“Last chance,” he warns.

“Ye—”

The word is cut off, Zach’s mouth on mine. He manages to move us to the bed in one swift move. He holds himself over top of me, all his good parts lining up perfectly with mine. It shouldn’t be the case, since he’s a good five inches taller than me, but somehow in bed we click together like two missing puzzle pieces.

“I’m going to take your panties off now, Delia.”

“I hope so, Zach. I’m dying over here.”

He places a kiss at the corner of my mouth, down my chin, the column of my neck, not stopping until he reaches my left breast.

“You have a tattoo? That is so hot,” he says. “Why that phrase?”

My ink reads With All Your heart. “Because I only ever want to go with all my heart. I don’t want to half-ass anything in my life.”

I can see in his eyes that he likes my reasoning.

With his tongue, he traces the words that begin on the side of my breast and finish underneath. Then he makes a path back up and his warm mouth closes around my nipple, the sensation causing my hips to buck off the bed. My body is wound so tight, yearning for a release. I squeeze my thighs and Zach chuckles, the sound shooting straight to my core.

“I get it, I get it.”

He kisses down my stomach, the action sending shivers all along my body. He continues his journey south, his mouth landing right at the band of my panties.

He pauses for only a second before stripping the black garment down my legs.

My first instinct is to shut my legs, to cover myself, but then I glance at Zach. His eyes are screaming with want, with need.

I don’t feel embarrassed or self-conscious. I feel bold and beautiful, and it’s all because of this man on his knees who’s about to devour me.

And devour me he does. His face is planted firmly between my legs and I’m writhing on the bed, torn between pushing him away and begging him closer.

I want him to stop, but only so he can start all over again and this can last a lifetime.

It’s not long before I’m a shuddering mess and his gentle kisses turn leisurely.

Crawling back up my body with the proudest grin on his face, he reaches into the bedside table and pulls out a condom. As he opens it, I reach down and give him a few strokes, enjoying the way he looks and feels in my hand. He’s paused all movements, frozen above me with his bottom lip tucked between his teeth.

He opens his eyes and his stare connects with mine.

“Delia?”

“Yes?”

“Move your hand.”

His words are loaded, desire dripping off every single syllable. I hold his gaze as I follow his orders. He rolls the condom down his shaft and settles himself between my legs.

Feeling the pressure of him at my opening, I spread my legs apart. It’s an invitation, and he knows it.

“I think this is the best third date I’ve ever had,” he whispers before thrusting inside me.

We’re lost in each other, so lost I don’t know if I ever want to find my way out again. Zach moves inside me and I do my best to match his movements, finding a rhythm between us. It isn’t perfect and we’re nowhere near synced up, but it’s working for us both, this give and take of ours.

Our eyes stay connected as he moves inside me. He wraps my leg around his waist, creating a new angle that has us pushing for more.

“God, Delia…”

“I know, Zach. I know.”

His mouth crushes to mine and my hands find his hair, pulling him closer in every way possible. He pulls his mouth from my mine and buries his head in the crook of my neck, dropping his full weight on top of me. His thrusts grow more precise as he finds the spot he’s been searching for.

He mutters a string of curse words in my ear as we chase our highs together, grasping and searching for every last drop of pleasure we can muster before collapsing in a heap of twisted limbs and harsh breaths.

My chest feels like it’s about to explode, and my heart’s beating so fast I feel like one of those cartoons where you see the outline of it thumping away.

We lie there, trying to find the strength to function again.

“I think I’m dying.”

“I feel so out of shape.”

He nods in agreement. “I’m going to get rid of this thing. Do you…need anything?”

“Bathroom?”

He points at a door beside the sleek black dresser in his room. “Right there. I’ll go down the hall.”

He hops off the bed in all his naked glory, not bothering to cover up one bit, and makes his way out of the room. I head into the bathroom, use the toilet (because no one wants a UTI), and use a clean washcloth I find in the linen closet to clean myself up.

Strolling back into the bedroom, I find Zach relaxed on his bed, hands resting behind his head as he stares up at the ceiling.

“Did you even notice these?”

I crawl into bed and lie down next to him, my head resting on his chest. Gazing up, I see what he’s talking about: two large windows cut out in his ceiling. The night sky feels so close, as if I could reach out and touch the stars.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Sure is,” he says. There’s something in his voice that causes me to slide my eyes his way.

I’m surprised to find him staring down at me with warmth.

He wasn’t talking about the night sky; he was talking about me.

I grin up at him and wink. “I know.”

He titters. “Now who has the big ego?”

He kisses the top of my head and we lie there together in the darkness until sleep consumes us.

I wake about an hour later, my mouth dry and desperately in need of water.

Doing my best not to wake Zach, I wiggle out of his hold. I slide my underwear back on and pull his shirt over my head before quietly sneaking out of his bedroom.

I make my way back down the stairs, taking my time to observe his home. There are beautiful photographs lining the walls, all of them black and white. I step closer to read the name scribbled at the bottom but can only make out Elliott.

Whoever he is, he’s awesome.

I tiptoe down the stairs and back through the living room, finding the kitchen is on the other side. Much like the rest of the house, it’s modern and sleek.

I open the fridge, laughing at the excessive amount of takeout boxes and beer, and grab a bottle of water. I sip on it as I meander around the kitchen and living room, checking out all the fun gadgets they have.

It doesn’t take long for me to scope out the rest of the house. There’s another bathroom on this floor along with what I assume are two guest bedrooms. I open the door to one to find Marshmallow sound asleep inside, and I note that Zach’s rigged the room with a sheet of plastic lining the floor and plenty of straw.

I shake my head, unsurprised that Zach has dedicated an entire room to a goat.

I quietly close the door, not wanting to disturb Marshmallow, and make my way back down the hall. I’m assuming the other bedroom belongs to his roommate, and I don’t want to intrude.

There’s a door off the underside of the stairs. Curiosity overcomes me so I peek inside, finding that it leads down into the basement.

Now that I’ve already opened the door…

I make my way down the stairs and am genuinely surprised at what I find at the bottom.

I remember Zach telling me he works in the basement, so when I find two round chairs smack dab in the middle of the room with massive TV screens hanging on the wall across from them, I’m stunned. There are two large cabinets with a mouse and keyboard on each one sitting below them. This doesn’t look anything like an office.

I make my way over to the inviting chair and settle into it, spinning around in circles, taking in the room.

It’s so…peaceful.

I know Zach creates apps for a living, but when he said apps and basement, I was not expecting something so fancy.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

I jump at the sound of Zach’s voice and spin the chair to find him leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. I won’t lie, him standing in only sleep pants, no shirt, has my body humming to life again.

“This is not a nerd zone, Zach. I’m almost disappointed. I was expecting walls of Mountain Dew, Dorito fingerprints everywhere, lots of dark creepy corners, and about ten different computer monitors.”

“I told you, I’m a different breed of nerd.” He pushes off the wall and takes a seat in the chair opposite mine. “Want to see what I’m working on?”

I nod and watch as he grabs a keyboard from the shelf then returns to the chair. He sits there, staring at the screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

“This,” he says when something bright fills the screen, “is the code for a new app for that program I was telling you about at the park.”

“Embody Positivity?”

He grins, pleased I remember. “Yep. I’m working on adding a new meet-up function, trying to make it easier for kids to find a safe place to hang and friends to hang with.”

“Wow, Zach. That’s really awesome.”

His eyes are focused on the screen as he presses more buttons and brings up several more apps. He takes the time to explain each one, and I can see the pride in his eyes. He takes his work seriously, and it’s clear he loves being a creator.