They exited the vehicles outside the compound. She waved at Dylan, Mary and Dallas as they headed toward the building with large bags loaded with food.

“I’d better go help,” Jenna said. She hugged Vi, then Jud. “I’ll see you two in the morning. Come on, Jarold. We need to get the rest of the bags so they don’t have to come back.”

Vi smiled as the two charged off toward the compound. A stiff wind could’ve knocked her over when her brother sprinted off after the couple to do the same. What the heck?

“We’d best get back, too,” her mom said. “I hope we’ll see you tomorrow?”

The hope in her voice didn’t carry any subtle hints of disappointment or negativity. Vi nodded lamely as she was drawn into a hug.

“You get some rest, sweetheart. Mrs. Jensen was right when she said you looked like you and Mary were both about to pass out. You can’t be your most effective if you’re tired.” Her mom kissed her cheek. “Come on, honey. We may as well stop in at the cafeteria and see if we can help. Jenna mentioned something about she and Mrs. Mason cooking in the morning. I may as well find out what time so I can help.”

“Good night, Viviana.” Her father hugged her tight, then looked down as he whispered, “Always loved you, princess. I wasn’t ever good at showing it, but I love you.”

“Love you, too, Dad,” she whispered.

Jud took her hand as she watched everyone head toward the compound. “For what it’s worth, most of what happened at dinner wasn’t planned. Dylan and Mary called Doctor Sinclair on the way, figured she could help if things went too sideways. The doc tagged out when we placed our orders. Everything else was organic.”

Everything else was organic.

“I didn’t know until we were leaving.”

“I had a chat with her in the bathroom. She’s a good woman.” Viviana chewed on his admission a while. “I should’ve been warned, but I’m glad she helped. I never thought about what happened back then from any perspective other than mine.”

“And they never thought about how hard it would’ve been for you,” Jud finished. “They love you. I didn’t see that until tonight, Viviana, but they love you.”

Viviana nodded. “Thank you for dinner, though you should’ve ordered your steak the way you wanted to eat it.”

“Come on, I’ve got a surprise for us.” He smiled and motioned to a vehicle pointed toward the pasture roads.

Anticipation and curiosity warred within her as they got into the vehicle and he headed away from the buildings and civilization. She hadn’t realized how much land Dylan and his family owned until she’d tried to set up a security grid with the drones. It was an impressive amount of acreage, plenty of land for The Arsenal to spread out however it needed to. She smiled as the vehicle moved deeper and deeper into the country.

“Where on Earth are you taking me?”

“We’re almost there,” he promised. “I got lost twice coming out here. Dallas and Dylan had to come haul my ass out.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep. It was either that or they’d have to send you in with search drones to find me, and that would’ve ruined the surprise.” Full moonlight filtered in through the window and accentuated his handsome smile and the shadowy scruff on his face.

She reached over and stroked his face. She would’ve been just as happy curling up with him on the sofa. Or in the bed. Anticipation beaded along her skin as her pulse quickened. She’d never been the best at establishing a normal pace in relationships, mainly because they’d been a rarity for her.

“You look pretty intense,” he said.

“I was just realizing tonight was our first date.”

“I guess it was, though when you found me at Bubba’s was technically the first.” He laughed and rubbed the hand she’d inadvertently left on his face. “One of these days I’ll manage to take you out on a date, a real one with just you and me.”

“Where I get to gussy up and look sexy?” She severed contact with him and looked down. “I can’t believe I wore skeleton leggings to a fancy steak joint.”

“I happen to love those skeletons. I’ve been thinking about touching each one most of the night,” he admitted.

Arousal flared within her at the thought. She clenched her thighs together as he turned off and headed away from the fence line. Shrub and overgrowth gave way to an open pasture area. The vehicle jumped up and down as he headed toward the center of the field. He stopped and parked.

He leaned over and kissed her, a too-quick fusion of tongues. He was out of the truck and around to her side before she could make sense of why they’d be out here, in the middle of nowhere. The door opened and he lifted her out. She wrapped her arms around him and continued the kiss. He groaned and deepened the contact as he walked them slowly toward the back. He put her ass onto the tailgate, which had apparently been down. She’d been so excited about a surprise she hadn’t noticed a few critical details.

Like the fact the tailgate had been down.

Like the fact there was a mattress in the bed of the truck.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she severed the kiss and did a half-turn to admire the back of the truck. A mattress. Pillows. A blanket? Holy. Wow. “When did you have time to do all this?”

“I had help,” he admitted. “Texts are marvelous inventions.”

“Are we…” She looked up at him as he settled his body between her spread legs. On instinct, she wrapped then around his waist. He’d worn a white button-down dress shirt with black jeans. She fiddled with the bolo tie. “You look so country right now I’m thinking an alien abducted you.”

