Chapter 4
Who the fuck was New Ava and where the hell had she been hiding?
It was all Ava could think as she climbed out of the pool.
She stood at the edge, dripping water, in nothing but her panties—and she didn’t even care. For once, she wasn’t thinking
about her body, or her hair, or what people would think of her .
And it felt amazing .
This whole night had been amazing. And it wasn’t over yet.
Holy shit. She was about to have sex with this man. This sexy, attentive man who’d stepped in when she was feeling low and made her feel better than she had in
ages.
Not just the orgasm—although that had been fantastic—but the way he saw her. The way he listened. The way he made her feel... about herself. It was like his innate confidence had rubbed off
on her.
A warm breeze hit her wet skin, and instead of acting like a slap of reality, the humid air whipped her desire up once again, especially as Roman hauled himself out of the pool. Illuminated from below, the pool lights seemed to gild every ridge of his body. He was broad and thick with muscle, but not overly defined like someone who spent all their time in the gym. The water sluiced off his chest and drew her eye down to his groin where... holy hell .
His wet underwear clung tightly to him, leaving even less to the imagination than when the fabric had been dry. As if that
weren’t enough, the head of his cock poked up out of the waistband. The teasing sight filled her with the overwhelming urge
to lean forward and press a kiss to the tip, right before pulling the fabric aside and filling her mouth with him.
God, who was she? She couldn’t ever remember fantasizing about giving a blow job before.
Well, it seemed there was a first time for everything. And since she was feeling so bold, she licked her lips and took a step
toward him.
As if he’d read her intention, Roman pinned her with a look that was pure electricity.
“Ava.” His voice held a little growl that thrilled her. “I am forty, which is at least five years too old to fuck on concrete.
But that’s what will happen if you take another step closer, and we’ll both regret it tomorrow when our knees are torn to
shreds. So for the love of god, I beg you— get inside so we can fuck on the bed .”
His words made her giggle, but they also lit a fire under her. Ava darted for the doors that led into the suite, only to be
brought up short when faced with the prospect of walking indoors soaking wet.
“We’re drenched,” she pointed out as Roman came up behind her. “Should we—”
“I don’t care.” Roman scooped her into his arms and carried her inside.
“But what about the bed? Should we dry off first? Take a shower?”
He dropped a kiss onto her nose. “You’re overthinking things,” he chided gently.
She let out a sigh. “I can’t seem to help it.”
“Maybe I can be of some assistance.” He lay her down on the king-size bed and knelt beside her. “Because I’m dying to taste
you, Ava.”
“Holy shit,” she whispered, his words sending shimmering waves of desire through her. “Are you—”
“Do not ask me if I’m sure.” Roman gave her a stern look. “I am very, very, very sure I want to bury my face in this sweet pussy. And I’ll be extremely disappointed if you deny me the pleasure.”
His dirty talk had her insides clenching in readiness for him. She was extra glad she’d let Michelle talk her into getting
that Brazilian wax. If anyone had asked when she’d have a man’s face between her legs again, she would have said never .
And yet here she was...
Ava tried to keep her tone light. “Well, if you’re sure you’re sure.”
He wrangled her wet panties down her legs and tossed them over the side of the bed. Stretching out on his stomach, Roman grabbed
her hips and yanked her toward him. He slid her thighs over his shoulders and parted her folds with his thumbs. “You ready?”
Ava nodded quickly. Anticipation stole her voice and tensed her leg muscles, and when he stroked a finger down her slit, she
trembled like a leaf in a storm.
“I’m going to thoroughly enjoy this,” Roman murmured.
Before Ava could think of a reply, he dragged his tongue up her vulva and over her clit.
She nearly shot off the bed like a rocket, and only his strong grip kept her in place. His damp hands were cool, but his mouth was hot on her flesh.
He licked and sucked at her, using his lips and tongue in just the right rhythm. How could it be that they’d just met, and
he could make her feel this good? Maybe it was because they’d just met. There was no baggage between them, no reason to worry about what he thought of her.
All Ava knew was that he was attracted to her, and right now, that was more than enough. To feel desired, to feel wanted and
cherished... that in and of itself was a gift.
And then he teased her entrance with the tip of his index finger, dipping and sliding as he swirled that agile tongue against
her clit.
It was perfect .
Despite her climax in the pool, she came apart in his arms all over again. The orgasm was bright and hot, exploding within
her like a supernova, and she couldn’t hold back the cry of pleasure, or the way her legs trembled. And damn it, she didn’t
want to hold back. Not tonight, not anymore.
So she let him see her reaction, let him hear the way he made her feel. And from the look in his eyes as he tongued her, he
ate it up, just as he did her pussy.
When she was panting and boneless on the bed, Roman pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. “Be right back.”
“Okay,” she replied, her voice barely a croak. Her mind was blissfully blank.
He returned a moment later holding a condom. “You haven’t talked yourself out of this yet, have you?”
