“So this is how the rich live.”

  “No, this is how I live,” Damian corrected.

  Mia placed her evening bag on the entry table and swiveled to face Damian.

  She shivered. His penthouse duplex was in a new luxury tower. The condo was cool, muted and dim. The lights of the city twinkled outside sprawling windows.

  “Cold?”

  Must his voice be so sexy? “No, I’m fine.”

  While Damian consulted the apps on his cell phone, Mia took a moment to gather herself.

  All during their chauffeured car ride back from the charity event, she’d mulled what she wanted to say, examined her feelings and tried to think things through. It was why she’d suggested going to his place. If Damian had been surprised—pleased?—he hadn’t questioned her decision. The truth was, at his place, she was in control of when to end things and leave.

  Mia heard the air conditioner in the condo picking up. Then velvet curtains automatically drew closed in the living room adjacent to the entry foyer. He was certainly high tech—but then what else should she have expected?

  She pivoted. “Does the fireplace magically turn on? And where’s the faint music? The lights are already dim, though.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her, amused...and a touch sheepish? “Drink?”

  “No, thank you.”

  He paused.

  She cleared her throat. Because she knew what she was here to do. She’d already ignored one how’s it going? text from Gia.

  Tilting her head forward to expose her nape, she removed the diamond necklace and then the earrings. Then she held them out to him. She’d loved them. Just as she had with the pieces for the Ruby Ball. “Thank you for another loan.”

  His lips twitched in wry amusement, but he took the jewelry—their fingers brushing—and pocketed them as if they were no more than plastic prizes dispensed by a toy vending machine.

  “I wanted to talk.”

  “Problem?” Damian asked levelly.

  She drew in a deep breath. “Thanks for giving me a graceful but public way tonight to put Carl in the rearview mirror. I know news of our crossing paths with the Eshoos will eventually filter out to people who know us.”

  He gave an imperceptible nod.

  “And thanks for helping me open doors with Katie, and...having my back with my family when we were up in Welsdale.”

  “That’s three thank-yous in a row. So why do I think a kiss-off is coming?” he teased, his voice nevertheless holding a note of gravity.

  There wouldn’t be any kissing. That was the point.

  “Let me guess—you’re troubled because you realized that you built up the breakup with Carl to more than it was.”

  She shook her head—more vehemently than she’d meant to, so locks of hair tumbled around her shoulders. “No, I realized that the reason it bothered me so much was that you were involved.”

  Damian stilled and then his eyes gleamed. “Ah.”

  “Ah? That’s it?”

  “I’m hesitating in case I say the wrong thing.”

  “When have you ever let that stop you?”

  He cut off a laugh. “I’m learning.” Then he sobered and came closer, so she could still feel the energy coming off him, but didn’t touch her. “And now? Does it still bother you?”

  Her shoulders sagged and she blew a breath. “Carl’s not the enemy...and neither are you even though I lumped you in with your family for a long time.” She shrugged. “So of course when you were advising and helping Carl, I was suspicious.”

  “If I’m not the enemy, then what am I?” he asked softly.

  Friend...lover. She raised her hands as if to hold him off, even though he hadn’t taken another step. “This has gotten complicated—”

  “Complicated is good,” he joked.

  “How can you say that?”

  He lightly clasped her wrist and drew her even closer.

  “Bold, brave and badass, really?” she argued faintly.

  Damian smiled. “Those were my words, yes.”

  “It’s also the headline of Katie’s story, which is already live or at least teased on the Brilliance web site.”

  “Great.”

  “You have a starring role.”

  He studied her mouth. “Consider me flattered.”

  The back of her neck tingled with an awareness that soon seeped into other parts of her...

  “You laid it on thick with Katie.”

  “That’s assuming I didn’t mean what I said.”

  “And that endearment—”

  Damian laced his fingers with hers. “Babe.”

  What was she going to do with a man who could disarm her so easily? “You’re—”

  “Irresistible, irrepressible...irreplaceable?”

  “It’s so cute the way that we finish each other’s sentences...” She made a halfhearted attempt at scoffing about Katie’s comment.

  He drew her into his arms. “No...it’s so great the way that we make each other feel.”

  “Feel...is that what we do?”

  “And kiss,” he muttered. “Don’t forget that.”

  He searched her gaze, and reading her eyes, bent his head.

  She swallowed hard, moments before his lips settled on hers, and then twisted her hands in his lapels.

  Damian made a sound at the back of his throat, and she sighed. There was a desperate, feverish quality to their kiss, as if hours at a stuffy industry dinner, politely listening to speaker after speaker, had fueled their suppressed need.

  When they finally broke apart, Damian nuzzled the hair at her temple. Even in heels, she was three or four inches shorter.

  “I’ll make you a deal,” he said huskily.

  “Another one?”

  He smiled against her hair. “You can invent a name for me, too. What do you want to call me?”

  Tamer. “Insufferable?”

  “Try harder, it doesn’t roll off the tongue.”

  She was dimly aware that his hands were roaming, caressing her bare back as if looking for a zipper. Or a key to her heart.

