Right Time, Right Place occurs approximately eight months after This Time, Maybe. The following chapter is not in the book, but rather a fun bonus chapter that I wrote to prepare you for what’s to come. I hope you like it!

Mallory

I think this might be the best birthday I’ve ever had. Which feels dramatic, but that’s kind of my thing. Everything about tonight has been easy. Laughing too loud at the bar, stealing sips of drinks that weren’t mine, watching Logan look at Cat like he’s been waiting his entire life for her to walk back into it. It’s just…good. All of it. Even Shane, which is the most irritating part.

He’s been on one tonight, constantly grinning like he owns the room. Always saying just enough to get under my skin without crossing the line, just enough to keep me engaged, or get a reaction out of me. And I think he likes the latter especially. I think I might enjoy the latter as well.

“Anyone feel like swimming?”

Every head in our group snaps towards Shane, staring at him like he’s lost his mind.

“There’s a pool right there,” he adds, pointing over his shoulder towards Logan’s house, staring back at us like we’re the ridiculous ones. “All lit up and pretty under the moonlight. I wanna swim.”

He stands from his chair, stretching his arms over his head. I pretend not to notice the little sliver of his sculpted abs that peeks out. Pretend not to notice the tiny trail of hair leading down to…

“Go for it, buddy,” Logan says with a laugh, pulling Cat even closer.

As I watch Shane, the figurative devil on my shoulder takes over. That damn drunken alter ego of mine. Okay, maybe it’s not even just a drunk thing. I’ll unpack that later, though, Because it’s my birthday and tonight feels like the kind of night where you say yes to things. I stand from the couch, Shane’s eyes tracking every movement.

“Actually, you know what? Hell yeah,” I say, raising a challenging brow at him.

He raises one in return. “Race you.” He doesn’t wait for me to respond, he just takes off.

“Are you—oh my—” I shove myself into motion, laughing as I bolt after him. “That’s not fair!”

Because of course he doesn’t go for the gate. No. He heads straight for the tall, iron fence and clears it like it’s nothing.

“Show off!” I yell, skidding to the gate and shoving it open before sprinting through.

I can hear him laughing from somewhere to my left, but I don’t stop moving. By the time I make it to the pool edge, I’m breathless, adrenaline buzzing through me as I—

—slam straight into him.

Strong hands brace me, a low, dark laugh following. I didn’t even see him coming. Grabbing onto his arm to steady myself, I try to catch my breath.

“Cheater,” I accuse.

He laughs again. “You’re just slow.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Rematch,” I shoot back.

He glances down at the water beside us, then back at me, something shifting in his expression.

“Pool’s right there.”

I glance over my shoulder, finally taking it all in. I’ve used Logan’s pool many times with Cat, but never at night. And it’s exactly as Shane described—lit up, quiet, the surface rippling under the soft glow of the lights. Completely at odds with the raucous night we’ve had.

“First one in wins,” I say, removing my tiny rattan purse from my shoulder and tossing it onto the chair just a few feet from me.

It opens, because it always does, my stuff spilling onto the seat, including a few gold condom wrappers. Normally, I might be embarrassed, but I don’t care tonight.

Shane’s eyes flicker with amusement. “Somebody had big plans tonight, huh?”

“When you look like this, you’ve got to stay prepared.”

“Mm.” His gaze drops to my mouth for a second, then to my shoulders and the way my dress swoops down low in the front before coming back up. “Anyway…you won’t.”

I feel it immediately. That spark. That challenge. That need I always have to show him up and make him eat his words.

“Won’t what?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.

“Jump,” he says, softer now. “You talk a big game, Michaels, but—”

“Oh my god, you’re insufferable.”

I shove him. He grabs my wrist on instinct, and then we’re both off balance, momentum taking over as we crash into the pool. The rush of cold water steals the air from my lungs. I come up gasping and laughing, pushing my hair out of my face.

“You are such an—”

He’s right there, much closer than I expect. Water dripping from his hair, black shirt clinging to his muscular form, eyes on mine like he hasn’t decided if this is still a joke.

“I guess I won,” he says, running a hand over his hair.

I let out a breathless laugh. “We both fell in.”

“Still counts.”

“It does not.”

“It does if I went under first, which I’m pretty sure I did.”

“That’s not—ugh!” I splash water at him. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Yeah,” he says easily, throwing a hand up to block the water. “You’ve mentioned.”

“This is gonna ruin my dress,” I mutter, looking down at the white fabric now clinging to my chest.

There’s a beat of silence.

“Then take it off.”

My head snaps up. His eyes move over my body slowly, and I know he can definitely see the outline of my nipples through the thin, wet fabric . Luckily, the water is up to my navel, otherwise much more would be visible.

