When they got to his truck, she reached for the passenger door handle, but Roman closed in behind her and gently put his hand over hers, stilling her. The touch sent fire through her from head to toe.

“Forgive me for being forward.” His tone ran like warm honey down her back. “But I’ve been thinking about your lips all morning. I’d really like to kiss you.”

She spun to look at him and instantly melted. The need in his eyes sang to her soul. Any thought of not getting involved with him evaporated like water on a scorching summer day.

He pushed her curls back and cupped her face. “Would that be alright?”

She managed to nod. Of course kissing her would be alright. More than alright. His strong hand against her cheek and the desire in his dark eyes called to her.

Roman slowly took a step closer, pressing her against the truck’s door as he cradled her head. He didn’t rush as he tipped her face up to meet his kiss.

The moment their lips met, a sigh left him. As if he’d been waiting on bated breath for the taste of her and could now finally breathe.

Unhurried at first, his tongue swept over the seam of her lips, and she opened easily for him. His arm wrapped around her waist, and he held her close. Their mouths moved with each other in a familiar way, like they’d done this before. Softly, they explored. Her fingers climbed his broad chest, relishing his hard muscles. So strong, yet so gentle.

A whimper left her lips and Roman deepened the kiss, devouring her with a gravelly sound of approval. The way he kissed her felt like he owned her body. He invaded and overwhelmed her senses.

He ran his palm down her thigh and lifted her leg around his hips, grinding himself against her.

Ava’s head dropped against the truck. Even through his jeans, the brush of his hard cock sent shivers straight to her pussy. Roman ran his tongue down her neck, ending with a nip on her shoulder.

“You taste so good, love,” he rasped.

She clutched the nape of his neck, urging him to bite again. Harder.

But Roman drew back until his forehead rested on hers. His heaving chest mirrored hers, both breathless and wanting. His palm rested on her ass, hovering dangerously close to somewhere else she’d like him to touch.

“Why’d you stop?” she whispered.

He shook his head. “Because I’m pretty sure what comes next will be considered public indecency.”

She laughed, and he kissed her one more time. His skill for turning her on and diffusing the tension at the same time was a true talent. She was more comfortable with him in a day and a half than she’d been with Sebastian after two years.

He nudged her sideways and opened the truck door. “Hop in, love.”

As soon as she was seated, he closed the door for her. Always a gentleman. Sliding in behind the wheel, he threw the truck in gear and headed down the road that led out of town.

Oh, yes. She definitely wanted to hook-up with Roman and experience the freedom of being with a new partner. Screw being fresh off a breakup. He’d already demonstrated several admirable traits and treated her like she was worth something. She simply had to summon the nerve to ask him. A kiss was one thing, requesting kink-laced sex was another.

But she was going to make the most of her time in Little Greenfield, and that involved delving inward and deciding what she wanted for a change. No one to tell her what to do or how to act. And if she wanted to pursue Roman in any sort of way, she could. She was single, after all.

If he was truly a good man, this could be something real. They’d work out the details later. The thought filled her with both hope and apprehension. She didn’t intend to find a partner on this poorly planned getaway, or so soon after leaving Sebastian, but she decided to keep her heart open to the possibility.

LOGAN

By the time Logan returned from buying supplies to finish painting the guest rooms, Roman’s truck was gone. He hadn’t had a chance to speak with Roman before he left for the large hardware store two towns over, but he hoped to God that Roman had taken Ava to stay somewhere else.

Logan gathered the brushes, tape, another drop cloth, and paint tray and climbed the stairs to the guest level. When heentered Ava’s room, his face fell and he let a string of curses fly. Her suitcase remained beside the bed. The little shorts she’d worn last night were tossed casually on the mattress beside her oversized t-shirt. And was that a—? Oh, for fuck’s sake. It was. A lacy pink thong was on the floor.

That was absolutely the last thing he needed to be picturing her in. The knee-high socks were already seared into his brain. Knowing that tiny scrap of fabric was on her pussy—that was too much.

He could handle it. Ava and her things were not going to distract him. He busied himself taping around baseboards and windows, laying out the drop cloths, and getting everything else he needed in order. When he was ready, he started painting the room the deep olive colour he and Roman picked out a few weeks ago, doing his best to ignore the sinful scrap of fabric on the floor.

His brows furrowed, and he shifted his dick in his jeans. Didn’t the stupid thing know he was annoyed, not horny? Why did he have to have such a thing for skimpy underwear?

The pink lace called to him. He tried to ignore it. He wasn’t a hormonal teenage boy anymore. But the thong remained in the forefront of his mind. After painting half the room, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He snagged it off the floor and shoved it in his pocket. No one had to know. She would think they were misplaced, and he’d have a tiny piece of Ava since Roman already laid claim to her.

It wasn’t like he wanted to be with her, anyway. But few visitors came to Little Greenfield—especially not women their age—and damn if he couldn’t use a hot, dirty fuck. Though Ava didn’t strike him as the type who’d be into that. It didn’t stop him from picturing her writhing underneath him, calling out his name. He was sure he could convince her, given the chance.