The instant we step into the lobby of Lucas’s luxurious apartment complex, I realize every assumption I’ve made about this man is dead wrong. This place is that fancy.

Mahogany furniture—a reception desk, coffee table, and sprawling bookshelf—add a layer of warmth to cream-colored walls and sweeping metallic accents. Giant swirls of copper cover the ceiling, framing the deep-set pot lights that give the room an effervescent feel.

“Whoa.” I cup my hand to my mouth, embarrassed by the outburst. “You live in this building?”

Lucas presses the “up” button outside the steel-plated elevator doors. “Of course not. Just act like we’re supposed to be here and we’ll be okay.”

I glance up at him, eyes wide. “Seriously?”

“You’re too easy,” he says, with a sexy wink.

The elevator opens before I can come back with a witty response. Impossible anyway, since Lucas immediately, unexpectedly, slams his body up against mine and pins my wrists to the wall. My heart leaps into my throat.

“I’ve wanted to do this since the second you plopped that sexy ass down next to me at the bar.”

I tremble beneath his touch, voice catching. “What took you so long, then?”

“Stupidity.”

His mouth crashes against mine, hard and fast. When his lips move across my face, my jawline, and slide down to my neck, my body ignites. In the elevator mirror, I catch my flush-faced reflection, glossy-eyes wide with lust, and watch with almost surreal detachment as Lucas’s hand trails along the side of my hip and then around to my backside to grip my thigh. He squeezes hard enough to make me gasp, lifting one foot off the ground.

I arch my back, pushing my pelvis up against his groin. His cock is thick and hard beneath his jeans. Lucas releases my wrist and I use both hands to pull him impossibly closer, aching to feel his body against mine. My fingers thread through his dark hair, dig into his sculpted shoulder muscles, and trail down to his impressive biceps. Christ, he’s built.

Lucas slides his hand up under my skirt to cup my ass just as the elevator pings. He doesn’t move toward the door. His lips continue to roam across my jaw and up around to my left ear. He latches on to the sensitive lobe, alternating soft nibbles with steady suckling. Sweet Jesus, I’m melting.

“We should…”

He silences me with a hard kiss, and swoops me up into his arms. For a fleeting second I panic, Austin’s cruel words threading through my mind: …you’ve put on weight… But I shouldn’t have worried—Lucas carries me with ease.

I wrap my arms around his neck and hang on for dear life.

His lips touch my forehead, my cheeks, my mouth. And with each kiss, my reservations begin to deflate like a slow leaking tire. To my surprise, I respond with increasing passion, giving in to this moment, this lust, for the first time in my life.

Adrenaline pulses through me, fueling me with liquid courage. One night stands aren’t my thing—my sexual experience is so minimal I’m practically a virgin—but I couldn’t run from this, even if I wanted to. It’s as if I’m under his control, a willing puppet tethered to strings he deftly maneuvers.

He lifts me across the threshold of his suite and gently sets me on the floor. I hold on to the doorframe, catching my balance as my equilibrium resets and my eyes adjust to the dim lighting.

Moonlight drifts in through giant windows, basking the warehouse-style loft in a bluish tinge. With its open steel beams and tin-like floor, the space feels almost industrial, though it’s clear by the accents—modern furniture in unique shapes, the infusion of stainless steel and white-washed brick—that he’s spared no expense on décor.

“This is beautiful,” I whisper.

Lucas begins to unbutton my blouse. “You’re beautiful.”

The fluttering in my stomach grows more intense with each compliment. I’ve never considered myself pretty before, but Lucas makes me feel sexy, invincible. Beautiful. He slides my shirt over my shoulders and down my arms, until it puddles on the floor at my feet. I slip out of my heels and look up into his shimmering eyes. My breath hitches. Good Lord, he’s an Adonis.

Lucas drops his gaze to my breasts, and my chest heaves under his concentrated scrutiny.

“Incredible,” he says, half-whispering.

I lick my lips in anticipation.

Cool air sweeps over me, as though tiny fireflies are doing backflips across my skin. Lucas trails his hand along the curve of my waist, hooks his fingers under the waistband of my skirt, and tugs me toward him. His mouth twists. “I could take you right here, right now…”

My toes curl at the tone of his low, husky voice.

