Hannah somehow made it through dessert, although afterward she wasn’t sure how she’d done it. She didn’t remember anything about what was said at her table or what the chocolate cake tasted like. She could only remember the feel of Bruce sitting beside her.

Silent.

Warm.

Tense.

Human.

He wasn’t touching her, but it felt like she could feel him all over.

She had no idea what he was thinking.

She had no idea what she was thinking either.

Only she hadn’t wanted to stop kissing Bruce.

Only she wanted to do a lot more.

When the dinner was finally dismissed, she said a quick goodbye to her friends and to Polly and started up to her room. Bruce went with her, still not saying anything.

They rode up the elevator, walked down the hall, stepped into the room they were sharing.

The neatly made beds were slightly rumpled. Hannah’s brush and some jewelry were scattered on the dresser top. A half-drunk bottle of water was sitting on the nightstand next to Bruce’s bed.

The room felt intimate. Far too intimate. And there was nowhere she could go to escape Bruce’s presence.

“I’m going to take a quick shower,” she said when something to do finally occurred to her.

“Okay.” Bruce sat on his bed, looking far too sexy in his tux. He started to undo his bow tie.

Hannah looked at him for a minute, every cell in her body yearning for Bruce in a way she’d never experienced before. But she turned and went into the bathroom, closing the door with a loud click.

She took a quick shower, brushed out her hair, and put on one of the white bathrobes the hotel provided. Then she picked up her phone and saw that Madison had texted to say that her plans for the weekend weren’t working out. She’d been feeling burned out and unattractive lately, so she’d wanted to have a hot fling with an old schoolmate, but he wasn’t the man she remembered.

Distracted from her own situation, Hannah sat down on the side of the tub and texted back some encouragement. She suspected that the man her friend really wanted wasn’t the man she planned to hook up with, but Madison was genuinely disappointed and she might not be ready yet to admit her feelings for Timothy.

Hannah could understand.

She could understand very deeply.

Her plans for the weekend weren’t working out either, and she was just starting to admit to herself why that was.

Charlie entered the conversation then to say that things had fallen apart with Simon as well and she didn’t know what to do. Then she asked, Did you talk to Bruce, Hannah?

Yes. Then I kissed him.

What, Madison texted.

What!!! Charlie said at exactly the same time.

I kissed him and it was good and scary and now I don’t know what to do!

Tell him you want to have sex with him. That was your plan, right? Madison was always like that. Practical about everything except her own heart.

At least one of us has to go through with our pact. Go and seduce him right now, Charlie texted.

Now, Madison added.

NOW!!! That was Charlie again.

Hannah couldn’t help but chuckle, but then she took a deep breath. She texted back, Here goes, and then she lowered her phone.

When she walked back into the bedroom, Bruce was still sitting in the same place on the bed. His tie was hanging loose around his collar, and he’d taken off his shoes and socks. His bare feet were resting on the carpet, and for some reason the sight of them made Hannah swallow hard.

As she approached him, he looked up toward her, meeting her gaze but still not speaking.

She had no idea what she was going to do until she did it.

She said, “I meant what I said earlier.”

His body jerked very slightly, so she knew he knew what she was referring to.

“I meant it.”

“I don’t think you did.” His voice was low and hoarse, and something had gone hot in his eyes.

“Yes, I did. You don’t get to tell me what I think or want. I’m a grown-up. A human being with a will and the ability to decide what I want for myself. And I meant what I said.”

“Hannah,” he rasped. His back had stiffened, and his hands had clenched in the coverlet on either side of him.

“Don’t Hannah me. I meant it.” She took a step forward. “Bruce, please. I want it to be you.”

She saw and heard him take a ragged breath. It told her what she needed to know.

He might be hesitating, worried, but he wanted this too.

Very slowly she untied her robe.

“Hannah,” he said again, sounding almost choked now.

She opened the robe and let it slip off over her arms to fall in a heap on the floor.

She was naked beneath, and she saw his eyes immediately devour her bare body. She was slim with pretty good legs and a decent butt, but she didn’t have much in the way of breasts. She’d never considered herself particularly sexy before, but she felt that way when she saw his hungry expression.

