It had to be temporary insanity. Or perhaps I’d watched one too many sappy Christmas movies this week. Either way, I knew I shouldn’t blur the lines anymore. I’d told him we were through. And the fact that he’d shown up on my doorstep, even after I’d told him not to, should have been enough to piss me off.

But he’d picked out the perfect gift, and my resolve started to weaken. And when he wiped my tears and pressed his lips so gently against mine, I wanted more. No, I needed more.

I wanted to pretend for just one more night, that this crazy, hot-headed man was mine.

His big, warm hands slid around my waist, and I closed my eyes. A soft moan slipped out from between my lips. We took another step towards my room and his lips pressed against the back of my neck. That hand moved up to cup my breast while his other hand settled on the rounded curve of my hip.

The tenderness of his hold was heartbreaking. I could almost pretend there was love in that touch.

Even though it made me the worst kind of hypocrite, I couldn’t tell him to stop. I needed the feel of his strong arms around me, protecting me. This would be our last time. The last time I’d taste his lips, feel his skin against mine.

The last time, I swear.

The front of my legs hit the mattress, and his arms tightened around me to stop me from tumbling forward. I turned around, needing to face him, and tugged at his shirt. He let me peel it up over his head, revealing that body I’d grown to crave. His eyes darkened, and he leaned forward, claiming my mouth. There was no other way to describe it. He owned my body.

He made a noise low in his throat and followed me down to the bed. His hips rocked against mine, pressing the hard bulge from his jeans right where I needed it most. I was on the verge of coming all over his denim when he pulled out his wallet and produced the foil packet.

I sat up, watching as he peeled off his pants and sheathed his hard cock. I wanted this. I wanted him even it was all just a fantasy.

“I want to be on top,” I said, needing to assert some control over the situation. I stood up and pushed him back down onto the mattress.

“I’m more than happy to oblige. And while we’re putting in requests, there are a few other things I’d like to try next time,” he said with a chuckle as I straddled his hips.

“Let’s just be in this moment,” I said, pushing away any thoughts of next time.

I lowered myself, truly appreciating the feel of him as I slowly slid down his length. Cooper groaned, closing his eyes and his big hands gripped my waist as he bucked his hips upward. At that moment, I forgot about our argument. About the careless words and suffocating jealousy. I forgot about the uncertainty of the future. There was only Cooper and me.

I moved faster, hitting just the right spot again and again. I could feel the orgasm building, but it was just out of reach.

“Promise me that we’re going to talk,” Cooper asked, never missing a beat.

“What? No, not now.”

His hand slid between our bodies and found my clit, flicking it hard. A wave of pleasure pulsed through me. I’m so close. Just a little more.

“Then when?” he growled and removed his hand. “You aren’t taking my calls or returning any of my texts.”

“We’ll talk. I promise. I promise I’ll take your calls. I’ll return your texts. Just. Please. I need...” I lean forward out of breath, desperate for release.

“Always? You’ll never shut me out again?”

“Yes. Always. Now please, Cooper.”

He thrust up hard while circling his fingers against my clit. I was so primed, it didn’t take much to send me crashing over the edge. A scream bubbled in my throat, and I tossed my head back as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through me.

While I was still coming down, he grabbed both sides of my hips, digging into the tender flesh, and pounded into me, using my body, until he too found his release. He growled out my name and collapsed back onto the bed.

I slumped forward, draping myself over his body, my chest still heaving. His arms snaked around me, cradling me with such tenderness, I was on the verge of tears. Nothing about this man was simple. Not even the sex.

He pressed a sweet kiss against the top of my head. “I’ve missed this. No, that didn’t come out right. What I missed was you.”

I sucked in a deep breath and slid onto the bed next to him. I knew this was going to happen. Cooper got up and took care of the condom while I stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what to say next.

I wanted us to have another chance, but I knew he wasn’t ready. We’d moved too fast, jumped over too many steps, and this was the result. Now things were complicated. We couldn’t just go back and start over from the beginning. There was too much to lose, and I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to weather the storm.

I’m not even strong enough to tell him the truth, I thought, sadly.

Cooper came back to the bed and pulled me into his arms. I was surrounded by his unique smell blended with cinnamon and black coffee. It was a smell I would always associate with him. I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to go to a coffee shop again without thinking of him.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, memorizing the scent. He pulled away and frowned.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I must smell like a locker room. I wasn’t planning on coming in, so I came right from the gym. Let me grab a shower.”

He hopped out of bed before I could stop him. I couldn’t exactly tell him I like his sweaty, coffee, cinnamon smell. I’d probably sound like a crazy woman. Lord knows, I felt like one.

“Do you want to join me?”

“My shower is barely big enough to hold me. There’s no way both of us can get in there. But more importantly, I’m not sure I can move after that.”

“So you’re saying I fucked you so hard, you can’t walk now?” he said, deadpan.

“Ugh. That was bad. Hit the showers, Player,” I said with a laugh, and I tossed a pillow in his direction. He caught the pillow with ease and tossed it back to the bed.

“Just think of this as the seventh inning stretch. I‘ll be back to finish the game in a few minutes.” He winked and that sexy grin of his teased the corner of his lips.

I watched as his perfectly sculpted ass disappeared around the corner and fell back onto the pillow.

Maybe I didn’t have to end things. Maybe we could just do this. The sex, the teasing, and leave all the other messy emotions out of it. Hopefully, the rest would follow—when he was ready.

My heart squeezed tight as I thought about the rest. Funny, how one single moment could change everything. The big question was would he ever be ready?