“…but I have a more comfortable option in mind. Intrigued?”

My lips part. “Take me there,” I say, as if in a trance. My mind is like cotton, heady with lust, and my feet scarcely touch the ground as he holds my hand and guides me up a spiral staircase, one palm on the small of my back. We step through a small door that leads to a private garden terrace, surrounded by greenery. Lush topiaries—some freshly blooming with bright colored flowers—surround a glass bottom Jacuzzi that overlooks the ground floor, twenty-two stories below.

My throat closes in. “You actually swim in that?”

His jeweled eyes crinkle with amusement. “Well, I haven’t quite perfected the butterfly yet, but the rest of my strokes are almost manageable.”

I lightly punch his arm, knuckles knocking against his ripped bicep. “You know what I meant. Aren’t you…frightened?” My eyes pinch shut, imagining us crashing through the bottom of the glass and free-falling—naked, intertwined—to our death, splayed out on the concrete like squashed bugs on a windshield.

Rather than answer my question, Lucas grabs two champagne flutes from the top cupboard of the outdoor bar, and then rummages around the small fridge for a bottle of rose-tinted Dom Perignon. I sit on the edge of the hot tub and swirl my fingers through the bubbling water, a futile attempt to calm my nerves.

I skim my surroundings, entranced by each romantic detail—tiny lights thread through the shrubs, flowers pruned, privacy screens to block the wind. This place is magical and I am at once under its spell.

Lucas’s spell, I realize, with a start.

He pops the cork on the champagne and pours two glasses, then hands me one with a sexy wink that makes my pulse practically leap from my skin. “Just don’t overthink it,” he says, and for a second I don’t understand what he’s talking about. “The Jacuzzi,” he clarifies.

As if to prove it, he sets down his glass and takes off his shirt, exposing his smooth, tanned skin with one swift motion. My eyes skip across each tattoo, sliding from his muscular chest, to the sharp “V” beneath his rippling six-pack. A tingling sensation flutters between my thighs.

His slacks come next. It’s almost hypnotic, the way he slowly unhooks his belt and pulls it from around his waist. He unbuttons his pants and eases the zipper down inch by inch, showing off more of that mouthwatering man “V” and the thick black band of his tight briefs. He hooks his fingers under the elastic and pulls down, slipping out of his pants and underwear in one swift, breathtaking motion.

My gaze narrows in on his groin, his arousal now prominently on display. I suck in a sharp gasp. Fuck me, he’s massive. And hard—good Lord he’s stiff.

And like a peacock strutting its majestic feathers, Lucas saunters toward me before taking a cruel detour into the hot tub, slowly submerging his lower body under the water. He leans back and crooks his neck to look up at me. “Like I said, safe.”

I cross my legs, unable to still the frantic tingling in my crotch. “Okay,” I whisper.

“Care to join me?”

Lucas stares at my heaving chest, where I know my erect nipples poke up from beneath my thin bra. They’re so hard they chafe against the lace, which is almost reason enough to remove it. Still, I hesitate.

“Eden?” he says.

My body tenses.

His lips twitch. “Take off your clothes.”

It’s playful. A teasing invitation. But there is a commanding authority behind his words, too. Soft, gentle, yet it comes to me as an order. His voice is so persuasive it’s almost physical.

I slide out of the skirt first, skimming the material over my hips and down my thighs. It pools at my feet, leaving me naked but for my mismatched undergarments. Thank God they’re at least clean.

Lucas crooks a finger, inviting me to come closer while he turns around to face me, shifting up on to his knees. Water glistens off his tanned chest. I take tentative steps until my pelvis is level to his face. He presses his mouth up against my groin and inhales deep, breathes out.

“You smell like candy.”

Fuck me. I go instantly wet.

Lucas lifts out from the water, his muscular physique tanned and slick, and motions for me to turn around. I lick my lips, and obey. His fingers deftly unhook my bra. He pulls the strap away from my skin and softly kisses my back. A shiver of pleasure judders through me. I cup my hands to my breasts, holding on as he gently turns me back to face him. With a shallow breath, I let the bra fall to the ground.

