Laurella climbed out of the cab, careful not to trap the thin heel of her stiletto in the hem of her evening gown. Ellie, Zane’s PA, had worked miracles in the last two weeks to put this event together. It had started out as a way of thanking the staff for their hard work, but in the end, Zane had expanded it to include their most treasured customers. Poor Ellie had to scale up from a gathering of between fifty and a hundred, depending on whether employees brought partners, to the eventual guest list containing close to two hundred names.

Her relationship with Calum grew by the day, but Laurella wasn’t yet ready to go public. Calum had gone along with her wishes, even though he didn’t like it very much. His agreement to do something he didn’t want to said more about his feelings for her than any words he might utter.

She found the event room and handed her coat to the cloakroom attendant then slipped the ticket into her purse and stepped inside. She sought out Calum but couldn’t spot him. She did, however, see Julie. Laurella waved.

Julie waved back, held up a glass, and mouthed “Prosecco?”

Laurella nodded and headed over to the bar area. By the time she got there, her glass of prosecco was waiting.

“You look stunning, Laurella,” Julie said, giving her a quick hug. “I wish I had your Mediterranean skin tone. You can get away with much more vibrant colors, and that red looks amazing on you.”

“It can be a curse,” she said. “I can’t wear pastels at all. They look awful. Your sky-blue dress is beautiful, and the cut is perfect for your figure.”

Julie smoothed a hand over her hips. “Hides a multitude of sins, more like. My mother had what they call childbearing hips, and she passed them down to me. Bitch.”

They burst out laughing. A couple of girls from finance joined them, and Julie regaled them all with stories of her parents. Laurella listened with half an ear. She continually scanned the room, waiting for Calum to appear. When he did, her breath caught in her throat.

The black tux and crisp white shirt fitted him to perfection. His hair was a little longer than his usual preferred style. It grazed the collar, and all Laurella could think about was pushing her hands through it later when she kissed the hell out of him.

He hadn’t seen her yet, so she could watch him unobserved. He shook hands with several guests, his smile warm and friendly, but he still had a reserved aloofness that she recognized from their early interactions. Calum might be a complex man, but he’d allowed her to peek beneath the public persona.

She spotted Zane heading toward Calum. They shared a quick word then disappeared. Cramming down disappointment that he hadn’t immediately sought her out, she turned her attention back to the group.

“What are your thoughts on our gorgeous sales director, Laurella?” Sally, one of the finance girls, asked.

Laurella’s heart stuttered. Shit. Had they noticed her checking him out? She decided to play dumb. “Sorry?”

“Nalini and I think he’s hot. I bet he’s amazing in bed.”

“Urgh,” Julie said. “Do you mind? That’s my boss.”

“Oh, come on, Jules,” Sally said. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it?”

“Not even once.”

Julie winked at Laurella, who was desperately trying to figure out how she could retreat… fast.

“He doesn’t have the right equipment to attract me,” Julie said.

Sally’s brow furrowed. “Huh?”

Julie leaned in. “I’m gay,” she said, clearly enjoying the embarrassment she’d caused Sally, who flushed bright red.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, Jules. I didn’t know.”

Julie laughed. “No need to apologize. It’s not like I walk around with a flashing neon sign on my head.”

Awkward moment over, Sally turned her attention back to Laurella. “So, come on, Laurella. Calum Brook. Hot or not?”

With a sinking feeling, Laurella realized—too late—that Sally was one of those girls who latched on to a subject and wouldn’t let go until she’d gotten her answer. All three girls laid their interested eyes on her.

She shrugged. “Italian men are hotter,” she said, hoping that by not answering the question directly, she’d get away relatively unscathed.

“So you wouldn’t, you know… not even if he threw himself at your feet?”

She inwardly groaned. “Not even if he got down on his knees and begged,” Laurella said, hoping that would be the end of it.

“Ms. Ricci. A word, please.”

