L ast time.

Her words made me desperate .

I kissed her and her tongue slid against mine, already so much more confident than last night's rushed, breathless panic. She slung her arms around my neck and brought her body against mine, sure of what she wanted at last. I let her direct me as long as I could before cupping her face in my hands. I could feel her smile curving against my lips as I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her, spinning her until her back was up against one of those old, twisted trees. The only sounds in my ears were her little desperate moans mixing with the sound of birdsong and the lazy buzz of insects .

"Last time." I might have said it, or maybe it was her, I wasn't sure. We were both disappearing into the panic of it. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her to me, pressing into her, the whole length of her body against mine. She let out a small, hitching cry as I shoved the shoulder of her T-shirt to the side and sank my teeth into her silky skin. It was very likely that I was being too rough, that I was going to leave a mark on her but if this moment was all we could have, then I had every intention of making her remember me after I was gone .

Her hands slid up my chest, searching. She tore her lips from mine and darted a hurried glance up the hillside. "They can't see us," she murmured, like she was reassuring herself, and I held off for a second, waiting to see what she'd do next .

What she did was slide her hands under my shirt. I obliged her by tearing it off over my head and was rewarded by her awestruck glance when she saw my naked skin underneath. "I'm gonna remember that," I told her. "The way you looked at me. And I want you to remember this." I slipped my hand up under her shirt, brushing my hand across her breast. "No bra, you bad little girl ."

Her lips parted as my thumb brush across her stiffening nipple. "I didn't do it on purpose ."

"Of course you didn't. You have no idea how fucking sexy you are. And that's what kills me ."

"I'm not sexy ."

"You are so sexy and I'm gonna show you what I mean ."

I pressed her tighter against the tree and used my knee to wedge her thighs apart. She groaned as I pressed up into her blissful heat. "Yeah, I can feel how hot you are, Tallula. You're almost burning me up. If that's not fucking sexy, I don't know what is ."

"Do it, ah! Again !"

She threw her head back and then let it loll forward against my chest. I bent my lips to her hear, whispering encouragement. "You like that?" I asked, feeling her squirm. "Oh fuck, yeah do that again, just grind against me." My breath was coming faster now. "Use it. We're dancing again, aren't we? This is what I wanted to do to you on the dance floor, right in front of your brother and all your stuck up relatives. I wanted you getting off on me ."

"Hudson." Her eyelids fluttered, and her eyes rolled back .

Fuck she was close already and all we'd done was dry hump like a couple of fucking teenagers. "You want more?" I asked her, pressing up into her tighter .

Her little anguished, gritting cry would be fodder for all of the lonely nights on the road ahead. Quick as anything, I had her skintight pants yanked down below her hips. There was no time to admire the way the lace of her clearly expensive panties looked against her milky, perfect skin, because I had her where I'd wanted her for so long .

Begging for it .

That first slide of my fingers into that slick heat nearly made me explode, but I held back, and began to move my fingers, idly testing, Whenever she gasped, I stayed there, moving in tight, heated circles. "Are you going to come for me? Am I going to get to remember your face as you come when I'm lying in some hotel room three thousand miles away? Yes, let me have that, Tallula. I need to see what you look like when you lose control ."

She went up on her toes, her whole body heaving, and at that moment I slid my finger inside of her. Her body jolted and even as I wanted to tell her how tight and perfect she was, her pussy clenched around my finger and she let out a strangled scream, then fell forward against my shoulder, sounding like she was crying and laughing and screaming at the same time .

It was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard in my fucking life .

And I wanted more .

I pulled her closer, spinning her around and down to lie over her on the grass. My cock was throbbing so hard I thought I might pass out from lack of blood flow to the brain, but I had enough sense to tell her "Hang on baby, let me wrap up ."

She exhaled in relief. "You have a condom ?"

I winced. "Yeah, in my wallet. It's older than anything. Might be older than you, sweet thing ."

She opened her eyes long enough to smack me in the arm. "Arse. Then what are you waiting for ?"

I reached into my wallet and pulled out the battered looking foil packet, then raised my eyebrow at her. "I'm waiting for you to tell me. Tell me, baby. Tell me what I need to hear ."

She nodded immediately. "Yes," she almost screamed. Her eyelids were still fluttering gently, her body still convulsing .

Heart pounding, I pulled down my jeans and wrapped up, a little voice in my head reminding me to hurry, that we didn't have enough time. And I hated it. I wanted to see her coming again and again, I wanted to spend all night with her in a soft bed, memorizing the sound of her orgasms and writing songs in the same key .

Not lying down in the dirt. She deserved more than this .

But it was the last time, and we both knew we might not have a chance again .

I pressed the head of my cock against her, testing her wetness, sliding through her folds to make her eyelids flutter again. Then I pressed against her entrance .

Her green eyes flew open like she wanted to say something .

I paused .

She took a deep breath. "Yes," she said again .

I eased into her, slow, inch by aching inch. She squirmed a little and I felt a small resistance inside of her .

I pulled back in a second. "Tallula ?"