He strolled by the dance floor, not pausing again until he reached the glass slider at the rear of the building and searched the deck for his friend, Randy Daniels. Adrian caught a quick glimpse of his profile where he stood in the hot tub before Randy knelt on the seat and lowered his head between the splayed legs of the girl perched on the edge. She looked familiar, but he’d only met the young girl once before, a long time ago. What he could see in the dim lighting without any problem was her small baby bump as she leaned back on her hands braced behind her, and the reverent way Randy laid a possessive hand on her distended abdomen. This, then, must be his wife, and Adrian regretted his schedule hadn’t allowed for him to attend their wedding.

  Adrian and Randy were the same age, both turning thirty-nine this year, and staring at his friend’s impending fatherhood brought to mind his own ticking clock. He supposed he should think about carrying on the Coultrane name, and he’d always liked kids, but at this point, he couldn’t bring himself to consider remarrying. Not yet, maybe never. There was always the option of going the surrogate route as God knew he had enough money to offer a woman for that service.

  That sounded cold, but often of late, examining his emotions and true feelings revealed a coldness inside him he couldn’t shake. Once again, his thoughts strayed to Sophie, this time pondering the depth of her loss. Without a doubt, she would never accept such a bribe, never give up all rights to a child for any amount of money.

  A ripple of envy snaked through Adrian watching Randy’s wife thrust her crotch into his mouth as her cry of release rent the air. Her breasts jiggled, and her thighs tightened against Randy’s head, and Adrian decided to call it an early night. Winding his way through the crowd toward the entrance, he said his farewells, regretting his conscience wouldn’t allow him to ease his lust on a needy sub. He ignored Clayton’s curious look when he lifted a hand at the door, figuring he could come up with a plausible excuse before he saw him again.

  Adrian was halfway home when an itch settled between his shoulders, one of those pesky, unexplainable sensations that caused unease to override common sense. Security around the ranch was top notch, and there was always at least one hired hand on nighttime patrol. Staying on track with the rest of the night, the possibilities running though his head centered on Sophie.

  He parked in front of the house, telling himself he was being ridiculous. Hell, he mused, raking his fingers through his hair, maybe they could both use a healthy dose of no-strings-attached sex to get through these stages of loss they were dealing with and had in common. But his first time with Nicole had started in such a manner, and look how that ended. No, he had to think long and hard before going down a road of convenience again.

  Jessie’s Jeep, Wyatt’s SUV, and Nora’s Volkswagen filled the circle drive, which meant they were all in residence tonight if Ashe was around. Adrian rarely knew where his cousin went after they called it quits for the day and he took off. He went tense with annoyance as he slid out of the truck and slammed the door, not in the mood to socialize, and lately, he was never in the mood to make nice.

  Other than the lowered volume of the upstairs television drifting down the stairs, all was quiet inside. Hanging up his hat, he veered left for a final check before turning in then came to an abrupt halt as he rounded the hall corner and saw Sophie swimming. She executed one more lap then came to her feet in the shallow end, her wet sports bra glued to the shape of her full breasts, the clinging material outlining every ridge of her puckered nipples. Standing in the waist-high water, she scooped her hair straight back, revealing her stark face. Her heavy breathing lifted her chest, and he guessed she’d been at it awhile.

  Adrian turned to walk away then swore under his breath when the itch between his shoulders intensified. Never one to underestimate intuition, he went to the door and entered the pool room, his gaze jumping across the room to the outside exit, glimpsing a shadowy figure before the door clicked shut.

  Sophie jumped, either from the noise or seeing Adrian, the blood draining from her face before her cheeks turned pink when she looked up at him. Even from several feet away, he could detect the sorrow in her eyes she never tried to hide. The possibility someone had been watching her sent a blaze of white-hot fury burning through him like a raging wildfire, leaving him seeing red and needing an outlet for the aggressive wrath consuming him.

