My tongue circled the head and he hissed as his hand fisted in my hair. My ponytail wrapped around his hand as he began to pull and push my head as I worked my mouth over him.

  “I don’t want to know why you’re so good at this. Jesus, Lila, holy hell this is better than all the times I’ve imagined this while taking a shower.”

  I smiled up at him, and he smirked as his chest rose and fell rapidly. I watched him. Keeping our eyes connected as I ran my tongue over him. Teasing. Flicking the tip and then going back down on it.

  “God, baby, just like that. Fuck, that’s good.”

  I had never wanted to give a guy a blow job before. But Cruz. I’d imagined this and thought about it. Wished for it. More than once over the past few years.

  “I can’t,” he groaned and pulled me back then tossed me on the bed. His eyes were dark, pupils dilated. With one tug, he had my pajama bottoms and panties off. The firm muscular body I was fascinated with covered me. “Open for me, Lila,” he demanded.

  My thighs fell open, and he captured both my wrists and held them over my head. Pinned to the mattress. “I was gonna be fucking sweet, but now I need this pussy. You’ve made me crazy, and this won’t be anything resembling sweet, baby.”

  The first thrust was hard and I cried out from the pain but my body tingled with pleasure.

  “You,” he growled then plunged into me again. “Can’t. Suck my dick like a pro and look like an angel and expect me to be sane.”

  I started to laugh when he filled me again and again, taking my breath. All my thoughts. Just the steady climb toward the release I knew was coming. The beautiful explosion that was only possible in his arms.

  “I’m addicted to this. To you. Your goddamn pussy,” he said it like he was angry about it. But then he began kissing my neck and taking little bites of my skin. It was erotic and sweet even if he thought it wasn’t. Cruz would never be like Eli. He wasn’t structured, polite, or predictable. Those were traits that I had. I craved something else. I craved the excitement of Cruz’s wildness, dirty mouth, rule breaking. All the things I wasn’t. It balanced me. He was my fit.

  “Lila,” he said as he lifted his head and sank into me completely.

  “Yes,” I was breathless.

  “I love you, but I’m about to flip you over and fuck you like a paid for it.”

  I didn’t have time to respond before he had me on all fours and his hands were on my hips as he began to pound into me from behind. I lost my breath. The angle where he entered me sent me closer to the climax I craved.

  “So fucking proper and perfect with your ass up in the air for me to fuck,” he said between thrusts. “Come for me baby,” it sounded like a command. My body reacted like it was one.

  I burst into flames and cried out his name. He pulled free and unloaded his release all over my backside. I felt the heat of the liquid as it hit me. We both went still. My body was humming from being taken so fiercely.

  “I’ve got a thing for coming all over your body,” he drawled.

  “I like it,” I admitted smiling into the pillow I had collapsed on.

  “Stay right here,” he said as if I had the energy to get up and go anywhere. I was close to passing out. Sleeping for a bit sounded good. My body spent in the best way imaginable.

  A warm cloth startled me as it ran over my back, bottom and between my thighs. With one last wipe, he slid it over the sensitive area between my thighs and I gasped.

  “Tender?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  He lay down beside me pulling me against him. “Sorry I was so rough. You set me off with the world class cock sucking.”

  I giggled and buried my head in his chest.

  “Laugh all you want. You’re a pro, and now that your mouth isn’t on my dick I am a little worried about how you got so damn good.”

  I moved so I could see him. His arms still around me. “You’ve slept with hundreds of women, and you’re worried about my blowjob abilities?”

  He scowled. “Yes. I am.”

  I laughed then. Simply because I had only done this once before and I wasn’t a big fan of it then.

  “Glad you think I’m funny,” he didn’t sound pleased.

  “What if I said I’m worried about the fact you can undress a girl and be inside her in less than thirty seconds?”

  He was still scowling. “I’d say you knew I was a whore. I know you’re a good girl. There’s the difference.”

  I buried my head in his neck and traced a heart on his chest. “It was because it was you,” I finally admitted.

