As promised, the doorman is waiting for me in the lobby of the building. I’m later than I’m supposed to be. Lacey and Evan invited me for a drink in the Sky Bar and I didn’t want to turn them down on my first day on the job. Now, glancing at my phone, it’s just after six. “Miss Rose,” the doorman greets me, opening the door for me. “Your car is waiting for you right outside. It’s the black one with tinted windows.” Of course it is. “Thank you.” The driver sees me coming and opens the rear passenger door for me. “A bottle of champagne on ice is chilling for you, Miss Rose.” “Oh.” “The drive will take around twenty minutes in this traffic.” I slide into the back seat, and the driver closes it behind me, sealing me into the luxurious interior. It’s obviously a wildly expensive car, but also understated. It’s the kind of car a super-rich person who wants to remain inconspicuous would drive. I feel like a superstar, but one who’s committing some kind of heist. We pull into the rush hour traffic. I shouldn’t have any champagne, of course. I’ve already had a glass of wine with Lacey and Evan. But my nerves are on overdrive. Plus, how often do I get to ride in the back of an incognito limo with a bottle of bubbles on ice? YOLO and all that. So I pour myself a glass, sipping as I watch the fashionable people walking along Fifth Avenue. This is it, the life I’ve always dreamed of. Exc ept for the part where I now have to resist my hot billionaire boss, because the last thing I want to do is sabotage my entire career by sle eping with him—again. I’m determined to have iron-strong self-restraint this time. So I steel myself for what’s coming and fortify my courage with another sip of Moët. Exactly twenty minutes later, the car pulls up to the curb and the driver gets out to open the door for me. No sooner have I thanked him when another doorman opens another door. “Miss Rose. Please take the elevator up to the top floor. Mr. Maddox is expecting you.” I’m still getting my bearings in New York, but I’m pretty sure we’re on Madison Avenue, somewhere around 57 th Street. If this is the back entrance then his apartment must be on Park Avenue. It’s not just the silent speed of the elevator that makes my stomach do a funny little swoop. It’s the thought of seeing him again. Being alone with him. And I shouldn’t have finished that second glass of champagne. I need every single inhibition I possess to resist him. I’ll definitely make a point of drinking water from here on in. As I st ep out of the elevator into the spacious penthouse lobby—which only has one door leading off of it—it dawns on me just how rich my new boss is, and how different our lives really are. The foyer to the penthouse is outrageously swanky, with huge windows, black marble walls and a marble table with a vase that looks like it could be Ming Dynasty or something equally ridiculous. The door of the apartment opens. Ace is standing there. He leans one burly shoulder against the doorjamb. I know right then that I am in de ep, de ep trouble. “Hey, Tex,” he drawls. “Hey, Ace.” He’s wearing a pair of worn jeans that hang low on his hips and fit his big, lean body like he just st epped off the set of Yellowstone. Which he shouldn’t. It’s unfair for him to be this gorgeous and this... hot. And when I say hot I mean scorching. His masculine beauty hits you like a freight train.
