Her hands clutched his shoulders, her thighs tightened around his hips as the tremors started deep in her body, radiating outward in spasms that pulsed hot pleasure through her system. She felt him thrust a final time then bury his face in the space where her neck and shoulder met as his orgasm shuddered through him.

Neither moved for several seconds. His warm breath battered her neck, while she fought to pull air into her lungs, the musky scent of their passion filling her head. She prayed he didn’t release her because if he did, she’d just slide to the ground in a steaming lump of melted, quivering female flesh.

After a few more heartbeats, she swallowed twice and managed to find her voice. “Holy cow.”

She felt him nod once against her shoulder.

“You know, if you’re going to throw me into the deep end, how about tossing out a ‘hold your breath’ warning?”

He lifted his head and looked at her through glazed eyes. “Couldn’t. I got my hands on you and forgot how to speak English.”

“Well, that’s not good since you’re the brains of this outfit now that you’ve melted mine.”

“Great. Maybe now I can beat you at Scrabble.”

“Not likely. Which means I’m the brains and you’re the brawn.”

“No, I’m the brains, you’re the beauty. And brains, too.”

“Hey, flattery will get you…everywhere.”

He leaned forward and lightly kissed her. “Not flattery,” he whispered against her lips. “The truth. Beautiful. In every way. Inside and out.”

“Well, jeez, if you’re going to put it that way, my knees aren’t going to recover anytime soon.”

His arms tightened around her and he rested his forehead against hers. “No problem. I’ve got you.”

Those softly spoken words brushed over her lips and echoed through her mind. I’ve got you… I’ve got you… And she suddenly realized that she stood in real danger of giving them much more meaning than he’d intended.

He shifted slightly and she unclasped her ankles. Her legs slithered limply down his until her bare feet touched the grass. At some point her flip-flops had fallen off. Probably between climaxes two and three.

“You okay?” he asked.

“What kind of a question is that to ask a woman you just brought to orgasm three times? I’m…” Her voice trailed off as he gently withdrew from her body.

“Beautiful?” he supplied. “Incredible? Sexy as hell?”

“Knee-less is more what I was thinking. Although incredible is a pretty apt description.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re definitely incredible.”

“No, I mean I feel incredible.”

He ran his hands down her body. “Totally agree.”

A laugh huffed from between her lips. “No, I mean you made me feel incredible.”

He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “Back at ya, sweetheart. Are your knees okay yet? Can I let go for a minute?”

She wasn’t certain, but her pride forced her to say, “Sure. I’m fine.” Then she braced her knees-just in case.

He released her, stepped back, then pulled a tissue from his back pocket. Still feeling as if she were bobbing around in zero gravity, her eyes drifted closed. She heard him step away, presumably to dispose of the condom in the nearby trash can, then the soft glide of his zipper going up. When he didn’t return to her after several seconds, she dragged her eyelids open and found him standing about six feet away, his gaze slowly tracking up her body.

When his gaze locked onto hers, the intensity burning in his eyes shot a thrill of feminine power through her. Wearing nothing except her satin tank top, she felt sexy and wanton and deliciously wicked.

Nestling her shoulders more comfortably against the cement pillar, she lifted her arms and slowly sifted her fingers through her hair, watching him through hooded eyes. “So…did I make your fantasy come true?” she asked.

A muscle jerked in his jaw, then he blew out a long, slow breath. Regarding her with a heated look that made her feel as if she stood in a circle of fire, he slowly erased the distance between them until less than a foot remained. Bracing his hands on the pillar, he bracketed her in.

“Make my fantasy come true? Sweetheart, I can’t believe you’d even need to ask.” A flicker of concern flashed in his eyes. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Sweetheart, I can’t believe you’d even need to ask,” she said, mimicking his response. Any more than she could believe that arousal was nipping at her again.

“I don’t usually…” He shook his head and frowned.

“Don’t usually what?”

“Lose control like that.”

His admission stilled her. She recalled that he’d often lost control like that with her. With flattering frequency. Just as she had with him. Just as she hadn’t in quite the same way with anyone else since.

Walking her fingers up his shirt, she looped her arms around his neck. “I, um, really liked your fantasy.”

“That makes two of us. And if you keep looking at me like that, you’ll be making my fantasy come true all over again.”

