Stay out of the chatroom. It's dangerous.

The scissors slipped from her fingers and hit the floor, bounced off the mat and slid past her feet. Beth stared down at them, her mind not comprehending what had just happened. Sluggish, slow to react.

No, not sluggish. Distracted.

Oh God, she was so distracted, had been all week.

She waved Courtney away then bent down to retrieve the scissors, dropping them in the disinfectant solution and pulling out another pair. The girl in the chair didn't even look up, her attention riveted on the e-reader held so close to her face. Beth blew out a quick breath and ran a comb through the girl's wet hair, trying to focus on what she was doing.

How could she focus when all she kept thinking about was Adam? What he'd done to her, how he'd made her feel. Desirable. Wanted. Sexy.

Dirty.

God, the things they'd done. The things she'd done. Her skin tingled as memory after memory spun through her mind with dizzying speed. It was so much more than sex.

And yet, it was nothing but sex. Raunchy, wild, untamed—just like her body's reaction to every single touch, every whispered word. Had she known such feelings existed? Had she known her body was capable of such responses? No, never. And she wanted more, wanted to feel that way again.

But the mere thought terrified her.

What was she doing? Was she getting in over her head?

Or was she already there?

It's dangerous.

Adam had repeated those words several times, warning her that not everyone in the chatroom was who they pretended to be. She knew that already, had been leery of the whole thing for just that reason. But his eyes had been so intense, his gaze totally focused on her when he said it—and when he told her to call him if she needed anything.

Anything at all.

What scared her most of all was that she wanted to, had almost done just that so many times this past week. It went beyond want, beyond need even. It was like an addiction, her body craving her next fix, one that only Adam could provide.

Her body was reacting even now, simply by thinking about him—about what they'd done together. Her stomach clenched and dampness pooled between her legs, the ache growing until it became almost painful. She wanted to drop everything she was doing and run to the back, lock herself away and jam her hand down her pants. To rub her finger over her clit, hard and fast until the ache changed to shattering release.

But oh God, it terrified her. She'd never felt this way before, so hungry. Starving and needy. What had Adam done to her?

What had she done to herself?

She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, searching for a control she was very much afraid was out of her reach. Just a few more hours then she could leave. She just had to survive a few more hours.

Beth finished the girl's hair, drying it with a final flourish before leading her to the register. A broad smile creased the girl's face as she tilted her head from side to side, her new cut swinging freely around her face. She said something, watched Beth with an expectant gaze, like she was waiting for a response. Beth muttered a few words through lips that felt numb, went back to her station to clean up. There was nobody else waiting just now, no other appointments. She could go to the back, take a break, try to calm herself down.

How long had she been sitting there, staring at the same page of the magazine before Courtney took a seat across from her? She didn't know, had no way of knowing, not even when Courtney asked her a question.

Beth shook her head, tried to pretend she had been so engrossed in the magazine that she hadn't heard. But Courtney was her best friend, had known her too long to fall for the ploy. She leaned across the table, her delicate brows lowered in a frown, and studied Beth.

"Okay, so who is he?"

"What? Who?"

"Whoever has you so distracted. It's like you're not even here."

"I'm not—I mean, nobody. It's—" Beth forced herself to stop talking, knowing she was only making things worse.

"In all the years I've known you, I have never seen you like this. So out with it. Who is he?"

Could she tell Courtney? God no. She'd never understand. Not about the chatroom, not about hooking up with a stranger for sex. Not about Adam and certainly not about the things they'd done, the things she'd done.

Was there anything she could tell Courtney? Maybe, if she stripped everything down to the most basic G-rated version—if such a thing even existed. And maybe talking about him would help put things in perspective—for her, at least.

She ran her finger along the corner of the magazine, fanning the page edges with the tip of her nail. Courtney was still watching her, waiting. Should Beth wave her question away and try to change the subject?

She took a deep breath, working up the courage to say...something. "I, uh, I kind of met someone."

"What? When? Why haven't you said anything before now?" Excitement glowed in Courtney's eyes, her genuine happiness reflected in the smile lighting her face. She leaned her arms on the table and leaned forward, her head tilted to the side. "You can't stop there! Tell me all about him. I need details."

