Tess continued to tease the strands of hair at the nape of his neck. “My legs are like Jell-O,” she said on a wistful sigh. “I honestly didn’t know that sex could be that good.”

Neither did he, and it made him feel as though he’d betrayed the only woman who’d ever mattered to him. “You just don’t want to bruise my ego.” He forced the playfulness into his tone.

“No,” Tess said. “To put it into perspective, that was like the Super Bowl of sex. And you totally won the ring.”

Carter chuckled despite himself. He kissed Tess’s temple, her cheekbone, the corner of her lips, and then her mouth. They were only two hours into a full day together and already Carter worried that the next twenty-two hours would pale in comparison to this moment. Then again, if that were the case, he’d know for sure that his attraction to Tess was nothing more than physical. Maybe, if by this time tomorrow, he found himself disappointed, he wouldn’t feel the crushing guilt that forced the air from his lungs.

“We won the ring,” he murmured close to Tess’s ear. That was definitely a team effort.”

“We won the shit out of that ring,” she agreed.

Carter smiled against her cheek. He pulled out and a shiver of intense sensation raced down the length of his cock. He instantly missed her heat and the way he fit inside of her. The connection and intimacy that had been forged between them when their bodies were one.

He rolled off of Tess until he was settled beside her. She scooted close and rested her head against his shoulder, tucking her body against his. Once again, he was struck by how easy it was to be with her. Surely it couldn’t be so simple that he’d fall into an instant relationship with Tess after being alone and 100 percent off the market for almost two years.

He wasn’t ready for that. He refused to subject the girls to it. He was sowing his oats, that’s all. Scratching an itch that had plagued him for too long. If he convinced himself that Tess was a baby step toward moving on, the guilt wasn’t so bad. Eventually he’d get to a place where he could think about a real honest-to-god relationship with a woman, just not yet.

If that was the case, why did the thought of leaving Nacogdoches—and Tess—to head back to Dallas cause his gut to bottom out?

Carter let out a slow breath and forbade himself from thinking of things that did nothing but mess with his head. He glanced up at the half-painted walls and cringed. “I might have to hire a contractor to fix this paint job,” he remarked. “I don’t know if this is salvageable.”

Tess craned her neck to look at the living room wall behind them. “Nah. It’s good paint. I bet we can fix it.”

“You’re pretty optimistic.”

Tess looked at him and smiled. Carter’s chest tightened. “Are you trying to get out of a little hard work?”

“I think the past two hours have demonstrated that I’m not opposed to back-breaking labor,” Carter teased.

Tess swatted at his torso. “You’re not funny.”

“I’m straight-up hilarious,” Carter said.

Tess reached out and ran her fingertip along the dried paint on his forearm. Carter’s blood raced through his veins and his cock stirred. The gentle caress damned near made him groan. Did she know how she affected him?

“It’s going to take more than a little soap and water to wash this off,” she said with a laugh.

“Now it sounds like you’re the one who’s shying away from using a little elbow grease.”

“No way.” Tess gave an emphatic shake of her head. “I’ve got a loofa in the shower and I’m not afraid to use it.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?” The thought of getting wet and soapy with Tess awakened a hunger that Carter thought he’d sated. He’d all but fasted for a couple of years. Was it any surprise that he was more than ready to hit the buffet?

“It’s a promise.” Her husky tone was all the encouragement Carter needed.

He pushed himself up to stand and brought Tess up with him. She squealed with feigned shock as he scooped her up into his arms. “Where’s the shower?” he asked with a wide grin. “Time to put your loofa skills to the test.”

*   *   *

An intimate shower with Carter? Had she died and gone to heaven? The thought of warm water sluicing down the chiseled muscles of his body caused Tess’s heart to race in her chest. The man had just given her three—one, two, three—of the most intense orgasms of her life and now she was expected to hop into the shower with him and simply wash? Not. A. Chance.

Tess’s body was deliciously sore, well used and certainly well fucked. If Carter did in fact play football with the same level of skill, she had to assume he had a drawer’s worth of Super Bowl rings stashed somewhere. Despite the warm glow that infused her, Tess’s desire hadn’t slaked. In fact, it only built with every passing second that her body remained in contact with his. Hell, she might be tempted to take him down to the floor for round two before they even made it to the shower.

Carter paused in the middle of the living room. He looked left and then right. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in this house. I have no idea where I’m going.”

Tess pointed toward the hallway and Carter hung a left. “I have to warn you, the plumbing isn’t the greatest and the tub is pretty old.”

He held her in his arms as though she weighed nothing. Tess had never felt so secure and she almost wanted to laugh at the cliché. But there wasn’t anything about Carter that wasn’t 100 percent sincere. She knew that he wasn’t trying to show off, or impress her, or flex his powerful man-muscles for her benefit. It’s just how he was. The man probably had women lined up to date him in Dallas.

And just like that, Tess’s mood soured.

Carter had a life away from Nacogdoches and that life didn’t include Tess. He had a job, another house. Kids who had to go to school. He had a family. He was here for only three more weeks and after that, who knew when she’d see him again?

“Hey.” Tess broke from her reverie to find herself in the middle of the bathroom. Carter studied her, his brow furrowed. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She fought to keep the disappointment from her voice.

“Worried that I’ll out-loofa you?”

Tess laughed. “Not a chance.” Carter set her down on her feet and he leaned over to turn on the water. Tess’s stomach tied into knots at the sight of the defined muscles that flexed on his back. As though she had no control over her own hands, she reached out and began to trace each one with the pads of her fingers.

He paused, arms braced on the edge of the tub. Tess continued her exploration of his body, across his shoulder blades, down either side of his torso to where his hips flared out slightly to the curve of his perfect ass. Seriously, Tess was surprised there wasn’t a shrine somewhere dedicated to those cheeks. She cupped said perfect cheeks in her palms before going lower and scraping her nails along his upper thighs. An almost imperceptible tremor vibrated through him and Tess smiled. She loved that she could elicit a reaction from him so easily.

She leaned in and placed a kiss between his shoulder blades and then another and another down the column of his spine. Tess memorized every curve and bulge of his body with her hands and mouth until her desire for him was once again stoked to a bright flame.

Steam began to billow from the shower and it quickly filled the room. Tess took a deep breath and held the damp air that already carried hints of Carter’s masculine scent in her lungs. Tiny beads of condensation formed on his skin and Tess leaned in to lick them from his salty-sweet skin. He stood up and turned to face her, his beautiful hazel eyes burning with an intensity that sent a thrill through her bloodstream.

“I want you, Tess. Again. Now.”

She was breathless. Her mind went blank. All she could see was this godlike man who looked at her as though she was the only woman on the face of the earth and all she could think was yes! Carter hauled her against him and kissed her as though he couldn’t wait another second for his lips to be on hers. The already-hard length of his cock pressed against her hip and Tess let out a low moan at the thought of having him inside of her again.