The tension between us is palpable by the time Zach pulls into his driveway and puts the car in park.

He switches off the ignition and turns toward me.

“Are you sure about this, Delia?”

“Zach, I just about screwed your brains out in a parking lot. I’m sure about this.”

“And you don’t think it’s too soon? You won’t regret this tomorrow?”

I lean in as close as my seat belt will allow and give him a seductive smile. “Give me a reason or three not to.”

His nostrils flare, and before I know it, he’s out of the car and ripping open my door, helping me from the seat and rushing me toward his house.

“Is Robbie home?” I ask on our way up the path.

“Better fucking not be,” Zach mutters.

He unlocks the door and flicks on the light, illuminating a large living room with sleek hardwood floors and gray furniture.

The walls are a bright white, and I’m sure when the sun is up, the bay window in the back wall makes it even more beautiful.

“Wow. This is gorgeous.”

“It’s a mess right now. Robbie didn’t bother cleaning up after himself today.”

“It’s not that messy. I’ve seen worse.” There are shirts and socks strung around the room, a few empty soda cans littering the table, but nothing too horrible.

He eyes me and quirks a brow.

I smile in return, knowing the question he’s asking.

Then we’re zooming up the stairs, sliding around corners and laughing like fools, because we’re in on the dirty joke.

Sex.

Zach throws open his bedroom door, slamming it closed and turning the lock once I’m inside.

I want to explore his room, pay attention to his taste, attempt to learn something about him.

But more importantly, I want to kneel in front of him and help him unbutton his pants.

“Delia,” he whispers when I drop to my knees. “You don’t need to do that.”

“Shut up and let me take your pants off.”

He nods slowly, so I take that as my cue to continue.

As he works to slide his shoes off, I free the button on his jeans and pull the zipper down, maintaining eye contact with him the entire time.

He kicks free of his pants and my hands settle on his hips at the band of his boxer briefs.

“I see you wore plain ones tonight.”

He smirks. “Calculated decision on my end. I didn’t want to ruin the moment again.”

“You didn’t ruin it last time. I like your nerdiness, remember?”

Zach hisses and bites his lip. “You’re awfully close to my dick right now and all my thoughts are in the wrong head, so sure, whatever you just said sounds great.”

I pull his boxers down slowly, taking my time teasing him.

His dick pops free and the first thing I do is lick it from tip to base. He groans and his hands fly to my head, holding me there, my tongue lapping at his throbbing cock. His legs are turning to jelly as I slowly lick the length of him, tip to base, base to tip.

I pull the head of his dick into my mouth and suck.

He jerks away. “You know what? No. Up.” He pulls at me until I’m standing. “You on your knees licking my cock is enough to kill me, and I don’t want to embarrass myself, so go. Take your clothes off and get on the bed. That’s where I want you…first.”

My body tingles at his words and my hands flit across my body, pulling my shirt over my head and throwing it wherever. My fingers unhook my bra and I don’t miss the noise that leaves Zach as he has his first glimpse at my breasts.

“Faster, Delia.”

Gone is my skirt.

I’m standing there in only my underwear, panting like a madwoman. There’s a fire in Zach’s gaze, and it’s so hot that I can feel the flames licking at my skin.

“Last chance,” he warns.

“Ye—”

The word is cut off, Zach’s mouth on mine. He manages to move us to the bed in one swift move. He holds himself over top of me, all his good parts lining up perfectly with mine. It shouldn’t be the case, since he’s a good five inches taller than me, but somehow in bed we click together like two missing puzzle pieces.

“I’m going to take your panties off now, Delia.”

“I hope so, Zach. I’m dying over here.”

He places a kiss at the corner of my mouth, down my chin, the column of my neck, not stopping until he reaches my left breast.

“You have a tattoo? That is so hot,” he says. “Why that phrase?”

My ink reads With All Your heart. “Because I only ever want to go with all my heart. I don’t want to half-ass anything in my life.”

I can see in his eyes that he likes my reasoning.

With his tongue, he traces the words that begin on the side of my breast and finish underneath. Then he makes a path back up and his warm mouth closes around my nipple, the sensation causing my hips to buck off the bed. My body is wound so tight, yearning for a release. I squeeze my thighs and Zach chuckles, the sound shooting straight to my core.

“I get it, I get it.”

He kisses down my stomach, the action sending shivers all along my body. He continues his journey south, his mouth landing right at the band of my panties.

He pauses for only a second before stripping the black garment down my legs.

My first instinct is to shut my legs, to cover myself, but then I glance at Zach. His eyes are screaming with want, with need.

