Did he? Knowing her pain wouldn’t make him feel any better, knowing that she understood didn’t make a difference…did it? But chances were she hadn’t asked to benefit him.

“Sure.” He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, toying with her dangling earring for a moment. “Spill.”

“I was sleeping with my TA at university.” She let out a laugh, though her hazel eyes didn’t crinkle as they normally did. “Not quite as cliché as sleeping with the professor, but close enough. I though he was the smartest, most brilliant man on the face of the earth.”

“He couldn’t have been that smart if he dumped you.”

“He was smart when it came to manipulating people to get what he wanted. But then he was done with me, and I didn’t take the hint. I tried calling him, texting him. When I approached him about why he was ignoring me, he told the coordinator that I came on to him and asked that I be removed from the class.” She shook her head. “I had to explain my side of the story to the professor and the faculty coordinator. It was utterly humiliating, and in the end I gave up trying to get people to believe me. I was wrong about us getting serious, but I at least thought he respected me intellectually. Turns out he had female students lining up, and he’d chew them up and spit them out on a regular basis.”

“So we’re in agreement that relationships suck.” He smoothed his hands over her shoulders and down the lengths of her arms. “What I don’t understand is why you’re punishing sex.”

She laughed. “You’re doggedly persistent, you know that, right?”

“It’s not the worst thing I’ve been called by a long shot.” He slipped his hands around her waist and dropped them down to her lower back, drawing her closer.

“I don’t want anything to mess this up; we’ve got a good thing going here.” She shrugged. “I’m making headway with Des and, if I can get my products into First, I’ll have the proof of success all these other restaurants want. We’ll get your mixology idea off the ground, and I’ll do my bit by playing happy girlfriend at the wedding. We both walk away friends. No pain, no mess.”

“Sex doesn’t have to change that.”

“What if you fall in love with me?” she teased.

“You’re sexy as hell and smart to boot, but there ain’t no chance of that, Tiger.”

He couldn’t fall in love with her, no way, no how. Ambitious, well-to-do girls like Libby—and Sadie—wouldn’t go the distance with him. They were always hungry for the next thing—they wanted more. And he couldn’t give it to them. But what he could give them was the best damn sex of their lives.

A strange sensation twinged in his gut. This was exactly what had led him into an endless string of women warming his bed, and he was supposed to be done with that.

So why did Libby make him feel like it wasn’t the empty kind of encounter he’d grown to hate?

She nodded, splaying her fingers flat against his chest. “Good.”

“Is that a yes?”

“I don’t believe you actually asked me a question.”

He picked her up and set her on the edge of the kitchen bench, nudging her legs open so he could stand between them. The stretchy material of her polka dot skirt rode higher up over her thighs, revealing a flash of hot pink satin.

“I asked you to stay the night.”

She waggled a finger at him. “You told me to stay.”

“You want me to beg, Tiger?” He pressed his lips to the hollow at the base of her neck, his teeth scraping at her skin. “Not gonna happen. If anyone’s going to beg, it’ll be you.”

Her head lolled back. “I don’t beg.”

“Oh you will.” He kissed farther down, his hands deftly popping the buttons on her blouse. “I won’t let you come until you beg shamelessly, incoherently. I’ll hold you right on the edge until you say my name like it’s the only word you know.”

Her whole body trembled as his lips made it to the edge of her bra. Hot pink satin outlined with yellow lace, colorful and bold just like her. Hard nipples pressed against the fabric, drawing his eye and then his mouth. He tugged the cup down until he could taste all of her.

“Is that a yes?”

She sighed, her eyes fluttering closed. “You still haven’t asked me.”

“May I fuck you into oblivion?”

She laughed, her finger threading into his hair and yanking his face up. “Well, when you put it like that…”

“Say it.”

“Yes, Paul.” She brought her mouth to his in a hot open-mouthed kiss that set his whole body alight. “Yes.”

Chapter Nine

Somehow they made it to his bed, though he was sure he’d find a trail of clothes leading like breadcrumbs to his kitchen in the morning. That was a problem for tomorrow, however, because he was certain about one thing—Libby wasn’t leaving his bed until the sun came up.

Copper strands of hair fanned out across his pillow like silk streamers. She stared at him with hooded eyes, her hands reaching out.

“First things first, Tiger.” He came down between her legs and blazed a trail with his mouth from belly button to the waistband of her single remaining item of clothing.

“Don’t rip this pair,” she said, her back arching as he pressed a kiss between her legs. “They’re too pretty to go into the trash.”

Pretty was an understatement. The swatch of pink silk against her pale, white skin was striking. Captivating.

It made him want to catalog every dirty thought he’d ever had and play them all out at once.

“I’m impatient,” he murmured against the silk before tugging the panties down her legs. “I don’t want to waste a second.”

He threw them to the side before capturing one ankle in his hand and hooking it around his waist.

“We have all night.” She reached for his boxers, dipping her finger beneath the elastic to brush against his cock. The gentle scrape of her nails along his length dragged a moan from his lips.

He moved closer, allowing her to grasp him fully. “I’m going to need it. There’s too many things I want to do to you.”

Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. “Are you sure I can keep up?”

“Don’t worry about that. Let me drive,” he said, pushing his boxers down and discarding them over the edge of the bed. “You just lie back and enjoy.”

“Hmmm…” She wrapped her fingers around him and stroked slowly. “I like the sound of that.”

His hands came down beside her as he lowered his face to hers, capturing her mouth in a deep, searching kiss. She tasted of marshmallow and chocolate, sweet. Decadent.

Through the haze of arousal and desperate desire, fear settled over him. Something felt different. Having Libby in his bed wasn’t just about sex. It wasn’t scratching an itch like he had in the past. He wanted to drown in her, he wanted to use his body to show her that she was beautiful, worthy. He wanted to erase her past hurts and make her feel whole.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you shouldn’t be frowning during sex, right?” Her teeth nipped along his jaw, her tone teasing.

You got what you wanted, enjoy it. Don’t think about anything beyond this. There isn’t anything beyond this.

He bent his head and drew a nipple into his mouth, running his tongue over the tightened peak. Her moan echoed in the quiet room, awareness gripping him and quickening his pulse.

“I’m concentrating,” he said, burying his face between her breasts. “I don’t want you leaving until I’ve licked, kissed, and fucked every inch of you.”

“You do have a way with words.” She let out a throaty laugh as her head lolled back against the pillow and she arched against him. “Or maybe you’re just good with your mouth.”

“You should know the answer to that already.”

A sly smile passed over her lips. “Refresh my memory?”

“Gladly.”