  “What?” he asked.

  “It was you. I wanted to. I’d dreamed about it. Fantasized. You know.”

  He pulled back and tilted my head back until I had to look at him. “Are you telling me you’ve been fantasizing about sucking my dick?”

  I nodded.

  “Damn, baby. All you had to do was say ‘Cruz, can I suck your dick?’ and I’d have made that dream come true a lot faster.”

  Cruz Kerrington

  I HAD SHIT to fix. It was vital that I handled it before it was too late. Some secrets were best kept that way. Mine was one of them. I wasn’t going to lose Lila Kate now that I had enough guts to admit I wanted her. That I loved her. I’d jumped in and done this. I wasn’t letting go. Nor was I going to let her.

  She’d become as important to me as breathing. Scary as hell. But the truth.

  Leaving her to work at her studio while I went to the club for a meeting with Dad would have been the safe thing. The smart thing. But the idea of leaving her hadn’t been appealing so I asked her to come with me, and we’d have lunch.

  She didn’t want this world. She had run from it. She had moved across town. Yet I was reminding her that I was this world. I would one day own the club and all that came with it. Sure, she knew where my future was but I still didn’t want to remind her. Not this damn soon.

  When we pulled up to valet and got out of the car to go inside, she seemed happy enough. I slid my arm around her waist and she didn’t freeze or act nervous. She was fine with this public display of affection. I was just beginning to enjoy myself when Shelby, a waitress whose last name I did not remember, came walking out of the dining room. I muttered a curse under my breath when her eyes locked on me and she smiled. Completely nonplussed by the fact my arm was around Lila Kate’s waist.

  “Cruz,” she said giving me a smile that was too familiar. Too damn sexual.

  “Hello,” I replied with a nod hoping to keep walking on past her. She was an employee; therefore, it was a given I should know who she was. It wasn’t a given, however, that I should know that she got a Brazilian wax once a month.

  “I’m just getting off the breakfast shift.” She winked at me as if this meant something.

  “Then enjoy the rest of your day.” Hopefully, she took the hint. Her eyes shifted from me to Lila Kate, and they widened as if just now realizing I was with someone.

  “Are y’all . . .” she didn’t finish that question as she wagged her finger back and forth at both of us.

  “Yes, we are,” I replied. “Enjoy your Saturday.” I then moved on hoping Shelby was done with her questioning.

  “You don’t have to get so tense when that happens. Cruz. I’ve known you my entire life. It’s going to happen a lot.”

  I gazed down at Lila Kate. “I wish I could make it stop. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

  She smirked. “Dating you means dealing with all your past relationships.”

  “Shelby wasn’t a relationship. She was a fuck.”

  Lila Kate sighed. “I was trying to be more delicate.”

  That made me laugh. “Shelby never considered me a relationship either. I promise.”

  With a small lift of her shoulder she said, “I don’t imagine any girl did.”

  Never had I wished I could go back and change shit. Until now. Lila Kate’s opinion of me wasn’t great. And what sucked most was it wasn’t even accurate. I was much worse than she thought.

  “I’ll get a table and order a drink while you meet with your dad,” she told me as we neared the restaurant entrance.

  “Okay. I won’t be long. I’ll let him know you’re waiting on me. That should make his fucking year.”

  “Are you ready to tell your parents about this? Don’t you think we should wait until you’re sure?” The doubt in her voice and her words stung. Even now after the dramatic scene I’d made this morning, she was still being cautious. I deserved it.

  I pulled her hand up to my chest and pressed a kiss to her fingers. “I’m not sure where I wasn’t clear this morning. But I am positive. There is no question in my mind. Is there in yours?” Because if she still didn’t know if she wanted to do this I might have to resort to drastic measures. Like kidnaping her and taking her off to a cabin in the mountains and making sure she was as addicted to me as I was her.

  I sighed inwardly. The fact I’d just thought something like that meant I was sunk too deep.

