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  He led the way to the staircase and took her down. She hadn’t realized it was a three-story. From the front, you couldn’t tell, but the house was built on a slope with a full above-ground basement, which he’d turned into a man cave. Pool table, foosball, and an enormous flat-screen. He opened a pair of glass doors and flipped on a switch, lighting a large wooden deck and a walkway to the beach and a dock.

  “Seriously? Is that yours?” She stared at the towboat moored there.

  “Yep. When I got the place, the dock was rotted and falling apart. Once I fixed it, I figured I needed the Moomba Outback.”

  A speedboat like that cost a pretty penny, and to be right on the water . . . wow. If it weren’t so cold, she would’ve slipped off her shoes. Instead, she tottered on her high heels through the sand and onto the dock. “This place is truly amazing. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”

  He came up behind her and put his hand on her back as if he was afraid she’d tumble into the lake. “You were always welcome.”

  “In the summer, I want to go waterskiing.” She pointed to the boat.

  He grinned. “I can make that happen.”

  She continued to take everything in. There was a hot tub on the deck she’d missed, a table and chairs, and two chaises. The sight of the lounges next to each other made her wonder who had been out here with him and what they had done together. It was a silly reaction, but the thought sparked a flash of jealousy.

  “You ever have parties?”

  He laughed. “Yeah, with all my extra time.”

  “You do work a lot.”

  “I think Colt and I are tied.” Besides running the police department, Colt spent his after-hours guiding tours for GA. But now that Delaney was in the picture, he’d been taking more time off. TJ, on the other hand, never stopped. Win always said he was a workaholic.

  “Can we go in that?” She nudged her head at the hot tub. “I didn’t bring a suit, but I could borrow a T-shirt from you.”

  “It’s your birthday. Birthday suit.” He thought that was hilarious, but his gaze heated and she saw desire swirl in his blue eyes. And then he kissed her. Under the moonlight, as the water lapped against the pier.

  It was wildly romantic. She pressed up against him, letting the warmth of his arms and mouth travel through her. His body felt hard, especially the ridge in his pants that throbbed against her belly. She moved her hands down his back, grabbed his bottom, and pulled him tighter, trying to quell the pulsing between her legs.

  He still tasted faintly of chocolate from the birthday cake and a hint of beer. And he smelled like heaven. She felt her stomach dip and her heart pound and realized this thing between them, whether it was extraordinary chemistry or insatiable lust, was different from anything she’d ever experienced.

  He continued to kiss her, his tongue dancing with hers, his hands caressing her arms, back, and butt. She let out a moan of pleasure and he lifted her like a bride and carried her in the house, up two flights of stairs. In the dark, he found the nightstand lamp and switched it on, then dropped her in the center of the bed, falling on top of her. They kissed some more, the warm pull of his mouth making her flesh turn to goose bumps.

  He came up on both elbows, gazed down at her, and swallowed hard, his face filled with a combination of longing and wonder. She’d never had a partner look at her that way. Like she mattered more than life itself. It made sex different. Meaningful, but scary.

  Gently, he lifted her and unzipped the back of her dress, tugging it off so she lay there in nothing but her bra, panties, and stockings. His lips moved down her body, over lace, satin, and skin, his hands reverently fondling her breasts and the curves of her hips. One by one, he rolled her stockings down, the sensation driving her crazy with need.

  She grasped his shoulders and tried to pull him down, but he was too strong and determined to get the rest of her underthings off. Deb pushed up his shirt, letting her hands graze his firm abs and felt him shudder. One-handed, he nimbly undid his top few buttons and yanked the shirt with the bolo tie over his head. She rose on her hands to see him. The man was breathtaking, with a smattering of dark hair trailing down his chest, disappearing underneath the waistband of his jeans. Those needed to go, too. She was dying to see the rest of him. She lay back down and began working on his belt buckle as he continued to kiss and touch her.

  He was thorough. Most of Deb’s liaisons had been a lot of wham bam, thank you, ma’am. She got his belt undone and his fly open. Impatient, he did the rest, shucking both his pants and boxers.

