Something about this feels like a trap—and not a bit of it makes any sense. Not that I would expect it to—this is Leo, after all.

Watching him charm the people I’ve worked with for the past several months makes me remember how he won me over in the first place. But none of this is real—he’s the ultimate bullshit artist. I need to make sure I remember that tonight, if this date even happens.

I edge around him and head for the door without saying anything about the jet. There’s no way I’m going anywhere with him—it’s bad enough he showed up in my office at all. And the only reason I had agreed to any of this tonight was to get him to go on his merry way. If I know anything about Leo, it’s that he’s more stubborn than I am, and I know he won’t be leaving by choice until he gets what he wants.

One date. I can do that—I can force myself to spend a few hours with him. It would be nice to have some closure on everything that’s happened between us, anyway. But I never said anything about getting on his fancy private plane with him. That is one part of his life I’ve never wanted anything to do with. I’m sure there are plenty of girls out there who would swoon over stuff like that. But it only makes me feel like I want to puke—it touches off something in the back of my mind that tells me I’m not worthy of someone like Leo. It’s a part of myself I’m actively trying to get to shut the hell up.

I walk through my office and head for the back door. I don’t even check to see if he’s following me—I just begin my walk back to the dormitory where I and the other temporary medical workers live in this small town.

He catches up to me a second later. “It’s bloody hot out here. I have a car with air conditioning, Elle. Matthias would be happy to drive you to your home—”

“It’s only a few blocks away. And it’s not as hot as it was in Rio de Campo. There’s almost zero humidity here.” I have to restrain myself to keep from looking over at him. I know I’ll only imagine how he looked the day we met at the clinic when his shirt was clinging to him. It was hard enough to keep myself from staring at him while we were at that party in the clinic a few minutes ago.

“Yes, but it’s not even summer.” He pulls at the collar of his long-sleeved dress shirt. “Too bloody hot when it is still technically spring.”

“We’re already almost there.” I motion toward the building in the distance. “It’s walking distance on purpose, so there’s no commute for the employees.”

“They provided a fine home for you, at least. I had my concerns when I found out where you were hiding—”

“That isn’t my home—it’s a dorm. Sort of like Owen’s hostel.” I glance over at him. “And I’m not hiding, Leo. This is a pretty common thing—working for a medical agency. There are five doctors here on contract right now and probably a dozen nurses. Paul is the only doctor who actually lives in this town.”

“Understandably. I can’t imagine why anyone would choose to live in the middle of the desert. I also can’t imagine why you would have chosen to come here when there were short-term positions within driving distance of your home.” He glances at me with a smile. “I know because I checked. You chose to come here.”

I stop on the sidewalk and turn to him. “Leo, I had my reasons for leaving.”

He stares at me for a moment. “You were running from our difficulties.”

I roll my eyes before I turn to start walking for the building again. “You can hardly blame me. The paparazzi never left, even after they knew you had fled. It wasn’t until a basketball player killed someone in a drunk driving accident that they finally decided I wasn’t interesting anymore. I sat in my house alone for five days.”

“And if you had taken a job in California, then—”

“Then what?” I stop and turn to him again. “If I had taken a job in California, then what? You might have come slinking back to me sooner? Yeah, I really missed the boat on that one, Leo.”

“Elle, I’ve already said leaving you that day was the biggest mistake of my life. I’ve paid the price—you have no idea how much I’ve regretted my actions of that day.”

“Hm.” I start walking again. I’d love to throw the tabloids in his face—ask him exactly how much of a price he had to pay considering how many different supermodels he’s slept with in the past three months. But I’m not going to—something about it feels almost stalkerish. Not that his being here at all isn’t completely stalkerish.

But I’m not about to allow him the satisfaction of knowing I care or that my gut twists with jealousy when I let myself think about how he’s been with other women. How I’ve been unable to stop myself from reading every fucking tabloid in the supermarket, searching for every single passing mention of him. I suppose his use of private investigators on me is basically the same thing—a much more expensive version of the same thing.

My steps quicken as we walk up to the threshold of the building. I turn to him at the entry. “Wait here. I need to change my clothes—I’ll just be a minute.”

He grins. “I’m happy to assist if you’d like.”

“Not a chance, Leo. Not a single chance in hell.” I smile. “I’ll be back in a second.”

His smile falls, and he gives me a single nod.

