I’m so nervous and excited that I’m trembling all over. Ryker’s hand in mine is sure, steady, as he leads me to my door. He holds his other hand out, and I drop the key card in his palm, knowing what he’s asking for.

Oh God, this is really going to happen.

I’ve had sex before, back in college. With my boyfriend. The guy couldn’t find my G-spot with a map and compass, sadly. Not to mention he didn’t seem to care if I was worked up and ready for sex. Needless to say, we only did it a few times before I broke up with him, basically citing irreconcilable differences. I decided I was better off focusing on my studies than dating him and fumbling through bad sex.

I have a feeling it’s going to be very different with Ryker.

I flick on the light switch as he pulls away and moves toward the bedroom, and the room is bathed in golden light. My whole body is on fire, anticipating what’s going to happen now. That kiss he gave me downstairs…God, it was the most powerful kiss I’ve ever experienced by far.

The man took my mouth like it was his to take. And it was so sexy.

I want more.

I want to touch him, feel that hard muscle beneath my fingers.

When Ryker turns to eye me, my heart leaps to my throat. Has a man ever stared at me before like this? With fiery passion and blood-red desire? He looks like he wants to eat me alive. Devour me bite by bite. And I need him to.

“Undress,” he tells me quietly. He doesn’t move from his spot in the middle of the bedroom.

My fingers tremble as I slide out of my shirt. Then my jeans. I’m left in my panties and bra, feeling exposed…and enjoying the experience. His gaze never leaves my body. I revel in his full focus, even as I squirm a bit from the scrutiny. It’s intense.

“Bra and panties too,” he continues in that torturous low tone. He’s still standing there, hard and firm and in control of me. He knows what he’s doing to me, the way I want to give in to everything he’s saying. Everything he’s promised.

My heart is slamming against my ribcage, but I don’t want him to see my nervousness, so I lift my chin and flick the back clasp of my bra open, let my breasts fall out as the fabric glides to the carpeted floor. I nudge the panties down my hips, and they puddle at my feet.

I’m totally naked. In front of the man I’ve been crushing on for years. The man I’ve touched myself multiple times fantasizing about. The man I in fact touched myself in front of, just this very morning. And his gaze is setting me on fire and he hasn’t even moved.

“You’re fucking gorgeous, Andrea,” he whispers in a gruff voice. I can hear the sincerity and earnestness in his tone, which just warms me even more. I want to beg him to move toward me, to do something other than just giving me orders. But I also like the game we’re playing. The slow pace drawing out the tension. I want to savor every moment of this, because I don’t know if it’ll ever happen again. “Lie down on the bed and spread your thighs open for me.”

My pussy gives a painful throb at this command. Oh God, now I know he’s referencing this morning, and that means…he might actually taste me. And I might actually die of pleasure if he does.

I move to the bed and lie down on the plush dark red blankets. Plant my heels in the firm mattress and open my knees until they’re about a foot apart. My face and chest burn with embarrassment.

“Wider, lovely,” he coaxes. “I want to see that pussy on display for me.”

That makes every muscle in me tighten. I fight my mortification at being so exposed and drop my knees all the way to my sides. The impulse is there to close my eyes, to hide from what I’m doing, but I don’t. I won’t. I’m going to be here and present for this, even if it scares me a little.

It scares me because I feel alive. For the first time in I don’t even know how long. I’m alive, and I’m present in my skin, and I’m very much existing in the moment.

Ryker finally, finally, moves toward me, more predator than man. He kneels on the bed near my feet and takes his time inching his mouth closer and closer to my pussy. Sucks in a low, slow inhale of oxygen. “Fuck, you smell like sin.” The words come out as almost a purr.

At his evident arousal, I get even wetter. I can feel the liquid starting to leak out of me, gliding down along my ass to pool on the bedspread. I’ve never been so turned on in my life. All this with just one kiss and some erotic words. I don’t know what’s come over me. No, I do—him.

“Put your hand down there, lovely. Show me how you like to be touched. I didn’t get to see enough this morning, and I want to know how to please you.”

That slow burn crawls up my cheeks. I…I can’t do that. Can I?

