Someone just shoot me. Maria groaned and rolled over, tangling herself further in the blanket. Her head was pounding and she felt mildly queasy. She'd had too much wine to drink, that much she remembered. She had a sudden vision of herself rolling on top of Ritchie on the chaise by the pool. Grabbing him. Kissing him.

Oh God. Had she...No. That she would have remembered. But how had she ended up here, in bed? Wait, they'd been rolling around on the chaise, and then the next thing she remembered, Ritchie had picked her up and said...Wow. She must have passed out. If she hadn't, she would have made even more of a fool of herself, whereas Ritchie had been the perfect gentleman and just tucked her into bed. She felt her cheeks flush at the memory, partly from embarrassment but – if she was honest with herself – just as much from the memory of what his hands had felt like on her skin, the way her body had felt pressed against his.

Maria took a long shower and took her time getting dressed, putting off the moment when she'd have to face him. Hoping maybe he'd gone into the office. It was Saturday, and she wasn't scheduled at the restaurant. She was working at the gallery later this afternoon, and Joey wouldn't be back until much later.

She could smell the coffee as soon as she started down the stairs. She took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen. And there he was, learning against the kitchen counter, a mug of coffee in one hand and an unreadable look on his face.

"How do you feel?"

How about really, really embarrassed. She looked for any hint of condescension, but the question seemed sincere.

"I'm okay," she said cautiously.

"Hungry?"

"Do you cook?"

"I'm a man of many talents," he said.

After last night, she had to agree.

"You want an omelet?"

Her stomach wasn't quite ready for that. "Just some toast. And coffee," she added, walking over to the counter to pour herself some. "But go ahead and make whatever you want."

"I've been up awhile. I ate."

"Ok."

Richie cut two thick slices from a loaf of Italian bread and dropped them in the toaster while she stood there, sipping her coffee.

The small talk had been bad enough, but the silence was making her nuts. Should she apologize for practically jumping him last night? Well, it's not like he put up any resistance. In fact, if she hadn't had so much wine, he wouldn't have put her to bed – he'd have gone to bed with her. Or maybe made love with her right there by the pool. Her body tingled at the thought. Of course, if she hadn't had so much wine, she never would have rolled on top of him and kissed him and...

She jumped when the toast popped, and he looked over at her and grinned.

"Something on your mind?" He had just enough of a smug look on his face to make all thoughts of an apology for her behavior fly right out the window.

"You're just lucky I passed out last night, or we might have done something we'd both be regretting this morning." She plucked a piece of toast out of the toaster and took a bite. It settled her stomach a bit, but not her nerves.

He grinned at her.

"Why? Would I have been that disappointed?"

Just who did he think he was, standing there, in his low slung jeans and his faded University of Florida Law School t-shirt and his bare feet and that smirk on his face, looking way more sexy than any man had any right to look.

"Of course not," she said indignantly. "I just mean I realize I was the one that started something last night, and I just want you to know that if I hadn't been drinking, I never would have kissed you or...or..."

"Or climbed on top of me out by the pool?" He set his coffee on the marble island and walked around it.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to ignore the grin on his face. She abandoned her toast and took a step backward as he moved closer.

"Absolutely not. I simply wasn't in full possession of my faculties last night," she said primly.

He was just a little too close now, and she could feel her back pressing against the counter. Her heart started to beat a little faster.

"Do you know what you're doing now? Fully in possession of your faculties?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good."

He took the coffee mug out of her hands and set it on the counter.

"Wh– what are you doing?"

"If it's not obvious, then I'm not doing a very good job of it." He reached out and hooked two fingers into the waistband of her shorts, pulling her gently forward until she was pressed up against him.

"It's my turn to make the first move. You okay with that?"

Before she could form an answer, his mouth covered hers, and a fire shot through her straight to her core. She put her hands against his chest, gripping his shirt, then wrapping her arms around those hard muscles. She kissed him back, thrilling wildly when he lifted her up, leaned her against the counter as she wrapped her legs around his waist and arched backward. She'd thought it was just the alcohol last night that had made her feel so dizzy, but she wasn't drunk now. His strong hands were under her shirt, unhooking her bra and pushing it out of the way, and then his mouth was on her bare breast, his lips moving closer to the taut peak while the pad of his thumb brushed over her other breast.

She felt his warm breath on her nipple as he leaned his head back to look at her face, his chin resting on the underside of her breast, and a quick thrill ran through her.

"Do you want me to stop? Tell me now, Maria."

