When he drew away, Hayley couldn’t bear it. She opened her eyes and implored him, “Don’t stop.”

“So impatient.” Ry shifted position on the grass beside her. Then he lowered his head and blew warm air against her damp skin, and his tongue took up the same stroking action as his fingers.

As if by accident, the tip of his tongue brushed her clit, then was gone.

He returned. Another flick. Then withdrew.

“Oh,” she gasped. Never had she felt so sensitive.

He kept up the rhythm, each flick of her clit driving her toward climax, each withdrawal cooling her down a little. Intense, so intense. Never had a lover, or even her own hand, fueled her need to such a pitch.

She wanted to come, but he wasn’t letting her.

As tension built even higher, she whimpered with frustration. “Ry, stop teasing.”

He lifted his face enough to say, “It’ll be better if it builds longer.”

She gave a groan of exasperation as her body hovered on that almost-there edge.

“But whatever the lady wants,” he murmured, then lowered his mouth to her again.

She lifted her hips, twisting against his tongue, desperately seeking release.

This time, when he licked his way to her clit, he stayed there. Gently he sucked, flicked his tongue across that sensitive bundle of nerve endings, and—

“Oh, yes!” The tension built unbelievably higher, peaked, then crashed in delicious waves of release.

And somehow his fingers were inside her, pumping into her channel, finding a spot that—oh my God—she’d never known existed, and she was coming apart again.

He kept her there with his fingers, with his tongue, her body spasming with pleasure until she couldn’t take it any longer and had to pull away.

Satiated, drained, gasping for breath, she lay back, wondering if she would ever move again.

Dimly she was aware of Ry lying down beside her. She wanted to thank him—for such incredible pleasure and for teaching her what her body was capable of—but speech was beyond her.

Gradually the world realigned itself and came into focus again.

Above them, the moon gleamed serenely. Though she and Ry were only a mile from the center of the city, the smell that filled her nostrils was a combination of ocean and newly cut grass, together with the sultry aroma of sex.

The ever-present hum of traffic passing through the center of Stanley Park, the occasional rumble of a car driving the oceanfront loop on the other side of those bushes, hushed laughter from the seawall walk, all reminded her she and her lover weren’t guaranteed privacy.

What if someone had come along when Ry was giving her that mind-numbing series of orgasms?

Then they’d have gotten an eyeful, wouldn’t they?

And speaking of eyefuls, what was she doing gazing at the moon when there was a truly hot male body lying naked beside her?

Hayley summoned the energy to roll onto her side, and found that Ry was lying on the grass facing her. A tender, amused smile lit his face and a firm erection nudged her thigh.

Her gaze roamed his hard, lean lines. “You have a beautiful body,” she whispered. Just looking at him made her pussy, so recently overloaded with sexual pleasure, stir again.

“That’s supposed to be my line.”

Delicately she touched his shoulder, ran her hand down his firm pecs, trailed her fingers through the light mat of black curls.

Then she pushed him down so he lay flat and bent over to suck a nipple into her mouth, her hair cascading around her face.

He tasted a little salty, smelled of musky male sexuality. Under her questing tongue, his nipple pulled tight. A shiver rippled through him.

Her sex quivered in response.

She could hardly believe this was Ry Montana. Hers to explore. Hers to arouse.

She trailed her tongue down the center of his body, between those rock-solid pecs, down the middle of a taut ribcage, and into the dip of his navel. There, she circled, feeling his flesh ripple under her touch.

Her tongue bumped against the crown of his engorged cock, gleaming with pre-cum.

With one hand, she eased the shaft gently away from his body. He filled the curve of her fingers, pulsing with burning heat.

This awe-inspiring organ had been inside her. Incredibly, but all too briefly.

And she wanted it back. The throbbing hunger in her sex was building again.

But first, she wanted to explore. Every inch of him.

His hands grazed her face and scooped her hair up, holding it back.

She glanced up to find he was watching her, his eyes glittering in the moonlight.

Oral sex wasn’t something she’d had much experience with, but Ry’s penis inspired her. Tentatively, she licked the head, then grew bolder, lapping at him as if he were an ice cream cone that was melting with the heat, feeding off his soft moans, the involuntary movements of his hips.

As she made her way down the shaft, paying attention to every bit of naked flesh, Ry shifted restlessly. “Shit, Hayley, that’s too good. Enough. Let me find a condom.”

Aha! He could dish it out, but couldn’t take it himself. “Who’s the one who said it’ll be better if the arousal builds longer?”

Of course, when he’d gone down on her, he’d set up a rhythm, driving her near her peak then backing off.

Deciding to give him a respite, she eased off. Releasing his cock, she pressed soft kisses against his inner thighs, then she fondled his balls. Enjoying their soft pliancy, she sucked one into her mouth, then moved to the other.

“Jesus, Hayley.” His hips twisted and his hands gripped her head.

It seemed this didn’t count as backing off.

She freed his balls, then drifted soft kisses up the side of his cock to the crown, giving him a few moments mercy. Then she opened her lips as wide as she could and took him in.

He thrust once, convulsively, then stopped.

Her hands rested on his hips and she could feel how tight his muscles were. Locked. Holding on to control.

She was squirming with need herself, thighs pressed tight together. But, intoxicated by her newfound power, she carried on, sucking on him, then swirling her tongue. With each moan he gave, she grew more confident, more aroused.

He yanked on her hair, pulling her roughly away from him. “I will not fucking come until I’m inside you,” he grated out.

Oh yes. She sat up, glorying in Ry’s fiercely intense expression.

