“Don’t remind me.”

He laughed. “No. It wasn’t like that. At least not for me. You were like the only drop of water in a desert. You stood out to me because you were so fresh and so beautiful. There was no pretense with you.”

“You do realize I was drunk off my ass that night.”

“So? You were honest. You didn’t slide up to me and rub your br**sts against me, and then act all innocent. You boldly asked if I’d take you to bed.”

He saw her grimace, knew that memories of that night made her uncomfortable. But he wanted her to have good memories, not bad ones. “Carolina, I loved everything about that night. I still remember every minute of it.”

She lifted her gaze to his. “So do I.”

“But how do you remember it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I remember it as a hot, sweet night where this beautiful young woman propositioned me and gave me a gift I’ll never forget. She was so sweet, so innocent, and yet oh, so sexy. And we spent an amazing night together, a night I’ve thought about a lot over the years.”

She took a deep breath, looked away for a few seconds, then met his gaze again. “For a while I tried not to think about it at all. I felt like I’d made a mistake. I was so heartbroken. But that was youth, and fantasies. After a while I got past it. And yes, I do think about that night.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“I know you are.”

He signaled to the waiter, who brought the tab for him to sign. He grabbed her jacket and held it for her while she slid her arms in. They headed outside and he hailed a taxi.

“Your place or mine?” he asked.

“Isn’t yours closer? I’d like to see it.”

He nodded and gave the driver his address. It was a short ride to his brownstone, especially this late at night with less traffic on the streets. He paid the driver and they got out.

“This is nice, Drew.”

“Well, it’s not your place, so don’t expect much.”

She laced her arm in his. “I’m not expecting anything.”

He could tell she was buzzed and a lot more relaxed than the last few times they’d been together.

Which he liked. He wanted her to have a good time. He just hoped he’d remembered to pick up the place before he left for his game.

They walked up to the second floor. Drew took his time. He liked Carolina leaning against him. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the door, then flipped on the light, exhaling as he saw the place. That’s right. He’d just had it cleaned yesterday, so it wasn’t its normal disaster.

She slid out of her coat and hung it on the rack by the door. “This is nice, Drew.”

“Thanks. Just a one-bedroom. Kind of small. Like I said, nothing fancy like your place.”

And it wasn’t. It was a simple, one-bedroom apartment. He had some basic furniture, a sofa and a couple chairs. He had a killer TV and gaming system, of course, but this wasn’t home to him. It was where he stayed during the season.

“You want something to drink? I have water, pop, and . . . beer. No wine. Sorry.”

“Water would be great, thanks.”

Drew grabbed two bottles of water from his refrigerator, opened the tops and handed one to her.

“Thank you,” she said.

Carolina walked around his living room, then down the hall, opening the door to his bedroom.

Okay, they were going there. He was going to ease into it, maybe turn on the television or play some music.

She stared at his king-size bed. There wasn’t room for much else in the small apartment, but there was no way in hell he was sleeping on some cramped, tiny bed, so he’d opted for the bed and a nightstand and shoved the dresser in the closet.

“Big bed.”

“I’m a big guy.”

She glanced at the bare walls before turning to face him. “And I love how you’ve decorated the place.”

“Thanks. It’s my specialty.” He took a long swallow of water, then leaned against the doorway. “I don’t spend a lot of time here. Just sleeping, mainly.”

“This place isn’t home to you.”

She was observant. “No.”

She was also holding back, hesitant. He wanted to go to her, touch her, pull her into his arms and kiss her. Oh, man, he really wanted to kiss her. But he wanted her to come to him, to feel comfortable about being here with him.

This had to be her call. He knew how resistant she had been to him, and her sudden turnaround had surprised the hell out of him. If she had any reservations, the last thing he’d do was push her into doing something she really didn’t want to do.

She wandered into the room. “The bed is the focal point.”

“Yeah. I don’t need a lot of furniture.” He smiled at her. “I’m a guy. I just need a place to crash.”

She walked along the side of the bed and traced the tips of her fingers across the comforter. “It’s a nice bed, Drew.”

“It’s comfortable.”

She set her water down on the nightstand and climbed up on the bed, then unzipped her boots, letting them drop to the floor. “Care to join me on it?”

He pushed off the doorway and came toward the bed, then sat next to her, putting his water on the table. He picked up her hand, held it in his. “Warm.”

She lifted her gaze to his. “Hot, actually.”

“Just how much have you had to drink tonight?”

She let out a soft laugh. “I’ve had some. I’m not drunk, if that’s what you’re asking, so I know exactly what I’m doing here.”

He toed off his boots and shifted, sliding onto the middle of the bed. He grabbed Carolina by the waist and pulled her on top of him, liking the feel of her soft body against his. “Yeah? And what are you doing here?”

She wriggled against him, resting her arms on his chest. “Getting comfortable.”

He wrapped an arm around her and rolled her over, putting her under him. “I’m not sure I want you so comfortable you’ll fall asleep.”

