Laughing, he bent down to kiss her, then set out in a fast, hard pace that had her gasping into his lips. He pounded into her with his cock, all the way to the hilt, and each stroke brought her closer and closer to the edge again. When she heard Carson’s low groan of pleasure, she let herself go, squeezing her inner muscles against him as his c**k pulsed with release inside her.

When the waves of orgasm finally subsided, she saw Carson watching her with something that resembled awe.

“What?” she asked self-consciously.

He shook his head, looking a bit stunned. “How are we this good together? The only time I’ve ever come this hard is when we did it in that closet.”

She managed a small laugh. “Are you just trying to be nice?”

He snorted. “I just f**ked you on your kitchen counter. Does a nice guy really do that?”

“Hmmm, I guess not.” She tilted her head. “So…just to clarify…are you officially agreeing to fling with me?”

“I guess I am.”

Wariness crept up her body. “Because I meant what I said on Friday, I don’t really have the time for a relationship right now.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, okay. If you want sex, I’ll give you sex.”

“Just sex,” she prompted.

An indefinable expression flickered in his eyes, and then he smiled. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

Chapter Four

“Your plan isn’t working,” Carson said as he sank into the chair in front of Will and handed the other man a beer.

It was Monday night and Carson had dragged Will to the Sand Hole, one of his favorite bars in San Diego. A few yards from the pier, the bar offered an outdoor patio that overlooked the ocean, and the two men were sitting at a table by the railing, while the balmy evening breeze tried to claim the napkins on the tabletop. Carson finally set his beer bottle on the napkins, so the damn things would quit fluttering around. It was just Will and him tonight, something that was becoming a habit. Garrett and Shelby were still away, and Ryan and Matt had hit a nightclub across town, but Carson hadn’t felt like clubbing tonight. He was in a seriously foul mood, despite the incredible sex he’d been having for the past week.

“She still wants a fling, huh?” Will said, slowly sipping his beer.

“Yep.” Carson groaned. “Don’t get me wrong—the sex is unbelievable. But every time I even bring up the subject of going out to dinner, or catching a movie, she tries to distract me with sex.”

Will laughed. “Does it work?”

“Every f**king time, man.” He was almost a little ashamed of how badly he craved Holly’s lithe little body. Every time she was naked, he couldn’t think. Or breathe. Or do anything that didn’t involve running his tongue over every inch of her nakedness.

It was like an addiction, and one he could spend the rest of his life enslaved to. But that was the problem—he wasn’t going to have Holly for the rest of his life. Hell, if she had her way, he wouldn’t have her for much longer.

“She’s got midterm exams coming up, and she keeps hinting that we need to take a breather,” he said with a sigh.

“Culinary school has exams?”

“Kind of. She’s got to prepare all these fancy dishes for her teacher, and then work in a restaurant for a couple of nights to show she’s capable of working under pressure and all that crap.”

“Bring her on our next assignment.” Will snorted. “She’ll definitely learn how to work under pressure then.”

Carson lifted his beer to his lips, suddenly sidetracked. “Speaking of assignments, what’s this I’ve been hearing about us going to the jungle?” The idea of hopping in a chopper and going somewhere—even the freaking jungle—wasn’t all that unappealing. The team hadn’t been out of the country since that stint in Colombia, and Carson was itching for an adventure. He hated sitting around and waiting to be paged.

“Not for sure yet,” Will replied. “But I’ve been hearing rumors about some trouble happening at a plant in Brazil. A few workers were killed by some rebels, I think, and there’s a chance we might need to go in and extract the CEO. He refuses to leave, but there have been a few threats to his life, so we’ll see.” Will put down his beer bottle. “You’re feeling stir crazy too, eh? Thought you were too busy wooing the waitress to remember what you do for a living.”

“Well, maybe the best way to change her mind is to leave,” he said with a shrug. “You know, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that? I swear, she’s got so much shit on her plate, I’m starting to think she’s Superwoman.”

Will looked curious. “Yeah? Like what?”

“Work, this culinary class, and don’t get me started on her incompetent family. I can’t count how many times she’s left me in her bed this week so she could rush off and save someone from themselves.” Carson shook his head, baffled. “Her father calls her to come over and help him check his email! And her sister Caroline is a total space cadet. She locked her keys in the car every day this week.”

And when they said jump, Holly jumped. That’s what Carson didn’t get. His sister Jenny was constantly getting into jams, but she only called Carson when something bad was going down. Holly’s family, however, called for everything. Every goddamn miniscule problem that they could probably handle all on their own, if Holly would just let them.