With jerky motions, he found a condom and put it on, then lay back. “Take me, Hayley.”

She straddled him, one knee on her raincoat, one on the grass, and rubbed her damp, pulsing crotch against the base of his shaft, enjoying the titillating friction.

“Inside!” Ry grabbed her by the hips, lifted her.

She reached between them to grasp his cock, then lowered herself, easing the swollen head between her sensitive folds.

“Oh God.” She wriggled, feeling herself loosen around him, taking him in slowly. Deliciously slowly. Until he was buried deep in her core.

He groaned, “Oh, yeah,” and his handsome face was taut.

“Ry,” she murmured, needing to say his name. Then she began to raise and lower herself, growing slicker, hotter, needier as she increased the pace.

His hands caressed the tops of her thighs then slid to the soft inside. Other than that, he didn’t move, letting her set the pace.

She tightened her internal muscles then relaxed them, alternately gripping him then releasing as she moved up and down on him.

This was so much better than her wildest fantasies.

When she lifted up, he reached between their bodies and lightly stroked her clit.

She was ripe with sensation, almost ready to burst in a juicy orgasm.

Then he thrust up, hard, plunging even deeper, making her gasp and quiver, eyes glazing over as every cell in her body focused. Wanting, needing, waiting.

He slid out part way then thrust again, his cock, his fingers exerting irresistible pressure on her clit, and—“Oh, yes, Ry!”—she shattered.

He made a wordless sound—triumph, exultation—and drove urgently into her in his own climax.

Legs trembling, chest heaving as she sucked in air, she sat atop him as their bodies gradually settled.

After long moments, he reached for her hand and tugged.

She collapsed down to lie atop him, and his arms encircled her, drawing her close. He rolled them so they were lying side by side, then stroked her tangled hair back from her burning cheeks and kissed her. No passion this time, just gentleness.

Maybe even affection, but she was probably imagining that. More likely, it was sexual afterglow.

And that’s what she was feeling too.

Driving lust, then sexual afterglow. That’s all that existed between her and Ry.

Except their work relationship.

Oops.

Chagrin filled her. They were coworkers. Why hadn’t she stopped for one moment to think about consequences?

Tomorrow, Monday, they’d face each other around the conference table at the agency’s weekly meeting. Ry would lay out the strategy for working the Mortimer case, and she’d…think about how incredible he looked naked and what an awesome lover he was.

When he gazed at her, would he be seeing the efficient admin assistant, or the naked stripper? Which did she want him to see?

What had they done?

Uncertain now, nervous, she drew away. “We should get going.”

His lips twitched. “Thought you were hoping the cops would bust us.”

“Uh, not so much. I like the idea more than the reality.” Tonight, she’d drawn no boundaries: stripping in front of a crowd and having sex with a man she worked for. Risking arrest for public indecency. Yes, she’d craved excitement, but clearly there was such a thing as too much. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be feeling so confused and worried.

She began to get up. “We need to get dressed.”

He stretched lazily and reached for his shirt. “I guess.”

Turning her back, very aware now of her nakedness, she hurriedly pulled on her skimpy undies and the suit that was a kinky parody of office clothes. The night was too warm for a raincoat, but right now she needed cover. Only when she’d buttoned it did she dare gaze at Ry.

He’d tucked his shirt into his suit pants, but had the sleeves rolled and the neck unbuttoned. His hair was tousled and he looked disheveled and sexy.

“Ry, we work together,” she said softly. “Have we broken an agency rule by, uh…?”

His eyes widened, as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him. Then he shook his head. “Nope.” But he didn’t sound 100% certain.

They started walking toward the car, she carrying her shoes and he with his suit jacket hooked over one shoulder. Not touching.

“That’s good,” she said awkwardly, “but, uh…I guess we won’t say anything to the others at the agency?” Why would they? They’d had sex; it wasn’t like they were dating.

Or, might they hook up again? Her heart lifted with hope. Tonight she’d proved she could bat in the same league as Ry.

“Right. It’s no one else’s business.” He sounded preoccupied, and when she glanced at him, he was frowning.

Her heart sank again. Obviously, his thoughts weren’t on the same track as hers.

When they’d both climbed into the Jeep, he started the engine and pulled away. “Hayley, I got carried away tonight.” He sighed. “And yeah, it was great and I’m sure as hell not sorry, but we shouldn’t do it again. The Private Eye doesn’t have a nonfraternization rule, but you’re working the Mortimer case. My case. It could look bad for both of us.”

He was right, she thought sadly. That was the practical decision, the only one she could possibly rationalize.

Except…That was the old Hayley talking. Tonight a new Hayley had been born.

Tonight, with Ry, had been special. Certainly for her. From the way he’d acted, things he’d said—and she’d never known Ry to sugarcoat the truth—maybe it had been for him, too.

Perhaps there was more than strip-induced lust between the two of them.

She’d always assumed Ry was a devil-may-care guy who wasn’t interested in a serious relationship, but then she’d also assumed he would never find her sexy. So, assumptions could be wrong. She had a lot to learn about the man beside her.

If she wanted a chance to explore what might lie between them, she’d need to tap into that feminine power she’d discovered tonight.

“Hayley? You okay?” He sounded concerned. “Damn, this is all my fault.”

“I’m fine,” she said crisply. “And I do see your point.”

She just had a better one. Not that she was about to tell him. He was still in the “man, the sex is great” stage. No way was he ready to hear talk about a possible “relationship.”

What he was utterly ready for, though, was a seduction.

And the new Hayley was just the woman to provide it.