“I really like him,” she said softly as the door closed behind his cousin. “He’s a nice guy. I can tell that you two are close. Did you grow up together?”

He took her hand, pulling her closer until she was standing between his spread legs. “Do you really want to chat right now?”

She gave him what he figured was her best poker face, but he could see the corners of her mouth twitching. “What else are you offering?” And he told her in explicit detail with a few creative twists thrown in and watched her lips form a perfect O. “Talking’s really overrated.” She shrugged. And that right there was yet another reason she had succeeded where others had never tempted him into anything serious. He never knew what she would give him. Sometimes sweet and innocent, then there was sassy, and his personal favorite, purring kitten. She loved to be touched, stroked, and petted. The way her body arched when his hands were on her was one of the most beautiful sights he’d even seen. She responded to his touch as if she’d been made for him. He was becoming so accustomed to the unexpected from her that he barely blinked when she pulled back enough to shed her clothing. “Race you to the bedroom.”

He attempted to sound stern when he said, “Angel,” but he shot to his feet and ran after her. He grabbed her by the waist in the hallway, swinging her up into his arms as she shrieked. “Got you, baby. Looks like I’m the winner tonight.” Looking down into her smiling eyes, he thought those words summed up perfectly how he was feeling about the whole evening.

Chapter Fifteen

Crystal sought Mia out during her break the next morning. She winced as she took a seat on the chair in front of her friend’s desk. Mark had been insatiable the previous night, and her body felt battered in the most wonderful way. The man certainly had some stamina. They hadn’t even made it to the bedroom the first time; instead he’d had her to lean on the arm of his sofa. He’d then spread her open wide and proceeded to lick her from end to end. She was certain she’d passed out a few times before he finished wringing a couple of orgasms out of her. He’d kept her in the same position and taken her hard from behind. She had been grateful that her feet weren’t touching the floor because otherwise they would have buckled. Then they’d moved on to a bath, where she’d ended up riding him—while flooding the bathroom. And God, she couldn’t forget the shower sex this morning. Wrapped around his waist and pushed against the wall. Sleepy, tousled Mark, all slippery and yummy.

Fingers snapped in front of her, and she flinched. “I don’t know what you’re thinking about over there, Crys, but if the heavy breathing is any indication, it must be damn good.” Mia winked. “Come on, tell me all about it. Seth’s out of town, and I’m on a dry spell.”

Rolling her eyes, Crystal asked, “How long have you been suffering this time? A whole day?”

“Hey, don’t make light of my pain,” Mia joked. “He’s been gone eighteen hours, and he’s not due back until later tonight.”

“I don’t know how you’re going to make it,” Crystal cried dramatically. “How are you able to work? To even function in society with that level of neglect? I’d just kick Seth to the curb and be done with it if he can’t keep up with you properly.”

Kicking her feet up on top of her desk, Mia nodded. “Yeah, I would—except he packs about five days’ worth of loving into every session. So even though I don’t like going without—I’ve got enough reserves to get by awhile longer.” Giving her a questioning look, Mia said, “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what brings you to my neck of the woods so early? I gathered from your text yesterday that you DeStudo have made up.”

“Oh, yeah.” Crystal grinned. “We sure did. And it was amazing as always. But that’s not why I’m here.” Mia flicked her hand, encouraging her to get on with it. Biting her lip, she admitted, “Well . . . I’m going to marriage counseling with Bill this evening.”

“What?” Mia shrilled. Her friend looked like a guppy fish as her mouth flapped open and closed. “Bu-but I thought that was over. I mean, you’re sleeping with Mark, right?”

“That’s right,” she agreed. “We’re having a just sex nonrelationship.”

Mia rubbed her temple as if in pain. “Er—honey, if you’re sleeping with one man, should you really be trying to get back together with another one? I mean, no judgment here, but that sounds kind of . . . duplicitous.”

“But I’m not going back to Bill,” Crystal pointed out.

Enunciating each word carefully, Mia asked, “Then. Why. Are. You. Going. To. Counseling. With. Him?”

Crystal squirmed in her seat. “I can’t help it. I feel sorry for him. He’s called me for the past two days begging me to go. I caved under the pressure this morning when it sounded as if he was crying. It’s not a big deal, though. We were married for a long time. What’s a few more hours for old times’ sake?”

Mia now looked as if she were close to beating her head against her desk. “Did you ever think that possibly he’s just playing you? He, better than anyone, knows what a soft heart you have. You’d probably agree to go to marriage counseling with King Kong if he shed a tear or two. What does Mark have to say about this?”

“I can’t tell him,” Crystal whispered, after looking over her shoulder to make certain the door was still closed. “He doesn’t like discussing Bill. Remember how he reacted a few nights ago when I told him about seeing him at my mother’s?”