Ryker sheds his shirt, wearing just his black dress pants, and at the sight of his sculpted body, my mouth goes dry. Oh, he is beyond sexy. A few small scars around his surgical site on his shoulder, but nothing that mars his attractiveness. He’s truly a specimen to behold.

Emboldened, I reach my right hand down and with a delicate touch I fondle my clit, which is already throbbing. My eyes drift closed as I lose myself in the sensation of touching myself for him, knowing he’s watching me, spurring me on. I feel so wanton, so dirty.

“Mmm, good girl,” he says, and I can tell from the puffs of warm breath on my thighs that he’s now right there, right there, and if I pushed my pelvis up even a couple of inches, his mouth would be on me.

Fire ricochets through my body. Ryker is torturing me, and I love it. I feel a steady palm reach up to cup my breast, squeezing the flesh lightly. Finger and thumb rubbing my nipple into a painful peak. I’m aching everywhere, swollen, wet, hungry. For him.

Then his other hand is rubbing my inner thigh just below my apex, and I shudder upon contact. My fingers on my clit still and drift away in anticipation, and his mouth is suddenly there, sucking my clit and labia like I’m a juicy peach. I jolt at the contact, and he moans against me.

“Fucking hell, Andrea.” He takes a long swipe along my soaked slit. “I could eat you for hours.” As if to prove his point, he moves both hands to cup my ass, forcing me right up against his lips. He feasts on me, and I cry out as pleasure curls in my lower belly. I can feel my wetness coating his mouth. His fingers dig into my muscles as he draws me closer and closer to the edge. His light scruff abrades my thighs, my pussy. It’s erotic and intoxicating, and I don’t want him to ever stop.

“I’m…” I feel my pelvis bucking against his mouth, the movements uncontrollable. My body is acting of its own volition. My orgasm is nearing. He removes one hand from my ass cheek and glides two fingers inside me and shifts them, and oh God, yes, he knows where the G-spot is.

I cry out and reach down to grip his head, clench him closer to me. I don’t want him to move. I need this more than I need air.

“Yes,” he pants as he strokes my swollen channel. Those devilish fingers work me from the inside while that devilish tongue licks at my clit. Sparks explode behind my closed eyes.

And then I’m coming all over his mouth, his hand, and he’s squeezing my ass, coaxing more from me, more, my whole body rioting in shock and amazement. I’m almost dizzy from the impact of the orgasm as it rips me apart.

“Oh Jesus,” he says, “you came so fucking hard for me. Such a good girl.” He gives my pussy one last swipe with his incredible tongue, then rises and kneels between my legs, which are limp and useless now. His eyes are hot with lust as he stares at me, and I can see his hard-on pressing against his pants crotch. My pussy spasms at the sight. “I need to be inside you.”

“Yes, please,” I beg. I don’t care if I sound needy.

“And I will, but not yet.” His eyes get a dangerous glint. “I’m not done teasing you.” He palms his erection for a brief moment then moves over me until his mouth is slanted over my right nipple. “I want you as wet as you can possibly be before I fuck this gorgeous pussy.”

He suckles.

The gesture whips me right back into a frenzied state of arousal. The pull on my flesh shoots straight to my pussy, which grows impossibly wetter. I groan.

“Mmmm, I want you to tell me how that feels.” He continues to lathe my nipple, giving my breast small bites here and there, just enough to intensify the experience. My body reacts; he plays my body expertly like I’m an instrument created just for him.

“I…” I’m not sure I can find words right now. “It’s so good.”

“Andrea.” He pulls back and plants his hands on my thighs. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want to taste you,” I find myself blurting out. “Taste your…” I can’t finish the sentence.

One brow quirks, and he gives a wicked grin. “Oh, is that right?”

I know my face is burning, but I nod.

“I want those lips around my cock, lovely.” He unzips himself, and his erection springs free. It’s thick and swollen, and I can’t stop staring at it. Wanting it.

My fingers are surprisingly steady as I reach forward and touch it. The skin is silken, tempting. He gives a soft moan, which spurs me on.

I want to make him as wild as he’s made me. I want him begging for more. I sit up on the bed and let my fingers move as they want, explore, stroking the soft underside, the ridged mound of the tip. Precum glistens, but he doesn’t do anything, just stays still and lets me touch.

