“Mmmm,” I moan, feeling like I’m waking up after being in a coma for over a decade. My whole body feels sluggish and sore, like there’s liquid metal running through my veins.

So, this is what it feels like to wake up after being gorilla fucked by a hot pilot. Totally worth it.

I turn my head on the soft pillow looking for Dex, but his side of the bed is empty. The bathroom door is open and the light is off as well. I don’t see him anywhere.

My first reaction is not a good one.

I immediately think that he left. That he was using me all along and that he just struck the final deathblow in our little war.

My body tenses as I sit up in the bed trying to turn my sadness into anger when I see a note on the table with a tropical flower lying beside it.

I’m out of the bed in a flash and scurrying across the cold tiles in my bare feet. I pick up the flower and the note, slip on one of Dex’s t-shirts, and walk out back where it’s cloudy but nice and warm. Our room is on the ground level with a view of the north side of the island where the waves are violent and vicious, yet beautiful and humbling at the same time.

The waves are bigger than normal today, and the sheer size and power of them takes my breath away as they relentlessly crash onto the rocky shore.

I sit in the chair and smell the flower before reading the note. Dex’s handwriting is scribbled across the paper, and I smile at the little hearts that he used to dot the I’s.

I lower the note (and my jaw) when I look up and see Dex surfing on the waves. My initial shock turns to worry, which quickly turns to awe when I see how skilled he is on the board. He cuts through the waves like a shark, turning the surfboard with complete control. He moves with such grace and ease, gliding across the monstrous wave like a superhero.

I run inside and quickly grab a coffee as he surfs out of a wave and lowers his belly onto the board. I don’t want to miss a thing, so I hurry back with my steaming cup and watch as he paddles back behind the break of the waves.

He puts on quite the show as he picks the largest waves to surf down. His movements are so smooth, so beautiful. He’s human. Water isn’t our element. He shouldn’t be so graceful and controlled, so skilled and poised, yet somehow he is.

Maybe he is a shark after all.

I smell the flower and smile as I watch him fall off his board and crash into the water with his feet over his head. He’s not a shark. He’s a puffer fish. All tough talk and attitude, but he’s really sweet inside.

He looks right at me when he pops out of the water. He has a big smile on his face as he waves to me before grabbing onto his board.

I sit up straight in my chair and try to smooth out my hair the best that I can as he paddles toward the shore like a sexy turtle.

Last night was incredible. Pure magic. I’ve always enjoyed sex, but I’ve never been obsessed with it. I never understood why people could throw everything away, families, careers, their lives, for an hour of fun. Now I know. Now I get it.

Dex opened my eyes in a big way.

I hadn’t planned on it. Actually, I had planned against it.

But every once in a while, a woman just has to let herself have some fun.

I take a sip of my coffee and laugh to myself. Like you ever had a chance. He was in complete control of my body from the first touch. I would have done anything with him. Anything for him.

I would have married him and had all his babies if he only would have asked.

I would have jumped off a cliff if he would have suggested it. I would have stuck a knife in my heart for his amusement.

I was his slave.

And I loved every second of it.

Nervous butterflies flutter in my stomach as he gets out of the water and smiles at me. I don’t know how today is going to go.

What does he want?

What do I want?

I have no idea. Maybe another round in the bedroom to help me think…

We got along great last night, but that was because our clothes were off. It’s easy not to say things that will piss the other person off when your jaw is shut tight and the only noises you’re making are groans and moans. Our relationship usually gets into trouble when Dex opens his mouth.

I’m really hoping it’s going to be different now. It would just be cruel to have sex that good with someone and then never have it again.

I’m getting wet just thinking about it. I haven’t even finished my coffee, and I’m already craving a big cock in my mouth.

Oh, my God. Am I whore?

If I am, it’s Dex’s fault. He’s a master at the art of making love. He’s skilled with every part of his body: his hands, his lips, his cock, his fingers, his tongue… Oh God, his tongue. It’s what miracles are made of.

I had never come during sex before last night. The few sexual partners I did have never got me going the way that he did. It was incredible, like I had left my body and ascended to another plane of existence-one where multiple orgasms were as easy to get as parking tickets.

Three of them. All stronger and harder than the last.

