When I opened my eyes, I was almost blinded by the goddamn sun coming in through the windows. To block all the light, I immediately rolled onto my stomach and pulled a pillow over the back of my head. This was the reason I never left my blinds open before I went to bed, so I couldn’t understand how I’d forgotten last night.

Last night, last night…

Slowly, the details started to come back to me.

The reason the blinds were open was because they weren’t on my windows, and I wasn’t in my bed.

I’d stayed the night at James’s.

I’d fucked her against the wall, and we’d taken a shower. Then, I’d fucked her once more before we both passed out.

Now, as I felt my morning wood grind into the mattress, I wanted her again.

I stretched my arm to the other side of the bed and searched for that warm, gorgeous body. But, as I reached the end, all I felt were sheets and a blanket.

Is she on the other side?

I gradually rolled onto my back and looked across the bed. She wasn’t in it. That was when I heard the sound of the shower and saw light coming out from underneath the bathroom door.

I got up and was pleased to find it unlocked. I went inside, taking James’s toothbrush from the holder and covering it in toothpaste. I did a quick brush, and then I stuck it back, walking over to the shower. The large walk-in was constructed from a series of walls that weaved to the right and left before opening into the large space.

Since there wasn’t any glass and her back was facing me, she hadn’t seen me coming. And I knew she hadn’t heard me because, when I wrapped my arms around her stomach, she jolted and shrieked, “Brett!”

“It’s just me.” As I kissed across her back, my cock pressed against the lower part of it. Once I covered all the skin there, I moved up her neck and stopped at her jaw. “Why did you get up so early? It’s Saturday. You could have slept in, and I could have woken you with this.” I ground my tip into the top of her ass and gently bit into her shoulder.

She put her hands on top of mine and tried to pull my fingers off her navel. “Because that’s all you want from me, Brett.”

I turned her around to face me, searching her eyes and seeing that the hardness had returned—the side she’d shown me in the SUV.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you remember what you said to me in the conference room the day I signed with you? Let me fill you in, in case you’ve forgotten. You told me nothing could happen between us. You were only going to be my agent, and that was it. Then, you saw me talking to another guy, and you freaked out, took me home, and ate me out in the elevator.”

“You liked it.”

“Brett—”

“We had this argument last night, James. I’m not having it again.”

She shook her head, her arms crossing over her tits. “No, we didn’t because this argument isn’t about the way you acted at the gala or the things you said to me in the SUV. This is about us. You can’t just fuck me every time you’re horny, Brett. You have no idea what that does to me emotionally. You treat me like I’m just some thing you can play with whenever you want, and it’s not fair.”

“I treat you like a client.”

“Then, what the hell was last night?” Her hands dropped, so she could squeeze the tips of my fingers. “And why are you touching me right now?” She looked down. “And why is your dick hard if I’m just your client?”

“Because you’re standing in front of me, naked, and you have one of the best bodies I’ve ever seen.”

“So, it’s not even me that you want; it’s my body. Awesome. That makes me feel even worse.”

I was losing my patience. She knew I wanted both. I had no idea why she was even questioning it. “What do you want from me, James?”

She took a few steps back to put some space between us and said, “I want an answer.”

“To what?”

“To what we are. To your feelings about me. To why you slept with me.”

“I can’t have this fucking conversation.”

I turned around and marched my ass out of the shower, the water from my body soaking the tiles by my feet. I went to the sink where I gripped the edge and took a few deep breaths while I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

What the fuck is this girl doing to me?

She wanted something I didn’t give to women because I never got that far with them. I certainly hadn’t earned the bachelor title by jumping from relationship to relationship.

But can I even give her what she’s looking for?

I let those thoughts simmer as I took a few more breaths, and then I went back into the shower. This time, she was facing me, and the hurt on her face pounded straight to my chest.

“I needed a second,” I told her.

“Why? Because you didn’t want to hurt me? I can handle it, Brett. Even if it means you’re just using me for sex and you don’t feel anything for me, I just want to hear the truth.”

Each emotion that blasted across her face hit me even harder.

My goddamn thoughts were still all over the place.

When I’d told her I couldn’t be her agent and fuck her at the same time, I’d meant it.

But seeing her with Anthony had made me seethe. It’d made me realize how much I wanted her. It’d made me fear that she would try to move on even though it was what she needed to do.

It’d made me want to give her a reminder of how good I was.

So, I had.

And, now, whenever she thought about another guy, I wanted her to remember what had happened in that elevator and wonder if his tongue could ever compare to mine. If he could fuck her like I had when I held her against the wall.

