“No, because I will need a shower again after we do what we’re going to do when we get out of the shower which is more sex because we can have sex loudly tonight.” I slid out from under him. “And I hate that saying. Why the hell would you kill a bird with a stone, let alone two?”

***

It was safe to say I was in a good mood the next day. Nate and I had a long and very wonderful shower together, and afterwards he got me so dirty I needed a shower all over again.

It was awesome.

By morning I woke up sated and satisfied but missing the girls, so we talked to Lily and January during our breakfast before their grandparents drove into the city to drop them off at school. I couldn’t wait to hug my little angels that night.

Ronan commented on my obviously improved mood but not even his teasing could penetrate my anti-negativity force field. The world was good and no one was going to tell me any different.

Okay so the student who wouldn’t quit screaming at me over her reserve section fine maybe put a dent in my force field.

I was in the staffroom buried in paperwork, rubbing the tension the ranting student had put in my forehead out when a strong hand coasted down my side and I heard a deep familiar voice say in my ear, “Free for lunch?”

I jerked back in my seat, my head just missing Nate’s nose. I stared up at him in shock. “What are you doing here?”

He held out a hand. “Taking you to lunch.”

“I thought you had a shoot?”

“Finished early.”

A slow smile prodded my lips. “So you came here? To take me to lunch?”

He grinned. “I was thinking you could take a long lunch.”

“She can take a long lunch,” Ronan butted in and I dipped my head so I could see past Nate. Ronan stood behind him grinning mischievously at me.

“Are you sure you can handle things while I’m gone?”

“If you come back in an even better mood than you were in this morning then I can definitely cover a long lunch for you.”

“I’m not that bad,” I huffed.

He rolled his eyes and walked away.

Nate raised an eyebrow at me. “Olivia Sawyer, have you been a moody boss?”

“Never.” I stood up and mimicked his eyebrow raise. “I’m a lady, and ladies are never moody. We’re mercurial.”

My husband laughed. “Slap a fancy name on it but it doesn’t change facts. You’ve been moody.”

I shot him a grin before I gathered my things and accepted his proffered hand. “It’s your fault I’ve been moody. I don’t do well without my Nate time.”

He squeezed my hand. “Back at you, babe.”

We talked about everything and nothing, and it surprised and elated me at how giddy I felt to be walking down the street hand in hand at lunchtime with him. It was just so outside of our regularly scheduled programming, and I loved that he’d sprung this on me.

When we stopped outside a hotel I stared up at it, confused. “Do they have a nice restaurant here?”

Instead of answering right away, Nate tugged my hand and led me inside the gorgeous entrance way of the boutique hotel. “I don’t know,” he finally said, as we approached reception. “But they do room service.”

My lips parted in more surprise as Nate said to the pretty receptionist, “Early check in for Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer.”

She went through check in with us and then handed us our room key.

Once we were in the elevator I turned to look at my husband. “Lunch time check in. They probably think we checked in under false names. That we’re having an affair.”

He smirked and shot me a look out of the corner of his eye. “Probably.”

“Nate.”

“What? I could give a shit what they think.” The doors binged open and Nate pulled me out of the elevator with more urgency now. “If I don’t get you in our room,” his eyes flicked from door number to door number, “In the next ten seconds I’m going to fuck you in the hallway.”

Arousal flushed my skin. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Here we are.” He stopped and pushed me up against a door, crushing my lips beneath his as he squeezed my waist with one hand. I realized he was opening the door with the other as it clicked open behind me and I stumbled back on my heels, breaking the kiss. My heart was pounding in my chest as I was dragged inside, the door slamming shut behind us.

“Na—” his name was cut off when he kissed me again.

“Do you,” he kissed me, “realize,” more kisses, followed by him pushing my coat off my shoulders, “last night,” he kissed my jaw, my neck, as my coat fell to the floor, “was the first,” my lips were captured in his again, “time in ages,” he plucked at the buttons on my blouse, “we took time,” the zipper on my skirt sounded through the room, “to savor sex.”

“It was?” I said, but the words were mumbled against his hot lips.

Nate pulled back to slowly slide my skirt down my legs. I stepped out of it, watching as his eyes travelled up them leisurely. When he looked at me they were black with heat. “Sex is always great, babe, but last night was like old times.”

I nodded, shivering just at the memories.

“I don’t want it to end,” he whispered hoarsely. “I don’t want you to ever stop needing this because I know never will.”

I bent down so I could cup his gorgeous face in my hands. “I’ve never stopped needing this. Never, Nate.”

“Tell me what you want?”

I bit my lip and brushed my thumb over his mouth. “My dirty Nate,” I whispered affectionately.

He bit at my thumb playfully. “I already knew you wanted me.”

“Oh?” I grinned. “Is my hard on showing?”

He laughed, his eyes gleaming with mirth and so much more. “If I slide my hands between your legs, I’ll find you wet and wanting. I’ll tell you something else,” he coasted his hand up the inside of my leg, “I’ll fuck the cockiness right out of you.”

I sighed in pleasure as his fingers slipped under my panties. “I blame you.” I groaned, he pushed inside of me. “You’ve inflated my ego.”

He pressed a sweet kiss to my stomach and looked up at me. “It’s not ego when it’s all true.”