“Good morning,” he says as he arrives with the surfboard tucked under his arm.

He leans in and gives me a soft kiss on the lips as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. Desire starts flowing through me as he stands back up. Droplets of water fall from his wet messy hair onto my shirt as I lick my lips, tasting the saltiness from the ocean.

“Good morning,” I answer with a whimper. It’s a good morning now.

I gulp as I admire his hard body that’s still soaking wet. He’s wearing the colorful boardshorts that I like, the ones that rest a little too low on his hips. They show off the beautifully carved V in his pelvis and just a hint of his dark pubic hair.

He rests the surfboard against the villa as I groan, watching his back muscles ripple with every movement. He’s so beautiful. The perfect view to wake up to.

“I didn’t know you surf,” I say, catching a glimpse of his shredded abs as he turns around. I haven’t moved from my chair, but my heart is beating like I just ran a marathon.

He sits in the chair beside me and smiles. “There’s a lot that you don’t know about me.”

“I think I already know too much,” I say, chuckling as I take a sip of my coffee.

Dex reaches over and slides his hand on mine, taking the coffee mug from my hand. “That’s not what you were saying last night,” he says with a grin. He takes a sip of my coffee, turning the mug to place his lips on the exact place where I drank from and then hands it back. “You were crying out for more.”

“I was not,” I answer playfully. “I think you might need your hearing checked.”

“I think you’re right,” he says with a grin. “You were screaming into my ear so loud that I think I burst an eardrum.”

Typical cocky Dex. I hate that his arrogant attitude is actually doing something for me now. Maybe it’s because he deserves to be arrogant and cocky after his performance last night.

“But seriously,” I say, trying to change the subject. “Where did you learn to surf like that?”

“Hawaii,” he says, resting his hands on his abs. His beautiful, hard, mouthwatering abs. “Marv vacations there from time to time. We were there for three weeks last May, and I spent the entire time surfing.”

“Wow,” I say, looking out at the thrashing waves in the ocean. “That sounds fun.”

“It will be more fun with you there. Although I’m not sure if we’ll be doing much surfing.”

“What will we be doing?” I ask, raising a questioning eyebrow at him.

He glances over his shoulder at the king-sized bed that’s calling our name. “Come inside and I’ll show you.”

I’m tempted, even though I’m still sore from last night. “Let me finish my coffee first.”

He looks disappointed until I down it in one gulp. I toss the mug onto the sand and stand up. “I’m ready.”

* * *

After a quick romp and a shower, Dex and I head down for breakfast. I’m so hungry that I could eat a horse, raw.

I can’t help but wonder what it’s going to be like when we no longer have to pretend that we’re husband and wife. Are we going to go back to our old fighting like cats and dogs ways, or is it going to be different?

Dex slides his hand over mine, and I instantly feel better. The hallway is empty and we don’t have to pretend anything, but he still holds my hand.

“So,” I say, turning away so he doesn’t see my cheeks getting red. “Are we like dating now?”

“We’re married,” he says, looking at me sideways. “Are you divorcing me already?”

It was a serious question, but he answered it with a joke. I guess I have my answer.

I shouldn’t care. Who in their right mind would want to date Dex? Seriously, I’m better without him. I shouldn’t care.

But I do.

I swallow down the sigh that’s creeping up my throat and force a smile onto my face. No one likes a clingy girl who doesn’t know her place after a one night stand.

“Riley Coyote,” Dex says, stopping and dropping to a knee.

I raise an eyebrow as I look down at him.

He takes my hand and looks up at me with the bluest eyes. “Would you be my girlfriend?”

I pull my hand away and cross my arms over my chest, looking down at him skeptically. “Is this some kind of a trick?”

“Yes,” he says with a nod. “I’m going to make you fall in love with me, marry me, have my children, grow old by my side, and then, when you least expect it, I’ll strike.”

“You’ll strike?”

“I’ll strike.”

I chuckle as I look at him, still kneeling on the ground. He’s clearly joking, but a small part of me still isn’t sure.

“No.”

He drops his head and lets out a frustrated sigh. “Why not?”