Pin pricks of nervousness bite into my flesh.

“Beautiful,” he whispers again, and my stomach flips end over end.

He hooks his fingers on the band at either side of my waist, and slides my underwear over my hips, down my thighs, along my calves. I step over them and follow Lucas into the Jacuzzi. The unexpected heat singes my skin, cooled from the night air. My breath comes out in a sharp hiss. I try not to think about the sidewalk traffic below, and focus on just—

This.

Him.

My heartbeat quickens.

“Is that helping with the tension?” he says, positioning himself on the edge of the hot tub behind me. My pulse ratchets up when he begins to massage my shoulders, kneading his strong, able hands into my aching muscles. I can almost feel the knots unraveling, the stress drifting into the crisp air like smoke.

My response is a throaty purr.

As my body continues to go pliant under his touch, I lean into the massage, allowing him to work me like a rag doll.

“Your hands are magical,” I say.

His breath feathers across my earlobe. “You haven’t seen anything yet, darling’.”

My body roars with a blast of erotic heat.

I tilt my head backwards and close my eyes, allowing myself to drift to this mysterious cavern of stark desire. His hands glide down over my chest and he cups each breast with a gentle but commanding hold. I can feel his breath on my face as he leans forward. My pussy clenches in response.

Without warning, he pinches one nipple between his thumb and forefinger and squeezes hard enough to make me cry out. Despite the sharp sting of pain, my back arches, practically begging for more.

Lucas doesn’t disappoint. He rolls each hard bud between his fingers, alternating between flicks and pinches, while one hand kneads with pulsating intensity. I’m so caught up in the rhythm that when it stops, my chest aches with unexpected loss.

My eyes flit open, surprised—thrilled—to find him fully in the water now, his smoldering gaze burning into my skin with want. And damn if I’m not ready for him to take me. Here.

Now.

He hesitates, as though waiting for permission.

My voice cracks. “I want you.”

The words spur him into action. His tongue sweeps across his bottom lip just as his hand slides between my legs to roughly pry my thighs apart. A stream of jet water pulses against my lower back, tickling the entrance of my anus. Before I can shift, Lucas’s fingertips graze across my swollen clit.

I inhale fast, shocked by the intensity of his touch. Every nerve ending in my body is at full alert, buzzing with anticipation. My senses are on hyper drive, desperate to taste, touch, smell every inch of this incredible man.

Lucas slides closer, cupping one hand against my pussy, and then dips his head to take a nipple into his mouth. His lips close around the hard nub and begin to suck. I tilt my head back and gasp. The stars overhead twinkle like jewels, a constellation of tiny diamonds looking down on me, us, this amazing snapshot in time.

What the hell are you doing, Eden?

There is no time to analyze, consider regrets or consequences. I want this—him—too much to assess my actions, consider the ramifications. And so what if I give in? It’s one, blissful night.

Don’t I deserve that?

Lucas roams from one breast to the other, giving each nipple equal attention, every nip of his teeth grating on my self-control. My orgasm builds swiftly, and it takes all of my resolve not to give in to its pulsating need.

“You like when I touch you,” Lucas says, not a question, but almost a command. He rubs my pussy, applying just enough pressure on my clit to make me flinch, the intensity almost too much for me to handle.

I can only moan in response, my voice a near whisper against the whir of the jet streams and the soft music that ripples through the air. His teeth scrape against my breast as one finger slides into my sex. My hips shift to give him better access, and my thighs spread wide.

It’s as if I have no control over my movements, my limbs positioning themselves, obeying some kind of silent command.

“That’s it, baby,” Lucas murmurs, and my stomach twists into knots.

It’s not just his voice that has my guts swirling. I’ve never been fucked in a Jacuzzi before, and it’s perhaps ironic that this first collides with my fear of heights, jacking up my adrenaline with alarming speed. My mind drifts to the city below, and I wonder if anyone is staring at my naked ass. What do they see when they look up? Our blurry silhouettes or something more scandalous and raw? My pulse thrums. I know I should feel shame, but the heady thrill of erotic adventure clouds any hovering guilt.

