That brought her out of herself a little. She arched into him, trying to tug free but he held her down as he nudged his hips, giving her a slow, glorious thrust. Another cry was torn from her lips, and she couldn’t quite understand what was happening. He was claiming her completely-heart, body, and soul in the most primal, raw way she’d ever allowed. And as he did, his eyes held hers prisoner in the same way he held her body, watching as her body writhed under his ministrations.

Branding her as his.

It was too much, and she tugged hard. “No.”

He immediately let her hands loose, a frown of concern forming, but before he could say a word she rolled him, knocking him flat to his back. Holding him down now, she mirrored his actions, running her hands up his arms until their fingers were linked over his head.

Ha.

His hooded eyes searched hers for a long beat before he gave her a sexy smile. “Better?”

“Much,” she said, and the next sound out of either of them was two shuddering breaths of pleasure as she lifted up before sinking back down on him.

Matt’s groan was rough and heartfelt, and he let her do as she wanted, as she needed, which was to ride him hard and fast, every thrust sending electric heat sparking and crackling along each nerve in her body. And in the end, when they’d both shattered and she’d sagged boneless to his chest, when he’d gathered her in and pressed a sweet, tender kiss to her damp temple, she realized the truth.

When it came to Matt Bowers, she had no control at all.

An hour later, Matt stood in the dusty staging area at the trailhead, watching Amy drive off. He’d taken her to her car as she’d asked, and she’d left him so quickly his head was still spinning.

Seemed what they’d shared had gotten a little too close for comfort back there in his cabin, and apparently, Amy wasn’t all that fond of that.

Well she could join his damn club. He’d come here to Lucky Harbor to get away from everyone, not to get too close for comfort ever again.

Something else he’d failed at.

“Remember,” she’d said back in his bed, bare-ass naked, tousled, and gorgeous. “That was just sex.”

He’d nearly asked if she’d been reminding him-or her. But she’d had an emphatic look on her face, making it clear that she was in no danger of wanting more.

The drive to her car had been made in silence. Hard to tell if it’d been good or bad silence since his woman-radar had been broken ever since Shelly had packed her shit and walked right out of his life.

Actually, she’d run.

He shook his head but it was no good. His brain was still scrambled. Amy had scrambled it good with the best blow job he’d ever had. Then she’d ridden him like a bronco, detonating any brain capacity he might have managed to retain. She’d taken him her way, all the way, clearly not liking being vulnerable, just as clearly needing to be in charge.

Which had been new and… interesting.

It sure as hell would be hard to argue that he hadn’t had a great time. It’d been the kind of sex that every guy dreamed about, down and dirty, mindless.

No strings attached.

And isn’t that exactly what he’d wanted from her?

So much chocolate, so little time.

The next day, Amy worked at the diner. It was a slow, uneventful shift, made even slower due to a daylong downpour. The pier was empty as the rain beat down on the entire Washington coast, and the diner remained empty, too. This left Amy with way too much time to think.

Not a good thing when she kept flashing to the memory of Matt in bed moving over her, his voice a sexy, erotic whisper in her ear, their bodies slick with sweat, their limbs entangled. Every time she replayed it, she felt a tingle in spots that had no business tingling while she was serving customers.

It’d been so long since she’d been with someone. That’s what she told herself. Years long, in fact, since an ugly night in Miami years ago now, when she’d landed into yet another rough situation that she almost hadn’t gotten out of. Just another case of a guy wanting more than she wanted to give. She’d forgone sex completely after that.

But it had been different with Matt, so different than anything she’d ever shared before. Sex with him had meant intimacy, and she hadn’t been prepared.

Not even close.

To take her mind off Matt, she used her break to hole herself up in the tiny back office of the diner and pull out her cell phone. She wanted to plan the last leg of her grandma’s journey, but she was at a bit of a loss.

Call me again sometime, and you can ask me another question. I’ll answer a question with each call. How’s that sound?

Her mom’s words were echoing in her head. They’d had such a tempestuous relationship, always, from the day Amy had gone to live with her at age twelve, to the day Amy had walked away at age sixteen. But hindsight was twenty-twenty, and Amy could admit that she wasn’t blameless, that she’d had a big hand in how things went down. Facts were facts, and Amy had been a liar. A petty thief. A girl who’d wielded her burgeoning sexuality like a magic wand.

A nightmare.

And she’d walked away without looking back, without even considering how her mom might feel. Not caring…

Amy let out a shaky breath and hit her mom’s number. The phone was answered quickly, with a breathless, “Amy?”

“Yeah, Mom. It’s me.”

There was a silence, and Amy grimaced, feeling unwanted and stupid. And God how she really hated feeling stupid. She shouldn’t have done this; she shouldn’t have-

“I’m glad you called.”

Amy sucked in another breath. “You are?”

“You surprised me last time. I didn’t get a chance to ask you if you’re okay.”

Amy’s chest physically hurt. She didn’t do this, this emotional stuff. And yet it seemed like lately that was all she was doing. “I’m okay. You?”

“Good. I’m… single again. I just wanted you to know that.”

Probably the closest thing to an apology she was going to get.

“You still in Lucky Harbor?” her mom asked. “Do you have a place? An address?”

“Yeah.” Amy cleared her throat and gave her the apartment address. “You said I could ask you a question.”

“Yes.”

Amy drew a deep breath. “Do you know where Grandma Rose ended her journey exactly?”

“I’m sorry,” her mom said with real regret. “I don’t. All she ever told me was that in the end, she went full circle.”

Full circle. Same thing the journal had said. Disappointment clogged Amy’s throat, thick and unswallowable. “Oh. Okay, well, thanks. I’ve got to get back to work.”

“Will you call again?”

Amy closed her eyes. It’d been a long time since she’d ached for someone’s approval. A damn long time. Since her Grandma Rose’s death probably. Amy had told herself a million times that she’d outgrown needing acceptance. Would she call again? Honestly, in that moment, she had no idea. “I have your number,” she said carefully.

“Okay.”

“And Mom?”

“Yes?”

“You have my number now, too.”

At the end of her shift, Amy gathered the trash and left out the back door. She dropped it in the Dumpster on her way to her car and nearly tripped over Riley in the alley. “Hey,” Amy said, surprised. “What are you doing?”

But the answer was clear. It’d been pouring steadily, relentlessly, all afternoon, and Riley had been rained out of wherever she’d been staying in the woods. She was wet through and through, huddled up against the wall on the stoop. “You okay?” Amy asked.

Looking miserable, Riley nodded.

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride.”

Riley didn’t ask where, or even bother to argue, which told Amy exactly how wet and cold the teen was. Once they were inside Amy’s piece-of-shit car, Riley sidled up against the heating vents, rubbing her arms over the long-sleeved tee that Amy had given her. “You know, if you’d stayed at my place, you’d be warm and dry right now.”