“We’re enemies. I don’t date my enemies. It’s War 101. Never date your enemy. That’s why President Roosevelt and Hitler never hooked up. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”

He rolls his eyes as he looks up at me. “Did you just compare me to Hitler?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Well, come on. If one of us has to be Hitler in this scenario, it’s not going to be me.”

Dex glances down at his knee that’s still on the floor. “Are you going to say yes or should I get up?”

“I’m really hungry.”

“Okay then,” he says, shaking his head as he gets to his feet. He looks upset. Genuinely upset.

It makes me feel better.

“All right,” I say, stepping in close to him. I take a deep breath and hold it as I press my finger to his soft lips and hold it there. “I’ll be your girlfriend.”

His eyes light up, but he doesn’t say a word, mainly because I have my index finger pressed against his mouth.

“Don’t get too excited,” I say, narrowing my eyes as I stare up at him. “It’s only because I like to keep my friends close but my enemies closer.”

I remove my finger, expecting a witty comeback, but he gives me a soft romantic kiss instead. My head is spinning when he pulls away and takes my hand.

“Come,” he says, pulling me down the hallway. “My girlfriend is hungry. Let’s get her fed.”

I’m smiling so much that my cheeks are burning as we rush down the hallway toward the dining room. We stop before the door when we hear Marv’s and Prince Kalib’s voices inside.

Dex looks at me, and I can tell he’s thinking the same thing that I am. We don’t want to go in there and let these people ruin this nice moment.

“Come,” he whispers, pulling me in the opposite direction. He opens a service door and pulls me into the kitchen. There are three chefs inside. The closest one to us is leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. He throws it into a jar of mayonnaise in a panic when he sees us barge in.

“Good morning,” the chef says, a cloud of smoke floating out of his mouth as he speaks. The other two chefs straighten up as they see us, thrusting their shoulders back like we’re some kind of royalty.

“We need food to go,” Dex says, looking around as he rushes forward.

I walk up to the slacker chef as Dex gets busy grabbing muffins and fruit from the stainless steel tables. The chef cringes as I look into the jar of mayo with the cigarette butt stuck in it.

“Can you make Kara’s sandwich with that?” I ask.

He looks confused. I don’t think he speaks English.

“Let’s go,” Dex says, waving me over.

“Au revoir,” I say to the chefs as we disappear through the back door. We’re outside, and the sun is finally starting to creep through the clouds.

“What do you want to do?” he asks, handing me a blueberry muffin that he grabbed. “We can do anything you want.”

“Anything?”

“Anything!”

There are two things I want to do, and one is ruled out because my pussy is sore and needs a break.

“Would you take me flying?”

He rubs his chin as he thinks about it. “Under one condition.”

“What?”

“You’re in the driver’s seat.”

* * *

“Careful,” Dex warns as he fidgets in his seat. “Your right wing is dipping.”

My pulse is racing as fast as the engine as I come in for the landing. I adjust the yoke, bringing the wing up and trying to stay level as we float down to the ocean.

I did everything.

The checks, the take-off, the navigation, the flying, and now I’m landing the plane.

Dex watches my every movement, every flick of my wrist as I guide the plane down. He nods in approval as I hit the switch to open the flaps.

“Good,” he says as the flaps grind on their way down. The plane jerks back and my heart skips a beat. “It’s okay,” he says, placing a comforting hand on my leg. “That’s just the flaps slowing us down. You’re doing great.”

Adrenaline is coursing through my body as I check the instrument panel. I’ve had a wide grin on my face since I stepped onto the plane, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

I’m flying a plane without a license. This is so not like me.

But I’m loving it. I’m having the time of my life.

Dex has taught me that a little recklessness can be a good thing once in a while. Easy, Riley. Land the plane first.

It may not be a good idea after all if I land the plane in a fiery ball of crushed metal and flames. But I have everything under control. I’ve flown the flight simulator on my computer enough that I’m feeling pretty comfortable. And there’s a hot, skilled pilot sitting on my right who can take over if things get too much for me.

“Nice and easy,” he says as we float down to the ocean where I’m going to be landing. “Your runway is huge. If you miss it, then I’m afraid you’re not going to make it as a pilot.”