I rush in, tearing down the hall to my room. I still haven’t packed much of anything—I’m supposed to leave tomorrow, but my things are all still scattered around my room. I choose a sundress from my closet—one of the few articles of clothing I have that isn’t for work—and I pull it on, tossing the clothes I wore today into a box near the dresser.

He isn’t going to come into this room. I will not let things get that far tonight. I won’t. I can’t. Being with Leo might have been the best sex of my life, but it was only really one day. Nothing about that day I spent with him at my house meant anything about the rest of my life.

And that’s what tonight is going to be. One date—a few hours to gain some closure. He obviously needs it as much as I do.

But there’s a niggling little thought in the back of my head that maybe… Maybe I can let myself have one more night with him. If I go into it knowing it will be only one night, I might be able to let myself just enjoy it for what it is. A fling. A one-night stand. The best sex of my life.

I’m getting ahead of myself, though. He invited me on a date. On his jet. Leo must want more than just two hours of talking, too.

Of course he wants more. This is Prince Leopold we’re talking about.

I shake my head to myself as I gather my things from the floor and throw them into the box. I’m making way too much of this. Overthinking things, as usual. I do believe I can do this date, though. As long as I keep things on my terms, I’ll be fine. I can shield my heart and not allow myself to be hurt again.

I walk back out to the porch to see Leo sitting on the small wooden bench near the door. He’s unbuttoned his collar and has rolled up his sleeves to his elbows.

He stands as soon as he sees me, grinning. His eyes roam over my body, and he lifts a brow. “I must say this change in clothing is rather lovely.”

It’s difficult to cover my smile. “Thanks.” I let out a long breath. “Look, I thought about your offer. And I’m willing to accept on one condition—”

“Anything.” He extends his elbow to me. “I’ll call Matthias to bring the car—the airstrip is rather close. We can be—”

“No.” I fold my arms over my chest instead of taking his elbow. “The date…it needs to happen here.”

“Here?” He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. After a moment, the silly grin returns to his lips. “In your dormitory? I can definitely be amenable to that—”

“No, not in my dormitory. The walls are pretty thin in there, Leo, so don’t get any ideas—”

“If memory serves, dear Elle, it is not I who would need to keep quiet should our date occur in your bed. Though I’d be more than happy to help you remember—”

“Hilarious. You really missed your calling as a stand-up comedian, Leo.” I feign a glare in his direction. “I said I’d go on a proper date with you, and I will. But it has to be here. And by here…” I motion with my hand down the street. “I mean in this town. Not in my bed.”

“Not yet, at any rate.”

I roll my eyes and try again to hide my grin. “We have two choices as far as restaurants are concerned. I assume by a proper date, you mean dinner?”

“I did mean dinner, but I definitely did not mean for you to have but two choices in the matter, Elle. If you would just allow me to take you—”

“No.” I shake my head, pressing my lips in a line. “The date is here or it isn’t happening. And you need to get it through your head that the date ends after dinner. Then you can get yourself back on your plane and fly back to wherever it is you came from.”

“Montovia.” He smiles. “Though I’ll admit I made a few stops before coming here.”

I let out a sound of exasperation before I edge around him and head back to the sidewalk, turning to walk back into town.

He’s at my side a moment later. “You didn’t tell me what my choices are.”

I glance up at him. “We can go to the pub where my coworkers went after the party or we can go to the Chinese restaurant across the street. Otherwise, we can get stuff for peanut butter sandwiches at the store and go to the park for a picnic.”

“Hm.” He chuckles. “While I do have quite a fond memory of us at a park, I think I’d prefer that on this date, we refrain from peanut butter sandwiches. The dates we’ve shared where those have been the main course…” His voice trails off and he grins down at me, lifting an eyebrow.

“Agreed.” I have to force myself not to smile. At least we can both see the humor in what’s happened between us before.

“So that leaves us the choice between spending the evening with your coworkers and with what I’m sincerely doubting is authentic Chinese food.” He pauses for a moment. “You know, Elle, if you’d like, we can get on my jet and I can take you to one of the finest Cantonese restaurants in the world—”

“I already told you, I’m not getting on that plane, Leo.” Though I have to admit, he’s probably right about the restaurant. I haven’t eaten there myself, but I’ve heard stories in the short time I’ve been here.

“Then Chinese it is.” He pulls my hand into his as we continue to walk. “Though, I think you’d prefer—”

“Leo, you’re pushing your luck.” After the bolt of electricity from his touch is done racing up my arm, I think about pulling my hand away. But I don’t. There’s something else there—something warm I don’t remember feeling when I touched him before. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s nice.