Laurella froze as Calum’s deep baritone voice rumbled in her left ear. Sally gave a horrified stare while Julie grinned. Nalini simply fixed her gaze on the floor as though she were praying for it to open up and swallow her whole.

“Of course,” Laurella murmured. There was still a chance he hadn’t heard… wasn’t there?

He took her by the elbow and propelled her forward. Laurella glanced up. His jaw was set, and a nerve jumped in his cheek. Yep. He’d heard. And by the looks of him, he wasn’t happy.

“Calum—”

“Don’t say a goddamn word,” he said.

As they passed through the crowds, he murmured the odd greeting but didn’t stop to speak to any of the guests. They stepped outside the event room, and Calum opened an adjacent door. Inside, laid out on a large rectangular table, were the prizes and awards Zane planned to give to the top-performing employees later that evening.

Calum ushered her inside and kicked the door closed. Before Laurella could say anything, his mouth crashed down on hers. He was already hard. Whether that was from desire or anger, Laurella couldn’t know. Whichever of those emotions was most prevalent, it didn’t matter, because she melted beneath his kiss. His tongue played with hers, a dance she was beginning to know well. Her breathing grew heavy as he rubbed his erection against her.

And then he pulled away. He took three steps back and glared at her with a flushed face and mussed hair where Laurella had shoved her hands through it. “From the looks of you, sweetheart, I won’t need to be begging anytime soon.”

Agitated, she glared at him. “Don’t be so childish,” she snapped. “You’d rather I spilled the truth? Because if I’d answered Sally’s question honestly, I’d have told her that I find you so hot I want to turn the air conditioner up whenever you’re near. I’d have said that when we’re apart, I crave your touch. I’d have shared that when you’re inside me, nothing else matters apart from you and me and how connected we are in that moment. Is that what you’d rather I’d said?”

By the time she’d finished her rant, her chest heaved, and she was short of breath.

“Christ, you’re beautiful when you’re angry,” he said. “And, yes, I’d rather you said all those things. I don’t want to hide our relationship any longer, Laurella. I thought I could do this. I wanted to go along with your wishes, but then a few minutes ago, I heard a couple of guys who work for McShorey’s talking about you. They were saying how stunning you are, how they planned to steal a dance later. One of them said he was going to ask you on a date. And it made me furious. I wanted to put my hands around their throats and warn them that if they laid a finger on you, I’d fucking kill them. You’re mine—and I want everyone to know it.”

She hesitated, but only for a second. Closing the distance between them, she flung her arms around his neck and drew his head down toward hers. This time, she kissed him, pouring every ounce of what she was feeling into the kiss. She’d been wrong to make him wait, wrong to expect him to keep secrets from his best friend, wrong to hide their relationship so that everyone thought she was fair game, like a prized cow at a cattle market.

By the time they broke apart, her lips felt swollen and raw. Undoubtedly, she’d need to reapply her lipstick. But she didn’t care. What did it matter if everyone in the room next door knew she’d been thoroughly kissed for the last few minutes?

“Okay, let’s go public.”

Calum’s answering smile took her breath away. He captured her hand, and together, they walked back into the event room. During the few minutes they’d been gone, almost everyone had arrived, and the place was packed.

“Let’s get a drink,” he said, towing her toward the bar.

Julie, Sally, and Nalini were standing exactly where she’d left them a few minutes earlier, and as she and Calum drew closer, Julie looked over. Her eyes dipped to where Laurella and Calum were holding hands, and they widened in surprise.

“Well, well, boss. You sly old fox,” Julie said. She turned to Laurella. “And as for you, all I can say is you’re one hell of an actress. How long has this been going on?”

Calum kissed Julie on the cheek. “None of your goddamn business, you nosy bitch.” He added a grin to cushion his words. He definitely had a soft spot for Julie, and at least her sexual preference made it easier for Laurella to keep her jealousy at bay. However, Nalini—and even more so, Sally—were a whole other prospect. From the way Sally shot daggers in Laurella’s direction, the young finance analyst clearly was not happy that Laurella hadn’t been candid when questioned before.

