There was no time or need for foreplay. We were both ready. I clung to him as he pushed me against the workbench, cried out as he slid inside. His mouth and hands found my breasts, and when his fingers slipped between my legs it didn’t take long for me to reach the point of no return. When he whispered my name, the way he said the single word made me pull him deeper still, dig my nails into his back, and propelled me over the edge, taking him with me.

Afterward, as I peered over his shoulder, our breath ragged and our hearts pounding, a slight movement by the garage door caught my eye. I blinked three times, unsure of what I was seeing, but when I looked again, she was still there. Maya. She stood in the doorway, her gaze squarely on my face. How long had she been there? How much had she seen? I folded myself into Ash, trying to hide, and pressed my eyes shut.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, kissing my neck, wrapping his arms around me.

I couldn’t speak, couldn’t utter a single word, and when I found the courage to peep over at the doorway again, Maya was gone.

She didn’t say anything when we joined her in the house for dinner, and I didn’t bring it up with her, or Ash, either. The atmosphere between her and I remained amicable and unchanged, especially when I told her I’d agreed to stay at the house, and by the time we were doing the dishes I began to wonder if I’d imagined her standing in the garage doorway somehow.

“Will you spend the night with me?” Ash asked after we’d gone to the motel to collect my things. Fiona had been so delighted when I told her I’d be staying with Ash she’d rushed around from behind the counter and given us both a hug.

“What about Maya?” I said, discomfort sneaking back into my gut.

“What about her?” Ash shrugged, a chill in his words. “We’re adults. She’s the one who suggested you move in.”

It wasn’t enough to convince me, and I didn’t want to jeopardize my new job at the Cliff’s Head, either. “I’ll sleep in the other room for a while, then we can decide.”

Ash grinned and kissed my fingertips. “All right. I don’t mind sneaking about in the middle of the night. It’s kind of...sexy.”

Despite my reservations I crept to his bedroom later that night, hoping to make love to him slowly and gently this time, but he was fast asleep, and I couldn’t bring myself to wake him. I curled up beside him instead, wishing I could rest as peacefully.