He chuckles, curling his fingers more tightly around my hand. “You know, Elle, if you don’t push on occasion, you’ll never know how far things might be able to go.”

I look up at him, but he’s staring straight ahead.

I’m reading too much into his words, as usual. There’s no way he wants anything more than to end up in my bed. And I’m okay with that, as long as I remind myself that’s all it is—a one-night stand.

We finally reach the restaurant. It’s empty, like it seems to always be.

The waiter seats us at one of the booths, and Leo waits for me to sit.

I can tell he wants me to scoot myself to the wall so he can sit next to me, but I stay at the edge, forcing him to sit across from me instead.

No need to put myself in a situation where I can’t say no to him. Not in a restaurant.

He takes the seat across from me, frowning for a moment before he plasters a phony smile on his lips. He pulls a menu toward him, and after he glances at it, the frown returns to his face. “Elle, the offerings here are questionable—”

I shake my head. “Peanut butter is still an option, Leo.”

He almost winces as he turns his attention back to the menu. He rolls his eyes after a minute and sets the menu down. “I think the only thing that might not cause an unbearable case of indigestion would be the barbecue pork, but I doubt—”

I almost slam my menu down in front of me. My brow furrows and I look up into his eyes. “Why are you here?”

He frowns deeply. “I told you in your office, Elle. I needed to see you again.” He tilts his head, his blue eyes blazing into mine. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head. I decided that I needed one more time—”

“One more time.” My voice is flat as I repeat his words. I force a smile. “To what end?”

“Humor me, Elle.” He reaches out and takes my hand in his. His finger trails across the back of my hand before he curls his fingers around mine. “Please? For one night?”

He lifts my hand to his lips. He closes his eyes for a moment while he kisses my fingers before he meets my gaze again. “One night. And if you have any hesitations after tonight, I’ll leave without question. That is my promise to you.”

I hate how my breath has caught in my chest at the touch of his lips on my skin. I hate that he still has this power over me—that he can make my heart beat so wildly I can’t seem to feel anything else.

Something tells me I’m about to have my heart trampled on again. But I can’t stop myself. I’m somehow sure the runaway train that is our relationship is about to crash and burn again, and I can’t find the will to stop it.

One night. I can do this for one night.

The waiter returns to our table and I don’t even get my mouth open to give him my order before Leo interrupts.

“We’ll start with a bottle of your best champagne.”

The man holds his pen and small pad in front of him, blinking at Leo.

Leo stares back. “You do have champagne, do you not?”

The man gives him a small shake of his head.

“Your finest wine, then. Surely you have a merlot?”

The man shakes his head again.

“A Chardonnay?”

The waiter blinks at him but doesn’t even shake his head this time.

I try not to roll my eyes. “I think what my friend is trying to say—”

Leo interrupts. “Date.”

My eyes definitely roll this time. “Fine. Date. What my date is trying to say is we’ll start with some tea. And the barbecue pork.”

The waiter smiles and nods and walks into the back of the restaurant.

Leo lets out a long breath, bringing my fingers to his lips again. “Elle, you must know you’re worthy of more than tea with your dinner.”

I pull my fingers away, folding my hands on my lap. “Leo, it has nothing to do with being worthy. They don’t have wine and they certainly don’t have champagne here.”

He tents his hands on the table in front of him. “Clearly, I’m not accustomed to eating at such fine establishments.”

“Leo…” I shake my head. “This is how people live. Real people. I mean…clearly I’m not accustomed to eating with people who don’t realize that.” I frown before I take a sip of the water the waiter set in front of me. “That’s why we would never work together. You don’t fit in my world, and I certainly don’t belong in yours.”

He’s quiet for a moment, tapping his fingers together.

I stare at him for another moment before I speak again. “I owe you an apology, Leo. For the way I behaved when you were at my house. I—”

“No. No, Elle, it is I who owes you an apology. I… Leaving you was the biggest mistake I’ve made in my life. And I’ve made many mistakes. It is just that—”

“Leo, I’m not sure what your end goal is here. I mean…” I lower my voice, though there’s really no one around to hear. “I mean, the sex was great. At least it was for me—I’m sure you’ve had better—”

“On the contrary, Elle, it was spectacular for me, as well. But you can’t believe that is the only reason I returned.”

