The party had started to break up, so they found Bo and said good night, made plans to meet tomorrow. Bo and Rick would follow on their bikes while Ava and Lacey drove the car back into the States.

But for now, all Ava could think about was getting back to her room and being alone with Rick. Their last night in Mexico, alone. Probably their last night together, period.

She felt the melancholy settle over her, but brushed it away, refusing to let it ruin what little time she had left with Rick.

The sound of the water crashing against the shore was a musical interlude as they stepped into the room. She was going to miss this tropical paradise.

“This has been a nice little vacation,” she said, stepping out onto the balcony. “I’m afraid I’ll be spoiled when it comes time to settle back into academia again.”

Rick came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. The smell of the ocean, salty and tangy, tantalized her almost as much as the man whose body heated her.

“You’re way too practical to be swept away by vacations.”

She turned in his arms. “Am I? I’m not so sure. You’ve swept me away.”

“Yeah?”

She tangled her fingers in his hair, loving its softness, so incongruous to the hard body pressed against her. “Yeah. I think I like this.”

“It’s a fantasy. Not reality. Reality is you being a social worker, doing the right thing, helping kids.”

Her brows rose. “Really? I thought you didn’t believe in social workers.”

“I didn’t believe in the ones who’d been assigned to me. I believe in you. I believe you can help people.”

The sting of tears pricked her eyes. He had such faith in her. She wasn’t so sure she had that same faith in herself. But to know a guy from the streets, a man the system failed, still believed in that system, in her ability to effect change, made her heart leap.

“Thank you.” The words tumbled out in a whisper, her heart filled with emotions she couldn’t—wouldn’t—think about. She sifted her fingers through his hair, then let her palm slide down his cheek, over the scruff of his unshaven jaw. “You do mystifying things to my heart and soul, Rick.”

This time, he didn’t smile. “I’m just a guy. A guy with a lot of flaws.”

“No one is perfect. I’m not looking for perfect.”

Just someone to love me.

She didn’t say it, but the words were there, hanging suspended somewhere between thought and voice. She so wanted to say it, but was too afraid she wouldn’t like the response—if there even was one.

And maybe she didn’t want a response—not from Rick. Maybe she just wanted to make up his reply in her head. After all, wasn’t all this a fantasy anyway?

And wasn’t love the ultimate fantasy?

He kissed her, a perfect kiss that was no fantasy at all. His mouth against hers, coaxing a response that was oh so real. She held on to that reality, the feel of his body, so hot and hard against her. That’s what she wanted, what she needed tonight.

And the way he touched her—the slow glide of his hands down the bare flesh of her back—was both perfect and frustrating. She wanted to make it last forever, but she wanted to hurry up, get na**d, feel his skin against hers.

And yet out here on the balcony, the night was oh so right. Warm, a soft breeze ruffling the hem of her dress, and Rick’s mouth intoxicating her senses.

He backed her against the wall, his body following, pressing against hers. All that hard male flesh she wanted access to was impeded by clothing. That wasn’t going to do at all.

She pulled away from his kiss, pressed her hands to his chest, and he took a step back.

“What’s wrong?”

She smiled. “Nothing at all.” She swept her hands down the planes of his chest, pressed in with the tips of her fingers—nothing but a solid wall of muscle. She felt like such a . . . girl around him, soft where he was hard. She couldn’t remember ever being with a man who’d made her feel so feminine before.

She let her hands wander farther south, reached for his belt buckle, sliding his zipper down, reveling in the way he sucked in a breath. She let her body slide down with her hands, her legs parting as she sat on her heels.

“Damn, Ava.”

“I wish I could have you na**d out here,” she whispered, more to herself than him. She’d love to see the moonlight washing over his magnificent body.

But now she focused on one part of him. She tugged on his jeans, just enough to pull them over his hips, giving her the freedom to reach in and pull out his cock. He hissed when she wrapped her hand around it, which only heightened her pleasure, making her want to prolong his. There was something so intoxicating about being in control of a man.