His white cotton button-down shirt is open to the middle of his chest. I’ve never seen Ace dressed this casually before, probably because I’ve only met him twice, both in semi-business settings. I try not to think about how, both times, I was having sex with him practically within the hour. No wonder. That is not, however, going to be happening tonight. Yeah right. Would you look at this guy? He’s a freaking god. Not happening. I am a very restrained and highly professional woman, taking New York by storm. I’ve worked my ass off to get here and I’m determined, no matter what curveballs life throws at me, to ke ep my dream job. Even if it means resisting this dream man. I’m not naïve enough to think I can have both. Life has proven to me that things never work out like you hope they will. Exc ept for meeting Ace at the beach bar, just like Earl and Lucas and the whole Karma thing seemed to promise. But I’m not in Hawaii anymore. Ace st eps away from the door to make space for me to enter. “Come on in, Texas.” I st ep inside the most insanely luxurious apartment I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s absolutely palatial. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the entire apartment. One thing I’m learning about New York is that windows equal money. Windows with outstanding views equal lots of money. And windows with views like this when paired with vast amounts of floor space and decorated with this much stylish furniture equals insane amounts of money. It boggles the mind to think about how much something like this would cost. Large arched doorways offer tantalizing views into a formal dining room and a gleaming, immaculate chef’s kitchen. Rustic wooden beams, leather furniture, inlaid bookshelves and lamps casting golden light soften the masculinity of the place, giving it a surprisingly romantic feel. Gorgeous wood floors are overlaid with thick, plush-looking Persian rugs. A sliding door opens out onto a low-lit patio area that’s as big as the interior. There’s an outdoor seating area with couches, opulent outdoor lighting and leafy plants. There’s even a hot tub with steam rising off of it, overlooking the view of Manhattan. Wow. In Hawaii, we were on a more even playing field. Yes, he was in the penthouse, but I only found that out after we’d talked for a while. For all I knew, his company could have been paying for him to be there. We met at the bar like two vaguely normal, everyday people. But nothing about Cash Maddox is ordinary. “I like what you’ve done with the place,” I comment off-handedly, trying not to be too stunned by my awe. “Thanks,” he smiles, walking over to the bar. “What’ll it be? Pinot Grigio? Dom Perignon? Whiskey on ice?” “Just water for me, thank you.” His grin widens and he pops the bottle of Dom Perignon, pouring two flutes. “Oh no you don’t, gorgeous. You promised me one drink together.” “I said we needed to talk, that’s what we agreed to.” “Just one. Then I’ll take you home.” Ace is going to YOLO me right over the edge if I’m not careful, but what the hell. I feel like I’m living inside in a dream right now. “All right, just one.” He hands me a flute and I take it. Then he clinks his glass against mine. His blue gaze is playful. “To stars aligning.” His shirt sleeves are rolled up, revealing the arm porn of his hair-dusted, muscular forearms. The same ones I clung to as he was fucking me with that ginormous cock. Stop it. His scent is clean and woodsy, his hair still barely damp from a shower. Which reminds me that I’m still in my work clothes after a very busy day—which happened to include getting laid with no protection by my boss on his mahogany desk.
I’m still not wearing any panties. I ignore the fact that Ace is clearly also remembering our morning relapse. His eyes rove over every inch of my body as I take in the luxurious surroundings. “Take a seat,” he offers. I do, and he sits next to me on the leather couch. Our knees aren’t quite touching and I make a point to ke ep my thigh from rubbing against his. “Your apartment is very nice.” It’s so much of an understatement it’s laughable. “I bought it a few years ago, right after we started really getting some traction. Unfortunately my father never got to see it. He died before things got going for us.” “I’m sorry.” He shrugs it off but I get the feeling there were layers to his relationship with his father. “Tell me about your family. Are your parents still in Austin?” “My mother is. My father walked out on us a long time ago.” “I’m sorry to hear that. That’s tough.” “We were better off without him.” “How old were you when he left?” “Four. My mother tried to track him down and eventually she did. He’d changed his name and was living a different life.” “Fuck.” He seems sort of shocked by this information and I’m reminded again that it is shocking, that your own father would run out on his family like that. “And then he died in a drunk driving accident.” “I’m sorry.” I shrug a little. “I’m mostly over it.” He contemplates me for a few seconds. “I imagine it would be very hard for you to