.

“I’m quite sorry.” She flushed again.

“Don’t be.” Diego slid closer. “I enjoyed it.”

Everything came rushing back into her consciousness. She’d been so tired. Nothing embarrassing about passing out on top of a stranger. Could you call someone you were naked with a stranger?

Even though Penny hadn’t seen him in twenty years, he’d been a constant presence in her life, like her conscience. She’d taken that angry boy’s words to heart and learned about the rest of the world outside her insular wealthy life.

Sure the first thing that surprised her about his speech was the fact that not everyone got a new car on their birthday, but later other things had registered. People went to bed hungry.

Those simple, matter-of-fact words had changed the trajectory of her life.

Because she couldn’t imagine it. Each step on her journey had been formed by that interaction.

Maybe she hadn’t even realized how much impact that conversation had on her life until now.

“You okay?” He was looking at her strangely. But he was so close, his sexuality shoved out the little trip through her memories and motivation.

Naked, his warm body still pressed against hers, she knew they needed to get up and move. This little bubble was absent of tension and expectation. She’d stopped living her life to please others years ago. Now she only pleased herself.

Stupid to be shy now, but there it was. “Sure.” She avoided his gaze.

She was like a nerdy schoolgirl who’d lost her tongue around the super popular quarterback. His wicked grin caught her by surprise. Except that she could almost guarantee that he’d been more likely to be bad boy behind the bleachers than on the field.

“But I need to change.”

“Who’s stopping you?”

No embarrassment for this guy. His gaze heated, skimmed down her body again. The room was laden with suddenly simmering lust. He was gorgeous. All dark skin and lean muscles. His cock had begun to lengthen the longer he stared at her.

She mentally shrugged. Might as well own it. Who knew when she’d have an experience like this again.

Penny stroked her palm over his shoulder, tracing the swell of his biceps and the corded lean strength of his forearm. “Thanks for the morning pick-me-up and the nap.”

He laughed, his teeth white in his tan face. “Much better than partners yoga.”

“Definitely more cardio than spiritual.”

“I disagree. I’m pretty sure I saw heaven.”

The pleasure that flowed through her filled a hole she hadn’t even known existed. It was probably a line, and still she fell for it.

He leaned in and brushed a soft kiss against her mouth. His watch beeped again.

“Great way to start the day. But if we’re late for the kayak races, Zin will have my ass.” He leisurely picked up his shorts and tank top. “I’ll wait outside.”

“Not necessary. I can get to the dock.”

After Diego gently closed the door, Penny quickly tugged on a string bikini, a pair of cutoffs, and a tank top imprinted with “Farmer. Because Food Producing Bad Ass was not an official job title.”

Sure enough, Diego was waiting on her porch. The employee cabin was far enough away from the water that only flickers of light from the sun glinting off the lake penetrated into the woods.

They walked toward the dock in companionable silence. The mood between them surprisingly easy and not at all awkward.

When they got to the dock, a crowd had already gathered. “I need to check in with Tegan—she’s taking over for Heather as camp director—and find out where she needs me. Thank you.”

Now it was awkward. Should she shake his hand? Tell him he’d been an amazing orgasm donor? Let him know she’d be up for sharing a cabin again?

“My pleasure.” His husky voice skimmed over her nerve endings like the rasp of sandpaper over unfinished wood.

Penny suppressed a shiver. “Good luck on your race.” She hurried away, pretending, at least to herself, that she wasn’t figuratively running.

Zinnia rested in an Adirondack chair along the shoreline with her booted foot propped on another chair, clipboard in her lap and megaphone in her hand. “Okay, everyone! Line up with your partners and then the camp staff will get you in your doubles kayak. We set up pairs with one member from Ramos Classic and one from London Automotive.”

Penny smiled at the groans and cheers from the crowd as she headed toward Tegan. “What’s my assignment?”

“Ramos and Sherry,” Zinnia yelled, interrupting her conversation with Tegan.

Diego and a pretty young woman with a sparkle in her eye walked over to the waiting kayaks.

Penny didn’t like the hard zing of jealousy that burned beneath her ribs. A. It was a business event. B. She had no claim on him. C. What the hell was her problem?

But that spurt of irritation didn’t fade as the girl chatted animatedly with Diego.

“London and Hastings,” Zin shouted out.

Penny jerked. She was supposed to race?

“That’s it.” Tegan smiled. “Michael asked that you accommodate Diego Ramos’s company whenever needed. Although he doesn’t think that they would sue, since Zinnia fell on Camp Firefly Falls property he wants to do everything possible to make sure they’re happy.”

Reluctantly, Penny made her way to the lake shore. The humidity had not even reached maximum capacity but still little hairs had started to curl around her face.

Jeffrey London stared at her, his distaste clearly communicated as he bent toward Diego and whispered in his ear. Diego blinked, his expression not changing as his gaze shot to her. But somehow Penny knew he was not happy.

“Change of plans,” Diego’s deep voice reverberated. “Jeffrey and his assistant will row together and I’ll pair up with Ms. Hastings.”

Penny’s stomach churned.

London had refused to work with her. It was a stupid fucking camp event. She pasted a smile on her face placed a quick hand on Zinnia’s shoulder. “Hope you’re feeling better today. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

Zinnia shot her a grateful smile. “Thank you. Right now the pain pills are keeping me feeling fine. Just keep your promise.”

To make sure Diego did his partner stuff.

She’d already partnered with Diego Ramos and it had been fabulous. She pictured his body moving aggressively inside hers, pushing her toward one more peak. Giving her more pleasure than she’d experienced in months.

