Tristan had not been kidding about the drive. It was almost an hour and a half until they got to the posh garden district just outside of Tampa. In the car with her and Tristan were Gage and Hunter. Shae had remained largely silent as Gage and Hunter had taken up most of the conversation. She had to admit, they were both oddly talented at small talk. They went back and forth about the latest movies and pop culture news. For a while, they went on about 3D printers and how they were revolutionizing the thieving industry. Tristan was silent most of the time. She wasn’t sure whether he was normally this quiet, or whether she was making him uncomfortable. Well, he was sure as hell making her uncomfortable. As much as she tried to forget about it, she kept imagining his hands on her shirt. Hell, in her shirt. How small she looked compared to those hands. Long, strong fingers that she wanted to wrap around her....

Nope. She was not thinking about this again. She had self-control, and she was adult enough to move on from this lying thief.

Apparently they were going to some sort of day party. The reception was being held at Wixom Gardens. Shae had never heard of it, but the exterior was decorated by lush greenery and various exotic flowers. The border of the place was surrounded by a wrought-iron gate that was filled with an intricate network of vines sprouting out lush green leaves. Definitely seemed like a fancy place to have a party. She looked over her outfit once more. The black suit with a delicate pink pinstripe and the barely there white blouse beneath it all seemed so... structured. Nothing like her normal outfit of jeans and whatever shirt she had laying around. It seemed too much like her old life. Who she was supposed to be. She rolled her shoulders to get herself in the game. Hunter parked the car and turned around to look at them. “All right, you’re up. Shae, Tristan, you’re going to go in first. If you get eyes on Damask, let us know as soon as possible.”

“What do you do once I let you know? Aren’t I questioning him?”

“You are, but we want to make sure we’re in place for backup.”

“We got it,” assured Tristan. “Let’s get this over with.” He got out of the car, and she followed. For a moment, she froze. Did she just head inside? Did she follow Tristan’s lead? This had to be an invitation-only thing, right? Why had no one talked about how they were going to get in?

She didn’t have to think too long about it. Tristan appeared in front of the car and motioned with a jerk of his neck for her to follow. He headed confidently toward the front entrance, and she tried to match that confidence but had her doubts that she was pulling it off. When they walked inside, the hostess gave them a polite smile. “Hello, how can I help you?”

“We’re here for the Blackthorne party.”

“All right. Just follow me,” the hostess said cheerfully.

Shae couldn’t believe it. How did they just get in that easily? She hung back a few steps, making sure she and Tristan were out of earshot, before she softly said, “How did you do that?”

“It’s a party, Shae. Relax.”

She was so sure he was joking, she half expected him to burst into laughter. “We’re taking down an evil empire, but we can just walk right into their party?”

“Not everyone is evil. This is a casual office appreciation event. Getting in isn’t hard. They’re not exactly going to be exchanging company secrets here. Besides, the plan is to get kicked out, remember? As soon as someone sees us who knows we don’t belong, we’re only going to have a few minutes to get our work done and get out.”

She didn’t know whether his words were comforting or disturbing. Who was she kidding? Nothing was comforting at this point.

The hostess reached a pair of French doors and pushed one of them open, holding it for them as they walked through. The patio was surrounded by lush gardens that went right up to the iron fence that went around the property. She thought the suit might be out of place for a party, but everyone else seemed to be businessmen and women mingling around the standing tables, all sipping from long-stemmed wine glasses. It was one fancy office appreciation day. Whatever happened to something like laser tag?

Shae glanced around, scanning the crowd and looking for Damask.

“Do you see him?” asked Tristan in her ear.

“I’m looking,” she assured him.

“Are you sure you’ll recognize him? I mean, how long did you actually talk to him for?”

“A few minutes.”

“A few minutes? Do you mean that literally, or do you mean just a few seconds?”

“I mean a few minutes.”

“And you saw him in person, right? Not over the phone or anything? I know you wouldn’t lie about something that important just so you’d be included, right?” he asked pointedly.

“It was in person, okay? Maybe through a car window but it was in person.”

Tristan groaned but thankfully didn’t say anything. Probably not because he wasn’t upset, but because he didn’t want to make a scene.

“Try to look like you belong.” Tristan handed her a glass of wine.

“Is this a good idea?” She motioned to the wine.