Ava shook her head and reached for him. “I want this. No strings, no feelings, just... this. You. Tonight.”
“I can do that.” He peeled his damp underwear off and climbed back onto the bed.
She bit back a whimper at the sight of his cock jutting out, straight and hard.
“Talk to me, Ava,” he whispered, his voice gravelly. “Tell me what you want.”
For once, there was no hesitation in her breathy response. “Can I touch you?”
“Of course.”
At his husky assent, she curled her fingers around his girth and made a noise low in her throat. “God, you’re thick.”
He let out a chuckle that turned into a moan as she stroked him, her fingertips skimming over the head and the droplet that
beaded there. As she learned his shape, she tried not to think about the fact that Roman’s cock was only the second one she’d
touched in her whole life.
“ Ava .” With a ragged groan, he withdrew himself from her grip. “Enough teasing, querida.”
Because she knew he was about to ask, she blurted out, “Kiss me.”
She didn’t imagine the flash of pleasure in his eyes as he brought his mouth to hers. He was glad she’d told him what she
wanted. She kissed him back hungrily, eager to dispel all thoughts of the past. With Roman, every touch was different, every
feeling was new, and all the more thrilling because of it. Heat flared as he trailed kisses down her neck and chest. Her back
arched as he sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, and she moaned when he slid two fingers into her and pumped.
“Are you ready for me?” His words were muffled against her breasts.
“So ready,” she said on a gasp.
He swirled his wet fingers over her clit one last time, making her shiver. Then he rolled a condom on and hooked his arms
under her knees, lining up his cock at her entrance. The head nudged her and she squirmed.
“Now, Roman,” she said, panting. “Please, now .”
“Yes, now ,” he agreed. With his dark eyebrows drawn together in intense concentration, he pressed forward into her.
Ava groaned at the delicious fullness. It had been so long since she’d felt this. Yes, the sensation of being stuffed, but
also since she’d felt desired like this, since she’d wanted someone like this. This was not her husband fucking her, and while she half-expected the thought to make her clam up, it had the opposite effect. The awareness that
Roman, a man she barely knew, had his dick inside her, shot a searing bolt of excitement through her.
For the first time ever, she understood why people hooked up with strangers from bars. This was hot .
And then he began to move.
She whimpered when he withdrew, and her eyes rolled back as he surged forward again. She gave herself over to it, trusting
him with her pleasure.
At first, Roman kept the pace slow and steady, as if sensing she needed time to adjust. Sensations overwhelmed her—the slide
of his wet hair through her fingers, the delicious weight of his body, the drag of their chests pressing together, damp with
saltwater and a light sheen of sweat.
With each touch, each kiss, each thrust, he was overwriting the memories on her skin and helping her make new ones.
Then, just as she was thinking she wanted more, he shoved up onto his arms and looked down at her, a devastating grin illuminating his handsome face. “Ready?” he asked, for the third time that night.
She nodded, not fully understanding what he was asking, but before she could do anything else, he drove deep, pulling a strangled
gasp from her lips.
His hips snapped, plowing her into the mattress. This position changed the angle of his thrusts, and he hit that sensitive
spot deep inside.
Roman gripped her jaw, gentle but firm. “Look at me, Ava.”
She blinked up at him, taking in the fiery intensity in his gaze, the urgency in his tone, the way his breath sawed in and
out through parted lips.
“Talk to me.”
“I can’t,” she said on a moan. “I need—”
“Yes,” he rasped. “Tell me what you need.”
He surged within her, making her clench around him. The words exploded from her throat. “Touch me!”
His grin was quick and fierce. “Gladly.”
He pulled out and rolled her onto her side. Settling behind her, he curled around her like they were spooning and lifted her
leg over his hip, opening her to him. Ava moaned as he slid into her again from behind, then gasped when he reached around
to rub her clit while he thrust.
“Oh yes, that’s it,” she murmured, her eyes closed and her head thrown back into the curve of his neck. “Just like that.”
“Come on, Ava,” he ground out, the command hot against her ear. “Come for me, querida.”
That decadent feeling inside her swelled, and as if his words were magic, the climax crashed over her, sweeping her away in its current. Her entire body throbbed with aftershocks, and she was only dimly aware of Roman’s ragged groan as he clutched her hip and thrust to completion a few seconds later.
Her heart pounded against her ribs as she stared at the bedside lamp and fought to catch her breath.
Three times . Roman had made her come three times tonight.
Had that ever happened before? In the early days, Hector had sometimes made her come before they had sex, and then again during.
By the end, she was lucky if she came at all.
Roman ran his hand down her side in a lazy caress. “You all right there?”
She twisted to peer at him over her shoulder. With his head cushioned on his bicep and his eyelids drooping sleepily, he looked
utterly adorable.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “That was everything I could have hoped for.”
His lips curved, the look in his eyes warm and friendly. “All I did was give you what you asked for.”