She wasn’t imagining this. It wasn’t wishful thinking.

He wanted her, and he loved how she looked.

“Hannah,” he said again after a minute, “I know we’re friends, and that’s real. But you can’t rely on me to be a good guy. I’m... I’m not going to be able to say no. I’m not... strong enough to say no to this.”

“I don’t want you to say no. I want you to say yes.” When he continued holding himself back with a tension that she could see in his body, she added softly, “Bruce, please. I want it to be you.”

He made a little sound like a groan and reached out for her, pulling her down to the bed on her back. Then he moved over her and kissed her hard.

The feelings overwhelmed her even more than they had downstairs earlier in the hall. Her mind roared with pleasure, with emotion, with excitement, with everything all at once. He pressed his body down against hers, and his clothes felt good and a little naughty against her naked skin. She opened her mouth to the advance of his tongue, and then she couldn’t help but slide her tongue against his, each small movement generating shivers of sensation.

Bruce held her head in one of his hands as he kissed her, and the other moved down her body, glancing along her side, slipping down to feel her bottom and one of her thighs.

When he moved against her, she could feel his groin, how hard he was, how much he wanted her. The knowledge turned her on even more.

Despite his arousal, he didn’t seem to be in a hurry. He kissed her for a long time, and then he started to kiss his way down her body. When he reached her breasts, it felt so good she couldn’t stay quiet. She made a silly little whimper when he teased her nipple, and then another when he applied quick suction. He fondled her other breast with his hand as he worked with his mouth, and it wasn’t long until Hannah was completely out of control, squirming and gasping and clutching the coverlet in both her fists, trying desperately to hang on.

It was a while before she realized she was babbling out actual words. “Bruce, God, Bruce, please. Oh God, Bruce, I need it. I need it. Please.”

On her last plea, he raised his head and met her eyes. She had no idea what she might look like, but he was flushed and hot and sexy and slightly damp from perspiration.

They looked at each other for a moment. Then he moved back up and kissed her mouth again. She brushed her fingers against his short hair, amazed she was allowed to do such a thing, and she parted her thighs so she could feel his body against her hot, aching arousal.

He kept kissing her as his hand moved down and slipped between their bodies and then between her legs. He explored with his fingers. He’d have no doubt of how much she wanted him. She was wetter than she ever remembered being before.

She gasped against his lips when one of his fingers slid inside her. Then she moaned when he joined the first finger with another. He started to pump, his fingers matching the motion of his tongue in her mouth. It felt so good—all of it felt so good—that there was no way Hannah could lie still.

She was rocking beneath him, clawing at his back, trying to ride his fingers. And in an embarrassingly short amount of time, she had to tear her mouth away from his to suck in air and then cry out as her body shook through a delicious orgasm. He kept moving his fingers and then pressed down on her clit with his thumb, and her body tightened again in a series of several mini-orgasms in the wake of the first.

When he finally removed his hand, she was limp and panting and flushed hot all down her body. She smiled up at him when his eyes searched her face. “That was... wow.”

He chuckled softly and stroked her cheek. “I was a little worried. Sometimes it’s hard to compete with a vibrator.”

Maybe she would have been embarrassed under different circumstances, but now all she could do was giggle. “No worry about competition. That was way better.”

He seemed very pleased with the verdict. He was still very aroused. His hips kept shifting, and his eyes couldn’t quite keep from drifting down to her naked breasts and groin.

“Do you have a condom?” she asked. She’d brought some—in the hopes of going through with her plan—but she hadn’t known what kind he’d prefer, so she’d rather he use his own.

“You think I would have brought some after you said I wasn’t allowed to have sex with anyone this weekend?”

“What I said was you weren’t allowed to have sex with other women this weekend. And I kind of think you’d always have some with you. Don’t you?”

“Uh, yeah.”

She giggled again. “Good. Didn’t think you’d disappoint me.”

He hauled himself up and went to pull a couple of condom packets out of a zipper pocket of his suitcase. He was walking a little stiffly as he came back, and Hannah had to admit he was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen as he approached her in his rumpled tuxedo, his mussed hair, his heavy-lidded eyes, his lean, tense body.

“What?” he asked, pausing as he stood next to the bed.

