Ethan groaned as he opened his eyes to the sunlight streaming across the room. Why hadn’t he shut the damn curtains last night? The soft flesh of a woman’s ass was tucked snug against his rapidly awakening lower body. The events of last night flooded back, and he instinctively tightened his hold on Penny.

She was finally in his bed again. Well, her bed. Her curls tickled his nose and he tucked the strands behind her ear. Would she regret that they’d slept together, all three times?

She let out a sleepy moan and wiggled her ass against his cock. It probably wasn’t comfortable having something that hard sticking her in the back, but she’d put him in this state. His hands moved down her body, trailing over her warm flesh. She shifted against him, turning to face him.

“Good morning,” she whispered, her green eyes still sleepy, showing no signs of panic or disappointment, so that was good.

“Good morning.” He fused her lips with his, deepening the kiss as her arms linked behind his neck, her nails trailing through the base of his hairline. A shudder rolled through him at her touch.

Her breasts rubbed against his chest as their tongues tangled, and he wanted to slip inside her. He nipped at her lower lip before soothing each bite with his tongue. “I could get used to this.”

“Me too,” she murmured against his mouth. “But I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
He pulled back from her, locking his eyes with hers. “We are going to take this slow, and we are going to make this work.”

“But—”

“No. This is just about us. We will deal with everything else later.”

She settled against him, tucking her head into his shoulder. “I’m just nervous.”

“Don’t be. You can trust me. I would never do anything to jeopardize your job, or your happiness.”

“Doesn’t it seem rushed?” she asked.

“Maybe. But are you willing to let this go?”

She pulled back to look at him. He knew that trusting men was an issue for her, and he couldn’t blame her. After what her douche ex did to her…well, he could relate.

“I’ve been where you are. It takes a while, but eventually you’ll learn to trust again and I hope that you know that you can trust me.” But why should she listen to him? He hadn’t tried to trust anyone since Julie. Well, not before Penny. Without a shred of doubt, he knew he could trust her.

“Thanks,” she whispered as she hugged him tighter.

“No more sad talk. What do you want to do today?” he asked.

“Umm.”

“It’s Saturday, and you’re not working, and I don’t have a game or practice today. We could be tourists in the city or go wine tasting in Napa. If we can’t go back to Italy, we’ll bring Italy to us.”

“Isn’t it too cold for that?” she said.

“Guess you’ll just have to snuggle into me to stay warm.”

“Or we could do indoor stuff,” she said

“Like right here? We could spend it in bed, but you’d probably wear me out.” He grinned as she swatted his arm.

“I’m so sorry that my insatiableness is a burden to you.” He caught the glint of humor in her eyes as she tried to look offended.

“It’s definitely not a burden,” he said as he rolled her beneath him to show her just how much he didn’t mind her need for him.

Her laughter quickly turned into moans of pleasure as he gave her a proper wake-up call.

***

An hour later, Ethan slid an omelet onto Penny’s plate.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” she said.

“I can’t, really. Just breakfast.”

“For all your sleepovers?”

“There hasn’t been anyone else since before Italy,” he said, taking her hand.

“I wasn’t trying to pry,” she started. “There’s been no one else for me, either.”

“Is it wrong to be happy about that?” he asked.

“No,” she replied, and then took a bite of her omelet. “Wow, this is good.”

“It’s just ham and cheese, since you wouldn’t let me put in any veggies. Not that there were many in your fridge.” He laughed as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“Veggies mixed with cheesy, salty goodness is just wrong.” She grimaced.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” he replied before digging into his omelet stuffed with the veggies he’d managed to find.

“I think you have some spinach in your teeth,” she said as he advanced toward her.

“I’m surprised you actually had spinach.”

“I thought I was buying baby lettuce. The packaging looks the same,” she said, ignoring his spinach grin as he wrapped his arms around her. He ignored her protests and planted a big sloppy kiss on her lips. “Ugh, you are so gross.”

He chuckled as he pulled away and took the seat next to her. She had the eating habits of a toddler.

“So, you have me for the entire day. What should we do?” he asked, knowing full well what he wanted, and knowing that at some point they should leave the house—be a real couple out sharing a lazy weekend together. Not that he would mind keeping her occupied in the bedroom until they were too tired to move.

“I don’t know.”

“I find it hard to believe that you don’t have a plan for this weekend. A list of what you wanted to do?” he asked.

“Maybe all it said was you.”

