“So you had fun?”

She grinned. “We had a lot of fun. We had a few drinks, you know.”

Yeah, he knew. The tequila smell filled his car. “Really. Just a few?”

She giggled and kicked her shoes off. “Okay, a lot.”

She started singing again, leaned forward to turn the volume up on the radio.

It was a good thing he really liked Elizabeth, because she couldn’t sing for shit.

He pulled into the driveway, but before he could get his seatbelt off, she’d thrown the door open and bounded out, her shoes and purse forgotten. She went around the side of the house and disappeared into the dark.

Good lord. He grabbed her purse and shoes, went in through the front door, dumped her stuff, and headed out back.

She was on the deck, stripping her clothes off. She was down to her bra and panties, and it was making his dick hard seeing her on his deck like that. He brought his focus up to her face.

“What are you doing, honey?”

“Getting na**d.”

“I see that. Why?”

She turned to him and gave him a wicked grin. “I want to go skinny dipping in the ocean.”

He couldn’t help but smile at her. She was a really cute drunk. Dumb and senseless, but cute. “I don’t think swimming drunk in the ocean is a really good idea.”

“By myself, of course not. But you’ll be with me to keep me from drowning.” She unhooked her bra and waved it at him, then dropped it on the floor.

She made a good point. So did her nipples.

“So? Are you going to get na**d and go skinny dipping with me?”

“Do you know how cold the ocean is at night?”

“Suck it up. I’ll warm your c**k and balls when we get back inside. Then you can f**k me.”

She shimmied out of her panties and stood na**d in front of him, her hands on her hips.

He sighed and pulled off his shirt and dropped his shorts. Her gaze rocketed to his cock, already semi-hard at the thought of taking her to bed later.

He should be ashamed of himself, thinking of taking advantage of her in her drunken state.

Then again, the cold water should sober her up a little.

She laughed and turned, making a beeline for the water. He ran after her, easily overtaking her. He got to the water before she did and dove in, waiting for her. She leaped in, the waves crashing into her and knocking her over.

Gavin was there to pull her up, and she came up sputtering and laughing.

“Holy shit, that’s cold.”

“Told ya.”

She splashed him with water, then grabbed him as another wave rushed over them. Her legs wrapped around his, and he dug into the sandy bottom to hold them both steady as the water battered at them.

She laughed as they stood waist high in the water and took a beating.

“You think this is fun? It’s freezing out here. My balls are the size of walnuts.”

She kissed him. “I told you I’d warm them up when we got back inside. This is living, Gavin.”

“This is freezing, Elizabeth. Your ni**les are frozen and poking my chest.”

She rubbed them against him, tilted her head back, and dragged her hair against the water. “It feels great.”

“You’re numb and feel nothing. I’m going to make you pay for this.”

“Ha. You will not.” She pushed away from him and floated on top of the waves.

But she was obviously enjoying herself, laughing and acting like a kid. He liked seeing her this way, unguarded and free, even if it took several pitchers of margaritas to get her to relax.

And she was obviously warmed by tequila. He was not. He was freezing and had had enough. He scooped her up in his arms.

“Okay, ocean mermaid, time to head into a warm shower before my dick freezes and falls off.”

She lifted her head and focused slightly bleary eyes on him. “If you insist.”

He carried her out of the water and into the house, where he deposited her wet, dripping body on his bathroom floor. He turned on the shower and tried not to shiver as the water heated, then directed her inside and followed her.

Hot water had never felt so good. Her body was chilled, but she leaned against the wall and grinned while he washed the sea out of her hair, rinsed it, and put that conditioner stuff on it. Then he soaped up her body.

She was at least pliant, turning whichever way he told her to.

“You ready to get out? Think you can dry yourself and make it to bed while I wash?”

Instead, she took his soap in her hands and lifted her gaze to his. “I’m not ready to get out yet. Turn around and let me wash you.”

