My cheeks heat. “It’s my specialty. Everyone knows me for it back home.”

“Beer and—“ he cocks his head to one side, tasting, “—is that bourbon?”

I nod, grinning. “Try it with the bacon. That really brings out the best of the bourbon.”

Colby follows my suggestion and his eyes light up. “We are going to have fun together in the kitchen, you and me.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You ready to be my sous chef?”

He sweeps me into his arms. “I’m ready to be anything you want.”

“Good.” I kiss him, tugging at his bottom lip with my teeth. “Then let’s get out of here. I know exactly what kind of fun we can start with. And it has nothing to do with kitchens.”

He follows me with a knowing grin like he’s reading my mind as I lead us out of the campus building and back to our nearby hotel.

Colby doesn’t let me go the entire way, not on the city sidewalk, not in the elevator, not as I fumble with my keycard at my room’s door.

My hands are shaking so badly — not from nerves, but from a cocktail of exhaustion and arousal. My panties are so freaking wet from how badly I want this man. I can’t wait to get him inside.

I shiver at the thought of it, and how soon it will be reality.

If I manage to unlock my door, that is.

Without speaking, Colby gently plucks the keycard from my hands and slides it into the waiting slot.

I practically drool watching him do it. Yeah, I definitely want his keycard in my slot, if you know what I mean.

I’ve got it bad for this guy. And I’m not mad about it. Not even a little.

We tumble through the door into my hotel room, quickly locking it behind us.

Then we’re on each other, kissing and groping, tugging at pieces of clothing until we’re panting and naked on the bed. Colby’s fingers go to my opening, burrowing through my thatch of golden hair to find my nub, but I push him aside and roll him over onto his back.

His sudden confusion fades from his eyes as I straddle him and, guiding dripping cleft onto his thick rod that’s standing so proudly for me.

We both shudder as his hardness fills me. I arch my back to take him deeper, balancing myself with light hands on his muscular torso.

“You’re perfect,” Colby rasps, taking in the globes of my breasts, the swell of my belly, the hair he freed from its bond. His eyes find mine. “You’re everything I ever want.”

I trail light fingernails over his belly and he shivers, eyes slitting in pleasure. “Promise me,” I whisper, “promise me that this is forever.”

His fingers dig into the flesh of my hips. “I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me, Brie. Is that forever?” His blue eyes plead with me, breaking my heart in the best way with how badly he wants me — all of me.

“Yes,” I breathe with a mixture of happiness and relief, beginning to move my pelvis over his. “Yes. I’m all yours.”

Colby

Everything I am and know in this moment is liquid heat. Brie is flowing over me, around me, sheathing me like the ruler of my heart that she has so quickly and so unexpectedly become. She won the cooking competition and she won me over.

I’m the happiest loser that ever lived.

I worship her ample curves with my hands, twisting her nipples so that she moans rough and lovely, gripping her thighs hard as she rides me.

I was nervous that she wanted to jump right to penetration without warming up, but I shouldn’t have doubted her. She’s ripe and ready for me, gloriously wet. Being inside her feels incredible.

Hell, being with her in every way possible feels like I’ve finally found the puzzle piece I didn’t know my life had been missing.

She is mine.