I woke with a smile on my face and an ache in my body – the kind of good, deep physical ache that came from a good, hard workout…or other things.

Lying in luxuriously soft sheets, I stretched, wincing a bit as the muscles in my legs pulled. The fog of sleep slowly drifted away, my mind clearing bit by bit.

Then, abruptly, it was completely clear, and I jerked upright as if some unseen puppet master had given my strings a hard pull.

The bed was empty.

Swallowing, I looked around.

My eyes fell on the clock, and I groaned when I saw what time it was.

Almost eleven.

I had no idea where Lukas was, but just then, I wasn’t ready to face him anyway.

Slipping out of the cabin was a bit more complicated than one might think. Since it was daylight, plenty of people would expect it to be complicated, as I sure as hell didn’t want anybody to notice me.

I ended up going out the back and taking the steps, using one of the side paths that connected just about every building on the property. I backtracked a little bit so if anybody saw me, they’d assume I’d just been out walking.

That’s all.

Nope, I hadn’t slept with the boss last night.

Nope, nope, nope…

My face was burning by the time I reached my room, and I could only hope Aaron wasn’t in there. I lucked out. Maybe he was looking for me, or maybe he’d spent the night with Terri. I had no idea, and I wasn’t about to waste precious time looking for him or even wondering about his absence.

I grabbed my things, tossing my toiletries and clothes into my carryon with a lack of care that would probably appall me later, but just then, I didn’t give a righteous damn. I wanted to be out of there before he got back, and he would be back because his things were all packed and waiting by the door.

It took me ten minutes, and I slipped out, going the long way around to get to the lodge. Yes, I was playing the avoidance game when it came to Aaron. I hadn’t even changed my clothes, and I could still smell Lukas on me, but I’d deal with that later.

The gym.

I could change there. There was no way he’d be at the gym. I’d asked him about what gym he was using when I finally got into Denver, and he’d waved it off. “Oh, I’m not using one right now.” I didn’t really see him breaking that fast here in the mountains.

The gym was quiet, the lights flicking on when I entered, and I rushed into the women’s locker room, bracing my back against the door once I was inside, feeling like a thief in the night.

“You need to calm the hell down, Stella,” I told myself. It was nothing less than the truth, too. In less than an hour, I needed to board the bus, and Aaron, my cheating ex-boyfriend, was going to be on that bus. So were a lot of other people.

I needed to get my game face on.

* * *

“Mind if I sit here?” I gave Breanna a hopeful smile as I lingered in the aisle.

“Be my guest.”

Somebody had taken the seats in front and back, and the row across the aisle was already occupied so Aaron wouldn’t be sitting directly next to me in any way. That was all I wanted for right now.

He and I could have our spectacular break up fight in private.

Even as I brooded about that prospect, Aaron boarded, and his eyes zoomed in on me, then locked on Breanna. His mouth tightened. I’d been one of the first in line to get on the bus, ducking behind a few others when I saw him looking for me. Childish, perhaps, but I needed to figure out what I wanted to say – other than you cheating son of a bitch – and I personally didn’t want to hash it out with people around.

Aaron was dramatic enough to try.

He drew closer to me, and I looked away.

That didn’t stop him from lingering by me in the aisle, though.

I could feel the weight of his gaze, and finally, as a couple of people behind him began to get restless, I turned and looked up at him. “Did you want something?” I asked coolly.

“Where were you last night? I looked around for over an hour trying to find you.”

“Awww…” I gave a mock pout. “Weren’t you worried that Terri would get lonely?”

His mouth tightened. Somebody in the seat in front of us made a choking sound that resembled a laugh.

Aaron’s eyes cut to him before he looked back at me. “We need to talk.”

“Oh, we will,” I promised. Then I deliberately turned my back on him and met Breanna’s eyes. “You were saying something about the two of us talking to Mark. That’s the head of marketing, right?”

It was a deliberate taunt because I knew where the idea for the logo on the presentation Terri had been carrying had come from, and now that I was done playing nice, I was going to make sure the HR head knew exactly who’d designed that logo.

I sensed Aaron moving, and Breanna flicked a look past me a second later.

“He’s gone.” She cocked her head a bit. “Almost in the back – with Terri, it looks. Yeah, he’s sitting down next to her.” She looked back at me and winced. “I had a funny feeling about those two, but I wasn’t sure if I should say something, considering we’re really just now getting to be friends. Mind if I ask what happened?”

“I interrupted them at the sauna.” I met her gaze for a moment before shifting back around in the seat, facing forward. “I’m going to pack up as soon as I get home.”

“Do you have any place to stay?” she asked gently.

“No.” I shrugged. “I’m not worried about it. I can stay at a hotel for a while as I look.”

“I’ve got a better idea. Stay with me.” She reached over and took my hand, squeezing it. “I can come with you when we get back to the city, help you pack. That will keep asshole Aaron from picking a fight, and you can have your talk with him on your terms, not his. Then you can stay with me until you figure out what you want to do.”

I thought about that for a moment, then nodded, grateful to her all the way down to my toes. “I like that idea. Thank you.”