He wasn’t going to argue. He gave her his back, and she rubbed soap all over him. There was something about her hands on his body—even if it was just his back—that got him hard. Maybe it was the closeness of being in the shower together or the heat and steam from the water or the fact that his teeth weren’t chattering anymore.

And maybe it was just Elizabeth, who replaced her hands on his back with her br**sts as she moved into him and wound her arms around him to rub the soap across his chest and stomach, her br**sts soaping his back as she slid back and forth.

When her hands snaked lower, he looked down to watch rivers of soap streaming toward his very hard cock.

“Turn around, Gavin.”

He took the soap from her hands, put it on the shelf, and let the shower spray rinse him. Then he turned and grabbed the spray nozzle, lifting it from the holder to rinse all the soap from her breasts, using his hands to smooth the bubbles from her nipples.

She giggled. “That tickles.”

He directed the spray over her belly and between her legs. She lifted her gaze to his. “That doesn’t tickle. It feels good.”

“Do you get yourself off with shower spray?”

She nodded. “It’s an easy orgasm. Fast and hard when I’m in a hurry.”

His c**k twitched. He replaced the sprayer, then turned and slipped his hand between her legs. She gasped. “Fast and hard, huh? Is that how you like it?”

She gasped and reached for his shoulders as he rubbed her pussy. “Sometimes when I really need to come.”

He put his other arm around her, then slipped two fingers into her pussy, continuing to rub her cl*twith his hand. “Do you really need to come, Elizabeth?”

“It’s all I’ve been thinking about since we’ve been in here, since I’ve been touching you.”

He pulled his fingers out and pushed her against the wall, dropped to his knees and lifted one of her legs, draping it over his shoulder so he could spread her wide for him.

She had the most beautiful pu**y he’d ever seen. Plump, juicy lips and a pretty tuft of red hair covering her sex. She was glistening wet, and he couldn’t wait to taste her. He cupped her butt cheeks and drew her to his mouth, sliding his tongue over her pu**y lips.

“Oh, God, Gavin. Yes, that’s so good.”

He licked her clit, put his mouth over her, and sucked the bud, rolling his tongue over it. She pushed her pelvis against him, silently asking for more. He moved his tongue all over her, from her cl*tto her pussy, licking her all over.

The water cascaded down her belly and over her sex, washing into his mouth as he devoured her. He wondered if that added to the sensation. He hoped so, because he wanted her going crazy as he made her come. He slipped his finger inside her, pumped it in and out, swirled his tongue over her clit, and felt her pu**y grip his finger. He added another and another, and each time her pu**y tightened, her moans grew louder and her hands slapped the wall.

“Dammit, Gavin,” she cried.

He kept the focus of his tongue around her clit, licking her with relentless strokes while f**king her pu**y harder with his fingers.

“Oh, God, I’m coming. Suck my clit.”

He latched on to her cl*tand gave it a hard suck as her pu**y constricted around his finger, and she shook with the force of her cl**ax. She cried out, her fingers digging into his hair as she held on.

He rose, lifted her leg over his hip, and drove into her while she was still cl**axing. She screamed, and he kissed her, drinking in her cries as he pumped up into her still convulsing pussy.

God, she was tight, still coming as he took her into another cl**ax. Her eyes flew open, and she dug her nails into his shoulders and bit his lip, moaning as she came.

Fuck. Fuck. It was so good feeling her squeeze his c**k as she came again. He felt his own orgasm rushing toward him, and he held on to her ass, rocking against her as he burst inside her. He kissed her deeply, his tongue winding with hers, his groans mixing with hers as his cl**ax hit him with a devastating force that nearly buckled him and left him sweating and panting.

He leaned his forehead against the cool tile wall of the shower. Elizabeth was limp against him as he withdrew and rinsed them both, then turned off the shower. He guided her out of the shower and dried her hair and body.

She was done for, her eyes no more than slits. He lifted her and carried her to bed, tucked her under the covers. He climbed in with her, pulled the covers up, and slid up behind her. She wiggled her butt against his crotch and mumbled a few contented words.