I don’t feel embarrassed or self-conscious. I feel bold and beautiful, and it’s all because of this man on his knees who’s about to devour me.

And devour me he does. His face is planted firmly between my legs and I’m writhing on the bed, torn between pushing him away and begging him closer.

I want him to stop, but only so he can start all over again and this can last a lifetime.

It’s not long before I’m a shuddering mess and his gentle kisses turn leisurely.

Crawling back up my body with the proudest grin on his face, he reaches into the bedside table and pulls out a condom. As he opens it, I reach down and give him a few strokes, enjoying the way he looks and feels in my hand. He’s paused all movements, frozen above me with his bottom lip tucked between his teeth.

He opens his eyes and his stare connects with mine.

“Delia?”

“Yes?”

“Move your hand.”

His words are loaded, desire dripping off every single syllable. I hold his gaze as I follow his orders. He rolls the condom down his shaft and settles himself between my legs.

Feeling the pressure of him at my opening, I spread my legs apart. It’s an invitation, and he knows it.

“I think this is the best third date I’ve ever had,” he whispers before thrusting inside me.

We’re lost in each other, so lost I don’t know if I ever want to find my way out again. Zach moves inside me and I do my best to match his movements, finding a rhythm between us. It isn’t perfect and we’re nowhere near synced up, but it’s working for us both, this give and take of ours.

Our eyes stay connected as he moves inside me. He wraps my leg around his waist, creating a new angle that has us pushing for more.

“God, Delia…”

“I know, Zach. I know.”

His mouth crushes to mine and my hands find his hair, pulling him closer in every way possible. He pulls his mouth from my mine and buries his head in the crook of my neck, dropping his full weight on top of me. His thrusts grow more precise as he finds the spot he’s been searching for.

He mutters a string of curse words in my ear as we chase our highs together, grasping and searching for every last drop of pleasure we can muster before collapsing in a heap of twisted limbs and harsh breaths.

My chest feels like it’s about to explode, and my heart’s beating so fast I feel like one of those cartoons where you see the outline of it thumping away.

We lie there, trying to find the strength to function again.

“I think I’m dying.”

“I feel so out of shape.”

He nods in agreement. “I’m going to get rid of this thing. Do you…need anything?”

“Bathroom?”

He points at a door beside the sleek black dresser in his room. “Right there. I’ll go down the hall.”

He hops off the bed in all his naked glory, not bothering to cover up one bit, and makes his way out of the room. I head into the bathroom, use the toilet (because no one wants a UTI), and use a clean washcloth I find in the linen closet to clean myself up.

Strolling back into the bedroom, I find Zach relaxed on his bed, hands resting behind his head as he stares up at the ceiling.

“Did you even notice these?”

I crawl into bed and lie down next to him, my head resting on his chest. Gazing up, I see what he’s talking about: two large windows cut out in his ceiling. The night sky feels so close, as if I could reach out and touch the stars.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Sure is,” he says. There’s something in his voice that causes me to slide my eyes his way.

I’m surprised to find him staring down at me with warmth.

He wasn’t talking about the night sky; he was talking about me.

I grin up at him and wink. “I know.”

He titters. “Now who has the big ego?”

He kisses the top of my head and we lie there together in the darkness until sleep consumes us.

I wake about an hour later, my mouth dry and desperately in need of water.

Doing my best not to wake Zach, I wiggle out of his hold. I slide my underwear back on and pull his shirt over my head before quietly sneaking out of his bedroom.

I make my way back down the stairs, taking my time to observe his home. There are beautiful photographs lining the walls, all of them black and white. I step closer to read the name scribbled at the bottom but can only make out Elliott.

Whoever he is, he’s awesome.

I tiptoe down the stairs and back through the living room, finding the kitchen is on the other side. Much like the rest of the house, it’s modern and sleek.

I open the fridge, laughing at the excessive amount of takeout boxes and beer, and grab a bottle of water. I sip on it as I meander around the kitchen and living room, checking out all the fun gadgets they have.

It doesn’t take long for me to scope out the rest of the house. There’s another bathroom on this floor along with what I assume are two guest bedrooms. I open the door to one to find Marshmallow sound asleep inside, and I note that Zach’s rigged the room with a sheet of plastic lining the floor and plenty of straw.

I shake my head, unsurprised that Zach has dedicated an entire room to a goat.

I quietly close the door, not wanting to disturb Marshmallow, and make my way back down the hall. I’m assuming the other bedroom belongs to his roommate, and I don’t want to intrude.

