He walked around the island to where she sat and set one of the plates and a fork in front of her.

  “Thank you.” She smiled and picked up the fork. “It smells good.”

  Daniel took a seat at the island as well but made sure to keep a stool between them.

  Ali pursed her lips and blew on the steaming pasta before bringing the fork to her mouth. He couldn’t pull his gaze away from her lips as they wrapped around the fork. Then, she moaned, and all the work he’d done earlier to calm his attraction to her was moot.

  He cleared his throat and forced himself to look away. “Eat up, and then you can turn in early. I want you to get plenty of rest tonight.”

  “The nap in the car helped.” She twirled some more of the pasta onto her fork. “This is good.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” He chanced a glance at her again, making sure to keep his gaze away from her mouth this time. “I assume you have to work tomorrow?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Daniel nodded. “What time?”

  “What?” she asked.

  Her forehead wrinkled and her nose scrunched up a little in the cutest way. Damn, he had to stop thinking about her like that. He looked away, gathering more food onto his fork.

  “What time do you need to be at work?”

  “Seven thirty.” She paused. “But I need to get my car first.”

  Again, he nodded. “We’ll leave around six thirty. That should give you plenty of time.”

  They ate the rest of the meal in silence. When she was finished, he gathered their plates and took them to the sink. By the time he faced her again, her eyes were already half closed.

  She looked up when he approached.

  “Did you need anything before you turn in?”

  Ali blinked. “I don’t think so.”

  “I’ll be here or in my room.” He indicated a hallway off the kitchen. “Should you need anything.” He prayed she didn’t come looking for him in the middle of the night.

  Daniel waited, but she didn’t move. He raised an eyebrow, indicating he expected some sort of response from her.

  She slid off the stool and began walking toward her room. Then she stopped, turned, and met his gaze. “Daniel?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you for letting me stay here. You didn’t have to.”

  Her blue eyes drew him in, almost begging him to invite her into his bed, but he took a cleansing breath instead. “Good night, Ali.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Allison Foster woke with a start, a loud, annoying sound filling her ears. A second later, her heart still pounding hard in her chest, she realized where the noise was coming from. Her phone.

  Reaching for the object that woke her from the first sound sleep she’d had in over a week, she turned the alarm off and flopped onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. As her thoughts began to clear, realization dawned. She wasn’t in her bed. She was in Daniel’s.

  Okay, not Daniel’s actual bed, but a bed in his house. She’d been so tired after more than a week of listening to her neighbors screwing each other’s brains out. Given she was a member of Serpent’s Kiss, she was used to loud sex, but her new neighbors would give anyone at the club a run for their money. The banging. The screams. The dirty talk...

  She’d heard it all. Every. Last. Word.

  The first night wasn’t so bad. She’d even giggled a little at some of what filtered through their adjoining wall. But all her laughter had fled when she realized it wasn’t just going to be a one and done. Her neighbors had gotten down and dirty three times that first night. And the second night. And the third. She’d been granted a slight reprieve the fourth night when they’d only woken her up twice, but by that time she was so sleep-deprived it had hardly mattered.

  Of course, Daniel had noticed her yawning. He noticed everything. The man was as frustrating as he was sexy. In a lot of ways, he treated her as if she were his submissive, but she wasn’t and despite her hints to the contrary, he’d never indicated he saw her as anything more than a friend.

  Which led her to where she was now, lying in a bed in his house. She’d been too tired to put up any type of a fight last night, not that she was an overly aggressive person. She wasn't. In fact, her best friend, Kim, said she wasn’t assertive enough. Kim was constantly trying to get Ali to stand up for herself at work, but Ali didn’t have it in her. She didn’t like confrontation and never had.

  Speaking of work...

  She sighed and flipped the covers off. Like it or not, she had to get to work and before that, she needed to pick up her car.

  Ali padded into the attached bathroom. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched before looking into the mirror. Her hair wasn’t as wild as it usually was, which meant she hadn’t moved much during the night. It was no wonder. The bed had felt wonderful, and she’d been exhausted.

  Even still, she ran a brush through her hair before walking to the shower to turn on the spray. As the water warmed, she stripped out of her T-shirt and panties.

  Stepping into the shower was an experience in and of itself. There were two shower heads. One overhead and the other on the wall. The way the water cascaded over her body felt heavenly and the shower itself was big enough for three people, but she didn’t have time to linger. Not if she wanted to make it to work on time.

  After rinsing the conditioner from her hair, Ali turned off the water and stepped out. She reached for the fluffy white towel that was hanging nearby. Moving it over her skin, she couldn’t believe how soft it was. And when she circled it around her torso and tucked the ends between her breasts, it was like being wrapped in a cloud.

  Ali wanted to relax and enjoy the moment, but she couldn’t be late for work. This wasn’t a vacation.

  It was almost six by the time she’d dried her hair, put her makeup on, and gotten dressed. And best of all, for the first time in over a week, her head didn’t feel foggy.

