Nate holds me against him and it’s like nothing else matters.

His hand slides along my hip and I completely miss the nearby woman gawking at my face.

He laughs in my ear and I don’t catch the whispered words from the teenagers behind us as they point at the scars on my arm.

I spin around, fall right back into his embrace again, and I smirk at Lucky’s envious sneer from behind the refreshment table.

He looks into me with those playful eyes and I know that none of it matters to him, either.

The music cross-fades to a slow dance. The crowd adjusts to the sudden change and the couples slide together as groups of singles branch off toward the corners for drinks and rest.

Nate takes my hand and leads me out of the crowd toward the entrance.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

He merely smiles and pulls me along with him outside. We walk along the grass toward his bike again. I turn my head up to fill my lungs with fresh air, enjoying the cool breeze on my skin.

“They’ll start fireworks soon,” he says. “I want a good view.”

Nate sits down on the bike seat and I hop on behind him, willing to follow him anywhere. I feel no fear at all as he pedals slowly over the uneven terrain, veering off the main road and away from the other vehicles. We ride about a half mile between the fields until we come to a small fishing pond surrounded by trees.

“Wow,” I say. “I didn’t even know this was out here.”

Nate parks the bike beneath a tree and flicks off the headlamp. “Not many do.”

“It’s beautiful.”

He extends his hand and helps me off the bike. “Yes, you are,” he says.

His arm slides behind me again and we sway to the music faded off in the distance. I look up into his green eyes, lit up beneath the moon, and he gazes down into mine. He raises my hand to his mouth and he kisses my knuckles with a smile on his lips.

Our lips meet. My entire body bursts with warmth from my head to my toes. It hasn’t even been two days since we last kissed but it feels like two lifetimes. I never want to go that long without him ever again.

Nate picks me up and sets me on top of the cooler at the front of the bike. I wrap my legs around him, pulling him as close to me as possible. I cup his face and kiss him again, parting my lips as his tongue begs me to.

His hands inch up the skirt of my dress. I chuckle, feeling ticklish beneath his crawling fingers.

Lights burst in the sky. I jump, startled by the sudden boom of fireworks above our heads. Nate laughs and turns his head to watch as another one fires into the air and explodes into red and gold.

I kiss his cheek, drawing his happy gaze back to me.

“Take me home with you tonight,” I say.

“Are you sure?” he asks, whispering in my ear beneath the boom of bright greens and blues.

I kiss him again. “Yes,” I say. “I’m yours, Nate Scott.”

He lays a hand on my cheek and slides his thumb along my bottom lip before kissing me again.

* * *

Nate unlocks the front door and turns toward me on the porch. He lays a finger against his lips, signaling me to be quiet and I nod, biting my cheek to contain my giggle.

He pushes the door open. The house is completely silent and still. The Fourth of July fireworks are long done now. I should be at home with my husband but instead, I’m here. But there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

I stay close to Nate as he guides me through the dark. He opens a door just to the left of the stairs and I walk through it ahead of him. Moonlight shines through the wide-open window above the bed, basking the entire room in a deep shade of blue.

“Your room?” I ask after he closes the door.

“Yeah,” he whispers.

He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. I tilt my head to the side as his lips graze my neck and he leaves even firmer kisses as he walks us closer to his bed.

“Is your mother home?” I ask.

“Upstairs,” he answers as he pinches the zipper of my dress.

“Is she a light sleeper?”

“Yes.” He chuckles in my ear. “So, we have to be quiet…”

I shiver as he pulls my zipper down. The dress goes loose around my shoulders and he slides his hands inside, reaching around me to cup my bare breasts.

“I need you,” he whispers as he pulls me harder against him.

I feel his bulge press into my rear. I turn around to kiss him, quickly pushing his jacket off his shoulder and flicking the buttons open on his shirt.

“Nate,” I moan softly into his mouth as I touch his abs. “I need you, too.”

He guides back around and bends me over the bed as he forces my dress down to my ankles.

“Spread your knees,” he says as he drops down behind me, taking my panties along with him. “And don’t move.”

I brace myself against the mattress. His teeth nip at my rear and I flinch, making him chuckle as he laves my crack with his tongue.

“Shh...” I hear again.

His tongue brushes my anus and I gasp. I tense up but Nate’s soft massage on my ass tricks me into relaxing. I grip the nearest pillow and press it against my mouth, letting my focus drift to my dancing nerve endings and I hum in pleasure.

Nate’s hand crawls up my leg and I chuckle softly at the tickle of his fingers along my slit. He taps his fingertip against my entrance while his tongue flicks heaven on my anus. I hold back every moan, dying to cry out and say his name.

He sticks a finger inside of me and I melt even more.

“Nate,” I whimper.

He moves up to whisper in my ear with his finger still deep in me. “Say that again,” he says with a smirk.

“Nate,” I moan.

He etches a line into my neck with his teeth as he pulls his finger out and reaches for his belt. “Get up on the bed,” he growls.

I obey, needing to feel him as much as he needs me. I climb onto the bed, staying on all-fours and spreading my legs a little wider. I turn my head, peeking back to get look at his throbbing cock before he aligns himself behind me.

He enters my wetness, thrusting as deep as he can. I instantly moan a little too loudly and he quickly slaps his hand over my mouth.

“Don’t... make... a... sound,” he whispers again, pumping me with every word.

I arch upward and brace my arms against the headboard in front of me, letting him have his way with me. My ears twitch at every possible noise, anything at all that might indicate movement from upstairs. It fuels my passion for him. The dangerous stupidity of it all churns in my core, mixing

with the pleasure until I’m nearly screaming into his palm.

Nate reaches around me with his free hand and teases my clit. I jerk in pleasure as he chuckles in my ear, getting off on my pleasure as much as I am.

“You’re so beautiful,” he says for only me to hear. “I love what you let me do to this body.”

I turn my head and he rushes in to steal a kiss from my lips. I want to speak, to tell him that I love what he does to me, but he’s yet again stripped me of my senses. All I can do is lean against him and feel. I feel everything from his thrusting cock to his rubbing fingers and his warm, kissable lips. I dissolve in his arms, welcoming the orgasm he’s so determined to give me.

His hand cups my mouth again and I bite into his fingers to keep from screaming too loudly. My knees turn weak and he tightens his hold on me, easily cradling me against his body when my strength dissolves.

We collapse onto the bed together. With a strong hand, Nate rolls me over onto my back and positions himself between my thighs. He lowers down to my face and lays a soft kiss on my forehead. I run my hands over his body while I try and catch my breath, still buzzing from head-to-toe. He kisses my nose and both of my cheeks before landing on my mouth.

“I love you,” he says.

I smile. “Are you gonna leave me hanging again?” I ask.

His lips graze my cheek back to my ear. “No,” he answers. “I love you, Kimber Kyle. And tonight is just the beginning.”

Nate enters me again and I gasp before I can say it back.