Bad Penny, having sexual daydreams about her partner.

After they were outfitted with life jackets and seated in the kayak, a camp employee pushed them into the lake. Diego nodded at London.

“On your mark, get set, go!” Tegan used the megaphone to start the race.

Penny and Diego set out. The finish line was across the lake at an additional picnic area where snacks and drinks would be served.

Their paddling was out of rhythm and they listed drunkenly from left to right, not making much forward progress. Within a few minutes they lagged far behind London and his perky assistant.

Penny tried to take the lead at the same time as Diego. As a result, they were limping along behind his competitor. Not that she cared.

“What does London have against you?” He was behind her but there was no mistaking the animosity in Diego’s voice. The sweet teasing guy who’d woken her up this morning was nowhere to be found.

“I have no idea.” Really. But he definitely did.

Diego stopped paddling. “There must be something.”

Her tension rose. The sick feeling in her stomach from the condemnation in Jeffrey London’s gaze hadn’t abated. If anything, it had gotten worse.

Thunk. Her paddle hit the water at the wrong angle, the contact zinging up her arm.

Maybe her parents’ sins were again coming back to haunt her. There were those who blamed Penny. After all, her parents had skipped the country with other people’s money. She was an easy target.

The Brahmin crowd didn’t have any sympathy for the kid who’d been left behind and she’d been publicly vilified on a regular basis until she’d left for college. But people had long memories.

“He hates you.”

She stiffened her shoulders. She’d given up caring what other people thought of her. They made up their minds no matter what the facts were.

“I want to know who I slept with,” he practically hissed.

She turned around to stare at him. He was legit angry at her right now. “You’re mad at me?”

She wanted to blast him, her temper rising. It didn’t happen often. She’d had to learn to control it when she’d been attacked verbally for her parents’ crimes because most of the time the bully just wanted a reaction from her. To make her cry or run away.

Right now she wouldn’t cry and she couldn’t run away.

“I’m mad at myself. I know better. I don’t do random, spontaneous sex.” His voice was tight, annoyed, and low. “I still want to know who I accidentally slept with.”

“Accidentally?” Penny officially lost her shit. But she did it quietly. “It’s not like you accidentally slipped and put your dick in me.”

She whirled back around and began paddling furiously. One side, then the other.

The beard burn on her chest tingled as if taunting her with her poor choice in lovers. But that tingle just made her more angry.

He was mad because he slept with her. Lovely.

“You want to know why he hates me.” Her arms ached at the drag of the lake on the blade of the paddle. “Probably because when I was seventeen my parents fled the country with a whole bunch of people’s money. And no one believed that I didn’t know where they went.”

“Penny,” he said softly.

“So I became the public face of their crimes.” Penny continued to dig through the water. “And certain groups of people have long memories. I’m guessing that he believes I’m somehow tainted by illegality.”

“Mierda.”

“There you have it.” Dick. But she’d promised Zinnia, so she sucked it up and said, “We need to get in sync.”

Diego’s paddle hit her in the head.

“Ow.”

“Sorry.” Diego sounded like he meant it but too little too late.

And maybe he only meant about the whack with the paddle.

“You okay?”

“I’m a lot tougher than I look.” She dismissed him. The sooner they got to the other side, the sooner she could get away from him. “But we’ve got to get into a rhythm or Jeffrey London is going to beat you.”

Diego leaned forward. The kayak rocked dangerously. “I don’t care.”

“Sure you do,” she argued. “No one gets to be as successful as you without being competitive.”

She’d just given away that she knew something about his business, about him.

“Tell me more.”

“I’m assuming,” she muttered. Lie.

“So you’ve read about me, my company?”

“I might have seen an article about you a few years ago.” She’d been impressed.

“Did you deliberately attempt to sabotage my business relationship?”

What? And yes, this is what she got for simply engaging in casual sex. Nothing about her life had been casual. Why had she even tried? Life seemed to backfire on her on a regular basis.

“Self-absorbed much?” She rolled her eyes. “With your semi-charmed life, even if my taint rubbed off, you’d be fine.”

He snorted. “Hard work, babe. Nothing semi-charmed about it.”

As if she didn’t know anything about hard work. Well, fuck him. Oh, yeah, she already did that and look how well it turned out?

They both rowed faster. “Hard work and innovation. Yeah, how to turn failure into success,” she snarled, too pissed to be diplomatic.

“It’s an excellent motto,” he said gruffly.

She couldn’t see his face but she could hear the discomfort in his voice.

“I’m aware.” She remembered the moment he’d thrown that back at her. Remembered the teenage anguish that he’d played off when he thought she was saying that he was a failure. That moment in the parking lot was indelibly imprinted on her mind. Apparently his too.

She waited to see if he would acknowledge that his motto came from her. From that stupid naïve kid she’d been.

But he was quiet.

They rowed faster. Now that they were in sync, they were making forward progress. They were almost caught up to London and his assistant. “You going to back off or are you going to let him win?”

And goddamn, did she want Jeffrey London to lose. Because of course she hadn’t had sex with Diego in the hopes of some grand love that would last until the end of time—dramatic much?—but she had hoped for more than that one quick bang in the cabin.

What she hadn’t anticipated was being accused of trying to damage his business deal. The ass.

The sooner they got to the finish line, the sooner she would have fulfilled her obligation to Zinnia and she could get away from Diego Ramos.

Screw him. Not literally, obviously. That was over. Never again.