Chapter 3

Blake wason the way to his apartment, but he stopped midway between his place and Erika's when he heard her raised voice.

"Corky! What the hell?"

He grinned, quickly changing direction.

They'd just finished their first month of co-parenting a puppy, and the last four weeks had not been without challenges. Despite her early trauma, Corky had rallied quickly, going from a timid, shivering pup to a spoiled diva within a matter of days.

Blake thought they had turned the corner on potty training, so he hoped Erika's current distress wasn't because of yet another accident.

Their initial visit to the vet confirmed that Corky had been around six weeks old the night they'd found her. Given the storm she'd been dumped in, the vet said the fact she'd been a bit older and not a newborn had most likely saved her life. As far as breed, the best they could tell was Corky had a bit of Jack Russell Terrier and Chihuahua in her. The rest was a mystery.

She was still small, and as adorable as she'd been the night they'd found her. Blake was one hundred percent in love with the tiny creature, and despite Erika's harried tone right now, she was just as smitten. They were neck in neck when it came to spoiling Corky, and he wasn't sure who had more dog toys in their apartments currently.

He'd given Erika shit, claiming she'd gone off the deep end when she'd bought Corky a Halloween costume, but there was no denying the dog looked cute as hell as Winnie the Pooh. And while he'd pretended Erika had gone too far, it was hard to defend that argument, given the fact Corky in her costume was currently the picture on the home screen of his phone.

He did his standard one knock on her door, entering before Erika called out, "It's open."

It was her night to keep Corky, but she'd left the door unlocked as usual, aware he would want a quick snuggle after the game.

Blake smiled as Corky sprinted toward him, her tail wagging a million miles an hour as she yapped her happy hellos. He bent over to pick her up, laughing as she plastered his face with her sweet doggie kisses.

Erika looked decidedly less happy to see him.

"Everything okay?"

She held up a destroyed shoe. While they'd made their way through the potty-training stage, the teething stage was kicking off in grand style. Blake was going to have to replace one of the chairs in his living room, as Corky had done a number on two of the legs.

"I forgot to close the closet door," Erika said with a sigh. "I wasn't paying attention and it didn't occur to me until too late that she'd been quiet for too long."

He gave her a sympathetic grin. "Nothing worse than a silent Corky."

"Yeah." Erika turned away from him, and it occurred to him that she hadn't actually looked at him since he'd walked in. What he'd originally thought was annoyance looked more like sadness as he took in her slumped shoulders.

Blake closed the apartment door, setting Corky down. She immediately scampered over to the couch, hopping up to settle down on her special blanket. Neither he nor Erika made any attempt to keep their baby off the furniture, both letting her sleep in their beds when it was their night to keep her, just as they'd said they would.

Erika grabbed her empty wine glass and walked toward the kitchen. "How was the game?"

"We won." He followed her, curious about her demeanor and her unwillingness to look him in the eye. "You didn't watch?"

She shook her head. "Did you score?"

"Yep," he replied, even though he didn't really want to talk about the game.

That response seemed to trip her up, as she paused for a moment, frowning. "Then why are you here? Shouldn't you be taking a victory lap with Mindy."

Mindyhad certainly thought so, texting him about five seconds after the final buzzer.

Blake had finally done what he should have done a month ago, telling her their arrangement was over. He simply wasn't interested in her anymore. It had been fun and games and good orgasms for a while, but her sudden clinginess had opened his eyes to all the things Erika had been pointing out for months—like the woman's high-pitched, grating giggle, her flightiness, her lack of drive or ambition. Mindy had worked at least half a dozen different jobs in the year he'd known her and been unemployed for the last month, claiming she couldn't find anything that was the "right fit."

His teammate Victor—the grumpiest fucker on the planet—was convinced Mindy was hoping Blake would put a ring on it, so she could spend the rest of her life as a trophy wife.

"I called it quits with Mindy."

"Really?"

"Yep," he said.

"And how did she take that?" Erika asked.

