“Elizabeth.” My name sounded so beautiful coming from his lips. “I’m so glad you called. Can you give me a second?”

  “Sure,” I answered, my throat feeling instantly parched.

  Daniel yelled in the background for someone to give him ten minutes, and I heard the distinct sound of a door shutting before he was back.

  “You there?”

  “I’m here,” I breathed out, wishing I had some water.

  “So, about last night—” he started to explain before I cut him off.

  “Me first. I’m sorry I ran away without even giving you the chance to talk to me about it. I know that was immature of me, but I was so upset, and I just honestly figured that you’d lied to me.”

  His breath heaved through the phone as I waited for him to speak, yell, chastise me, or something.

  “Listen to me, Elizabeth. I’m not going to pretend to be happy about the way things went down last night, but I realize that we both have our own issues when it comes to relationships.”

  “You can say that again,” I said, mostly speaking for myself.

  “I’m not done,” he snapped.

  I immediately quieted.

  “This is all new to me, too. Having a girlfriend isn’t something I’ve done in a long time. It’s not something I’ve ever wanted to do lately, but I want to—with you. You have to trust me though. I know that trust is earned, but I’m not a liar,” he emphasized, making his point crystal clear. “I’ve never lied to you, and I never will. You have to believe that in order for this to work.”

  “You’re right. You’re so right, and I’m sorry. I just saw that picture of you and Kate, and I couldn’t breathe. The way I feel about you frightens me.”

  “How do you feel about me?” he questioned, his tone lightening up.

  “I like you.” I paused. “A lot.”

  “I like you a lot, too,” he mimicked.

  “I’m not done,” I pretend snapped. “Thinking that you were still dating someone or that you lied to me about calling off your other women was so hurtful. We’ve just started dating, but I feel things for you that I’ve never felt before. You have the power to wreck me, Daniel, completely fucking wreck me, and that absolutely terrifies me.”

  “Welcome to the club.”

  “Huh?” I questioned.

  “You think you’re the only one risking getting hurt here?”

  “I don’t know. I have no idea if you have the same feelings that I do.”

  “I’m the one who’s been pursuing you. I’m the one chasing you down and making new rules because I can’t stand the thought of being without you.”

  “I’m making new rules, too.” I added. Not too long ago, I’d sworn that I’d never date anyone, let alone him.

  “Then, stop acting like you’re alone in this. We’re in this together.” His tone was more than reassuring.

  As I listened to him, my heart swelled, the shriveling organ matter it had become last night slowly refilling again.

  “Is there anything else?” he asked.

  “What do you mean, anything else?”

  “Do you have any other concerns?”

  “Aside from you annihilating my very being?” I tried to tease, but I wasn’t kidding.

  “Yes, Elizabeth, aside from that.” He huffed out a laugh.

  I chewed on a pen cap, wondering if I should say the first thing that popped into my head.

  “What are you afraid of? Tell me, so I can prove you wrong.”

  “I’m scared of you, of losing myself in you and forgetting who I am,” I admitted, feeling weaker than I’d ever felt. It was one thing to be a strong businesswoman in an industry filled with men, but it was something entirely different when my heart was on the line, and emotions were involved.

  “I’ll never let that happen, and you won’t either.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you’re too strong of a person to lose everything you’ve worked for, and I’ll never let you. I won’t allow you to fall or lose focus. I want you to be great. I want you to be successful.”

  His words made me feel like I was floating on air. I swore, if I looked down, I’d see my desk and lamps below me and the ceiling at my fingertips.

  “Is this how real relationships are supposed to work?”

  “I think so. What are your thoughts so far?”

  “Healthy communication, reassurance, building each other up instead of tearing each other down?” I paused. “I like it.”

  “I love it. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “What?”

  “You think I’m staying up here after our first fight? How will we have make-up sex if I’m five hundred miles away?”

  “Oh my gosh. You really are presumptuous. Good-bye, Daniel.” I laughed before ending the call.

  I was excited. Daniel hadn’t lied to me, he wasn’t dating anyone else, and I was getting laid tonight. Maybe. I only hoped Barbara wasn’t right about my hoo-ha being broken or out of business or any other strange thing she’d suggested was wrong with it because apparently I’d need it later. Was I really ready to take this step with him? I’d know for sure once I saw him later.

  4.

  DANIEL

  Thank God Elizabeth had called me. I would have gone half mad if I had to go the whole day without talking to her. Getting through the night had been hell enough.

  “James, get back in here!” I yelled, knowing he was most likely waiting right outside my door.

  He burst back into my office. “What happened? I’m dying here.”

  “You’re such a chick. Anyone ever tell you that?”

  “Yeah.” He looked straight at me before getting comfortable on my recliner. “You—all the time. So what? Tell me what happened.”

  “She apologized, and we’re good,” I said with a smile.

  “That’s it?”

  I shrugged, not knowing what the fuck else he wanted. “What else is there? She said she was sorry for running away, I accepted, and we’ll fuck later. The end. Happy?”

  “You’re flying down there again? Why don’t you just move?” He pushed back in the chair and eyeballed me.

  “Funny.”

