Brushing his stubbly cheek against mine, he whispered, “Jesus, Vik. That was fucking awesome.”

I moaned at the loss as he slowly pulled out of me, unleashing a flood onto my thighs.

Despite the beauty of his candles, I finally saw the dump we were in and contemplated the floor. “Brody, I think the next place for us to go is the shower.”

He laughed. “Yeah, this carpet has probably not been cleaned…”

Covering his lips with my kiss, I said, “That’s gross. I don’t want to even think about that.”

Shrugging, he stood and helped me to my feet. “Assuming the shower is better, may I help you remove that dress?”

“Well, since I don’t have any underwear to wear home tonight, I guess I shouldn’t get my dress wet in the shower.”

“You’re not going home tonight.”

“I’m not?” I questioned as we walked toward the bathroom.

“No, you’re not. That smile on your face is the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. We’re going to work on keeping it there.”

“Val needs…” I began.

“You said that Val is off call because of the funeral. We’ll get you back to Val’s early in the morning.”

My lips pursed together in thought.

After turning on the water, Brody turned toward me and asked, “What? Where did that smile go?”

“I was just thinking that I told Travis to pick me up tomorrow at Val’s. I have to go home before the funeral. I can’t be seen in the same dress…”

“Or without panties,” Brody added with a grin.

Blood blushed my cheeks. “That would be a tad uncomfortable.”

“Why haven’t you fired him? Travis? I know you hate him.”

As Brody took my hand and led me behind the cheap shower curtain into the warm water, I shrugged in response and asked, “Before I told you, did you know that Stewart wanted Travis to have my contract?”

Brody nodded.

I went on, “Travis said that was what Stewart wanted. He said that Parker was the one fighting it.”

Brody reached for the hotel shampoo. “Look at this. Even at sixty bucks a night, you get shampoo. Oh…” He read the bottle. “…and the conditioner is mixed in.”

I turned as he poured the mixture onto my head and began massaging it into my hair. “Brody?”

“Yes, baby?”

“I don’t want either one of them to have it.”

“They can’t. It’s over. By dying when he did, Stewart saved you from that.”

Saved me? Why did people keep saying that?

“But the way Travis sounded, if it doesn’t belong to someone, there could be others, others who claim it.”

Brody spun me around to face him. “Vik, no one can claim anything. You’re a wealthy woman. No one can make you do anything you don’t want to do. Hire the best: the best bodyguards, the best accountants, the best attorneys—that’s me by the way…” He smiled a mischievous smile. “…and I work for benefits.”

My cheeks rose in a smiling expression as I leaned closer, our slippery bodies sliding against one another.

“What if…” I began.

Brody’s finger came gently to my lips.

“Shush. Tonight we’ll celebrate your freedom. Tomorrow we’ll worry about what if.” Leaving his finger in place, he added, “Nod if you agree.”

Nod if you understand. The words reverberated through my mind.

Turning away, I nodded. Under the guise of the shower, I allowed the tears I’d kept bottled up for too long to flow. It wasn’t until my shoulders shuddered that Brody realized I was crying. Without a word, his strong arms surrounded me and he gently kissed my freshly washed hair.

I WOKE TO the sound of Brody’s alarm, feeling anxious and nervous about the funeral, yet also rested for the first time in ages. “What time is it?” I asked sleepily.

Fumbling for his phone, Brody answered, “Four-thirty. I wanted to have you back to Val’s before anyone was out and about.”

My body ached in the most wonderful way as I stretched and started to sit. Before I could, my gaze settled on the handsome, warm man nuzzling closer.

“Where are you going, Vik?”

“To take a quick shower,” I giggled, as he leaned over me, his strawberry blonde hair sticking up in the sexiest of bedheads.

“How about if first I help you get ready for your big day?”

My eyebrow peaked. “Help me get ready? Whatever do you have in mind?”

With kisses to my neck, chest, and stomach, Brody moved slowly down my body, his fingers taking the lead as he spread my legs. “Just a little something to start your day off right.”

Before I could comment about the little something, I fell back to the pillows and whimpered as his tongue lapped my slit.

“You taste so fucking good,” he moaned between taunts, pushing my legs farther apart, torturing my already swollen lips and tender thighs.

Fuck! I won’t be able to walk at the damn funeral. Just as my mind started to leave the room, Brody’s thumb circled my clit, bringing me back to present. My legs involuntarily closed as my insides tightened to a painful pitch.

“That’s it, Vik,” his words encouraged and pushed me upward as my fingers wove through his hair, craving his touch.

His tongue assaulted my clit, flicking and taunting, until whimpers of words spewed involuntarily from my lips. The heat of my core intensified, and my body took on a mind of its own. My hips bucked and my legs grew rigid. The entire world disappeared as Brody sucked my clit, electrifying me from head to toe. Screaming out his name, my hands flew to the sheets grabbing for something, anything, to keep this incredible ascent from coming to an end.