  Deb gulped. TJ was as beautiful below the waist as he was on top.

  He unhooked her bra, slid down the straps, and tossed it somewhere on the floor with the rest of their clothes. Next came her panties. He dipped a finger inside her while his other hand played with her breasts.

  “You’re very good at this,” she said, even though she was finding it difficult to string two coherent words together.

  “I want to make it perfect for you,” he whispered.

  “Why?” No one had ever been that conscientious before.

  “Because I . . . Stop asking questions and let me make you scream.” He took her nipple between his lips and sucked.

  She laughed uncontrollably because what he was doing tickled. “Oh, oh, TJ.”

  He tilted his head to look at her, then moved his mouth to her neck, murmuring, “I want you, Deb. I’ve wanted you all night.”

  “Do you have protection?”

  She heard the scrape of a drawer and saw him grab a handful of condoms from the nightstand. He ripped one of the packets open and rolled the condom down his length. With his knee, he spread her legs and penetrated her with one powerful thrust. She gasped and he froze.

  “Too much?”

  “No, it’s good. So good.”

  He moved slowly, pushing in and out of her, his face taut with concentration. As Deb grew more accustomed to him, she followed his rhythm until they were in perfect sync. It was so primal and intense that she couldn’t talk or think or even hear anything other than their moans and heavy breathing. All she did was feel and be in the moment.

  TJ kissed her long and hard, whispering sweet words against her mouth. “God, you’re beautiful.” His fingers combed through her hair, finding the back of her head, cupping it so his tongue could delve deeper.

  She could’ve drowned in his kisses, they were that good. She could’ve drowned in the circle of his strong arms.

  He upped the pace until he was pounding into her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, matching him stroke for stroke. Deb loved watching the muscles in his back bunch, watching his body bow and his hips piston back and forth.

  “You close?” he asked, his neck straining. She could tell he was teetering on the edge.

  “So close, but I want to make it last.” Forever. She arched against him.

  “I can’t hold on much longer.”

  His words—the fact that she could make TJ Garner lose control—in and of itself was an enormous turn-on. But the things he was doing to her . . .

  She tilted her head back on the pillow, closed her eyes, and shouted out his name. Her body quaked, the orgasm rolling through her like seismic waves. It seemed to last forever as he pumped harder. Stronger. Then she heard him grunt and felt him tremor. Even after it was over, they kept moving together, milking every last drop.

  Afterward, he flipped over to his side and kissed her forehead and then her eyes and her nose and finally her lips. The sweetness of it sort of undid her and she turned her head, hoping he wouldn’t see her get emotional.

  Too late, because he asked if she was okay.

  She rolled to face him. “I’m good,” she said, luxuriating in the afterglow. “How ’bout you?”

  “Good.” But his expression was inscrutable, like it always was.

  “Do you want to take me home now?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” She smiled because she didn’t want this night to ever end.r />
  Chapter Nineteen

  TJ got up before Deb and brewed a pot of coffee. From what he could tell, it was shaping up to be a nice day. Sunny, and if the thermometer on his deck was correct, not too cold. He’d woken up with Deb curled up next to him, her head on his chest, and had felt a shot of warmth spread through him that continued to linger.

  His phone dinged with a text. It was from Colt: an emoji of a big question mark. The guy was worse than a teenager. Next thing, he’d be passing TJ notes at recess. TJ didn’t bother to respond. It was none of Colt’s business. He did wonder where Win and Britney had disappeared to last night, and if anyone would know, it would be Colt. For now, TJ was letting the mystery remain.

  He dug through his refrigerator to see if he had any eggs. Some bacon would be nice, too.

  “What are you doing?”

  TJ jumped and hit his head on the top shelf.

  “Sorry.” She had one of his Cal Berkeley sweatshirts on. It came to her knees and she’d had to roll the sleeves up. But no skimpy lace lingerie could compete. She looked unbelievably sexy in the sweatshirt with her hair a wild, tangled mess and her lips red and puffy from all their kissing.