trust men after that.” He’s perc eptive. “I imagine you might be right.” It occurs to me that Ace and I actually know very little about each other. I’m sure he’s googled me, like I googled him, as soon as we found out each other’s real names. But I don’t have much of an online presence. I was always too busy working for social media. “Sounds like your father was a real asshole.” He’s watching me thoughtfully, like he’s picked up on my most de eply-buried and tangled emotional issue. Which is true enough. “Something we have in common.” As sexy and astute as he may be, I remember why I’m here and what I’m supposed to be doing. “We don’t know each other very well.” “That d epends on how you define ‘know’.” His eyes glimmer in the golden lamplight. “That’s why we’re here. To get to know each other a little better. Besides, what I do know about you so far I really fucking like.” I can’t help a small smile from es caping. “In a professional capacity, I’m sure you mean.” “Yes. But also in an I’m-addicted-to-you capacity.” That’s my cue. “Which leads us nicely into the reason we’re here tonight, Ace.” I say it gently, trying to stay strong. “To set some boundaries. You’re my boss, which means that... what happened between us can’t happen again. This job means everything to me. I’ve spent my entire life trying to get here.” I almost feel emotional about how true that statement is. “And, as...”—I wave a hand over the spectacle of him—“... gorgeous and perfect and hot and successful as you are, and as crazy as the chemistry between us seems to be, I can’t go there again.” “Go where?” His blue eyes are dancing. He’s not taking this seriously at all. “You know where. I mean it, Ace. We can be friends. Business acquaintances. I’m your employee and you’re my CEO. We’ll still see each other all the time. But that’s all this can be.” He tops up my glass of champagne, which I’ve only taken a few sips of, that’s sitting on the chunky wooden coffee table in front of us. I’m resolved not to finish it. Then again, I might have just one more sip because this is harder than I thought it would be and he’s so beautiful and built and has those blue eyes, not to mention that this
space is romantic and basically like living in a fantasy world. But I can’t be lulled into an erotic haze again. The stakes are too high. “So,” I continue, “I just wanted to make myself clear, since we’re here to talk this through. We got... well, we got it out of our systems and from now on we need to ke ep our relationship purely professional. You’ll call me Dusty and I’ll call you Mr. Maddox and that will be that. No more Tex. No more Ace. Okay? Are we on the same page?” Ace takes a long sip of his champagne. “Actually, no. We’re not on the same page at all. How about we discuss it in the hot tub?” “What? No.” “Come on.” “No. I’m not going in the hot tub with you.” “Why not?” I say it patiently. “Because of what I just told you, of course.” Mischief lightens his sapphire eyes in that way that makes him the most irresistible man I’ve ever, ever seen. “Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten anything out of my system, Tex. Quite the opposite. And there are a few things I need to say to you. But I’m not sure you’re ready to hear them.” “What things?” “As I said, I don’t think you’re ready yet.” “I’m ready. Just tell me.” I get a sinking feeling in the middle of my chest. Is this the part where he fires me, even though he promised me he wouldn’t? I force myself to remain strong. Whatever he’s about to tell me, I’ll figure it out. I can live with Emma for a while. I can hit the mean streets of New York again and resume my job search. Nothing could ever compare to this job, but... actions have consequences. And there were actions. Lots of them. Extremely hot ones that I can’t entirely bring myself to regret but damn it! Why did I fuck up my entire life? “First of all, all your student loans have been paid in full.” I blink, stunned. “What?” I can’t have heard that correctly. My student loans are massive. “Your mother’s house in Austin has been purchased in a cash sale with her name on it.” I blink again. “I don’t n —” “Your sister has a new manager. Her name is Roxie Tucker. She’s one of the best mangers in the business and she sees huge potential in Skyler’s talent. I had her check out Sky’s Spotify.” More blinking. “What?” I must be drunk. Am I hallucinating? “And that brings us to you.” He clinks his glass against mine. “You’ll ke ep your job but I’ll be considering you for a promotion—if you continue to perform as well as you did at Stellar Investments. You were underutilized there.” I shake my head a little, trying to clear it. “You’ll ke ep your apartment, of course, but you’ll spend the weekends with me, starting now.” “I—” “It’s non-negotiable.” I stare at Ace, my brain a jumble of shock, disbelief... and anger. “You can’t do that.” “Do what?” “Any of it. Why would you do all that?” “Because I want to make all your dreams come true. It’s what I do now.” I can’t get my head around this. “You really paid off my student loans?” “Yes.” “But... why?” “Because.” “Because why? Ace, you can’t just... do that. Out of the blue.” “Actually, I can. And I have.” I’m still processing what he’s just told me. The sheer overload doesn’t want to sink in. “You bought my mother’s house?” “Everything’s in her name. There’s also an account set up that’ll drip- feed her tax payments for the next five years.” “Ace. You shouldn’t have done all that without asking me.” “I knew you’d say no, and it wasn’t really a yes-no sort of a situation.” “Ace, I’m not... a charity case.” “Of course you’re not. You’re the opposite. That’s not