I laugh as I hit the switch to lower the flaps again. The plane slows to a crawl. I wipe my sweaty palms on my shorts and grab the yoke, squeezing it tightly as I aim for the calm water.

Dex leans over, just in case, and even his musky scent can’t distract me for long.

“Power back,” he says. “Gently.”

I do as he says, getting nervous as the water gets closer.

We’re so close that I can see little tropical fish under the water scatter as we are about to touch down.

“Power back all the way,” he says through my headset. “Pull back the yoke. All the way. Pull! Pull! Pull!”

I yank the yoke back all the way until my arms are shaking. I take a deep breath and hold it as the pontoons slam into the water, jerking us up against our seatbelts.

The nose of the plane drops down and I release my breath, staring through the windshield as the plane bobs up and down on the water.

“Yes!” Dex yells, pumping his fist.

I’m sitting as still as a statue, staring at the slow-moving propeller. “You might want to take your headset off,” I calmly warn him.

He quickly yanks it off his head, and I let out a scream so loud that my throat burns. “Woo!” I shout, hooting and squealing as I slap the roof over my head.

“That’s what I’m fucking talking about!” Dex shouts, joining in my celebration. He gives me a hard high-five and holds my hand, squeezing it as he smiles at me. “You did it!”

I slip off my headset and smooth out my hair, taking deep breaths to try and calm the adrenaline ripping through me.

It was incredible. I flew a freaking plane!

“You’re not done yet, Captain,” Dex says, pointing at the open ocean in front of us. The plane was drifting away during my little freakout. “Let’s beach this baby and celebrate!”

I taxi the plane to the beach, driving it onto the sand. I cut the engine and take out the key, staring at it in my hand.

“How do you feel?”

“Lucky,” I say. The word catches in my throat.

“You are lucky,” he says, rubbing his chin. “Not many people ever get to fly a plane.”

But I don’t feel lucky because of the flying. I feel lucky because I met Dex.

“Yeah,” I say, swallowing hard as I open my hand. I give him the key and meet his eyes.

I feel so emotional. Tears well up in my eyes as my chin trembles. “Thank you,” I whisper.

“No problem,” he says, giving me a wink. He’s acting like it’s nothing. He’s acting like he didn’t just make a lifelong dream come true. He’s acting like I’m not falling in love with him at this exact moment.

“Just a regular day as my girlfriend.”

“Really,” I say, laughing as I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand. “I can’t wait to see what you have planned for tomorrow.”

“We’re going to the moon.”

We both laugh.

He reaches forward, cups my cheek, and wipes the wetness from my eye with his thumb. “Come,” he says, smiling the sexiest smile that I’ve ever seen. “I’ll buy you a beer. Pilot.”

The gesture is so simple, wiping away my tear, but it means the world to me. It’s then that I drop the whole enemy thing. There’s no more war.

I’m ready to surrender myself to him and let the chips fall where they may.

I’m ready to be a little wild and reckless. I’m ready to go to the dark side.

We get out and secure the plane, and before I get that beer that he promised me, a butler comes running up the beach.

“Mr. Dex,” he says, bowing his head. “Mr. Gladstone would like to have a word with you as soon as possible.”

“Shit,” Dex curses under his breath. “Tell him I’m busy.”

“I’m afraid this can’t wait,” he says with a tight expression on his face. “He said it was an emergency.”

Dex looks at me and I shake my head. “Go,” I say. “We have all the time in the world after.”

He sighs and then turns back to the butler. “This better be good,” Dex says. “You’re making me stand up my girlfriend.”

The sound of that word on his lips gives me goosebumps.

“Where is he?”

“He’s waiting in the helicopter on the roof,” the butler says, waving him toward the sprawling villa. “I’ll show you.”

Dex tilts his head as he watches the man. “I’m not trained to fly that thing.”

“Let’s just go check it out,” I say, feeling like something is wrong.

The butler holds up his hand and cringes at me. “I’m afraid that he requested that Dex comes alone.”

“What?” Dex shouts, stepping forward as he looks up at the roof.

I grab his tattooed arm and tug it back. “I’ll be fine,” I say as butterflies invade my stomach. “Just go see what he wants.”

He gives me a quick kiss and then leaves me on the beach with my lips tingling and my stomach in knots.