Blake sighed. "Truthfully, I'm not sure she believes I'm serious." He'd expected some kickback from her, but all he got was a breezy promise to see him soon, as if he hadn't just told her that he didn't want to continue their affair. Which meant, he was going to have to go through the process of brushing her off again. Maybe he would just block her number instead.

Erika gave him a quick glance over her shoulder before turning back toward the fridge. "Water?" she offered. "Or wine?"

"Water, please."

"I didn't think you and Mindy were an official item, something that you needed to actually call off." She pulled out a bottle of water, then grabbed an almost-empty wine bottle, pouring what was left into her glass.

"We weren't, but she was starting to see a different future for the two of us, one I'm not interested in."

Erika's eyes were downcast as she put the bottle of water on the kitchen counter in front of him. However, now that he was closer, he could see her face—and he understood why she'd been avoiding his gaze.

He reached across the counter, gripping her chin, tilting her head upward. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy. "Have you been crying?"

Blake had known Erika nearly three years, and he'd never seen her cry. Not once. Given the things she saw on a day-to-day basis during her tenure in the ER, he figured she had a reason to fall apart at least once a week, but she never did.

"No," she lied, twisting her head to break his grip. "Allergies."

"Liar. It's not allergy season. You've been crying."

She walked around the island, out of the kitchen, and back to the living room, setting her wine glass on the coffee table. "I'm fine, Blake. I'm just tired. In fact, I think I'm going to call it a night."

It was an obvious attempt at dismissing him, and also a lie, considering she'd just refilled her glass. If she wasn't so upset, she wouldn't have even bothered trying to get rid of him because she knew as well as anyone that he was like a dog with a bone when he wanted to know something.

Rather than take her hint, he put his water next to her wine, then reached for her hand, pulling her down next to him on the couch. Corky lifted her head from her end, her sleepy eyes blinking at them a few times before she shifted positions and went back to sleep.

"Blake." Erika attempted to stand again, but he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, keeping her down.

"What happened?"

She resisted his grip for a few seconds more before relenting. "Just a bad night."

"At work?"

She nodded then—finally—met his gaze. "I'm fine," she repeated again.

"You trying to convince me or you?"

She pursed her lips.

Blake raised one eyebrow, letting her know without words that he knew he'd hit the nail on the head. "Talk to me, Erik."

"I don't want to bring you down. You won. You should be celebrating."

He scoffed. "I don't need to celebrate every damn win."

She rolled her eyes, a half-hearted attempt at playfulness. "Since when?"

"What happened at work?"

"I lost a patient," she said, her voice suddenly growing thick.

He gave her a moment to compose herself, wondering what set this patient apart from others she'd lost. Erika was a compassionate person and a dedicated doctor. Losing patients always affected her, but he'd never seen her fall apart like this. Her strength amazed him, so he hated seeing her so down.

"I'm sorry," he murmured when she failed to say more.

"Her name was Sara. She was seventeen."

"Fuck," Blake muttered. "That's rough. Car accident?"

Erika shook her head. "OD."

He wasn't sure how to respond to that. Sadly, Baltimore had been dubbed the U.S. Heroin Capital in a recent news program, so Erika had dealt with too many overdoses in her career.

"Heroin?"

"No," she said. "Cocaine, actually. She and her boyfriend got their hands on some bad stuff, laced with fentanyl."

"Fucking drugs."

"Her parents didn't even know she wasn't home in her own bed."

"Jesus," Blake whispered.

"She was an only child."

Ah. Maybe that explained it. Erika—also an only child—must have felt some sort of personal connection to the family.

"The worst part of my job is telling people they lost someone they loved. But when it's someone so young and it's unexpected and…"

Blake reached for her hand, squeezing it gently.