  With everyone in house tonight, any one of them could have snuck around out back, but to what purpose? He needed an answer for that question as much as he needed his next breath. The urge to stomp upstairs and confront them as a whole was impossible to ignore until Sophie came up the pool steps, her face etched with desperate longing. He braced himself to resist the silent plea in her drenched eyes clinging to him as she padded across the tile floor dripping wet. Her thin gym shorts skimmed the tops of her smooth thighs, emphasizing her long legs, and his brain wasted no time forming a mental picture of those legs wrapped around him.

  Muscle-tightening rage demanded he confront his so-called friends, but the slowly intensifying hunger to offer Sophie a temporary reprieve from dwelling on her painful loss kept him there against his better judgement.

  Her voice trembled as she said, “I didn’t expect you back this soon.”

  “Neither did I.” He looked away from her drawn face to the rear exit. “Did you see anyone at that door?”

  “No, but I wasn’t paying attention to anything except…” She bit her lip, her eyes pooling with unshed tears she blinked to stop.

  Clenching his hands to keep from reaching for her, his hard, demanding tone echoed in the humid room as he growled, “Go upstairs, Sophie.”

  Her shoulders drooped with disappointment then she straightened with an unreadable glint in her eyes. “I’m not on the clock, Mr. Coultrane, and prefer to stay down here a little longer.”

  No way would he leave her alone anywhere tonight except her bedroom, behind the locked door. Not until he learned if his mind had been playing tricks on him when he’d seen the back door closing. “Don’t push me, Sophie,” he snapped, wishing he could feel a fraction of the sorrow for his wife she felt for her daughter. Regret and anger had been his constant companions for ten long months.

  “Or what, you’ll fire me? Go ahead.” She tossed her head and glared.

  Something about the way her defiance seemed to be the only thing holding her together got to Adrian. She stood there shivering, nipples hard as stone from more than the cool water, aching for a reprieve from the constant heartache. His determination to stay aloof crumbled under the force of her haunted gaze.

  “No, worse.” Shackling her wrist, he yanked her against him. “I’ll give you what you’re asking for.” Adrian cupped her nape as he drew her arm behind her, holding her wrist pinned against her lower back before covering her parted lips with his.

  Sophie clung to the hard possession of Adrian’s mouth, wondering what about him had sent her over the edge the minute she looked up and saw him. She hadn’t thought anything of the outside door clicking shut, believing it was due to the wind until she’d faced the furious storm brewing in his gray eyes. But worry over his suspicions couldn’t break through the lonely sorrow she’d been wallowing in since she heard the others go upstairs. Nothing had ever worked for long to suppress that constant ache – until now.

  Now, with his lips commanding hers, she opened for his tongue, shivering against his hard hold, grateful for the hands keeping her upright under his onslaught. She groaned into his mouth as he stroked her tongue then explored her mouth with an intimacy she’d never experienced before. Pure, unadulterated lust took hold of all her senses, consuming her with a need to feel something, anything other than debilitating grief.

  Adrian never loosened his hold or his mouth as he turned and pressed her against the wall. Sophie gripped his shoulder with her free hand, her blood pumping hot through her veins to pool between her legs. He released her lips and nape at the same time, his hand going to her shoulder to yank down the bra strap to her elbow, just far enough to scoop out her breast.

  Using thumb and forefinger, he kept his eyes on hers as he first rolled her nipple then tugged with a tight squeeze that sent a fiery arrow of needle-sharp pain spiraling down to her pussy. “Is this what you want, Sophie?” he asked, his harsh tone a guttural rasp against her trembling mouth.

  He punctuated that inquiry with another pinch to her tender bud, the erotic discomfort working like magic to shield her from the crippling emotional pain that had been her constant companion for almost a year. “Yes,” she replied without hesitation, not caring about anything else at that moment except exploring how far into temporary oblivion from reality his touch could take her.

  He swore, his gaze turning dark as he continued to toy with her nipple. As if coming to a decision he didn’t like but accepted, he gave her a brusque nod. “Remember that and the word red if you change your mind.”

  “I…oh God!” She sucked in a gasping breath as he dipped his head and suckled at her breast, soothing her tormented, aching nipple with his tongue and lips then bit down.