* * *

Aaron called me at nearly ten that night.

Breanna had been good to her word, although I hadn’t needed her to drive me to my place. I’d been the one to drive Aaron and me to the office where the bus picked us up, and I’d given him a sunny smile right before driving away, leaving him at the office with his bag.

Terri had been walking toward him, so I wasn’t worried about him getting a ride. He could always call a Lyft anyway.

“Where the fuck is your stuff?” he demanded in lieu of a greeting.

“Exactly where it should be,” I responded. “It’s with me. I moved out. Didn’t you see my note with the copy of the key you gave me?”

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting? We had a fight, and I made a stupid mistake. It won’t happen again,” Aaron said, his voice reasonable.

That made me want to punch him.

“You’re a liar, and you know what? I think you’ve made that…mistake before. I knew there was something going on with you and Terri, you asshole. I knew it.”

Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I looked up to see Breanna standing in the doorway with a bottle of wine and two glasses. She wagged it back and forth questioningly, and I mouthed, Yes, please.

A moment later, I had a glass of wine as Aaron said, “For fuck’s sake, Stella! We’ve been living apart ever since I got this job. What did you think I was going to do, turn into a monk?”

Anger fired in me and any lingering guilt I might have felt for sleeping with Lukas before I’d ended things with Aaron burned a hot, quick death. “Wow, I wish I’d known we were having an open relationship, Aaron. I would have been having so much fun that last year of school. I might have done the whole damn football team,” I said in a sugary sweet voice. Before he could respond, I finished up. “In case you haven’t figured it out, we’re over. I’m so, so done with you.”

I ended the call, dropped the phone in my lap and guzzled half the wine in the glass.

“Wow. That felt…good.” Looking over at Breanna, I said, “That felt really good.”

She smiled, but it faded quickly. “Think you’ll end up quitting the firm?”

“I…” Huffing out a breath, I took another, slower, small sip of the wine. It was sweet and fruity, nothing like the dry varieties that Aaron usually bought. I loved it. “I don’t know yet. I think part of that might depend on how the next few days go…what Mark says when we talk to him.”

“You were serious about that,” Breanna mused, shaking her head. “I wasn’t sure.”

“Ohhhh…yes. I’m serious. I don’t think it was really Terri who stole my design, you see. I think it was Aaron.” Biting my lip, I deliberated a moment, then confessed, “And I think he’s been doing it for a while.”

* * *

I didn’t know what to do or say when I walked past Lukas Monday morning. He was standing near the doorway, greeting everybody by name, although when I walked past, he simply nodded at me.

Heat shivered along my spine, my body prickling in awareness at the nearness of him. Down, girl, I thought wearily.

I took the seat Breanna had been saving for me and leaned back, wishing I had about five more cups of coffee than I’d already had. Not that my nerves needed it. Just coming into the office today had taken the last of my courage, and now, sitting with Lukas so close but so far away was about to push me to the brink.

I’d slept with him.

I’d had sex…hot, torrid, dirty sex with him.

He’d made me come quicker than I thought was possible, like I was primed to take him.

And now he was standing in front of the entire employee body, looking at us with eyes that were somehow jaded, professional, cool…bored, I thought. He’s bored by all of this.

He hid it well, but somehow, I knew.

“I’ve chosen the winner.” He held a small device in his hand, and with an economic gesture, he swept his arm back and clicked a button, bringing to life the screen on the wall.

My team’s project was there.

“Stella and Breanna’s team wins the competition.” He glanced at each member, giving us a nod. “You’ve shown a great deal of understanding in how giving back to the community strengthens the company as a whole. We’ll continue with the campaign – Stella, Breanna, it’s your baby, so you’ll continue to head it. You can decide if you want to work it with the rest of the team or choose a few select people. It’s your call. As your prize…” He reached into his suit pocket and withdrew a thin stack of envelopes. “Each of you have a week at the lodge, to be used at any time you choose, all expenses paid.”

He walked around the room, passing them out as he spoke. When he reached me, I took it in numb fingers, not exactly overjoyed at the thought of spending a week in the mountains. I needed to get over that, and I knew it, but I decided I’d take a bit more time first.

Once the congrats died down, he started to speak again. “I plan on talking to everybody over the next week or so. I want to know more about your strengths, your weaknesses, what your plans are. This is already the best advertising firm in Denver. We’re going to make it into one of the best in the country.”

His eyes then slanted toward me. “Stella, if you’ll come with me, we’ll start with you.”

My heart jumped into my throat. “Me?” The word came out as a squeak.

But he’d already turned to go.

Aw, hell.

* * *

“You didn’t win the competition because we fucked,” Lukas said the moment I closed the door behind me.

I didn’t even see him at first.

Stepping farther into the room, I found him standing in the corner where two panes of solid glass formed a 180-degree view of the city. It was an elegant office, but it was dated, clearly designed by somebody with a stuffier style than Lukas.

Still, he didn’t look uncomfortable.

Even as he delivered those blunt words, he didn’t look uncomfortable.

Me?