  “I’ve been sure since I was fourteen,” she replied.

  I had started pushing her away even back then. When I knew we had something, but I’d hurt her in the end. So I hurt her in the beginning. I had a lot of years to make up for now.

  I grabbed the back of her head and kissed her until she was clinging to me and our chests were rising and falling rapidly. “I love you,” I reminded her. Then I pressed one more kiss to her lips before turning toward my father’s office.

  I hadn’t been this damn happy about being here, breathing air, and eating at this place in a long damn time. Since childhood at least.

  I glanced back to make sure Lila Kate had gone into the dining room before knocking n my dad’s door.

  “Come in,” he called out.

  For once I wasn’t dreading it. I opened the door, and Dad stood there leaning against the front of his desk with his arms crossed over his chest. A frown on his face and his eyes glaring in my direction.

  “Explain to me what I just saw out there. Go slowly. Be thorough.”

  Shit.

  “I’m not sure what you’re referring to,” was my lame response.

  “Cruz, I’m not in the fucking mood.”

  This was going to have to be dealt with sooner or later. I figured sooner would at least be getting it out of the way. “I’m in love with Lila Kate.”

  Dad’s glare faded, and his eyebrows drew together as he studied me. “In love? Like only one woman in love?”

  Jesus, he had a low opinion of me. “Is there another love? Because I always believed that if you were in love, it was with only one woman. Unless you’re in love with women in general.”

  “You’re a smartass,” he said scowling again. “When did you decide you were in love with Lila Kate?”

  Why did this matter? I wasn’t here to defend myself. I would have to do that with Grant. I shouldn’t have to do it with my father. “Does it matter?”

  I gave me one sharp nod and continued to glare at me.

  “When I thought I was going to lose her. That’s when.”

  “Lose her? When did you have her?”

  “I didn’t have her, but it was the idea that she could love someone else. Forget me. Move on. It was a slap in the face. One I needed.”

  Dad stood up straight and groaned. “That’s not the answer I wanted to hear. You can’t just think you love her in order to keep her loving you. Then get bored and break her heart. That’s cruel son. Selfish. I taught you better than this.”

  “I’ve loved her or a long time. Okay. I knew if I let myself I’d feel something special. But Lila Kate is . . . she’s important. I couldn’t hurt her. I was protecting her.”

  I watched as he rubbed his forehead as if frustrated. This wasn’t his business. We weren’t kids who were just caught fucking in the backseat. “You wanted to meet with me about the Kipling franchise,” I reminded him.

  “You’re changing the subject.”

  I nodded. “Yep.”

  He started to say something else and stopped. “Fine. You are both adults. If you want to do this, I can’t stop you. But Lila Kate isn’t like the women you typically spend time with. She’s fragile, sweet, unsure . . . I don’t want you to hurt her.”

  I looked directly at my dad. “Nothing has ever been this serious in my life. I’ll kill anyone who hurts her.”

  Dad sat there a moment then raised one of his eyebrows. “Well, son, I guess I lost that bet.”

  “What?”

  He walked over to his side of the desk. “I told your mother you’d be a bachelor until you were at least forty. She bet me you’d fall in love before the year was over. She said she just had a feeling.”

  Annoyed at both my parents, I stood up. “I can’t believe y’all were betting on that. I hope she just emptied your fucking pockets.”

  Dad chuckled. “I won’t tell you what the wager was . . . you couldn’t handle it.”

  Lila Kate

  THE OOLONG TEA I’d ordered was getting cold as I waited on Cruz. I’d taken a few sips but my thoughts were elsewhere, and I’d forgotten about it while I pondered this situation. I hadn’t been kidding when I had said that I would be dealing with a lot of “Shelbys.” It was just the way things were.

  The problem was I immediately started comparing myself to her and finding my faults. She was taller, leggy, her hair was blonde and curly. She was confident. I couldn’t do this every time we came in contact with a female Cruz had slept with. That would eventually make me miserable. I had to build some confidence. I had to think about my good qualities and remember that Cruz had said he loved me.