  A knock on the door made her heart skip a beat, then beat double time. Not because she was scared, but because she knew it had to be Daniel.

  Ali opened the door and her breath caught in her throat. Daniel stood in the hallway wearing a long-sleeved button-up dress shirt, the kind men usually wore underneath suit jackets, and a pair of pressed slacks. His hair was still damp from his shower, and he was freshly shaved. She was struck with the urge to run her tongue along his jaw to his lips to see if they were as soft and smooth as they looked.

  He must have caught her staring because he cleared his throat. “I came to make sure you were awake.” He glanced behind her and she followed his gaze to the bed. The blankets were in disarray from where she’d pushed them off her earlier. She hadn’t bothered to fix them, not knowing if she’d be there tonight or not. If she wasn’t staying for another night, he’d no doubt want to change the sheets.

  Then, she wondered who changed his sheets. Did he have a housekeeper?

  Brushing those thoughts aside, Ali walked to the bed and grabbed her jacket and purse. “I’m ready.”

  Daniel hesitated for a moment, then met her gaze. His gray eyes almost silver this morning. “I’m making us breakfast.”

  “You don’t—” A pointed look had her stifling her words. “Thank you,” she said instead.

  She followed him down the hallway to the area of the house that housed his kitchen. Last night his house had felt huge. This morning, it felt even bigger. His kitchen was half the size of her entire apartment. It had a large cooktop with six burners, a double oven, and two separate islands in the center. She’d only seen kitchens like this in magazines.

  “Have a seat,” he said, pointing to the island where they’d eaten dinner the night before.

  Still trying to gather her thoughts on this new information about him, Ali lowered herself onto one of the chairs. He moved about the kitchen with ease and once again she was drawn to the way his muscles moved. For a man his age, he was very well built. She’d spent many nights fantasizing about how they’d feel under her hands, or what he’d look like hovered over her, his muscles straining as he took her.

  He glanced over at her and she lowered her gaze. He didn’t see her like that and she needed to get over it. Move on. There were other good Doms at the club. She’d played with a few of them. But none of them affected her like Daniel. Maybe she was cursed or something.

  “Do you like mushrooms?”

  Ali felt heat rise to her cheeks. He couldn’t have known the direction of her thoughts, but for some reason it felt as if he’d caught her. “Um. Yes.”

  She’d been expecting something like a bagel or toast—that was usually what she had for breakfast, but after last night, she should have known better. He tossed a handful of ingredients into a skillet with some olive oil. “Did you sleep well?”

  “I did. Very well.”

  Daniel smiled. “Do you prefer coffee? Orange juice? Milk?”

  “Coffee, with some milk and sugar, please.” She knew better than to try and get it herself. Daniel didn’t even allow her to do that at the club if he was around. Anytime he saw her drink empty, he’d offer to get her another one.

  The way he moved around his kitchen told her how comfortable he was in there. She’d never known that about him. If fact, she realized she didn’t know much about him outside of the basics. He was a real estate agent—he'd helped Alexander, another Dom at the club, find a building for his medical practice. She also knew he was divorced and that he’d been in the Army when he was younger.

  Daniel removed two mugs from a cabinet and filled them both with coffee. After adding cream and sugar to hers, he placed it in front of her.

  “Thank you.”

  “Anytime.” His smile caused her stomach to do a little flip.

  He finished cooking their omelets, plated them, and carried them to where Ali was sitting. He placed one plate in front of her before taking the same seat he had the night before.

  “Your house is beautiful.”

  He paused, fork in hand. “Thank you. It’s rather large given that it’s only me, but I love the kitchen, so I keep it.”

  Ali nodded and dug into her omelet. She contemplated whether she should probe more or if that would be rude. She was his guest after all.

  In the end, her curiosity got the better of her. “You like to cook.”

  Daniel took a bite, chewed, and swallowed before he answered. “I love to cook. It relaxes me.” He paused and glanced over at her before returning his attention to his breakfast. “Almost as much as flogging a submissive.”

  She’d seen him playing with subs many times. The look on his face was so peaceful when he was in the zone. It was always a catch-22 for her. She loved watching him, but she hated seeing him with another woman. “You’re very good at it.” She paused. “Cooking and flogging.”

  He let out a half laugh. “Thank you.” Then he shoveled the rest of his breakfast into his mouth before standing. “Finish up and we’ll go. I’m going to warm up the vehicle.”

  It took her a few more minutes to finish. She was a rather slow eater. At least, that’s what her mother had always told her.

  Ali took her empty plate to the sink, rinsed it, and loaded it into the dishwasher. Even though he probably wouldn’t mind, she didn’t want to make him regret inviting her into his home.

  When Daniel strolled into the room again, he was rubbing his hands together. “Did you bring a coat with you? The temperature has dropped quite a bit overnight.”

  “I have a jacket, but I left my winter coat at the apartment.” It hadn’t been all that cold yesterday. Spring was around the corner and the days were getting warmer. She hadn’t had to wear her winter coat for a couple weeks.