“I know…” I frown. “I don’t. I don’t believe that’s why you returned, because you clearly have plenty of options out there if sex is what you’re after.”

His shoulders drop and he shakes his head. His hands ball into fists and he squeezes his eyes shut for a long moment. He opens them and looks into my eyes. “How many days has it been since I left, Elle?”

“How many days? I don’t know… It was a little over three months ago—”

“Ninety-four days. Ninety-four. Do you know how I know that, Elle?”

I press my lips together. “No.”

“I know because I’ve counted. I’ve counted every single day—I knew that on day ninety-four you would be done with this blasted job and that I could finally see you again. I didn’t want to distract you from your work. I purposely waited until today.”

“But—”

“But nothing. I’ve had this day planned for over a month. I planned this evening down to the finest detail.” He glances around the restaurant before returning his gaze to mine. His voice lowers. “And not a single one of those details involved eating at an establishment where the featured dish was something made with imitation crab meat.” He rubs a hand across his jaw. “I don’t even want to imagine the ingredients in an imitation seafood, Elle.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Leo, I don’t need your fancy dates. I don’t need—”

“Of course you don’t need it. I know that, Elle.”

I frown again. I promised myself I wasn’t going to bring it up, but this overly dramatic act is all a bit too much. “Leo, I would love to say I believe you. I mean, I believe it’s been ninety-four days—”

“It has—”

“But it isn’t as though you’ve been sitting alone in your room pining for me or anything. It’s not like your life just stopped.”

His jaw clenches for a moment and something flashes in his eyes. Regret, maybe. “Everything I have done in the past ninety-four days has been merely a distraction.”

“Ah. I think I’ve heard this song before.” I force a smile and fold my hands on the table. “Hopefully, when you told those women that they weren’t distractions for you, they didn’t believe you. I hope they saw through that infamous bullshit line. Because, you know, I still feel the knife in my heart when you say that to me.”

“Elle…” He takes my hand in his again before lifting it to his lips, pressing another kiss to my fingers. “I assure you. You are the only woman I have ever admitted was not a distraction.”

I smile and shake my head. I hold back the laugh I feel bubbling up inside me. “Leo, you are ridiculous. What’s funny is how you have no idea how ridiculous you are. You know that telling me you were with other women but that they didn’t mean anything doesn’t make me feel better, right?”

“Why wouldn’t it, though?”

I roll my eyes and let out a long sigh. “Would you be happy to know I’ve slept with seven guys since I’ve been here?”

His face flushes and rage flashes through his eyes. His free hand balls into a fist. “Elle—”

“I haven’t, Leo. I’m just trying to show you…” I groan and turn away. “You have no grip on reality. That’s all I wanted to point out.”

“How many, Elle? How many men have there been? My investigators have been keeping a close eye since they located you here in Arizona—”

“Oh, fuck your investigators. Maybe I slept with them.” I turn back to him with a frown. “You know, I’m trying to tell myself that this whole act of yours is just you trying to be charming, even though you’re actually acting like more of stalker.” I glare at him for a few moments. “And I haven’t been with anyone since you left me that day. Not that it’s any of your business.”

He’s trying to hide it, but I can see he’s pleased by the news. A small smile forms on his lips. “I am…relieved to hear that, Elle. And by the end of tonight, I have no doubt the only thing you’ll be telling yourself in that beautiful head of yours is that you belong to me.”

I lift a brow. “I belong to you?” I let out a choked laugh. “You’re dreaming.”

“I assure you, Elle—”

“Stop assuring me. None of your past assurances have assured me of anything.”

The waiter returns to the table with a pot of tea and a plate of meat. He sets small bowls with the dipping sauces in front of each of us, then looks at Leo with a smile.

Leo frowns at the plate of red-crusted meat before looking up at the man. “I think that will be all for now.”

The waiter nods and returns to the back of the restaurant.

Leo turns his gaze to me. “Elle, this may be inedible—”

I already have a forkful of meat and have dipped a corner of it into the hot mustard. “Try it before you say it’s inedible.” But as soon as I take a bite, I can tell by the chewy texture I won’t be taking another.

He winces as he plunges his fork into a slice of the meat. He covers the entire thing in the hot mustard before lifting it to his lips.

“Leo…” I don’t even have time to warn him before he puts the small slice of meat into his mouth.