  I was almost positive he’d never said that to another woman. It wasn’t a Cruz-type behavior to proclaim love.

  “Sorry it took so long,” Cruz’s voice startled me, causing me to jump a little. He grinned, obviously amused. As he sat down, he added, “You were in deep thought.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

  That wiped out his smile. “About?”

  He was as unsure as I was. That helped a little bit. I wasn’t the only one feeling vulnerable. “About everything. Nothing specific.”

  He leaned forward and looked at me with a serious and intense expression. “Please don’t question this or me. Give me time. I can be all those things you think I can’t.”

  I slid my hand over the table and covered his. “I know. That’s not what I was thinking about.”

  He seemed relieved and his thumb wrapped around my finger. “Good.”

  “Hello Lila Kate, Cruz,” the interruption was from Kelsey Torrent, the head of marketing for the Kerrington Club.

  Cruz’s hand slipped away from mine abruptly, and he sat up straight in his chair. No one else would notice he’d done it so smoothly. But Kelsey’s interruption had startled him. She’d been working for the club for five years now. I didn’t know her that well.

  “Hello, Kelsey,” Cruz replied barely glancing up at her.

  Kelsey smiled as if our greeting had been much warmer. I felt awkwardness that didn’t make sense hanging over us. “Hello,” I said trying to make up for Cruz’s response.

  Kelsey barely glanced at me. “Your father wants to see you,” she said to Cruz. Her tone was annoyed. She didn’t seem to care much for him. I wondered if she felt threatened by his position at the club. I could imagine she wasn’t excited about answering to someone twenty years younger than her in the coming years.

  “I just left his office,” Cruz replied.

  She was trying to cover her sudden anger. But I could see it behind her fake smile. “That may be so, but he wants you to come back. I’m sure,” she glanced at me with a tight smile. “Miss Carter can finish lunch alone.”

  I started to tell him I could just head back to the studio and work, but Cruz spoke first. “I’ll eat my lunch, and then see what Dad needs in his office.”

  Kelsey Torrent wasn’t pleased. She was more than annoyed. When she spun around and walked away, I let out a breath I’d been holding. I thought the two of them were going to cause a scene. Which would have probably gotten her fired, and Cruz in serious trouble.

  “I don’t think she likes you very much,” I said quietly once she was out of the dining room.

  He shrugged as if he didn’t care, but he was tense. That had bothered him. I felt bad for him. Having to join a company like this and deal with employees who didn’t like that he’d be their boss eventually. “She’s uptight,” was all he said.

  We ordered our food and Cruz tried to relax unsuccessfully. I wished he’d just find out what his father wanted instead of worrying about ignoring him or putting him off. I glanced at my phone and decided to fib to Cruz to relieve him from this lunch with me. He would worry the entire time if he didn’t answer to his father.

  “Oh, that’s the decorator I need to meet with. She’s available now but won’t be again until Thursday. I need to see what she can do and get a quote. Do you mind?”

  “No, that’s fine. You need to meet with her. I’ll be there later today. I need to deal with my dad first.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry. I can just ask the kitchen to pack up my food to go.”

  He stood then. “I’ll get it from the kitchen. They’ll take their time otherwise.” He was being helpful, but his head was somewhere else. We were new. Our relationship and being seen in public was new. So, I didn’t feel like I could question him too much about what was distracting him. I would have to let him tell me what was going on when he was ready.

  I got my purse and drank the rest of my tea before he walked back with a bag containing my lunch. It was hard to miss the eyes that followed him as he walked through the restaurant. Many spoke to him. Others watched him like he was a meal they wanted. I couldn’t blame them. He was so very easy to look at.

  When he reached the table, I stood up, and he kissed me. Right there for everyone to see. It was like he was making a claim. Letting them all know. But in reality, he was showing me he was serious. I took the bag once the kiss ended and felt my cheeks turn warm.