“A guy who’s handy with tools.” He tugged her close enough to show his tool was up to the job.

  “Imagine I’ve been watching the sexy plumber work and getting hotter and hotter.”

  “Right, and I noticed the coed staring at me and got such a boner I thought I’d have to jerk off in my truck,” he said. “I like the way your mind works.”

  She couldn’t help but giggle out of pure joy. He offered anything she could want or need. She could have him anytime she asked for as long as they stayed in this cabin.

  “Pretend we wasted half an hour while the plumber worked on the sink,” she said. “So we have to act fast before my roommate gets home.”

  “You on the counter. My pants around my ankles,” he said.

  “Totally anonymous. Don’t even kiss me. Just shove your cock in me and shake it around.”

  “Holy shit, Laura. I’ve created a monster.”

  “That’s Miss Barber.”

  “I’m a full-service plumber, Miss Barber,” he said. “Those slacks look kind of uncomfortable. Let me help you out of them.”

  He bent over and removed her loafers and socks. After pulling down the zipper of her pants, he tugged them and her panties down on one movement. Moisture followed along the inside of her thighs. When he had her legs free, he reached into her pussy hairs. “You have a major leak here, miss. It’s oozing everywhere.”

  “Can you plug it for me?”

  He straightened and undid his own fly. “I’ll have to use the really big wrench.”

  “Hurry. It’s getting worse.” Damn, she was excited. Before this . . . before Ethan . . . becoming so damp and eager would have embarrassed her. She always grew wet enough to take a partner’s member without pain. But her pussy had never begged so openly. She’d never admitted to a man that he’d turned her on so forcefully that orgasm wasn’t optional but inevitable. She’d never have thought she could make herself vulnerable to Ethan again at all, but her body had taken that option away from her.

  “Don’t think I’m going to need any lube for this job,” he said.

  “Never mind that. We don’t have time. Just put it in.”

  “Right.” He lifted her until her butt rested on the edge of the sink and parted her legs. Then, he hesitated. Right on the verge of giving her all of him, down to the thick base, he stopped.

  “Damn it, Ethan,” she said. “What are you doing?”

  “Counter’s too tall.”

  What? After thinking up a nasty fantasy and deciding to act on it, after getting too excited to take the time to climb into the loft, they’d be stymied by the height of kitchen fixtures? “Well, shit. Think of something.”

  “Right.” He sucked in a breath, let it out, and then took another. “I’ll look in the cupboards.”

  He pulled out of her, leaving her balanced against the sink. She had to grab the edge to keep from falling off. His jeans still around his ankles, he fell to his knees and dragged things out of the lower cabinets. A roasting pan rattled against the floor, and pots flew. One top spun around and clattered downward. Eventually, he rose with one of those superheavy glass lasagna pans in his hand.

  “Will that hold your weight?” she asked.

  “It had better.” He placed it upside-down on the floor and then stepped up onto it, almost tripping because of how his jeans bound his feet. After lurching a bit, he wrapped her legs around him and thrust into her.

  “Yes!” she cried. Exactly what she’d needed. For a moment, she let the walls of her pussy absorb the shock of such fullness as she stared into his eyes. “Whatever you do, don’t fall off.”

  “Hang on to the sink.”

  Still grasping the counter in her fists, she balanced her weight backward so that she could inch her pelvis toward his. In the bright afternoon light, she could actually watch his cock moving in her pussy. An amazing sight, the way their sexes had been created for each other. He was perfect—strong and beautiful and devoted to her pleasure. The pan beneath him rattled but held as he made pass after pass as deeply into her as she could take.

  The coffee pot gurgled beside her, and her back bumped against the faucet on his deepest thrusts. Still, she could have wished the show to go on forever. It wouldn’t, though. She was building to one hell of a crescendo. He must have sensed her nearness because he picked up the pace, risking life and limb, or at least a fall, to give her exactly what she needed. Hard and fast. Driving.

  When her vision blurred, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the impending climax. Not much longer. Not much. “I’m going to come.”

  “Do it, baby.”

  “Fuck me, Ethan. I’m going to come!”

  “I’m with you.”

  With a hard sink under her ass and the sounds of Ethan’s rough breathing in her ears, she exploded into an orgasm that had her screaming. Then he was coming with her, his voice joining hers as he thrust into her and went rigid. As she gripped at him and he shot his semen into her, the two orgasms merged into one they could share. So pure, so complete.

  Eventually, it had to end, and when it did, he pulled her against him, her head on his shoulder. “Remind me to do all your plumbing, lady.”

  “God, yes.”

  “Another inhibition bites the dust?”

  “Gone. Poof. Only . . .” As sanity returned, so did the reality of what they’d just done. She had to laugh. The whole thing was too absurd and too perfect. “I’ll never look at lasagna the same way again.”

  He joined her, tipping his head back and roaring. “We’re going to have to stay out of Italian restaurants.”

  That, of course, brought up the subject of whether they’d go to restaurants of any kind. That was not part of the bargain. But as she remembered the image of him crawling around on the floor with a massive hard-on, tossing aside pots and pans to find something exactly the right height, the idea of a life that included Ethan Gould didn’t seem so remote or ridiculous as it had.