"There's nothing harder than watching parents come to grips with the fact they lost a child. Sara's father just stood there after I told them she was gone. Still as a statue. I've never seen anyone so devoid of…anything. It was like the light inside him went out completely. And Sara's mother didn't seem able to process what I'd said. She just started talking, really fast, telling me about her daughter's new boyfriend, about how they didn't approve of him, and how they'd grounded her for sneaking out to see him a few nights ago. Then she told me that her daughter was a good girl, always on the honor roll. Apparently, Sara had gotten early admission acceptance to her first choice of college. She wanted to be a math teacher."

Blake realized it wasn't just the mother who felt the need to talk. Now that she'd opened up, everything that had been bothering her fell out of Erika. He noticed there were no more tears. He wondered if that meant she was all cried out or if she never allowed herself to cry in front of others. Knowing Erika, he tended to think it was the latter.

"It sounded like Sara met the wrong boy, made a bad decision. One bad decision and then…nothing." Erika bent forward, reaching for her wine glass, then putting it right back down again without taking a drink.

"Did you open that bottle tonight?"

The sideways glance she gave him answered the question without words. She took a couple of deep breaths, and he watched her dig deep for that inner strength, shrugging off the heavy feelings. "I'm usually better at leaving stuff like this at work. This one…followed me home."

He knew what she said was true. "Is the wine helping?"

She shrugged, so Blake reached out, massaging her shoulders.

"You're damn tense for someone who's three glasses deep. You need some stress relief."

She gave him a small grin, the first genuine one of the evening. "It's too late to go running."

"We could always hit the gym downstairs. Race each other on the treadmills."

She shook her head. "You just played hockey all night. I can't imagine you have enough energy to run with me."

Blake hated seeing her so down. If it took running five, even ten miles to help her forget her sadness, he'd do it. "I've got plenty of steam left."

"I'm not sure I should get on a treadmill tipsy," she said, pointing to her wine.

He hadn't considered that. "True. You'd probably fall off," he joked.

Erika tilted her head left, then right, stretching the tense muscles. "Unfortunately, I can't employ your tried and true."

"What's that?" Blake asked.

"Orgasms."

He snorted, shocked and amused by her words. While he was the king of TMI when it came to discussing his sex life with his best friend, she never shared any insight into her own. Of course, Blake knew his penchant for oversharing came less from wanting to brag and more from wanting to make her blush. Erika's cheeks went adorably pink every time he said something she considered scandalous.

"Of course you can. In fact, that's an excellent idea," he said. "Sex is to tension what aloe is to burns. There's nothing like knocking one off in a hot shower to send all your worries right down the drain."

"Wow, that's deep," she joked. "Did you rip that right off the SAT test?"

Blake laughed, glad to see the sadness was slowly fading from her eyes, giving way to teasing. "I don't think I'm the first person to discover that sex is a great way to relax. That's exactly what you need tonight."

She narrowed her eyes. "I know you like to take your victory lap, but I'm not sleeping with you just because I had a bad night and you had a good one."

Blake rolled his eyes. "Jesus, Erik. Don't worry. I'm not offering. You don't need a man to come."

"Really?" she replied sarcastically.

"An orgasm would help," he persisted, tilting his head, pretending to study her face. "Actually, in your case, it might take two."

Erika shook her head. "I swear you have sex on the brain. You do realize it's not the answer to every problem, right?"

"Since when?" he asked, aghast. "All I'm saying is, if you combine that wine with a hearty dose of masturbation, you'd sleep like a baby."

"I'll take your suggestion under advisement."

Blake could tell from her tone she'd already dismissed the idea. While she'd mentioned orgasms as a joke, the more he thought about it, the more he was sure it would really help. Now that she was brushing him off, he felt the stubborn need to double down.

"I'm being serious. When was the last time you had an orgasm?"

"I'm not answering that question." Erika grabbed the wine, upended the glass, drinking down the last of it.

"Are you counting in days?" he continued. "Months? Years?"

Erika shook her head, taking an imaginary key and locking her lips. "I'd never give you that much ammunition to use against me for future teasing."

Blake leaned back on the couch, resting his arm on the cushion behind her. "What's your sex toy situation like?"

"Oh my God. You have issues."

