He stopped her hands before they could dip below his waistband again. “Condoms,” he said on a ragged breath. “Tell me you have some because I’m not prepared for this.”

She nodded to where she’d dropped her purse on the counter when she’d walked in. “The inside pocket of my purse. I put some in there earlier.”

“One thing I can thank that vet for.” He strode over and got what he needed quickly. Then he was pushing his sweats down and off, no underwear beneath. Kincaid stared, wanting to touch and taste him everywhere. The one time they’d been together had been under the covers in the dark. She’d never actually seen him like this. He was so beautifully made, so goddamned sexy.

She took the condom from him. “Let me.”

Taking her time, she rolled on the condom, enjoying how his belly went tight and tense at her touch. She stepped closer and kissed him. He drew her against him skin to skin and kissed her back deeply, letting her taste herself on his lips and running his hands over her backside. When he pulled back, he brushed his thumb over her mouth. “This was such a brilliant idea. We are geniuses.”

She smiled, and he lowered her to the bed, kissing her again and stretching out over her. She ran her hands through his hair, taking in the sight of him above her. “We are exceptionally smart people.”

He grabbed her behind the knee, opening her body to him. “I’m going to last about six point two seconds, but I promise the next time, I’ll make you proud.”

She lifted a brow. “Already planning the next time, huh?”

He eased himself inside her, stretching her and making her gasp with pleasure. “You’re not leaving this bed until the sun comes up, Breslin. I hope you brought snacks.”

She laughed, but the sound cut off quickly as he buried deep, filling her up and making her moan. She closed her eyes, fully joined with him, and dug her fingers into his backside to hold him there for a moment, feeling every bit of him inside her. Feeling Ash.

Ashton Isaacs. She was having sex with Ashton Isaacs.

A small flag of panic tried to rise in her at that, but she wasn’t going to let it ruin this moment. She reached up to pull Ash down to her and kissed him.

Kissed him until she couldn’t think straight. Until they were moving together in perfect rhythm.

Just feel. That was all they needed to do right now.

So she did. And a while later, when Ash came and called her KC and kissed away the tears that fell from her eyes, she convinced herself that she was only crying because it felt so good.

Not because it felt so different from any sex she’d ever had.

* * *

Ash couldn’t sleep. He moved around in the dark of the bookstore in his bare feet, the motion of shelving books somehow soothing. He’d carried all the true crime books to the back corner of the store to replace the former cookbook section with the books Kincaid didn’t want up front.