why I did it.” “Then why did you?” “Because I want to make your life as easy and happy and stress-free as I possibly can. I don’t want you to have to worry anymore. About anything. I want you to be able to live your life as the very best version of yourself. Which means I’m going to make sure, from now on, that all the things that have dragged you down in the past don’t drag you down anymore.” My eyes suddenly pool with tears. I don’t want them to but he’s hit some kind of reservoir inside me. That is without a doubt the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Ever. He wipes a tear with his thumb, even though I don’t want him to do that either. More tears well and fall until I’m sobbing against his chest as he strokes my hair. I don’t want him to feel so comforting and warm. I don’t want him to smell so damn good. I have no idea where this gush of emotion is coming from but it wants out. It’s the relief, maybe, that’s indescribable. “That’s my girl. I’ve got you.” I cry out what feels like years’ worth of angst, worry and fear until Ace’s white shirt is wet with my tears. When I finally regain at least some of my composure, my common sense breaks through the rest of this wild torrent of emotion. “Honestly, though. I can’t acc ept any of this, obviously,” I tell him. “You’ll have to take it all back. All of it. I mean it. I appreciate the thought. Really, I do. But it doesn’t make any sense for you to do all that.” “It’s just money, baby. I have shitloads of it. And I mean shitloads.” “You don’t need to... buy me, Ace.” He laughs. “I’m not buying you, Texas. I’m freeing you. Because you’ve freed me. It’s only fair. No strings attached, just the way you like it. I just felt like I owed you one.” “But... what do you mean? Why do you owe me one? How have I freed you?” Ace sighs, sort of soulfully. “I’m twenty-seven years old, Tex. And you know what? I don’t know if I’ve ever been happy for a single fucking day of it. Sure, there have been plenty of times with my brothers, when we’ve had fun and felt close. But all the rest of it—” He waves a hand at the space around us, or the universe itself, maybe. “None of it. Not the silver spoon upbringing. Not the huge hole my mother left in the middle of our family when she died. Definitely not the strict father or the boarding schools. Not the family legacy or the money. Not even the building of my company— which is now in some de ep shit and I can’t even bring myself to care, because I’m too fucking obsessed with you. Not the apartment. The houses. The cars. The fucking portfolio. None of it, Tex, actually made me happy.” I don’t even know where he’s going with this. “It... didn’t?” “No. It didn’t.” “Well... that’s sad.” He throws up his hand, in a right? gesture. “It is sad. And I’m not even sure I fully realized how sad it was until you showed up. Because you know what does make me happy?” “What?” He gets a sort of dreamy, nostalgic look. “That sweet memory of seeing you walking along the beach that day in your little leopard print bikini with your sassy little attitude. Fuck, you looked beautiful. Catching that wave. Falling off but climbing back onto your surfboard with the biggest smile on your face. Feeling like I could wring that little surfer punk’s neck if he so much as laid a finger on you. That surge—for the very first time in my life —of jealousy. Of pure, uncut happiness. It was fucking intense, Tex. And you know what was even more intense?” “What?” I’m sure I look like a hot mess but I don’t even mind. “Thinking you’d left the next morning and wondering why the fuck I didn’t run after you that very first night. I was sitting there getting ready to change my
flight, to leave the next morning. But I changed my mind. You know why?” “Why?” “Because I was hoping to run into you again. And then, there you were, sitting at the beach bar in your little green dress that basically made all my dreams come true while also giving me an instant fucking hard-on that hasn’t gone down since. And I don’t have dreams like that, Tex. I’m not a fucking dreamer. Never have been. I’m an investor. I’m a hard-ass numbers guy without a romantic bone in my body—until that moment. You turned me into someone who wanted to fall in love. Like, hard. De ep. For real. As soon as I saw you, I wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted—needed— anyone or anything in my goddamn life.” He’s staring into my eyes with a blazing intensity. “You want to know what was even more intense