Blake laughed when he realized she was blushing, enjoying the sight of the pink now tinging her cheeks. "Let me guess. It's sparse. You probably own a Magic Wand and…" He rubbed his chin. "God, please tell me you at least own a dildo?"

Erika crossed her arms but didn't bother to add anything to the conversation. Teasing each other about sex wasn't a new thing for them. In fact, it was one of his favorite ways of getting under her skin. Probably because he viewed it as payback. Erika had a great deal of fun at his expense, constantly teasing him about his playboy habits and Mindy.

"Here's how I imagine your masturbation routine goes down," he started, encouraged to go on by Erika's unamused grin. "You press a vibrator to your clit for five to ten seconds, shove it inside for a dozen or so thrusts, give yourself a lukewarm orgasm, then fall asleep. You probably don't even bother to build the scene with a hot fantasy, do you?"

Erika smirked. "I'm not discussing my fantasies or sex toys with you."

"Toys? Plural? Hot damn." He rose from the couch, heading toward her bedroom. "Show them to me."

"Have you lost your mind?" Erika quickly followed, trying to cut him off as he reached for her nightstand drawer.

If she'd put any real effort behind stopping him, he would have relented, but her grip was weak at best. Once he opened the drawer, he understood why.

It was empty except for some lip balm, a bottle of aspirin, some tissues, and a crossword puzzle book.

"Erik," he drawled, about to close the drawer…when he spotted something tucked in the back. Reaching in, he pulled out a three-pack of condoms. "Condoms?"

She crossed her arms defensively. "Just in case. It doesn't hurt to have them on hand."

"The box isn't even open."

She grimaced. "Truth be told, that box made the move with me."

His eyes widened as he flipped it over. Jesus. How long had she had these? "They expire in a few months."

She leaned forward, glancing at the expiry date. "Really? Damn. Guess I should replace them."

He wanted to say why bother because she obviously didn't need them. Instead, he tossed them back in the drawer and closed it. "Toys?" he prompted, expecting her to tell him to go take a flying leap.

What he did not anticipate was her sinking down to the edge of the mattress, bending forward, and reaching under the bed to pull out a shoebox.

Placing it next to her on the bed, she lifted the lid.

Blake sighed at her pathetic collection. "Seriously? One vibrator, lube…and where the hell did you find a dildo that small?"

She scowled. "That's not small. It's perfectly average."

Blake's definition of average and hers differed greatly. Then he realized she'd inadvertently given him some insight into her past lovers. "How often do you play with these?"

She glanced at the box, shrugging one shoulder. "Not very often. I haven't really mastered masturbation." Then she giggled at her choice of words, reminding him she'd drunk quite a bit of wine tonight.

He should probably grab her a bottle of water, a couple ibuprofen, and tuck her in for the night. Instead, he asked, "What's that mean?"

"It's too hard," she said, with an adorable pout.

Blake couldn't help it. He laughed. "No, it's not."

"I think too much. And there's too much work to do to actually get myself there."

He found that tidbit both curious and interesting. Sitting down next to her on the bed, he twisted to face her. "Set the scene for me. Tell me what you normally do. Maybe I can offer some advice."

She laughed, even as she shook her head. "Oh my God, I've clearly had too much wine because I swear I'm actually tempted to tell you."

"Are you drunk?"

Erika considered his question. "Not really. I'd say I'm closer to tipsy."

That response convinced him to keep going. If she was wasted, he'd end things here. But Erika was in command of her faculties—she wasn't slurring or stumbling, and her eyes were perfectly focused on him. The wine was simply encouraging her to let her guard down a bit, something she didn't do nearly enough. He liked talking to her like this…liked hearing her giggle, seeing her blush, liked knowing that when she answered his questions, she was telling him the truth.

"So do as I said. When you masturbate, what's your routine? Does it vary?"

"No," she said without hesitation. "It's pretty much always the same. I use the vibrator on my clit to get myself wet. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. That's why I have lube."

