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“And if you were going to be here in the winter, you know you totally would have bought yourself one of those custom toboggans, right?”

“That one I’m not so sure about.”

“Shawn Patterson’s toboggans have come in first place in many competitions—both races and for design. He’s a local celebrity.”

Nodding, he smiled down at her. “Well then, I would almost have to buy one of his if I were going to be here in the winter.”

She studied him as they continued to walk. “You didn’t mention how long you were going to be in town for.”

He seemed to hesitate before answering. “I’m not sure yet.”

“Oh.”

They walked along in companionable silence until they turned into the parking lot of the Lakeview Inn.

She was parked in the far corner, but Walker came to a stop near the entrance to the lobby.

Two of the employees came strolling out and waved to them.

Harlow recognized Tammy Fielding and Ken Baker.

They’d both worked at the hotel for years.

Harlow smiled and waved at them both before putting her attention back on Walker.

Turning slightly so he could face her, he looked like he was struggling to find something to say too.

“I had a really good time tonight,” she blurted out. “I’m glad you chimed in during my conversation with my friends.”

He visibly relaxed. “I don’t typically interrupt people’s conversations, but this time I’m glad I did.”

More silence.

“So, um…”

“Where are you parked?”

“Oh, back in the far corner,” she said, pointing in the general direction. “Do you have a room here in the main building or one of the outer rooms?”

“Outer room.” He nodded in the same direction as her car. “I’m back in the corner room.” And with that, they turned and started walking that way.

In total silence.

When they reached Walker’s room, Harlow knew it was now or never. She either had to go big or—literally—go home.

“This is your room, huh?”

Ugh…what a stupid thing to say! What is wrong with me?

The grin Walker gave her told her he thought it was lame too.

“It is.” He paused for a moment before stepping in a bit closer. “I really want to ask you to come in, but I wasn’t sure if that would make me sound like some sort of creep or perv or…”

“Walker?”

“Hmm?”

“I’d really like to go inside with you,” she said almost breathlessly. And before she could change her mind, she pressed up against him, wrapped her hand around his nape, and pulled him down so she could press her lips to his.

She didn’t relax until Walker’s arm banded around her waist and he took control of the kiss. In a heartbeat, her back was against the hotel room door, and she was ready to hop up and wrap her legs around his waist.

But she didn’t.

Not yet.

It was the wildest, most carnal kiss of her life. No one had ever kissed her this way—like she was vital to his very existence—and it made her mind go wild just imagining what would come next.

He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. “Key,” he murmured. “Let’s go inside.” He fumbled with the room key for a moment before the door finally opened and they nearly stumbled inside.

Walker reached for her, and she willingly went into his arms. The door slammed shut seconds before she was back against it again, wrapping herself around him.

And yes, this time she did hop up and wrap her legs around his waist, and he rewarded her by tightly grasping her bottom and squeezing.

Best. Night. Ever.

On and on it went. Her hands raked through his dark hair and held on.

It didn’t seem possible to want someone this badly, but she did.

Maybe the fact that he was only in town for a short amount of time should be a deterrent, but it wasn’t.

If anything, it made this even more exciting.

She’d never had a one-night stand with a stranger, but her life had been pretty depressing lately, and this could be the perfect distraction.

They hadn’t discussed anything even remotely personal tonight, and that should have been a red flag, but…she refused to think about it. People she knew saw her walking around with him all night, so if anything went wrong…

Ugh…I listen to way too many true crime podcasts! Think sexy thoughts, dammit!

Walker moved against her in the most erotic way, leaving her no doubt that they were on the same page, and it was crazy how much that delicious friction put her mind at ease.

When he finally lifted his head, they were both panting breathlessly. “Am I going too fast?” he asked, but Harlow was already shaking her head. “Not fast enough?”

She grinned. “I wouldn’t say no to having my back against something softer than the door,” she said softly, and couldn’t believe how bold she was being.

But he didn’t move, and she wondered if maybe she was being too bold or even too presumptuous.

“Are you sure, Harlow? I mean…we can stop right now. I’m not going to pressure you to do anything more than you’re comfortable with?”

