She shivered, passion bursting within her like a newly formed star. Breathing became difficult as he teased her thighs with light touches of his fingers.

“Turn off the lights and lock the door,” she said.

He got up and locked the door, then flipped off the light switch, casting the barn in darkness. She heard his footsteps on the concrete, but she couldn’t see him.

Until she felt his warm breath on her cheek, and his lips brush hers. She reached up to caress his face. He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and kissed her, this time more deeply, pressing his mouth to hers.

She moaned, flicking her tongue against his. He pulled her from the chair and put his arms around her, their bodies molding together in a heated embrace. Mia wished they were alone somewhere so she could get naked with him. But even in the main house, someone could walk in, someone could hear them. For now, this would have to be good enough.

His mouth was on hers, his hands roaming her body, and nothing was going to stop this runaway train of hot passion. Not if she had anything to say about it.

So when he sat her down on the chair and spread her legs, she was on board. He lifted her dress and smoothed his hands up her legs again, taking his time to map every inch of her, his fingertips making their way along her thighs. She leaned back in the chair as he swept his thumb over her, rubbing back and forth over her sex. He gently removed her underwear and she had no idea what he did with it.

She didn’t care. Not at the moment. She wanted an orgasm. She wanted his mouth on her pussy. That was her need and only Nathan could give that to her.

Now all she heard was her own labored breathing. And Nathan’s, too. And when his mouth took over for his fingers, she gasped, gripping the back of the chair next to her like an anchor in a storm-tossed sea.

He bathed her sex with hot, wet licks of his tongue, making her writhe in the chair until she twisted upward, gasping as sensation overcame her.

“Nathan. You’re going to make me come.”

She felt out of control as a blast of orgasm slammed into her so fast and furious she grabbed on to his arm for balance. Nathan stood, pulled a condom out of his pocket and unzipped his pants. He knelt and cupped her butt, then slid inside of her while she was still quivering from her climax.

His cock swelled within her, sending her into a wild spiral as he tunneled in and out of her. She dug her nails into his shirt and held on, her eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to soak in the passion in his eyes.

He kissed her. She tasted herself on his lips, which only made her arch against him, wrapping her legs around him so he could drive deeper and harder within her.

She came again, and this time, he groaned and went with her, both of them shuddering against each other.

He laid his forehead against her, then kissed her, this time a gentling kiss.

Mia trailed her finger along his jaw. “This is getting to be a habit with us.”

“What’s that?”

“Hiding out in locked rooms having sex.”

He laughed. “At least this time the room was bigger than a coat closet.”

“True.”

They disengaged, and Nathan found some paper towels for them to clean up. It was the best they could do for now since there wasn’t a bathroom in the barn.

Nathan went over to the door and flipped on the light switch.

He handed her her underwear and she slipped it back on, then straightened her dress. “How do I look?”

“Like I want to undress you and do this again.”

Her lips curved. “Good enough, then. I’m going to head over to the house.”

“I’ll go with you.”

He unlocked the door and inched it open. “No one’s out here.”

They walked outside and toward the house. Nathan ducked into the downstairs bathroom, and Mia went up to her room. She brushed her hair and fixed her makeup, then went back down. She noticed Nathan was nowhere to be found, so he must have gone back to the reception.

But as she was heading toward the door, she heard her mother’s voice in the kitchen.

“You two aren’t fooling anyone, you know.”

She halted mid-stride, winced, then turned and walked into the kitchen. “Oh, hi, Mom. Were you talking to me?”

Her mother was sitting at the kitchen island sipping on a cup of coffee. “There’s no one else in here, Mia, and you know damn well I’m talking to you. I saw you and Nathan sneak in here.”

“You did, huh?”

“Yes, I did. So what’s going on with you two?”

“Nothing’s going on.”

Mia got the infamous Lydia Cassidy “Don’t Bullshit Me” look that had always been typically reserved for Mia’s brothers when they’d tried to get away with something.

“Okay, fine. We’re . . . hanging out. Having fun together. It’s nothing more than that.”

“Uh-huh.” Her mom continued to sip her coffee, which irritated Mia, so she came over and pulled up a chair on the island next to her.

“What do you mean, ‘Uh-huh’?”

“It means that I’ve watched you two over the past couple of days. I’ve been watching you two for years. It’s more than just hanging out. It’s always been more than that.”

“Mom, we’re friends. We’ve always been friends. And, trust me, it’s nothing more than that.”

Her mother took another sip of coffee, then said, “Uh-huh.”

“Dammit, Mom. We’re friends.” Mia looked around before continuing. “We just happen to be friends who are currently having sex.”

Her mother shot that all-knowing look across the bow of her coffee cup. “And that doesn’t complicate your friendship at all, does it?”

Mom was the second person who’d brought that up this week. “I don’t know. Maybe. We’re trying not to let it get complicated. Why does it have to be complicated?”

Her mother shrugged. “I don’t know. Because sex is a complicated thing, and because it’s impossible to mix sex and friendship without it getting emotional?”

Mia frowned, irritated by the cross-examination. “Quit getting all lawyerly with me. It is not impossible. We’ve been handling it just fine so far.”

Her mother smoothed her hand over Mia’s arm. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I am not going to get hurt.”

“Okay. You’re a smart, capable woman, Mia. I believe you know what you’re doing.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“But if you ever need me—for advice, complaints, a shoulder to cry on—anything at all. You know I’m always here for you.”

Mia wanted to object, to tell her mother that her life was going just perfectly and she had nothing to complain about. She wasn’t going to screw up her friendship with Nathan. She had this totally under control.

Mia laid her head on her mother’s shoulder. “I know. You’ll always be in my corner, no matter what. I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too, Mia.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

TRAINING CAMP HAD BEEN GOING WELL THE PAST TWO weeks, actually better than Nathan expected. Offense was clicking, and he’d felt from the first day as if he belonged. He had to thank his offensive linemen and receivers for that. They never once made him feel like an outsider, or that they had any regrets that his dad was no longer leading the team.

They looked to him for leadership, and he was going to give it to them.

They’d worked a few practice sessions with the L.A. team, and even though it hadn’t been a real game situation, it was better than running drills with his own team. It had made him even more charged up for the season to start. With the first preseason game coming up this weekend against Seattle, he was amped and ready to get rolling.

His least favorite part was all the reporters hanging around. The best part? The fans and autograph sessions. After his shower today, he did press first and handled all the typical questions about how the team was doing, how he felt heading into the season. The same questions he’d been getting for the past couple of weeks.

“Have you spoken to your dad recently?” one of the journalists asked.

“Every day.”