Blake bit his lower lip to keep himself from showing any emotion, which was harder than he would have imagined. Right now, his emotions were overflowing, fluctuating between shock over her admission, annoyance that a beautiful, intelligent woman couldn't get herself wet, mild amusement, curiosity, and outright horniness.

"Okay. So what, then?" he asked when she stopped talking.

"I can't come from just stimulating my clit, so that's when I use the dildo. The problem is, it's awkward to try to keep the vibrator on my clit while fucking myself as hard and fast as I like. Then my arm gets tired, and I have to switch hands, and it just throws me out of the moment." She peered at him briefly through her long lashes. "It takes me a while to get there, even during sex-sex, so a lot of times I wind up getting frustrated and just quitting."

Blake frowned. "Are you just thinking about what you're doing? No fantasies?"

"Oh," she said. "I have a fantasy I play out."

"Just one?"

She nodded.

Blake had never considered masturbation from a woman's perspective. He'd watched past lovers get themselves off, and they never seemed to have much trouble. He wasn't sure if it was Erika's lack of experience or her inhibitions getting in the way. She was a doctor, for God's sake. She knew how the female body worked…and yet she hadn't found a way to master her own orgasm.

"What's the fantasy?" he asked, leery to hear the answer.

"There's this faceless guy?—"

"Faceless?" he interjected.

"Well, obviously he has a face, but it's not someone in particular, like a movie star or anyone I know."

Blake nodded in understanding, gesturing for her to continue.

"He's on top of me, and I pretend he's playing with my clit and fucking me. While he's doing it, he's whispering in my ear."

Finally,Blake thought. Something interesting. "Whispering what?"

Her cheeks moved past the pink stage straight into bright red.

"You a fan of dirty talk, Erik?"

Her shrug was as good as a yes. "God. I can't believe I just told you all that."

"We're best friends," he said to reassure her. "I like knowing your secrets, and you know I'd never tell anyone else."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you won't tease me," she grumbled.

Blake thought about that and realized he didn't want to poke fun at her for what she'd just shared. Mainly because it didn't feel funny to him. The fact that she'd hit her thirties without learning how to give herself mind-blowing orgasms felt more like a damn crime.

"I'm not going to tease you. I'm going to teach you."

She frowned. "I'm serious, Blake. I'm not having sex with you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Again, I'm not offering." Rising from the bed, he picked up her two toys, then pointed to her lounge pants. "Crawl under the covers and take off your pants and panties."

She scoffed. "Hell no!"

"That wasn't a request, Erik. Do it," he demanded, his tone dark and dangerous.

She'd confessed to being turned on by dirty talk, so he couldn't help but wonder what other hot buttons she might have.

She blinked in response to his command. Then—sweet Jesus—she pulled back the duvet and climbed into her bed.

Blake walked to her bathroom, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He'd meant what he said. He wasn't going to have sex with his best friend. Glancing down at his rock-hard erection, he reiterated that point in his head several times, trying to convince his stubborn cock that it wasn't going to happen. When it refused to return to the at-ease position, he adjusted his pants and hoped Erika didn't glance in a southerly direction.

Washing her toys, he returned to the room, moving around the bed, pleased when he noticed her pants and panties lying on the floor. "Shift to the middle."

Again, she obeyed. "What are you going to do?"

"Do you trust me?"

Her head was bobbing up and down instantly, her quick response warming him. Earning her trust felt like winning the Stanley Cup, which was why he really needed to tread lightly right now.

Climbing onto her bed, he remained above the covers as he stretched out next to her.

Her breathing instantly became shallow. "Blake," she whispered.

"It's okay, Erik. I'm not going to touch you. Just guide you through this."

Her brows were furrowed, but she didn't tell him to get the fuck out. The appearance of her nipples, poking through her T-shirt made him think she was more excited than nervous.

He handed her the vibrator. "Slip this under the covers. Push the tip against your clit the way you like. Put it on the lowest setting for now."

Erika's hand trembled slightly, but she took the toy, following his instructions.