“Nothing. I just didn’t realize a man was capable of being as sexy as you are right now.”

“It’s the tux,” he murmured, sitting down on the bed beside her. “It always does it.”

She shook her head. “It’s not just the tux. It’s you.”

His face softened, and he leaned down to kiss her again. It was soft and sweet at first, but it didn’t take long for the kiss to get hungry and urgent again. Soon he was pressing the bulge of his erection against her belly and she was rocking up into him shamelessly.

As she kissed him, she tried to pull off his clothes, but she didn’t get very far until he groaned and straightened up. He pulled his jacket and shirt off in about two seconds while she worked on his trousers.

The whole thing passed in a hot haze of pleasure until he had freed his erection. Then everything slowed down, the world seemed to stand still, and she froze as she stared down at him.

Very slowly she reached for him, running her fingers up and down his shaft.

His penis. Her friend Bruce’s penis. She’d never really believed she’d touch him like this.

She heard his breath hitch at her caress, and it thrilled her.

“You’re sure about this, Hannah?” he asked thickly.

“Yeah. I’m sure. I want it to be you.”

He took and released a long breath and started to unwrap one of the condoms.

She watched as he rolled it on, and then she lay back on the bed, parting her legs to make room for him.

For the first time, she felt a little nervous. For the first time, she felt a wave of self-consciousness.

She couldn’t believe she was doing this. It was happening. She was about to have sex.

With Bruce.

He propped himself up on one arm above her and used the other to brush a few strands of hair off her face. “You need to talk to me as we do this, Hannah. I’m going to try to be... gentle. Careful. I’m going to try to not get carried away. So tell me if something hurts or if something isn’t working for you.”

She nodded, strangely touched that he was being so serious about this and feeling better because of it. She took a deep breath and nodded.

Instead of doing what she expected him to do, he leaned down to kiss her softly, sweetly.

She responded to the touch of his lips. She couldn’t help it. She reached up to run her fingers across his short hair.

The kiss distracted her enough that she didn’t tense up when she felt his hand between her legs. She was still wet, still aroused, still ready for him. He aligned himself at her entrance and pushed in just a little.

She bent up her legs and tried to relax.

He gave her another little kiss and then rested his forehead against hers for a moment. He was so tense he was almost shaking with it.

“I didn’t know it was going to be so much work for you,” she said.

She evidently surprised him because he shook with amusement, his breath blowing against her skin. “I’m up for the job.”

She smiled and kissed him, and as she did, he eased himself in a little more, drawing back, then easing in again.

“It’s fine, Bruce,” she said. “I’m good. You can get on with it.”

He nodded slowly and then adjusted his hips, pushing himself inside her more fully in a series of gentle advances and retreats. When he was inside her, he raised himself up on straightened arms and breathed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment.

She shifted a little, trying to get used to the tight penetration. She hadn’t really known what to expect. She’d heard horror stories from other women about the pain of their first times, but this wasn’t really that bad.

“How is it?” Bruce asked when he’d evidently reined in whatever he was feeling.

“It’s okay.” She tried rolling her hips but stopped when he choked on a groan. “I’m not going to lie. It’s not exactly comfortable. But it doesn’t really hurt. Just give me a minute to get used to it.”

“Take as long as you need.”

He seemed to mean what he said, although he was deeply flushed and breathing heavily. She took a few more breaths and relaxed her muscles and eventually decided she was doing pretty well. Bending her legs up farther around his hips, she made a little pump with her hips.

He gasped.

“I think you’re having a harder time than I am,” she said, reaching up to brush her knuckles against his cheek.

“I’m fine,” he said, opening his eyes again with a little smile. “I’m just not used to this much self-restraint.”

“It’s probably good for you to get some practice in that.”

“I’m sure it is.” He was smiling more fully now. “How are you?”

“I’m good. I feel pretty good. I think you can get going.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. If I didn’t like this, I’d definitely tell you.”

“Good to know.”

He blew out a breath and appeared to intentionally relax his shoulders. Then he drew his hips back just a little and pushed into her.

It was the strangest feeling—not exactly comfortable, but raw and intense and full of sensation. She made a little gasp.

