Ryan cups his forehead, still chuckling. “Oh my God.”

“Who the fuck designed that? Nobody wants that. I mean, sure, it made sense once upon a time, but seriously, can we get a new model?”

Ryan tries to contain his laughter. “You’ve lost it.”

“And why are we laying the carpet so wide? Can I get a hell yeah for a landing strip?”

Ryan looks away, laughing even harder.

“I’m serious…” I can barely get it out, my stomach hurts from laughing. “It’s weird.”

Ryan tries to look at me but can’t. He’s laughing so hard his shoulders are shaking. “I’m crying,” he manages between breaths. “I’m crying.”

I think the edibles have kicked in.

We laugh for what feels like minutes before it finally fades. I lose my balance and grab Ryan’s shoulder to steady myself. His hand grips my waist, and the warmth floods through my body. I space out, falling into what I call ‘the deep hole of thoughts’, envisioning an entire night of sex with Ryan in what’s probably seconds but feels like hours. When I snap out of it, his hand is gone, and he’s leaning back against the side of the pool.

I startle. “How long have we been in here?”

“I don’t know, but it feels like hours.” Ryan looks at me, and he doesn’t look away.

I focus in on him. The heated electricity between us practically sizzles in my ears. My heart beats in my throat, and my head is buzzing. Every sense heightened. What was I thinking, taking an edible with Ryan? Everything’s more intense on these… Sex is incredible on these. And right now, I cannot be thinking about that—but it’s all I can think about.Sex with Ryan.

I lean an arm on the cement, propping my head up as I face Ryan. “You know, you’re almost bearable when you’re not acting like a VP with a stick up his ass.”

He chuckles. “And you’re pretty fun when you’re not being Satan.”

“Ahhh… nice one.” I nudge his shoulder playfully. “Maybe you’re not as bad as I make you out to be,” I say, more seriously this time.But seriously—maybe he’s not.

“You know,” he pauses, a smirk tugging at his lips.God, those lips.“For someone who thinks I’m such an asshole, you sure don’t seem to mind spending all this time with me.”

I lean forward, patting his chest. “Sometimes you just have to settle.”Oh Lord, his chest. These muscles. His warm skin. Shit.

He inches closer. “And here I thought you were actually starting to like me.” And then he moves another inch.

I want to laugh, make a joke, but I can’t. I’m frozen as his eyes lock on me. I force a sarcastic laugh. “In your dreams, Ryan.”

He moves even closer, and my breath catches.No! I am not turned on… I’m mad at Ryan. He’s a liar and a cheater—but is he?Dammit! This is what I wanted—to play with him, make him want me, and then pull back. But I can’t seem to pull back. Everything feels so good right now—so perfect. No matter howmuch I want to hate him, I want him. I want him so badly—even if he is married.God, NO! That is so wrong.I inch forward anyway, we’re almost touching now. His eyes burn into mine. I want him to touch me, hold me—make everything in my life better.

He chuckles, low and deep, and I fixate on the sound.Damn.I can feel that too. He leans forward, his chest pressing against mine, and whispers in my ear, “You want to know about my dreams? Newport was PG compared to my dreams about you.”

Oh.

My…

He grips my hips, pivoting us until my back is pressed against the wall of the pool. My breathing becomes shallow as his gaze fixes on my mouth. I can’t look away. My stomach flutters in anticipation as I feel the ache between my legs starting to drum, a heavy pulsing that’s desperate for friction. Everything is so confusing.

His thumb starts caressing my hip, and it takes everything in me to not arch into him. Here’s the test. Will he make a move? Will he go too far? I silently plead that he will. It’s selfish and wrong—I know—but it would feel so good right now. And I want him. I really do. He slips his thumb beneath the edge of my swimsuit, hooking it around and giving it a slight tug. I gasp, surprising myself, and without thinking, I wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him closer.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Cooper.” He rubs his lips together. “We should probably get out of the pool.”

Wait. What? No.

I let my hands trail slowly up his chest, wrapping them around his neck, hoping to push him just far enough that he won’t say no.

Come on, Ryan. Make your move. Kiss me. I can’t tell if I want him to kiss me so I can call him out or if I just need to feel his lips on mine.

His eyes lock with mine, and I see a storm of lust mixed with something that looks like disappointment. His hand hovers near my hips, indecisive. Before I can stop myself, I press my lips to his. For a moment, he doesn’t pull away, he kisses me back. His hands tighten on my waist. I can feel my body coiling up, begging for release.