She stroked him, slow and easy, loving the feel of him in her hand. She tilted her head back to watch his face, the tight strain reflected there, the barely leashed control.

That’s what she always saw, what she always felt in Rick—control. Tonight, she wanted to shatter his control.

She leaned forward and licked the thick crest. It was warm, soft, and a salty pearl of fluid spilled onto her tongue. She curled her tongue around the head, then covered it with her lips.

Rick groaned, tangled his fingers in her hair.

“Sweet Jesus, Ava, that’s so good.”

Was that his control slipping just a bit?

He pumped his h*ps forward, feeding her his cock. She tilted her head back farther, giving him access to her mouth. He tightened his hold on her hair as she took him in. And then he pulled out, slid in again, developed a rhythm of back and forth, the same way he f**ked her.

It made her wet, made her ni**les and cl*ttingle as he f**ked her mouth with slow, deliberate movements that drove her crazy.

This was supposed to be for Rick. How could this turn her on so much? How could she be the one losing control?

She removed her mouth, licked her lips, loved seeing the dark desire in his eyes. She reached under him and found the sac containing his balls, massaged them, and his lips parted. Now he was the one who tilted his head back and groaned, the sound harsh and filled with need. She grabbed the base of his c**k and this time she did take control, compressing her lips over his shaft and letting her tongue slide along the underside as she rolled her mouth over his length.

“Ava. Stop. You’re going to make me come.”

There was no way she was going to stop, not with his balls tightening in her hand, his whole body tensing and jerking as she loved him with her mouth, her lips, and her tongue. She wanted him to come apart for her the way she had done for him. She took a deep breath and took him in deeper.

“Christ. Oh, fuck, Ava.”

He jerked, thrust his c**k against the roof of her mouth, and jettisoned all that sweet come into her mouth. Ava felt the spill of her own moisture against her panties, the quiver of desire at his cl**ax. She held on to him until he was empty, his breath ragged, until he palmed the wall for support.

Rick held his hand out for her and she reached for it. He lifted her to a standing position and before she could utter a word his mouth covered hers, his tongue sweeping in to take the last of his own flavor from her.

Passion exploded inside her, and all the control she’d held was gone. He curved his hands along her hips, her thighs, then raised her dress and smoothed his fingers along the silk of her panties. He pulled them aside and palmed her sex—her ripe, throbbing pu**y craving the touch of his hard, calloused hand. Oh, the way he rubbed her felt so good, sent sparks to her clit. She lifted on her toes to reach for more of that sensation, arching her pelvis toward his hand.

“That’s it,” he whispered, his voice the sensual darkness against her ear. “Come on, baby.”

He inserted one, then two fingers inside her, driving his palm against the swollen nub while he f**ked her with his fingers. The scent of him, his taste, all swirled around her, mixing with the heady pleasure of his masterful hand. Suddenly she was falling, unable to stop the rush of her cl**ax. She thrust against him over and over while he f**ked her with relentless strokes, her pu**y spasming around him in waves of nearly unbearable pleasure.

Panting, she laid her head on his shoulder while he withdrew his fingers, moved around behind her and said, “We’re not anywhere near finished yet. Fucking your pu**y with my fingers got me hard again.”

He led her inside, to the spacious living room. She thought they were going to the bedroom, but instead he took her to the edge of the sofa and stopped there.

“I need to f**k you while you’re wearing this dress. It’s been driving me crazy all night.”

She heated at the visual of him doing just that. She leaned back against him, twining her arms up and around his neck. Rick reached around to her breasts, covered them with his hands, his thumbs scraping over her nipples. Even through the material of her dress she felt it, the tingles of pleasure shooting straight to her pussy.

“These have been driving me crazy all night, too.” He held her br**sts in his hands, drove against her buttocks with his cock.

Ava hissed out a breath. “You’re driving me crazy. Fuck me now.”

“What’s the matter? Don’t you like this?” He pulled the bodice of her dress down and filled his hands with her breasts, teasing her ni**les with his fingers. The contact was electric, shot straight to her pussy.