The sound of the vibrator filled the room, accompanied by Erika's soft intake of breath as the toy initially touched her clit. He couldn't see what she was doing, but he could tell from her facial expressions and breathing how the vibrator was making her feel.

Blake leaned closer, his lips at her ear. "Does that feel good?"

"Yes," she breathed.

"Is it making you wet?"

She nodded again, her hips lifting slightly. Her knee, tucked beneath the duvet, bumped against his thigh, telling him her legs were parted.

"Show me," he murmured, his face so close, her hair tickled his cheek.

Erika frowned until he clarified.

"Dip one of your fingers inside that tight pussy of yours and show me how wet you are."

Her gaze flew to his, and he thought he saw the slightest glimmer of panic.

"Close your eyes," he demanded. "And keep them closed."

She gave him one last look, and he held his breath, waiting for her to ask him to leave. His heart nearly exploded when she turned her head away, her eyes drifting shut.

"Now. Show me," he repeated, reminding her of his initial request.

Movement under the duvet told him she was doing as he asked, and a second later, one of her hands appeared from beneath the covers, her pointer finger wet with her own arousal.

"Such a dirty girl," he purred, watching her closely to see how she responded to his words.

Erika bit her lower lip, a soft whimper escaping.

Jesus. She liked it.

He forced himself to shut down his own needs and desires, fighting to disregard how in line their kinks seemed to be. He would never call Erika a slut or a whore, but he sure as shit liked calling her his dirty girl.

"Nice and wet," Blake praised, grabbing the dildo and placing it in the hand she still had raised for his inspection. "Increase the speed on the vibrator and slowly slide the dildo inside you. Don't fuck yourself with it. Just push it in to the hilt and hold it there." Blake made a mental note to buy her a proper fucking dildo. A wicked grin he was grateful she couldn't see tipped his lips upward as he decided right then and there to gift wrap one to slide under her Christmas tree.

More shifting of the duvet confirmed Erika was following his commands. He heard when the vibrator speed was increased and felt her hips lift off the mattress as she tried to slip the dildo inside.

Her breathing was labored.

"Is it inside you?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Do you like having your tight pussy stuffed full of cock, dirty girl?"

Erika trembled. "God, yes!"

"How close are you to coming?"

The slight crease between her eyes told him there was still work to be done. Erika had admitted her orgasms took some work. Work she didn't seem to think was worth the effort. He intended to show her the error of her ways tonight.

"I—" she started.

"Shh," he whispered in her ear. "Close your legs around that dildo but keep the vibrator on your clit. Then shift your hips up and down."

Erika did as he said, her mouth falling open as she attempted to suck in some much-needed air.

"You're not going to come until I tell you to." Blake knew she wasn't close, but given her submissive responses to his demands, he suspected having her option to come stripped away would worm its way into her psyche, working against her. People want what they can't have.

"I—" she started again.

"I didn't give you permission to speak," he said, his voice louder after all his whispered demands. She jerked slightly in surprise, but damn if his tone didn't have the desired effect. Her hips started moving faster as the sexiest whimpers he'd ever heard fell from her lips. "Open those sexy legs, dirty girl. Spread them wide open and fuck yourself with that dildo."

His cock was harder than it had ever been in his life, and he didn't even want to think about the case of blue balls he was facing. Regardless, there wasn't a damn thing—short of a meteor striking the planet—that could make him stop. Watching Erika pleasure herself had pushed its way to the top five most beautiful things he'd ever seen in his life.

"God," she whispered. "Please!"

Blake was curious about her plea, then he recalled her comment that she could never fuck herself with the dildo as hard as she needed. He knew what he wanted to do…but it was crossing a line.

Erika groaned, and this time he heard the frustration behind it. She couldn't get herself where she wanted to be. He'd intended for tonight to be a lesson in masturbation, but that was wrong. The entire reason they'd started this whole thing was because Erika had been crying and tense.

She needed to come.

