Everly took Ember upstairs and put her down for her nap. She retired to her room to read a book while Kian went to the basement with the other men to work on whatever it was that they did down there.

She felt a bit uneasy about everything, considering she didn't know anything about them. Not really. But she was willing to overlook that for now. Kian was an amazing man, and her desire for him grew every day. She was so happy he had finally admitted his own attraction, but now she began to wonder about everything else. She would just have to have faith that it would all be okay.

He was a good man. She could tell that much about him just from how he treated her. She couldn't believe that whatever they were involved in was anything but honorable. That was just the kind of man Kian was. But it still worried her at the back of her mind, as much as she tried to brush it off.

He was secretive and involved in something covert that he couldn't share with her. Maybe he was an international spy? What if he was from an enemy country? All kinds of scary thoughts ran through her mind as she tried to read her romance novel.

She wanted to know what he did, so she could put her mind at ease. But he still didn't trust her with that information. She couldn't blame him. They'd only known each other for a short time and had only been officially dating for a few days. She knew he couldn't trust her with all his classified secrets. She was lucky he trusted her enough to tell her that he was involved in classified projects in the first place.

She let out a deep sigh and set down her Kindle, then crawled under the covers and decided to take a short nap.

When she woke, Ember was ready for lunch. She fed Ember lunch in her room and then they played together for a long time. She took her downstairs later in the afternoon and looked around for the guys, but they were nowhere to be found.

“I guess it's just you and me, kid,” she said.

She took Ember back upstairs and fed her dinner before putting her down for the night. She checked her watch and found that it was only a short time before the date Kian had promised her.

She took a shower and brushed out her wet hair. She applied the makeup she'd gotten at the salon and then put on one of her new dresses. She chose the red dress that Kian had liked and slipped on a pair of black heels.

She then put on the jewelry that Aiden picked out and looked at herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She looked amazing. So much better than she’d ever looked in her day-to-day life. To think, all it took was some fancy clothes, a new hairstyle, and some upscale makeup. She never would have believed it, but there it was. In her normal life, she always felt so plain and frumpy. But looking at herself in the mirror, she knew the truth. She really was a knockout.

She smiled at the thought of being a knockout. She knew there was something special about her. It was time for her to start believing in herself.

She put her hand to her exposed chest above the heart shaped neckline and looked at her face from side to side in the mirror one more time.

“You are stunning,” she told herself.

She straightened her dress, grabbed the baby monitor, and hurried downstairs to the kitchen. She found Kian in a sharp black suit and a gray tie, covering their meal with domed lids.

“Everything is ready. I'm having Dax bring it out to the gazebo for us. We can walk out there together. I'm just going to open a bottle of champagne.”

Dax, who was still dressed in a tank top and board shorts, took the tray with their meal and hurried out the back door.

Kian opened the champagne and the cork popped off with a loud crack. He sunk the bottle back into the ice bucket and picked up two champagne flutes by their stems. He handed them to Everly and then opened the door for her.

“Ready?” he asked, reaching for her hand.

“Oh, yes,” she said, taking his big, warm hand in hers.

They slipped out the back door of the kitchen and followed the path through the grounds as the full moon rose overhead. She held the champagne flutes in one hand and Kian's hand in the other as he carried the champagne bottle in the bucket of ice.

Soon the private gazebo came into view. It looked out on the sweeping view of the valley and the mountains beyond. The moon hung low over the mountains, casting a glow across the valley and sparkling in the springtime treetops.

Kian opened the door and held it for her to walk inside. The gazebo was windowed in and warm. A fire crackled in a stone fireplace. It had a certain rustic charm, but everything was new and well appointed.

A big leather couch faced the fireplace and a grand dining room table faced the view of the valley. The gazebo was octagonal, and windows surrounded the building on three sides.

They were tucked away with the forest between them and the mansion. No other neighbors were in sight. Kian set the champagne bucket on the table, and they sat across from each other on either side. She gazed out at the valley and the moon and then at Kian. Then he lifted the lids off their dinners and she found lobster and steak waiting for her underneath.

“Oh,” she said. “I wasn't expecting this.”

“I hope it's to your liking.”

“I'm sure it is,” she said, cracking the lobster claw.

She dipped a forkful of lobster in garlic butter and took a bite. She groaned, and her eyes rolled back.

“This is so good.”

“I'm glad you like it,” he said, pouring her a glass of champagne.

The fire from the fireplace glinted in Kian’s eyes as they flashed at her. There was something about him, something she couldn't quite place. He smiled, his lips curling back over his teeth.