  Without saying anything more to her, he disappeared down another hall. How many of them were there, she wondered.

  Less than a minute later, he returned with what looked to be a woman’s coat. “I think this will fit you.”

  Ali tried to tamp down the jealousy she felt. They weren’t a couple. He’d made her no promises other than providing her a temporary place to stay.

  Holding up the coat, he waited for her to slide her arms into the holes before settling it onto her shoulders. Then he turned her around, his hands bringing the two sides together, and he pulled the zipped up.

  His fingers brushed against her collarbone, sending little sparks across her chest. Their gazes met a half second before he dropped his arm and stepped away.

  “Are you ready to go?” Daniel asked, striking across the living room, heading toward what she knew was the garage. When he reached the other side of the living room and realized she hadn’t moved from her spot, he looked concerned. “Ali?”

  She searched in his eyes for anything that would indicate he’d felt something when he’d touched her, but his face held nothing but question and maybe a little worry. Letting out a breath, she forced her feet to move.

  Daniel drove Ali to her apartment complex so she could pick up her vehicle. It was a cold morning and all the cars that had been sitting outside had frost covering their windshields. There was a spot open next to her car, so he pulled up beside it. He put his SUV in park and held out his hand. “Give me your keys.”

  She blinked at him. “I can...” The words died in her throat.

  A long moment passed, then she placed her keys in his palm.

  He disengaged his seat belt and reach for his door handle. “Do you have a scraper in the car?”

  “Yes. It’s on the floor behind my seat.”

  Daniel slid behind the wheel of her car long enough to get it started and to turn the heat on full blast. The cold air hit him square in the face, sending a shiver rippling through his body. He had no idea how people lived in colder climates.

  Once the car was running, he retrieved the scraper from the back floorboard and began working on her windows. It came off without too much trouble, and he returned the scraper to where she had it stored.

  He could feel Ali’s gaze on him as he made his way back to his car. The warm air surrounded him as he lowered himself into the driver’s seat. “We’ll give it a few more minutes for the heater to do its thing, and then you can be on your way to work.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “In case you get home before I do.” He paused. “The gate code is 3030. The code also works on the garage as well.”

  She didn’t know what to say, so she remained quiet.

  Ten minutes later, Ali got out of his car and into her own. She gave him a little wave as she drove off to work and he backed out of the space to do the same.

  He drove to his office in downtown. It was early and the office was empty, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t work he could be doing. There were properties to review, research to do, and most importantly, he needed to find Ali somewhere to stay.

  At eight o’clock, he placed a call to Rebecca, his property manager. She knew every one of his properties inside and out. If there was an opening at one of his rentals, she would know about it. “Good morning, Rebecca.”

  “Daniel. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you this morning.” Her tone was pleasant, but he could hear her curiosity coming through. They met once a month to discuss his properties, but outside of that he only called her if there was an issue, or if he was turning another property over to her.

  “I have a situation I’m hoping you can assist me with.”

  “You know I will if I can.”

  He tapped his pen on the notepad in front of him. “A friend of mine needs a place to stay for a while. Are any of the rentals available?”

  “Let me double-check, but I don’t think so.” He could hear her typing in the background. “No. Sorry. All your rentals are full.”

  Not exactly the news he wanted to hear. “Anything available in the next month?”

  Again, he heard typing. “There’s a four-bedroom house outside of the city that might be available at the end of next month. We haven’t reached the thirty-day mark yet, so I haven’t spoken to the tenants to see if they were wanting to renew or not.”

  Daniel’s shoulders slumped. “That’s all right. I don’t want to kick anyone out of their house. I’ll...figure something else out. Thank you for checking.”

  “Of course. That’s what I’m here for.” She paused. “Did you want me to check on other rentals in the area?”

  “No, but thank you.” He asked Rebecca a few more questions about the state of his rental properties before disconnecting the call, then turned his attention to other possible options. One of his flip houses was almost complete, but it wasn’t ideal. Her commute would be close to an hour.

  “Good morning.” Kevin, his assistant, knocked on his open door before coming inside. He gave his boss a once-over and frowned. “Did something happen at one of the properties?”

  “Just a personal matter. I’ll figure it out.” He hoped.

  Kevin took the information in stride and handed Daniel a stack of papers. “I put the most promising one on top. We can get in this morning if you want to take a look.”

  The papers were sale listings in the surrounding area. Daniel glanced at each one and returned to the property Kevin had mentioned. He was right. It did look the most promising.

  Daniel checked the clock. It was almost nine. The morning was flying by, and he hadn’t gotten anything accomplished yet.

  Pushing back from his chair, he stood. “Let’s go take a look.”

  Three hours later, he was picking at a sandwich and running the numbers. The house was a mess with trash everywhere and it looked as if it hadn’t been remodeled since the seventies, but the layout was good. He'd have to get his contractor out there to confirm, but unless he found something dire, the comps in the area looked good.

  Right on cue, Kevin strolled in. “Freddy’s going to stop by the house today. He said he can have an estimate together by tomorrow.”