Ah, shit. Ryder took a drink.

She smiled. “See, I just learned about you without coming up with boring questions. So you are clearly strong.” Her gaze skated down his chest, and he couldn’t help but flex a little. “And you’ve operated heavy machinery. I’m liking you already, big guy.”

All right, he could play this game too.

“My turn,” he said, zeroing in on her. “I’ve never gone skinny-dipping.”

Her eyes shot up like she’d been caught, and then a sly smile stretched her lips as she took a drink. “Nice one,” she said.

“Why, sweetness, you have a wild streak.”

She shrugged. “Maybe…”

Her challenging brow got serious, and Ryder was already finding this to be his favorite game. It was clear she wasn’t staying put anywhere, and though he only had this one night, this one moment, he was actually having…fun.

Another thing he hadn’t experienced in a while.

“I’ve never had a one-night stand,” she said.

Ryder went to take a drink, then stopped. He’d never had a one-night stand either. He’d fallen for a bombshell once, and living fast and loose with her was what had gotten him in trouble. But as fast and loose as it had been, it hadn’t been a one-night stand.

He’d dated his share of girls, and he’d known from a young age to keep his distance. So many of them came to him wanting to tie themselves to his family legacy. But his ex? He’d thought she was different.

He’d loved her, thrived on the thrill she gave him. And he was an idiot that had eloped with her—a secret no one except his closest friends knew. He’d risked everything, including his family’s name and money. Turned out, those were the only things she’d wanted. A couple of days and a quick annulment later, he’d realized he could never give in to that kind of passion again.

He’d been young and stupid, and ever since he’d stayed away from women that got his pulse working and tempted him to let his instincts run wild and give in to the primal lust that boiled constantly beneath the surface. He was responsible now. Had been for years. He dated women, walked them to the door, and after three or four dinners, he got invited in and knew that was the time to cut things off and move on. And so went the routine. Courting. Manners. Polite boundaries. Amicable endings.

“Whoa!” She smiled. “A hot guy like you has never hit it and quit it?” She took a sip of her drink. “So that tells me you’re either celibate or a romantic,” she teased.

He was ready to show her how wrong she was, because there was nothing romantic or celibate about what he was envisioning with her. It was hot, sweaty, rough, and involved the sexy brunette bent over the nearest flat surface.

“You think I’m hot, huh?” He tossed her a wink, and her cheeks took on a pretty pink color. She was trying to rile him, but his control was unshakable. Except for the fact that this sassy woman was shaking it…and he was ready to shake back.

“Are you a flowers and chocolates kind of man, too?” So she was trying to get back to her original line of questioning. Luckily Ryder had a lawyer for a friend and could talk in a circle with the best of them.

“That wasn’t phrased in the form of an ‘I’ve never’.”

She huffed. “Fine. I’ve never gotten flowers from a man.”

He frowned. Never? This woman was way too beautiful and fun to not have men falling at her feet. Not one had ever doted on her?

He took a drink of his beer.

“Hey, you have to be honest,” she said.

“I am being honest.”

She gave him a disbelieving look. “You’re saying you’ve never given a woman flowers?”

“No.” He smiled. “I’m saying I’ve never received flowers from a man, either.”

She laughed. “Looks like I just put my foot in my mouth. Well played, big guy.”

He stepped toward her. “By the way, just because I haven’t had a one-nighter yet doesn’t mean I’m a romantic.” He was practical if anything. And the way this woman was looking at him, like a treat she was ready to sample, he couldn’t bring himself to care about responsibility, manners, or anything but the desire to feel her skin against his.

Maybe it was time to give in to the devil sitting on his shoulder…and the devilishly sexy woman before him.

Whitney had never been so turned on in her life. She didn’t miss the way his gray eyes lit up like molten steel when he said he hadn’t experienced a one-night stand yet. It had her body zinging with anticipation.

She was game for one night with this man, but he was playing by rules she didn’t know, because while Ryder was clearly all things alpha, he was also a gentleman. But there was a buried darkness that she was dying see. Maybe he needed one more nudge to get that calm demeanor of his to break.

Time to initiate Social Engineering 101: talk in a way that gains an advantage and gives you what you want. Right now, she wanted to tap into Ryder, in more ways than one.

“Maybe we should take baby steps,” she said, taunting him just enough to get that silver spark in his eyes to glint. “I wouldn’t want to frighten you with my wild ways.”

He raised a brow. “Me? Frightened of you?”

She shrugged, but the way his body moved made the hairs on her neck perk up and pay attention. He stalked behind her and stood tall so that she was caught in his shadow. His hands moved ever so slightly as if he could snatch her in a single second and do what he wanted with her.

And she’d let him. Because the raw power that dripped from him was engulfing. So that was what it took to bring out his wild side—a challenge he couldn’t refuse. And boy, now she had to wonder if she’d gotten more than she’d asked for. He exuded a dominating presence that refused to be ignored.

“You looking to taunt me, little girl?”

“Just looking to learn you.”

That made him stop. Shit, had she said the wrong thing? This was only for a single night. But she wasn’t going to bore him with her plans for the summer—make some money so she could move on to the next place. This guy wasn’t even from around there. Looking to “learn him” had been a poor choice of words for a man she would never see again. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to back down from her statement. She only had tonight with him, but she planned to learn everything she could about how to give him pleasure.

“What is it you think you’ve learned so far?” he asked.

“You’re polite, but I think you have a wild streak just like I do.” She tapped her chin, revving up that alpha instinct he was keeping a tight hold of.

Push just a bit more.

“I wonder…” she said. “Do you ever get to act on that wildness?”

“What makes you think I don’t?”

“You’ve never even gone skinny-dipping.”

“Maybe because I’ve never gotten the lady out of my bed long enough to make it to the lake.”

That got her attention real quick. He was good. Very, very good. And while she was certain he was also a nice guy, it was becoming clear there was an intensity to him that he rarely, if ever, got to explore. And she wanted to tap into that wicked darkness he was caging up.

Push…just…a…bit…more…

“I’ve never had sex with a cowboy in his truck,” she said.

He unleashed the sexiest grin God had ever gifted a man, and he took one more step until he was toe-to-toe with her.

His breath hit her lips when he said, “Like I said, sweetness, I’m no cowboy. But I do have a truck.”

Done!

She was about ready to scream the word and rip his clothes off. Instead, she finished her drink and tried to keep her body from buzzing out of control. Calm and seductive. Maybe even a bit coy. That wasn’t exactly her game—she preferred being direct—but if that was what Ryder needed, she was all too willing. She was game for anything and refused to cower behind inhibitions. Just looking at Ryder had her thinking that the few interactions she’d had with boys in the past were nothing compared to the man that stood before her.