  He feathered kisses along the side of her face and down her neck. “Well?”

  “I’m still thinking.” She tilted her neck to accommodate him, letting her hair fall back.

  “Ah, Mia.”

  Finally, when his hands came to rest on her shoulders, she had mercy on him. “Everything is held in place with fashion tape.”

  He muttered an expletive. “Tape doesn’t belong on skin.”

  “It’s an industry trick to prevent wardrobe malfunctions.”

  He looked at her with hooded eyes. “Hey, I like clothing...with glitches.”

  A breathless laugh escaped her. “You were right. I came here to give you the kiss-off...”

  He raised his brows above smoky eyes. “Well, there’ll be kissing and some things are coming off.”

  Holding his gaze, she placed her hands over his on her shoulders, and together they pulled apart her bodice.

  He groaned. “Babe, you’re bold, brave and badass.”

  Then he bent and trailed his lips down her cleavage, and her head fell back.

  When Damian pulled her bodice all the way off so that the shoulder straps landed on her wrists, he inhaled sharply. The pads of his thumbs grazed her nipples, and then he settled his mouth over one breast.

  She rested her forearms on his shoulders, losing herself in a fog of need.

  When he finally straightened, he gave her a hard kiss, letting her feel his hunger.

  Her fingers began to work at the buttons on his white shirt, and he shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket, letting it fall to the floor.

  “I don’t want to ruin the work of art that you’re wearing,” he murmured. “Someone will want to display your senior project in an exhibition someday.”

  “I can’t believe Gia told you.”

  Damian nodded. “She noticed how I couldn’t take my eyes off you in that dress.”

  “And that you wanted to get me out of it,” Mia added, and then gave him an openmouthed kiss.

  He lifted her off her feet and strode deeper into the dark recesses of the penthouse.

  Moments later, Mia lifted her head and realized they were in Damian’s oversized bedroom. White upholstery and bedding contrasted with dark-paneled wood. The lights of the city twinkled behind pale window blinds.

  Slowly he lowered her so that her feet touched the floor again, letting her feel every inch of him on the slow slide to the ground.

  He wanted her. That much was obvious.

  Holding his gaze, she lowered the tiny hidden zipper at the side of her waist, and the whole dress fell in a heap at her feet, leaving her standing in panties and high-heeled sandals.

  She forced herself to hold still under his hot gaze and lifted her chin a notch.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said hoarsely.

  “Now that’s a b-word that you didn’t use,” she teased. “How did you leave out beautiful during the interview?”

  Damian groaned self-deprecatingly, and then ran his fingers up and down her arms, before slipping them under the fabric of her panties and following the hourglass figure created by her waist. “Believe me, by the time we’re done, you’re going to hear a lot more from me.”

  She stroked the length of his erection. “Because you’re bothered?”

  He pulled his shirt out of his waistband. “How can you tell?”

  She wet her lips, her mouth suddenly dry, and swallowed.

  He tossed his shirt aside. “Step out of those blue waves pooling at your feet...beautiful.”

  She did, kicking off one sandal and then the other, and then he swung her up and deposited her on the bed.

  “You need to stop carrying me.”

  “See, that’s where we disagree. I haven’t done it enough.”

  When he started to strip, she sat up straighter and then stood. “Let me.”

  She undid his belt and then he shucked his pants and briefs, stepping out of his shoes and pulling off his socks with them.

  “Let me do this,” she said throatily, stroking his rigid length.

  His eyes flared and then closed on a hiss. “Ah, Mia.”

  She bent and her mouth closed around him.

  She worked his length, and Damian made some guttural sounds. She savored the experience of making him weak.

  Finally, he hauled her up, but when he would have tossed her on the bed again, she instead pushed him to a sitting position on the edge and straddled him.

  Their mouths tangled, and the momentum sent him back against the bed.

  “I’ve got to be inside you,” he said on a half laugh with an edge of desperation.

  She’d never heard Damian desperate before. Desperate for her. He was always so cool and in control—or seemed to be.

  “I’m on the pill,” she whispered against his mouth. “And I have a clean bill of health.”

  “Yeah, clean bill, too,” he said thickly.

  She guided him inside her, and they both sighed. She moved then, and he directed her with his hands on her hips, setting a rhythm that they both enjoyed.

  Distantly from the other room, her cell phone buzzed, and she ignored it. The last thing she needed was for reality to intrude. This was about her and Damian...and now. A time and place where they didn’t have last names, histories, animosities...

  “Ignore it,” he gritted, having the same idea.

  “Yes,” she whispered against his mouth.

  He moved again, rocking against her, setting off tiny spasms of sensation that grew in ferocity as they fanned out through every inch of her body.

  She called his name with her release, and with a final thrust, Damian came inside her, losing himself. They held each other while waves of emotion and sensation washed over them.

  * * *

  In his mind, the past couple of weeks had been a vacation.

  Still, freshly showered, Damian threw on some clothes at Mia’s place because he knew he’d have to get to the office soon.