Tears come to his widened eyes and he sputters before he swallows, grabbing his glass of water and draining it in what seems like a single gulp. He swipes at his eyes with the back of his hands before he turns his gaze back to mine. “You might have warned me—”

“I’m sorry.” I have to press my lips together to keep myself from laughing. “I thought you realized the mustard—”

“Oh, we make one of the finest mustards in the world in Montovia.” He takes another sip of his water. “Though, I can’t say this mustard is anywhere near ours…” He lets out a breath and smiles before he starts to laugh.

I start to laugh, too. It takes me a few moments to realize he’s stopped laughing and is looking at me with an expression I don’t recognize.

My cheeks burn with embarrassment as I realize I’m making a fool of myself. I grab my water and take a long drink.

He pulls my hand to his lips again. “Elle, you have no idea how I’ve longed to hear that sound. What I would do to hear it again.”

“To hear…what?” My brow furrows and I pull my hand away. “Leo, none of this is making any sense.”

“To hear you laugh. I…I would give anything to hear that sound.”

My face feels like it’s on fire. “Leo…”

He squeezes my hand. “As I’ve been trying to tell you, Elle…I needed to see you again. Needed it. It’s more than a wanting. It’s…it’s difficult to explain.”

I look into his eyes, hoping to read something in his gaze. Trying to somehow see if this is a sort of trap or if I can trust him, even though I’m not about to trust him anywhere near my heart.

He stares at me for a moment. “I’ve missed you.” There’s something in his gaze—something I can’t quite read. Almost like a longing. Almost like what I’ve felt when I’ve allowed myself to think about him these past few months.

I nod. “I’ve missed you, too, Leo. I have. It’s just…”

“I know. This is difficult. This…” He waves his free hand. “It really doesn’t have to be difficult, you know.”

Something pulses between us again, and heat races up my arm as he lifts my hand to his lips.

He kisses each of my fingers, his gaze never leaving mine. Then he turns my hand over and kisses my wrist. “I need to kiss you, Elle. I need to feel you in my arms. I need…I need you.”

“You don’t…you don’t need me, Leo. I mean, you can have any woman you want—”

“And I want you.” He presses another kiss to the inside of my wrist. “And I think you want me, too.” He kisses me there again, his lips lingering for far too long. “I think by the way your pulse is racing, you may need me as much as I need you.”

I can’t deny how my heart is thudding in my ears at his touch. At his words. That the fluttering in my chest is making it a little hard to breathe. Making it even warmer in here than it should be. Making parts of me wake up again for the first time in months. Making me want to be with him one last time.

But only to get him out of my system.

I can do this. I can give in to my passion for him for one last night. One fling—one night. No strings. No attachments.

“Please, Elle.” He clasps his other hand around mine. “Let me take you somewhere. Anywhere of your choosing. Anywhere in the world—”

“We can go back to my dorm room.” The words almost fall out of my mouth without me realizing I’ve said them. “I mean, we’ll have to be quiet, but—”

“We wouldn’t need to be quiet on my jet. And I could take you to any of the finest resorts in the world—”

“No.” I shake my head, pulling my hand from his before I let him take me right here at the table. “We’ll go back to my room. And it will be one time, Leo. One time—”

He grins. “Surely we’re capable of more than one time, Elle. As I recall from my visit to your home—”

“One time. To get it out of our systems.” I nod. “If we go into it knowing it’s the last time—the only time—no one has to get hurt. We both go into it with the understanding that it means nothing—”

“Elle.” He grins, standing up before he pulls out his wallet and tosses a few bills onto the table. “I will agree to your stipulations. To get it out of our systems. But I think we both know neither of us will be satisfied with only one time. We also both know there is no way it will mean nothing. It means far more to me than you can imagine.”

“Leo…” I want to argue, but I know he’s right. He’s like an addiction—one I wish I knew how to kick. But if I go into it knowing it’s only going to be one time…

Oh, who the hell am I kidding? I can give him tonight. But that’s it. One night.

I take his elbow and let him lead me out the door.

We walk back in the direction of my dorm before he speaks. “You won’t regret this, Elle.”

“I have a feeling I’m going to regret this for the rest of my life, Leo. But…” My voice trails off.

“But?” He turns and grins down at me.

“But, I think I’ll regret not ending it like this even more.”

He nods, his smile falling only a little. “It’s my intention to not have you regret a thing, Elle.”

“I know. You said.” My heart is still racing in my chest as we near the dorm, but it seems like it’s for a very different reason than lust this time.