Blake clenched his jaw as he slid his hand beneath the duvet. Erika jerked when he brushed her hand away from the dildo. Her eyes opened briefly, but he shook his head.

"Close them. Let me give you what you need." He gripped the base of the dildo, the toy slippery from her arousal. He refused to let himself think about how easy it would be for him to pull down his pants and slide inside her.

Her pussy was so hot, he was surprised steam wasn't rising.

"Turn the vibrator on high and keep it pressed to your clit."

She did as he said—and then, he gave her exactly what she needed, pounding the toy inside her with a strength and force that had her hips rising from the mattress, a quiet keening cry of pleasure falling from her lips.

"Ohmigod!" she gasped, her body rising and falling in time with his thrusts, seeking and stealing as much as she could.

Twice, he felt the vibrator slip away from her clit, and both times, he snapped at her to hold it in place. "Let that thing fall again, and I'll flip you over and spank your ass."

Erika's groan, her full-body shudder, let him know just how much she liked that idea.

"You want to be a bad girl, don't you," he murmured in her ear. "A dirty, bad girl."

She nodded, just a single bob of her head.

"Tell me. Tell me you're a dirty girl."

Her lips parted, and he could see her struggle with the words. He slowed his thrusts, making it clear she wasn't going to get what she wanted until he did.

"I'm a dirty girl," she said softly.

Blake rewarded her by fucking her hard once more. He could tell by her cries she was getting close. "You want to come?"

"Yes," she hissed. "God, yes."

"Beg me."

Erika stuttered for a moment.

"Beg me, dirty girl. Beg me to let you come or?—"

"Please," she cried before he could even finish making his threat. "God. Please. Please let me come!"

Blake pushed the dildo deeper as he gave her what she wanted. "Come," he demanded.

Erika's back arched off the bed as her lips parted, a silent scream erupting. Most of his lovers were very vocal in bed, downright loud even. Mindy was a screamer.

Erika was the exact opposite, her sounds so soft he almost couldn't hear them. Not that the volume mattered one iota. Erika's whimpers and cries, her quiet moans, were the hottest things he'd ever heard. Fucking music to his ears.

"That's it," he crooned. "Look at what a good girl you are."

Her orgasm started to fade, but Blake wasn't kidding earlier—one orgasm wasn't going to be enough. So he fucked her right through it.

Erika started to tremble, her eyelids fluttering.

"Don't you dare open those eyes. You're going to give me another one."

Erika was shaking her head, trying to deny him, even as her body responded to his rough fucking, to the relentless pounding of the dildo in her pussy.

"I can't," she gasped. "I never?—"

"Take it," he demanded. "Take everything I give you, then scream my name."

That was all he had to say before her body proved her a liar, her second climax striking just as hard as the first, her body jerking like she'd touched a live wire.

"Fuck," she cried. "God. Fuck. Blake!"

Blake continued to thrust the toy inside her, but he moved it slower now, the motion intent on bringing her down easy. Erika went limp beside him, every drop of tension evaporated.

He pulled the dildo out, then reached over to turn off the vibrator she'd dropped during the second climax. She didn't react to any of his movements.

Her eyes remained shut, and for a moment, he wondered if she'd fallen asleep.

"Blake," she whispered, still not looking at him.

"Yeah," he murmured.

"Thank you."

He smiled, then pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Go to sleep, Erik."

She remained exactly where she was, not moving a muscle. Part of him suspected she couldn't. He'd fucked her boneless with the shittiest dildo ever made.

Rising slowly from the bed, he adjusted his pants, promising his dick he'd take care of it as soon as he got back to his place.

Corky must have heard him moving because she appeared in the doorway, looking as sleepy as her mommy. Bending over, he gave her a quick cuddle and head rub before placing the puppy on the bed next to Erika.

"Take care of our girl," he whispered to the little mutt before leaving her bedroom.

Blake took a moment to turn off the lights in her apartment, then locked the door behind him on the way out, aware he hadn't just crossed the line.

He'd fucking obliterated it.