“I’m the one doing the abducting tonight,” he said. “And to answer your question, this is whatever we want it to be. After the stars.”

“Stars?” She peered up and froze.

They twinkled and glimmered in the night sky, each one a wish she’d made over the years. A secret told. She tumbled into the memories, the what-ifs she’d concocted. It’d been too long since she’d visited them. She smiled up.

“Shimmy back onto the mattress, sweetheart. Your butt’s going to get cold.” Jud chuckled when she looked at him, already a bit dazed at the fact he’d brought her out to look at the stars.

“How did you know?”

“I asked Mary, figured you’d enjoy looking up at them. She got this weird look on her face and damn near cried. Dylan almost pulverized me. Then she smiled real big and said it was perfect.” He shrugged. “So here we are.”

“She didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“Nothing.” Later, much later, right before they left she’d share. For now, she’d visit her friends. Share them with Jud.

She crawled onto the mattress and plopped down. Head on a pillow, she sighed loudly and stretched. “This is the best night ever.”

Jud settled beside her. Hand on her waist, he drew her close and spread a blanket over them. Warm in his arms, she realized she’d been wrong moments ago. Now it was the best night ever. She smiled at the thought and pointed upward. “I renamed them.”

“Which ones?”

“All of them,” she declared.

“You going to share?” His breath was hot against her neck, heavy with possibilities. She angled to face him.

“Maybe, but I kind of like the idea of renaming them with you. Finding our own worlds within the stars.”

“I like that a hell of a lot, Viviana.” He kissed her, soft and slow, the kind of kiss that made her toes curl. She melted against him.

“We keep kissing like this and I’ll forget there’s a sky,” he confessed.

She would, too. Determined to share the stars with Jud, she turned back over. Now half atop him, clenched beneath the blanket in his arms, she shared her stars. She’d renamed them tons of times, coming up with different arrangements and names depending on her mood. Tonight they were cats. And dogs.

* * *

“We’re not immortalizing a poodle into the star system, Jud. You can’t be serious.” Vi laughed at the notion and turned to face him.

She’d lost track of how long they’d been there, staring up at the night sky and giving silly names to each twinkle.

“I know you see the poofy curls. Phoebe deserves her place up there. Admit it.”

“Never. And Phoebe the poodle. Are you for real?” She play punched him, opting for a palm splay against his stomach instead.

The man was impossibly tactile. He stroked, touched and taunted every inch of her skin he got access to. She’d surrendered to the contact, primarily because it gave her the chance to do the same. She squealed as he started tickling her. Hands beneath her t-shirt, he tickled along her rib cage until she curled forward and kicked her legs in defense. But she was wrapped up in a blanket.

“Unhand me you mangy poodle lover.” She growled playfully against his neck as he pinned her against the mattress. Intensity settled in his steely gaze, a turbulent nebula so deep she’d never fully navigate it. “You’re an amazing man, Judson Jason Jensen.”

“You’re pretty spectacular yourself, Viviana Chambers.” He ran a hand through her hair and feathered kisses along her temple, across her forehead, down her cheek.

She wrapped around him and moaned as his weight rested fully atop her, pressed against where she craved him the most. “I want you.”

“I’ve never wanted anything more than I want you, but our first time isn’t going to be in the back of a truck.”

“Why the hell not?” She grunted and growled as she tried to flip them over so she was on top. “Clearly I need more lessons from Addy on how to handle men like you.”

Judson kissed her. His tongue swept across the seam of her mouth and plundered like a Viking warrior seeking a treasure. She held onto him, tugging and yanking at his shirt. He chuckled against her ear. “Starting to think you have issues with my wardrobe. First you comment I never have a shirt on, now you’re ripping it off.”

“Get it off, Judson. I need to touch you.” she whispered against his mouth.

“Like for like,” he replied.

Her heart banged around as his words sank in. She still remembered how hot his mouth had been around her nipple. The way he’d sucked and… She reached for the bottom of her shirt, but his hand was already there, slipping beneath the material. One hand, then two, snaked beneath on a clear trajectory northward. Her lungs ceased working when he touched her breasts.

“It’s like unwrapping Christmas.” He licked his lips as he cupped her breasts beneath the shirt. He watched even though he couldn’t see anything more than her top. A light squeeze. She groaned. “So responsive.”

“Were you one of those kids who spent forever opening every present?” She yanked the shirt off.

“It depends. Some things are worth taking my time.” He leaned down and kissed her again as he traced the top of her bra, then cupped her again. Breathless, she returned the kiss and relished the slow, methodical glide of his touch.

Each stroke, each brief contact had her entire body aching, desperate for his attention elsewhere. He separated them. And his mouth was there, foraging the same terrain in molten tongue and slow kisses his hands had navigated earlier. He sucked a hard nipple into his mouth, through the bra.