The air left his chest, and his body tightened with need. “If you say shit like that, I’ll never let you leave here again.”

“Promises, promises,” she taunted.

His fork clattered against the plate, and he stood, stalking around the table. Her eyes widened, her chest rising and falling rapidly under her thin robe. God. Would his need for her ever stabilize? He hoped not. Especially since her need equally matched his.

He leaned in, pulling her against his chest. He nibbled her earlobe, her harsh breaths fanning his face, and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. Her hands sank into his hair, holding him close, her moan mixed with his.

“Oh Ethan,” she whispered when he broke the kiss.

“I guess we could stay in,” he said, hoisting her up on the kitchen island.

She linked her good leg around him, holding him tight, her fingers trailing across his chest.

“Nope. We are going out. I want to show you my favorite place in the city,” she said.

“You mean, it isn’t your bedroom?”

She laughed. “No. That’s your favorite place.” Her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red at her statement. He pressed a quick kiss to her nose. Damn. She was adorable when she blushed.

“Absolutely.” He helped her off the counter, his cock hardening as she rubbed against him. “I think we should shower together,” he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “You know, to conserve water.”

“How eco-friendly of you,” she said around her laughter. 

“Our environment is important,” he said, grabbing her hand and starting down the hallway, loving her soft laugh. “Oh, I forgot. I have something for you,” he said, guiding her into the living room, and dropping down to rifle through his bag.

“A present?” she asked.

“Now you’ll be properly attired for the games,” he said, pulling out a jersey with his name and number on the back. “And everyone will know who your favorite player is.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, holding the jersey to her chest.

“I wanted to. You’re taking a real effort to learn about hockey, and since you’re my good luck charm and need to come to all the games, you’ll need a jersey.”

“Thank you,” she said, leaning in and kissing him.

“I also have something else,” he said after he broke the kiss. He turned back to his bag, and grabbed the book.

When he looked at her again, his gut clenched. She’d dropped her robe and had slipped on his jersey. She was naked underneath.

“What do you think?” She held out her arms, mischief in her eyes, and then spotted the book.

“Ooh, look at all those flags.” She reached out, and he dropped the book to the floor, pulling her close.

“I’ve never been so turned on by a jersey,” he growled against her neck, and she shivered under his touch.

“Aren’t you going to tell me about the book?” she asked in between kisses.

“Maybe later,” he said, his hands under her ass, lifting her to rub against him.

She shoved him back and leaned over, picking the book up off the floor, the jersey riding up, giving him a tempting view of her perfect ass, and he groaned. His cock hardened to the point of pain, his boxer briefs stretched tight.

He spun her, pressing her back to his chest, his hand on her belly, holding her close, and he nuzzled her neck. She tilted her head, giving him even more access to her warm skin.

“Hockey made easy,” she said.

“Basic hockey knowledge. I put a flag for every term and you can remove them when you learn about them at the game or from me.”

“Oh, Ethan,” her tone was almost wistful as she thanked him.

“Now, about that jersey,” he said, sweeping her up into his arms.

She gasped, linking her hands around his neck. “Do you like it?”

He growled his approval and headed down the hall, her laughter turning to moans when he slipped the jersey from her body and worshipped her with his mouth.

The shower could wait.

“Too cold?” he asked hours later as they walked along the path around Spreckel Lake in Golden Gate Park. She shivered next to his side, but the temperature wasn’t as cold as originally predicted. When he offered to go somewhere that they could stay indoors, she’d just tucked herself closer and kept walking. It was an excuse to snuggle into him, to keep his arm, a heavy weight, around her.

Just the memory of their morning was enough to fight back the chill. She planned to wear that jersey, with nothing else, again. The heat in his gaze when she’d slipped it on—her mind blanked for a minute. Holy hell, it was hot.

And that book. She didn’t have a chance to look through it since he’d carted her off to the bedroom and wiped all coherent thought from her brain with his tongue. She shivered, and it had nothing to do with the cold.

But that book. He got her. He understood her need for knowledge. He didn’t make fun of her for it, he encouraged it. How one little gesture could make her belly flutter, her heart race. She was too scared to put a name to what was going on between them, but she never wanted it to end.

“Are you too cold?” he asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Maybe a little.” She huffed out a laugh. “The wind chill is brutal this time of year.”

“We can go in. Check out one of the museums? I hear the Legion of Honor Museum has an amazing ceiling.”