than that?” I’m so riveted and sort of de eply, raptly in love with this man and the way he looks and the things he’s saying, I can’t move. “What?” “Tasting you for the first time. Fucking hell, baby, you’re heaven on earth. You fucking slayed me. I was instantly, totally addicted. And it only got worse—exponentially worse, Texas. Tasting you, holding you, being inside you as you came around my spilling cock. I couldn’t believe how fucking beautiful you were and how good you felt. Nothing in my life compared to that. And you want to know what’s even more intense than that?” My breath hitches as I continue to recover from my crying jag while at the same time try to deal with all the things he’s telling me. “What?” “Thinking I’d lost you. Discovering it was your first time after you walked out on me. Chasing after you but it was like you disappeared into thin fucking air. Do you know how crazy that made me?” I shake my head a little. “Very. Fucking. Crazy. And then, you walk into my office this morning in your little black dress, looking like you’d just materialized out of my wildest, manic fantasies. I found you. I thought—no, I knew—that I’m fucking in love with you. I don’t care if we just met each other. I’ve been able to think of literally nothing but you since you left me. Nothing. I don’t care if you work at my company, Tex. I don’t fucking care! That’s not a stumbling block because I won’t let it be.” Wow. He just pulled out the L word. I mean, these are without a doubt the sweetest things anyone’s ever said to me. But the realist in me pokes her head through the fog of wanting to believe him so badly—because he’s perfect, it’s the only way to describe him. “But... you hardly know me, Ace. We’ve met... twice.” Okay, both times were extremely orgasmic and downright magical, but still. This is the little girl with major abandonment issues he’s dealing with. The one who’s never known a man that’s stuck around. “What if you end up changing your mind?” “That’s not going to happen.” “What if it does?” “Then you’ll still have a job and no student debt.” I don’t say it. I can’t say it, after all the things he just told me. “Tell me what you’re thinking right now,” he demands. “It’s nothing. Never mind.” “Say what you were going to say.” With our history, I guess it’s understandable: he gets agitated now, I’ve noticed, if I’m not completely honest with him. “It doesn’t matter.” Sternly: “Tell me.” I say it softly. “Because... I could sue for wrongful dismissal?” His lightness instantly fades at the reference to Rylee and his eyes flash. His voice is gruff when he continues. “You think I say what I’ve just said to you to every woman who comes along?” “No, Ace, that’s not what I n —” He lifts me into his arms. “All right. You doubt me, that’s fine. I need to prove myself, I can do that. All this has happened at the speed of light and there’s a lot to lose, I get that. I have no problem proving myself to you. I’ll fucking prove myself right now.” “Ace. I don’t doubt you. Where are we going?” “To start phase one of proving that I’m not making this shit up.” He sets me down on my feet next to the hot tub. There’s a sort of tropical-leaf privacy screen around part of it,
and we’re higher up than all the buildings around us. With the open air around us and the view, it feels like we’re looking out over the entire world. Slowly, watching my eyes with a dark fire in his, like he’s challenging me, he pulls on the tie of my dress. Despite all my earlier resolve, I don’t stop him. I don’t know why. I’m too far gone. He’s not the only one with the L word etching itself into his heart, even though it’s the very last thing I expected or even wanted. Ace eases my dress over my shoulders and it falls away. It has a built-in bra, my panties disappeared early this morning and I left my shoes at the door. So I’m standing here completely naked. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he murmurs. “It’s a crime for you to wear clothes, angel girl. Now get in.” Of course I could refuse. I could storm out of here—tipsy, horny and half in love—and stick to my original game plan. He just obliterated the money problems that have plagued my family our entire life, set my mother up and is giving Sky a real chance. Because I made him happy. None of this feels real. Maybe I’m dreaming. And that hot tub really does look inviting... Damn it! So I climb into the warm water as Ace goes to get the champagne and our glasses. The warm, bubbling water feels like heaven. Ace returns and pulls his shirt over his head, revealing his sculpted shoulders, broad chest and those killer abs I’ve been dreaming about since our night in Hawaii. He takes off his jeans. Oh. My. God. His giant cock is fully hard, taut against his stomach, veined and hot- looking. I am done for. Who was I kidding coming here, thinking we’d actually sit there chatting over canapés and champagne and ke eping a respectable distance from each other? I swore I would draw the line yet here I am, naked with him in his hot tub. We’re like magnets who can’t resist