Eve could identify. Not only had she just had the climax of a lifetime, she’d had it after two other spectacular orgasms. She felt wonderfully sated. “You have me wrapped around your little finger. I’d believe anything you told me now.”

“So long as you know I’m not just feeding you a line. Seriously, that was about the best sex I’ve ever had.”

She tried to play it cool. “You’ve obviously never had sex with an Australian before.”

Zachary stilled.

His hesitation took her by surprise. “Oh, Lord.” She pushed against his chest so she could get a look at his face. “You have had sex with an Aussie before?”

He cringed. “Well, uh, kinda.”

“Kinda?”

“Kinda…as in yeah.” He closed his eyes and fell back against the pillow. “I’ve had sex with a lot of people, Eve. From a lot of places. Some of them were from Australia.”

“Some of them?” she squeaked. “How many were there?” She stared at him, reminded all over again that it wasn’t just Zachary Pace she’d slept with. It was Jonah Speed too. The legendary Jonah Speed. The smolderingly sexy Jonah Speed.

Lost in the throes of spectacular sex, she’d forgotten that little detail.

Suddenly the sex didn’t seem quite so spectacular. Suddenly she didn’t feel quite as special and cherished as she had two minutes before.

Eve wished she hadn’t asked her last question. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Feeling naked and vulnerable, she sat up to look for her clothes but didn’t get very far. He grabbed her arms, pulling her back down so they once again lay face to face. Zachary cupped her cheek so gently, Eve forgot to shake his hand off. She forgot to breathe too.

“Eve.” He held her gaze. “I’ve slept with hundreds of women. I can’t hide from that, can’t pretend I haven’t. It’s part of who I am…or rather, who I was. And yeah, some of those people were Australian. But—” his voice softened, “—but I can promise you that before tonight I have never made love to an Australian.” His eyelids drooped sensually. “Never wanted to…until I met you.”

Something in her chest lurched. “Zachary…” She couldn’t finish. Didn’t know what to say.

“What we did together? That wasn’t just sex. Not by a long stretch of the imagination.”

And just like that, he put the spectacular back into their sex.

She smiled at him. “We hardly know each other. How could we possibly have made love?”

“Lady, you’ve seen inside my head. You’ve lived through an experience that changed my life. How could you possibly say you hardly know me?”

“I experienced a child’s emotions. You’re a man now. It’s different.”

He laughed, a hoarse, soft chuckle. “Yeah? Well it was the man who made love to you. The man who tasted you. Who lost control inside you. The man who ripped himself wide open, showing you his soul as he came.”

Damn it, this man was dangerous to her heart. “Be careful, Mr. Pace. Carry on talking like this, and I might not let your red-haired future anywhere near you when she finally makes an appearance.”

Zachary blinked, and his eyes creased with displeasure. “Can you please not do that?”

“What? Keep her from you? Uh, I think we both know that would be impossible anyway, what with her being your destiny and all.”

“No. I mean can you please not keep bringing her up?”

“Uh…”

“She might be my future, Eve, but this is my present. And it’s a present that’s all wrapped up in you. I’m with you. The last thing I want to do is think about another woman.”

Stunned by his words, she placed her hand between her breasts, over the edge of her scar, and rubbed.

His concern was instant. “Does it hurt?”

“No.” Not anymore anyway. “It’s not that. It’s just… It’s just that every time you say something like that, like…like you’re all wrapped up in me, my chest feels funny. It’s as if my heart forgets how to beat properly.”

His eyes twinkled. “Is that a bad thing?”

“You make my heart skip a beat. Often. You tell me if it’s a bad thing.”

He took her hand from her chest and threaded his fingers through hers. “It’s the best thing I’ve heard in months.”

He said something else, but Eve didn’t hear him.

Her hand tingled. Electricity shot through her arm. Spots danced in front of her eyes as the world around her darkened.

Bam!

A punch of desire hit her in the stomach, so fierce it took her breath.

Want her, she thought. Want her so bad I can’t stand not to touch her.

That wasn’t her thought. Wasn’t her desire. It was Zachary’s. Adult Zachary’s.

Wanna sit back on my throne and haul her with me.

The adult Zachary stared across the backstage chaos, focusing all his attention on the beguiling makeup artist.

Wanna strip every stitch of clothing from her body, pull her onto my lap and let her take us for the ride of our lives.

He narrowed his eyes, watched her, didn’t take his gaze off her. Couldn’t.

Everything went black. The tingles ceased. So did the electricity.

“…so fucking stupid of me.”

Her hand was free.

“Eve, baby, come back to me.”

She opened her eyes and found herself lying on her back with Zachary kneeling over her, his hands in her hair, holding her head up.

The zing of Zachary’s acute desire left her heart pounding and her breath uneven. A low-grade ache pulsed in her pussy.

“Ah, fuck. Thank you, God.” His eyes danced with panic. “You okay, Tiny? You back here with me?”

“I’m okay.” Her voice was a soft murmur. She couldn’t manage more than that.

“Dizzy?”

“Mm. Yeah. Just gonna lie here a while.”

Gently he laid her head on a pillow.

“Take your time. Get your bearings.” His hands feathered over her hair. “I lost you for a minute there.”

She lifted her hand, intending to show him why, but her arm was heavy as a concrete slab and fell back to her side uselessly.

“I know, I know. I tried to hold your hand.” His tone was apologetic, worried. “Wasn’t thinking. I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot. It felt nice.”

“I thought so too, ’til you zoned out on me. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It happens.” She closed her eyes, rested a moment. “Zachary?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve never heard of a throne before.”