Letting out a soft sigh, she reached around and caressed his jaw. “I wouldn’t be here like this with you if I wasn’t comfortable with you. It seems weird since we literally just met—and I never do this kind of thing—but with you, it feels right.”

With a curt nod, he turned with her still wrapped around him and strode over to the bed, gently placing her down.

There was one dim light lit in the room, and it was just the right amount.

She kicked off her ankle boots and shimmied out of her jacket before shifting on the bed until her head was on a pillow, Walker’s eyes on her the entire time.

Swallowing hard, she waited to see if he was going to undress at all before joining her on the bed or…

He peeled his jacket off and then his sweater, revealing the most mouth-watering body she’d ever seen.

He was all lean muscles and six-pack abs that she was itching to touch.

She lay back in fascination as he kicked off his shoes and then took off his watch.

It was a slow, casual striptease, and she couldn’t wait for him to get to the good stuff.

But he climbed on the bed with his jeans still on and she figured it was okay to be patient a little longer.

His body covered hers in the most delicious way, and Harlow immediately welcomed his weight and wrapped herself around him.

She was trembling with anticipation—was he going to kiss her first and then help her undress or the other way around?

But he was slightly braced above her and simply studying her face until she started to squirm.

Well…rub against him. Same thing.

“Walker…please,” she whispered.

“Please what?” he asked gruffly.

Oh, God…what exactly was she asking? What did she want?

“Kiss me. Please.”

“So polite,” he murmured as he slowly lowered his head. When his lips were barely a breath away from hers, he added, “It’s very sexy.”

Harlow had zero chance to reply because he was kissing her and she was kissing him back and things went from polite to sensual, exploratory to erotic, in the blink of an eye.

She pressed closer, writhed beneath him, and nearly cried with relief when his hand smoothed under her sweater and cupped her breast.

All she could think was more …

More kissing. More touching. More…everything.

Walker slowly pulled his hand out from under her sweater far too soon, and she squeaked with surprise when he rolled them over so she was straddling him.

At first she wasn’t sure what to do, but when she sat up a bit and both his hands made their way under her sweater, she decided to move things alone.

Whipping her top off, she tossed it onto the floor and said a quick prayer of thanks that she had on a pretty bra rather than a basic one.

“Damn, Harlow,” he whispered reverently. “You are so beautiful.”

No one had ever called her that before and she didn’t know how to respond. Rather than fixate on it, she reached behind her back and unhooked her bra and sent it flying to the floor on top of her sweater.

After that, things heated up more than she thought possible. The rest of their clothes disappeared, and it was all warm, smooth skin, heated touches, and pleasurable sighs. And soon, she couldn’t form a coherent thought; she could only feel.

And oh…did Walker ever make her feel.

Hell, she was fairly certain she’d never feel quite this good ever again. It wasn’t possible.

But as the night went on, he proved her wrong.

And she was more than okay with it.

* * *

Harlow had no idea what time it was because they had knocked the alarm clock off the nightstand at one particularly acrobatic moment last night, but she was fairly certain it was very early.

The sun was just starting to come up, and it was way earlier than she usually woke up.

Beside her, Walker was sound asleep, and as much as she would love to stay curled up beside the world’s sexiest man, she felt like she needed to leave.

Sneaking out was something she’d never done before, but now that the sex fog had lifted and the sun was coming up, she felt a little embarrassed by her wanton behavior. It was like she didn’t even recognize herself. She wasn’t a seductress; she never made the first move.

Ever.

Although she couldn’t say that anymore.

Turning her head, she glanced at Walker and had to fight the urge to reach out and touch him again.

But she didn’t.

This was a mistake.

An enjoyable one, but still a mistake.

With any luck, he wouldn’t be in town long and they wouldn’t cross paths again.

So she tiptoed around the room and quickly got dressed. She had no idea if he was a light or heavy sleeper, but she didn’t want to be here long enough to find out. As quietly as she could, she picked up her jacket and purse and managed to open and close the hotel room door almost silently.

Then she ran to her car, started it, and pulled away before letting it even warm up. It wasn’t the best way to treat the vehicle, but she seriously wanted to leave before Walker knew she was gone.