Details. Yes, of course she'd want details. But what could Beth say? She didn't really know Adam, didn't know anything about him other than his voracious sexual appetite and the fact that he was ready, willing, and able to do anything.

And the fact that no man, ever, had elicited such responses from her body. That no man had made her want to do the things they'd done. But she couldn't tell Courtney any of that. Not just because her friend would freak if she did, but because it was too personal. Beth was having a hard enough time dealing with it herself—no way could she admit to the things she'd done out loud. To another person.

But surely there was something Beth could tell her about Adam. She frowned, thinking back over the brief conversations they'd had. Not conversations—it had just been one, the first night they'd met. And the very few times they'd texted back and forth.

"Well. His name is Adam." And oh God, she didn't even know his last name! Beth cleared her throat, pushed away from the table and pulled two bottles of water from the refrigerator. She passed one to Courtney then took her time untwisting the cap from her own before taking a long sip.

Yes, she was stalling. Could Courtney tell? Of course she could.

Beth capped the bottle and placed it on the table in front her, holding it between her hands as she stared at the label. Better to look at that than meet her friend's curious gaze.

"He's a firefighter in—" She paused, frowning, trying to remember. "In Baltimore County, somewhere. He has the most gorgeous blue eyes, deep and dark. And thick wavy hair, the kind you want to run your hands through. All different shades of blonde. He almost looks like one of those surfer boys you see in the magazines but trust me, he is definitely all man!"

Courtney's smile grew wider and she made a small humming sound of appreciation. "Sounds very nice. How old is he? How did you guys meet?"

"Oh. Uh, he's a few years older than me." Maybe. "And we just, you know, kind of met."

"Well, if the look on your face means anything, he must be something special."

"Special?" Beth choked the word out. "No! No, not even close. We've only gone out twice and—"

"Maybe, but the expression on your face is saying you're interested in a lot more."

Beth laughed, a real laugh that didn't hide her disbelief or dismissal of Courtney's assertion. "Trust me, I am not interested in more. The only thing I'm interested in is his fire hose—and how well he uses it."

"Beth! I can't believe you said that."

Neither could she, not really. But it was the truth. At least, as close to the truth as she could tell Courtney. There was no way she could tell her best friend how she'd met Adam—or why. So yeah, in a way, that's all Beth really was interested in.

She just hadn't expected all the feelings and needs and desires that had been unlocked since meeting him. Had she known she had those buried inside her? No, not even close.

That scared her. Well, maybe not scared—but it definitely worried her. As long as she kept reminding herself that it was just sex, she should be okay.

Hot, sweaty, toe-curling sex, but sex just the same. Nothing more. She and Adam would do their thing and then they'd both move on. This wasn't a relationship, not even close. It was an encounter. Beth figured they'd meet maybe one or two more times and that would be it. Any more than that and she'd run the very real risk of letting emotions get in the way. She couldn't afford to let that happen.

And it wasn't happening now, no matter what Courtney thought she saw in Beth's face. Courtney just wanted to keep believing in the fairy tale of happily-ever-after, even after her son's father had disappeared from the picture while she was pregnant.

Beth didn't believe in fairy tales. And she certainly wasn't looking for a happily-ever-after. She just wanted to have fun.

And that's exactly what she was doing. When she was done with Adam, she'd find someone else. Simple as that.

"What's wrong?"

Beth looked up, noticed the frown of worry on Courtney's face. "Nothing. Why?"

"I don't know. You just got this look on your face."

"No I didn't."

"Yeah, you did." Courtney tilted her head to the side, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder with the motion. The frown deepened as she studied Beth. "Almost like you were sad about something."

Beth forced a laugh as she pushed away from the table. "You're seeing things."

"I don't think so—"

"Yes, you are. I have nothing to be sad about. I'm finally having fun, that's all that matters." She offered Courtney a bright smile, wondering if it was enough to fool her friend.

If it was enough to fool herself.

It should be, because Beth was telling the truth. She was having fun, finally free of the idiot she had been seeing for too long, finally free of the worry and self-doubt that he had created inside her.

She had every reason to smile and absolutely no reason to be sad. None at all.

Except she couldn't shake the feeling that, when the time came, she was going to miss Adam.

And she wasn't entirely sure she would be comfortable hooking up with anyone else after him.