He frowned at her. “Now you’re worried about something being dangerous? About time you showed some interest in self-preservation.”

Shae rolled her eyes and took a decent size sip of the wine. She didn’t down the whole glass, but enough so that people would know she was drinking. She was still confused as to whether she was supposed to try to stand out or fade into the background. Tristan seemed to be giving her contradictory advice just to annoy her. She thought back to what she remembered about Damask. He’d been sitting down, so she wasn’t sure about height. But he’d had a weathered face. A face that looked as though it had seen things and hadn’t been affected by any of it. His dark eyes had been shrouded with crow’s feet and thick, unruly brows. His clean-shaven face had so many wrinkles that it had her questioning how he even managed to shave. Not wrinkles from age, but wrinkles from a stressful life.

Shae glanced over at Tristan. His face was the exact opposite. Bright, beaming blue eyes; smooth, perfect complexion. Everything about him was perfectly groomed. The perfect picture to present to the public. She wondered whether he would eventually have stress lines. He was a thief for a living. That wasn’t exactly a relaxing job. But somehow he seemed to handle everything so smoothly. As though he planned each detail and was three steps ahead. Even during that shootout, he barely broke a sweat. The only time he seemed to be flustered at all was... well, around her. She decided not to read too much into that.

He looked as though he fit right into this world. Funny, considering she’d been born into it, and she felt completely out of place. It didn’t matter what she was wearing or how handsome the man on her arm was, but she’d always feel slightly different from these people. They all seem so... at ease. As though they were meant to be here and knew exactly what to do and how to act. She remembered the last time she’d been to a party with her father. He’d been so excited to show her off. His perfect, polished daughter who was acing business school and was ready to take on the world. That was the day everything had gone wrong.

Shae kept on looking over the crowd for any sign of Damask when she saw the last thing she expected to see. She twisted around and leaned in closer to Tristan, hoping his body would cover her as much as possible. The motion was hardly subtle, and Tristan leaned in closer, as though instinctively protecting her. “What’s wrong? Do you see him?”

“No. So much worse. My father. What the hell is my father doing here?”

She felt every hair on the back of her neck stand up and cursed her delayed instincts. Why couldn’t her body have given her those warning signs before she walked in? Or maybe it had, and she’d been so determined to be of some use to Tristan and his people that she ignored all of these warning signs.

“Which one’s your father?” asked Tristan softly.

“The imposing-looking one with the crowd of admirers around him.”

She’d always admired and feared parts of her father. He had an uncanny ability to get people to listen to him and, most importantly, agree with him. He’d been able to work the same magic on her for years. Telling her wild stories about everything they’d achieve together and that she’d be his equal partner. That was the trick. No one was really his equal. Even when it came to his family, he always put himself first. Come to think of it, that was probably the biggest reason she kept herself alone. The unwavering belief that everyone put themselves first eventually.

“Do you think he’ll hurt you?” asked Tristan.

Shae stiffened and glanced up to look at him, still carefully keeping her face averted from Manuel Grant. “No. Of course he wouldn’t hurt me.” At least not physically....

“Maybe we should go say hi.”

“Say hi? Are you crazy?”

“It would be a good way to shake up Damask,” said Toni.

Shae blinked at the voice and then realized it was coming from the earpiece. Good Lord, it sounded as if she were right next to her. Then she was filled with a fresh mortification that everyone on the team was probably listening to her freak out at seeing her own family right now.

“This is a good thing,” said Toni. “If Damask sees you in front of your father, he’s not going to have you kicked out. At least not immediately. Go say hello and make yourself known.”

Shae shook her head. This was crazy. “This is an office appreciation event. What the hell is my father doing at an office appreciation event? He doesn’t work in offices. He owns them.”

“We’re figuring this out as we go along,” said Scott in her ear. “Take it one step at a time, and know that we’re going to be with you every step of the way. Are you scared?”

Shae stared up into Tristan’s crystal-blue eyes. Scared? She was terrified. But she knew that Gage and Hunter were somewhere nearby. She had a feeling no one would hurt her with Tristan by her side. But her father could hurt her in plenty of ways, none of them physical. Not even Tristan could protect her from that. “I’m good,” said Shae reluctantly.

“You don’t have to be,” said Tristan. “If you want to call it quits and head out, now is the time to say it. No one is going to judge you.”