He’s so adept at reading me, knowing what I want. Giving it to me. Right now, I need the freedom to do this without pressure.

His cock bobs when I caress him in long, fluid strokes. That pearly damp tip drips liquid onto the bedspread, and it’s the hottest thing I think I’ve ever seen. The fact that he’s so turned on for me too.

Ryker throws his head back. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“Almost.” Emboldened, I lean forward and brush my lips against the head. It jerks, and I draw it between my lips. Taste the warm, musky flesh.

I want his pants all the way off. I ache to feel his naked legs under my hands. But I like that we’re teasing slowly, tasting, discovering what feels good for each other this way. So I just grip the steel-like muscles of his thighs and suck him in deeper, as far as I can go without gagging.

Ryker’s breath rushes out in a whoosh, and he reaches to rest his hands on my head. He doesn’t push me though, or urge me to any sort of pace. He lets me move at my own speed. His fingers dig into my scalp, which urges me on.

I pull back and draw him in again, letting my tongue sweep along his skin, trying to lean what he likes, what he reacts to. I have scant experience in oral sex, but he doesn’t seem to mind. I grow bold and use my tongue stronger on him. It’s a rush, the way he starts to lose control.

He bucks into my mouth, then catches himself. “God, Andrea, you…you have to stop…”

There’s no way I’m stopping. Not when I can see how good it feels for him. I’m filled with a burst of headiness at how he’s responding to me. Me, the girl no one really ever went crazy for. And here’s Ryker, this gorgeous man, filling my mouth with his rock-hard erection.

And loving it. Loving what I’m doing to him.

I double my efforts until his pulsing body becomes tense and he pulls me away. My mouth makes a wet popping sound as he comes out of me. I look up at him, brows furrowed.

“I was going to come in your mouth,” he grits out. “And I don’t want to do that. Not when that gorgeous pussy is waiting to be stuffed.” With that, he pushes me back onto the bed.

I’m so ready for him. Soaked, aching. He removes his pants and grabs a condom from his wallet. Rolls it on. Oh, he’s the gorgeous one here, lean, muscled perfection. My whole body yearns for him in a way I didn’t even know was possible. I can’t stop touching him, fingers gliding along his arms and legs and chest.

He lines up on top of me, our thighs touching, my breasts pressed against his firm pecs. “Andrea,” he whispers, and then he’s nudging into me. It’s so big and I feel tight around him, stretched, but the wetness he built up in me helps.

He goes slow at first, barely pulling himself in and out. His mouth finds mine, and his fingers bury in my hair.

The nervous tension I didn’t realize was in my muscles begins to loosen up. I relax under him, taste his lips, the lingering flavor of my own juices on his mouth, mingled with bourbon. The kiss is sensual, erotic, explosive. A different kind of fire is stoking in me, one that is built from the passion between us.

I wrap my legs around his waist and arch my pelvis so he’ll go deeper. He understands what I’m asking for, and when he withdraws his cock from me, he thrusts back in with a guttural groan spilling from his lips. I respond in kind. Oh wow, this feels incredible. Our skin grows slick with sweat as we move together, bodies flowing in tandem. I had no idea sex could be like this.

“You feel so delicious,” he says as he moves his mouth to caress my throat. Grips the flesh with his teeth and begins to drill in me with harder intent.

I grasp the hard, shifting muscles in his back and hang on. Every atom of my being is alert and tuned in to him. To the nuances of him, the way his skin brushes against my skin. The panting breaths escaping him.

We’ve been reduced to animals, and I’ve never craved it more.

Ryker adjusts slightly, and his cock is now brushing against my G-spot. I exhale a shaky breath and let the sensation sweep over me. “Oh, you fucking love that cock in you, don’t you,” he pants against my neck. He licks a bead of sweat off me, and I shake from how turned on I am.

God, this man is insane and sexy as hell. I can’t seem to get enough of him.

He drills harder into me, and my climax is nearing with each thrust. One hand of his is cupping the back of my head, while the other strokes my breast in gentle reverence, a striking contrast to how fiercely he’s thrusting into me.