She groaned and grabbed at his shoulders. “Judson.”

The name, more command than plea, was met with amusement. He leaned back and ripped his shirt off.

Finally. Progress.

Yes.

She smiled in appreciation and ran a hand down his chest. Kissed and licked in the same manner he’d used. Then his hands delved beneath her bra and all thought ceased. If he stopped she’d call in a couple sleeper drones, knock his ass out and take matters into her own hands. She roamed southward, paused to squeeze his ass. She writhed upward, rubbing the achy part of her against his prominent bulge.

The bra vanished, leaving her exposed fully above the waist when he rested her on the mattress and repeated the ministrations with his mouth he’d done earlier. This time no material offered resistance. Fiery heat spread through her, from where he sucked her nipple, and fanned outward until her body was one live wire of sensation, a network of desire controlled by Jud, his mouth on her.

He massaged and stroked until her entire body thrummed with raw need. He pulled away long enough for her to wrestle control, taste his hot skin and mimic the hungered exploration with one of her own.

“I love the way you purr,” he whispered against her ear. He tugged her leggings, then halted.

Determination and arousal were in his gaze, a heady mix of dilated pupils and narrowed gaze. She’d never had someone look at her with such…need. In that instant she felt like Wonder Woman and Xena rolled into one. She didn’t verbalize her response, mostly because she was pretty sure her voice wasn’t working. Either that or her brain had forgotten how to talk. His eyes widened when she unclasped his jeans.

She claimed his mouth, demanding the duel of tongues that spread fire through her core and pooled between her legs. A moan escaped her as he removed the rest of her clothes. Hesitation overwhelmed her a few moments. She was so out of her league. Jud exuded confidence, stealthy sensuality in each move, each glide of his hands on her body. His mouth.

Her fingernails dug into his shoulders as he angled downward, licked and kicked an invisible path toward the juncture of her thighs. Awareness crawled beneath her skin, honed in wherever he roamed. She tried pulling him up, but he chuckled and continued until his hot breath fanned along the inside of her thighs.

“Beautiful, sweet Viviana. I’ve been thinking about this a long time.”

Oh God. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed a bit of courage. The last time a man…

She forced the thought aside and focused on the present. This was Jud. He enjoyed her sass and thought she was beautiful. He was a bad ass who did what he wanted and didn’t let anyone dupe him into doing something he didn’t want to. If he didn’t want to…

His tongue laved across her slit. She writhed upward as he plunged a finger into her.

“So wet,” he whispered. “I’m going to taste you, Viviana.”

And he did. Vi surrendered to the onslaught of sensations. The man was lethal to her senses and she loved every second. One hand roamed, caressed and played with her breasts as the other worked in tandem with his mouth. The flick of his tongue across her clit ignited her entire body, a warm tingling wave fanning outward. Her entire body seized as a cascade of pleasure ignited through her.

She claimed his mouth when he rose above her. Muscles bunched beneath her touch. Pleasure spiraled through her, an explosion of sensations wherever he stroked. He nipped her lower lip as he pinched her nipple. Feather soft kisses along her neck cast a shiver of anticipation through her entire body. The wave of need returned, surging as she writhed beneath his deft ministrations.

“My turn,” she stated.

“No, relax. Next time.” The seductive timbre stoked her desire as she relaxed against him and sought his mouth.

The man was definitely lethal to the senses. Although she’d been with a handful of men, none had awakened her like Jud, made her want so bad she’d kill if necessary. They hadn’t taken the time, hadn’t put her needs first. Next time? Like hell.

Hunger turned his gaze molten as he leaned back and undid his jeans. She tracked the glide of the zipper. She licked her lips as she admired his thick cock. He removed his pants with effortless ease, as if they weren’t in the back of a pickup truck in the middle of a field. She didn’t give a damn where they were, it didn’t matter. She wanted Judson Jensen inside her.

Immediately.

She rose up and ran her hands along his sides, tracing the contour of muscles along his stomach. A smile spread across her face as their gazes collided. She wrapped her hand around the hardened length of his arousal and tightened the grip until a groan escaped him.

“My turn,” she repeated.

His skin was hot beneath her mouth. He was a live furnace, exuding heat and need so primal, her entire body trembled with the need to satisfy him. She worked his length in her hand and growled when he halted her efforts.

“Next time, Viviana. I’m damn close to losing it and I want to be inside you when that happens,” he admitted.

She curled her toes and gulped as images assailed her. Her pulse quickened as she returned to the mattress and watched as he removed a condom from his wallet. “You’d better have more than one of those.”

He grinned. “I was a boy scout growing up. I’m always prepared for anything.”

Thank God.

