A bead of sweat rolled between his shoulder blades, straight down his spine. “He’ll know, and he’ll kill me.”

She managed to laugh as she sucked. Hard.

“Jesus.” His breathing became labored, the heat of her mouth unbearable. “Sam, honey, come here.”

“So you’re willing to play now?”

“Yeah.” He helped her up, lifted her and sank into her in one easy movement. “Hell, you only live once, right?”

She gasped from the impact.

“Okay?” he asked.

Her arms encircled him, and he bit back a moan when she made contact with the bump on the back of his head. “Yes,” she sighed. “So okay.”

If he had to suffocate, he decided, he wanted to do it between Samantha Holland’s spectacular breasts, engulfed in her jasmine and vanilla scent. Dropping a gentle kiss on the bruise, he walked them—carefully, since his jeans were still twisted around his ankles—to the bed and lowered her.

“Nick.”

“What, babe?”

“Fast.” She clung to him. “I want it fast.”

His heart staggered, and he had to bite his lip to keep from losing it right then and there. Knowing she could be noisy, he captured her mouth as he gave her what she wanted. Had anything ever been this good? No. Nothing. Ever. She was tough and courageous on the job, yet here with him she was all girl—warm, soft, fragrant girl. Her moan echoed through her and into him the instant before she lifted off.

He muffled her cries, or at least he hoped to God he did, before he pushed hard into her one last time and let himself go.

Chapter 24

Freddie sat in front of Patricia Donaldson’s two-story home for a long time. He couldn’t imagine asking her the questions he needed to ask but knew it was long past time he got over the queasiness that struck him whenever he had to ask people personal questions—especially about their sex lives.

Perhaps if he got a sex life of his own, then he wouldn’t be so put off by asking about what other people did in their bedrooms. He’d been raised a Christian, had taken his religion seriously and had saved himself for marriage. That’s how he ended up a twenty-nine-year-old virgin, a fact he had shared with no one, lest he be ridiculed by his colleagues.

He’d had plenty of girlfriends and had done his share of fooling around, but he’d yet to have the full experience. Lately, he’d been thinking too much about what he was missing. And with no marital prospects on the horizon, he wondered how much longer he could hold out.