each other’s pull. Girl, you can’t argue with physics. Or biology. Or scorching hot chemistry. Especially when it’s this well hung. And especially when it gushes heartfelt soliloquies about how it thinks it might be in love with you. He sits back against a few of the jets, which make the bubbles fizz up around his shoulders. It’s overwhelming, the magnitude of the shifts my life ke eps taking. He hands me my glass of champagne. “Drink it.” “Or what, boss?” I sass him. “You’ll fire me?” “Or I’ll stuff my cock into that dirty little mouth.” I glare at him, ignoring how my body responds to him. I’m mad at him for taking liberties with my life. Who does he think he is? It’s crossing a line. I want to take out my emotional overload on him. “Go ahead. I dare you.” “My turn first, Texas. I didn’t even get to taste you this morning. You were too desperate for me to fuck you.” More glaring. He’s not wrong. But he meets my glare with a sexy sneer. “I need to feast on that sweet pussy. Come here, baby girl. Give me my fix.” I’m feeling insolent. And so turned on I can’t think. How dare he turn my life upside down... with more hopefulness than I can handle? My nipples are insanely sensitive and my pussy feels like it’s been dipped in warm honey. How does he do that? It’s so freaking easy for him to reduce me to a pile of primordial ooze. “Be a good girl and offer your wet, candy-pink pussy to your big bad CEO.” I watch him, twirling a finger through a loose strand of my hair. But I don’t obey him. I’m clinging to my very last shred of wondering if he’s going to be my downfall. Or something very different. Like quite possibly the love of my life.
Ace smiles, easing closer, r eplacing the finger that’s twirling my hair with his own, gently tugging. “You want to know something?” “What?” I’m surly because I’m so hot for him I feel like I’m going mad. Plus I’m still floating on a cloud of unfamiliar relief. For now, at least. Until I convince him he can’t do all that for us. It’s too much. “When I first saw you, I couldn’t believe you were real, baby girl. I didn’t know anyone could be so stunning. You’re so damn pretty it hurts.” His mouth is so close to mine. He’s so big and sexy. So mind- numbingly masculine. His lips touch mine in a light, sensual brush. At first I don’t respond. But he sinks his tongue into my mouth and groans. When he slides his tongue against mine, I draw him de eper, teasing him because my body and soul are full of more emotion than I know what to do with. The soft sound he makes is low and savage. Slowly, de eply, he kisses me, as though the taste of me is overwhelming to him. Like he can’t get enough. “Fuck, you’re so fucking sweet. I want to fuck your mouth, but first I need to feast on your pussy until you’re coming on my tongue,” he’s murmuring, positioning me, caressing my breasts, twirling my nipples until I moan. “That’s my girl. Give me everything. I’ll take care of you.” Ace pushes my legs apart, wrapping them loosely around his shoulders as I lean up against one of the raised seats and the jets. He’s kissing my thigh and the scratchy burn of his stubble against the tender skin of my thigh is deliciously painful. So much for refusing him. I simply can’t resist how good he feels. Not just physically, but emotionally. Spiritually. Freaking existentially. He’s like a religious experience. I can see the city lights of New York City down below me and the stars up above. And then Ace kisses my pussy. Gently at first. Then he starts licking and sucking with open-mouthed gusto. Little starry jolts of pleasure vibrate through my body. I’m already close to coming and he can feel this. He’s teasing me, tasting me, driving me crazy with lust. I’m in a trance of hyper-arousal so intense that nothing exists beyond this blooming tide of feeling that’s radiating from Ace’s mouth to my belly to my goddamn soul. The pleasure is crazy. He slides his tongue into me, in and out, in and out, stroking the wave higher. And higher. He r eplaces this movement with his fingers as he draws my clit into his mouth, milking me in greedy pulls. The waves rise then crash through my body in mind-blowing clenches that send zinging jolts through my entire being. My pussy clenches tightly around Ace’s fingers, over and over. I cry out as my body spasms and quivers with the overload of pleasure. It lasts a long time. Ace licks me gently, spinning the ripples further, feasting devoutly on my pleasure like he’s worshipping me. “Ace.” “Right here, angel.” He kisses my clit so slowly and lewdly that if he ke eps doing that I’m going to come again. But then he lifts me from the hot tub, wrapping a towel around me. He carries me to his bed. He dries us both off and lays me down. The lighting is dim and I’m too focused on Ace to take in much of the surroundings, but I vaguely notice that his bedroom is just as luxurious as the rest of his apartment. He lays next to me. “You all right, baby girl?” He stares de eply into my eyes and know in that moment, that I could: I could fall in love with this man. Maybe I already have.
