He'd never pressured me, and that just made him hotter.

  The kiss ended, and he asked, “What do you want?”

  I could barely believe any of this was real as I whispered in his ear, “Everything.”

  He lowered himself, and my body quivered as his finger entered me.

  He’d waited years to have sex with me again, and yet he had all this self-control. My eyelids fluttered. He'd waited for me.

  Contractions grew in my body, and I sighed. He went deeper with his thumb and found my clit. My body quickly rocked into an orgasm, like I’d been waiting for him too.

  My body writhed but I realized he hadn’t joined me in having an orgasm.

  When my eyes opened, he was staring at me with what looked like wonder. I tensed. This morning, we hadn’t gone past this point. I felt close to him, though I wasn’t sure any of this was real.

  I wanted to tell him that I ached for him, but before I could, he lowered himself. I opened my legs and braced for impact.

  His lips and tongue met my core, and my fingers curled in his hair.

  I’d intended to satisfy him, but Elon must have remembered my body. He knew how to turn the heat back on. I moaned as another orgasm built. I needed him to stop. I needed to satisfy him, but I lost that thought as pleasure coursed through me.

  I was his.

  As I came to, and I processed that we’d not…. I met his gaze. He looked down at me and said, “I lo—”

  "This is just sex." I cupped his hard, ready dick.

  He shook his head. “I want to make love to you, Clarissa.”

  Tears had formed in my eyes after I cut off what he was about to say, but I needed to do this. I'd never been this close to anyone. I nodded and massaged his cock then started to direct him inside me.

  He stopped me. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  “Yes,” I said, and he reached for something beside his bed.

  For a moment, I wasn’t able to breathe. Then I saw the condom wrapper. The last time we'd had sex, we’d not bothered with that. He took the condom out of the package, and I helped him slip it on his dick.

  A moment later, he entered me. Fireworks was too tame a word for how I felt. I was in ecstasy.

  22

  Clarissa

  My eyes flitted open. I lay beside Elon on his bed. I glanced out the window and saw the moon was still visible in the sky.

  My heart contracted in my chest. I wasn’t supposed to be here, although the time we'd shared had been amazing.

  Elon made my body burn. I didn’t regret anything… except leading him on.

  We were friends with benefits. I couldn’t offer more, which was why I needed to get up.

  I slid out from under the sheets and landed with a thud on the floor. I cringed when Elon looked down at me. “Where are you going?”

  If I told him I only wanted to be friends, he might hate me. He’d said he wanted to make love to me, and I’d nodded. My cheeks blazed with heat. I stood. “I thought I should sleep in my own room in case Sam looks for me.”

  “Does he get up in the middle of the night?”

  I hugged myself. I’d not lied, although Sam usually slept until morning. I closed my eyes. “No.”

  His phone rang on the nightstand. I took a step back, but he sat up and said, “I want you to stay.”

  I handed him his phone and stared at the empty spot on the bed where I had slept. If we talked about what had happened, then maybe we’d be on the same page. He answered the phone and mouthed, “It’s work.”

  He patted the edge of the bed, indicating I should sit. After a moment, I complied. My legs felt tense.

  Elon asked, “Who's in labor?”

  He pressed speaker and sat up to stretch. His secretary said, “Mrs. Motts-Butterfield.”

  He stared at me hungrily, and my skin tingled. “Who's on call?”

  “Bentley,” his secretary said.

  My body trembled as I wondered if maybe we could enjoy each other again when he finished talking to his secretary.

  He rubbed his neck. “I’ll make a call.”

  He hung up and scrolled through the contacts on his phone.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  His gaze went to my chest as he dialed. “Motts-Butterfield is a friend of my maman, sort of. She wants a female doctor.”

  After a moment, a woman answered the phone.

  Elon said, “Estes, are you in town?”

  Hearing him speak about work made me realize he’d not wasted his life. I hugged my knees.

  "Yes," Estes said. “What’s going on?”

  “If you can deliver Motts-Butterfield's baby right now, I’ll ensure your vacation is approved.”

  Estes said, “Sounds perfect. I’m on my way.”

  Once he hung up, he offered his hand. “Okay. Crisis adverted.”

  My heart softened. He helped people whereas I used to dress as a pretend princess and entertain children while they were on expensive vacations. My lips curved into a smile. “You handled that well.”

  He shrugged and scooted closer to me. “I need someone organized to help me, but I never have time to interview for the position.”

  I narrowed my eyes. I’d never tried office work, but helping him would mean I wasn’t loafing around his house. “What would the job be?”

  He shrugged. “Mostly someone to help me with all this scheduling, so I don’t get calls like this.”

  My heart stirred. As a kid, I'd constantly labeled groceries that were brought into the house. I'd grown up doing whatever the Norouzis needed. I took a deep breath. “Would the person you hired need skills?”

  “Organizational skills.”

  Organization could be my middle name. My parents had wanted me to know my place, which was why they'd insisted I learn to be organized. My lips quirked higher. “I meant a degree.”

  He blinked. “No.”