He paused. “Was that bad?”

“No, not bad.”

“You gasped.”

She frowned at him. “It wasn’t a bad gasp.”

“So it was a good gasp?”

She was hit with a sudden wave of amusement and giggled helplessly.

He lowered his brows in a disapproving expression. “You’re seriously laughing at me?”

“No,” she said on another huff of amusement, trying to hold back her giggles. “Not really. I really do appreciate you being so careful, but I think you can be a little less careful now. This is working for me.”

“Seriously?” His eyes were searching her face again, almost hopeful.

It occurred to her then that it was important to him that she enjoy this. Genuinely important to him. That knowledge made her feel ridiculously good.

“I promise,” she murmured.

He nodded, evidently believing her. His expression relaxed, and he pulled back to make another thrust.

This time it felt even better. “Good,” she breathed, feeling a little self-conscious about saying it aloud but wanting him to know.

After a few more experimental thrusts, he built up a steady rhythm. It wasn’t fast or particularly hard, so it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was raw and real and intense and strangely good. Not good the way it had been when he’d made her come with his hand. Good in a different, deeper way.

She held on to his shoulders and tried to meet his thrusts with rocks of her hips, and it started feeling better the more she moved with him. Soon she was flushed and breathless and digging into his skin with her fingers.

“How is it?” Bruce rasped. His eyes only occasionally left her face to move down to her shaking body, and there was something hungry in his expression she’d never seen there before.

“It’s good. Good. Oh it’s good.” She panted out the words, too overwhelmed to make complete sentences.

“Do you think you can come?”

“I don’t... think so. It’s good, but... I don’t think.” She was feeling too raw, too deep for it to pull together into an orgasm, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t enjoying it.

“I think I... can last longer if you need me to.”

“I’m good,” she said, moving one of her hands to his face. “This is really good. I came earlier. I don’t think trying to hold out is going to do it for me this time.”

He nodded, accepting her word, then he groaned as something changed on his face.

It was like he’d given in to what he was feeling, like he’d let go of some sort of internal restraint.

She gazed up at him, overwhelmed with feeling at the way he looked moving above her. She watched as his motion accelerated and his panting turned into helpless grunts. Then she watched the wave of pleasure transform his face as he came inside her, his body shaking through the climax in a way that proved it was really good.

She was hot and breathless and very pleased with the world when he gave a few last pushes inside her. Then he moaned long and low as his body started to relax.

She stroked his hair, his back, smiling up at him like a fool.

When he opened his eyes, he smiled back.

They didn’t say anything, but the shared gaze lasted a long time, and Hannah felt closer to him than she’d ever felt to anyone.

Anyone.

Their bodies were joined, and it felt like more than that was joined too.

Then he finally broke the look and eased his hips back, taking care with the condom as he withdrew. He got up and went to the bathroom to throw it away and wash up. When he returned to the bedroom, he was carrying a wet washcloth.

She stared at him as he came to the bed and gently cleaned her up between the legs. He hadn’t come inside her, but she’d been very wet, and she felt sore and messy. She was trembling a little as he stroked her gently with the warm towel, and her throat began to ache.

She had no idea why she was feeling this way, but this felt almost as intense as the sex had between them, like he was with her just as intimately now as he’d been with her before.

When she raised her eyes to his face, his expression was as sober as she felt. “You didn’t bleed much,” he murmured.

“No.” She said that mostly for something to say.

“How do you feel?”

“A little sore,” she admitted. “But good. It was really good.”

He nodded, his face softening. “It was good for me too.”

She didn’t know what to say to that, so she just waited until he returned the washcloth to the bathroom and came back to the bed. He got under the covers and pulled her over next to him. She huddled against him, feeling comforted, secure, strange, proud of herself.

And of him.

“Thank you, Bruce,” she whispered against his shoulder.

“You don’t have to thank me. I... It meant a lot to me. That you trust me this way. No one ever has before.”

“I do trust you. Always.” She pressed a little kiss against his shoulder. “It meant a lot to me too.”

He wrapped both arms around her, and she could feel his body relaxing. Hers was relaxing too.

He was asleep in just a few minutes, and it wasn’t much longer before she was asleep too.