“I’m not going to get distracted before I even start, Alba,” he protested, dipping a finger inside. “This pussy’s going to be the end of me. Going to give it to you all weekend,” he promised in that rough way he had whenever we were like this. “But now it’s massage time.” He made quick work of getting my underwear off, then grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me around to face the table.

“Hold the edge,” he ordered, even as his knees pushed mine apart. “Show me,” he urged and I swore I could feel my desire for him dripping down my legs. His big hands palmed me roughly. First the outside of my thighs, then the inside, higher, higher until he was right there.

“Oh.” I shuddered out a breath as he sucked on my neck and played with my clit. I could feel the orgasm coming for me already.

“Suck,” he said, and pushed two fingers against my lips. “Fuck, I feel like an animal with you sometimes, Alba.” He sounded almost confused, but I loved it. Loved that he could be like this with me—that he got me so heated, all I could do was beg for more. I sucked hard, swirled my tongue around the pads of his fingers while he fucked me with his other hand. Without warning he tore his hands from me and I almost cried with frustration.

“On your belly,” he commanded, swatting my ass.

I obeyed instantly, too turned on to argue.

“I got derailed for a moment there, but this is supposed to be a relaxing massage.” He sounded all put off, but he bent down and kissed the nape of my neck, and along my spine until I was pretty much putty in his hands. He started with my shoulders, strong fingers digging into the tense muscles there. He made his way down my back, kneading as he went. Melting away the tension in my body with every touch.

“This is nice,” I whispered as his thumbs worked my lower back. “Thank you,” I said, and turned my head so that it was pillowed in my arms.

“You don’t ever have to thank me.” He’d been a little quiet, tense even, on the way to New Mexico. Since I’d come back from that call with my mother, he’d been off. But he relaxed the moment we got to the house. I’d been in my head too. It was hard to turn off my brain when I was so used to being on the go all the time. But I had promised my mother and myself that I would take these two days to recharge. Theo had been right: there was nothing we could do until Monday anyway.