“How you doing down there, princess? Knees hurt at all?”

She looks up at me, her brown eyes full of lust and excitement and smiles as she runs her hands up my thighs. “Never felt better.” Wrapping her hand around my cock, she gives it a gentle pull causing my head to fall back on my shoulders.

“Good. That’s good, princess.” I don’t know if I’m answering her or praising her. All I know is that I sure as hell don’t want her to stop.

“I like it when you call me that,” she murmurs as she takes an experimental lick. The feel of her soft, wet tongue on my head makes me want to scream, it feels so damn good.

“Then I’ll make sure to call you it more often. Princess.”

I hear her soft chuckle over the spray of water beating down on my back. I’m trying my best to block the flow from hitting her in the face by standing in front of it, but I find myself swaying on my feet, the water trickling down my chest. When I look down to make sure she’s still doing okay, her face is covered in droplets from the fine mist still getting by. She looks like a damn siren, her caramel eyes drugged with passion, her lips ruby red and swollen.

“Fuck, you look hot.”

“I could say the same about you.”

The husk in her voice is sexy as hell. My dick twitches in her hand, urging her to continue stroking. “Then say it,” I tell her. “Tell me how much you want me, how bad you want to taste my cock in your mouth.”

“I do,” she says, her voice growing breathless, her chest rising and falling harder as she leans in and sucks the tip between her lips. Just the tip, but I’m already ready to come. How does this woman get me so worked up so fast? She’s single-handedly ruining my run time.

“Then show me.”

She does. Boy, does she. Without any more prompting, Vista’s mouth engulfs me. She takes me all the way to the root. When I hit the back of her throat, I groan. Her mouth is magic. As she takes me deep over and over again, pumping my shaft in time with her mouth, I feel like I could scream from how good it feels. In a matter of minutes, pressure begins to build and I know I’m about to bust.

Then I think of the baby growing inside her. Shit! I can’t let my kid ingest that crap. What kind of father would I be if I let that happen?

Tunneling my fingers into her wet hair, I gently tug Vista back until I am free of her mouth. I’m sad as hell to go, but this isn’t cool.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, concerned as I hold my hand out and help her back to her feet. I notice that her movements are stiff, and I feel like a total asshole all over again. She shouldn’t be on her knees. She’s the mother of my kid and all I’m thinking about is myself.

“Nothing, princess,” I lie. Leaning down, I kiss her mouth, slipping my tongue inside and licking her until she relaxes into me. Drawing back, I brush wet hair from her face and look into her hooded eyes. Damn, she’s beautiful. “Let’s get you washed up. When I take you, I want you in a bed.”

Pouring body wash into my palm, I rub my hands together then smooth them over her skin, starting with her shoulders.

Leaning into my touch, Vista says, “A bed, huh? I thought you had a thing for having sex in the water.”

Working my way down, I cover her breasts, momentarily getting preoccupied with them as the nipples bead against my fingertips. “What makes you think that?”

“Hmm...the pond, the pool, now the shower.”

Thinking about it, I realize that every time we had sex, it took place in the water. Imagine that. “Huh, I guess I must like water sports,” I say, watching as my hand travels lower to the swell of her belly where our baby resides. “I don’t recall you complaining until now, though. Do you have something against mattresses?”

“Nope. They’re extremely forgiving, especially when you’re on your knees.”

Which I plan to be, very soon. My cock, which is still hard as a steel pipe, jumps at the mental picture of getting between her legs. I have a list of things I want to do to this woman, and most of them involve my mouth. What can I say? I’ve always preferred eating out.

“Let’s rinse you off, before I forget the bed and take you right here on the floor.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that.”

“Tell me that in two hours when your ass is bruised from the tiles.” As soon as we’re both soap-free, I dry off enough to ensure I won’t slip on the floor, then wrap Vista in a towel and carry her to bed.

***

“I told myself I wasn’t going to do that.”

“I gave you a chance to back out,” I remind her, my chest shaking with laughter. Why don’t girls believe me when I warn them?

“Not that!” Vista slaps my chest, laughing. “I meant the sex. I told myself I wasn’t going to have sex with you, and now look where we are.”

I stare up at the chipped and peeling ceiling that’s probably full of lead and asbestos, knowing exactly what she means and yet I’m a little hurt to hear that she didn’t want to be here with me. It’s a bit hypocritical, I know, but I never claimed to be perfect. I’ve wanted Vista for a long time. After Chicago, I can’t go back to a life without her in it. The sex is an added bonus that I’d just as soon not go without, either.

“I’m sorry I’m so irresistible. It’s my cross to bear.”

“Oh, shush,” she says, laughing again.

I love the sound of it. When I think about going back to my hotel—back on the road—alone, I suddenly feel empty inside.

“What are we going to do?” I ask her, not even bothering to elaborate because I know that she understands. It’s hard to miss the elephant in the room.

“Well,” she says, sobering. She nuzzles her cheek against my chest, getting comfortable. Or using the time to formulate a response. “I’ll start by calling the woman at the agency and telling her the deal is off.”

I nod, glad that I don’t have to get into another fight with her over it. I’d like to avoid yelling as much as possible for the remainder of my time here. “And then?”

“I don’t know.” Rolling onto her back, she stares up at the ceiling with me. The spot on my chest where her cheek rested feels cold without her there and I place my hand over it, but it does nothing to scare away the chill. “I guess I’ll just work. What are you going to do?” she asks, her hair rustling on the pillow as she turns her head to look at me.

“I’ll be heading back to my hotel tomorrow night to get ready for the game.”

“Oh.” I hear the disappointment in her voice and it probably makes me a son of a bitch, but I like it. I like knowing that she doesn’t want me to leave.

“You’re always welcome to come stay with me,” I offer. “I have plenty of room, and you could watch me play.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I know her answer before she says it. “Thanks, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea. My office just opened. I can’t leave it now.”

“What’s one day?” I ask, shocked by the almost desperate need to have her there, to see me do what I do best. I’ve never had anyone there just for me, who didn’t have an agenda other than making sure I won. I find myself wondering what it would feel like to have Vista there, cheering me on from the stands.

And what is it all worth, really, if I don’t have her there with me? Isn’t that the whole reason I came here in the first place, to get her back?

“Are you kidding me?” Vista is staring at me like she can’t believe what she’s hearing, and I totally get that. I can hardly believe me either. “It’s everything. I’m the boss. If I’m not here…”

“What? The whole place will fall to pieces?” I challenge. “Do you really think that will happen two days into it? You have other people working for you who know what they’re doing. I’m sure they could hold down the fort for one day.”

“Say I did go. Then what? Are you going to run off, travel the country, forget we exist? Go back to Chicago and settle in, commute for visits?”