“A throne?”

“Yeah. Your drummer stool.”

“You saw my throne now?” He sounded confused.

“Uh, not really. I saw you thinking about your throne.” Well, technically, she hadn’t seen him. She’d been him.

He snorted. “There’s an awe-inspiring vision for you. Me, thinking about a seat.”

“It was awe-inspiring.” She let a self-satisfied grin tug at her lips and opened her eyes. Better. Not so dizzy anymore. “You were imagining me, naked, riding you while you sat on your throne.”

“Ah. Right.” He had the grace to blush. “Yeah. Um, that would have been earlier. After the concert.”

“I’m flattered.” She was. And still turned on—a stunning achievement considering Zachary had just made her come three times. “But the whole doing-it-in-front-of-twenty-thousand-people thing? Yeah, not gonna happen. Ever.”

It was his turn to grin. “How about the whole doing it on my stool thing?”

“Onstage?”

“There are drums in this suite. Complete with a throne and drumsticks. Private as it can get.”

“Tempting though it sounds, I have no coordination whatsoever. If I even tried something like that, I’d likely fall on my ass before I ever had the opportunity to ride you.”

“Have faith.” He winked. “I’d never let you fall. And just wait ’til you see what I can do with a pair of drumsticks…”

The laughter pealed out of her. “Oh, I can only imagine.”

He smiled with her. “You feeling better?”

“I am.”

“You mad at me?”

“For what?”

“Holding your hand.”

“No.”

“How about fantasizing about you at a live concert?”

“I’m flattered.” Beyond words, actually. “Uh, are you mad at me?”

“For what?”

“Slipping into your head—again.”

“Not mad at all. Just surprised. Again. Can you sit up?” He shifted back, giving her space.

Eve straightened up slowly, just in case another wave of giddiness hit. It didn’t. This vision had been much quicker than the last.

“I’ll get you a drink. Water? Something sweeter.”

“No, nothing, thanks, I’m good. But if you can hand me my panties and jeans, I can start getting dressed.”

Zachary didn’t move. “Dressed?”

“Yeah, you know. When you put your clothes on so you’re no longer naked.”

“I like you naked.”

Her gaze raked over his scrumptious body. “I like you naked too. But walking from your room to mine without clothes probably isn’t the wisest decision.”

He spread his hands in question. “Why would you want to walk to your room?”

“Oh, I don’t know. To sleep maybe?”

Zachary looked at her pointedly. “Is there a problem with this bed? I’ve slept in it just fine the last few nights.”

“Not at all. It’s a very comfortable bed. Big too.” Way bigger than the one in her room. “But it’s your bed, not mine.” And there was not a chance in hell she would sleep in his bed, with him.

“And so?”

“And so if I stay in it any longer, we both know neither of us will get any sleep. Especially now that I know how you felt about me after the concert.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You know how I felt?”

“I was you, remember?”

“Describe it.” His voice dropped, his tone lower than usual. Sexier. It rippled down her spine. “In detail.”

She bit her lip. That could get embarrassing. “Uh…you sure you wanna hear?”

“Very sure.”

“Okay.” She closed her eyes, remembering. “I felt like I’d been punched in the chest.” She smacked her chest for emphasis. “With a wallop of desire so powerful it smashed the breath from my lungs.”

“That’s how I feel every time I look at you.” His voice was even deeper, a gruff murmur that turned Eve’s insides to liquid.

She swallowed. “My body tightened.” There was no other way to put it. “Every muscle seemed, I don’t know, aware, alert. I needed…contact. Had to touch you. Er, me. Had to feel your—my—bare skin, flesh against flesh.”

She knew she was confusing her pronouns, but Zachary’s feelings mirrored hers so perfectly, it was tough to differentiate whether she spoke about herself or him.

Blood raced to her cheeks then, and she knew she was blushing. “Oh, God, who am I kidding? You just wanted to fuck me. Kind of like I just want you to fuck me now.”

He took her down with a primal growl. Pinned her to the bed with his massive shoulders, strong legs and erect dick. And he kissed her. Crushed his lips to hers, demanding she surrender everything to him. Her mouth, her pussy, her body, her heart. Her soul.

“Still wanna fuck you, Tiny. Want your naked flesh against mine. Want the contact. Want the loving. Want it now.”

He kissed her again, and she gave him everything he demanded. Willingly. And faster than she’d ever have believed possible. One minute she was preparing to leave, the next she was on her back, frantic to have him inside her again. Desperate to fuck him like he’d wanted to fuck her. Then. Before they’d met.

She clawed at his shoulders, slammed her body against his. Zachary may have wanted to make love to her earlier, but this, now, this urgent craving for satisfaction was all about raw desperation. Violent need. It was about instant gratification.

She ripped her mouth from his, arched her back and thrust her hips up. “Do it, Zachary. Do it now. Fuck me.”

Her pussy touched the tip of his cock and she twisted, spreading her legs, trying to get him inside.

He jumped off her with a frustrated shout.

His chest heaved, his cock throbbed against his stomach and the tendons in his shoulders and neck stuck out from vicious self-restraint. Zachary tried to speak, tried to say something, but gave up. He grabbed his cock, squeezing it, and clenched his teeth together, a look of agony on his face.

With his other hand he reached for the table beside the bed, finding a condom.

Ah, God. Lucky he’d been thinking logically enough to remember protection. The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind.

He ripped the packet open with his teeth and seemed to gain a modicum of control. “This time you ride me.” His gaze trapped hers as he rolled the condom over his shaft. “Wanna watch you, wanna see you come.”