My face flamed a hot red and indignation burned inside. He’d delivered that comment so calmly, so bluntly, and he watched even now, waiting for a reaction, and I had no idea what sort of reaction he expected…but I was pissed. “I’d sure as hell hope not considering our team had the better project,” I snapped at him.

“How would you know?” he asked, cocking his head. “How much of their work did you see?”

“I saw enough to know that Aaron and Terri swiped the logo I’ve been using for the non-profit we took on last week. That’s my design,” I said without thinking. Crossing my arms over my breasts, I met his gaze.

He lifted a brow. To my surprise, he shrugged. “I know. I’ve monitored the online whiteboard – I noticed it the day you finished it. It’s good work. And that’s another reason why they didn’t win.”

“I…you…” Huffing out a breath, I let my hands fall to my sides, only to cross them over my chest again because I felt oddly naked, vulnerable in front of him despite the fact that I was wearing a cardigan and blouse, along with a slim-fitting skirt that made the most of my ass. Yes, I’d dressed to the nines today – I’d wanted Aaron to see what he was no longer going to have. Besides, it had made me feel better.

And maybe I’d wanted to see if Lukas noticed.

If he had, I couldn’t tell.

“Do you have anything else to say?” He still had that arrogant expression on his face, watching me with that cocked brow and this almost-smirk that made me want to punch him. Or bite him.

Sadly, the biting had more to do with sensual pursuits than punishing ones, and the prospect of biting him was a lot higher on the list than punching him too.

“Was there a particular reason you felt the need to call me in here about this?” I asked.

“I thought you’d want to know.”

Gaping at him, I echoed those words. “You thought I’d want to know? Do you have any idea how insulting you sound? The thought that you’d chosen my team because we had sex never crossed my mind until you went and threw it out there, thank you very much. I’m good at my job.” Sneering, I added, “And I don’t have to steal somebody else’s work to be good at it, either.”

“You’re fresh out of college and young. I assumed you’d be…less confident.” His lashes dipped low over his eyes.

“You know what they say about assuming,” I replied sweetly.

Irritation flashed across his face. “You’re being difficult. How in the hell did I insult you anyway?” he asked, cracks showing in that cool façade. “I just wanted you to know that you got the job based on the good work your team did. It had nothing to do with the fact that we fucked.”

“You know what?” I said, pointing at him. “You need to work on your people skills. For the record, this isn’t exactly how you talk to an employee – even somebody you had a personal relationship with.”

“We don’t have a personal relationship,” he bit out.

I wanted to scream and was getting hard-pressed not to do it. “Again, you really need to work on your people skills,” I said, pointing at him. “But then again, I could have told you that back at the cabin.”

“That wasn’t the impression you gave me Friday night,” he said, his voice silky.

I gave him a deliberately insulting look. “I said people skills. Your bedroom skills are just fine. But unless you plan on sleeping with everybody in the firm, that’s not exactly going to motivate people.”

I don’t know when it happened, but at some point, he had come around the desk, and we were now standing less than two feet apart. I felt the need to close the rest of the distance.

“Are you always this difficult?” he asked. “After the crash, I thought it was because you had a concussion. But I’m starting to suspect you really are just difficult.”

“You think I’m being difficult?” I jabbed him in the chest with my index finger. Ouch. It felt like I’d just jabbed my finger into a wall of pure steel. “You’re the one who’s being difficult. All you had to do is say something like…oh, hi, Stella, your team did good work. Just wanted you to know that. That would have let me know that you appreciated the job. I didn’t need to hear you point out it had nothing to do with what happened between us.”

I went to poke him again.

He caught my wrist. I jerked back. He jerked me forward. I half-stumbled, my weight crashing into him. We stared at each other for a long, taut moment and then, despite my best intentions, my gaze flicked to his mouth. I tore my eyes away and tried to ignore the flicker of heat that had started in my belly.

But that flicker quickly fanned into an Inferno. How did one ignore an inferno?

“Let me go,” I said.

Instead of doing that, he rubbed his thumb over the inside of my wrist. “Maybe you’re right,” he said agreeably. “Maybe I should have said, Stella, your team did a great job.”

I swallowed hard. “Okay, thank you.”

“I haven’t said it…yet.” And he didn’t let me go.

“This isn’t how you motivate people either.” The words came out of my tight throat in a rough whisper.

“I’m not trying to motivate an employee.”

And when I met his eyes, I saw a raging want there.

With a moan, I swayed toward him.

He leaned forward and met my mouth hungrily. Tongue sweeping in, he tasted me like it had been ages since he had touched a woman. I understood that need because my skin, my body, my mouth, all of me had been clamoring for just this ever since I had woken to an empty bed back at his cabin at the lodge.

He plunged one hand into my hair and twisted the strands around his fingers, cranking my head back. That hunger was enough to devastate me. How did one deal with that kind of hunger? I had no idea, and before I could figure it out, the kiss was over, and Lukas was on the far side of the room. “This is a bad idea,” he said, voice hoarse. “You need to stay away from me. You don’t want what will happen if we keep this up.”

“Says who?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“You need to go.” And he deliberately turned his back and stared out the window.

I had been dismissed, just like that.