He seems to sense my fear and he drapes his arm around my shoulders. “Have I told you how beautiful you look in that dress?”

“Leo…” I stop on the sidewalk, turning to him. “This is a terrible idea. For both of us.”

He shakes his head. “The only terrible idea is not seeing this through to its logical conclusion.”

I nod—he’s right. The logical conclusion is he’s going to be leaving. I might as well enjoy him—and what he can give me—before he does.

One night. I sort of hate how I have to keep reminding myself of that, but I do it again. One night.

We get back to my dorm a few minutes later. He glances around my room before he turns back to me. “This is where you’ve lived since you moved here?”

I nod. “Yes, and try to keep your voice down. I wasn’t kidding about the thin walls.” The television from the room next to mine is already blaring—there’s not even a small semblance of privacy in this place other than the walls that do little more than keep people from being able to see each other.

He takes a step toward me. “I can be very quiet, Elle. You on the other hand…”

I narrow my gaze. “Yes, as you’ve been reminding me.” I glance around my room in a panic. The bed is small—very narrow, even for a twin bed and the thing creaks every time I turn over on it.

The floor. The floor would be far better.

I pull the blanket from the bed and smooth it on the floor. We may as well get this over with—it’s not like I need him to woo me. I invited him here to get him out of my system, so I’m not sure why I feel the need to be so embarrassed about it now.

I still have my back to him when I pull off my dress.

“Elle.” He steps to me, touching my shoulder. “I… It doesn’t have to be like this.”

Tears well in my eyes as I realize what I’m doing. Again. I somehow find my voice. “I need it to be over, Leo. I can’t…I can’t let myself be hurt again.”

His hand slides down my bare arm and he takes my hand in his as he presses his lips to my shoulder. “Hurting you is not something I want to do.”

“But—”

“No buts, Elle. I want nothing more than to show you how much you mean to me. How much the time we’ve spent together has changed me.”

“Leo…” My eyes flutter closed as his lips move across my shoulder to my neck.

“Let me show you what you mean to me, Elle. And if you still don’t believe me, I’ll leave if you ask. But if you should change your mind…” He brings his other hand to my bare shoulder, pressing his lips against my neck until I arch against him.

I turn to face him, reaching up to the sides of his face and pulling his lips against mine. He deepens our kiss, sliding his arms around my waist.

As my fingers trail to his neck, fumbling with the buttons at the top of his shirt, he backs me toward the wall.

I pull at the bottom of his shirt, untucking it from his pants. He releases me for only a second, barely breaking our kiss to lift his still mostly-buttoned shirt over his head before he tosses it to the floor.

“Leo…” My breaths are ragged and I can barely get even his name out. But I can tell from the heat pooling in my midsection that I’m about to lose control again. About to lose my mind to lust.

His fingers find my bare shoulders again and even this small touch has a fire burning beneath my skin.

And I’m torn. Part of me wants him inside me now—I don’t know how or why my body does what it does around him, but the strength of my desire for him is something that is still as uncomfortable as it is overwhelming.

But the other part of me… I want this night to last as long as it possibly can. I want him to… I want us to last as long as possible.

I sink to my knees in front of him, unfastening his belt and the button at his waist. My hand grazes against the bulge in his pants as I reach to uncover it, licking my lips as I prepare to take him in my mouth.

But he catches my wrist before I can expose anything. He’s looking down at me, his mouth open as though he means to say something, but he doesn’t. Instead, he reaches down and lifts me to my feet, kissing me gently as he moves us both to the bed.

He guides me onto my back, raining soft kisses on my neck, my cheeks, my forehead, then my lips as he moves to cover my body with his.

He reaches up and strokes my hair as he looks down into my eyes. “Elle, you have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.” There’s something…odd in his expression. I can’t quite pinpoint what it is, but it isn’t something I recognize.

My mouth falls open as I meet his gaze. I reach up to touch his face, trying to memorize every line, every detail this time. There might be a place deep inside me that wants this to last—to never end—but the practical part of me knows it will. And I want to remember as much of it as I can.

He takes my hand in his again and kisses each of my fingers one by one before he flips my hand over, kissing the inside of my wrist. Slowly, so very, very slowly, his lips trail kisses up my arm until he’s at my shoulder, then my neck. He presses his lips to the space just below my ear for a moment before he takes my other hand and repeats the process on the other side.

