They were getting closer and he liked it. When she wasn’t with him he missed her. He was getting used to waking up with her warm body nestled against his and the scent of her hair against his nose.

It was a good thing.

He knocked on her door and she opened it with a smile. Her smile always made something in the region of his gut tighten.

“Hey. Your hair is wet.”

“I just got out of the shower. Come on in.”

He shed his jacket and hung it on the rack he’d installed for her one night last week after they’d discussed how she didn’t have a coat closet or a coat rack. So they’d gone shopping and she’d picked out a simple wooden board with hanging pegs that she said would work fine for coats because it didn’t take up a lot of space.

At least now there was a spot for hanging coats in her living room. They’d made fun of each other for being domestic and shopping for house things together like a couple. He wasn’t sure if she was making light of it because she thought it was funny, or because it genuinely freaked her out. So he made sure to keep it fun and uneventful so it didn’t seem like a big deal.

Baby steps. He knew how much Amelia’s ex had screwed with her head and he didn’t want to put any pressure on her. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“What time do you have to be at work?” he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.

“Four.”

He looked at his phone. It was three. Not enough time. There was never enough time.

She turned and looked at him. “What are you doing the rest of the day today?”

“Not much.”

“You should come to work with me and cook.”

He cocked a brow. “Why? Are you shorthanded?”

She laughed. “No. I meant you should work on your signature dish.”

“Oh.” He pondered the thought. “I wouldn’t be in your way?”

“Of course not. Plus, it’s your restaurant. I promise you we’ll make room for you and stay out of your way. And you’d have me to assist you.”

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

“Awesome. Now I’m excited.”

He came closer and put his arms around her. “And you weren’t excited about going to work before? I might have to report this to your boss.”

She wound a hand around his neck and pulled his mouth close to hers. “Asshole,” she whispered against his lips before kissing him.

There was something about having Amelia’s body next to his that fired him up faster and hotter than blitzing an offensive lineman on a short third down. And when she pressed in closer against him, aligning her body with his, he was ready for action, his cock going hard.

He pulled back and searched her face. “Enough time?”

“Not if you keep talking.” With a sexy smile, she reached for the button of his jeans, then shoved the denim down his hips. When she reached into his boxers and pulled his cock out, then began stroking his shaft, he groaned.

Obviously she was in need as much as he was, fired up as much as him. One of the things he liked a lot about her was the way her sex drive matched his.

Okay, he liked a lot of things about her that had nothing to do with sex. This was just a bonus.

Fortunately, she was still in her robe, so he untied the sash and pulled it aside so he could put his mouth on her nipples. She whimpered and tangled her fingers in his hair, tugging hard on it when he sucked a nipple into his mouth.

His cock tightened.

“No foreplay,” she said. “I need you inside me.”

He all but dragged her into the bedroom. She threw off her robe and he fished a condom out of the box in her nightstand drawer. She lay on the bed and spread her legs, sliding her fingers over her sex. He was pretty sure the strangled sound he heard came from him as he stared down at the beautiful woman lying on the bed, her legs spread as she teased her fingers over her pussy.

He grasped his cock in his hand and stroked it, watching her attention shoot toward the movements of his cock.

“I love watching that,” she said. “Seeing you jack yourself off is such a turn-on for me.”

“Does it make you wet?”

She dipped her finger into her own moisture and used it to coat the bud of her clit. “Oh, yes.”

“Show me how you do it. Show me what you do when you’re alone.”

Her gaze went from curious to wickedly hot in a second. “I will if you will. Come closer.”

He complied quickly and with much pleasure as it gave him an even better view of what she was doing with her fingers. And when she dipped one inside her pussy, his balls drew up and he tightened his fist around his cock.

“It’s like watching a live version of porn, right in front of me,” she said, lifting her feet and planting them on the bed. She arched her hips and the smell of sex filled her bedroom.

“Yeah. Do you have any idea how hot it is watching a woman touch herself?” As he increased the movements of his hand over his shaft, sweat beaded in the small of his back and around his temples. He could so easily come, could already envision jettisoning a stream over her belly. Now, that was a porn fantasy. He wanted to be buried inside of her, to feel her hot walls quivering and squeezing him when he came. But this—watching her as she moaned, her eyes closing as she lost herself in what she was doing—this was worth jacking off to.

Her lids lifted and the lazy, sensual look she gave him nearly undid him.

“Tell me when you’re ready,” she said, her voice soft and filled with desire.