  Releasing her hand, he pulled down her other strap and slid his diabolical, wonderful mouth over to that bared breast to torment it with the same agonizing pleasure. Sophie never imagined she could become so aroused from breast play, or from the slight pain he would inflict in between licking, sucking, and nibbling. She was so immersed in the new sensations he was unleashing upon her unsuspecting body, she didn’t realize he’d shoved her gym shorts down until his calloused hand clamped around one buttock.

  “Adrian.” She wasn’t sure what she wanted when he slid a finger between her cheeks and pressed against her anus, only that his light graze unleashed a tingling awareness of that sensitive area.

  He pulled up on her nipple, elongating the tip before releasing it with a plop and looking at her. “More?” he asked, pressing harder against her puckered hole.

  “I don’t know.” The myriad of new sensations taking over her body and mind left her adrift on a sea of indecision.

  “Honesty is good, and vital.” Taking a seat on the pool chair next to them, he took her hand and tugged her off balance, landing her over his lap. “Let’s try this.”

  Her startled cry resonated in the high ceilinged cavernous room, along with the slap he delivered to her butt. Skin-prickling pain blossomed across her buttocks as he peppered both cheeks with moderate smacks, hard enough to sting, falling just short of truly hurtful. She didn’t know what to think of the shameful position or her immediate, pussy-gushing response to the heat his heavy hand was building across her backside. Then he paused to rub her abused flesh, his callouses scratching her tender skin and igniting a fresh wave of pulsating arousal.

  “More?”

  Unable to read anything in his tone, Sophie flipped her face upward, and the lust she saw reflected in his heated gaze caused her heart to stutter. Wanting to test him as much as herself, not to mention needing to prolong this and reap as much from this encounter as possible, she nodded. “Yes,” she replied, turning her head back down to the floor before she changed her mind.

  A muttered curse reached her ears, and she smiled, liking she could get under his skin as much as he could hers. The next spank wiped the smirk off her face. She struggled to accept the impact of the harsher swats, the burn and deeper, throbbing ache they produced throwing her into a tailspin of emotional overload. A roaring filled her head as her buttocks turned numb under his slow, methodical smacks and her pussy wept for attention, followed by a strange lethargy loosening her muscles until she slumped over his lap.

  “Sophie?”

  Adrian’s deep voice sounded far away as she sighed with the pleasure of his hand rubbing her aching backside and the small pulses of arousal running up and down her vaginal walls.

  He slid a finger up and down her pussy lips, a tease as he repeated her name in a sterner voice. “Sophie?”

  “Can’t you just finish without pestering me?” She turned to look at him again, frowning at the interruption from the happy place she’d just discovered.

  “That’s not how this works.” Adrian rolled her over and sat her up, bracing an arm around her back and clamping his hand on her hip. “But since this is a one-time scene, I’ll cede to your wishes and finish this.”

  Sophie closed her eyes when he leaned her torso back and brought her nipples up to his mouth. Wrapping his lips around one turgid peak, he dipped a finger inside her quivering pussy, swiveling a seductive dance around her engorged clit. The slow tease was at odds with his steely grip and just enough to send her escalating into explosive sensation. She whimpered with the assault, the torrent of pleasure building as he milked her clit with tight pinches and sucked on her tender nipple at odds with the discomfort of her butt rubbing against his rough, denim-covered thighs. The soft pressure on the most tender parts of her body combined with the throbbing heat covering her entire backside made her tremble and burn hot and wet with an escalating need for more.

  “Come for me right now.” It wasn’t a request as he sank his teeth into the tender bud and plucked at her clit with tighter pressure.

  Finally, the ripples of new and familiar sensations taking over her body and mind built into a sweet heat that swept her into a euphoria beyond her wildest imagination and control. Her pussy spasmed around his finger, a gush of cream dripping down her thighs as her hips jerked in tune with his now pummeling digits. First one, then two, and now three fingers filled her sheath as he used his thumb to press harder on her clit. Writhing before him, she tossed her head back and rode his hand, relishing the burst of fiery explosions filling her vision with fireworks and embraced the encompassing ecstasy like a drowning man would a tossed life preserver.