  “Twenty bucks says you’ll move for this girl before the end of the year.”

  “Fifty bucks says I’ll fire you before that.”

  He laughed. “I’m just saying, we’ve always talked about having an office down there.”

  “No one cares about what you’re saying,” I joked. “Now, tell me you looked over that proposal.”

  James straightened the recliner as he leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. “You were right. That one design issue will eventually backfire, causing frivolous lawsuits left and right. They’ll lose everything if they don’t address it before they release. What’s the status on their end?”

  “They think I’m wrong.”

  James slapped his leg. “So, we’re out then.” He knew damn well I’d never knowingly go through with a flawed investment. “Good luck, boys.”

  “We’re out,” I agreed.

  “Can I call them? Oh, please let me be the one to tell them they need to find new investors. I love that part.” He was practically foaming at the mouth.

  “You’re a sick fuck, you know that? You’re the only guy I know who gets off on crushing people’s dreams.”

  “That is not true.” He waved a finger at me. “I only get off on it when they deserve it. When they’re too arrogant to see reality, it gives me great pleasure to bring down the hammer.”

  I smiled and nodded my head in agreement. Silently, I was thankful that James liked dealing with this aspect of the business. It made my life easier to be the decision-maker but not the one who delivered the news, especially when it wasn’t what people wanted to hear.

  “What are you gonna do about Kate?”

  His question surprised me, and I shot him a look.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Are you just going to let her continue to freak out? Or are you going to talk to her?”

  “Last night I strongly suggested to Ben that he pay his little sister a visit. My concerns lie with Elizabeth, not with Kate.”

  “So whipped.”

  “Don’t even care.”

  “This is great. Please tell me she has a hot friend for me.” He wagged his eyebrows, and I wanted to throw something at him again.

  My mind instantly saw Barbara’s face. I knew how much he’d fucking love her and vice versa, but I wasn’t sure if even mentioning that would be a good idea while Elizabeth and I were still sorting ourselves out.

  “She’s too busy with work. She doesn’t socialize much,” I half-lied.

  She never talked about her girlfriends, but I never found it strange. If it wasn’t for James, I’d never talk or hang out with anyone either.

  “You’re lying, but that’s fine. I’m just going to come down with you next time, and I’ll see for myself,” he informed me with a stupid smirk.

  “Next time is in a few hours, and you’re not invited.”

  “Not tonight. Next time, next time.”

  “Don’t you have work to do? People’s hearts to shatter? Get to it.”

  He saluted me and gave me a smug-ass grin before walking out.

  5.

  ELIZABETH

  I offered to pick Daniel up from the Santa Monica airport, and we drove to my house in awkward anticipation of what the night held. At least I felt awkward. He seemed perfectly fine. Then again, he’d had sex far more recently than I had.

  “You look beautiful,” he said before placing his hand on my thigh.

  I felt my cheeks warm as I blushed with his compliment.

  “Thank you.” I briefly glanced over at him before paying attention to the traffic-laden streets.

  “Is it always this busy here?” His face was tilted to the right as he looked out at the streets.

  “For the most part. Everyone seems to come here all day, and then they never leave at night.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, there is so much to do here. People spend the day at the beach, and then they shop all night or go to dinner. We have tons of restaurants and bars. It’s the ideal tourist spot. Remind me to take you to one of my favorite places sometime, okay? It’s completely underrated.”

  “Let’s go now,” his voice purred.

  My heart raced. I knew if we delayed the inevitable any longer, I’d fall apart with the expectation of what was to come.

  “It’s not open now,” I half-lied. It most likely wasn’t open right now even though I knew I could get us in.

  “Fine. Take me home already.” He smirked.

  “I’m trying,” I said, braking as another streetlight turned red.

  Two right turns later, and we pulled into the underground parking lot of my building. Shutting off the engine, I exited the car and made my way to the passenger side, a full dozen white roses tied with a string from Daniel in hand.

  He grabbed me and I almost dropped the few things in my arms. “I hate that we fought.”

  “Me, too.” I looked into his hazel eyes and melted.

  “But I like that we get to make up.” He pressed his lips to mine, his hand reaching back to grip my ass. “I can’t wait to make you mine.”

  I shivered as he followed me through the parking garage and toward the elevator against the well-lit corner of the building. He wasted no time once the doors had closed. His body shoved against mine, his hand making sure to cradle the back of my head so that it wouldn’t slam into the hardness of the elevator wall. Tongues frantically searched for one another as his hands roamed over my body in places where I wouldn’t have dared let him touch me a mere few days ago.

  He pulled away only slightly, looking me in the eyes before saying, “You’re so fucking beautiful, Elizabeth, and smart and feisty and a pain in my ass. You have no idea what you do to me.”

  I reached across the front of his suit pants and cupped his growing dick. “I have some sort of idea,” I said as my cheeks warmed with his compliments and my excitement.

  His lips grazed against my neck, sucking and licking, causing my eyes to squeeze shut with pleasure. The elevator dinged, and I reached for his hand, my chest heaving with each breath I took.

  “This way,” I said, pulling him down the hallway toward my door.

  “It’s too far,” he complained before stopping and yanking my body against his.