And I’m on fire. Each time his lips find my skin, it’s like some spring inside me coils itself a little tighter. By the time his lips find mine again, I feel like a wild animal, almost clawing at him for release. I wrap my legs around him and try to reach for his waist, almost desperate to remove his pants that still separate the skin of his lower body from mine.

His mouth covers mine for a moment before he pulls away, sitting himself up as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a condom before he finally maneuvers himself out of his pants.

He looks down at me for a moment, touching the top of my thigh as his eyes skim over my body. “God, you’re beautiful, Elle.” He smiles, tilting his head as reaches down to expertly flick open my bra.

I wrap my legs around his waist again, pulling him toward me as I lift myself to kiss him again. I’m not sure how much longer I can play this game—I’m not sure how he’s done this to me again at all, but I want him inside me. I need him inside me. Now.

His lips meet mine only briefly before he pulls away to look into my eyes. He hooks his thumbs around the top of my panties before he slides them down as much as he can. I have to unwrap my legs from his waist to help wriggle myself out of them, but his eyes never leave mine.

He stares at me long enough—not doing anything else—that it becomes a little uncomfortable.

He must sense it, and he smiles. “Elle, I—”

I lift a finger to his lips, quieting him. My voice is nothing but a ragged whisper. “Leo, no talking. We…we have to be quiet.” I hate that I’m so concerned about my fellow dormitory residents hearing us, but if I can hear everything on the other side of the wall next to me, I know the person in there can hear what’s going on in my room, too.

I let out another few more tortured breaths. “I…I need you. I need you right now. Quietly, though.” He has no idea how close I am already. How if I so much as grind against him I’m going to shatter to pieces in an instant.

He grins, dropping his voice to match mine. “Oh, Elle, you have no idea how much I want to hear you scream my name when you come tonight.” He reaches for the condom he pulled from his pocket, sliding it on before he covers my body with his again.

He kisses my neck before he whispers in my ear. “And you will cry my name, Elle. So many times tonight…” His lips find mine again, almost like he’s trying to drown out the sound he knows is about to come from my mouth as soon as he’s inside me.

I return his kiss, wrapping my arms and legs around him again as I pull him closer, and he rocks himself inside me in a single motion. It seems to only be a second before I find myself teetering at the edge of bliss.

And he must know—he must be able to feel it. He lifts himself away from me the slightest bit—which feels like torture in itself—but only enough to slide his hand between my legs. The moment his thumb finds my clit, I explode.

He holds me as the waves crash over me, covering my mouth with his to drown out my cries of pleasure. His arms wrap around me as he slowly rocks into me again and again. It’s almost as if he’s cradling me as I come back down to earth.

He groans softly into my neck as his release follows a few moments later. He turns to his side, pulling me against him as he catches his breath.

He presses a kiss to my lips before he pulls away and looks into my eyes. His voice is only a whisper. “I’m going to take care of this condom, then I’m going to make love to you again.”

My eyes flutter closed and I nod, still trying to find my breath.

Leo slides off the bed and walks into the bathroom before I realize what he just said.

Make love.

I know he didn’t mean it that way, but it’s still nice to hear. It’s obvious whatever it is between us—this weird chemistry we seem to have—is something more than just great sex. But that’s all it can be. That’s all I’m going to allow it to be.

I grab the blanket from the floor and pull it over myself before he returns to the bed. Great sex is enough. And I’m going to memorize every last detail of this night—our last night together.

* * *

We somehow manage to have sex three more times before we finally wear ourselves out. He holds me in his arms, and we cling to each other in the tiny bed as he whispers in my ear. “Let me have this weekend with you, Elle. We had a date tonight on your terms. Now let me show you a proper royal date experience.”

I laugh softly, still trying to keep my voice low. “What exactly is a proper royal date experience, Leo?”

He strokes my hair and presses a kiss to my temple. “Allow me to show you on my terms. Please?”

It’s against my better judgment, but I nod as my eyes flutter closed from exhaustion. I should end it now—send him on his way. But the thought of having him to myself for another day makes my heart do things I’d rather not admit. And the thought of having him inside me one last time is too much to resist.

Make love. The thought of having him make love to me again…

“Okay, Leo. As long as you have me back here tomorrow so I can get to my interview in Oklahoma on Tuesday. It’s a long drive.”

He kisses my temple once more and I can feel him nod as I drift off to sleep. “Whatever you wish, Elle. Anything for you.”

* * *