That was because I’d convinced myself that she was my client, therefore I couldn’t have her. She was too young. She was in the middle of a public relations nightmare, and being with me would only make that worse. We had to stay focused on what was best for her career, and that was staying away from me personally.

I told myself that every goddamn day.

And, every time I got close to her—when my hands started to reach toward her body, when my nose searched the air for her scent—I would repeat those thoughts in my head.

But I was tired of telling myself I couldn’t have her.

My fingers clenched at my sides, keeping them busy so that they wouldn’t move forward and circle her waist. “I’ve been trying to protect you, James.” My voice was the softest it had ever been, and I didn’t recognize the sound of it.

“From what?”

I looked down at the drain, my eyes closing, my head shaking, before I glanced up and said, “Me.”

There were so many emotions on her face, I wasn’t sure which was the strongest. “That decision isn’t up to you.”

“That’s what you hired me for. To make decisions like that.”

“No. I hired you to be in charge of my career, but you’re not allowed to manage my heart, and it makes me furious that you would even try.” She put her hand over her chest. “Every decision has been taken away from me. Don’t take that one, too.”

“James—”

“When I try to process all the signs—you know, that you got jealous over Anthony, that I saw you jerking off on the plane only minutes after leaving me in my chair, and the way you always look at me during meetings—I start to think you want me and that you have feelings you’re just trying to hide. But then I rack my brain, trying to figure out why you don’t act on anything and why you leave before something can happen between us. I don’t want to question it anymore. I just want to know. Do you want me or not?”

“What you’re asking for isn’t a simple yes or no.” I run my hands through my hair, pulling at the ends. “This is going to affect your career, and I cannot let that happen.”

“How?” she bellowed. “You have my career under control. The gala was one of the best nights I’d had in a long time. Your team made sure everything went perfectly from the red carpet to the introductions. So, don’t use that as an excuse.”

“I’m talking about if people found out about us.”

“Who’s going to tell them? It certainly isn’t going to be me.”

She wanted to keep us a secret.

I hadn’t expected that.

I backed up until I felt the wall behind me, the freezing tiles cooling down my body while the hot water splashed over my chest. I pushed the back of my head across the grout lines as I thought about my next move. Once I told her the truth, I couldn’t take it back. Things would change between us—again. And I’d have to find a way to make this work because her career would always have to come first—at least while I was representing her.

I glanced down at her legs, wondering if I was making the biggest mistake of my life or the smartest. Wondering if I would regret this somehow. Wondering if my best friends would think I’d lost my goddamn mind.

It didn’t matter.

She had to know.

I continued to look up until I reached her eyes and finally said, “I want you.”

“Then, stop fucking with my emotions, and come and get me.”

The demanding side of her was so fucking hot.

I pushed myself off the wall and moved a little closer.

“I’m giving myself to you, Brett. All of me. I’d better get that from you in return because I don’t want to hear any more excuses.”

I took another step. “We have to be so careful. Do you hear me? The public cannot find out about us or—”

“Brett, no one is going to tell them.”

One final step, and then I reached her.

“It’s just us. The way it should have been since the night you took me home from the bar.”

I ran my hand around the back of her head and fisted her hair, pulling her face closer until her eyes closed and our lips connected.

This kiss was different.

It was deeper. Stronger. It was a taste I needed before I said, “You’re mine.”

I’d fought this feeling for too long. I’d sometimes ask her to come into my office for no reason, just so I could be around her. When I got home from work, my hand would fist my cock with thoughts of her in my head to make it feel like I was getting a piece of her.

I’d hoped the want would go away.

It hadn’t because James was who I wanted.

Whom I needed to be with.

And, now, she was finally mine.

“God, you made this so hard.” She laughed.

I rested the tip of my nose on hers and took a breath. “I want what’s best for you, and I still don’t know if I’m that person.”

“Let me decide that.”

My lips moved to her forehead, and they kissed the center of it. “This doesn’t mean that, when it comes to your career, I’m going to give you any control. I’m not; I assure you of that. There’s a chance every business decision I make will affect us personally. I’m warning you now; it can get complicated, and there will be days you’re probably going to hate me.”

“I’m not worried.”

I cupped her ass and lifted her into the air, feeling her legs wrap around my waist. “We have to be careful.”

After she finished kissing my cheek, she said, “I lost everything once. I won’t risk that again.”

I turned her around and pushed her back against the wall. “I promise you one thing; no matter what happens between us, I’m going to do everything in my power to get back everything you’ve lost, and nothing will change that.”

“I know.” Her lips hovered in front of mine. “You came in this shower for a reason. Now, put your lips on mine, Brett, and fuck me already.”

“Mmm,” I growled, knowing there was no way I could say no to that.