Page 65 of The Body in the Backyard

“Take off your pants,” he ordered.

“Need more room,” she groaned.

Nick obliged, opening his door and climbing out with her still in his arms.

“Four months,” he said, giving her just enough room to shuck her shoes and pants before dragging her into the back seat.

Riley pulled back. “What?”

“We’ve been doing this for four months, and every fucking morning, I can’t wait to wake up and do it all over again with you,” he rasped.

Grumpy Nick, Hot-to-Trot Nick, and Nick Doing Something He Didn’t Want to Do But Doing It Anyway Because She Wanted To were some of her favorite Nick Santiagos. But Romantic You’re the One For Me Nick was on a level all his own.

“Come here, Riley,” he said, his voice husky.

She didn’t bother playing coy. Instead she launched herself at him, straddling his thighs and bumping her head on the ceiling in the process. They kissed through the pain as Nick magically made her underwear disappear. She wondered distantly if that counted as a superpower.

“Condom?” Riley whispered.

Nick reached behind her into the seatback pocket and produced a variety pack of condoms.

“Good job,” she praised.

“Oh, baby. I’m just getting started,” he said, sliding his hands under her sweater to cup her breasts.

He brought his face to her cleavage. She wasn’t sure if he used his fingers or his tongue to release the front closure but decided it didn’t really matter because his hot mouth was skimming its way over her bare skin, and his hands were everywhere at once.

His erection pulsed against her, and Riley responded with a slow roll of her hips. They knew each other’s bodies, desires, needs. And it just kept getting better. Her nipples pebbled under his attentive mouth, and her brain finally, finally went quiet.

“You drive me wild, Thorn. Every day. I can’t get enough,” he confessed to her boobs.

“Uh-huh,” she breathed.

And then he was lifting her higher, shifting under her, and then they were one.

His growl of possession made her tremble from toes to hair roots.

“Better every time,” he murmured against her neck.

“Yeah, this doesn’t suck.” She let out a sharp gasp at his upthrust. Her body responded to his with an eagerness that would have been embarrassing if it didn’t feel so damn good.

Nick raked his fingers through her short hair and gripped. “Shut up and ride, baby.”

She slapped a hand to the foggy window and did exactly that, rising and sinking onto him with a growing fever. Riley rocked against him, onto him, and wondered how she didn’t just disintegrate with pleasure.

“I fucking love you, Thorn.”

That was all it took. One gravelly profession and a violent orgasm detonated in her body.

“Nick!” she cried.

He groaned under her as he gripped her hips and pumped mercilessly into her. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, a second climax hit her. Nick went rigid, his teeth closing over her clavicle as he joined her in release.

Sweaty and breathless, she collapsed on top of him. The tension slowly seeped out of his body. Still panting, he stroked a hand over her hair and down her back. “See, baby? I told you we were good at this.”

“Feel free to prove it to me whenever convenient,” she teased, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

Nick’s arms tensed around her. “Ow! Ow! Ow!”