Ali dug her fingers into the hair at the back of Hank's head, pulling him closer, but accidentally clocking him in the skull a bit too hard with her cast in the process. He didn't seem mind as he lifted her off the ground, letting Ali wrap her legs around his hips as they kissed again.

When he began to carry her toward the bedroom, she spoke up. "Wait. Do you have protection?"

He stopped and looked at her quizzically while drawing in quick, short breaths. "You mean condoms? Um, yeah." The question finally reached his consciousness.

"Because if you don't, I have some," Ali offered, doubting the confidence in his answer.

"Really?" He grinned, setting her back on her feet.

"Sure." Ali smiled back. "A girl's gotta be prepared."

"That she does." He nodded approvingly. "Why don't we compare? You get yours, and I'll find mine. Then we can decide which one is . . . um, better for the occasion."

While she hurried back to her purse, Ali mentally added Hank's witty sensibility as another reason why this man was fucking perfect. Hastily digging through the clutter and coming up empty-handed, she was ready to dump the bag's entire contents on the floor when she finally found a three-count sheet of the foil-wrapped packets. She was about to tear off one when mischief took over.

"What the hell," Ali whispered to herself, taking all three. On the way to the bedroom, she also slipped off her leggings and socks, arriving in just her bra and underwear, ready for business.

From the sounds of it, Hank was still in the bathroom rummaging through drawers.

"Are you okay in there?" She sat on the edge of the mattress and smiled when he burst into the room victoriously holding up his discovery.

"Found it!" he boasted before hurrying to her, but his success was diminished as Ali showed off her find. "Damn. Three?"

She innocently shrugged, and they exchanged packages. "Ribbed for her pleasure?" Ali read the tagline. "That's thoughtful." She grinned.

"Thank you." He nodded before inspecting what she'd brought. "Ah. Ultra thin?" Hank tossed the pack aside with a grimace. "Let's just keep those for later. Now, do you want to do the honors?"

He pushed his sweatpants to his ankles, stepped out of them, and stood in front of her with hands on hips. His crotch was at her eye level, and she stared at his sizable erection under the tight boxer briefs. She wanted to accept the offer, but her hand shook even as she raised the condom. "You better do it."

The words were like a blast from a starting pistol, signaling the end of the final obstacle before proceeding. Like a good competitor, Hank dispatched his underwear, ripped open the package, and rolled the flimsy latex sheath in place under record time. Mesmerized by his focus, Ali let out a surprised squeal as he tipped her backward and she gently reclined on the mattress.

Carefully straddling her, Hank bent over and began kissing her neck, making every cell in Ali's body buzz. Starting under the earlobe and traveling down to her collarbone, he unexpectedly slowed, taking his time to explore and appreciate what she offered. The shift in his eagerness was only betrayed by the pressure of his engorged penis rubbing against her panties, which just made Ali get wetter by the second.

She arched her back in approval as his lips found her breast, and she gently scraped her nails down his biceps, feeling his already rock-hard body tense up with each pass. When his stubble tickled her stomach, she winced and he drew away.

"Don't stop," she pleaded, her voice low and hoarse from pleasure.

Hank grunted in response and reached behind her, unclasping her bra and removing it effortlessly. When he tugged at her underwear, Ali scooted farther up the bed to allow the black lace to more easily slip down her legs. With an almost feral look of passion, Hank tossed the panties behind him and crawled back on top of her. Clutching his neck, she opened her legs and let him in.

They moaned in unison as he slipped into her warmth like he had always belonged there. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and squeezed her legs around his hips to guide his rhythmic thrusts.

They moved in sync, breathing heavily into each other's ears as their increasingly sticky bodies slapped together. Contentment radiated from her inner core as Ali drew Hank as close to her as physically possible, filling a void that she never knew was there before. Lost in the moment, she gently bit his shoulder; he tasted salty and smelled of musk.

In return, he nuzzled her earlobe before jumping slightly as her hand ran down his side.

"That tickles," he said with a laugh before covering her mouth with his, all the while keeping their rhythm.

"I like a man who can admit his weakness," Ali whispered between kisses.