She heaved a dramatic sigh. “Yeah, and I’d hate that. Really.”

“So now that you know all about my behind-the-stadium fantasy, how about sharing one of yours?”

“Hmm… Mine would involve an unexpected encounter with a well-dressed man. Everything would be very businesslike, but then he’d take off his suit jacket. Unbutton the top button of his shirt and loosen his tie. Roll back his shirtsleeves.” She heaved out a sigh. “For reasons I can’t explain, that loosened-tie, rolled-up-sleeves look on a man turns my knees to jelly.”

“And then what?”

“And then all talk of business would go out the window, I’d bring him back to my place and we’d have a nooner.” She grinned. “But your fantasy wasn’t too far off from another one of mine.”

“Don’t tell me-doing it with the captain of the football team?”

“Well, face it. Not too many girls fantasize about doing it with the vice president of the photography club.” She bent her knee and rubbed it against his thigh. “Although I’m guessing you easily could have changed that.”

“Hey-I didn’t need the stadium. I had the darkroom.”

“And now you’ve had the stadium, too.”

“I think that makes me all kinds of lucky.”

“Funny, I was just thinking it had made me all kinds of lucky. Three times.”

He waggled his brows. “Wanna go for four?”

“Wow. Forget the amusement park, this is the happiest place on earth. Probably wouldn’t take much to hit four. I find your presence quite…stimulating. Not to mention I, uh, seem to be without my skirt. Or panties.”

“That’s a shame. But as I recall, you didn’t have any panties to start with.”

“Oh. Right. I forgot.”

“I don’t see how you could forget. I sure as hell never will.”

He removed one hand from the column and his fingers slowly traced a line down the center of her torso to tangle in the curls at the apex of her thighs.

Mallory sucked in a quick breath as her libido snapped to instant attention at his gentle, teasing caress over her sex.

He lowered his head and kissed the side of her neck. “You realize I can’t keep my hands off you.”

“I’m flattered. And…ooooh, yeah, right there…grateful.” She slid one hand down his body and rubbed his hard length through his jeans. “I don’t suppose you brought two condoms?”

“Sure did.”

Her soft chuckle turned into a moan as he insinuated his knee between her thighs and spread her legs wider to stroke her with that same relentless perfection that had already sent her over the edge.

She flicked open the button on his jeans and lowered the zipper. “You know we’d be more comfortable in my bed. But I’m thinking we may not get back to the house before dawn.”

“I’m thinking maybe you’re right. Besides, I’m so unbelievably hard, comfort is kinda secondary at this point.”

She slid her hand beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs and wrapped her fingers around him. Oh, my. He wasn’t kidding about being hard. “Secondary?” she crooned, gently squeezing him. “What’s primary?”

“I’m so glad you asked, brown-eyed girl. Because I’d be delighted to show you.”

And boy, was she delighted to be shown.

12

Sunday, 4:00 a.m.

SURROUNDED BY DARKNESS, hot, humid air and the music of crickets, they slowly walked, arm in arm, back to the house-after having put the other condom Adam had brought to very good use. They hadn’t taken more than a dozen steps before he decided he very much liked the weight of Mallory’s head leaning against his shoulder. Liked the way her hip brushed his with their every step. Liked her delicate scent filling his head every time he inhaled. Having only to turn his head to kiss her temple. The soft texture of her hair brushing his chin.

Liked everything about her.

Just like old times.

Being with her felt so damn good. But then, it always had. And not just in a sexual way-although he couldn’t name another woman who’d ever aroused him so completely. And so damn fast. Hell, it seemed that all she had to do was look at him and he was hard. And God help him, now whenever he heard “Brown Eyed Girl,” he’d have a whole new set of Mallory-induced memories to think about.

But even taking the amazing sex out of the mix, he just liked being with her. He remembered how she’d make him happy just with a smile. Just by standing in the same room with him. She made him laugh, and he enjoyed talking to her. He even enjoyed not talking to her-like now-when they just walked along in silence. An image popped into his mind, of his upcoming European vacation, of the two of them walking like this along the Seine in Paris, or through the cobblestone streets of Rome. Too bad she couldn’t come with him-

His footsteps faltered and he sliced that thought right off. What the hell was he thinking? He was only the rebound guy. Besides, talk about a bachelor style-cramper-bringing a woman with him on his vacation.