  This would be a way to pay him back for living in his luxury. “Then I’d like to apply.”

  “Why?”

  I thought it was obvious. Work was good. “Because working would make me feel like less of a slacker.”

  He tilted his head and ran a gentle hand over my shoulder. “You’re not. You’re the… you’re the mother of my son, and all I want is for you to be happy.”

  I lowered my head. Maybe it was wrong to be friends with benefits at the same time we'd be working together. My face felt tight. “So you’re not hiring me?”

  He kissed my cheek. “Oh, you’re hired.”

  I quickly glanced up and smiled. “Really?”

  He came even closer. “You’re more than qualified, and I think we get along. If I ever miss noticing one of my doctors is entrepreneurial, please bring it to my attention.”

  “Oh, I think we get along too,” I said.

  Then our lips met.

  Kissing him sent trembles through my body. I wrapped my arms around him, and little sparks rushed through me.

  He was the best and, for the time being, mine to enjoy.

  23

  Elon

  Birds chirped outside the window. I still had my eyes closed as I mentally listed everything I was grateful for in my life. Today, at the top of the list was a second chance with the gorgeous woman beside me in bed.

  She let out a sigh, and I gazed down at her. I muttered a second "Thank you" as I'd spent too much time without her.

  She opened her eyes. I smiled at her. “Good morning.”

  “I slept here!” She jumped out of the bed, stark naked.

  I sat up. “It’s okay.”

  She shook her head as she gathered her clothes from the floor. “I don’t want Sam to get the wrong idea about us.”

  “That his parents like each other?”

  “He’s never seen me in bed with a guy, if I could help it.”

  “I’m not any guy. I’m doing my best to be his dad.”

  “You’re doing great.”

  I reached for my underwear. “I’m feeling guilty.”

  She tugged on her shirt and stepped into her pants. “Why?”

  My heart pounded. “I shouldn’t have rushed you.”

  She sat down on the bed and cupped my face. I stilled as I wasn’t sure what she’d say. But then she laughed. “You’re funny.”

  I blinked. “What?”

  She kept her voice low. “I was the one who insisted, but now I need to think about my… our son.”

  We clearly had different memories. I should not have told her how long I’d waited for her. I took her hands. “Will he be upset if he finds out? I’d say he was adjusting pretty well.”

  She stood, and her face went white. “No, he’ll probably want us to get married. He won’t understand we’re friends with benefits.”

  “I didn't agree to casual.”

  “I can’t offer more.”

  My heart pounded harder. I grabbed my pants. “Glad he wants us to stay as we are.”

  I rocked and intended to remind her that I wanted more for us, but she turned on her heels. “I’m going to my room to shower. Meet you downstairs.”

  Without another word, she slipped out of my room.

  I massaged my forehead, as Clarissa and I needed to discuss what we were to each other, but we weren’t on the same page. It seemed I needed to prove to her I was more than a booty call.

  I headed to my bathroom and hoped the shower would clear my head. I needed a plan of action.

  We'd take Sam to school, and I’d see if she was ready to start working with me and get payroll started. I put on a dress shirt and shorts as no one besides Clarissa and the staff would see below my belt—as long as we let Sam hop out of the limo and didn't walk him into school.

  After I finished dressing, I realized Clarissa and Sam were still in their rooms. I headed downstairs and ordered breakfast and tea. I intended to read the news, but my phone rang. I smiled as I realized the call wasn’t work related. “Charlie, what’s going on?”

  “I gave my two weeks’ notice.”

  Finally. He would find something he could do that didn't involve following other people’s schedules. “Good. Do you have a plan, or are you just taking time off?”

  “No idea. I’m moving into my penthouse in Manhattan and probably going to work with Warren and Kir.”

  I nodded as the staff brought in breakfast trays to set up. “Sounds good for you.”

  “So bring your family down soon to visit.”

  My heart stilled. Clarissa wasn’t on that page. I wasn’t even sure I was. My stomach twisted as I remembered her words this morning. I closed my eyes and said, “It’s not that set in stone.”

  “I don’t know what that means, but if there is something you need help with concerning Clarissa and whatever happened to her, just call any of us.”

  Charlie had no idea why Clarissa hadn’t clued me in on what her life had been like. She was still stalling. Maybe it had something to do with Hunter, but I assumed the reason went deeper. Either way, I was tempted to run a background check on him, but I wasn’t even sure of his last name. Clarissa never spoke of him. I sat up straighter. “Right now, just let Clarissa set the pace and don’t make assumptions.”

  “Fine, fine. Talk to you later,” Charlie said.

  I’d spoken the truth. Whatever happened with us, Clarissa would set the schedule. She needed love and support and to feel safe. Hopefully, by showing her I was dependable, she’d see I wasn’t the same stupid kid who had once hurt her. I’d ask her so many questions that hopefully she would open up to me. It was the only plan I had.

  24

  Elon

  We dropped Sam off at school, and I had human resources set up Clarissa on the payroll as she’d been insistent that staying home and doing nothing wasn’t an option. I texted my brothers Kir and Warren to set up a trust fund for her. She would have no need to fear where her next dollar was coming from ever again. I wouldn't tell her about it until the time was right, though.