“Yes,” I moan. “Please.” I arch my breast up into his palm, silently begging for him to be a little rougher.

He tweaks my nipple, shooting pleasure-pain straight to my pussy. “Fuck yes, you like it a bit hard, don’t you. I’m going to make you come all over me. I crave it.”

I want to as well. I need to. And I’m getting so close…the anticipation of my coming orgasm is heady.

Ryker flips my body so I’m riding on top of him, which pushes him deep, so deep, inside my pussy. My breasts bounce, and he reaches up and cups them. “Oh, much better. I wanted to touch those tits as you cream all over me.”

The words are so raw and dirty, and they spur me on. I find myself grinding against him, rubbing my clit along his mound. He gasps and stiffens.

“Jesus fuck, you’re going to destroy me, Andrea,” he grinds out. “That…that feels incredible. Don’t stop doing that.”

Like I could. I’m nearing orgasm now as well, the feeling rushing over me like a wave. I want it to drown me, drag me under.

“I’m so close,” I manage to say on ragged breaths. I’ve never ridden a man in this way before, but I like it. I like looking down at him and seeing how he visually drinks in my body. The way he cups my curves, slides his palms along my breasts and hips, grabs the flesh with greedy fingers. His hands worship me in a way I never knew existed.

Then Ryker tightens his grip on my hips and pushes up into me, again and again in a relentless manner, and then I’m flying. A cry lets loose from my mouth, and I toss my head back as wave after wave of orgasm sweeps through me. From my toes to the tip of my head. I’m engulfed in the searing heat.

A few seconds later, Ryker stiffens, roars as he spills into me. We’re falling together, entangled as much as two people can be. I lean down and hold his sweat-glistened body close against me, savor the feel of his body shaking. His heart racing against my breast. The galloping beneath his ribcage echoes my own.

It takes several long moments before we’re both able to breathe, much less speak. My heart still hammers, though the speed is slowing down a bit now, and my lungs are exhausted.

My body grows heavy, tired, and I pull myself off him with more than a little regret. That was incredible. Earth-shattering. Life-changing. I know he had to feel it too. The intensity of what just happened between us.

Ryker stretches back out in bed and turns on his side toward me. I do the same and rest my head on a pillow. I’m feeling lax and blissed out—the type of laziness that comes after having mind-blowing orgasms, I suppose.

His grin reflects that he’s feeling the same. He’s satisfied, even a little smug. I suppose he has a right to his smugness. He did shatter me apart, after all.

“So, that was fun,” I say wryly, and he gives a deep, rumbling chuckle.

“Yeah, I concur.” Ryker reaches his hand over and traces lazy circles on my hip. It’s a comforting gesture, one that almost makes me purr. This man knows how to touch a woman, that much is sure.

“I’m glad we talked this out,” I continue, and that makes him laugh again.

“Look.” His eyes turn to me and are serious. “I wanted to let you know I got a tip during dinner that Cade Thompson wasn’t serious about signing with our agency.”

I pause and blink. “What? Really?” Shit, that explains so much. Ryker’s frustration over me and Cade’s interactions, his desire to leave dinner quickly. “But…why did he agree to meet us then?”

He scowls. “Because he’s a prick.” With a sigh, Ryker continues. “I was too hard on you back there. You did a fine job in the meeting.”

A thread of stress I didn’t even realize I was holding in my bones loosened and flew off. Ryker, praising me. On my first day, nonetheless. “Thank you.”

“I just…I feel protective of you,” he adds. “And I don’t trust Cade.”

“I know you feel that way about him,” I say slowly. “I can see why, given the tip you learned. But I don’t think he meant anything malicious in meeting us. He actually reminds me of my brothers. I’m used to dealing with his type. You don’t need to worry—I can handle myself.” I pause. “I wonder if maybe we shouldn’t keep trying with him.”

Ryker shakes his head. “Wasted effort. He knows what I bring to the table. If he’s interested, he’ll contact us. Don’t bank on it, though. We’re better off seeking out clients who won’t toy with us or use us.”

I know he’s right. He knows this business way better than I do, naturally. But I can’t help but feel like Cade is being misjudged somehow. Of course he wasn’t going to immediately sign with us right over dinner. He’d want to explore his options, right? Make sure he got the best deal for his career.