You have. No one ever tells you orgasms forge a bond with the person who gives them to you. You don’t just run away from people who can make you feel this much pleasure. Even though it’s the only thing I know how to do. I’m still sort of mad at him. For so easily turning my world upside down. For waving a magic wand at every single thing about me and somehow claiming it. I’m mad and I’m hot and I want to take it out on him. His cock is warm and rock-hard against my leg. “You promised,” I whisper. “Promised what?” “That you’d stuff your cock in my mouth. I want to taste you.” His pupils almost entirely swallow up his blue irises, making him look dangerous. But I feel dangerous too. Dangerously sexy for this big hunk of male perfection. Slowly, I climb down his body. I take his huge cock in my hands. “Tex,” he groans. “Fuck.” “The big CEO thinks he can control everything. But now he’s at my mercy.” His cock is heavy and outrageously hard. It’s silky and hot. A pearl of moisture beads at the tip. I lean closer and touch my tongue to the wetness. I suck gently, licking him with my tongue. “Oh, fuck.” There’s a feminine power to this I wasn’t expecting. The bossy, all- powerful CEO is mine. He doesn’t hold all the cards in this equation. The feeling makes me greedier and I suck on him more strongly, taking him de eper. I want him to lose control. I want to overwhelm him with pleasure, like he’s so good at doing to me. My fingers explore as I take him even de eper. “Get up here and ride me, Texas, or I’m going to come in your mouth.” “Do it,” I murmur. “Give it to me.” Then I take him even de eper. I explore him with my fists and my fingers, cupping him as I suck on him. It doesn’t take long. His cock surges and the pumping gush floods my mouth as he comes. I really must be losing my mind because I’m thirsty for him. I swallow, but there’s way too much. It spills and wets my face. I lick and kiss his wet, still-pulsing length. It’s softer now but not completely. I caress the weighted bulk of it in my hands. “Tex,” he growls. “Come here, baby.” I climb up and he takes me in his arms, staring at me like I’m a vision he can’t believe. He smooths my hair. He takes my face in his warm hands and kisses my lips. “Tonight didn’t play out at all like I was planning,” I confess. “Move in with me.” I stare at him in the dark room, lit by the stars outside the windows and the lights of the New York night. “Ace n —” “Stop protesting everything. So what if it’s fast. Who cares. I want you with me.” “But I’m still mad at you,” I whisper. “Well, I’m in love with you, so there. I win.” I’m stunned. Can we really fall in love this fast? “You can’t be.” “I can and I am and there’s not a damn thing you can do to change my mind. You can’t even run from me because now I know your name.” “You’re crazy,” I whisper. “Crazy hot for you, Texas. I’m going to make you so happy you’ll never want to leave me. And I’m only just getting started.” My eyes sting like I might start crying again but I hold them back. Ace has a way of hitting de eply buried veins of emotion with his off-hand, monumental promises. I’ve spent my life digging in, worrying that it’ll never be enough, fighting with everything I’ve got to give myself a buffer against the fear. I don’t know if even Ace can cure me of all that, but there’s something life- changing about hearing him say he wants to.
“You have to take it all back,” I tell him. “I can’t.” Ace plumps my breast to his mouth, circling his tongue lazily around my nipple. “All of it’s already signed off.” “I’ll pay you back.” “You already have, angel, I told you that. Now get up here and ride me. Then I’m going to fuck you from behind when you’re all warmed up.” His cock is already getting hard again. Warmed up? And the pulls of his mouth at my nipple are making me moan. Maybe he’s right: it’s going to take a few more tries to get this out of our systems.