“We hadn’t exactly planned to tell anyone, and certainly not tonight,” Laurella said, facing Julie, but her words were meant more for Sally’s benefit. Necron was a small company, and Laurella could do without making enemies.

“That’s true.” Calum slipped his hand around her waist and kissed her temple. “But I got sick of sneaking around. And I wanted to stake my claim.”

Julie laughed. “Piss on your territory, you mean. Watch this one, Laurella. He has a tendency to like to own things.”

Laurella chuckled while Calum whispered, “She’s right. You are mine,” in her ear.

She shivered. There was something delicious about the way Calum said ‘mine.’ Even for an independent woman like her, being wanted was addictive.

“I guess we’d better go fess up to Zane,” he said, picking up his drink from the bar. “He’ll get pissy if he isn’t told personally that his best friend is off the market.”

He led her through the crowd once more with off the market playing on a loop in her mind. She metaphorically hugged herself. Calum was what Papa would call ‘Quite the catch.’ Smart, successful, hard-working, ambitious. She’d also add—although not for Papa’s ears—handsome, hot-as-all-hell, and fantastic in bed.

Goodness, was she really considering telling her family about Calum? That was a big step. The second they found out she was in a relationship, they’d expect them both to fly to Italy so everyone could grill Calum and give him the seal of approval. Or not. It could go either way. Her family had never liked Alessandro, her former fiancé. They hadn’t quite come out and said as much, but they’d never made him feel welcome. When he’d cheated on Laurella, and she’d broken off their engagement, each and every member of her family had been quick to tell her how happy they were and that they’d never thought Alessandro was good enough for their Ella.

“Zane,” Calum called out, holding his free hand in the air. He sidled through a couple more people, shaking hands with one or two. Finally, they reached Zane, who homed right in on where their hands were knitted together.

“Fuck me. Does this mean what I think it means?”

Brienne, Zane’s girlfriend, rolled her eyes. “Smooth, Zane. Real smooth.”

Calum hitched a shoulder. “No need to make a big fuss about it. Just thought you should know.”

Zane grinned. “So this is why the white flag of surrender has been waved. I wondered why I hadn’t had to dodge any bullets at our recent board meetings.”

“Zane!” Brienne glared at him.

“It’s okay, Brie,” Calum said. “We’re used to him. And now we’ll say no more about it.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m pleased for you both, although clearly you got the better end of the deal, Calum.” He shook Calum’s hand and gave Laurella a brief hug. “My commiserations to you, lovely lady, for having to put up with this asshat.”

Her boss’s approval removed the last vestiges of awkwardness that starting a relationship with a coworker could bring. Phew. One more worry put aside.

Calum led her into the center of the dance floor. He slipped one arm around her waist, taking her hand with the other. He touched her cheek with his and began to move.

“I didn’t know you could dance,” she said.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

“I can imagine.”

Calum drew back, studying her face. “Have I told you how stunning you look tonight?”

She smiled. “I think your words were that you thought I was beautiful when angry.”

His hand traced up from her waist to curve around her neck. He brushed his thumb beneath her earlobe, traced the tip over her cheek, and caressed her bottom lip. He applied gentle pressure until she parted her lips. When she did, he slipped the tip of his thumb inside. Laurella sucked hard, taking him all the way in. He groaned. They were standing so close it would be virtually impossible for anyone to witness their seductive dance.

She released him. He lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. “For the record, I think you’re beautiful when you’re angry and when you’re happy. First thing in the morning and last thing at night. When you’re all made up, like tonight, and when your face is clean and clear. Whether you’re in a ball gown or when you’re wearing sweatpants. Your kind of beauty comes from the inside, Laurella. That’s why every man in this room who is not in a relationship—and even some who are—is envious of me right now. Because I’m with you.”

Her heart squeezed so hard she feared it might stop beating altogether. “Oh, Calum.”

“I know being with me isn’t easy. I’m a complicated man. I can be overly critical, blunt to the point of causing offense, hostile at times. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you any of this, because you were on the receiving end during our first weeks and months of knowing each other. But I am loyal to those I love, and I put them first. Always.”

