He sensed heat radiating from her body, felt the perspiration that had started collecting on her skin, making it glisten. Her face glowed, and her eyes shone with joy.

Jay smiled at her, sliding his hand into her hair, caressing her. “You make me feel so good, darlin’.”

Tara lifted her head, and he followed her invitation and kissed her. He still had the taste of her arousal on his tongue, but she didn’t seem to mind, because she kissed him back more passionately than before, stroked her tongue against his, firmly and without hesitation. The harder she kissed him, the harder and deeper he thrust his cock into her, his hips working at a fever pitch now. Again and again he slammed his cock into her, unable to slow down now, unable to stop the inevitable from happening.

With his last ounce of control, Jay shifted his position and slid one hand between their bodies. He found her clit and rubbed his moist finger over it, and with each thrust of his cock, his digit was slammed against her center of pleasure.

Tara cried out, and a simultaneous spasm of her interior muscles squeezed his cock, igniting his own release. He let go of the last vestiges of his control and dove over the edge, climaxing hard and fast.

Breathing hard, he stilled, hovering over her, his knees shaking like those of a teenager who’d just had his first orgasm. For a few seconds, he couldn’t do anything. Beneath him, Tara’s chest rose and fell rapidly. Utterly satisfied, he rolled off her and disposed of the condom. Then he turned back to her and pulled her to him.

He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, pressing kisses onto her damp skin. “Oh Tara, darlin’, that was…”

He was speechless. Sated, but speechless. Nothing was left of the suave seducer he so often played with other women. Nor did he want to do what he normally did after sex: leave the bed and the woman. Instead, he wanted to cuddle with Tara all day long.

“Hmm,” she hummed.

“Let’s stay in bed all day.” He lifted his head to look at her. “What do you say?”

She hesitated.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

Tara shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

Jay sat halfway up. “You didn’t like it? Please tell me what I did wrong, and I’ll do it better next time.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just…” She sighed. “My previous boyfriends thought I was boring in bed. I don’t want you to feel obligated to cont—”

Jay put a finger across her lips. “Boring?” He cursed. “I want you to listen to me now. And I’ll say this only once, and then this subject will be closed: you’re the most exciting woman I’ve ever had in my bed. Those guys were obviously Philistines and had no taste whatsoever.” How could any man who’d had the pleasure of having Tara in his bed ever claim she was boring?

He kissed her forehead. “And if you give me about twenty minutes to recover, I’m going to demonstrate exactly how exciting I find you.”

She beamed at him. “Twenty minutes?”

“Give or take. How about we pass the time with kissing?”

Tara laced her hands behind his neck and pulled him down to her. “I’d like that. A lot.”

“That’s another thing we have in common…” He brushed his lips to hers, when he suddenly heard footsteps from above. He reared up. “Oh crap!”

The person was already coming down the stairs. Jay had just enough time to pull the sheet over Tara when a male voice called out, “Jay? You there?”

“A minute,” he replied, but the door was already swinging inward.

9

Frozen in horror, Tara watched the door to the stateroom open. For once in her life she’d done something reckless, and boom! She got caught. And just at the point where everything had been perfect. Perfect for the first time.

Her entire body was still humming with pleasure, and the aftermath had been even better: Jay had told her she was exciting in bed. No man had ever said that of her. Unfortunately she had no time to enjoy her bliss.

Frantically she pulled the sheet Jay had managed to cover her with up to her chin when a man dressed in shorts and a T-shirt stepped into the sleeping cabin.

“Wait!” Jay tried to stop him.

“Jay, I—” The man froze. His eyes darted from Jay to her, then back. He did a double take, pinning her with a stunned look. “Tara? What the—?”

“Zach?” she croaked, recognizing him.

Oh crap!

“You know each other?” Jay asked, half shielding her with his body, the sheet down to his midsection.