“Because I never let on that I wanted you to kiss me.”

His head dipped lower, until his lips were just inches from mine. “I don’t even remember Jenna Jones.”

I smiled. “Jenna Holmes.”

“See? But I remember you always smelled like birthday cake. I remember the way you’d play with your hair while you did math problems. And I remember this one little skirt you had, the way it would ride up your thighs when you sat on your knees at the kitchen table.”

Forget about dancing. I couldn’t even feel my feet on the ground anymore. “Tyler?”

“Yeah.”

I slid my hand into his thick dark hair. “I want you to kiss me.”

“It’s about fucking time.” That cocky grin flashed for a fraction of a second, and then—finally—his lips were on mine.

The music continued to play, but I barely heard anything above the pounding of my heart. Tyler’s right arm tightened around my back, and his left hand moved to the back of my head. He opened his mouth wider and stroked between my lips with his tongue, sending a tingle straight between my legs. His hand gripped my ponytail and pulled my head back as his mouth traveled down my throat. “Your hair drives me crazy,” he growled.

“Pull the elastic out,” I urged. “Take it down.”

A few seconds later, my hair tumbled down around my shoulders, and he threaded his fingers through it, cradling my head in his hands as his mouth collided with mine once more. I looped my arms around his waist and pulled his torso against mine, feeling the bulge in his pants thick and hard against my abdomen.

Suddenly he broke off the kiss and rested his forehead on mine. His breathing was ragged. “Fuck, April. This is where I’m supposed to leave—alone. This is where I remind myself that I’m the good guy. This is where I should remember to do the right thing. However, this is also where I’m the bad guy who wants to rip your clothes off and make you come a thousand different ways.”

A breathless laugh escaped me. “A thousand? Really?”

“Really.”

Excitement and desire ricocheted through my body. “Tell me more about this bad guy.”

“He’s good with his hands.”

“Does he say dirty things?”

“Filthy things.”

“Does he take his time?”

He paused. “He will really try.”

I laughed. “Come on, bad guy. Let’s go.”

I got the sound system shut down, the lights off, and the building locked up in record time. Within five minutes, Tyler and I were racing hand in hand across the parking lot as quickly as my heels would allow.

“Your place or mine?” I asked.

“Mine,” he answered. “There’s a guy in the room next door to me who needs to be taken down a notch.”

“What?” I shrieked as he opened the door to his SUV for me. “We’re not inviting the neighbors, are we?”

“No.” He shut me in and ran around to get in on the other side. “It’s just you and me. But if he happens to hear us, I will not be upset.”

Tyler sped the whole way back to his hotel—I cannot believe he didn’t get pulled over. I had to cover my eyes because I was positive he was going to run a red light. When we reached the resort where he was staying, he left the car at valet—with the keys in the ignition—even though we didn’t even see anyone there. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me through the lobby toward the elevators.

The doors opened right away, and he yanked me inside, punching the Close Doors button furiously. When they came together, leaving us alone, he spun around and crushed his lips to mine.

The kiss knocked me breathless. His arms came around me—tight. His body forced me back into the corner while his mouth ravaged mine without mercy. When the elevator pinged and the doors opened, he reached for my hand again and raced down the hallway on his mile-long legs toward his room. I stumbled after him on much shorter legs, panting and laughing and out of my mind with desire.

I was so far off the ledge, I couldn’t even see it anymore.

Tyler struggled with the key card, but finally the green light flashed, and he threw open the door, pushing me inside the room. By the time I heard it slam shut, he’d swept me off my feet and was carrying me over to the bed.

The drapes were shut but one bedside lamp was on, illuminating his dark, hungry eyes as he tossed me onto the spread and removed his jacket.

I propped myself up on my elbows and watched him yank off his tie, pull his shirt from his jeans and unbutton it, ditch his shoes and socks and belt . . . all in the space of about ten seconds. Finally, he peeled off the button-down and whipped his T-shirt over his head. For the first time, I got a look at his bare chest.

Let me just say, it was worth the wait.

But I barely had time to admire it before he launched himself onto the bed. I squealed as his body sprawled over mine.

“Maniac,” I teased, putting my hands on that chest. It was hot and hard and made my body shiver with anticipation. “You’re going to crush me. And I’ve never seen anyone get undressed so fast. Are you sure you know how to take your time?”

“Listen,” he said, sliding down my body and getting onto his knees. “The only thing I’m doing quickly tonight is undressing you.” He pulled off one of my heels, then the other.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He flipped me onto my stomach, unzipped my skirt, and tugged it off, leaving my black panties in place. They weren’t my sexiest underwear, but they weren’t Netflix and nachos either, and they still made his jaw drop when he flipped me onto my back again. He ran a fingertip along the lace at the top, making my belly quiver.

Next, he untied my blouse at the neck, then worked his way down the row of buttons. It took him a little while because the buttons were tiny and his hands were so big.

“Want help?” I offered.

“Nope.”

When he finally reached the last button, he opened the blouse and looked down at my chest. I was wearing a black bra, nothing special, but the way his eyes traveled over my skin made me feel infinitely beautiful. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the mattress over my head, stretching out above me.

“No fair, I can’t use my hands,” I told him, wrapping my legs around his hips.

“You put your hands on me, this could be over before it begins, babe. You gotta at least give a guy a chance.” He kissed me in that slow, deep way that awakened every nerve ending in my body and made my back arch beneath him. Through his jeans I could feel the hard length of him rubbing against me, and I was anxious for more. But he took his time, moving his mouth down my neck, my chest, my stomach, running his tongue along the lace edge of my panties where he’d brushed his fingertip before.

“Tyler,” I said impatiently. “Take your pants off.”

“Not yet, my pet.” He moved all the way down so his head was between my legs. “While I appreciate your eagerness to get where we’re going, I’m going to enjoy the ride a bit.”

“The ride?”

“Yes.” He kissed his way up one inner thigh. “See, some guys might be all about the shortcut . . .” He kissed his way down the other. “ . . . but I myself like a detour.”