  I needed her near me so I could figure out how to get past her defenses and to get her to commit to our family. For now, we came home from leaving Sam and school, and she spoke to personnel to ensure she'd done all the paperwork.

  I stayed on my side of the desk and read emails, talked to some of my doctors who needed a second set of eyes on plans, and spoke to my father’s investment team that was setting up my business as a nationwide provider of women’s health. I also funded Clarissa's trust with twenty-five million dollars.

  Every state had slightly different rules, but if Clarissa lived off three percent of the investments alone, she’d have enough for everyday things.

  I was finishing an email when Clarissa broke our silence. “So your payroll department is thorough. That took half a day.”

  Almost half a day. It was eleven o'clock, but I wouldn't argue semantics. I sat back and poured us both tea from my carafe. “I’m glad you’re almost finished with onboarding.”

  “Me too.” She smelled the tea and smiled.

  I wanted to tell her that we needed to be exclusive, but first I needed to explain her job duties. “You can take a preliminary run at organizing client requests, so we have data on due dates, client expectations, and matching clients with our employees. I set a budget, and the tech department can build you a database.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wow.”

  Fuck me. I needed to discuss the trust I'd set up for her and what I was doing for her, but I shrugged. “So be ready to put in demands.”

  Her lips quirked upward. “Norouzis are always looking to automate.”

  My family had discussed various ideas they had for investments, but I needed to nudge this conversation in the right direction. “Efficiency means we have more time to relax, and that includes you.”

  “I’m not a Norouzi.” She sipped her tea. “There is a human component, though. And most of us don’t get a golden parachute.”

  “You do.”

  “No, I’ve been hustling.”

  We all chose what sort of money we'd earn in our lifetime. No one taught that at school, but we all figured out our worth and took jobs at the salary we expected. It took a lot of change for someone to go above their perceived value. This wasn’t the time for heavy conversation, though. “How much would you need to not stress?”

  “I’d guess I’d have to earn millions, but that won’t happen.”

  “Because you like being poor?”

  “Why are you being pigheaded about cash? Let’s talk about work before I want to toss something at your head and storm out of here.”

  “I’ve never seen you mad at me.” I wasn’t helping my cause. I needed to be more relaxed, which meant changing the topic. “The same argument has been made for centuries of innovations on why we keep the old ways, but time creates needs where we all fit in. So it’s best to focus on you, Sam, and me—and how you and me are more than friends.”

  She sipped more of her tea and sat back. “Tell me something funny that happened to you after I left college.”

  I sat back in my chair and twisted my body. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I'd made a mess of this conversation, but she was clearly dodging my comment about us being more than friends. “I’m not good at being funny.”

  Her lips were half raised, and she sighed. “That’s exactly why I need to know.”

  I closed my eyes. I wasn’t like my brothers, who went out and sought adventure. My heart stirred, and I settled on one story. I scooted forward. “Well, after I finished my three-year program for undergrad and before I started medical school, I decided to spend some alone time in the Sahara desert.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  I shrugged. “It’s in all the books. It’s where people go to find themselves and face their fears.”

  She took my hands. “Wasn’t it dangerous?”

  Heat rushed through me. When she’d known the old me, I’d been so careful to not make waves. I still didn’t. Being a doctor and a business owner proved I was stable. “Yeah. I thought about you and how you’d left that first year of college. I really accepted I was entirely to blame.”

  She stared into her flowered pink teacup that the staff had managed to find for her. “I knew you had money and could support Sam way better than I could. I get some of the blame.”

  This wasn’t the way I wanted our conversation to go. I scooted closer to her. “Don’t think that. Anyhow, in the desert, the camel I’d bought decided he was done. I tried to get him to continue moving forward one night, but he spit in my face.”

  Her lips quirked, but she hid her face in her hands. I tilted mine to try to see her expression and smiled. “You are laughing.”

  “A little.” She reached out and held her hand against my face. “You still sound upset about it. What did you do next?”

  Fair enough. Cyrus could dance with the woman he loved all night long, and Charlie was up for one adventure after another, but I was different. I took a deep breath. “So I set up camp, and less than an hour later, we were facing a sandstorm.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh no.”

  The night I'd stayed in a tent with a mask on was unforgettable. “It was good the camel stopped because while the air was full of sand and dust, nothing happened to us. We were in the perfect place.”

  She finished her tea. “Animals know best.”

  I poured us more tea. “I realized the truth of that statement, and I learned I can’t force my will all the time even when I want to.”

  She shook her head. “I think you’re putting too much stock in that right now.”

  Maybe. Levity wasn’t natural for me, even if I trusted myself with her. “Well, if you and I had still been together, I wouldn't have gone out into the desert or bought that camel.”

  She stirred her tea. “Where is the camel now?”

  “Retired and living his best life in a vacation home,” I quipped.

  “You bought it for him?”

  “That camel saved my life. It seemed the right thing to do, the same way I want to do right by you.”