Shae scoffed. “I’ll judge me. Let’s get this over with.” She lifted the glass of wine to her lips and threw her head back as she quickly downed the rest of the contents. Now or never, she told herself as she turned away from the warm protection of Tristan and walked across the grounds until she stood at the edge of the crowd gathered around Manuel. He was currently going on about how he had mastered the Six Sigma management style when he met her eyes and stopped. She had to give him credit. He barely showed any surprise before the smile covered his face and he held his hand out to her. “My darling Shae! It’s so good to see you!”

She was sure her own smile looked far more tense, but she wiggled through the parting crowd and gave him a quick hug. “Hello, Daddy,” she said, using her old endearment for him, not sure whether he’d take it as an insult or a compliment. “I didn’t realize I’d see you here today.”

“If you’ll excuse me, ladies and gentlemen.” He grabbed her upper arm a tad too tightly and started to pull her away. She was sure the motion looked totally natural, and almost comforting, but the sudden pressure on her arm was anything but. Nonetheless, she went along with it until they were out of earshot of the nearby guests. Tristan stood where she’d left him, but he pointed to his ear, reminding her that he was listening to everything that was happening and would be there if she needed him. She averted her gaze from Tristan, not wanting to let her father know they were together. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he demanded in a harsh tone.

There was the father she knew and remembered. “Taking care of some big business. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to announce a new, and very profitable, business deal,” he said through clenched teeth. “And I know you’re not going to fuck anything up for me. I raised you better than that.”

Shae laughed, bemused by the irony of that statement. “That’s odd. You love to tell me exactly how many ways I’ve let you down over the years. I can’t imagine that’s changed recently.” But the both of them knew exactly all the reasons she had to mess things up for him. Neither one had forgotten their sordid past.

“Is there a problem here?”

Shae stiffened at the voice. “Damask.” She turned around to face him. Now that she looked at him, for the first time truly speaking face-to-face, she realized he and her father had a lot in common: a stubborn set to the jaw, frown lines that had etched in wrinkles that no cream would fix, and a hardened glint to their eyes. The kind of glint that told her either one would do anything to get what they wanted.

“I’m on the move,” said Hunter in her ear.

When she had turned to face Damask, she was now looking directly at Tristan over his shoulder. Tristan, for his part, didn’t seem as though his demeanor changed at all. She had to assume his earbud was working, but he gave no indication that he was interested in anything happening between her and the two men. “Hello,” she said with a confident smile. She couldn’t even tell whether she was faking it at this point. Knowing there was so much backup around her listening to every word did give her an odd confidence boost. Yet, this was the man who tried to kill her. He’d thrown her in a closet and shot at her. Maybe not him directly, but as a direct result of his orders. This was the man who wanted her dead, and now she was looking directly in those cold eyes. “I was thinking it was time we talked again.”

“I didn’t realize the two of you had business together.” Manuel’s eyes darted between the two, and his obvious discomfort radiated off him.

Shae wasn’t proud of it, but making her father uncomfortable was oddly thrilling. She didn’t remember the last time he’d shown any vulnerability at all.

“Small potatoes business,” said Damask.

“Well, this sack of small potatoes is on to you.” She was supposed to be getting him to tell her why he wanted Seaside Escape, but this wasn’t exactly her area of expertise. As she struggled to think of what to say, she saw the familiar dirty-blond head in the background. Gage. If he was there, then Hunter must be.... Oh crap, he was right behind Damask. Shae floundered, trying to think of what to say to distract Damask. “I was wondering if you want to tell me what exactly is so important about my property that you sent people there to kill me.”

Just then, Hunter made his move. But he didn’t just pick Damask’s pocket as she was expecting. Instead, he smoothly bumped into a waitress, and she was the one who ran into Damask. He turned around to look accusingly at the woman, and during that distraction was when Hunter swooped in and grabbed the phone. Shae held her breath. She was sure someone was going to see what happened, or point Hunter out and scream for the authorities. But instead, everyone seemed solely focused on Damask and the waitress, as though they were expecting him to blow up in rage.

“Good job, Shae,” said Toni in her ear. “Now keep Damask distracted a little bit longer. We’re going to clone the phone and return it to him so he’ll never know anything happened.”

