“Damn it all to hell.”

He’d spent the entire afternoon hanging out in the casino. He’d wasted a large sum of money and made a new friend named Gino, all while replaying their argument over and over in his head.

“You just couldn’t play it cool, could you?” he muttered. If he weren’t in the shower he’d kick something. Clearly experience had taught him nothing when dealing with Raina. He kept making the same mistakes over and over again. Most guys would be happy with a woman who didn’t seem to want emotional involvement. It was the main reason he’d avoided any talk of marriage with his prior girlfriends. Just the thought of being with any of them forever had seemed so final. Like he was giving up something.

With Raina, he didn’t feel he was sacrificing anything since she was the only woman he thought about anyway.

His dick seemed not to care whether he was happy or not because it filled and stood straight up at just the thought of his wife. It seemed his body was ready to perform on cue even if his mind wasn’t.

He toweled off quickly and didn’t bother getting dressed. What was the point if he was just going to have to get naked again anyway? No more trying to find things that would please her. No more dressing up and trying to look good. He could just lay around all weekend stark-naked so she could jump on his dick and ride him whenever her temperature was right or whatever.

“If a stud puppy is what she wants, that’s what she’ll get.”

He yanked open the door to the bathroom. Raina sat on the couch looking out onto the sparkling lights of the Strip. It was an incredible view and he stood for a moment watching her, how peaceful she was sitting there, looking out into the night.

She looked back at him, then jumped to her feet when she saw he was naked. “Nick, what are you doing?”

He sat on the couch and patted his thighs. “Aren’t you ready for me by now?” He ran a hand down his chest and gripped his dick. “Stud puppy, reporting for duty.”

She winced. “Don’t say that. This isn’t what I wanted.”

He leaned closer. There were pale streaks under her eyes like she’d been crying. The sight hit him like a fist. The thought of her up here crying her eyes out over him didn’t make him feel any better. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

“I don’t want you to be angry with me.” Raina sat next to him on the couch.

He wiped under her eyes with his thumb. “I hate that I made you cry.”

Nick sighed. He was the one who’d changed the rules of the game after the fact. She’d warned him up front that she wasn’t looking for love. If he was going to change her mind, he couldn’t stalk off in a snit every time she hurt his feelings. The question was did he think it was worth it to endure a few blows while trying to change her mind? He looked over at Raina and his heart rolled over in his chest.

Hell, yeah.

“What do you say to a compromise?” Nick leaned back against the couch, pulling her with him until she relaxed against his chest.

“What kind of compromise?” She looked up at him warily.

“I’ll accept that you just want sex if you can accept that I feel more. I don’t think I can hide my emotions and I don’t think either of us should have to. Isn’t the point of this for us to communicate openly?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, I guess so.”

“Well, then I’ll accept how you feel and you’ll accept me caring for you. Can you do that, Raina? Can you let me care for you?”

She stared at him like she was trying to figure out what the catch was. “Okay. I can try.”

It was obvious when she remembered he was naked. Her gaze dropped to his waist before she looked back up at him, her eyes suddenly soft. Her breathing sped up a little. He probably wouldn’t have noticed if she wasn’t lying on his chest. But the little hitch in her breathing told him she was affected.

Nick groaned when she turned and placed her hands against his chest. She pushed lightly but when he didn’t move, she made a soft sound in the back of her throat and grabbed at his chest, her nails leaving little scratches on his skin. Before he knew it, she was pulling him down to her, threading her fingers through his hair.

She bit his bottom lip and sucked it into her mouth and he stopped thinking. He picked her up and carried her back to the bedroom. When he placed her gently on the bed, she got up on her knees and tried to pull him down on top of her.

“We have to get your clothes off,” Nick managed to say in between her kisses.

It was pure chemical reaction between them, her skin scorching him through her clothes. He yanked at the fastenings to her shorts, nearly tearing them off in his haste before returning to stand in the cradle of her thighs, pressing against the heat of her mound.

At the first touch of her lips against his chest, he groaned and grabbed her by the ponytail. She seemed to like the pain because she arched her back and cried out.

Which set him off like a match being lit.

He helped her pull her shirt over her head and it fell to the floor in a heap. Immediately she wiggled her hips to get out of her panties and in moments she knelt before him naked.

“Scoot back.”

She looked at him with narrowed eyes as if she wanted to protest. But she backed up slowly until she reclined against the pillows. He crawled over her, the dim light of the lamp throwing his shadow over her.

“Lay back and put your hands over your head.” He pushed her shoulders gently until she lay flat, spread out like a feast before him. She looked good enough to eat with soft, dewy lips and buttery skin from head to toe.