We sat on the floor in the living room eating Chinese.

When I’d gone to set the table, Ford put the plates back in the cabinet and brought the bag to the living room instead. He then pulled out the coffee table to make room for us to sit and tossed two pillows on the floor.

I was never good at eating with chopsticks, but he gave me a lesson and opened his mouth wide to test my skills. Of course I bumbled the saucy Szechwan shrimp, and it splattered all over his white T-shirt. That turned out to be a good thing, because he’d tugged it off for the rest of our meal.

God, he was more delicious than the food—and Chinese was one of my favorites.

I managed to get three grains of rice into my mouth. “I spoke to Ryan this afternoon.”

Ford’s chopsticks were halfway to his lips, and he stopped. “Your son?”

I shook my head. “I wish. We have to get some work done on our support pilings, and he wants to be here when the contractor comes to give an estimate.”

“When’s he coming?”

“Tomorrow at two. I just wanted to let you know before he showed up.”

He nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

We talked and passed takeout boxes back and forth. I loved how at home Ford seemed in my house.

“There’s a music festival coming up in a few weeks on Randall Island,” he said. “I thought maybe I could get us tickets. One of the guys from Backstreet Boys is playing.”

“I’d love that. I’ve always wanted to go to a music festival. It’s actually on my list.”

Ford fished a piece of cashew chicken from the container in his hands and held it out to me with his chopsticks. I opened my mouth and leaned forward to take it, but he pulled it back before I could grab it and gave me a quick kiss instead.

“Your list?”

“Eve made me a post-divorce list of things I need to do.”

“Nice. What else is on it?” He fed me the piece of chicken and dug one out for himself.

“Going to Rome, getting a dog, keeping my Christmas tree up for a few months after Christmas—just stuff I always wanted to do that my ex was against.”

It dawned on me that our little shopping spree touched on another item on my list. It was totally inappropriate dinner conversation, and something outside my comfort zone to talk about with a man. But today had been so much fun, and I knew Ford would appreciate my sharing, so I decided to be bold.

“And…anal.”

Ford started to cough. I thought he might be choking on the piece of chicken he’d just put in his mouth. His face turned red.

“Oh my God, are you alright?”

He pounded on his chest with his palm and reached for his beer. Sucking a big gulp down, he coughed some more before speaking with a hoarse voice. “Are you kidding me? You can’t say you have anal on your to-do list while I’m chewing.”

“Oh. Sorry. I thought you’d appreciate that, especially with our purchases today.”

His eyes darkened. “I need to see this to-do list. Better yet, I volunteer to help you check off every item this summer.”

“You don’t even know what else is on it.”

“Don’t give a shit. I’m here to serve.”

I giggled, and I really wasn’t a giggler. “Such a Boy Scout. Always prepared to lend a hand.”

He shook his head. “Shit. Is that what they did in Boy Scouts? I thought they helped old ladies cross the street. If I’d have known there were anal beads and porn involved, I would have joined.”

We laughed as Ford’s phone rang. He glanced down to the caller ID, and his face looked torn about taking it.

“It’s Devin. My CFO.”

“Take it if you need to.”

“You sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. I’ll clean up and open some wine.”

While Ford took his phone call, I put away the leftover Chinese food and opened a bottle of wine. Pouring two glasses, I stayed in the kitchen to give him some privacy.

When he finished, he found me looking at the calendar on the refrigerator. I was holding up the July page and looking at the month of August when he snaked his arms around my waist and kissed my shoulder.

“Got plans coming up?”

“No. I just realized it’s only six-and-a-half weeks until Labor Day already.”

“You worried about finding a job by the time school starts? You get your results next week, right?”

Of course I was worried about finding a job. But that wasn’t what was weighing on my mind at the moment. Only six-and-a-half weeks left. What the hell was I waiting for? I’d already missed out on almost half the summer. Tick tock. Tick tock. It was time—now or never. I’d invited him to stay over tonight, yet oddly, it wasn’t until this very moment that I decided I wanted him now. Never was the story of my life, and I wanted to live a little.

I took a deep breath and emptied my wine glass in one big swallow before turning in Ford’s arms to face him. “I’m worried that I’ve already wasted half the summer pushing you away.”

His eyes were hesitant, and I could tell he wanted confirmation of what I was saying.

He scared the hell out of me, but I was done being afraid. “I want you, Ford.”

He cupped my cheeks and pulled my face to meet his. Our lips collided in a kiss that was passionate, yet different from the others we’d shared. It was slower, less frenzied, more sensual, and deeper.

The way he held me and took his time made me feel like he treasured the moment as much as I did. Kisses between me and Ryan had always been a means to an end: step one that had to be completed before he could move on to step two. I’d never felt like he actually enjoyed kissing me. And to be honest, I didn’t remember feeling that way about him either. At least not for a very long time. But I wanted to kiss Ford for hours.

He pressed me up against the refrigerator and lifted me off my feet, guiding my legs to wrap around him. He grinded down between my parted legs, and I moaned into our joined mouths, feeling how hard he already was. God, I want him.

I wanted him up against the refrigerator, on the kitchen floor, the table, the counters—if it were up to me, we wouldn’t waste another minute of our time moving somewhere else. But Ford must’ve had other ideas. He gripped my ass, shifted my weight into his arms, and started moving.

“I would love nothing more than to fuck you against the wall. But it’s been two years for you, and I want to take care of you right, which means you get my mouth until you’re dripping wet and ready enough that my cock can glide inside of you.”

Oh God.

He started up the stairs. “Even thinking that you haven’t been with a man in two years makes me hard as a rock. Being near you makes me feel like some sort of Neanderthal caveman. I’m surprised I didn’t club your study buddy over the head and drag you home with me when you pulled up with him.”

Inside my bedroom, Ford set me down. He dug his wallet out of his pants and pulled out a strip of condoms, tossing them on my nightstand before taking a seat on the bed. My entire body zinged with the way he took his time looking over my body. His eyes filled with heat, and he licked his lips like he couldn’t wait to devour me.

“Undress for me. Take off your dress.”

His voice was gritty, but had a sexy edge of authority to it that turned me on.

Holding his gaze, I slipped the spaghetti straps of my sundress from one shoulder, then the other, before shimmying it down to my ankles and letting it pool on the floor. The way Ford looked at me made me feel bared in a way I hadn’t expected. It was like he didn’t just want to see my body—he wanted to see me naked.

He licked his lips. “You’re beautiful. I’ve fantasized about being inside of you every day since we first started messaging, and I had no clue you would turn out to be a gorgeous woman inside and out.”

My insides were turning to mush. This man could own me—he could ignite my body with dirty words one minute, telling me the things he wanted to do to me, and then make my heart swell with his sweet side. It was a damn dangerous combination. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t give him right now.

Ford lifted his chin. “Take off your bra.”

Nervous, my fingers fumbled behind my back with the clasp. Though the way his eyes darkened as I slowly slipped the bra from my shoulders and revealed my breasts gave me confidence to stand tall. He took his time drinking me in, and my nipples swelled and hardened under his gaze.

“The panties.”

I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed.

Standing before him completely naked, my heart beat out of my chest in anticipation. Ford stood and held his hand out to me. He kissed me until my knees felt too weak to hold my weight. Then he switched our places and guided me to sit at the edge of the bed.

Dropping to his knees in front of me, he put his hands on my thighs and spread my legs wide.

“I want you to watch.” He lifted one leg and dropped a tender kiss on the top of my foot, looking up at me from under his thick, dark eyelashes. “Watch me lick your sweet pussy until you come in my mouth.”