Shae didn’t think they really needed help keeping him distracted. He looked over the young woman and opened his mouth before abruptly closing it. She had a feeling the real Damask was about to slip out before he remembered he was at a posh party he was throwing. Instead, he bent down to help her pick up the spilled glasses before patting her on the shoulder. “Why don’t you be more careful next time?”

The sweet words were belied by the obvious threat in the tone. Shae wondered whether everyone around them was immune to it, or whether they could hear his true voice too. Before she could think of how she could distract him again as the waitress started to walk away, her father reached and grabbed her arm. “I think it’s time the two of us have a word.”

Shae tried to pull her arm free from his. When she first tugged, he gripped harder, but she made eye contact with him and silently told him she wasn’t afraid of making a scene. It was only then that he let her go. “I’m done talking to you.” She turned back to Damask, who watched their exchange with interest. “I asked you a question. What are you planning to do with the property?”

“Well, seeing as how you haven’t sold it to me, I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“How can I know if I want to sell it to you if I don’t know what you’re going to do with it?”

He leaned closer. “A sentimental attitude like that is exactly why you’ll never succeed in business.”

“I think you vastly overestimate how sentimental I am.”

He shook his head. “Oh no, Miss Grant. I’ve had you pegged from the moment I first ran a background check on you. You’re weak. You’re inexperienced and think you know more than you do. You’re the kind of person who was made to be steamrolled, and I’m the steamroller. Now I’ve made it very clear what I want from you, and I’ve made it very clear how determined I am to get it. I’m not sure what you thought you’d accomplish by coming here, but I’m not one to take threats. I give them. Now, have you changed your mind about selling the property?”

“Not a chance in hell.”

“Then I guess you can be sure you’ll be seeing me very soon.”

Damask started to walk away, and she realized she’d failed. Toni had said they were going to return the cell phone to him, but she’d been watching carefully enough to know that no one had even come near him. And then, to confirm her self-doubts, Toni came through the earpiece. “Can you get him back for just a few more seconds? We’re done. We just need to make the drop.”

“How?” she said between clenched teeth so no one would see her speaking to herself.

“Don’t worry about it. Tristan is coming up with something.”

That was it. The competitive side of her kicked in, and she raced toward Damask. Before she knew what she was doing, she swiped a drink off a nearby tray and threw liquid through the air, where it crashed into the back of Damask’s head and jacket. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what she did. She wasn’t sure who was more shocked, her or Damask, who had pivoted around to stare at her with a rage that she was a hundred percent certain everyone around them could read. She could only imagine the thoughts he wanted to spew at her right now. Considering the entire room had gone silent, everyone would hear what he said. So the seething silent rage would have to do. Shae swallowed down her own fear and squared her shoulders as she met his rage with her own silent threat. And as an army of waitstaff ran to start to dab off his now ruined jacket, Shae finally saw Hunter approach and the drop was seamless.

Her father was once again coming to grab her, and Shae knew she should be running. She should be getting the hell out of there now that she’d shaken as much information as she was going to get out of him, but she found herself frozen. Was she supposed to be running? Was she supposed to be playing it cool and confronting her father? It wasn’t as if she could go to jail for spilling a drink on someone, but the trespassing was another issue....

All things she probably should’ve thought of before she picked up the drink and threw it. Suddenly, a warm hand touched hers and strong fingers intertwined with hers. “I think it’s time to go.” Tristan led her out.

Shae looked over her shoulder, where her father rushed to Damask’s side and uttered what must’ve been a whole stream of apologies. But Damask looked straight at her still. She’d had an enemy before; now things had gotten real. He’d already sent guys to kill her. How much more real could they get? She didn’t want to contemplate the answer to that question. And then they were out the door, and she could no longer see him. She finally snapped out of whatever daze she’d been in and looked around. “Where’s the car?”

“Damask is going to have eyes on us. We don’t want to leave with any company. It’s better for as many people as possible to stay off-camera, you know?”

She was starting to think she really didn’t know. Before she could ask how exactly he planned to get out of here without Gage and Hunter, he walked right up to a sharp little black Mustang as though he owned it. It really did seem like he owned it as he took the keys out and unlocked it. Shae got into the front seat without asking any questions, and with a screech of burning rubber, Tristan drove off. She glanced behind them to make sure they weren’t being followed. It appeared as though they really did make a clean break. It was only then that she realized her hands were shaking.

Tristan must’ve noticed too. “Are you okay?”