She laughed. She’d shared her ceiling love with him in Italy. Some of the most stunning parts of cathedrals and museums weren’t what was on the walls, but above your head. The work that went into them was awe-inspiring.

“Maybe later, but I’m not going to lie on the floor with you, so don’t even try it,” she scolded him. He’d attempted to pull her down behind the altar at St. Catherine’s in Siena on their first day of exploring the city together, but she refused. She was perfectly capable of tilting her head back and looking up.

“It was for your own safety that I made that suggestion. For someone so accident prone, walking around with your head back so you can stare at the ceiling is just asking for injury,” he said.

“But I survived, and it would’ve been highly inappropriate to lie on the floor with you in a church,” she said, her cheeks heating even in the brisk wind.

“What are you thinking about right now?” he asked, grin in place.

“Nothing. So, did you know that the buffalo in the park used to be named after Shakespearean characters?” she asked, switching the subject to something safe.

He let out a bark of laughter. “Your love of random facts is strong. And no, I didn’t know that.”

“Random facts make life interesting. King Lear and his daughters roamed the bison enclosure for some time.”

“So, you’re a Shakespeare fan?”

“Oh yes, I love him. I minored in British literature in college. Really, it was just an excuse to read the classics I loved, and to convince my parents that studying abroad in London was a requirement.”

“I wished I’d studied abroad, but I only went to college for one year. Too busy playing hockey. Guess that’s why I try to travel as much as possible during the off-season.”

“What’s been your favorite place so far?”

“This vineyard in Tuscany. It was amazing. Great food. Amazing wine. Even better company. I met this amazing girl there.”

Calm down, heart. Just calm the hell down already.

“Really? Is this the best time to talk about another woman in front of me?” she teased, trying to get control over her swirling thoughts. He was a world traveler, and his best time was with her?

He chuckled, tweaking her nose. “Of course it was meeting you. Maybe in the off-season we can pick a spot on your bucket list. I know you have one.”

She bit back her laugh. “Maybe.”

“So where would you like to go? I’ll buy you a guidebook now so you can fill it with flags.”

From anyone else, that comment would be a dig. But from Ethan…from Ethan, he was serious.

“I’ll have to consult my list,” she said, playing along.

“Some place warm,” he said.”

“Definitely warm. I do wish I could travel more. I’m always working.”

“Do you want me to talk to your slave driver boss? I kind of have an in with him.” He winked at her. She didn’t want to think about his in.

She was going to need to tell Robert at some point. Working on Ethan’s account was a clear conflict of interest. She knew better, but she still held back, as if putting a name to whatever this was would end it, or bring up too many questions. Questions she wasn’t ready to answer. It was ridiculous, but she couldn’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop.

“Ethan,” she scolded.

“I’m kidding.” He pulled her against him, brushing a kiss across her brow. “But we do have to tell him at some point. I don’t want you to get in trouble with the boss.”

She sank into his arms. “I know. And I will. I’m just nervous about people finding out. My co-workers, to be specific.”

“We’ll figure it out, I promise.”

“I hope so.”

“Have dinner with me tonight?” he asked.

“You aren’t tired of me yet?” she asked.

“Never,” he whispered against her hair. He turned her to face him. “I can’t remember a day when I had this much fun. Except maybe when I was in Italy with you.”

“You say the sweetest things,” she replied, then lifted her chin to brush her lips against his.

***

“Oh my God, this might be better than sex,” Penny moaned a few hours later as she took a bite of the triple chocolate cake in front of her.

“I take offense to that,” Ethan grumbled next to her. “And I’m jealous of a piece of cake.”

She laughed. “Okay, maybe not as good as sex with you. Does that make you feel better?” She patted his arm.

“Don’t placate me.” She giggled as he attempted to glare at her, but his gaze was locked on her mouth. Heat rushed to all points of her body at his stare.

Today had been amazing. They’d ended up getting out of the cold and touring the Legion of Honor Museum. The stunning buildings and courtyard reminded her of museums in Italy as they walked around large pillars. The ceiling was amazing, and she’d resisted the urge to sprawl out on the floor and stare up.

She wanted more than anything to go back to Italy. To explore other parts of that country. With him. 

“Taste it,” she said, spearing another piece of cake and shoving the fork in his mouth.

“Mmm. That is good. But not as tasty as you, and definitely not better than sex.” He leaned over and sealed his lips with hers. His tongue darted out, tracing along her lips, and she groaned again, allowing him entrance to her mouth. Their tongues tangled, and for a moment she forgot where she was.