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That isn’t accurate. Not for anything would I take Tim back. The idea of a guy I might meet in a bar leaves me cold. I want Noah, fiercely—but not when he wants someone else.

To add to my confusion, sultry nights like this one make my body crave what Mr. Mysterious has proven he can give me. I swore to Kat that I’ll tell the stranger to take a hike, and if he appears tonight, I’ll do my best to keep that promise. But everything about him, from the way he masters my body, to the hard feel of him all over, and the tangy-salt taste of his skin, is pure fantasy. Add my unruly imagination to the mix, the one that encourages me to imprint Noah’s face on Mr. Mysterious’s body and… well, it’s a good thing he didn’t appear last night. Or so far tonight.

I feel vulnerable. Weak. And Lord knows, my stranger’s charm is potent.

Eyes closed, I lift the wine to my lips and finish off the last swallow of the dry, fruity blend.

In mid-swallow, I hear a creak, followed by a puff of air. By the time I open my eyes, it’s pitch black in the windowless bathroom. I set aside the glass and thrust back the curtain. The bathroom door is closed and the candle extinguished. I can’t see a thing.

But I can feel.

I gasp. My stranger is here. The air vibrates and burns between us. My heart revs like a fighter jet’s engine, ready to soar out of my chest. My mind buzzes. What should I do? I can’t climb out of the tub and sneak past him undetected. The room is too narrow. But I can’t just surrender—no matter how appealing that sounds.

I’m fucked, figuratively and literally.

“Lauren.”

His voice is a lust-gruff whisper. Mr. Mysterious. I exhale, feeling shaky and anxious…even as parts south turn warm and wet at the very thought of his touch. Wetter still as I imagine Noah sneaking into my bathroom to have his wicked way with me.

“You scared me.” My voice shakes.

“You should know I can’t stay away from you for long now that I know how perfectly you grip my cock. I’m dying to fuck you too badly to stay away.”

His words would melt my panties if I was wearing any. But what about the way I rebuffed his declaration of love? I don’t know much about this man, but I doubt he’s simply forgotten that little incident.

The rustle of cloth, the rasp of a zipper, the whooshing sound of denim hitting the floor. Oh, my god. He’s getting undressed.

“No. Don’t get naked. Don’t come any closer.”

“Too late,” he growls as he steps into the tub, a foot on either side of my hips, then sinks to his knees and covers my body with every hard inch of his own.

Sweet and forbidden as he hovers over me, all harsh breaths and tense need. Such a perfect fit. Feeling him does something to me. Not just my arousal, though I can’t deny mine is soaring like a rocket. But my heart gives an unpleasant little thump at the thought of denying him.

Still, I have to stop this. “We can’t⁠—”

“You made yourself perfectly clear on Monday night. No love. Fine. But don’t keep your body from me. Just spread your legs and let me do everything I want to that sweet pussy…”

No. The word is on the tip of my tongue…but I swallow it when Mr. Mysterious whispers his wicked request against my mouth, then his lips crash over mine, tongue urging me to open so he can ravage me with a ruthless kiss.

Wet and aggressive, he kisses me with scorching skill. Sinking into my mouth farther with each pass of his lips, the kiss feels like he intends to brand me with his possession. He mates with my tongue, and I adopt his rhythm, arching toward him and burning for more. The feel of him amazes me, perfect and male, hungry and demanding, confident and determined. I can totally picture Noah behaving like this with a woman…and the fantasies of him here with me in the bathtub aren’t something I can stop—or want to.

The insistent press of his lips smothers the little whimpers that escape my throat and echo around us. I raise my arms to clutch him. He’s blessedly bare, back hard and rippling with muscle every move he makes. Bare, bulging shoulders so wide they nearly span the width of the soaker tub. Bare face and head, devoid of a mask I notice as I sink my fingers into his collar-length hair to feel the silky strands with just a hint of wave.

I can absolutely picture Noah here with me now. And I do, throwing myself into the kiss with all the frustrated need he rouses in me.

“That’s it. Let me have your mouth, too. I need it. Then I’ll fuck you so hard and long until you come all over my cock. I’m going to make sure you know who that pussy responds to.”

I whimper again. Any other man I’d suspect of bragging. But Mr. Mysterious… If anyone can do as promised, it’s him.

Except I’m supposed to be saying no. Resisting. Why? The answer totally eludes me as he pinches my tender nipples—and every nerve ending remembers his rough, pleasure-inducing treatment from Monday night. They applaud the press and roll his fingers bestow on the hard tips. Before I can stop myself, I arch toward him for more.

Warm water sloshes around us as he readjusts, climbing higher up my torso and grabbing my head with a desperate grip. “I need your mouth now. Suck me.”

Then he’s palming the back of my head with one hand and guiding his cock to my mouth with the other.

I frown. I don’t want this. I don’t. Oral sex is too intimate. I don’t know him. Taking him into my mouth and pleasuring him would only make him more insistent that I belong with him, to him. The intimacy of the act might make the foolish woman inside me think the same thing. I can’t risk it.

And yet, when the swollen velvety head of his cock brushes my lips, I open, unable to resist just a taste.