That’s exactly what he was.

Content. With Elizabeth.

And didn’t that have danger signals pinging in his head?

TWELVE

ELIZABETH NURSED A CUP OF COFFEE AND THE LARGEST glass of orange juice ever.

Whose brilliant idea had it been to have margaritas?

Hers, probably.

Ugh. This was a good time for a self-reminder on the evils of alcohol and why she very rarely overimbibed.

Weren’t girlfriends supposed to watch over you and prevent you from doing stupid shit like this? As she recalled, Shawnelle and Haley, her partners in crime, had gone along for the ride with her. At least she took comfort in the fact they were probably suffering just as badly as she was this morning.

She took out her phone to check for messages. There was a text from Gavin.

Early game today. Didn’t want to wake you. Don’t feel like you have to be there. Will understand if the mermaid is hung over. Have had your car brought back to you, too, in case you need it. Cul8tr. G

Mermaid? She frowned, trying to remember . . .

Oh. The dip in the ocean last night. She smiled, remembering how he’d indulged her idiotic idea to go skinny dipping. Bet his c**k and balls hadn’t appreciated that chilly dip. Then again, she had no problem at all recalling their steamy shower sex, so obviously he hadn’t suffered any ill effects from the icy ocean swim.

She read over his text message again. And again. Then realized she was mooning over his message as if it were a love note. How very stupidly high-schoolish of her. Disgusted, she tossed her phone on the table and picked up her orange juice, taking several tentative sips.

Her stomach, though a little queasy, decided it would accept the orange juice, so she drank more, then picked up her coffee cup and took several caffeine-laden swallows.

She went into the kitchen and fixed a couple of eggs and some toast. After eating she felt immensely better, though she looked like hell. Going to bed with her hair wet and uncombed was a disaster. She took another shower, did her hair, and put on some makeup. She drank another cup of coffee and opened her laptop to do some work. She made a few calls and lost track of time.

Her phone rang while she was typing out a letter. It was Shawnelle.

“Hey, why aren’t you here?” Shawnelle asked.

“Where is here?”

“The game, dumb-ass.”

“Oh. I’m working today.”

“Bullshit. You’re hung over and making Haley and I suffer here in the heat by ourselves.”

“No, actually I feel fine. And I was doing some work and just lost track of time.”

“Well, your boy isn’t doing so well today. He needs his lucky charm. Get your ass out here.”

Elizabeth laughed. “I’m not his lucky charm. He can play just fine without me.”

“No, he can’t. It’s bottom of the fourth, and he’s oh for everything. Besides, I need sympathy. I feel like hell.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll be there in a half hour.”

She dressed and headed out to the ball field, found Shawnelle and Haley hiding under floppy hats and dark sunglasses.

“Feeling good today?” she asked as she took the spot they made between them.

“You should know,” Haley grumbled. “This is all your fault.”

“Don’t blame me. I didn’t put that glass in your hand. Nor did I drink those three pitchers by myself.”

Shawnelle groaned and laid her head in her hands. “Don’t remind me.”

“So how are they doing?” Elizabeth asked.

“They’re down by two runs in the sixth,” Haley said. “We figured maybe your presence could light up Gavin, who isn’t batting for shit today.”

Elizabeth snorted. “Probably because he was up late tending to his drunken house partner.”

“Girlfriend,” Shawnelle said.

“What?”

“You’re his girlfriend. Not house partner. Not roommate. Girlfriend.”

“I’m not his girlfriend.”

“Really. Then what are you?”

“His agent.”

Haley snorted. “You’re sleepin’ with him. Do you do that with all your clients?”

“Of course not.”

“Then you’re not just his agent, are you?”

“You two make my head hurt. Give it a rest, will you? Gavin and I are just having some fun together. It’s nothing.”

“I might be wearing dark sunglasses, but trust me, my eyeballs are rolling clear out the back of my head,” Shawnelle said. “Are you really that far into denial?”