She wasn’t usually one for dirty talk. It often made her cringe, in fact. Maybe it was that it never rang true, or the men she’d been with who tried it sounded like bad  p**n  dialogue.

Whatever the case, his words wrenched something loose inside her. Sent sensation hurtling through her even though she’d barely touched herself. She said something incoherent and he snarled, f**king into her body in hard, sharp digs, his gaze flitting between where her hand was in her panties and his fingers on her nipple because her boobs bounced merrily with each thrust.

It seemed to stretch—climax and this moment between them where she was laid bare to this man, where he was open to her because he allowed her to see inside him. Whatever it was, she’d never experienced it before, and it left her raw. In the best kind of way.

He groaned, pushing so deep, the muscles in her thighs burned a little as he held them wide with his hips. Her name was a snarl on his lips as he came, and she liked it that way. Liked knowing she filled him with the same sort of savage need he did her.

As he pulled out, he took her hand, the one she’d been using on herself, and he licked her fingers. She stared, transfixed, her skin heating all over again. With a wicked grin, he kissed her fingertips.

“Be right back.”

CHAPTER TEN

“WHAT ARE YOUR plans today?”

“Good morning, Paddy,” she mumbled, pushing the hair from her face.

He kissed her. “I mean, I know you have your presentation, but what about after?”

She groaned, throwing her arm over her eyes. “Are you perky in the morning? Because if you are, we might have to break up.”

“What’s not to be happy about? I’m here in your bed. You’re warm, and you smell good, and there’s a good chance of morning sex.”

“You have to make me breakfast for that.” A smile hinted at the corners of her mouth.

“It’s really a good thing I can cook.”

“It goes well with the big package and the ability to make my knees turn to jelly with it.”

He laughed and snuggled closer. “So? This afternoon?”

“Why?”

“I forgot to tell you Mary invited us to dinner. It’ll be all my brothers. My parents may stop in, but they’ve been away this week.”

“You forgot? Really?”

“I came into this room, and you took your clothes off. I forgot everything after that.”

She moved her arm away and gave him the eye. They both knew he hadn’t forgotten.

“Mary is a really, really good cook. I’m not kidding. Her food will change your life. And it would make me happy for them to meet you.”

She rolled her eyes, but kept smiling. “All right. I’ll come up there tonight. Just tell me when.”

He made them both breakfast and after a rousing bout of morning sex, she shooed him out, saying she had to prepare for her presentation.

He paused at the door. “Stay with me tonight. You’re off tomorrow. We can sleep in and go do something fun afterward. We can go out on the boat or ride horses. Whatever. Things are about to get busy on the ranch. It’s nearly time to harvest the pears, so I want to get as much time with you as I can. Let me be selfish.”

“You have to make me breakfast again.”

He laughed, pulling her back into his arms to kiss her soundly. “I will happily make you breakfast. And lunch, too. What do you say?”

“Okay. Now go. I need to go over all this PowerPoint junk. I’ll see you tonight.”

It wasn’t until he got back to his car that he saw the doughnuts on his front seat. He’d give them to her later. After dinner. When he could lick off any of the cinnamon sugar that got on her.

* * *

THIS WAS STUPID.

She looked at herself in the mirror, yet again. “I don’t know. Maybe I should just call and say I don’t feel well,” she said over the phone to Tuesday.

“Really, Natalie? Really? Come on. You’re a grown-ass woman. Why is this man making you act like you’re in tenth grade? Jeez. Has he been saying mean things to undermine you?”

“What? No! My God. He’s not a jerk. He’s actually a nice guy. It’s just...dinner with his family? Are we even at that point?”

“Now that we’ve established the rock star is a nice guy who isn’t being mean to you, we can move on to the next issue. I should charge you for this therapy.”

“Eat it, Eastwood.”

“Ha! You wish. Anyway. So obviously you are at that point since it’s happening. It’s not like you just met him today. It’s not like you just met him a week ago. You knew him years ago, and you’ve been circling each other for the last few months. You like him and not just because you want to make it okay to do naked things with him. You guys are dating. And people who date meet one another’s families and friends. Just don’t have sex on our kitchen table because I eat on that table.”

“Uh, okay. Sure.” Natalie rolled her eyes. “I gotta go. I’m supposed to be up there in fifteen minutes. Thanks for the pep talk, coach.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow night. Have fun and make good choices.”

“Love you.”

Tuesday laughed. “Yeah, I love you, too, woman. Let yourself have fun tonight, or I’m gonna be so mad at you.”

“Fine. Fine.”

Natalie hung up and looked at herself one more time. She’d gone with an outfit that was right on the line between casual and dressy. White pants and a red blouse. She had on a necklace Tuesday had made for her. She’d done her hair to slick it back a little from her face in waves.