Eli scrunched the note angrily in his fist. The heat between them had been incredible. The sex, earth-shattering. And she’d dismissed it all as ‘fun’? A stab of pain assaulted his senses. For him, it had been so much more than fun, and he wanted to do it again and again and again. He’d thought she felt the same way. His first instinct was to hunt her down, drag her back to bed and torment her in every sensual way he knew until she begged for release. Until she begged for him. Just as he’d made her beg this afternoon. The flush on her cheeks when she’d finally capitulated had been perfect.

His libido stirred back to life. Good god, she made him as randy as a teenager.

Usually, he preferred relationships with sophisticated women who understood they were only together temporarily, for mutual satisfaction. It should please him that Aria wouldn’t be clingy, but he found himself wishing she’d stayed around for a while longer. Dressing quickly, he made a decision. Their time together wasn’t over until he said it was.

Aria called Sophie as soon as she’d showered and popped dinner in the oven. She recited her story to sounds of disbelief.

“You didn’t,” Sophie gasped out as soon as she had finished.

“I did,” she admitted, shamefaced. “I had crazy sex with Elijah Lockwood.”

“That’s fantastic!” Sophie squealed.

“No, it’s not.”

“That’s horrible,” her friend corrected herself. “Why is it horrible, again?”

“You know what happened in Christchurch,” Aria reminded her. “Eli is a far bigger deal than Wilson Jones. What will happen when everyone finds out?”

“You’re only human, and he’s a babe, Aria. A total sexy beast. No one could hold it against you. And he’s not your boss. It’s a completely different scenario.”

“Last time—”

“Forget last time. Eli isn’t Wilson. And you aren’t in Christchurch. Everyone here would be happy for you. Hell, I’d be naked in seconds if I thought I had a chance with him.”

Oddly, that comforted her.

“Was it good?”

Aria collapsed into an armchair and smiled like a fool. “Better than good. Fireworks.”

“I knew it!” Sophie exclaimed. “I’m so jealous.”

“You’re still separated from Evan?”

“Evan is complicated. I’ve given him another chance, but I haven’t slept with him since we got back together. We’re taking it slow.”

That was unusual for Sophie, so used to catering to other people’s needs.

“Good for you.”

“No biggie,” her friend said, even though it was. “So, you actually snuck out of bed afterwards?”

“Yeah.” Aria winced. “It seemed like the best option at the time.”

“You little tramp.” Sophie laughed. “Doing the walk of shame.”

“It was more like the sprint of shame.”

“Will you see him again?”