"Let's go to Bougainvillea. It's Friday, so good bands," Alys mentioned.

"I can't. I'll poop. The heavy sounds will move my bowels," Lili informed us from the backseat. "What about Alabama Jack's? We can have a few beers and play pool, and I'll be able to hold it in until we head home."

Alabama Jack's was a great place if we wanted to pick up some hairy bikers. The crowd was a bit older, but the music was classic rock, and we were totally cool with that. Plus, it was fun to flirt with the old guys. They knew nothing was going to happen. There was nothing wrong with getting the old ego boosted.

Located off the long stretch between NOLA and LaPlace, it was surrounded by swampy thick foliage. It looked a little seedy, but it was a pretty safe place. The parking lot was dirt and gravel, and there was a wraparound porch where people liked to sit, play checkers, and drink Budweiser.

When we got there, the same old crowd that was always there greeted us. Several of the old guys whistled and waved at us, and we waved and smiled back.

Good times.

It was dimly lit inside with a huge rectangular bar lined with barstools. The bartender station sat inside the boxed area. Old photos and memorabilia crowded the wooden walls, lending a homey sort of warmth. The smell was heavy with cigarette smoke and old beer, but it only took a few minutes not to notice it anymore.

Several empty stools at the far end of the bar beckoned, and we parked ourselves before ordering bottles of beer and shots of Jgermeister.

"I can't believe it-Dr. MacGregor!" crowed Alys. "Is it me or have the years just blown by us?"

"I'm pretty shocked that we made it already," I agreed.

Lili passed around the shots and beer chasers, and we threw them back with grimaces and grunts of disgust.

Hate the taste. Love the feeling. That was the gist of Jger.

Warm, fuzzy, and just so happy that the three of us were where we were in life, for the first time in a long time, I felt that I could just let go. In all honesty, I thought I'd had lost my true self these past few years-and on purpose, too. By focusing hardcore on what I'd needed to do, I hadn't thought about anything else. I hadn't had to feel. The part of me that had lain dormant for the last five plus years was starting to wake up. I was feeling...exhilarated.

I set my empty beer bottle down on the bar.

The bartender set down a fresh one. "From the guy over there." He smiled and pointed across the bar.

My eyes followed the finger and landed on- Oh my gods above.

He had to be one of the hottest men in existence.

He waved his own bottle of beer at me, and I couldn't help but smile in return. He stood up-Oh! He's taller than I am!-and headed over.

Both Alys and Lili were ogling him, too. It was easy to see why. The guy had shaggy shoulder-length black hair, a really, really well-maintained physique, and a face that would make angels weep with high cheekbones, gorgeous lips, level brows with a natural clean arch to them.

"Hi," he said, standing next to me. "Can I join you?"

"Yeah," I breathed.

His smile was quite literally breathtaking. His teeth were all white and healthy-looking.

Since Lili was sitting between Alys and me, the stool to my left was vacant, and his sweet ass plopped down on it. Wearing a short-sleeved gray T-shirt, showing off heavily tattooed strong arms, and a pair of well-worn jeans that hugged him in all the right places, he was drop-dead fucking gorgeous.

"I'm Brian."

And I'm fucking enchanted!

"Kenna," I replied, smiling. I seriously couldn't help it. Something this good-looking just naturally induced happiness. My brain was fritzing into a pile of mush due to the surge of hormones that had been kept in check for the last five and a half years.

"That's a pretty name," he said, his voice a sweet, warm caramel drip.

Lili pointedly cleared her throat, and I had the overwhelming urge to slap her.

"Thanks. This is Lili and Alys," I said, not even looking back at them.

Brian craned his neck to see them with bright hazel eyes, and he smiled. "Hi. Am I interrupting you guys?"

Oh, yes. And in a most welcome way.

"Nope," said Alys. "Lili and I were just heading over to the pool tables."

"But-" Lili started to protest.

I heard Alys whack her on some various body part.

I grinned at Brian.

For the next two hours, I discovered that this demigod of a man, Brian Murray, was a paramedic. He was twenty-six years old, originally hailed from Boston, and was a diehard heavy metal fan. He lived alone with an English bulldog named Bubba, loved watching Shark Week, and had a mild obsession with dirt-biking. He enjoyed cooking, and his favorite food was guacamole.

Sitting here with this amazing, smart, hilarious, beautiful man, it really hit home that I hadn't had sex since my senior year of high school-as in, Jaime, my one and only boyfriend, whom I'd shared a lonely sex relapse with on Valentine's Day.

Six fucking years ago!

It was about time to rectify that unfortunate circumstance, and Brian was a prime specimen to do that rectifying with.

For the love of all that is holy...

It wasn't like Phil fucking Deveraux was anywhere in my fucking time zone.

Reaching out, Brian tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "So...you wanna get out of here?"

Two hours of getting to know this man was enough for me.

"Yeah, I think I do," I replied, feeling way bolder than I normally did, thanks to the copious amounts of liquid courage coursing through my veins. "I'm going to let my girls know I'm heading out, okay?"

He smiled, and I thought my uterus danced a bit of a jig.

"I'll take care of the tab," he said.

Alys was kicking some serious ass at pool against a bearded heavy-set man with two nose rings.

"I'm, uh..." I said, looking at my two best friends, suddenly feeling nervous. "I'm going to go home with that dude tonight."

Alys beamed from ear to ear. Lili threw me a dirty look.

