“What do you want, Talon?”

He stood, his eyes full of passion. “We…need to stop this.”

I raised my eyebrows. Not exactly what I had expected, and a jolt of sadness coursed through me. Even though part of me—a big part of me—agreed with him, I didn’t want to stop this.

“We do? Why?”

“The why doesn’t really matter,” he said. “Just trust me. We need to stop this.”

“The why matters to me, Talon.” I walked toward him and stopped when our bodies were no more than two inches apart. The air was thick with lust. Passion swirled around us almost as if it were visible. My heart beat quickly, and my skin tightened. “If you truly wanted to stop this, you wouldn’t have walked in on me in the shower. You would have waited until I was fully clothed.”

He moved backward, away from me, hitting the bed and sitting down. “Just trust me. It needs to end.”

“I don’t accept that.” Slowly I untied my robe and let it fall over my shoulders onto the floor. I stood naked in front of him, like an offering. I licked my lips and cupped my breasts, holding them out. I pinched one nipple and then the other, and a jolt of desire arrowed straight into my pussy. “Are you ready to accept that?”

He pulled me down into his lap. “Please. Don’t make this any harder than it is.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and nudged one breast up to his lips. “Kiss my nipple, Talon.”

He closed his eyes, but he did not turn his head away.

I began undulating my hips, driving my pussy against his denim-clad erection. “I’m wet for you, Talon. I’ve been wet for you since you met me at the office. I turned you away because we were in a public place. I had to keep my head. But I wanted you. I wanted you then, and I want you now.”

He opened his eyes. “This doesn’t have anything to do with that.”

“Then tell me what it’s about.”

He closed his eyes again, and I raised my hips again, nudging his lips with my nipple.

“Jade…”

“Don’t resist me, Talon. I know you want me. I want you too.”

He closed his lips around my nipple and sucked. Sweet surrender.

And it came to me, as if I’d known it all along. I would always surrender to this man. We might not have a future together, but as long as we were anywhere near each other, I would surrender to him, no matter what. He did something to me, something I didn’t understand. Perhaps I’d never understand it. Craving was the word he had used. Maybe that was all it was—a craving that might never be satisfied.

He sucked harder on my nipple, and my skin tingled. My pussy ached for his cock.

“That feels so good, Talon. No one sucks my nipples like you do.”

He bit down, and I let out a squeal. I almost came right then and there. My pussy was swelling. I could feel it against the denim of his jeans.

I would ask for what I wanted.

“Pretend we’re still in the park, Talon. Pretend people are watching, and take me. Take me right here.”

He groaned and stood, lifting me and then laying me down on the bed. He quickly undressed and pulled me up to him. He lifted me, and, still standing, sank me down on his cock.

A sigh escaped my lips as he filled me. Sweet joining. Every time was better than the last. Each time I was sure that he couldn’t fill me more completely than he had last time, and each time he did.

His eyes were closed, but I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Open your eyes. Look at me. Look at me.”

He opened his eyes, and his gaze blazed into mine. He lifted me by the cheeks of my ass and set me down again and again, filling me with his cock each time. Our gazes stayed glued together, and I swore his eyes were seeing straight into my soul. I never let our eye contact waver, and when the tingling began in my clit, the tickling inside my cunt, and I knew I was on the edge, I touched his cheek.

“I’m going to come, Talon. Come with me, baby. I want us to come together.”

He groaned and began moving me up and down off his cock faster and faster, harder and harder, until, just when I exploded, he groaned and sank me down so deep on his cock I felt like he was touching my heart. So good, such bliss.

My pussy pulsed and pulsed and pulsed, shattering my nerves, making my skin burn. When my climax finally started to slow, I threaded my fingers through his thick locks and brought my lips to his.

He gently laid me on the bed and then lay down beside me. He kissed me again, a sweet kiss. A kiss of joy, a kiss of satiation. Our lips slid against each other, our tongues swirled together.

We kissed and we kissed. Lying naked on my bed. For a long time.

* * *

I didn’t remember stopping kissing, but we must’ve fallen asleep. When I woke up in the morning to my phone alarm, Talon was gone. I was still lying naked on top of the covers. I smiled, letting the memories of our passion overtake me. As much as the sex had been satisfying, what I had loved most about last night was lying together afterward and kissing. We had kissed for so long. He had been so sweet, and so gentle, so…un-Talon-like. His kisses had been laced with the spice of his whiskey and his own sweet musky flavor. I let out a happy sigh and stretched my arms over my head.

But enough daydreaming. I had to get to work.

* * *

When I got home from work, Talon was nowhere to be found, but Marj was in the kitchen.

“Hey,” she said. “I’m making manicotti.”

“Oh, yeah? Where’s Felicia?”

“I gave her the afternoon off. I felt like cooking tonight.”

I inhaled. “It smells delish. Can I help?”

“Sure. Why don’t you put together a salad?”

I headed to the fridge and pulled out a head of romaine, a tomato, some radishes, and some baby spinach. “Where is Talon?”

“I haven’t the foggiest. I haven’t seen him since this morning.”

She was ahead of me. I hadn’t seen him this morning. He’d left my bed sometime during the night.

“By the way, Ryan and Joe are coming for dinner.”

Good. Maybe Marj and I could talk to them about Talon. “Okay. When?”

“They should be here any minute.”

“But Talon’s not coming?”

Marj shrugged. “As I said, I haven’t the foggiest. His car is gone, and I’ve no idea where he went. I’ve given up on him. After all, he stood us up last time, remember? My guess is he’s gone for the day and evening. He does that sometimes, goes into Grand Junction on business and has dinner there.”