  One hand gripped my lower back, pinning me against his hard-on, while the other tangled in my hair and pulled.

  I moaned against his lips, into his mouth, and on his tongue.

  I reached for his cheeks, gripping the rough exterior between my palms, in order to keep his face still and his mouth on mine. He laughed into me, and I smiled.

  “We’re almost there,” I reassured him as I continued to step backward.

  “We’ll have to do it here. Get naked,” he said, pointing at the carpeted flooring.

  I hurried toward my door, only a few feet away.

  “I bet you say that to all the girls. Can we go inside now?” I asked before unlocking the door.

  He extended one arm to hold it open and waved me inside before following right behind. I placed the keys and roses on the kitchen counter, as Daniel moved to pin my body against it.

  “I don’t have any more girls, remember? Just want to be clear on that subject.”

  “I remember. That’s why I let you come over,” I said playfully.

  “You were going to let me come over anyway.”

  “Yeah, but I wouldn’t have let you touch me.”

  His lips pressed against my neck as his tongue paved a way lower. “This dress is so fucking sexy.” He lowered the sleeve with his fingertips before his mouth followed. “I can’t wait to see it on the floor.”

  “What good will it be on the floor?” I asked with a coy smile.

  “It will be great ’cause then you’ll be naked. Guys like naked.”

  “So predictable,” I teased, moving my body away from him and heading toward my bedroom.

  I watched his eyes as they glanced toward my bedroom window.

  “Shit, what a view.”

  My eyes followed, catching sight of the sun setting and the orange glow it cast across the water. “I love living here.”

  “I can see why. Hell, Elizabeth, I’d work from home all the time.”

  “That’s exactly why I have to force myself to go to the office every day. I’d never get any work done. Do you know how hard it is to see that outside your window and stay indoors? Fuck that.”

  He growled at my words, his body against mine in a flash. “Yeah, fuck that.” His mouth found my neck again as he sucked and pushed me toward the bed, his hand firmly on my lower back.

  My legs touched the edge of the mattress before Daniel lifted me by my ass and tossed me on top. He all but crawled over me, his movements slow and deliberate, and then he lowered himself on top of me.

  “We have too many clothes on,” he said as he pushed off me. Resting back on his knees, he started to remove his tie.

  “Stop. Let me,” I demanded as I pushed myself up to face him.

  I wanted to undress him. This sexual act had been such a long time coming for me that I wanted to revel in being a woman doing it, as opposed to a naive girl. He immediately dropped his arms to his sides as I went to work. My hands reached for his crisp black shirt and started unbuttoning the buttons, one by one. Each release was followed by a peek of tanned skin that I kissed with my mouth and licked with my tongue. Daniel moaned, his fingers tangling in my hair more with each touch of my lips on his bare skin. I reached the last button, and my mouth was incredibly close to the waist of his pants.

  “You might be the death of me, woman,” he said.

  I glanced up to meet his gaze. “I just found you. Don’t die yet.”

  I moved to free the shirt from his body, and he wiggled his arms to get out of it, like he couldn’t shed his second skin quickly enough. My eyes roamed every exposed inch of his bare chest and arms. My want for him grew as my gaze lingered on his defined abs and the muscles in his shoulders.

  “See something you like?” he mimicked his words from the first night we’d met.

  I laughed. “Definitely, and it’s not the floor this time.”

  I reached for the back of his neck and pulled him down on top of me. Our mouths opened and closed, our tongues dancing with one another.

  “This dress—I need it off. Now.”

  “So bossy.”

  “So don’t care. Stand up.”

  He pushed away from me once more and stood beside the bed. His hand reached for mine, and he pulled me to my feet and spun me around, my back facing him. He moved my hair to the side before kissing my neck. With each tormenting pull of the zipper, he kissed my back until his lips reached right above my ass. With full clarity, I knew what I had just done to him. The zipper going no further, he reached for my shoulders once more before turning me back around to face him. The material easily fell off my body without any effort, and I stepped out of it, my breasts uncovered.

  “No bra, Elizabeth? You don’t wear a bra to work?” His voice took on a timbre that I could only interpret as desire.

  “The dress has one built in, so no.” I stood there, feeling completely exposed, in nothing but a black lacy thong.

  Daniel lowered his mouth to my left breast before taking it in. His tongue licked around my nipple as he bit at it lightly with his teeth. My fingers tangled in his dark hair as I tossed my head back and sucked in quick breaths. He moved to my right one and nibbled at it first before squeezing and licking it while my thighs quivered with desire.

  Feeling underdressed and bare, I reached for the belt on his pants and undid it before threading the button through the hole and lowering the zipper. His suit pants dropped, and he stepped out of them, our clothes a pool of fabric on my floor. My eyes landed squarely on the package in his boxer briefs, the bulge begging to be unleashed.

  Daniel expertly moved our bodies back onto the bed, each of our most private parts covered by thin cloth. When his nearly naked body touched mine, I almost screamed out with pleasure. His skin on my skin sent feelings racing through me that I could only describe as primal lust. The feeling of him pressed against me was overwhelming, and I wanted more.