Laurella’s breath caught in her throat. Had he said what she thought he had? Had he just told her he loved her? Hope blossomed in her chest. Neither of them had spoken of love, but these last few weeks had been the happiest of her life. They hadn’t had the most auspicious of starts, but it was here and now that mattered.

Her mouth went dry as she looked up into Calum’s dark-green smoldering eyes. “I adore you. Even if you do push my buttons quite a lot and sometimes make me want to hit you instead of kiss you.”

It was a hell of a risk. But she’d been humiliated before and survived. One more humiliation wouldn’t kill her if he recoiled from her declaration.

He cupped both hands around her face and kissed her. “How long do we have to stay here?”

She laughed. “I think Zane expects us to stick around to the very end.”

“Fuck that,” Calum said. “He gets another two hours max. And that’s pushing it, given how much I need to be inside you.”

The rest of the evening turned out to be a great success. Zane played the part of master of ceremonies beautifully, and those who won prizes and awards went home happily clutching their gifts. Necron might only be small, but Zane had the right idea when it came to staff loyalty. An employee who felt appreciated would always do more than one who felt put-upon.

They said goodnight to a few stragglers who were clearly intent on stretching out the evening—not to mention the free bar—as far as they could. Then they climbed into the back of a cab, and Calum tugged Laurella astride his lap. When he gave the driver the name of Jax’s hotel instead of Laurella’s apartment, she frowned.

“Why there?”

Calum grinned. “I may have managed to get the penthouse for the night. Jax had someone cancel at the last minute, which meant they lost their fee. So being the good brother he is, he offered it to me.”

“Oh, you are so going to get laid,” she whispered.

“That’s the plan, beautiful.” Calum locked his lips on hers.

It took about twenty minutes to reach Jax’s hotel. Calum paid the driver, and like a pair of teenagers, they spilled onto the sidewalk, still kissing.

Inside, the hotel was as busy as every other time Laurella had visited, but this time, Calum didn’t stop off in the lounge area, nor did he lead her to the basement that housed his living quarters. Instead, he headed straight for the stairs. On the top floor, he turned left. He removed a key card from his wallet and inserted it into the slot.

“After you,” he said, gesturing for her to go in first.

Laurella stepped inside… and gasped. The room was the epitome of contemporary luxury. Thick wall-to-wall carpeting covered the living space, upon which sat three deep couches arranged in a U shape, with myriad scattered cushions. Fresh flowers had been placed on the coffee table, and an enormous television set dominated one wall. What caught Laurella’s eye, though, was what lay beyond the glass floor-to-ceiling doors.

She kicked off her shoes and curled her toes, relishing the softness of the fibers against her feet, which were sore from standing in heels for hours. She walked across the vast space and flung open the doors. The outside patio was enormous. Around the edge was a glass screen topped with oak wood. Subtle lighting provided a muted glow, but it was the large Jacuzzi sitting proudly on a raised platform that Laurella wanted to sample. And the man standing off to the side, watching her reaction, was the person she wanted to sample it with.

With her eyes on his, she slipped the spaghetti straps off her shoulders and let her dress slide to the floor. Underneath, the red lingerie she’d chosen had the desired effect on Calum. His lips parted, and his tongue swept out to dampen them. He maintained eye contact and the physical distance, but the glint deep within his emerald irises told her he was only just holding it together.

She sauntered outside, hips swaying, and climbed up the steps to the bubbling water. Reaching around her back, she unclasped her bra and dropped it beside her. She didn’t need to turn around to know he’d be watching. She could almost feel his burning stare scorching her back.

She hooked her fingers into her panties and slowly, oh so slowly, slid them down her legs. Once fully naked, she dipped her toe into the deliciously warm water. Sinking all the way down, she turned on her front and rested her chin on her folded arms. Calum hadn’t moved.

“Aren’t you coming?” she called out.