  Maybe she’d come to like him. She’d certainly loosened up enough around him to ask for what she’d never dreamed of with another man. Maybe, just maybe, she’d come to trust him. Wouldn’t that be something?

  FINALLY THAT EVENING, Laura’s moment of truth arrived. If Ethan hadn’t kept talking about how turnabout was fair play, referring to the blow job she’d given him that morning, the lazy smile on his face would have told her what to expect. Their conversations earlier had led them into new territory. Tongue in groove, indeed. What would happen now would take them into a whole different dimension. Oral sex. She’d done it for him, and now he’d return the favor.

  “Ready for another workout?” he asked as he sat beside her. From his place on the other side of her body, he didn’t block the warmth from the blaze. Even a little thing like that spoke of his thoughtfulness. Was this truly the arrogant male she’d avoided all through graduate school?

  “I don’t know how I’m going to work out while I’m lying down.”

  “You don’t?” One of his brows lifted. “I thought you were more imaginative than that.”

  “Something tells me you’re going to explain the contradiction to me.”

  “I’m going to write a thesis on it. Right after I get my practicum done.”

  “Experimentation?” she asked. “I assume it’s going to be hands-on.”

  “Hands and other body parts.”

  “Consider me your research volunteer.”

  He stretched out beside her, propped up on one elbow. He’d done that the night before, but in the dim light, shadows had hidden much of his face. Now with the light from the fireplace, she could look into his amber eyes, and bask in the glint of admiration in them. Admiration for her. Who would have thought that possible?

  “You are so damned beautiful,” he whispered.

  “I was going to say the same thing about you.”

  “Me?” he asked, his eyes widened in surprise. “I do my best, but . . . beautiful?”

  She reached up and trailed her fingers along the strong line of his jaw. “Beautiful.”

  When her hand neared his mouth, he dipped his head and caught her thumb between his lips. He sucked on it lightly for a moment. It wasn’t a random action. She’d used her mouth that morning to give him pleasure—considerable pleasure if she’d read his reaction correctly. Now, he planned something similar for her. A slow ache blossomed between her thighs.

  He’d probably laugh if she admitted that she’d never allowed a man to do that to her. Would she surrender to the ultimate intimacy with this man? Could she refuse without seeming hypocritical? Did she even want to refuse?

  He took her hand and kissed each fingertip. “You got very quiet all of a sudden.”

  “That’s me. Quiet.”

  “Quiet happy? Quiet sad? Talk to me, Laura.”

  She opened her arms. “I’d rather kiss you.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I don’t know about that. I think you’re trying to avoid something. You know my mind flies out the window when I touch you.”

  “That’s the general idea, isn’t it?”

  “I think I’ll torture you for the information.” He trailed his hand over her belly and below. He didn’t need to part her legs to slip his fingers between them as she’d already let them fall apart. He found her hot spot immediately, pressing through her slacks.

  She sucked in a breath as the fire started inside her.

  “Talk, Laura,” he said.

  “Later.”

  “Now.” He touched her again, this time letting the pressure linger.

  “You know what you’re doing to me.”

  “I hope so.”

  She caught his wrist and lifted it. “I promise I’ll tell you later. Fuck me now.”

  “You win.” He bent down and took her lips in a kiss. This was no sweet caress like the one they’d shared after trudging through the snow. With a precision that would make a diamond cutter proud, he set about tasting every micro-millimeter of her mouth. He went to the corners and then the center, using his teeth to nip softly and his tongue to smooth his roughness over. Already, he’d stolen her breath, taking it as his own and giving it back.

  More, oh more. No matter how much he gave, she couldn’t get enough. Taking his face between her palms, she held him and answered. While their mouths tangled together, his hand went to the hem of her sweater. Easing it upward, he stroked her ribs and then cupped one breast. Even that gentle squeeze caused the nipple to tighten and grow stiff.

  “Soft,” he murmured against her mouth. “Perfect.”

  A day before, she would have protested that her breasts were too small to be called perfect. Now, they felt swollen and full, as if he could work miracles with her body. But then, perhaps he could.

  He bent lower. Without removing her sweater completely, he unfastened the front clasps on her bra and took her nipple into his mouth. The night before, he’d done something similar. Today, she responded even more powerfully, as if he’d primed her body to react instantly. They knew each other now as lovers, and in a moment, she’d give up all shyness where this man was concerned.

  Her mind drifted off to that special place where he wove a web of pleasure around her. Some other time, she’d have to make sure she gave as well as received. For now, she’d let him take control. He wouldn’t disappoint her. If her mind didn’t tell her that, her body did.

  At his gentle urging, she sat up long enough to let him pull her sweater over her head and remove it and her bra. He took over undressing her, tugging her slacks over her already-bare feet and repeating the process with her panties. For a moment, he left her, and she lay, staring up at the beamed ceiling, while the fire warmed her skin. A log cracked and hissed, and a burst of light pierced the darkness. Then, Ethan returned, his body naked against hers, as he claimed her mouth again with his.

