“What the hell are you doing in my room?” I asked calmly, more confused than angry.

Our last conversation left me no doubt that she wouldn’t be the one pursuing me, so what the hell was she up to?

She quietly stepped forward, inching towards me. “Well, I thought about what you said about trying to be friends, and I wanted to start by wishing you a happy birthday.”

Huh?

“So you broke into my room to tell me “Happy Birthday” a week after my birthday?” An ounce of pleasure shot through my chest that she remembered, but she was lying. That wasn’t why she was here.

“I climbed through the tree, just like we used to do,” she offered.

“And your birthday’s tomorrow. Can I climb over to your bedroom?” I countered sarcastically. “What are you really doing in here?” I pinned her with hard eyes and came up to her so close that a fire sprang to life in my stomach.

Dammit. I was going to need another shower. Did I have the same effect on her body?

“I…um…” she stammered, and I had to hold back a smile.

She wanted to play games? She had no idea.

Her gaze struggled to meet mine. She couldn’t look away for long, but she couldn’t hold my stare, either.

Finally, she took a deep breath and broke into a shaky half-smile, pushing some hair behind her ear.

“I have something for you, actually.” She leaned in close to my face. “Consider it your present to me as well,” she whispered.

What the…?

Her lips melted into mine, and it was like warm sugar.

Jesus Christ. What was she doing?

Her tight body pressed into mine, and I closed my eyes, a tingling spreading through my hands. The urge to sink my fingers into every curve of her skin was uncontrollable.

Her lips teased and captivated me. She moved her h*ps into mine in slow, small movements, and her tongue flicked under my top lip, playing with me.

I was in a whole lot of trouble and a world of pain if she stopped.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, and my eyebrows lifted.

Holy shit. She wasn’t ending this. She was grabbing on.

Thank God.

Snaking my arms around her back, I took control and dove into her mouth like I was never going to get this chance again.

I forgot everything. Why she was here. Why she was the one initiating this shit. What she was going to do when we got close to the point of no return.

Who f**king cared?

“Jesus, Tate,” I breathed out, light-headed when she dipped her head into my neck. The pleasure of her lips, tongue, and teeth was a dream come true.

This was Tate, but it wasn’t.

She was wild, kissing and biting me like the night on the kitchen counter. I could feel the way she moved her h*ps into mine, pressing herself into me.

She was everywhere, and I couldn’t even remember my own name.

I tensed for a moment when her fingers ran over the scars on my back. She knew that they were there, but I hoped she wouldn’t notice them. I’d be ready to throw down with the devil himself if she stopped this to ask more f**king questions.

Her mouth was hot, and the sweetness of her breath had me in a daze. I nearly growled every time her tongue shot out to taste my skin as she kissed my neck.

Whispering in my ear, she had my body screaming “Get her on the bed!”.

“I’m not stopping,” she taunted.

Hell, yes.

Lifting her up, I carried her to the bed as she wrapped her legs around me. It was a great feeling. Having Tate hold fast to me. Wanting me.

I didn’t know why she was really in here, and I wondered at her change of heart all of a sudden, but she wasn’t faking this.

And I wasn’t going to f**k it up.

I laid her down and hovered over her, taking in the sight of Tate underneath me. I inched her tank top up to her bra slowly, loving the feel of her in my hands. Her stomach was smooth and taut, curving in at the sides and looking soft but tight. Tate would be showing me this body a lot, I hoped.

“You’re so beautiful.” I held her eyes for a moment before dipping my head to her stomach and tasting her hot skin.

Her lips always tasted sweet, like fruit. Her body, on the other hand, tasted wild and raw, and I had a vision of rain falling across her na**d chest while I made love to her on the hood of my car.

“Jared,” she gasped out, her body arching into my lips.

Not yet.

I kissed and lightly bit her skin all the way down to the top of her jeans.

My brain was in overdrive. I wanted to rush this, because the itch in my head told me we were on borrowed time. The logical Tate—the normal Tate—was going to stop me any second.

But I still didn’t rush.

Using the tip of my tongue, I grazed her hot skin before taking a little between my teeth. Her eyes were closed, and she was squirming just enough to drive me insane. I don’t even think she noticed me peeling off her jeans or that her underwear were now sliding down her legs.

Jesus.

My heart pounded in the back of my throat, and my stomach dropped like I was on a roller coaster.

Tate was beautiful. Everywhere.

With as much time as we’d spent together in our past—and the fact that her window was in perfect view of mine—I’d seen her scantily clad before, but this was new.

I didn’t wait. I dove back to her body and left a trail of kisses across her stomach, on her hipbones, and thighs.

“Jared,” she begged, her raspy voice breaking with her breaths.

I looked up at her, looking down at me, and my c**k was about ready to explode.