J ust when I thought things were getting better, the shit had to go and hit the fan. When I saw the paperwork from Miriam’s new lawyer, I couldn’t believe my fucking eyes. Paisley had to be in on it—she had to. I mean, what are the chances that her own father would suddenly become Miriam’s new lawyer? It’s been an inside job from the beginning .

At least, it appears that way .

But Paisley has a point—if it was an inside job, what explains me picking her resume out of a lineup? If the agent had recommended her to me, then maybe I’d fully subscribe to the theory. But it was my own intuition that picked her out. Paisley’s certainly right. Switching to Arnold Carrington was one of Miriam’s manipulative tactics .

Unfortunately, the bottom line is…if he insists on taking the case, I can’t have Paisley here anymore .

I wait to speak to her about it again until the next night she sleeps at my home .

I make sure to approach her room after the kids are asleep just in case it gets ugly. I knock once just to let her know I’m coming in, and then I press my hand to her security panel and let myself in .

“Logan.” She comes out of the bathroom in her bath towel, another towel wrapped around her hair. She seems surprised to see me, even though I’ve been coming to her room for a month now. Is she hiding something ?

“Did you speak to your father?” I stand firmly, crossing my arms .

“Yes.”

“And? Is he going to drop the case ?”

“He refuses,” she says. “He says it’s too high-profile a case, and he needs it for status at his firm .”

“Fuck!” I grab the first thing I see, a fat candle sitting in a dish on her dresser, and chuck it across the room. It hits a small pile of clothes on top of her hamper and tumbles away. I can’t let my rage get the best of me. I’ve always controlled myself well, but every man has his limits. “What are you going to do about it?” I turn to Paisley .

She sits on the edge of her bed, the towel now off her head. Her long brown hair clings to her still-wet skin. Damn her for looking so sexy. I can’t employ her if her father won’t drop the case, and I can’t continue to see her either .

I’ll never truly be able to trust her if I know that her family will benefit from me losing custody of my children .

Fuck her for doing this to me .

And not just because I’ll miss the sex. It has become a lot more than that—and I should’ve known better. I liked coming home early, letting my team deal with less important aspects of the urban center project while I chilled with the kids and her in the evenings. I was starting to feel normal, less like a work machine and more like a father. Dare I say I? Like a husband, too. Even though Paisley’s not even my girlfriend, much less my wife .

But I think perhaps I wanted her to be. I think I’m pissed about that than anything else right now, and that in itself is a huge part of my anger .

“I can’t do anything, Logan,” she says, breaking into my thoughts. “He’s my father. He thinks this case is more important than me working for you .”

“Did you insist? Seems like you gave up too easily.” Now I’m back to thinking that was her plan all along .

“I begged him,” she says, standing, wringing her hands. “He just said no .”

I can’t throw another candle. I want to storm around the house fucking breaking shit. I’ve never felt rage like this before. “What kind of man is your father than he won’t listen to his daughter ?”

Now, she’s the one crossing her arms, as though she has any reason to be mad .

“He’s just trying to make a living! You can’t blame him!” She fires back. Normally, I hate it when women scream. It brings out the ugly in them, but in this case…is it possible for any woman to look so fucking beautiful while angry as Paisley Carrington? Damn her .

“Oh, I can blame him. And I do .”

“He’s not rich. He couldn’t turn down the opportunity .”

I shake my head. “Goddamn it .”

“And he guessed about you and me, too .”

Great. My day only gets worse. “You told him about us ?”

“No, but he suspects .”

I pinch the bridge of my nose before I lose my shit .

“Logan? Are you okay?” she asks timidly, clutching her towel close to her. “How do you think I feel with all this going on? I’ll probably lose my job .”

I look up at her. “Your job? You think your job is the worst thing at stake here, Paisley? You’re not the one who stands to lose your children. You’re not the one who’ll have to pay full-time alimony and child support. You’re not the one who’ll be turned into a monster in a tabloid frenzy for people to pick apart on social media .”

Her eyes burn holes through my face from how hard she’s glaring at me. “This is hurting me, too, Logan. So, I wish you wouldn’t minimize it .”

“Why?” I demand, taking a couple steps toward her .

“Why, what?” Her pale eyes soften, glance around for a place to run, as I approach. I’m not going to hurt her. On the contrary, I’ve never been able to stay away from her because of how much she affects me. I believe I need her around more than I’d like to admit .

“Why does this hurt you? Tell me the truth .”

“You know .”

“No, I don’t. Tell me.” I want to hear her say it. I want the words to come from her mouth, and I don’t want her to dilute the truth. I want the truth .

Her bottom lip trembles so much, I want to kiss it, rub my thumb across it, then make her pain, and my own, go away. If only sex could solve everything, we wouldn’t be in this quandary right now. “Because I don’t want to leave,” she says. “But I may have to .”

Eyes never lie. I can tell this is how her heart feels. She’s falling for me. Has been all this time. Which only angers me even more .

How did I let this happen? How ?

I can’t stand to see her standing there, tears in her eyes. I hate that my irresponsibility has caused this. I’ve always been rational, level-headed, hardworking, analytical. Yes, we’re both adults and therefore both responsible, but I’m older, more experienced in life, in sex, in everything. I should’ve stopped it from happening .

And I still can’t stay away from her .

Even now .

If there’s no way out of this situation, I want her. One last time .

We kiss, our lips colliding, our tongues angry, seeking revenge and relief. Since day one, I’ve loved kissing her, breathing in her essence. I pull away the towel, letting it fall to the floor. So perfect. My hands knead her back, full chunks of ass in them. I love her body, and I love that she’s as angry and frustrated as me. Still, I can’t let her leave. I have to do what it takes to make her stay. I have to love her like I haven’t yet .

My finger traces over her ass. She’s already soaked, so I dip a finger into the wetness, hot and eager for me, pressing a finger into her ass. She pushes back against my hand, wanting more, and groans that beautiful sound I love. Her hand rubs against my crotch, which fights back with restrained desire. Seems like restrained desire has always been my demon with Paisley. Somehow I have to set it free .

“You want it?” she asks, pushing her ass against me even more .

“Yes,” I murmur .

“Then, take it .”

In one swift movement, I flip her around so her hands splay against the bedroom wall. Then, I lower myself down onto my knees, tugging on her hips to arch her ass out more. She smells of shower gel and dampness and her own, personal elixir all rolled into one. Intoxicating .

“What are you going to do, Mr. Raider ?”

She’s fucking with me. How could she remind me that I’m her boss right now? Because it never should’ve moved into personal territory? Well, it did. And now we have to deal with it .

Sliding my hands up her warm thighs, I slap her ass hard, leaving a red mark on her right cheek. She cries out and arches her back even more. “I’m going to lick your pussy, Paisley . And you’re going to enjoy it. Don’t make a sound until I tell you .”

“Yes, sir .”

Why does she have to do that? Call me sir? Why drive it home? She really wants to piss me off, doesn’t she ?

“Don’t move either, or I’ll have to do it over and over again .”

She moves purposefully, and I detect the birth of a smile on her cheek before she bites her lip and turns away .

“You moved,” I say. “Now, bring it down .”

She lowers her ass until her warm cheeks make contact with my unshaven face, the roughness scratching against her just slightly. I think she’s going to complain, but she just pushes down harder, as though she likes it. Paisley closes her eyes but doesn’t moan .

With my hands, I grip and separate her cheeks, and then slowly run my tongue up and down her wet slit from behind, focusing on her body’s movements. She rocks against my tongue slowly, rubbing herself in circles, then stopping to let me lap her up. I sigh, close my eyes, and get lost in the moment. How many nights I’ve laid in bed wishing I could do this to her, take it up a new level, and now that I can, I’m going to have to fire her .

Her daddy may think he got the last laugh, but guess what? I’m licking his daughter’s sopping wet cunt .

And fucking loving it .

I lick harder and slip two fingers underneath her, along her slick entrance, to massage her clit. Still, no sound from her. She’s being a good girl. “You can moan now .”

The groan comes suddenly and long, as if being released from the center of an aching wound. I love this woman’s body, the way it responds, and the way I make her feel. I love how she gets me worked up into an amalgam of emotions. Nobody has ever done that to me before. I don’t know if to pound her or make love to her .

Thinking about entering her, I flip her around and kiss her deeply .

“I want to taste you,” she tells me, working her stealth fingers around buttons. But when the shirt and pants don’t come off as quickly as she’s trying to get them, she rips the last two buttons and throws the damn shirt off my body. Her arms snake around me, her face pressing against my chest .

I hold her close, breathing in her hair, harder than I’ve ever been in my life. What kind of magic has this woman cast on me that I need her so badly? That I cringe every time I think of her leaving this house? I can’t stand the thought of not knowing where she’ll be every day if I let her go .

She drops kisses all over my chest, my nipples, even sucks on one while unbuttoning my pants. Drunk on desire, she drops to her knees and takes in my steel hard cock, letting it rest on her tongue to drive me insane. Then, she crosses into bad girl territory and spreads her knees apart, touching her clit while she begins to suck on me. Every time she looks up at me with those arched eyebrows and green eyes, I want to spill into her mouth .

Then, it’s me who groans, but the sound filling my airspace is that of her sucking, gasping, and gagging as she begins pushing my cock deep into her mouth, to the back of her throat. When I look down at her again, there’s a string of spit hanging from her mouth and off her chin, wobbling back and forth. And holy fucking shit, that’s beautiful right there .

I fuck her mouth. I want to feel lost inside of her, I want to push myself all the way in and have her completely, and that’s when I realize I want to be fucking her more than anything right now. But her grip on my cock is strong, and she’s determined, as she flicks herself faster and faster, her fingers in a flurry, and I have to wonder if this is more for her than it is for me, not that I mind .

If her own orgasm is what she wants from this, I’ll be more than happy to help .

I push all the way to the back. “Open your throat. Breathe through your nose.” She does as I say and I’m able to push in a couple more inches. My balls nearly touch her face, as Paisley’s fingers fly like crazy. “You love when I do this?” I feel a hum against my cock. “Good. Come for me, baby. Come hard .”

She pulls away from my cock and sings that climax loud and clear. Grabbing her arms, I pull her to her feet, and I don’t care that she’s still coming, I need to fuck her now. Fuck her hard and feel those contractions all around me, feeling the influx of her juices coating me and drawing me in further .

“Turn around,” I order her .

She does, pushing her ass up against me and sliding her soaking wet pussy up and down my cock. But it’s not her pussy I want to drive into tonight. With the stress I’m feeling, I’m going to need a little more. Grabbing her hair, I lean down and whisper, “Have you done this ?”

Paisley gasps, understanding the question. “No .”

Coating my fingers full of her juices, I slather it onto her ass and get it nice and wet. I need this to feel good for her. I need to become her whole world, her end all, be all, and I need her to love what I’m about to do, too .

I hate myself for testing her, but as with everything else, I can’t help it. “Relax .”

I push only the tip against her tight asshole, hearing her cry softly. I hold two fingers against her ass to keep her from pushing back when she seems too eager for her own good, but then, I grab both her hips firmly with wide hands and draw her toward me. The slickness gives way, and I begin to slide in. Exquisite tightness all around me .

When I feel her fingers between her legs, working up her clit again, I know this is going to work. She’s doing the right thing, keeping her hands and her mind occupied, while I make way through her ass. To make things easier, she spreads her legs a little more, giving me access to an amazing view of my massive cock halfway into her small body .

I could come just then .

“Fuck me harder, Mr. Raider,” she whispers over her shoulder. “I’m not afraid of you .”

“You will be, Paisley. You don’t know what you’re asking for.” And then I push in harder, opening her up, filling her, so she can see the implications of her brazen actions. But she’s not dissuaded .

When I feel her ass push against me one more time, I’m done being Mr. Nice Guy .

I plow into her ass unapologetically, expecting her to cry out or complain, but she doesn’t. She spreads her ass cheeks apart for me again like she loves doing to me, and I have to close my eyes or spill too early. Because I want to feel this. I want to enjoy it. And only when I have for a while will I let go. I pull out halfway then drill into her again. She cries out when I shake her body over and over, and after a minute of pounding her hard, her one hand goes flat up against the wall while the other still massages her clit .

“Go ahead and come,” she says. She won’t be finishing herself off, and I’m not in the business of making her miserable if she’s not comfortable anymore .

“You sure ?”

“Yes.”

I reach around and touch her myself. This way, I’m already fully inside of her and there’s less drilling, less in and out. Focusing on her clit, I rub her the way she likes it and watch her head fall back toward me, exposing her neck. Biting her softly, over and over, her breathing quickens and I feel her legs tightening around my hand. As if I would finish without letting her come. Complete nonsense .

She comes and this time, it’s hard as fuck. And that’s when I resume fucking her over and over, right through her climax, and it’s perfect. Because I can’t stand it anymore. There’s no way I can hear that sound of her doing herself in while I pound her ass and not lose it .

“Come inside of me,” she says .

And that is all the invitation I’ll ever need. Gripping her ass cheeks hard, I let it all go, grunting loudly as the cum shoots up through my balls and out my body. I have to press two palms against the wall to keep from falling over. I have never come so hard in my life .

Paisley spins around, rings her arms around me and kisses me .

“Thank you, Mr. Raider,” she says softly. “For everything .”

I’m in a brain fog and can’t believe this woman is thanking me when I should be thanking her, adoring her for the rest of my life just for that one experience .

It’s not until we’ve fallen onto the bed, arms splayed out, completely spent, catching our breaths, kissing and falling into the exhausted land of dreams do I realize what she meant. But by then, she’s fallen asleep and I can’t question her. Can’t analyze, can’t pick apart her brain to ask why that sounded so much like an ending, and I spend half the night thinking about it, unable to fall asleep. I can only cover her with the comforter and make sure she’s taken care of with towel and water by her side .

Only after a full Ambien to calm my brain and a decent night’s sleep are my fears confirmed. I did my best but it wasn’t enough. In the morning, I understand what she meant by “thank you.” Because she’s nowhere to be found. Not in the bathroom, not in her room, not in the kids’ room. Nowhere. No clothes. No bags. Nothing. Just me and me alone to take care of the kids when they wake up .

I hold my Becca and Price close to me. So closely, because I can’t mess this up. She left so I could have them, to help me win my fight with Miriam. She stepped out of the way, despite my secret wish that she’d stay. It was the only thing to do. I squeeze them tightly and hold them a long time. Because I already lost Paisley. I can’t lose them, too .