Chapter 7

Because she needed to be free. She needed to have no ties.

She needed something different. And what better way to spend the inaugural night in Gold Valley than to banish the last regret from her relationship. Oh, not the last regret she would ever feel. She had a feeling regrets would pop up now and again for the next... Well, while.

But the last regret she could remember keenly experiencing because of Jared was that she hadn't been able to rush across the bar and do exactly this six months ago.

No more. No more at all.

Ever.

So she didn't tell him that. If he thought she did this every night? Fine. He could think that she was the very Whore of Babylon; it didn't matter to her.

As long as he wanted to get it on.

And he seemed to.

His hands were rough.

And she couldn't wait until they were all over her body.

She didn't know who she was. All these desperate, sweaty images flashed through her mind. Raw desires like she'd never had before.

And why not make every demand that she'd ever had?

Ask for everything she'd been afraid to ask for? Because it didn't matter. It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that she had fun. The only thing that mattered was that she had him. Her fantasy. This incredible, amazing fantasy.

She was grateful that the door to her room was exterior, so they didn't have to pass through the lobby or anything like that. It was dark, and no one was around. And no one saw as she fumbled with the key —the hotel had an actual key to the door —and got it unlocked, letting them both in.

She closed it firmly behind them and locked it again, chucking the keys on the table.

"So this is my..."

But the words were cut off. Because he dragged her back into his arms again, and he was kissing her, like he had done against the side of the bar, but it was more. Deeper. Because they didn't have to stop.

"Please God, say you have condoms," she said, between kisses.

"Oh, hell yeah," he responded.

"Good."

She didn't have them. She was an idiot.

But a newly separated idiot, so she didn't really... She hadn't thought of it. And she'd been in denial when she'd gone out tonight to see if he would be there, so she hadn't purchased any protection.

She'd been lying to herself. Telling herself she wasn't looking for him, and even if she were, it wasn't to do this.

But he had seemed like the kind of guy who would have some. And praise the Lord, he was.

"More than one," he said, biting her lower lip.

And she went liquid.

His hands moved down her waist, her hips to her thighs, and then he started to push them up, underneath her dress.

Rough on her tender skin as they went around to cup her ass.

She moaned when he pushed his hands beneath the fabric of her panties, as he pushed his fingers between her legs and found her wet with desire for him.

Then she found herself completely stripped of her dress.

He yanked it up over her head in one, fluid motion, leaving her breathless and standing there in nothing but underwear.

She couldn't read his face. Because she didn't know him. But it was intense. Intense and wicked as he stared openly at her.

"You're so pretty," he ground out.