He had asked it in all innocence. She was pretty sure he had. Either that or he was just that good. In any case, he took her to the apartment and showed her the wall of windows that looked out over the ocean, which she loved.

Staring out at the water, she whispered, “I didn’t know I could be this happy.”

He came up from behind, put his arms around her, and whispered huskily against her neck, “Me neither, milaya. I did not know such happiness existed.”

When his lips touched the delicate, sensitive skin at her neck, a violent fireball of sensation exploded between them. With a sharp gasp, she twisted around, and their lips collided. He ran shaking hands up under her tunic. The rasp of his callused fingers on her bare skin caused a pleasure that was almost unbearable.

She pulled his shirt, yanked open the fastening of his slacks. He bit her neck, walked her backward, pushed her down on the couch and fell on top of her, his body a long, muscled arc of aggression. They never managed to get completely undressed before she wrapped her legs around his hips and he entered her.

“I want so much to take my time with you, but not yet,” he muttered against her skin.

“Shut up. Whatever.” She groaned, digging her heels into the cushions and lifting her hips for his thrusts. Greed turned her selfish. Sliding a hand between them, she fingered where he penetrated, pleasuring herself while he moved inside.

Knocking her hand away, he took over. When he touched her, she climaxed. Swearing, he followed soon after, twisting up with the force of his own climax while she watched his clenched face and tightened her inner muscles until he had finished.

He fell back down to her, face buried in the fall of her hair and chest heaving while she held him and let herself drift.

After a time, he stirred, lifted his head, and said, “Shut up? Whatever?”

A lopsided grin lifted one corner of her mouth. “You were maundering on about something. Blah blah, I want to be a courteous lover, blah blah I want to take time. There were too many words and not enough screwing.”

He burst out laughing while his hard features were still flushed from the heat of what he had done. God, she loved the sight of him like that. “I wasn’t being courteous. I want to savor you like a five-course dinner in a world-class restaurant and take all night. Don’t tell me you want to go back to not putting out.”

Chuckling, she ran her fingers through his hair. “I think that ship has sailed, don’t you? But it was fun while it lasted.”

“If you call excruciating fun.” He pulled away, stripped with practiced economy, and picked her up.