He wore a polo shirt with the high school logo on one side, khakis and athletic shoes. He looked dangerous and sexy and there was an air of controlled expectation that nearly made her faint.

“Hi,” he said, then smiled. “I had to make a stop.”

He held up a small plastic bag from a local drugstore.

She peered at it. “You stopped to run errands on your way over?”

“You don’t do this much, do you?”

“What?”

“The sex-kitten thing.”

She felt herself blushing. “No. Why?”

“I didn’t run errands. I bought condoms.”

She swallowed. “Uh, good idea.” Then she stepped back to let him in, mostly because leaving him on the porch would require more conversation and she wasn’t sure she was capable of speaking just now.

The reality of what she’d offered crashed into her. Was she insane? Sex with Hawk? Like that would ever work. He was amazing. No doubt the five or six hundred women he’d been with had also been amazing. How was she supposed to measure up? She’d only been with a couple of guys before Drew. Make that one other guy. What if she’d been doing it wrong all this time?

“Second thoughts?” Hawk asked.

“And a pressing need to vomit.”

“Want to talk about it?”

Did she have a choice? She squeezed her eyes shut, then looked at him. “I’m not that experienced. Before I was married, I didn’t play around a lot.” Ever. The word she was looking for was ever. “I’m not sure I can measure up.”

He moved closer. “Is that all?”

“Isn’t it enough?”

He dropped the bag onto the coffee table and cupped her face in his hands. “I was married for twelve years. Serena was the only woman I’d been with. Since then, there have been a couple.”

“Hundred?”

He chuckled. “Less than ten.”

“That’s not possible.”

He leaned in and brushed his mouth against hers. “I get a lot of offers, but I’m picky. I know my reputation. Most of it is cheap talk. I will admit you’re the first woman I had to negotiate to get.”

Was he telling the truth? She hoped so. It made her feel better, except…“Don’t expect too much. I can’t handle the pressure right now. This isn’t going to be miraculous or anything.”

“Of course it is.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She held on to him as he tilted his head and kissed her. His mouth was warm and sure, firm without being demanding. She parted for him immediately and welcomed him inside.

The tingles began the second his tongue touched hers. They raced through her body, making her toes curl and her thighs tremble. She felt both weak and incredibly powerful. Even more exciting, she found herself wanting this more than she’d thought possible.

They pressed together from shoulder to thigh. They were close enough that she felt the exact second he got hard. His erection pressed into her belly, making her want to squirm closer. She circled his tongue with hers, then closed her lips around him and sucked. His arousal flexed against her.

It was as if someone had flipped a switch. Maybe it was knowing that this man wanted her. Maybe it was the emotional roller coaster she’d been on for the past couple of months. Maybe it was chemistry. But whatever the cause, she found herself aching with need. Her body burned in anticipation. Passion swept through her, stealing her breath and making her bold.

When he pulled back slightly and began to kiss her cheeks, then her jaw, she tugged his shirt from his khakis. As he kissed his way down her neck, making her break out in goose bumps, she slipped her hands under his shirt to his warm sides and felt the skin and the muscles bunching below.

He licked the curve of her neck and made her shudder. She explored his broad chest and ran her fingertips across his ni**les and felt him stiffen.

The air was charged with sexual need. They reached for each other, bumping arms and hands. They kissed, tongues plunging. He ran his hands up and down her back, then to her rear, where he cupped and squeezed. She grabbed his shirt in both her hands.

“Take this off,” she demanded.

He obliged with a quick tug, leaving him bare to the waist.

He was more perfect than she’d imagined. Solid muscle, sculpted in ways she’d never seen outside of a magazine.

She put her hand on his arm and felt the strength there, the definition. She moved her fingers across his shoulders, down his chest. He was like a statue come to life. She’d never been into guys who worked out, but suddenly saw the possibilities.

“You’re amazing,” she breathed.

“Now who’s looking for miracles.”

That made her smile. She looked at him and saw the need in his eyes. Sexual need…for her. It was possibly his best quality.

He reached for the strap of her dress and tugged it over her shoulder, then bent down and kissed where it had been. He nibbled her bare skin, which made her whole body tighten. When he found the side zipper without even fumbling, then undid it, she knew she was in over her head.

Too late to turn back, she told herself. And why would she want to? Sex with Hawk could be an incredible experience. Wasn’t she due one of those right about now?

He pulled her dress over her head, leaving her in nothing but panties. Before she had time to get embarrassed, he cupped her br**sts in his large hands and kissed her.

Even as they strained toward each other, even as his fingers explored her curves and teased her nipples, he was moving her backward. She felt the sofa and, at his urging, sank down.

He dropped to his knees and leaned in, taking her right nipple into his mouth. He used his fingers on her left breast, touching, rubbing, circling. His tongue stroked, sucked, then licked, all the while sending sensations of liquid desire coursing through her body.

She couldn’t think and that was a miracle. She closed her eyes and got lost in the pleasure he gave her. A voice in the back of her head mumbled something about heading upstairs so they could do this on the bed, but that meant stopping and there was no way she wanted that to happen.

He straightened enough to kiss her mouth. As she touched his face, his shoulders, his arms, he pulled off her panties, leaving her completely na**d. As he’d asked before. What a smart man.

He ran his fingers up and down her thighs, then pulled back slightly. “How much do you hurt?”

Hurt? She was wet, swollen, trembling and more than ready for the fireworks. What could possibly hurt?

“Your knee?” he asked.

“It’s fine. Totally fine. I don’t even know it’s there.”

He smiled, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Good. So doing this would be okay.”

He bent down and kissed the inside of her knee.