The look on his face was so hungry with desire, it made her heart jump. Her fears about him leapt to the forefront of her mind. She told herself to stop being ridiculous. Kian was nothing but a good, kind man who had her best interests at heart. He told her all the time how much he wanted to protect her. She believed him.

When her stomach was full, and they had drained their champagne flutes twice, she wiped her hands on a damp towel. He took her hand and guided her to the leather couch. They gazed at the fire as they sipped another glass of champagne and nibbled on pieces of chocolate cake. The chocolate was decadently swirled with raspberry and topped with creamy chocolate frosting. The flavors of the food and the bubbles of the champagne lifted her spirits and made her giddy. She leaned into Kian's arms as he stroked her hair, holding her close.

He growled as if he was trying to keep himself under control. She looked up in his eyes and saw an expression of poorly contained lust. His hand gripped her shoulder and caressed her naked arm.

He looked deep into her eyes and his lips parted over his teeth. His canines looked almost sharp in the firelight, and her heart leapt with fear mixed with longing.

“Everly,” he growled as he leaned in and kissed her.

Their kiss was long and slow. His hand caressed down her arm, down her thigh, and under her dress. He gripped her thigh and pulled her onto his lap. She sat astride his lap as he caressed the naked flesh of her hips. She was wet with need and her body tingled, craving, crying for his hand to slide over her thigh and caress between her legs.

Their tongues lashed against each other, and she groaned, parting her legs slightly in the hope that he would understand what she wanted. She didn't have to wait long for his hand to slip between her legs and feel the damp cloth of her panties. She let out a startled moan as an electric shock jolted through her.

He growled, caressing her sex as his kisses rained down over her neck. His tongue slid up the back of her ear where he kissed, licked, and nibbled at the sensitive flesh.

“Oh, Kian,” she moaned, cupping his cheeks. “I need you.”

He slid his fingertip under the edge of her panties, sliding between her sopping wet folds. She shuddered as he his fingers pressed deeper, gliding over her swollen, hungry clit.

“I must taste you.”

He unzipped her dress, pulled the front down, and dragged her bra away from her breasts. Her ripe globes popped out, her nipples erect and on full display for his hungry eyes. He growled, flipping her down on the couch. He sank to his knees. Leaning in to her, he sucked a nipple into his mouth, sending a jolt of desire through her that rocked her entire body to the core. She gasped and ran her fingers through his hair.

“Oh, yes,” she moaned.

She was so ripe with desire, she shuddered, growing damper by the second. He sucked her other breast into his mouth as he fondled the other, wet from his mouth.

He rolled her nipples between his fingers and she threw her head back. Kian slid his hands under her skirts, gripping her panties. He pulled them down and away from her body in one quick motion. With her dress up to her waist, he spread her legs open, and stared at her hungry core.

He breathed in her scent, his eyes rolling back in a look of intense pleasure. He spread her legs wider as the ruffles of her skirts billowed around her. Diving in to her hungry pussy, he licked up her slit. He lapped at her juices and sucked her clit into his mouth.

She gasped, her eyes going wide with shock. He began to ravish her as he growled something incoherent in a guttural tone.

His tongue vibrated on her clit in the sensation that was almost too intense to bear. He gripped her hips, holding her down to the couch as he licked her. His tongue dipped into her channel and slid to her clit, over and over until she was unbearably close to the edge of release.

Her whole body tensed, her nipples erect, her mouth open in shock. She gripped the leather of the couch as he gripped her waist in his hands. She couldn't move as the orgasm barreled toward her.

“Oh my God!” she screamed as the avalanche of desire fell down over her body and she quaked with release. “Oh my God,” she groaned again, throwing her head back, her hair falling over the back of the couch.

He held his tongue against her pussy as it clenched and throbbed. Her body buzzed and gushed for long moments. Only when she finally settled down did he draw his tongue away.

He looked up at her in the firelight. She couldn't believe that this huge hunk of a man was on his knees between her legs, giving her so much pleasure. His tie was loosened, and a button of his shirt undone.

She wanted to reach out to him, to feel his cock slide between her legs, but he straightened his tie and her skirts, helping her pull her breasts back inside her bra. He sat beside her on the couch and she slid her hand up his leg and over his hardness.

“What about you?” she asked.

“Tonight was about you,” he said in a tight voice. “I've tasted you. I had what I needed.”

“But...” she said, caressing his cock over his pants. “I feel guilty. I don't want to leave you like this.”

“There is nothing to feel guilty about. Giving you pleasure is my deepest desire. My need can wait for another time,” he said, threading his fingers through hers.

She glanced down at his erection one more time before he kissed her. The taste of her body was on his lips. She melted into his kiss and wanted to do so much more.