  This kiss was prelude, yes, but it had its own identity, as though they could do no more than this all through the night. Twining her arms around him, she pulled him down onto her so that the firm planes of his chest rubbed against her nipples. As their lips tangled, withdrew, and sought each other again, her sex readied itself for the inevitable invasion. The lips felt swollen and heavy, and the slow ache inside her built to a steady throb. Still, she wouldn’t rush this, not when she had a lover of such skill at her complete service.

  As his lips left hers and traveled over her chin and below, his hands went on an exploration of their own. He touched her in places she wouldn’t have thought erotic—her underarms, the space at the back of her knee, even down to the arch of her foot. His mouth closed around the breast he hadn’t yet loved, and while he sucked that nipple, his hand closed around the other—still moist from his earlier caress. He kneaded the flesh and teased the tip with his thumb, sending little zingers of excitement through along her nerves.

  For these long moments, he owned her. If he stopped, she would have wept with frustration. He wouldn’t, though. He’d continue driving her wild, and then, he’d satisfy her. Though they’d been near-strangers when they’d faced each other in that country store, they’d leave here with the most intimate knowledge of each other. He’d trusted her, and now, she’d trust him. No matter if they never saw each other again, she’d always have this night to savor. She’d always pull up the memories of this fire with its flickering light and the pleasure of this man’s hands and mouth, playing her body like a finely tuned instrument.

  Lower still, he laid a trail of kisses between her breasts and downward to her belly. Making his destination even clearer, he pressed her legs apart and cupped her mound with his hand. Just that pressure against her clitoris started her on the climb to high arousal. She moaned, the sound coming out harsh. No wonder. She had to struggle for breath, fight to get air into her lungs. Another time with another man, she might expect her lover to take her now, and she would have been ready to accept him. Ethan had a lot more planned for her. He’d as much as said so. She’d settle in for a longer ascent—if, of course, she could make her sex wait.

  He kept pressing, pressing with his hand as he moved lower. His body eased her legs farther apart as he settled between them. Finally in position with his face only inches from her sex, he parted the petals with his fingers and blew a hot breath over her hardened nub. The moment of truth lay only seconds away, and she couldn’t help but tense. In her excitement, she’d already become wet. Would he find her repulsive? Was he doing this only out of a sense of obligation?

  When his tongue touched her, she tensed further, stiffening. He stopped immediately and brought himself up to stare into her face. “Laura?”

  Her skin flamed, and not only with arousal. She bit her lip and looked away.

  He wasn’t having any of that, obviously, because he caught her chin and forced her to return his gaze. “Hasn’t anyone ever done this for you?”

  “I wouldn’t let them.”

  “Well, let me.” The light of determination in his eyes said he wouldn’t give up without a discussion. Besides, her shy nature couldn’t keep her sex from making its own demands. She’d either have this man inside her soon or go crazy with unspent lust. Conversation was not an option.

  He must have taken her silence as consent. In fact, it was. She’d let him take her to this border and past. He’d do it right.

  So, when he resumed his place between her thighs and again exposed her sex to his eyes and mouth, she touched his face in silent permission. And this time, when his tongue grazed her most sensitive flesh, she let the pure, animal delight of the caress rush through her, burning away all the fear and all the reservation.

  What a revelation. What feeling. Such pleasure. How did you endure such a thing and come out on the other side? Stroke after maddening stroke, each pass of his tongue sent her further into a world of heartbeats and sighs and rising, blinding need. He acted as if he’d devour her, never getting enough. Reaching out, she found his hair and burrowed her fingers into it so that she could feel the movements of his head under her palm. If he found her moisture unpleasant, he gave no indication but lapped at her eagerly.

  When she trembled and her hips refused to stay still, he grasped them and held her against his face. Her arousal grew to almost unbearable levels, her breath coming in gasps and now cries. The signs of impending orgasm came hot on each other. The building tension, the hypersensitivity of her bud, the feeling that she’d never get air again. If she could fight it off . . . just a few more second. Not yet. Not yet. Please.

  Then, it was on her, and all choice disappeared. She let it take her upward into a place where nothing existed besides the clenching of her inner muscles and the cresting wave that broke over her.

  She screamed, hardly hearing her own voice, as the contractions started and raced through her. Hard and fast, building on one another.

  All through the storm, his tongue never slowed, as he urged the last fragment of response from her. He kept the heaven going until her body finally finished, and she sank against the carpet with a moan of utter completion.

  When it had all ended except for the fluttering aftershocks in her sex, he scrambled up beside her and pulled her into his arms. Her face against his neck, and her hand against his chest, her fingers curled into a soft fist.

  “Good?” he whispered.

  “Oh . . .” Breathe, breathe. “ . . . boy.”

  “Thanks for letting me be the first.”

  First, last, and always. No wait, that wasn’t right. Something . . . to hell with it. She let him warm her in the front while the fire did its work against her back. If their heaven could truly exist on earth, this must be it.

  They weren’t done, though. The thick ridge of his arousal pressed against her belly said that clearly enough. She could have that too. And she could keep enjoying him for as long as they stayed here.

  “You’re an endless source of wonder, lady,” he said.

  “You’re an endless invitation to ruin.”