Shae opened her mouth to answer, but a little voice in her head said, “Okay guys, good job. I’m working on getting full access to his phone. I’m going to dig around and see what I can find. There’s a chance he has an alarm system that will let him know that I’m here, but for now I have free access to his emails, text messages, schedules, and websites he’s been to. Take a break and take your time getting back. Make sure you’re not being followed, and call if you have any questions. Okay?”

A chorus of okays came through the earpiece as everyone seemed to be signing off. Shae fished the little piece of plastic out of her ear and started to pull the microphone out, first unclipping the top and letting it fall down her shirt. She could feel Tristan glancing over at her and really hoped he wasn’t remembering how he’d put the device on. “Whose car is this?” she asked, trying to change the subject in any way possible.

“I don’t know. I picked up the keys from the valet table. We’ll have to drop it soon enough, but it should get us far enough away.”

“You stole someone’s car?”

He looked over at her and frowned. “You do know I’m a thief, right?”

“I know. You’re just so casual about it. Don’t you feel bad? This is someone’s car. They need it to get around.”

“Please. You saw the people in there. They probably all have a garage full of spare cars they’re not using. Little toys they keep to look at. They never drive them—they just touch the paint job every once in a while to remember they exist. Besides, I told you I’m ditching it. The cops will come across it, and the owner will get their precious toy back. All it will be missing is some gas and a few miles. It’s almost a victimless crime.”

“That’s a lie.”

He scoffed and shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road now. “You’re not mad at me. You’re mad that you had to see your dad. It was a touching family reunion, by the way.”

That was it. “I’m not mad about that. I’m mad that I was just here to be your little distraction. Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out?”

“Oh no. We used you to help us do what we needed to do. If I remember correctly, helping us is what you wanted. And now you’re upset about it?”

“Pull over.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Pull the car over. I’m not sitting in here with you for one more fucking minute.”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere. What the fuck are you going to do if I pull over?”

“I don’t know. I’ll improvise. Isn’t that what you do all the time? Fake it till you make it?”

“Yeah, but I’m not stupid about it.”

“The only thing stupid I’ve done recently is spend so much time with you. Now please rectify that and pull. This. Car. Over.”

“No.”

“If you don’t let me out, this is kidnapping.”

“One, that’s not true. Two, you’re not getting out of this goddamn car. Now put your seat back, close your eyes, and get comfortable. You’re here until I say you can leave.”

That son of— Shae hit the unlock button and pushed her door open.

The air rushing through the car seemed to knock some sense into Tristan. He bit out a curse as he started to pull the car over. “Are you crazy?” he snapped. By now, the car was screeching to a halt and gravel was kicking up behind them. Luckily, this deserted back road seemed to be free from cars driving by, so at least she hadn’t caused an accident.

She wished she could say she knew that before she made her reckless action, but that would be a lie. She just wanted to get away. Away from Tristan, away from the mess she found herself in, away from Damask, and away from the fucked-up memories of her family. Memories that had flooded back all too quickly after the close encounter with her father.

The car came to a screeching halt and Tristan was out of the car before even she was. She held her breath as he stormed around and pulled her car door open. “You want to get out? Get out!” he ordered.

She winced at his tone but didn’t argue. She left the earpiece and microphone in his car but didn’t take anything else. She didn’t have anything. Even back at the mansion, she had only her sundress and her phone she didn’t want to use for fear of being tracked. What difference was it being at the house full of people she didn’t know or trust, and being out here in the middle of nowhere alone? She was still surrounded by snakes.

“Go on. See how far you walk. See how long it takes for you to call me, begging for help.”

Shae let out a laugh. “Call you? One, I don’t have a phone I can safely use. Two, you never told me your number. I don’t know anything about you. Even if I wanted to find you again, I would never be able to. So, good job, Tristan. You made yourself so much of a ghost that you’ll never see me again. I think you can mark that down as a success.” She started walking away, but she heard steps pounding behind her on the gravel shoulder.

“Why the hell would that be a success?”

She didn’t have time for this. Well, she supposed with the amount of walking ahead of her she had plenty of time for this, but she was just out of emotional energy at this point. She turned around to face him. “You’re so full of it. You keep me at arm’s length at every turn, lie to me constantly, and have done nothing but try to get me out of your hair since we met. So now that I’m trying to actually walk away, please, tell me what your problem is.”

