Ana Oliveira woke up to a throbbing headache. Used to crippling migraines, she feared getting up abruptly would trigger the habitual nausea, so she took a deep breath and relaxed her tense muscles, opening her senses to her surroundings. A refreshing whiff of salty air filled the room and the distant rumbling sound of crashing waves against rocks soothed her. Those were familiar to her, after living by the ocean for the last four years. Her lips curved up as she smoothed the soft bed linen under her palms. As she stretched on the mattress that hugged her body, she reached up and tucked her hands under the pillow. Extra soft, probably stuffed with goose feathers.

Her stomach dropped. She didn’t own silk sheets or a memory foam mattress and her old pillow would feel much harder under her head than the softness of a feathery nest she was currently experiencing. The subtle shuffling sound of another body moving against the silk sheets, dipping the mattress towards its center, stole the air from her lungs. Her heart forgot to beat for a couple of seconds. Afraid to open her eyes, but knowing she wouldn’t be able to avoid doing so for long, Ana crinkled her nose and squinted her eyes before allowing them to open. Just a little. When she recognized the room, her jaw dropped, making her mouth open into a perfect round shape. How the hell had she ended up in Noah Cartwright’s room? In his bed? With his boyish face buried between her thighs? Panic couldn’t begin to describe her feelings.

“Finally! I’ve been waiting rather patiently for you to regain consciousness,” he offered her as if she had a clue as to what he meant. Apparently ignoring her confused state, Noah kept gliding his long fingers down her thighs, then lifted her knees before encircling her soft flesh and squeezing it.

As if hypnotized, she lay there and watched. Blaming it on the marching band playing inside her skull, Ana didn’t resist his wandering hands. She chose not to acknowledge the effects his trademark smile, complete with perfect white teeth and endearing dimples, had over her. The surge of hot liquid flowing down her body had nothing to do with that grin. She hoped.

She also said nothing to stop his scorching hot lips from tracing a wet trail from her elevated knees, down towards the top of her thighs. As if detached from her body, she observed his dirty-blonde head move dangerously close to her most private part. That was when she realized she was wearing her date lingerie. The silk black set of panties and bra she reserved for special occasions. What the hell did she do last night? She didn’t go out with Noah Cartwright, that was a given. Or was it?

When she tried to focus, her head threatened to explode like an atomic bomb, so she decided to take it slow. Baby steps should be the norm today. She would get answers, if she asked him the questions colliding in her mind. She just needed to stop him and talk. The fact that her body seemed to hum under his fingers didn’t help that part of her plan, though. As tempting as his intentions were, she needed to stop him.

Before she could utter a word, his sultry voice filled her ears. “I wouldn’t take advantage of you while you were sleeping, no matter how tight you held me to your chest. You’ve no idea how tempting you were, gorgeous. I behaved, though. Now it’s time for our delayed fun to begin.”

The promise of pleasure in his voice and the intense heat in his sparkling eyes tempted Ana to allow herself a taste of what Noah offered her. As long as she kept it brief, she would be safe. That was her story and she intended to stick with it. She read somewhere that orgasms helped combat migraines. That was a treatment she would gladly adopt.

As Noah’s tongue circled her belly button, she bunched the sheets in her fingers and hissed. She felt his smile against her soft skin, his stubbled chin tickling her senses, as his teeth grabbed the thin strap of her panties. When they sank into it and Noah pulled his head as if to tear the fragile elastic band, she shook her head. He stopped, but rubbed the tip of his nose against the tiny piece of cloth that covered her entrance. Just once. It was enough to make the fabric wet from her body’s reaction to his touch. She was in trouble.

“We can’t do this, Noah. It isn’t right,” she moaned against the fist she stuffed in her mouth. Her teeth left deep marks on her skin. Maybe the pain would remind her why it was wrong. “You’re my boss, for crying out loud.”

“That’s your best argument?” His soft chuckles got muffled by her round thighs as he ignored her words and kissed his way down one leg before turning to the other and tracing the inside of her thigh, dragging his wet lips towards her entrance. Ana’s belly fluttered with anticipation, but she needed to stop him and tell the truth before they went too far. He had the right to know.

* * *