“That would be great.”

“And this?” He moved a little higher.

“Also great.”

He moved higher still, getting closer to her center, but not touching it. “Better?”

She closed her eyes and rested her head on the cushions. “Uh-huh.”

He parted her with his fingers, then gave her an openmouthed kiss on her most sensitive spot.

“Perfect,” she breathed.

He used his lips and tongue, exploring her then returning to that one special place. He licked and sucked, every movement making her tense and push. She squirmed in her seat, wanting more. Wanting her release. She might have started this deal to save her pride but suddenly the only thing that mattered was the way her body burned and the need building inside of her.

He moved a little faster. She found it more difficult to breathe as every cell in her body focused on that nerve center and what he was doing to it. Over and over he licked. Back and forth, circling, then pressing a little harder. She wanted to scream. She wanted to beg. She wanted to—

Her orgasm caught her by surprise. One second she was rocking her h*ps in a desperate attempt to speed up the process, the next she was shattering in perfect pleasure as waves of release swept through her. She gave herself over to the sensations, crying out as her body contracted again and again.

Hawk continued to touch her, but with less and less pressure. He drew every ounce of her release from her until she was limp and practically boneless.

She could have stayed there for hours, her eyes closed, reliving the most amazing orgasm of her life, but muttered cursing caught her attention. She opened her eyes and saw Hawk kicking off his shoes while he tried to pull off his khakis. His movements were frantic, almost desperate. He saw her looking at him.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded. “Coming like that? How am I supposed to hold it together when you moan? Do you think that’s going to help me last more than five seconds? I practically lost it in my pants. I’m not a teenager anymore. I’m supposed to have some control.”

It was one of those perfect moments in life she would remember forever. There was nothing he could have given her that would have been more precious. He wanted her. Desperately. She saw it in his face and his jerky movements.

He managed to push off the rest of his clothes, then stood there na**d, fumbling with the condom box. He continued to mutter and swear, but she wasn’t paying attention. She was too busy staring at his massive erection and wondering if he was going to go from making her moan to making her scream.

After tearing the package open, he pulled out the protection, roughly put it on himself, then knelt on the floor.

“I can’t wait much longer,” he told her.

“That’s okay.”

“This isn’t going to be pretty.”

“I don’t judge on style. Enthusiasm counts for a lot more.”

“I’ve got a hell of a lot of that.”

She reached for him, guiding him inside.

He filled her completely. She had to stretch to take all of him and she was more than willing for that to happen.

He pushed in again, then groaned. “I have to do this. I’ll go slow next time.”

She smiled. “Go for it.”

He grabbed her h*ps and pumped into her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the ride, the steady rhythm of how he moved in and out of her. Her body began to tighten in anticipation. She parted her legs more, drawing him in.

Closer, she thought in surprise. She was getting closer. His fingers tightened, warning her he was getting closer, too. She could hear his rapid breathing, feel the tension in his body. All of that aroused her, pushing her toward the edge.

He moved one hand between them and rubbed her center. It was enough to send her over the edge.

She gave herself up to her second orgasm, reveling in the sensation of him filling her as she contracted around him. Then he groaned again and was still.

They managed to both settle on the sofa, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder. She felt good. Better than good. She felt like she could fly.

“I’ve never had a sex kitten before,” he said. “I give it a big thumbs-up.”

“Me, too.”

He leaned over and kissed her. “I wish I could stay here with you but I have to get back to school soon.”

“That’s okay. I can relive the moment…all afternoon.”

“I’ll be doing that, too. When do you want to start showing me off in public?”

She hadn’t thought that far ahead. “This weekend?”

“It’s a date.”

He kissed her again and then started untangling their limbs. She watched him dress, thinking that male perfection made for fabulous eye candy.

After he left, Nicole went upstairs and showered, then dressed back in her jeans. Despite everything that had happened, she felt much better about things. Healed even. A feeling she was going to hang on to.

“I’VE FELT REALLY GOOD, right until this second,” Nicole muttered as she and Claire stood in front of a run-down apartment building.

“You need to talk to her,” Claire said.

Nicole sighed. “You being the voice of reason is really getting old. Just so we’re clear on that.”

“I know. I’m sorry. But she’s your sister.”

Jesse was also a lying, cheating bitch, but Nicole didn’t mention that. Bad enough that she had to be here. She didn’t want to fight with Claire, too.

They took the stairs to the third-floor apartment. Nicole found herself hoping her sister was gone, but Jesse opened the door when Claire knocked.

If she was surprised to see them, she didn’t show it.

“May we come in?” Claire asked.

Jesse shrugged, then stepped out of the way. Nicole followed Claire inside.

The apartment was small and dark, a studio with water-stained walls and a smell of dampness. Nicole braced herself against any feelings of sympathy. She’d tossed Jesse out when she’d discovered her in bed with Drew. If Jesse hadn’t screwed up big-time, she would have still been living in the house. Her kid sister had done this to herself.

Claire looked around and tried to smile. “Everyone has to start somewhere,” she said cheerfully. “This is nice.”

“Sure. Whatever.” Jesse folded her arms across her chest. “Why are you here?”

Her sullenness made Nicole want to leave. Unfortunately she didn’t have a phone number for Jesse anymore, so she couldn’t just call her.

“I’m dropping the charges,” she told Jesse. “Not because I want to, but because my attorney is concerned about how our case will play in court. I’ve already wasted enough money on you. I don’t want to keep doing that.”

Despite her best intentions, her gaze slipped down to her sister’s midsection. There was a slight bulge. Nicole couldn’t decide if proof of the pregnancy was good or bad.