I feel like he and I made a genuine connection though. And in truth, it sucks to be recognized for my effort…then told to give it up and let it go.

I sigh. “I’ll work harder on reducing my learning curve so I can start contributing in a real way.”

“I know you will.” His hand continues to touch me for another moment, and then he pulls it back. Sits up and looks around for his clothes.

I sit up too, suddenly feeling every inch of my nakedness. I guess this is the part of the night where he goes back to his room and I stay here and overanalyze the entire encounter. “Um, so…are you really going to reassign me to someone else? I mean, if you want to and think it’s best for the company, that’s fine, but—”

“If you think you can handle working with me, we can continue,” he says evenly. But he’s not looking at me now. He’s slid off the bed, and I take a moment to enjoy his very fine, very naked body before he gets dressed again. Will this be the one and only time I see him like this? Naked in more than just the physical way?

The thought is a little depressing, and I make myself shake it off.

Ryker faces me, and gone is the wild man who just made love to me. In his place is the cool, confident businessman I met. The walls are back up between us, and I try not to dwell on the fact that I’m stinging with disappointment. “Gotta get back to my room and crash. Meet me tomorrow morning at eight, okay? Gives you a little time to sleep in before we fly back home.”

Right. Sleeping in. As if I’m going to sleep much tonight at all, given what just happened. I smother a snort. This is my world now, and it runs at all hours of the day and night. I fight the urge to cover my body with a blanket and just offer a nod. He’s seen all of me—no point hiding it now. Even if I am feeling super self-conscious.

Ryker leaves without looking back, the door clicking softly behind him.

I pad to the bathroom and pee, then draw a bath. My muscles are sore in the most delicious ways. But I can’t focus on that. I need to be practical and think about what just happened. I slept with my boss. Did I throw my career into jeopardy for that?

A sharp twinge of guilt swirls in my stomach. Shit. What do I do now?

I dump a packet of lavender-scented bubbles into the running water. Because I can. Because for tonight, I can experience luxury and self-care. And because my poor brain is overrun with questions…and concerns.

The Ryker I crushed on was a fantasy. Someone who was larger than life, a godlike sports figure. Not human, not attainable. It was safe to have feelings for him because I didn’t know him, not personally. He could never hurt me that way.

Now I’m actually getting to know him. Hell, we just slept together—I’d say that’s more than just “getting to know.”

I slip into the hot, bubbly water and give a sigh at how good it feels. The tub is deep and welcoming, and the scent calms me, encompasses me. I scrub my body all over, and it’s totally fine that I’m basically erasing any evidence of what happened between me and Ryker. Totally fine.

Ryker the baseball player was a fantasy. I know that. I was okay with that.

But Ryker the boss is a reality. A man I’m starting to develop real feelings for, despite how crazy quickly it’s happening. I can see the depths in him, the way he doesn’t let anyone get close enough to see the real him beneath the business exterior.

Could it be due to the tragedy that occurred when he was just a boy? His mother murdered in cold blood…surely that has to deeply scar him. It would explain some of the inexplicable wall that I keep seeming to hit with him.

Or maybe that’s just how he is built, maybe I’m reading too much into every little thing between us.

Regardless, I think it’s rare for anyone to pierce through his walls and see the man.

I did tonight, even if briefly.

Yeah, I’m developing feelings for him, but it won’t lead anywhere good for me. And the knowledge makes my chest hurt in a weird way I don’t want to acknowledge.

The bath suddenly isn’t as relaxing anymore, but I linger in the water anyway until my fingers and toes are pruny. Rinse off, wrap myself in a warm bathrobe. Head back to bed and slide between the sheets. The room feels different without him here. Like some of the light left when he did.

What is Ryker doing right now? Is he thinking about me? Is he asleep? Is he torn, wondering what is going on between us? Was this a one-night stand, or will sex happen again? And would I even want it to?

I think about the arousal I experienced when I looked down and saw his face between my thighs. The sheer pleasure in his eyes as he feasted on me. The way he touched me like I was a previous flower.

Oh, yeah. I’d definitely want to do it again.