There’s a door off the underside of the stairs. Curiosity overcomes me so I peek inside, finding that it leads down into the basement.

Now that I’ve already opened the door…

I make my way down the stairs and am genuinely surprised at what I find at the bottom.

I remember Zach telling me he works in the basement, so when I find two round chairs smack dab in the middle of the room with massive TV screens hanging on the wall across from them, I’m stunned. There are two large cabinets with a mouse and keyboard on each one sitting below them. This doesn’t look anything like an office.

I make my way over to the inviting chair and settle into it, spinning around in circles, taking in the room.

It’s so…peaceful.

I know Zach creates apps for a living, but when he said apps and basement, I was not expecting something so fancy.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

I jump at the sound of Zach’s voice and spin the chair to find him leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. I won’t lie, him standing in only sleep pants, no shirt, has my body humming to life again.

“This is not a nerd zone, Zach. I’m almost disappointed. I was expecting walls of Mountain Dew, Dorito fingerprints everywhere, lots of dark creepy corners, and about ten different computer monitors.”

“I told you, I’m a different breed of nerd.” He pushes off the wall and takes a seat in the chair opposite mine. “Want to see what I’m working on?”

I nod and watch as he grabs a keyboard from the shelf then returns to the chair. He sits there, staring at the screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

“This,” he says when something bright fills the screen, “is the code for a new app for that program I was telling you about at the park.”

“Embody Positivity?”

He grins, pleased I remember. “Yep. I’m working on adding a new meet-up function, trying to make it easier for kids to find a safe place to hang and friends to hang with.”

“Wow, Zach. That’s really awesome.”

His eyes are focused on the screen as he presses more buttons and brings up several more apps. He takes the time to explain each one, and I can see the pride in his eyes. He takes his work seriously, and it’s clear he loves being a creator.

Such a shame his ex couldn’t see that, couldn’t see the joy this side of the company brings him.

“I still can’t believe you developed my favorite sticky note app. I love that thing.”

He smiles smugly. “You’re welcome.”

His fingers fly over the keyboard again as he shuts the system back down.

I swivel around in the chair, and Zach notices my penchant for doing so.

“You like the chairs?”

“Like? I love them. They’re stupid comfortable. I could sit down here all day and watch you work.”

“Watch me work? You want to watch me squint at a screen all day?”

I nod. “Oh, Zach. You don’t even know how sexy it is. Your eyebrows pinch together and you do the cutest thing with your mouth. Don’t even get me started on how hot your fingers are with how fast they fly over the keyboard. Makes me wonder about things.”

His brows lift. “What kind of things, Delia?”

I grin and spin around in the chair again. “Like, you know…things.”

When I spin back around, Zach’s there on his knees, waiting to catch the chair. He jerks it to a stop and I sit up, our noses now mere inches apart.

His touch begins at my ankles as he slowly drags his fingertips up my calves, over my knees, and right up along my thighs. He stops at the hem of the shirt I’m wearing.

“My shirt is sexy on you, Delia.” He grabs the hem and tugs, lifting it up to see what’s underneath, then trails his fingers under the shirt, under the edge of my panties. My legs spread of their own accord, welcoming his exploring touch.

Moving the material aside, he keeps eye contact with me as he circles my clit with the tip of his finger. I want to close my eyes, want to throw my head back and moan, but I don’t want to miss the way his green eyes light up.

He knows what he’s doing to me, knows he’s pushing me to the brink right now with slow, methodic strokes. Sweat is starting to form on the back of my neck and I can feel the pressure building up inside me, so persistent that my hips begin to move in time with his fingers, desperate to find the release he’s offering.

With his other hand, he pulls at my shirt, encouraging me to sit up. He scoots me to the edge of the seat, his lips seizing mine once I’m close enough to him.

He presses his tongue against the seam of my lips and I open for him as he moves his fingers to my opening and works them inside me.

I moan into his mouth and he swallows the sound.

He twists his finger within me as he rolls his tongue over mine. He’s hitting just the right spot and I’m riding his hand.

I wrench my mouth away and cry out as my body shudders with relief.

Zach pulls his fingers from me slowly, stroking me a few more times before pulling away entirely. He kisses the tip of my nose and sits back on his heels, a satisfied grin on his face.

“You’re proud of yourself, huh?”

I playfully kick at his chest and he grabs my ankle, pulling me down off the chair and under him in no time. His grin hasn’t moved an inch as he hovers above me.

“Very,” he whispers before kissing me again. “Now, let’s go to bed and stay there until we absolutely have to leave. Deal?”

“Deal.”