  He had a mind to throw her over his shoulder and go back to bed. But last night had been a one-off. Smart to remember that.

  “Do you have an extra toothbrush by chance?” she asked.

  “Under the sink in the guest room.”

  “Wow, you have a guest room?”

  “You want eggs?” He’d found a dozen the housekeeper must’ve brought from her chickens.

  “Uh, sure. You need help?”

  “Nope. Go ahead and brush your teeth or whatever you need to do.”

  She crossed the living room and he indulged in a little ass staring as she jogged up the staircase. Then he got out the bacon and put it in a pan. He wasn’t much of a cook, but bacon and eggs he could handle.

  By the time she returned, he had their two plates on the kitchen island and was pouring their coffee.

  “Smells good.” She grabbed the stool next to his and plucked at the sweatshirt. “I forgot to ask if I could borrow this.”

  “No problem.” He tried not to gape at her breasts.

  “You have a pair of sweatpants I can borrow?”

  “Yeah, but they won’t fit you.”

  She picked up her fork and tried the eggs. “I’ll make them work. Better than doing the walk of shame in my party dress.”

  “Are you ashamed?” He took a sip of coffee and watched her over the rim of his cup.

  “It’s just an expression, TJ.” She ate a strip of bacon, licking her fingers. He wondered if she was intentionally trying to drive him crazy.

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Of course I’m not ashamed. Are you?”

  He shook his head. “Nope.”

  She leaned into him. “Don’t let what I’m about to tell you go to your head, but it was the best night of my life.” She quickly amended, “That is, sexually.”

  The best night of her life, huh? TJ felt his chest fill with pride.

  “What about for you?” Deb asked. “No, don’t tell me, not unless I was the best night of your life.”

  “It was up there.” He nodded and stole a piece of bacon off her plate. There was no way in hell he was telling her that the night had exceeded every one of his late-night dreams about her. “Definitely up there.” He grinned, and she pummeled his back.

  “Want to go out on the boat?” he asked, making a split-second decision to ditch the piles of work waiting on his desk. It was Sunday, after all, and first thing Monday he had a meeting with GA’s lawyers, which wasn’t going to be any fun.

  “Hell yes.” Her eyes danced with excitement. That was the thing he loved about her; she was always up for an adventure. “You’re not going to GA?”

  “Don’t sound so shocked. I’m trying to get a life.” His knee brushed against her bare legs. And, God, did she have killer legs. “I’ll try to dig up something for you to wear. It’s too cold to go out like that.”

  They finished eating and he poured them more coffee so they could linger. Besides appreciating her in his bed, he liked having her in his kitchen. “It was a good party last night.”

  “Are you kidding? It was a great party.” She turned sideways in her seat. “Thank you for providing the venue.”

  “Wasn’t me. I hear Hannah and Delaney have an in with some of the owners.”

  She gave him a salacious once-over and he felt his groin tighten. “Some might say I do, too.” She paused. “Is it going to be awkward at work, TJ?”

  “Probably.” Their eyes met and locked. “Let’s not think about it now and enjoy the day.” It was unlike him to shirk responsibility, especially when he had the floundering retail venture hanging over his head. But for once in his life, he planned to enjoy his day off and the woman he’d wanted for a lifetime.

  His cell rang and he looked at the caller ID. Colt. Either he was being a relentless meddler or something was up. Against his better judgment, he picked up.

  “What?”

  “Nice greeting. You alone?”

  “Nope.”

  A moment of silence, and then Colt said, “Congratulations. Don’t hurt that girl or I’ll personally kick your ass.”

  Hurt her? Now that was ironic. “What do you want, Colt?”

  “I just wondered if you’d heard from Win. None of us knows where he and Britney disappeared to last night. Probably her place in Tahoe, but he’s not answering his phone. Is he on the schedule today?”

  TJ hadn’t looked at the tour plan. “Don’t know, but Darcy would. Want me to call her?”