“Mmm, I like this.” She threw her legs over him, tightening her thighs around his and arching upward.

His dick went from semi-hard to full-on, oh-yeah-let’s-do-this-right-now erect. He cupped her face and brushed his lips across hers. “So, you want me to make you uncomfortable?”

“Yes. Very uncomfortable.”

He put his mouth on hers and this time, took the kiss he’d wanted to take since the minute he’d seen her walk into the bar tonight. Deep, satisfying, locking tongues with her.

And she gave back, with no hesitation, wrapping her arms around him to tug him closer. He wound his fingers into her hair, loving the way the strands felt like silk, the way her body seemed to fit his perfectly, the way she moved against him as he kissed her.

His heart pounded as hard as his dick and he lost himself in her scent, the way she felt as he moved his hand along her rib cage to slide under her sweater. He needed the feel of n**ed flesh under his hand, and when she moaned against his mouth, he couldn’t hold back the primal surge of hunger that made him rock his c**k between her legs.

He slid his hand upward to cup her breast over the soft satin of her bra. He waited for her to tense, to let him know in any way she wasn’t ready for this. All he got was another moan and an arch of her back as she filled his hand with the soft mound.

He raised her sweater and moved down her body so he could touch his lips to her skin. He kissed her stomach, unable to get enough of her scent, breathing her in as he snaked his way up her rib cage. He bunched up the sweater and she grabbed it, raising it over her head and discarding it, then lifting up on her elbows to watch him.

“We should get naked,” she said. “This will go much faster.”

“Are you in a hurry?”

“You might say that.”

He pressed her down against the bed. “Relax. We’ve got the rest of the night to touch each other.”

She shuddered out a breath and reached for him, pulling him down for a kiss that made his c**k press tight and hard against his jeans. And when she reached between them to rub her hand against his shaft, he was the one groaning this time.

Maybe he should be in a hurry, because the thought of being inside her slick, wet heat was all he could think about right now.

But he wanted to do it right for her, wanted to take his time.

“You know,” he said, sweeping his hand over her bare stomach. “The first time we were together we were both drunk. This time I’m stone-cold sober.”

“You had beers tonight.”

He laughed. “A few. But not a lot. I don’t get drunk anymore.”

She lifted up on her elbows again. “Why not?”

“I like to know what I’m doing. Being drunk was fun in college, when I was a kid. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“So you’re all mature and responsible now?”

He sensed she didn’t believe him. In him. He wanted to change that. “I intend to be responsible for your pleasure tonight.” Once again, he eased her shoulders back down on the bed, then reached behind to unclasp her bra.

“As I recall, I had a pretty good time that night in college.”

“Good to know. I’ll give you a better time tonight.”

“You keeping score, Drew?”

He pulled the bra away and tossed it to the foot of the bed. “No, Carolina, I’m not. Are you?”

She didn’t answer, but her ni**les puckered and tightened into sweet buds. He circled one with the tip of his finger. Her breath caught, and he bent and captured a nipple in between his lips.

Soft, just like the rest of her skin. He flicked the bud with his tongue, then pulled it into his mouth, sucking gently.

“Oh, God,” she whispered. “I like that.”

It had been a long time since he’d been with her, and he might have been drunk that night, but he still remembered how responsive she’d been, and how sensitive her ni**les were.

He focused on them, cupping them, licking them, until she wriggled against him, arching her back to feed them into his mouth. And when she dug her nails into his arm, he knew he had her, wild and out of control.

He released her, looking down at her, at the way her ni**les were tight, hard points, wet from his mouth. It made him shudder, his balls tight and pounding.

He swept his hand between her br**sts and down her belly, then reached for the button of her jeans and popped it open.

“Let’s get these off.”

He slid off the bed only long enough to pull her jeans over her h*ps and down her legs. She wore black panties and knee-high socks, surprisingly sexy, actually. He rolled the socks down, then laid his hands on her hips, liking the way she watched him, her eyes stormy, dark, and filled with desire.

He reached for the tiny strings holding her panties on her h*ps and drew them off, then cupped her ankles, sliding his hands up to her calves, spreading her legs as he reached her thighs.

Her sex was moist, pink, and as he kneeled on the floor in front of the bed, he breathed in her scent, musky and sweet. He pulled her to the edge of the bed and cupped her butt, drawing her pu**y toward his mouth.

“Drew.”

His name floated from her lips like a begging whisper. He knew what she wanted. He kissed the inside of her thigh, then licked along the curve of that hollow, pressing his lips to her sex, snaking his tongue out to draw along her sweet center.

She shuddered. He moved upward, and put his mouth over her sex, flattening his tongue over her clit.

She said his name again and he licked her, the whole length of her, tasting her and putting his tongue inside to lap at her flavor. He rolled his tongue over her, finding the spots that made her lift against him.

“Yes, there,” she said, and he stayed there, giving her what she needed to come. He wanted her to cl**ax, to fill his mouth with her juices.