She tilted her head back and rested it against his collarbone, arching her hips forward to meet his questing fingers.

“You’re wet,” he whispered against her ear.

“I need to come. You make me so hot, Nathan.”

He slid a finger inside of her, using his hand to massage her clit. With his other hand he reached under her tank top to massage her breasts and nipples. She could already feel herself falling, her body quivering in response to the magic his hand and fingers aroused within her. She felt as if she was floating on a cloud of delicious sensations, and before she knew what was happening, she was climaxing with a loud cry.

Nathan pressed his fingers in and out of her while she rode out her orgasm, leaving her spent and taking in deep breaths. He kissed the back of her neck.

“Stay like this. I’ll be right back.”

He disappeared up the stairs and was back in a hurry with a condom in his hand. He drew her shorts down, then his boxer briefs, and put the condom on. He spread her legs and put his arm around her, shielding her body from the kitchen island.

“You ready for me?” he asked, teasing her pussy with the head of his cock.

She gripped the edge of the counter. “Yes.”

He slid inside of her with one thrust, then stilled. Her skin broke out in chill bumps, every nerve ending feeling the intense pleasure of his cock swelling inside of her. It was the sweetest sensation, and she reached down to rub her clit, making her sex quiver with powerful quakes.

“Oh, fuck yeah,” he said. “I feel that.”

He withdrew, then drove into her again, this time with more force, grasping her hips as he powered into her over and over while she strummed her clit with frenzied strokes.

Her body tightened around him as she spiraled toward orgasm again.

“Yeah,” he said, reaching up to cup her breast, to tease and pluck her nipples. “Take me with you. Come on my cock, Mia.”

His words were a dark whisper of promise, his voice deep and husky and telling of his own need. She pushed her hips toward him and lost herself in the sensations that wrapped around her, in the musky scent of Nathan and her own sex mingling together, in the way his warm breath caressed her, the way he kissed and nibbled on her neck.

When she came, it was with an unintelligible cry and mix of words. Nathan bucked against her and dug his fingers into her hips, only adding to the wild pleasure that sent her toppling into a deeper, more penetrating orgasm. And when Nathan wrapped both arms around her and shuddered against her, she felt that connection to him while they both rocketed into oblivion.

Sometime a few minutes later she came out of the fog. She was still bent over the island and Nathan was draped over her back.

“We’re sweaty,” she said.

“Yeah.” He disengaged from her and she turned to face him.

“I need tea. But I need a shower first. Want to join me?”

“Definitely. Let me grab a pair of shorts and a T-shirt from my car first.”

She arched a brow and looked at him. “You’re naked.”

He laughed. “I’m going to grab my pants from upstairs.”

“Good call. I’m not posting bail for your indecent exposure.”

She went upstairs and started the shower, and got in once the water was hot. Nathan joined her a couple of minutes later. They both washed and rinsed, then got out and dried off.

Mia dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and Nathan put on the clothes he’d grabbed from his car. She headed downstairs to start the tea brewing process all over again and Nathan poured himself another cup of coffee.

“That was one hell of a great start to the day,” he said as he took a swallow of coffee.

Her tea finally ready, she grabbed a seat at the island. “Yes, I’m fully awake now. And you told Jamal last night you were going to show up at the gym bright and early and mentioned something about kicking his butt.”

He pulled up a bar stool and sat next to her. “I did? Huh. Guess I’ll be late.”

She thought for sure he’d want to run right out of there considering how competitive he was. “I guess so.”

“What are your plans for today?” he asked.

“Catching up on work stuff.”

“I could make you breakfast. Are you hungry?”

“Actually I am. I’ll help you cook.”

“Sounds good.”

They worked side by side and made spinach, artichoke and tomato omelets. She poured juice and they sat at the island and ate. Mia picked up her phone and scanned social media.

She frowned when she saw the pictures.

“A photographer snuck into the birthday party last night.”

Nathan swallowed. “Yeah?”

“Yes. Look.”

She slid her phone across to him. “There are pictures from the party. And we did not invite photographers.”

He looked at the photos, then passed her phone back to her. “They got some good shots. You should grab those.”

“Nathan. This is serious.”

“Why?”

“How did a paparazzo even know about the party?”

He downed the last of his coffee, then got up to make another cup. “Come on, Mia. That many people there? Plus my parents, Tyler, Gavin, other teammates. It was bound to attract some attention.”

She rubbed her temple and read the article on the sports news site about the party. It was fairly innocuous, but still, it irked her that someone had been at the party sneaking pictures and she hadn’t even noticed. “I . . . guess.”

She did a search using Nathan’s name and “birthday party.” More articles and photos came up. She found one of the two of them together, his arm slung around her. She chewed on her lower lip as she read the article, this one on a sports gossip site. “Here’s one questioning whether or not I’m gunning to be your new girlfriend. Ugh.”

“You’re going to have to tune all that out, Mia.”

She couldn’t believe he’d even suggest that. “It’s hard to tune that out. I’m trying to build a business, and part of my business is not ‘gunning to be Nathan Riley’s new girlfriend.’ ”

He brought his cup to the island and sat next to her, then reached over to grasp her hand. “You’re right. I’m sorry. To me it’s all fluff and no one pays attention to it. I’ll try to keep a closer eye out in the future.”

“Thank you. I will, too.”

They sat in silence for a while and Mia searched more sites but didn’t find anything on the party, which she supposed was a good thing. She decided to set her worry aside, at least for now.

“So now your birthday is over and the next thing up is training camp. Are you excited?”

He scooped up a forkful of omelet and slid it between his lips. He nodded, swallowed and said, “Yeah.”

That didn’t seem enthusiastic.

“Nervous about leading the team?”

“Sort of. I mean, it’s a big fucking deal, ya know? I know they’re looking to me to walk onto the field and be Mick Riley. Only I’m not.”

She laid her hand on his forearm. “I don’t think anyone is expecting you to be anything like your dad, Nathan. And if the team didn’t feel you had the skills at quarterback to lead the team, then they wouldn’t have made you the starter.”

He let out a sigh. “I guess. It’ll be fine, I’m sure. I’m just anxious to get started.”

“I’m sure you are. And I’ll bet all this anxiety you’re having is fear of the unknown. You had so much confidence in Texas, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“That’s because you knew what you were doing. This is no different. As soon as you take the reins on the offense, you’ll get back in your groove.”

He leaned back on the bar stool. “This is different. It’s the pros. A lot more eyes on me.”

She understood his anxiety more than he knew. “When I had the idea to start up this company, in theory and as long as it was in my head, it was fine. The reality of it is so much different, because you’re right. Everyone’s watching to see if you fail.”

He rubbed her back. “I’ve never known anyone more determined to succeed than you. You have the skills and the knowledge and the background, Mia. You’ll make a go of your business, and you’ll be the best at it.”