  ****

  Adrian paused at the door to Sophie’s bedroom after ushering her upstairs in the elevator, checking her one more time for any sign of stress or upset before giving her a slight push into her room with his hand on her ass. “Good night, Sophie.” His entire body vibrated with the urgency to distance himself from the temptation her sated, relaxed expression presented and to confront the others in the house about possibly spying on Sophie. He shouldn’t, not when he still burned so hot with fury, he was just one wrong word or look away from lashing out.

  “Adrian.”

  She laid a slender, pale hand on his arm, her light touch searing his skin the same way her tight, wet pussy had scorched his fingers. The spasmodic clutches of her slick vaginal walls had almost cut off his circulation, and he still relished the feel of her, the sound of her, and the enticing image of her writhing on his lap. So much so, his only option was to distance himself.

  Jerking his arm away, he snapped, “Not necessary,” halting the gratitude in her eyes and hovering on her lips. “Lock your door and go to bed.”

  Her slim brows dipped into a frown, her voice carrying a note of censure he didn’t care for when she replied, “Surely you don’t believe one of them means me any harm.”

  Harm? No, he couldn’t think of a single reason why any of them would turn on Sophie the way one had Nicole, but that didn’t quell his unease or anger over seeing someone watching her from an inconspicuous position.

  “No, but do as I say.” She huffed with a glare that made his palm itch to bend her over again but did as he instructed and closed the door behind her after waiting for Tink to dart inside. The cat and Sophie seemed to have bonded, each having lost the most important person in her life. As soon as he heard the lock click, he spun on his heel and stomped down the hall, passing the three closed guest room doors he assumed were now occupied by Jessie and Nora in one, and Wyatt and Rachel in the other two. Of the group, their relationship was hardest to define, neither one letting on if they were interested in more, although he suspected both were leaning that way. None of them, it seemed, had learned anything from his and Nicole’s mistake.

  Adrian had spotted Ashe lounging on the sofa in front of the television when he’d come out of the elevator at the end of the hall. Being the most obvious culprit, his cousin would bear the brunt of his anger and suspicions. Planting himself in front of Ashe, he fisted his hands on his hips and demanded to know, “Where the fuck were you forty minutes ago?”

  Temper brewed in his eyes as Ashe sneered with insolence. “What the hell business is it of yours?”

  “Don’t fucking screw with me, Ashe. Why were you spying on Sophie in the pool?”

  “Oh, for God’s sake,” he snarled, jumping to his feet to stand toe to toe, eye to eye with Adrian. “Watch it, Cousin. I’m not in the mood to deal with your ridiculous accusations tonight.”

  “And I won’t tolerate anyone”—he jabbed Ashe in the chest—“attempting to scare or intimidate my employee.”

  “Our employee, and I won’t stand here and be insulted.”

  Ashe bumped him hard with his shoulder to shove him aside, the move fueling Adrian’s wrath. Grabbing his arm, he stopped him with a hard yank. For the first time ever, he was on the receiving end of his cousin’s explosive temper when Ashe’s fist connected with his jaw. He jerked back in time for the punch to graze instead of plow into him, yet he still got walloped hard enough to hurt.

  Before either of them could make another move other than Adrian releasing his grip on Ashe, Jessie was there, pushing between them with a hand against each of their chests.

  “If you’re going to go at it like adolescents, take it outside, away from the girls,” he rebuked in his usual affable, placating tone.

  The barb struck home, but Adrian wasn’t moved by the remorse crossing Ashe’s face before he pivoted and walked down the hall to his room. He swung his gaze toward Jessie, his aching jaw keeping his temper alive. “If the girls don’t like hearing us argue, they can go home to sleep from now on.”

  Jessie maintained his steady stare. “What about Sophie?”

  Adrian whipped around, letting out his breath when he saw her door still closed. “Speaking of her, is this the first time you’ve left the room since coming upstairs?”