had entreated him to show her a good time and help her forget a broken engagement. When he’d agreed, he hadn’t been thinking any further than this evening. But now, thoughts of his brother brought unwelcome reality with them. Unless he swung by Bryce’s house tomorrow and somehow convinced his twin to quit his job and never step foot in his office again, odds were, Dani would run into him at some point. Even though she’d stipulated that she only wanted someone for tonight, that she wouldn’t cling or act differently afterward, Sean couldn’t let her face someone she mistakenly believed she’d been intimate with.
Sean could give her exactly what she wanted—a raw, passionate night with a near stranger to keep her mind off the wedding that hadn’t happened. But before he left, he’d have to find a way to tell her the truth. In which case, she’ll probably never speak to you again.
The realization sucked. He’d known within moments of meeting Dani that he was attracted to her, but over the past couple of hours, he’d discovered he really liked her. She was smart and sassy, shot excellent pool, didn’t seem to have a pretentious bone in her body and, when provoked, had the R-rated vocabulary of a cranky trucker. She was all wrong for Bryce, but exactly the kind of woman Sean could picture himself falling for—except he wouldn’t have the chance to fall. They only had tonight.
Which was what she’d wanted in the first place, he reminded himself. She wasn’t ready to consider relationships or dating. She’d been very clear about her request—a single, reckless night. And if that was all he got, he planned to make it count.
* * *
BY WINNING THE second game, Dani had put herself back in the running for overall victory. In theory, she was good enough to win their final match, too. Yet she was having a hell of a time trying to focus. Ever since she’d returned from the ladies’ room, it seemed as if the sexual tension between her and Gray had grown even more electric, crackling all around them with its own magnetic pull. He was as wickedly charming as he’d been all night, but there was no more playfulness in his expression.
Now, the way he watched her bordered on predatory. He was biding his time but would eventually pounce. And she couldn’t wait.
She swallowed, her throat dry with anticipation. She flagged down the waitress and requested a glass of ice water. Though she was hardly impaired, three beers had softened the edges of the world. She knew what was going to happen after this final game, and she wanted to be able to participate fully, alert enough to register every delicious detail. When morning came, she didn’t want her memories of the night to be vague or hazy. Especially not if Gray was as good in bed as she expected.
Lost in prurient thoughts, she miscued her shot. She was still muttering curse words when he joined her, tugging gently at one of her curls.
“You have quite a mouth,” he drawled.
“That a complaint?” she asked, knowing from his expression it wasn’t.
“Yes.” His gaze slid to her lips. “Because your mouth has been distracting the hell out of me all night. I’m too busy imagining kissing you to think straight.”
Same here. Except, her imagination hadn’t exactly stopped with kissing.
Despite her innate competitive streak, right now, she couldn’t bring herself to care about pool. She wanted Gray’s mouth on her, his hands on her. Since she couldn’t seem to find her voice, she met his eyes.
When he cupped her face with his hands, she experienced a giddy rush of excitement. Even though it had only been hours since they’d encountered each other at the office, it felt as if she’d been waiting forever for him to kiss her. His mouth settled over hers, and she parted her lips in invitation. She buried her fingers in his hair, surprised at how silky it was. Their kiss was salty and spicy, and her body pulsed with sensation.
Gray kissed the same way he shot pool, with bold assurance and innate skill. He speared his tongue into her mouth, his possessiveness nearly making her moan, then pulled back, teasing, nipping at her lower lip. She was glad she was balanced between him and the pool table. Despite mocking his earlier boast that he made her knees weak, the longer he kissed her, the less steady she felt.
His hands dropped to her hips, and he pulled her tightly against him. The hard length of his erection was unmistakable. An answering need pooled between her thighs. As much as she was enjoying their kiss, suddenly, it wasn’t enough. The sensual hunger blooming inside her had turned ravening.
He must have felt the same way. Lifting his head, he reached for the eight ball on the table and swiped it into a pocket. “Oops.” His breathing was rapid, his voice strained. “Guess I lose. Ready to get out of here?”
Wordlessly, she nodded. If she were any more ready, they’d be arrested for public indecency. A hundred detailed fantasies were bursting to life in her mind, but they all required the same starting point—getting this man alone. Immediately.
* * *
IRONICALLY, DESPITE DANI’S urgency to reach the seclusion of her apartment, the walk across the adjacent parking lots was taking twice as long as usual. Probably because she and Gray couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
The starlit line of trees around the perimeter of her complex offered far more privacy than a pool hall. Gray spun her into his arms, taking her mouth in another kiss that made every nerve ending in her body sing with pleasure. But the pleasure was edged with rising desperation. Her breasts ached to be freed from their confines, bared to his touch. The humid spring night around them was silky against her skin, so soft it was a tease. She needed his calloused fingers on her, needed friction.
She moaned into the kiss, dimly aware that she was rubbing her body against his. “My place.” She tugged his lip between her teeth. “I want you, but not so badly that I’m willing to embarrass myself in a parking lot.” Only half sure she spoke the truth, she quickened her pace.
With his long legs, he easily matched her stride. “Dare I ask what you are willing to do?”
She could hear the smile in his voice, knew he was kidding, but that didn’t stop her fevered mind from creating vivid images in silent reply. “Keep up and you’ll find out.”
It wasn’t until she turned her key in the lock that she experienced a tiny splinter of shyness. Beyond the physical intimacy of what they were about to do, there was a certain amount of intimacy in simply bringing him home. She’d leased the place a few months ago, when she was still engaged, and had never had a man here.
As if sensing a change in her mood, Gray massaged her neck soothingly, circling his thumb at her nape, applying just the right amount of heavenly pressure. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Resolutely, she opened the door. “I was just thinking I should warn you, I’m not the world’s most diligent housekeeper.”
She flipped on the lamp that sat on a small entry table along with her mail. It didn’t offer much illumination, only a minimal rebuff against the darkness beyond. Still, it was enough that he’d be able to notice her habit of haphazardly kicking off her shoes when she walked through the door. Open-toed pumps and platform wedges were scattered about, some fallen on their sides like defeated warriors in a mythical shoe battle. Since she hadn’t expected to return from the office with a date, she hadn’t bothered to tidy the client files, property brochures and books on real estate that cluttered her living room.
“I mean, I’m not a slob,” she defended herself. She never left the apartment with