“Stupid,” she mumbled. “Stupid, stupid, stupid ! Why would I sleep with a man I barely know? Why him? Why now? What the hell was I thinking?”

Even as she said the words, she knew.

He was that attractive, and she was that…well…she didn’t want to say horny, but it had been a really, really, really long time since she’d had sex.

“But was that a good reason?” she demanded frantically, almost hysterically. “Oh, God! Please let him be leaving town right away!”

Of course, there was no way for her to ever know for sure.

They didn’t exchange phone numbers. Hell, they didn’t even exchange last names!

And while he was the only Walker she’d ever met, that didn’t mean there weren’t thousands of them out there in the world.

And he didn’t seem too interested in knowing more about her, so maybe…

maybe she should just write this off as a lapse in judgment.

A pleasurable lapse in judgment.

Letting out a long breath, she shivered waiting for the heat to kick in, which took almost as long as it took to pull up to her apartment.

“Just in time to step out into the cold air again. Awesome.”

Climbing from the car, she yawned but did a slow jog to her door. Keys in hand, she let herself in before closing the door and locking it, relieved to come home unnoticed.

Padding to the kitchen to make coffee, she dropped her jacket on the sofa before pulling her phone out of her purse. There were easily a dozen messages from her friends.

Gwen: Checking on you! Are you still with the hot guy?

Franny: Same! It’s late! Are you home? Do you need us to come get you?

Shannon: Harlow! Please respond! We’re worried!

Dena: I hope you’re all happy! We could have just eaten at the pub and then no one would be worried! If anything’s happened to Harlow, we’re all to blame!

“Oh, good grief,” she murmured before continuing to read the group text.

Franny: Don’t even say that! Has anyone driven past her apartment?

Shannon: It’s almost one in the morning! I’m in bed, but if I need to, I’ll go!

Gwen: Her car wasn’t there when I drove past earlier.

Dena: That’s because you left when we did and she had just said she was still out with the hot guy!

Franny: Did she tell us his name? Can we research him?

Gwen: I think it’s Walker, but no last name.

Gwen: OMG, Harlow! Just respond!!

The last message was at three a.m. and it was now six. Muttering a curse, she tapped out a quick response.

Harlow: I’m home and I’m safe! Sorry!! I honestly didn’t look at my phone until just now!

Harlow: I’m sorry you were all so worried, but I’m good. I swear. Just exhausted.

Harlow: I promise to call you all later and…

But she never got to finish because there was a knock on her door. Realistically, she knew it couldn’t be Walker, but she had that moment of panic and silently tip-toed to the door to look through the peephole to see who it was.

Four pairs of eyes were staring back at her.

Relief washed over her as she pulled the door open and was immediately embraced by the group. It took several minutes to confirm that she was fine and put everyone’s minds at ease.

“I can’t believe you’re all here this early!”

“I already stopped at the bakery and grabbed us a bunch of chocolate croissants and apple turnovers. You have coffee, right?” Gwen asked.

“I was just making myself a cup now,” Harlow said with a small laugh. “Grab a seat and I’ll finish making some for everyone!”

“We can’t believe you spent the night with a complete stranger!” Dena blurted out. “That’s so unlike you!”

“Okay, but to be fair,” Shannon interjected, “he was seriously hot. I would have too if he asked.”

When Harlow looked over her shoulder, she saw Franny shaking her head. “C’mon, Franny. Out with it. Tell us what you’re thinking.”

“What? I just think…I don’t know…you know nothing about this guy. How could you just sleep with him? What if he’s a bad person? Or…or…married? Or…or…”

“I think married and a bad person are the same thing,” Shannon commented. “I’m just saying.”

“Damn. I hadn’t thought about that,” Harlow murmured. “Look, I get that you’re all concerned, and I love you for it, but…he’s not going to be in town long and I’m never going to see him again, okay? Problem solved.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because he said he wasn’t going to be here long.”

Wait…did he?

Pushing that question aside because it would only cause more question, Harlow put a smile on her face as she served her friends their coffee.

“Well, since we’re all up so early, what are we doing today?” she asked cheerily, and did her best not to think about Walker and their sexy, fantasy-filled night.