Exactly , she thought.
He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “As much as I’d love to stay like this, I should get you a washcloth.”
“I’ll get it.”
She started to shift, but he held her still with a hand on her hip.
“No, you will not. You stay here and relax.” When he withdrew from her body, her core gave a twitch at the loss of him.
Ava rolled onto her back and smiled contentedly at the ceiling. “All right.”
While Roman ducked into the private bathroom, her mind picked over all the things she’d shared with him, things she told almost
no one, let alone a stranger.
It was part of what made Roman the perfect one-night stand. He was incredibly easy to talk to, and apparently that extended to telling him how she liked to be kissed, touched, and fucked.
Best of all, they were from completely different worlds, and no one in hers—in other words, her family —would ever find out.
But this night couldn’t last forever, and it was time to get back to her real life.
Roman was still in the bathroom. Even after what they’d just done, there was something too intimate about joining him in there,
so she climbed out of the bed and found her sodden panties on the floor. No point putting those on. The rest of her clothing
was outside with the food and the champagne they’d abandoned. She felt a pang of guilt at the thought of all the wasted food,
which meant Old Ava was rearing her head. Definitely time to make her exit.
Clutching her panties, Ava tiptoed to the bedroom door and peeked out, just in case someone had come to clean up the food
while they were occupied. The coast was clear, so Ava made a mad dash for the doors that led outside. It was dark and quiet,
but she was too paranoid to feel comfortable waltzing around outdoors in the nude. Grabbing her clothes, she threw everything
on as quickly as she could. She’d wash up once she was back in her own room.
That brought up another thought. Did saltwater pools have chlorine? Could you still get a UTI from having sex after swimming
in one? Damn, she needed to get downstairs and pee, ASAP.
Roman was calling her name when she reentered the suite. He was still fully naked, and it was an effort to keep her eyes on his face. Then she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and froze. Holy shit, her hair . Even Roman’s sexiness couldn’t distract from the mess of frizz. She was going to have to get up at the crack of dawn to
wash and dry it if she wanted to be presentable for the conference breakfast the next day.
“You’re going?” Roman asked.
Was it her imagination, or did he sound disappointed? Ava glanced over at him, but his expression was neutral. He was holding
a wet washcloth in his hand—for her, she realized.
“I should get back to my room,” she said. “Early day tomorrow.”
He nodded. “All right. Hang on a minute.”
She tried to finger-twist her curls into some semblance of order while Roman went out to the deck. Thank goodness Damaris
was showing up in a few hours because Ava desperately needed to debrief with someone.
Roman came back with his pants on, still looking sexy and rumpled, his hair mussed. He handed her a business card.
“In case you ever want to do this again,” he said.
The elegantly printed cardstock was velvety in texture and showed his name and phone number in block letters, along with the
logos for VQZ Ltd, Dulce Hotel Group, and Casa Donato Rum.
Smiling tightly, Ava tucked the card into her purse. “Thank you, but I think it’s best that we don’t.”
“No strings, no feelings?” he asked wryly, repeating her words from earlier. But he didn’t sound offended.
“Yes.” She snapped her purse shut. “Can I contribute to the cost of the meal?”
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Ava. Come on.”
She put her hands up. “Right, right. I get it. You know I had to ask.”
“I know.” He gestured toward the exit. “Let me at least walk you to the elevator.”
They moved through the suite side by side while Ava tried not to think about the wet panties in her purse. She’d wrapped them
in a cloth napkin in the hope that she’d be able to remove them before they soaked through, but part of her felt guilty for
taking the napkin, even though she planned to leave it behind in her own room.
He pressed the button for the elevator, then leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, leaving her with a lingering whiff
of his cologne.
Lips parted, she inhaled, cementing one last sensory memory of him.
“I mean it, Ava,” he said, his eyes serious. “Feel free to reach out. Anytime.”
She nodded, knowing she wouldn’t. “Thank you, Roman. Goodbye.”
The elevator pinged and the doors opened. She stepped on, and with a final nod at Roman, pressed the button for her floor.
The doors closed, her last glimpse of him shirtless and barefoot, hands in his pockets, with the understated opulence of the
hotel suite behind him, and a look she couldn’t read on his handsome face.
As the elevator started moving, Ava let out a long breath and slumped against the mirrored wall.
Then, since she was alone, she pumped a fist in the air.
She’d done it! She’d had a one-night stand. Casual sex with a man she didn’t know. She’d asked for what she wanted, taken
what was given, and maintained clear boundaries. For the first time in probably ever, she’d been reckless, and it had been
fun .
Tomorrow, she’d go back to being Ms. Rodriguez again, the unassuming middle-school teacher known for her in-depth lesson plans. But tonight, she was a woman who’d reveled in her desires, who’d lived in the moment and come out on the other side so much better for it.
She had a secret. A good one.
And no one in her family ever had to know.