“If you want to get me naked, Shane Evans, you’ll have to try a little harder than that.”

He moves closer to me, the smile on his face devastating as he tilts his face down to mine. “You…” His eyes flick to my lips briefly. “Won’t.”

You know, I’m sure with a clearer mind I’d realize both paths technically lead to me losing in some way here, but no part of my ego is capable of turning down a challenge from somebody like him. I say nothing as I take a few steps backward until the pool wall is at my back. His expression shifts, attention sharpening as his eyes track every move I make. I keep mine on him as I reach for the hem of my dress under the water, slowly peeling the soaked fabric up and over my body, tossing it onto the pool deck behind me with a wet slap.

For a second, neither of us says anything. I just stand in front of him, wholly bare, while his eyes drink me in. The only thing stopping him from from seeing all of me is the water we’re standing in. The tension in the air thickens. His eyes drag back up to mine, something heavier sitting underneath the usual cocky edge.

“Kinda feels like my birthday now,” he says.

There’s a gruff edge to his voice that sends a shiver down my spine and all the way to my vagina. The girl wants what she wants, I didn’t say she had great taste. I huff a small laugh, raising a brow at him. His eyes look completely black in this light, none of the golden brown I know visible at all. Water pebbles off of his brown skin, trailing all the way down to the waistline of his pants. Pants that he still rudely has on.

“I think this means I won,” I say.

He shakes his head immediately, stepping closer to me. “Nah.”

“Oh, it absolutely does.”

His eyes linger on my bare chest, and he steps forward again as he licks his lips. “Nope.”

I raise a hand to point a finger at him. “I’m pretty sure—”

He grabs my wrist and closes the remaining space between us.

My breath hitches, eyes flicking to where his large fingers are wrapped around my small wrist. Not too tightly, but possessive in a good way.

“You are…” he closes his eyes, exhaling through his nose.

“I’m what?” I stare up at him, biting my lower lip.

His eyes snap open and he releases my wrist, letting his fingers glide down my wet arm slowly. His other arm lifts, bracing against the wall behind me as I step back, just a bit, until the cool tile presses against my spine.

“You are a fucking goddess. You-”

“Shut up, Shane,” I interrupt, taking his face in my hands and pulling his mouth to mine.

For a half a second, he stills, like I’ve surprised him. Good, I think to myself. But then his free hand slides to my rib cage as he steps into me, deepening our kiss. Our tongues clash, the taste of him egging me on more as I rake my fingers through his short hair. He groans into my mouth, pressing his hard cock against my stomach. It only makes me hungry for more. We’ve already crossed a line, so I’m not turning back now, and not one ounce of me wants to.

His hands travel down my back and cup my ass as he lifts me, my legs wrapping around him instinctively. The hard cement of the pool edge digs into my back a little, but I couldn't care less right now.

“More,” I breathe against his mouth in between kisses, grinding myself against his length.

But it’s not enough. I need him naked and inside of me. Preferably as soon as possible.

He nips at my lower lip. “Hmm, I dunno. I kinda want to hear you beg.”

I yank at his hair, pulling his head back just slightly. “If you keep talking, I’m going to change my mind.”

His fingers dig into my ass as he moves me over his cock. “I don’t think you will.”

I try to keep a poker face, but my eyes flutter shut when the fabric of his pants rubs against my clit just right.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he says with a rough laugh.

I say nothing. I just bask in the euphoria I feel right now. And my silence is also partially because I know he’s about to crack, which is only confirmed when my eyes snap open and I see that his are glued to the spot where our bodies meet. He is dying for more, I can see it.

Checkmate, mother fucker.

His grip on me tightens like he’s afraid I’ll leave and then all of a sudden, he lets go of my legs. For a second, I think he might be about to break in a way I didn’t see coming. Like he might bail. But then he steps into me, caging me in against the pool wall once more as he drags his mouth over mine, hard enough to steal my breath.

“Get out,” he mutters, voice low.

I blink, thrown for half a second.

“Now.”

There’s nothing playful in his tone anymore. No smirk or edge of a joke.

I tilt my head, testing him. “You giving up?”

His eyes drag over me once, slow, deliberate and not subtle in the slightest, before snapping back to mine.

“Not even close.” A muscle in his jaw flexes as he looks to the side. “Just not doing this out here.”

The way he says it is so final. Like he’s decided this is really about to happen. Something tight coils low in my stomach, because I actually like this side of him.

I hold his gaze for a second longer, deciding whether or not I want to piss him off.

Whether he’d even react the way I hope. But he doesn’t move. So I do.

I push off the wall, ducking under his arm as I stride across the pool towards the steps.

“Try to keep up,” I toss over my shoulder.

I don’t need to check if he follows.

I already know he will.