"No. I don't want you to stop."

Then his thumb was moving in rhythmic circles over one nipple and his mouth closed over the other one and she couldn't even think anymore. She grabbed his head, gripping his hair with both hands and moaned as she strained toward him, clamping her legs tighter around his waist. He was doing things to her she'd only imagined before, and it felt incredible. Why had she been so afraid to get this close to someone? God, if she died right now, she'd die happy.

But why did it have to be Ritchie who made her feel this way?

He lifted his head, and his mouth trailed up over the top of her breast, to her collarbone, and made her shiver.

"Take me to bed, Ritchie. Take me to bed now. And I don't mean tuck me in for the night."

"Are you sure?"

In response, she fastened her lips on his and kissed him like she'd never kissed anyone before. When she slid her hand down between them, pressing her palm against the hard length of him straining against his jeans, he pulled back.

"Whoa. Let's try to at least make it to the bed."

Then she found herself boosted up higher, her legs coming loose from around his waist as he put her over his shoulder and strode out of the kitchen and toward the wide staircase. The feel of his hand at the top of her thighs, holding her in place, was intoxicating, and being pressed against his shoulder created a delicious pressure that was almost unbearable.

When he tossed her unceremoniously onto his bed, she bounced on the mattress and laughed out loud at the incongruity of it all.

"Something funny, Miss Martinez?"

She was about to make a clever retort when he peeled off his shirt and, suddenly, her mouth went dry.

"I'm just a little nervous," she whispered.

"Hmm. That's probably because you're wearing too many clothes. I can help you with that," he said, leaning over and pulling her shirt over her head. Then he slid her bra straps off her shoulders so it fell forward.

"Now where were we when we paused downstairs?" he asked. "Ah, yes, now I remember."

His eyes had a wicked glint as he leaned forward, putting one knee on the bed, and lowered his face to graze her breasts. His chin was soft, and she realized that of course he had shaved this morning. 

The smooth touch was every bit as erotic as the rough beard had felt the night before. She felt her nipples tighten, and she arched toward him, letting the feeling ripple through her entire body. Just let it happen. Don't overthink it. No, said another voice in her head, you have to tell him.

He stepped back and unfastened his jeans then reached over and pulled a foil packet out of the drawer in the bedside table. He slipped onto the bed beside her, wearing only his boxers, and she thought, wow, and then this is really it.

He leaned over her, on his side, his leg brushing up against hers.

"You're so quiet all of a sudden."

"I have to tell you something."

"Uh oh." He sat up. "Is this one of those moments where you tell me you are secretly married to a Columbian drug lord? Who carves out the heart of any man who looks at you?"

"I think I saw that movie." She laughed nervously.

"What is it, Maria?"

"It's just...I've never done this before." She couldn't look at him, but when she looked down, all she could see was the evidence of how ready and willing he was to do what they were about to do, and she wondered why she hadn't just kept her mouth shut. It was just so embarrassing.

He frowned. "If you mean you don't usually have casual sex, Maria, I get that. This attraction between us has been coming on for a long time." He put his fingers under her chin, forced her to look at him. "I've wanted you since the first night I met you at St. Theresa's."

"I used to think about you." Her voice was a whisper. "About this. At night. Back before I knew..."

His voice hardened. "Tito's not in bed with us. This isn't about him, it isn't about Joey. It's just you and me right now."

He paused and spoke more gently. "If you think I'm going to think less of you because we ended up in bed together, then you don't really know me at all."

"No, it's not that..." The longer she waited, the harder it was to get the words out.

"I've never had sex before!" she said, almost shouting. "Oh crap."

"You've never had sex before," he repeated, looking at her like he was in shock. Oh great. Now he thought she was some kind of a freak. A twenty-six year old virgin.

"It's not like I planned it that way, it just...the time was never right, that's all." She knew she sounded defensive. She sounded like an idiot. "I shouldn't have told you. I should have just fumbled my way through it."

He looked like he was trying not to laugh, and she felt sick.

"Trust me," he said, "I would have figured it out before long."

His gaze dropped down to her breasts, and she felt her nipples tighten of their own will. Suddenly she felt too naked, too vulnerable. She grabbed a pillow from the other side of the bed and held it in front of her.

"Don't do that." He pulled the pillow away and she sighed, hating that the breath came out on a half sob. Dammit. The last thing she wanted to do was look like a fool.

"We're not going to do this, Maria."

Author's Note:

Oh no! What is Maria feeling now?

Music:  Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone