“Okay, okay. I promise I will watch Amadeus if you promise to watch Kramer vs. Kramer,” I said, falling back in my seat and laughing. “Though it hardly feels like a fair trade since Amadeus is like, three hours long!”

He grinned and took a sip of his wine. “Well, I could promise to watch Titanic instead, but I have a feeling neither of us would enjoy that.”

“That bitch Rose needed to learn to share. She totally could have moved over on that door and saved Jack, too.”

He laughed, but nodded. “My heart will go on my ass. The only way either of us is getting through that movie is with a defibrillator and some Lipitor.”

I laughed and dunked my spoon into the cup of chocolate mousse Pierce had ordered for us with dinner. It was rich and creamy and delicious and I was pretty sure I would never again be able to eat chocolate without thinking about this incredible night.

When I looked up from over my spoon, Pierce was eyeing me, suddenly serious. “Tell me what happened.”

I tilted my head. “What happened with what?”

He sighed and leveled me with a look that made it seem like I should know exactly what he was talking about. “Your idiot ex who didn’t marry you. What the hell happened?”

I swallowed and that delicious chocolate turned to sand in my stomach. “He… just didn’t love me, I guess. He and his ex-girlfriend got back together a few weeks before the wedding, I guess.”

Pierce’s eyes flashed with something fierce and protective. The sight made my stomach knot into a ball. “He cheated on you,” he stated flatly.

For the last week, I’d been pissed. I’d hated James for what he did. Hated her for wedging into my relationship. But for the first time since I peeled my wedding dress from my body last week, I didn’t feel anger. I felt… peace. “He did. But… I think he did me a favor. I cared about him, but I wasn’t in love with him. It was just comfortable. Six years and we both just felt like we should be getting married. And his ex-girlfriend…” I cleared my throat and gave a defeated chuckle. “Well, I guess she’s not his ex anymore. His girlfriend fits into his lifestyle better than I ever did. Her dad is a Congressman. His dad is the Attorney General.” I shrugged as though this was an adequate explanation for him cheating on me. It didn’t justify what he did. At all. But I was really starting to believe it in my heart, despite my broken ego, that him leaving me at the altar was braver than going through with a marriage you both knew was doomed to fail.

“And for the love of God,” I added. “I would have had to fake orgasms for the rest of my life with him!”

The corner of Pierce’s mouth twisted into a small smile and he held his wine glass out to mine. “To never faking it again,” he said.

I tapped the edge of my glass to his. “I’ll drink to that.”

He sipped his red wine long and slowly and I did the same. It was fruity and went down smooth across my tongue like velvet.

Pierce cleared his throat. “Did you ever feel bad about faking it with your ex fiancé?”

I nodded, not even having to think about the answer. “All the time. I felt bad for me. Bad for him. It was like I had to live this lie with him in the bedroom. Like I was promising he was pleasing me and he wasn’t. Then again, he promised he’d marry me and look what happened there.”

The silence rolled between us like storm clouds and I felt that quiet in my bones. Like it was permeating us. This was it. This was the goodbye. We’ve run out of things to talk about and I’ve overstayed my welcome.

I licked my lips and set the wine glass down. What the hell was it about him that he could chip away at my hard veneer and reveal my vulnerable side lurking beneath? “Well,” I said, standing and smoothing my dress over my hips. “I should probably be going.”

Dragging a hand through his thick, light brown hair, Pierce stood as well, rushing over to me. “Wait,” he said and I could hear the urgency in his voice. “Stay with me.”

I swallowed, my mind whirring. “The night?” I asked.

He swallowed. “The week. Stay with me this week here in Croatia. We’ll go to dinner. Dancing. We’ll take a boat out on the Adriatic sea…”

“Oh, God.” I clutched my stomach. “Please no more boats.”

He smiled, but didn’t laugh and instead, took my hands. “No more boats. Just an amazing vacation with the two of us. And orgasms. So many orgasms.”

I didn’t answer right away. Not because the answer was no… what woman in her right mind would say no to a mind-blowing vacation with Pierce Whitley? But mostly, I was stunned. He mistook my silence though and said, “Please. I came here to escape Los Angeles for a while. I auditioned for this role that I really wanted and I didn’t get the callback like I was hoping I would. I just needed a break. A breath of fresh air… Emma, that’s what you’ve been. A breath of fresh air.”

I tilted my head, studying him as a hot breath trickled from my lips. “I would love to stay the week with you.”

His grin widened and it was so boyishly handsome that I could have melted into a puddle right there. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He leaned down, his fingers curling around my jaw and his stubble was a soft rasp against my flesh as he kissed me. I remembered that rasp between my legs, scraping against my sensitive skin and excitement shuddered down my spine. He licked into my mouth, teasing me with a stroke of his tongue and behind my breastbone, my heart was pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it.

The world melted away and I relaxed into his arms. Right now… for this week, there was only Pierce. Only me. Only sinful pleasure and carnal lust.

I moaned into the kiss and felt his grin against my lips.

He leaned in, whispering in my ear.“Was that my official acceptance to be a part of your ‘honeymoan?’”

“You were accepted the moment I stepped in that door.”