"What?" I asked my pocket-sized spitfire, already knowing where this was headed.

"Don't listen to her," said Alys.

"Lili, have you seen that guy? I haven't had sex since Jaime. From what I hear, if you don't use it, you lose it."

Alys chortled.

Lili sagged a little. "Yeah, all right. Just don't, you know..."

"Not really, no."

"Phil's coming home for you," she said, getting right to the point.

"In case you haven't noticed, Lili, Phil hasn't made a move in more than five years. If I keep this up, you're going to have to start buying me cats. I'm not waiting anymore for something that's never going to happen. Brian is gorgeous, and to be honest, it's just sex. I need to get laid."

"Everybody deserves to get laid," said the bearded dude.

"Thanks, man." Beard Dude has my back. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, yeah?"

"Have fun, Sweet Pea." Alys smiled.

"Thanks, Muffin."

Brian rode a chopper. I didn't really know much about bikes, but it was damn sexy. The handlebars were huge massive chrome fixtures spread high and wide apart. Weirdly, it made me think of the gynecologist and stirrups but whatever. Sparkly black, it was a custom-made machine, and gyno-inducing memories aside, it was pretty fucking hot. He handed me his helmet, a black cap with a chinstrap, and helped me secure it.

Then, he sat on the damn thing, and I totally got it. I climbed on behind him with his sweet ass against my crotch.

He glanced over his shoulder with a sweet grin. "Hold on to me tight, baby."

Yes, sir!

My arms slid around his waist, and I relaxed into his back. Then, he took me on a fifteen-minute wild ride that thrilled me to my core-in more ways than one.

Brian's home was in a newly developed neighborhood. His three-bedroom, two-bath house screamed of his hopes for one day having a family.

Oh, I am so ready for this! This guys is so gorgeous. Please don't let him be shit in bed. Please don't let me be shit in bed.

Inside was a total bachelor pad with black pleather couches, metal and horror movie posters on the walls, and a huge CD collection I'd love to browse through once we were done bumping nasties. The TV was quite a large flat screen. Obviously, he made decent money. It was clean and well organized. It wasn't like OCD or anything, but at least he took care of himself.

"You want anything to drink?" he asked, dropping his keys on a tall table next to the door.

"Water would be great. Thanks," I replied, looking around.

Would Phil's place look anything like this?

Why the fuck am I thinking of Phil? Go away, Phil.

A fat sausage roll on legs snorted its way over to me, waddling its chunky butt up, until practically sitting on my feet. I realized it was a dog when its mashed-in face split in half, and a fat pink tongue unrolled out of its mouth.

"That's Bubba," Brian told me from the kitchen as he filled a glass with ice and water. "He's a complete ham."

"He's adorable!" I crooned at Bubba, getting to my knees and lovingly attacking the roly-poly.

Bubba flopped onto his side and rolled onto his back, wheezing and snorting with pure bliss.

Brian returned to the living room with two waters, patiently letting me get out my nervousness, while I smothered his poor dog with love. After a few minutes, I knew I had to stop and join him on the couch. I couldn't let my nerves get to me. This guy had no clue that I hadn't had sex since I was seventeen. I needed to play it cool.

Dropping into the seat next to him, I grabbed my water and took a few sips. As I set the glass back on the table, I located my mythical balls and looked at him.

He was just looking back at me, all sorts of gorgeous deliciousness. His smile was just so damn fine.

Then, he tackled me back on the couch. It was so hot-his hands and mouth all over me, grinding his hard-on against my crotch. It was like a full-blown teenage make-out session for about an hour on the sofa before he got up and dragged me to his bedroom.

We were both so hot and bothered for each other that we were ripping one another's clothes off.

Hot, hot damn!

He was beautiful. His skin was nicely golden, telling me he spent a lot of time half naked in the outdoors, and his tattoos were just so badass, not a tribal tattoo in sight. They were just intricate works of art up his arms and a crow with wings outstretched across the whole of his chest.

Lovely.

By his sharp intake of breath when I was fully naked before him, he was just as impressed with me.

"Fuck, Kenna, you are gorgeous." He moaned softly before grabbing my face and kissing me with some steamy passion. Pushing me back onto the bed, he asked, "How do you like it?"

My brain sort of drew a blank because I honestly had no clue.

"Uh...how do you want to do it?" I asked in an attempt to cover up my naivete.

"I want to fuck the shit out of you and get the first one out of the way before getting...creative."

Makes sense. "Yeah, all right."

He opened the drawer to the nightstand next to the bed and grabbed a condom. Standing above me, his eyes didn't leave me as he ripped it open and rolled it over the impressive length of him.

Damn, he's quite big.

Lowering himself between my thighs, he guided himself with one hand to my entrance and slowly started pushing in. I was very wet, but it had been six years. I was so tight, and for a second, I panicked.

Shit, it does grow back!

Arching my back, I hissed a little at the burning sting of it.

Brian went completely still. "Are you a virgin?"

Cracking up, I replied, "No, but I've been warned that it can grow back!"

He laughed. "I guess I'll save fucking the shit out of you for next time then."

Kissing me, his tongue sweeping into my mouth, he made me all hot and relaxed before easing the rest of the way in. And damn, he felt so good. Taking his time, grinding his pubic bone against me to make sure that I came sweetly, he seemed to take pleasure in watching me. For a reintroduction into the wonderful world of sex, it was pretty fucking awesome.