  He and Mia had fallen into a pattern of getting together without any discussion of the heavy issues that might still hang between them—or more particularly, between their families. Instead they’d lived in the moment...casually eating out, going for a bike ride near the High Line, or most recently, a concert at Madison Square Garden, where they’d sat by themselves in the CyberSilver box. Usually they’d end up at his place or hers, where they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other.

  They’d talked business occasionally, and he’d given her advice—one entrepreneur to another. He’d also put her in touch with his contacts—someone to review company finances, another to consult on marketing.

  He looked around the bedroom of the walkup apartment now and spotted his wallet where he’d tossed it on a dresser last night. With a small smile, he retrieved it from where it peeked out from under Mia’s bra.

  Her bedroom was a small space at the back of an already-small apartment. The bed was covered with fluffy white counterpane that pooled on the floor like an oversized wedding dress. It was offset by exposed gray brick walls, a polished gray wood floor, and some dark furniture. Exactly what he would have expected from Mia: feminine but edgy.

  Except he’d now breached the inner sanctum—so the sheets were mussed, thanks to their night together. Afterward, she’d curled up against him, their hearts beating in counterpoint as they’d drifted off to sleep.

  Mia bounced into the room, her face lit up with excitement. “Good news. I got an email from a department store buyer. She saw Katie’s article and wants to place a big order.” She gave him an endearingly tentative smile. “I’m starting out in a few of their locations, so we’ll see how things go.”

  He slipped his arms around her. “Congratulations. The start of something big.”

  She placed her hands on his chest. “I’ve got to get in touch with the factory today. There’s no time to lose.”

  He gave her a quick kiss. “You’ll be great. I have total faith in you.” Then he smiled wolfishly. “But speaking of good news and the start of something.”

  Playfully, she pulled out of his arms and wagged a finger at him. “We’ve both got work to do.”

  He sighed good-naturedly. “Tonight then. I’ll pick you up.”

  Twenty minutes later, she walked him downstairs so he could hail a cab to work, and she could unlock the street entrance to her ground-floor studio and start her day.

  At the sidewalk, she clung to him for another kiss and then turned away toward her workspace.

  Damian stepped into the street to flag a cab, but within moments, he heard someone call Mia’s name.

  A male someone.

  He turned around and caught Mia’s surprised look from where she had swiveled away from her front door.

  “Sam.”

  Crap. So there really was a Sam. And he was back home. Great timing.

  Damian sized up the other man, who—grinning from ear to ear—made his way toward Mia. Damian dropped his arm and curled his hand by his side. No way in hell was he missing this action.

  Mia gave Sam a tight smile. “You’re back. From Japan.”

  Yeah, this was awkward. Damian would give her that. Unfortunately only two out of three of them knew it. Sam kept steaming forward toward Mia like a train that could not be derailed.

  “Yup, here I am.” He threw his arms out expansively.

  Damian’s gaze connected with Mia’s. Wow, you sure can pick them.

  She frowned at him, and then directed a pleasant if uncomfortable look at Sam. “This is—”

  “Yeah, I know.” Sam grinned. “Surprise.” He gestured to the door behind Mia. “I took a detour from my regular route to the office and stopped in the coffee shop across the street for a quick bagel since you weren’t at work yet.” Sam jerked his head to indicate the general direction that he’d come from, completely missing Damian.

  Damian was hit by a mixture of skepticism and jealousy. She was going to show up at the Ruby Ball with this guy? He was the competition? Damian could see the passing resemblance between him and Sam in height and build—and especially in dim lighting and with a mask on at a costume party—but he was hands-down the better man. Even in a blind taste test. If he did so say himself.

  Sam stepped closer to Mia—clearly intent on a reunion—and Damian sprang into action.

  The other guy grasped Mia’s hands and lowered his head.

  “Mia.” Damian made sure his voice cut into the tableau like scissors slicing a photo in half.

  Sam froze, and then straightened and turned.

  Damian saw it all as if in slow motion. “Thanks for penthouse sitting for me, babe.” He winked. “I’ll make it up to you this weekend. Reservations at Per Se.”

  Sam looked between Damian and Mia, and expressions flitted across his face—confusion, dawning understanding and then sheepish embarrassment.

  Mia jumped into the void. “Sam, you know—”

  “Damian Musil.” Damian held out his hand, and after a blink, Sam grasped it.

  Damian gave the other guy’s hand a firm shake, making eye contact. “Japan. Nice place. I’ve been to Tokyo myself a couple of times.”

  Sam’s expression wavered between a grimace and a smile. “Yeah, I’ve been away awhile.”

  Damian nodded. “Business trips can be a damper that way. You’re out of the loop.”

  “No joke.”

  Sam turned back toward Mia. “It was nice seeing you, Mia.” He shrugged. “The coffee shop was okay, but I’ll be sticking to the one on my regular route.”

  Damian nodded. “Good idea.”

  “Well, see you around.”

  After Sam walked off, Damian observed Mia. She watched as Sam mounted a scooter parked farther down the block and took off.

  Turning back to him, Mia raised her eyebrows, her gaze clashing with his.