By the third time I was playing my little game with him, he’d sunk down in his seat. He was gripping at his hair with one hand for a few seconds while he focused on driving before allowing himself to look again and whispering, “Fuck!”

My movements quickened, and Eli must have noticed the change in my breaths, because his warning came through the truck loud and clear. “If you get yourself off, I can make this go a lot longer than two weeks, Paisley.”

I stopped abruptly. My breathing was ragged, and my body was aching for my climax.

“That’s my job,” he added. I started lowering my leg from the dashboard, and he shot me a look. “Don’t you dare.”

Now I was the one glaring. I’d wanted to be in control. How had he turned this around on me?

“Not going how you planned?”

I didn’t answer.

“Don’t worry, Pay, your message wasn’t missed. Just wait until we get to wherever you have us going.”

Or maybe I was still in control. I smiled to myself and let my head fall back against the window as I waited for the rest of the drive to pass by.

I told him when to get off the freeway, and where to go, and he shot me a wide-eyed look when we pulled up to the Crystal Pier Hotel cottages.

“Pretty awesome, right?” I asked, and nodded my head in the direction of the dozens of cottages dotting the pier in front of us.

“How’d you pull this off?”

“I have connections.”

Eli rolled his eyes, but smiled. “I’m sure you do.” Turning off the car, he opened his door and stepped out. After getting our bags out of the backseat, he met me at the front of the truck and wrapped his arm around me. “Where do we check in?”

I took the keys out of my purse and dangled them in front of him. “Already done.”

An amused smile played on his lips. “All right. Since you have this all planned out, lead the way.”

We walked along the pier, passing people standing outside the cottages looking at the ocean, others sitting in chairs and drinking, everyone relaxed and enjoying the setting the beach provided. But thanks to the time of year and my friend who worked here, it wasn’t full, and we had a cottage surrounded by empty cottages for the weekend.

Nothing but Eli, me, and the ocean . . . and no one too close to hear.

Eli was walking far enough away from me that our arms weren’t even brushing together, and when I reached out to grab for his hand, he moved it away. I looked up with a confused expression that quickly fell as heat pooled low in my stomach from the look he was giving me.

His dark blue eyes held mine as we walked; the heat and want in them clear, but his face unreadable otherwise. Just before he looked ahead again, the corner of his mouth curved up in a smirk that had me stumbling.

I was so not in control of this.

Stopping in front of our cottage, I fumbled to get the key in the lock as Eli pressed up behind me, and I shut my eyes as I breathed out deeply, trying to compose myself.

“Need help?” he asked, a hint of enjoyment in his tone.

I didn’t respond. Once I successfully had the door unlocked, I let us in and flipped on the lights before shutting the door behind Eli.

He set the bags down on the floor and turned to look at me, that same look he’d been giving me on the pier was back on his face. My heart skipped a beat before pounding painfully in my chest, and I backed up until I was against a wall—my legs and arms trembling with anticipation.

For countless minutes we just stood there staring at each other, the tension in the room growing with each minute that passed. And while I was quickly losing the composure I’d been trying to build, Eli was still standing there like none of this was affecting him and he knew exactly what kind of effect it was having on me.

“You’re trying to make it happen before Sunday,” he guessed, and I sagged against the wall. He nodded, taking that as a confirmation, and held his arms out to his side. “You’re running the show this weekend, come on, Pay.”

“Wh-what?”

“You put on that show in my truck. You played with me that way to get your way. Come on, don’t stop now; come have your way.”

He continued to stand there with his arms outstretched, and after the shock wore off, I slowly pushed off the wall and took small steps toward him. Looking up at his expectant gaze, I shakily reached out and lifted his shirt, and let him pull it the rest of the way off. Unbuckling the thick leather belt and sliding it out of the loops, I reached for the button and zipper on his jeans, and watched as they pooled at his feet.

With a smirk, he kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his jeans before standing in front of me again. “What now?”

I gaped at him for a few seconds. “Undress me.” Even though I’d meant for it to come out demanding and erotic-sounding, it came across like a question.

And even though I was practically a statue throughout the entire thing, Eli gave little touches that left those places of my body feeling like they were on fire.

When I was standing completely naked in front of him, he raised one eyebrow. “Now?”

I glanced across the studio to where the bed was, and grabbing one of his hands, led him over to it. Pressing my fingers to his stomach, I pushed until he sat down, and took deep breaths—trying to summon the same courage I’d had in the truck. But it was gone. I didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know how to start this with him.

Moving to stand between his legs, I threaded my fingers through his hair and brought his mouth to mine. Eli curled his arms around my waist, but I pulled back and looked down at his lap.

“I’m g-going to, I want to sit on y-you,” I stammered, and Eli fought a smile.

Oh my God, what is this? This is worse than my first make-out in junior high! And Eli is trying not to laugh. It’s time to run away!

Eli scooted back and lifted me onto his lap; a teasing grin was on his face as he waited for what would come next. But I was frozen. I couldn’t make myself kiss him, I couldn’t enjoy the fact that I wasn’t wearing anything and he was only in his boxer briefs. I was shaking. I’d made this so awkward.

Leaning close to my ear, he nipped at the lobe, and whispered huskily, “Now?”

A shiver ran up my spine, and he laughed darkly. Everything about his tone in that one word changed from the last time he’d said it, and everything in the room shifted. My breaths were no longer coming too fast because I was screwing everything up, they were spiking because the same tension that had filled the room when we’d first walked in was quickly engulfing us.

He lazily trailed one finger down my spine, and his blue eyes held mine. “What happened to the girl who would climb on my lap and tell me what she wanted?”

I didn’t know what to say, my mouth opened but nothing came out for a few seconds. “I felt brave then.”

“And now?”

“Not so much,” I admitted breathily.

Eli flipped us so fast it made my head spin. Pinning me onto the bed, he pressed his lips to my neck and I moaned when he gently bit down on the soft skin there.

“That’s because you’re not getting your way during those times; you like the fight, Paisley.” His lips moved in faint brushes along my throat, down my chest, and just when he came to the swell of my breasts, he moved back up. “Just like you like when I push you to try or do something even when you’re not sure about it. Babe, you’re a siren when I’m in control. You make it practically impossible to say no.”