His steps toward her were leisurely and deliberate. He unfastened his bow tie and let it dangle on either side of his collar. Her belly somersaulted. Christ. He looked stunning standing there, like her own personal James Bond.

He undid the top button on his shirt. “Oh, I’m coming,” he said, sitting on the side of the Jacuzzi. “I’m coming hard inside you.”

She reached a finger inside the waistband of his pants and tugged. “Then get in, lover boy.”

His smile, when it came, was slow and sexy. He captured her chin and tilted her head back. His lips brushed hers, but when she raised herself out of the water to deepen the kiss, he pulled back.

“I’ll get the drinks.” He wandered back inside.

Screw the drinks she wanted to yell. Calum loved stretching the anticipation, and so did she. It was still frustrating, though.

He returned five minutes later, holding a silver bucket with a bottle of champagne sticking out the top in one hand and two crystal flutes in the other. Setting the glasses on the rim of the Jacuzzi, he expertly popped the cork then poured the sparkling liquid into the glasses.

“To us,” he said, passing one to her.

“To you getting out of those clothes and joining me in here.”

He chuckled. “So impatient, my Laurella.”

“I won’t be yours for much longer if you don’t put out the flames you started earlier tonight.”

He rose to his feet, grinning. With painstaking languidness, he unfastened each button on his shirt to reveal the flat, hard muscles beneath. It slipped from his shoulders, and he let it fall to the floor. She growled in frustration, but all that did was make him go more slowly. When he finally dropped his dress trousers, his erection sprang free.

Laurella knelt up and gripped his length. “Get in here this second, or I’m ripping this off.”

Calum cocked an eyebrow. “Such violence from one who professes to adore me.”

“I may change my mind about that if you don’t stop teasing.”

He stepped into the Jacuzzi. Once seated, he tugged her astride his lap with her thighs straddling his. “Here’s what’s going to happen tonight,” he said, his voice low and sultry, his teeth nibbling her earlobe. “I’m fucking you in here, then I’m fucking you on the enormous bed that’s waiting for us in the bedroom. And providing you haven’t passed out on me, I’m fucking you from behind, with the view of the city around us.”

Her stomach flipped, and she automatically flexed her thighs.

He tilted his head back and smirked. “From the way you’re clenching those delicious legs around me, I take it you approve?”

“Stop talking.” She put her mouth on him and felt his lips curving into a smile against hers. He lifted her—such an easy task with the hot, bubbling water acting as a buoyancy aid—and slid her down over his erection. Thank God they’d both been checked out and could ditch the condoms. The all-new sensation of being submerged in water brought an added intensity. Once he’d filled her to the hilt, she went to move, but he gripped her hips, stilling her.

“Let me feel you,” he said. “Because the minute you move, I’m going to come, and I don’t want to yet.”

She smiled. “Whatever you want.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I love it when you obey me.”

Laurella snorted. “Careful. I’ve got the upper hand here.”

Calum raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? How?”

Laurella clenched her inner muscles and gently rocked her hips. Once. Calum groaned, and his hands tightened around her waist. His cock jerked inside her.

“Have I answered your question?” she asked sweetly.

“Yes,” he hissed.

“Am I in charge?”

“Beautiful, you own me.”

“Can I have that recorded?”

Calum threw back his head and laughed. “Move, woman. I need to come.”

Laurella gripped his broad shoulders, raising and lowering herself. The water sloshed over the sides of the Jacuzzi, and as she went faster, the waves grew in size. At the rate they were going, there wouldn’t be any water left. His hand dipped between their bodies, and he pinched her clit hard. It was all she needed to tumble over into orgasm. She threw her head back, incoherent mumblings falling from her lips. Calum’s panting grew in volume as he took control of the speed and angle. Then he groaned loudly.

“God, I love you,” he murmured against her neck, his arms tightening around her as though he was scared she’d disappear.

Her chest constricted, and her throat grew thick. He’d actually said the words. And his bravery freed her to be brave, too.

“I love you, too. So very much.”