He rolled on the condom with an ease that incited Vi’s self-doubt. “I’m not very…it’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while for me, too,” he replied as he lay beside her on the mattress. He stroked her cheek and studied her a moment. “You’re nervous.”

Not trusting her voice, she did a half-shrug, partial nod. She couldn’t explain the frenzied voice in her head, the one screaming she wasn’t good enough. She’d screw something up. She’d battled that bitchy voice her entire life, but never in these situations. She’d never had a man as virile and…

Yeah.

Jud was an entirely different league compared to men she’d been with in the past.

“Look at me, Viviana.” He raised her chin with a couple fingers until their gazes locked. “It’s just you and me here. Fuck whatever is going through that sexy brain of yours. Nothing and no one else matters, not now. Not ever. Not when it comes to you and me. You’re beautiful and I want you more than I’ve wanted anything or anyone, ever. Don’t doubt that.”

“I don’t even know what this is between us. All I know is what you make me feel. It…” She swallowed and tumbled into the intensity of his gaze. He’d understand. He had to understand. “It terrifies me.”

“Good,” he whispered. “It terrifies me, too.”

He kissed her gently until she relaxed against him. Tension gave way to the desire he stoked easily. He thrust a finger inside her wet pussy and groaned.

“Still so wet for me, Viviana.”

“I want you inside me, Jud. Please.” She wrapped her legs around his hips when he settled above her. Reaching between them, she stroked his hard cock again and helped guide him inside.

He thrust deep in one long, hard stroke. She cried out, clenching around him.

“Fuck.” He groaned. “So tight.”

Vi wrapped her arms and legs around him and grabbed his ass with both hands, locking him into place until she was ready for him to move. His mouth sought hers. The frenzied kiss burned away any self-confidence issues she had. A moan escaped her as he moved, rotating his hips.

“Harder,” she ordered.

“A bossy little minx.” He laughed in her ear. His breath fell along her cheek as he thrust into her harder, deeper. “You feel so good wrapped around me, Viviana. I could spend forever here, inside you.”

Yes. That’d be real, real good. She writhed beneath him, met each thrust. Jud grasped her hips and shifted positions. Each thrust went deeper until her entire body spasmed and she orgasmed.

Jud’s release followed hers. She relished his weight when he settled atop her. Their heavy breathing mingled. She clenched herself around him where they were still joined and kissed him softly, hesitantly.

He rested his forehead against hers and huffed a few more labored breaths. “That was amazing.”

Yeah, it was. Vi curled against Jud and positioned her leg between his. She traced invisible patterns along his side. Her cheeks ached from the massive grin she wore. Heat crept up her cheeks when she peeked up at him. He chuckled and dragged her up, claiming her mouth in a hot kiss. They’d spent the past several hours repeating the same routine. Have incredible, mind-blowing sex. Rest. Repeat.

Her entire body was relaxed. Her mind…well, quilling and created code had nothing on sex with Judson Jensen.

“You’re definitely a little minx,” he whispered against her cheek.

Vi glanced up at the stars. Such a wonderful night. There was only one thing that’d make it absolutely perfect. Her pulse quickened, her mouth dried. She’d trust him with it. How could she not?

“The semester at MIT was two weeks in when I started. My parents fought it until the last possible moment. None of the dormitories wanted me there, none of the students wanted a baby as a roommate. Then a resident greeted me and said she had the perfect person for me to share my MIT experience with. It was like I’d met my other half when she introduced me to Mary. Mom and Dad tossed my suitcase into the room and left. No hugs, no wishes for good luck. Nothing.”

“Jesus.” He hugged her tighter.

“We stayed up the whole night talking, regaling each other with stories about our bullies and home lives. It’s better to laugh than cry, right? It was after midnight when we got a crazy idea to sneak up to the roof. We grabbed our blankets and pillows and found the biggest, tallest, flattest roof we could. It took some creativity, but we got up there and spent hours staring up at the stars. I told her we needed to send our dreams up there, turn the stars into a constant reminder of what we would achieve, do. We weren’t focusing on what we’d endured, not anymore. We were looking forward and up. Nothing would stop us. Ever.”

She paused, kissing his chest.

“Viviana,” he whispered.

“That’s why she said this idea was perfect, because it was,” she said. “Thank you for sharing the stars with me.”

“No, thank you for letting me see them with you. You’re an amazing woman, Viviana.”

“You’re a pretty amazing guy, Judson.”

“So Phoebe the Poodle is in? All those curls would make a hell of a constellation,” he said with a grin.

Vi punched him and squealed as he tickled her sides.

Jud tensed in her embrace as the distinct sound of guns cocking echoed around them. Before she could react, hands grabbed her and Jud. Something punctured her neck.

Darkness descended.