  “Nah, I’m sure he’s fine. You know Win; never charges his damn phone.”

  “All right, but if you hear from him, you’ll let me know?”

  “Yep. Sorry for the interruption. Go back to whatever you were doing.” Colt chuckled and hung up.

  “What’s wrong?” Deb got up and collected their dirty dishes.

  “You don’t have to do that.” She wasn’t working at the diner. “No one’s heard from Win since last night.”

  “You worried?”

  “He’s fine.” The last thing he wanted to do was talk about Win. “I’ll find you something to wear.” He dumped the rest of his coffee down the drain and went upstairs to rummage through his clothes. Perhaps he still had something in his closet left over from the seventh grade or one of his overnight female guests had left her pants behind.

  The best he could do was a pair of sweats with a drawstring waist. They would still be huge but better than nothing. He jogged down and handed them to her.

  “There are assorted shoes in the mudroom.” Over the summer, his mom, Hannah, and various other women had left their Top-Siders and flip-flops on his boat. He’d amassed a fairly large collection.

  She took the sweats and returned twenty minutes later, dressed and ready to go. “I found a scrunchie in your guest room; hope you don’t mind that I used it.”

  He didn’t know what the hell a scrunchie was. “Help yourself. You find shoes?”

  She modeled her feet in a worn pair of Sperrys. They went downstairs and he got two jackets out of the closet and handed her one. It would be chilly on the water.

  Deb ran her hand over the felt on the pool table. “Let’s play when we get back.”

  He wanted to play, just not pool. “Sure.”

  When they got outside, he peered across the lake. There were hardly any boats out. Too cold to waterski or wakeboard. It was still a nice day to cruise. They walked down the dock and she helped him untie the boat. He gave her an arm to get in and took the wheel, slowly idling past the no-wake zone. When they got farther out, he’d show Deb some speed. He glanced over at her sitting on the bench across from him—and damn. She looked good in his boat. The wind whipping through her hair, a smile lighting her face like the sun.

  Once they got away from shore, he let the throttle out and watched as her expression
turned animated.

  “My God, I love this,” she shouted over the roar of the engine.

  “Check this out.” He turned on the surf system and pointed off the stern at the waves he’d created with the flick of a switch.

  “You better take me wakeboarding in summer, TJ. I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this from me.”

  He grinned. TJ’s industry was filled with show-offs, tools who bragged about their equipment, their toys, and their athletic prowess. He’d always steered clear of boasting. If you’re the best or have the best, you don’t need to talk about it. That had always been his philosophy. But just this once he wanted to impress a girl. Not just any girl, but Deb Bennett.

  “You want to take the wheel?”

  “Seriously?”

  He slowed down so they could switch places and crooked his finger at her.

  “Don’t leave,” she said. “The last thing I want to do is crack up your boat.”

  He laughed because there was little chance of that on the open lake. TJ maneuvered her so she was basically sitting on his lap. “Go ahead.” He moved his hands away and let her take over.

  She drove, opening the boat up on the straightaways for maximum speed. Exhilarated, she threw her head back, letting the sunlight dance on her face, and laughed. He wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling the excitement of the ride thrum through her.

  “This is amazing.”

  “Even better when you’re shredding.”

  She turned to face him, her eyes sparkling. He swore she was the female version of a Garner. No mountain too big to climb, no ski run too wild to tame, and no wave too unruly to ride. Man, did he love her spirit.

  “I can’t wait for summer.” And to prove it, her teeth chattered.

  “Cold?” He used it as an excuse to hold her a little closer.

  “A little.”

  A little, his ass. Her lips had turned blue. “We should go in.”

  “You steer.” She relinquished the wheel to him but made no move to leave his lap. “I don’t want to crash this beautiful boat into the dock.”

  He took them in slowly, reluctant to give up any time with her alone or otherwise. Tomorrow would come soon enough, when he’d go back to being her boss and dealing with their struggling retail venture.