“Yes. I like it. A lot. Fuck me.”

His low laugh vibrated against her back. “You were a little more reserved when we first met. You’re a hellion now.”

“You made me that way. Now f**k me.”

“I think I get the hint.” She heard the laughter in his voice, but also heard the hard edge of desire, knew he was as aroused as she was.

He bent her over the sofa. She held on to the edge while he lifted her dress over her h*ps and pulled her panties down, blazing a trail of kisses along the way. By the time he made it back up to her hips, her legs were shaking.

“Rick.”

“Yeah.”

“Hurry up.”

His laugh only made her hotter, quivering in anticipation while she waited for him to apply a condom. He hadn’t even bothered to zip up his jeans after their episode out on the balcony, and he pressed against her now, his skin to hers, his c**k searching between her folds until he thrust hard inside her.

She gasped, arched her back, her pu**y clenching around him as waves of pleasure shot through her.

“That what you wanted?”

She let out a moan, tilted her head back. “Yes.”

He held on to her h*ps and drove harder, deeper this time.

“Like that?”

“Oh, yes. Give me more.” Exactly what she wanted—to be connected to him in this most primal way. To not think about anything except this joining, the way he f**ked her, the way he powered hard so he could get deeper inside her, like that was the only thing that mattered to him.

It was the only thing that mattered to her.

Until he reached around and strummed her cl*twith one hand while he continued to pound her with relentless strokes. The sensations were powerful, and with every touch her pu**y gripped him tighter.

He leaned across her back, his hand never leaving her pussy.

“I like the way your pu**y grips me. Do you know I can tell when you’re getting ready to come?”

“Yes. I feel it, too.”

“I want you to come on my dick, Ava. I want to feel every muscle inside your pu**y squeezing me when you go off. Come on, baby, make me come.”

His voice made her wet, made her pu**y tremble. She’d never had a man talk to her like this. She’d never felt so incredibly one with a man before.

It was heaven. No one had ever f**ked her like this. No one. And she realized as Rick gripped her h*ps and thrust hard, pulled out, and powered inside her again, that she didn’t want this to end.

She wanted more of this. More than just tonight.

He continued to murmur against her ear, moving to the back of her neck. And when he bit down lightly as he f**ked her, that was it. She spiraled out of control, cl**axing in giant waves that took her breath and forced her to grip the edge of the sofa for balance.

“Oh fuck,” Rick said behind her, and held tight to her hips, his body glued to hers while he shuddered and groaned behind her.

She couldn’t move, could barely form a coherent sentence. Fortunately, she didn’t have to, because Rick picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He helped her take off her dress, then pulled the covers back and, after he undressed, he climbed in bed behind her, pulling her against him before he wrapped his arms around her.

He kissed the back of her neck before his breathing evened out and she knew he’d fallen asleep.

She felt safe . . . loved.

Love? Was that what she felt?

Yes. It was. She’d never felt it before. It made her giddy and nauseous and scared shitless. And hopeful.

Maybe this could work after all.

She drifted off with a smile on her face.

Ava woke the next day alone in her bed, immediately squelching the feeling of disappointment.

Okay, so it was ten-thirty. They’d been up late. And she already knew Rick never slept in. Maybe he’d gone off to get coffee somewhere.

She showered and packed, a sense of reluctance settling over her. Maybe Lacey had been right about this place having a magical lure. Though admittedly, Ava hadn’t enjoyed her time here until Rick had showed up. He’d made this trip special. Which didn’t say much at all about her friendship with Lacey.

Ava would always be friends with Lacey, but she had a feeling they were going off in opposite directions now. And that made her sad, but it was time to face reality. Ava wanted no part of the life Lacey led. And Lacey was a grown woman now. Ava couldn’t mother her or force her to do what she wanted her to do. Lacey had to make her own choices, even if Ava thought they were bad choices. There was nothing Ava could do about it, except be there for her friend if and when the bottom dropped out of Lacey’s life.