Hank drew away just enough to look into her eyes. "Oh yeah? And what's yours?"

Ali giggled. "Naked men who ask too many questions." She pulled him back down again, craving his closeness.

He moaned in response and increased his already passionate frenzy. The feeling was so good that Ali wanted it to both go on forever and reach its full crescendo at the same time. She held back as long as she could, enjoying their erotic dance to the fullest. When she finally lost control, a chill ran through her in spite of her burning skin, and she involuntarily gasped. Hank's movements also became more hurried before his body tensed and he let out a low groan. Releasing him from her grasp, Ali unclenched her legs and he pulled away. Retreating to the bathroom, he briefly left her alone.

Lying on top of the covers with her chest heaving and her knees shaking, Ali stared at a hairline crack running the length of the ceiling and grinned. Although quicker than she would have liked, sex with Hank had turned out to be pretty damn awesome.

She stretched her arms above her head. He'd only been gone for a few seconds, but she missed him already. After the flush of the toilet and the brief sound of running water, he quickly emerged from the bathroom and stopped to stare at the naked woman sprawled across his bed.

Ali didn't mind because it gave her the chance to do the same.

Without any clothes, Hank appeared even taller. His skin glimmered from a thin layer of sweat, and each muscle group was fully accentuated by the physical exertion. But his muscles weren't the only parts of him still hard and primed to go, so she was surprised when he bent down, rummaged through the discarded clothing, and pulled on his sweats.

"I was hoping for . . . round two?" she suggested, rolling onto her stomach and crossing her ankles in the air.

Narrowing his eyes, he ran his fingers through his hair. "Don't hold it against me, but I'm about to act like a typical man and totally ruin the moment."

Ali sighed. Too late. He already had when he began to dress.

"Your self-awareness is exemplary, so I'm going to forgive the slight. What's up?" She forced a smile, expecting a letdown.

"I was hungry before, but after . . ." He paused before grinning. "After you, I'm starving. Mind if I order food now?"

"Of course not." She laughed in relief, realizing it was already mid-afternoon and neither of them had eaten since breakfast. "Please, go ahead."

He clapped his hands together. "Awesome. And if it makes you feel better, you were definitely worth the wait."

He disappeared from the room before the words reached her consciousness, and Ali scrambled to her feet to pull on her own hastily shed garments. Worth the wait, huh? Did that mean she'd caught his eye when they'd first met, just as he had hers? Maybe this was her chance to find out.

"How long would you say that's been?" she asked, following him into the kitchen as she buttoned her shirt.

Hank picked up a takeout menu, turning it over as he scratched his temple. "A couple of months, at least," he said.

"Oh." Ali's hands froze on the last button. He hadn't meant the wait for her since they'd only met two weeks ago. In which case, he meant the wait to have sex again.

"Why does that matter?" he asked in earnest, but as he looked up, the corners of his mouth twitched as he resisted the obvious urge to smile at her confusion. Stepping to Ali, Hank put his arms around her waist. "Of course, I've been dreaming about getting you in my bed ever since you tried to hit on me that morning in the barn."

Damn, he did notice what she was trying to do.

"I did not!" Ali tried to save face, pulling herself to her full height while remembering how she'd awkwardly thanked him for not running over Harriet's dog.

"Oh, yeah?" He wet his lips with his tongue. "What were you doing then?"

She cleared her throat. "Being polite," she said, attempting to continue the lie, but Hank's silent stare got to her. "Fine." She sighed. "I'll admit, I did have ulterior motives for going to the stables that day."

"See? That wasn't so hard." He laughed before kissing her. Letting go, he pulled out the menu again. "We never decided, did we?"

She shook her head.

"If I can make a suggestion, Chinese would be the fastest." He pulled out a glossy leaflet from the bottom of the pile. "They're literally around the corner."

Ali nodded, not really caring at this point. "Chinese it is."

Hank picked up his cell phone from the counter and began to scroll through his contacts. "Any preferences?"

"Nope. I'm easy. I'll eat pretty much anything." He looked up and grinned, but Ali just rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."