“My problem is.... Fuck this.” Tristan reached forward, grabbing the front of her suit jacket, and pulled her against him, crushing her mouth with his.

For a moment, she was too shocked to react. How did they go from fighting to this?

Then his mouth moved against hers and she totally understood. “You son of a bitch,” she mumbled against his mouth as she kissed him back. For the first time, she realized that maybe this was as strange for him as it was for her. Maybe he didn’t understand the pull between them either.

But the pull was there. The more time they spent together, the more undeniable it became. From the moment they’d met on the beach to him watching her while she slept, they were connected in some way she didn’t understand.

She didn’t need to understand it to know what her body wanted, though. Tristan lifted her up and tugged her against his body as he turned to walk back to the car with her in his arms.

She’d been so distracted by the feel of his body that she didn’t even know her feet had left the ground until they were moving. She closed her eyes at the dizzying sensation of being carried and leaned her forehead against his. And when she raised her lashes, she was staring deep into his eyes. That crystal blue seemed to be on fire with a heat she’d never seen before. He was just as taken as she was, apparently.

When her back hit the car, she let out a little gasp of shock. Between the cool metal and his hot body, she already felt as if she were on overload, and he’d barely touched her yet.

Her fingers bit into his back. What started as her holding on for dear life turned into her holding him as close as she could against her. Her eyes drifted closed, and his nose just brushed hers before he kissed her again. The kiss was slow, gentle. A direct contrast to how tightly her legs were wrapped around his waist and the frantic movement as she rubbed against him. For a few moments, they stayed like that. He had her pressed against the car as they softly kissed, slowly exploring each other’s mouths. His tongue was gentle and soft against hers. Her hands relaxed at the base of his neck, just playing with the bottom of his hair. But, as she was beginning to learn was usual for them, the heat started to explode.

The kiss grew deeper and harder, and she kept rubbing against him, demanding what her body needed. Tristan let out a groan as he deepened the kiss. But that wasn’t enough for her. She pushed his jacket over his shoulders, not stopping until it had fallen to the ground. He broke away, and her feet inched closer to the ground. She blinked in confusion the second she made contact with the earth, but it started making more sense as he tugged at her clothes. He gave her jacket the same treatment she gave his before he tugged her blouse right over her head. Shae bit her lip but didn’t stop him. “What if someone drives by?”

He hooked his fingers under her chin, as if he wanted her to meet his eyes. “Does it look like I care if someone drives by?”

Nope. It certainly did not. Turnabout was fair play, so she worked at the buttons of his shirt. She was going disgustingly slow, but he saved her by reaching up to undo the rest. And then he was blessedly shirtless in front of her. She looked down over his clean-cut abs and couldn’t help herself from reaching out and touching him. Nothing about this man was normal. Not the way he acted or spoke, or the way he looked. She could hardly believe he existed, let alone that he was here touching her, kissing her, and reaching for her pants.

As he undid the top button, his eyes met hers. She knew what she should do. She should tell him to stop, and get in the car like a good little girl. Who knew if Damask was looking for them right now? Who knew if the cops were looking for the stolen car? But all she did was stand on her tiptoes and kiss him once more. He pressed her back against the car and kept kissing her. He reached up to cup her neck at the base of her head, his thumbs gently pressing against her jawline to hold her in place as he tilted his head and devoured her. She happily let him, running her own hands up and down his stomach, his back, and his arms.

She tried to memorize every section of him. She knew this wasn’t normal. She knew this was like holding smoke. It was only a matter of time before he sifted through her fingers and was gone. So she would enjoy it for now. She would let this play out and accept whatever consequences came with it. Because now, in the real world, Damask wanted her dead more than ever, and her father was officially involved in the whole mess. She’d take any and every distraction, especially one as delicious as this.

As soon as he’d pushed the button free, his hand was sliding down and into her wet heat. He looked at her the entire time, as though studying her every reaction. She had a feeling this was how he lived his life. Studying others. Finding out what made them tick. What made them lose control. She was oddly offended at being one more mark, but then his long, nimble fingers brushed against her clit and she found herself holding onto him as her knees grew weaker.

Her head fell onto his shoulder and he rubbed her again as his hand moved deeper, one finger sliding easily inside. She could only imagine how wet she was already for him. The only thing that made her state less embarrassing was his thick erection pressing against her. “This is a mistake,” she breathed.