Lucas slips his hands under my buttocks and swiftly lifts my hips out of the water so that my pelvis aligns with his mouth. He inhales deep, breathing in my musky scent, and then hitches my ankles over his shoulders, and pulls me close. His teeth nip at the wet flesh between my thighs, inching closer and closer to my pussy. I dig my heels into his muscles, sucking back a squeal.

“Relax,” he says, between nibbles. “And it won’t tickle so much.”

I concentrate on breathing, on not flinching, on holding very, very still. But when his tongue glides between my slit, my hips involuntarily buck and I bite down hard to keep from crying out. Water splashes up onto the deck and drenches my hair, toppling over my champagne glass in its wake.

Lucas’s chuckle is muffled as he dives deeper into me, swirling his tongue around my clit. “Oh fuck,” I say, and begin to pant, then almost grunt with each breathtaking swipe. He is sucking hard now, drawing my tiny, ultra-sensitive organ into his warm mouth and mashing his face against my swollen vulva.

The intensity is overwhelming, overpowering. I grip the sides of the hot tub, bracing myself for the oncoming climax. It’s too soon, I think, but am powerless to stop the vibrations that have begun convulsing along my spine. I grab Lucas’s head, pushing his mouth, his tongue, deeper inside me.

“Don’t stop,” I say, gasping. “Fuck me, don’t st—” The plea ends in a scream as the first orgasm rocks through me. My hips buck, sending hot water up over my stomach and across my hips.

And just when I think it will stop, Lucas sucks harder, drawing out a second tidal wave that rips through my core. His fingers grip either side of my anus, stretching it open with tiny, pulsing tugs. I’m too shocked to feel anything but pleasure.

The last of my climax pulses into his greedy mouth, and he laps up every drop.

When at last he releases me, I sink back under the water, cheeks flushed with embarrassment and exhaustion. “Jesus. What the fuck was that?”

Lucas nuzzles into me, kissing the underside of my jaw. “Only the beginning.”

Before I can even begin to recover, his hands are all over me, plying my body with the aggression of a man possessed. I reach under the water to cup his balls and gently squeeze. His fingertips dig into my hip, nails scraping along my flesh. My chest swells with pride, high on the power of creating such obvious anticipation. His eyes glimmer, smolder. For a delicious moment, I allow myself to get lost in them.

Lucas licks his lips, drawing my attention to his mouth.

Slowly, I move my hand from his scrotum and wrap it around the base of his cock. He shifts, allowing me better purchase, and I drag my palm up and down its length, pausing to rub my thumb across the soft, sensitive ridge. His cheeks are flush, eyes closed. “Fuck, Eden, that feels so damn good.”

My clit pulses with fresh yearning, still numb from being worked over by his mouth. Another orgasm nestles just under the surface, strangely erotic in its ache. Is this kind of like what men refer to as blue balls? Christ. No wonder it hurts!

My hands work in tandem, squeezing and sliding along Lucas’ generous cock.

His eyes flit open, and I lean in to press my mouth against his. My tongue probes between his lips, desperately exploring every inch. His hands find their way behind my neck and pull me close. I float around so that I hover above his lap, his hard cock pointed at my pussy. My breath catches—

He grips my hips and eases me down.

There is a soft pop as he enters me, followed by a rush of warmth.

Our bodies rock back and forth, hips and pelvises moving together urgently, as we create tidal waves of water all around us. I grip the side of the hot tub and lift up and down, bouncing rhythmically. He holds my hips and guides me faster, smoother. My breath comes in ragged gasps.

“You’re going to make me come, darlin’,” he says, his voice a near growl.

I don’t—can’t—stop.

I buck harder, faster, grinding my clit up against his flesh, drawing out my own climax as he nears his. He sucks in a breath, holds it, and then releases it in a strangled cry that echoes deep in my chest. His body spasms against mine, impossibly unleashing another orgasm.

Our voices erupt into the cool, night air.

When at last, the vibrations subside, I slump against him, sweaty and spent. He wraps his strong arms around me and we lay still as the bubbling water washes away the last of our sins.