“I have a car.” I have a car? That’s all she could come up with? How about, I’m sorry I left you in a supply closet after you gave me the best orgasm of my life?

“Okay. Then let’s just do the catching up then.” He offered a small smile. “So how’ve you been, Jessica?”

Jessica. Now there was a nice splash of reality if she’d ever heard one.

“That’s…um…kind of not my name,” she confessed.

“It’s not your name,” he repeated flatly.

“No.”

“You lied?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” he finally demanded.

“I…” She released a long breath. “I wasn’t in the best state of mind that night. See, I’d just gotten dumped by my boyfriend, and then my sister dragged me to a club, and I was upset and tired of my life, tired of me.” She finished with a rueful shrug. “I guess I just wanted to be someone else for the night.”

“Do you do that often, pretend to be someone else?” There was a touch of sarcasm to his husky voice. “How many other guys have you seduced and then deserted?”

She sighed. “You were the first.”

“I see.”

It was obvious from the skeptical look in his blue eyes that he totally didn’t see, but she didn’t feel like explaining herself further. Yes, she’d lied. Yes, she’d seduced him. But he sure hadn’t been complaining when she’d thrown herself at him, had he? Oh no. He’d been right there with her, groping her ass and dragging her into the supply closet for a sexual tryst. He hadn’t even known her, for Pete’s sake. Any guy who had sex with a random stranger wasn’t one to judge.

Carson must have reached the same conclusion as her, because the sarcastic glint left his eyes and suddenly he cast her a sexy little grin. “It was a pretty fun time, wasn’t it?”

Fun? Talk about the understatement of the year. Before she could stop it, memories of that night rushed back to her. How warm and firm Carson’s lips had felt pressed against her own, the hardness of his chest under her fingers, his thick c**k sliding deep inside her, making her cry out with pleasure. She’d never come so hard in her life, and just thinking about the orgasm caused her thighs to tremble.

God, she wanted to feel that way again. Wild and free and desirable.

“It was amazing,” she corrected.

He smiled again, his eyes filling with desire and darkening to a sensual tint. “Definitely.”

“Want to do it again?”

Oh boy—where had that come from? She immediately slammed her mouth closed, her cheeks heating with embarrassment.

Carson slanted his head, looking both intrigued and baffled, but he didn’t respond, just stared at her for a moment as if trying to figure out if she was serious. She took his silence as an opportunity to stare at him, and she liked everything she saw. He was so unbelievably attractive in that Navy uniform. The white shirt molded to his broad, rippled chest, and the pants clung to his trim hips and long muscular legs, hugging his crotch in a way that revealed he was very much aroused.

She couldn’t help it—she fixated on that long, thick ridge. She remembered how perfectly he’d fit inside her, how well they’d moved together, and the craziest urge overtook her. She wanted to touch him and stroke him and—

Her hand clearly had a mind of its own.

“Whoa,” Carson murmured, his gaze instantly dropping south.

Holly ran her fingers over his tantalizing erection, lightly applying pressure with her palm and rubbing.

“You do realize that—” he sucked in a breath, “—you’re, uh, you know, you’re doing that.”

She blinked, suddenly snapping out of whatever sexual trance she’d gone into and realizing what she was doing. She quickly withdrew her hand, her face scorching. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry. I just…” There were no words. No matter what she said, this man was going to think she was a sex-crazed psycho.

He released a choked laugh. “Is this a habit, touching men you hardly know?”

She turned away, so mortified she could barely breathe. What was the matter with her? She didn’t normally behave this way with guys. Truth be told, she didn’t have much experience with initiating sexual encounters. She didn’t have much experience, period. Her life was too chaotic, and since she was always in control when it came to work and family, she’d always been happy letting the men in her life take control in the bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” she said again, keeping her gaze on the waves lapping against the shore.

She heard his pants rustle as he moved closer, and then his fingers were touching her chin, turning it so she had no choice but to look at him. He studied her carefully, assessed her, as if he were trying to peer right into her soul. “Who are you?” he finally asked, his voice laced with intrigue. “What’s your real name?”

She swallowed. “Holly. Holly Lawson.”

Carson’s mouth quirked. “Holly. Suits you better than Jessica.” He stroked her jaw, his fingers so warm and gentle she almost purred in pleasure. “Why did you sleep with me the night at the club?”

“I already told you, I was upset. I wanted to forget.”

“Forget what?”

“My ex.” She let out a shaky breath. “Myself.”

“Why on earth would you want to forget yourself?”