“Are you telling me to stop?” he whispered against her ear, his lips brushing the sensitive lobe as he spoke.

She gulped, holding back a laugh at the mere notion of stopping. “No. But it’s a one-time thing.”

“Of course.” Tristan slid another finger inside. “One time only.”

She wasn’t sure whether she was kidding herself or not, but she was pretty much past the point of logical thought. She pulled him back down to her and crushed her mouth against his. She didn’t want any more foreplay, damn it. She wanted him, now. “I want you,” she breathed, her voice barely audible between their mouths pressing against each other.

Tristan pulled away and looked down at her. “All right. Turn around.”

“But—”

“Do it,” he ordered.

Part of her wanted to fight and tell him where to shove it. But she found herself doing exactly what he said. She turned and set her hands on the roof of the Mustang. For a second, he didn’t touch her. She was about to ask him what was happening when she heard the telltale sound of his zipper going down. Then his body was pressing against hers. She didn’t know where his hands were, but she could feel his cock pressing insistently against her ass while his chest warmed her back. His breaths fell against her neck and she let her eyes drift shut. Even though her body practically vibrated with the need to have him inside her, she couldn’t help but savor the pure eroticism of the touch that was just about to be.

Then his hands were finally on her as he reached for the waistband of her pants and pushed them just over her hips. The gentle Florida breeze was chilling, and she could feel goose bumps forming across her skin, which only intensified as his hand went back between her legs. Her eyes drifted shut and she rested her forehead against the car as he brushed her clit. She jerked at the sudden sensation, which had her pushing her ass back and against his hot cock. Moaning at the sensation, she begged, “Pleaseeeee....”

He finally listened to her and guided himself to her entrance. Before gliding in, he leaned one big hand on the Mustang. Shae stared at it for a moment, once again taken aback by how big it was. How strong and masculine just that one part of him was. Good grief, she was even entranced by his hand. How bad off would she be once they—

He slid in easily. She could feel herself stretching to accommodate his size, his big hands obviously being indicative of other things, but she was so damn hot for him already.

Tristan let out a growl in her ear and suddenly she wished she could face him. The shiny black reflection of him in front of her was just a fuzzy image, missing all the detail.

“Damn you feel good,” he breathed against her.

She wanted to tell him he felt good too, but all she could manage was a little murmur. He must’ve known what that meant, because then he started to move. He withdrew almost completely, until just the very tip of him was still inside, and then he thrust forward with so much force that Shae had to adjust her stance against the car. But she wasn’t complaining. Every little bit of friction was exactly what she needed.

He pulled out again and then thrust back, this time even harder than before. She curled her fingertips, and if they were in a bed, she would’ve been tightly gripping the sheets. For a brief second, she remembered they were outside, and could be seen at any moment. And then he was thrusting back inside, and she was right back in her erotic haze. He pounded harder and faster, but her body soaked up every single little piece of movement, each pushing her higher and higher. And right when she was so close to going over the edge of that cliff, he reached in front of her and cupped her mound. That little touch was all it took to send her flying over the edge. Her entire body tensed, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming out as the orgasm ripped through her. It was everything she knew it would be and a thousand times more. More than she’d ever experienced before, and yet nothing like what she’d expected.

Half a second later, Tristan was tensing too. He held her tightly against him, letting go of the Mustang as he gripped her hips hard. The grip was painful, and yet she was proud of herself for causing him to lose control. Proud that it wasn’t just her under this strange spell. At least if they were going to fall apart, they fell apart together.

As he came down from the rush, he leaned forward until she was pressed up against the car and she was supporting his weight. He must’ve been holding himself back a little bit because it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just awkward.

For a few seconds, they just stayed there. She hadn’t been lying when she said this would be a mistake. She also didn’t regret it. The whole thing seemed... inevitable. A natural progression. Their being together was like a storm in the distance. She might not be ready for it, she might not want it to hit, but it was gonna come one way or another. It was going to roll in even if she tried to run.

Then, in probably the most unexpected thing about the entire exchange, Tristan leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her head. “We should get going, babe.”

Babe? Was that her pet name now? She would complain, but after the orgasm she just had, she supposed Tristan could call her anything he wanted to call her.