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“You. Only ever you, Mr. Smug and Sexy.”

His grin grows, dimples showing. “I’m going to kiss you, Natalie St. James. Are you ready for it?”

“I was born ready for you, Nick Christiansen.” Before I have a chance to add some wisecrack, he cups my cheeks and kisses me with passion—his lips on mine and our tongues falling back into their rhythm again.

Ripping my lips away before we’re arrested for public obscenity, I catch my breath, and then with the next, I ask, “Want to come back to my room and start this relationship on the right foot?”

“Given a second chance?—”

I hold my finger up. “Third, to be accurate.”

“Given a third chance at this relationship and you want to skip to the main event? No dinner?”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m not hungry.” Tilting my head to the side, I add, “For food, that is.”

“No drinks?” Waggling his eyebrows, he asks, “Rum and Cokes?”

“I’m good, all caffeinated and ready to go.”

“You just want to skip to the main event?”

I shrug. “We never did adhere to other people’s dating timelines. Why start now?”

He kisses me again before setting me on my feet and taking my hand. We head to the door, but before we leave, he looks across the room, and says, “I owe you one, Tatum.”

She raises her mug. I give her a little wave, and mouth, “Thank you,” foreverythingshe did to help me track Nick down. If I had followed my assumptions, I’d be sitting in LA alone, instead of back in his arms.

At the hotel, there’s no wasting time. We fumble into my room, our clothes coming off and landing on the floor like a breadcrumb trail leading to the bed. His lips embrace mine while his hands roam my body. Grunts and growls escape him as he kneels before me and kisses down the center of my body. Moans of pleasure wisp through my lips as I weave my fingers through his hair. He mentioned worshipping earlier, and I’m feeling like a goddess because of him.

But then I’m lifted and kissed on the mouth again as we fall onto the bed, our bodies tangling as we tousle in the covers. I roll onto my back and help pull the sheet from between us. As soon as my legs are freed, Nick lifts the covers and is quick to disappear under them, leaving me with the image of those dimples and mischievous eyes before he reminds me how magical his mouth is.

“Oh God, yes. So magical.”

My eyes roll back in my head as I fist his hair in one hand and the sheet in the other. “I missed this . . .” I pant heavily. “So much.”

My body succumbs to the sensations, and as soon as the vibrations calm, I pull him up to kiss me again. He does too, like no one’s ever kissed me before—passion, love, and foreverbuilt into each caress of our lips.

Before I return from floating from the bliss, he slips away. When he returns, he kisses my collarbone, keeping our words out of this, needing to feel instead of thinking for a while. Covered, he fills me, pulling me into his world to be consumed again. I willingly go, craving that connection deeper than our bodies could ever reach. We make love and create it, nothing lost in the month we were apart but even more intense.

We both find our ecstasy unapologetically quick.

There’s no rush to get up as we lie in each other’s arms right after. It’s the opposite, a desire to lie here forever. Just as my eyes dare to close, his body rattles the bed with laughter, and he asks, “What is that?”

I follow his gaze, and suddenly, a giggle helps to invigorate me again. “That would be a cookie basket.”

He glances at me out of the corners of his eyes before returning to eye the treats. “Is that for me?”

“It was part of my evil plan to get you back.”

Even in the darkened room, I can see his roguish smile—the charmer. Caressing my cheek with the back of his fingers, he leans down and kisses my forehead. “I was always yours, so you didn’t need it.”

“It’s more of ajust in caseto seal the deal present.”

“Can’t wait to see what kind of cookies you put in there.”

Sliding my arms around his neck again, I bring him to me, and we kiss. “I’m not done with you quite yet.”

“Although I can’t wait until tomorrow?—”