I push a loose strand of her auburn hair away from her cheek. There’s a softness in her eyes I want to crawl inside and live in—if only for a little while.

I close my eyes and run my nose across her jaw line. Her mouth drifts open and I trace her bottom lip with my tongue. I wrap her in one of my arms and position myself between her thighs. My tip teases her entrance and slides against her pussy. She moans as soon as I make contact with her clit and it’s nearly my undoing.

I grip her shoulder and with one quick motion, I’m buried inside her. “Damn. I didn’t know what I was fucking missing.”

“Ohhh,” she whimpers while her face buries into my chest.

I pull back. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

She bites her lip and shakes her head. “Don’t stop.”

Jesus. If she keeps looking at me with that mixture of innocence and lust I’m not going to make it long.

I thrust into her slowly a few more times while her hand slides down my back and then grabs my ass. “You feel so fucking amazing.”

“It’s different?”

I nod and pump into her again. “You have no idea.”

There’s no way she knows how different this experience is for me. Even all the times I’d fucked Sophie, it’d been just that—fucking. This feels completely new, like we are connected somehow.

My mouth hangs open as I quicken my pace. Sweat slicks both of us as I continue the steady rhythm.

Kitten clenches her thighs around my waist and digs her nails into my back. “Zach, oh god.”

“Don’t fight it. Let go.” I watch her in awe as she falls apart below me, allowing complete vulnerability with me.

I suck a quick breath through my teeth and a string of curses fly from my mouth. This is over too fucking soon, but I can’t help it. Sex has never felt this good before. Shudders ripple through my entire body when I find my own release and spill into her.

I kiss her softly once, to see what it would feel like to not be in a hurry to fuck someone to forget life for a while.

When I pull away, she smiles. “Are you always so sweet to the girls you bag?”

I cringe inside. I hate that she doesn’t think she’s special to me, but if I was an outsider looking at me I would think the same damn thing.

I shake my head. “Only you. Don’t ask me why, either, because I don’t know.”

Her grin widens as she reaches up and strokes my cheek. “Then I like the idea I’m the only one who gets sweet kisses.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Don’t let that get out. I’m not really known for being sweet.”

“Wouldn’t want it to get out you actually have a heart, would we?”

Definitely not. When people find out you actually give a shit, that’s when they fucking hurt you. I know that pain all too well and never want to go through that again.

I grab the nape of her neck and kiss her hungrily while trying to push the idea of taking my time with her out of my head. This girl has the capability of crushing me if I let things get out of control. That’s the whole reason we have this one time hump arrangement—to get each other out of our systems and move the fuck on. We both know we aren’t good together and this thing between us would never go long term anyway because I would fuck it up somehow.

I close my eyes and will my stupid brain to stop overthinking the situation. She’s just another woman out to fuck a rock star so she can have a memory of how wild she was before she settles down in suburbia and pops out some spoiled-rotten children.

Exhausted, satisfied and spent I collapse on top of her. Her hair surrounds me and I inhale the scent of her into my nose. Instantly, I'm turned-on again. I was right—once isn’t going to be enough. I already want more.

Fuck me. I’m in such deep shit.

Chapter 8

AUBREY

After hours of mind-blowing sex we lay in the darkness wrapped in each other’s arms. He strokes the bare skin on my shoulder while I rest my head on his chest. I never expected such caring from him—multiple orgasms, sure, but never a connection. This almost feels like the start of a relationship, which I know is insane. We barely know each other.

The burning desire to get to know this complex man burns inside me. How can he be one way to the world, and yet hide this caring side of himself away?

I trace the tattoos on his defined chest with fingers, lingering awhile on the name over his heart. “What happened between you and the girl?” His arms tense around me and I instantly feel like I’ve stepped over some invisible line that’s been drawn around him. Desperate to keep him from shutting me off again and becoming Riff, I backpedal. “You don’t have to tell me. I was curious.”

Zach sighs into my hair. “It’s not what you think.”

I turn and rest my chin on him so I can peer up at his face. “Oh?”

I’m dying to know more, but don’t want to push.

He frowns under my gaze. “Hailey was my sister.”

There’s no mistaking the word was in that sentence. I can’t even fathom the loss of a family member, let alone someone close, because it’s not something I’ve been through. I imagine it’s soul altering.

I’m quiet for a few minutes, allowing him time to explain further without any prompting from me. When he doesn’t answer, I ask quietly, “What was she like?”

A sad smile fills his face. “She was amazing—my ornery, little tag-a-long. That kid followed me everywhere.”