Darren tapped his pen against his desk, hardly seeing the spreadsheet on his computer as he replayed their final interaction that morning.

That had gone exceedingly well, if he did say so himself.

His plan was working. He rubbed the back of his neck. Admittedly, it wasn’t much of a plan, but it was the best he’d been able to come up with.

One thing he’d intuited without a shred of doubt—she liked him. The second observation? It scared the hell out of her.

She didn’t want to like him, which had only left him two options: he could run or he could stay. Staying meant that he had to do it on terms that were acceptable to them both. Much as he might’ve liked to kiss her again and touch her again and make sweet passionate love to her again…that was out of the question.

It was obvious to him that his Sarah, as he’d come to think of her, had learned to compartmentalize sex. She clearly viewed men she slept with in one category and men she didn’t sleep with in another. She had friends and she had lovers, and never the twain shall meet.

Well, he aimed to break through that barrier if it killed him. And it might kill him. He was so sexually frustrated, it hurt. But more than that, his heart ached.

And yes, he knew exactly how cheesy that would sound were he to say it aloud. In fact, nine-tenths of his thoughts these days could be classified as utterly romantic or cheesy to the extreme, depending on who was doing the categorizing.

If it were Sarah, his thoughts would definitely fall into the abhorrent and vehemently unwanted category. She clearly didn’t want his romantic advances, let alone his lovestruck notions.

But the truth was he ached her for in every way. He’d do just about anything to make her see that they belonged together. He had a feeling that beneath that salty, world-weary exterior she was just as romantic as he was. No one could paint what she did if they didn’t have a romantic soul. A passionate soul. A soul that was a match to his in every possible way.

And there he went again, making himself a little nauseous with his melodramatic internal ramblings.

He sighed as he dropped his pen on the desk.

“Everything all right?”

He spun in his seat to find Kat in the doorway to his office, leaning against the frame. Since his boss, Bryce, had taken ownership of a local cable news outlet, he’d set up his office in their high-rise in Midtown. Kat’s sudden arrival in his doorway was a surprise, not just because she’d never visited him at work before, but also because as a former employee of CRBO, he’d expected she’d be loathe to come back.

“What are you doing here?” He tried to imbue the words with a friendly tone but probably failed. He’d never quite mastered the intricacies of interacting with people. Not that he was one hundred percent socially awkward, but he would never be voted most popular. One of many reasons why Bryce led interactions with clients while he stayed in the office crunching numbers.

Except for when he was visiting Sarah and helping to crunch her numbers. Lord, that sounded kind of dirty in his head. Clearly his brain was stuck in the gutter after their talk this morning in which she’d once again made it clear that she’d be happy to have sex with him. Fuck buddies, she’d called it.

If only he could settle for just sex.

He sighed again and this time Kat walked into the office, a look of amused curiosity on her face. “Okay, that’s the second sigh since I’ve arrived. Do you want to tell me what’s up?”

He shook his head. “Not really.”

She shrugged as she sank into the seat across from him. Only then did he notice that she was carrying a small package which she thrust in his direction. “Here, for you.”

He took it automatically but he felt his brows draw down in a frown as he studied the simply wrapped brown box. “What is it?”

Laughter filled her voice but he continued to stare at the box. “A present,” she said. “You asked why I was here, and this is why.”

He looked up then, and he was sure his confusion was still apparent. “A Christmas present?”

She nodded. “A Christmas slash thank you present, actually. For helping Yvette.”

Ah. He set the box down gently as if it might leap up and bite him. “I don’t feel right accepting.”

Her silence lasted so long he thought she might not reply. “If this is because I’m with Bryce, I promise this is just from me. This isn’t work-related at all.”

He shook his head as he pondered how much to tell her. Everything, he decided. He needed an ally in his quest to win Sarah’s heart and there was no one better than Kat. At the very least, she could give him an objective perspective on whether he stood a chance at all or if he was just deluding himself into thinking this could be two-sided.

“I can’t accept because I do not want nor do I need your thanks in my work with Yvette.” Now that he’d come to think of her as Sarah—his Sarah—it was difficult to get her pseudonym out of his mouth.

“Okay.” Kat drew the word out so it sounded like a song. Yet, true to Kat’s nature, she still seemed amused by this conversation. If he was the most serious person in any given room, he was certain that Kat would be the most likely to laugh.

And Sarah? Where did she fit into that spectrum? She’d be the most likely to find the hidden beauty and by far the most likely to surprise everyone with the unexpected. There was nothing staid or predictable about his Sarah.

Kat looked like she was waiting, most likely for his explanation.

Clasping his hands on the desk, he leaned forward slightly, his mouth set in a grim line. “Kat, may I be frank?”

She nodded quickly. “Please.”

“I have feelings for Yvette.”

Kat’s eyes widened. “You…” She made a choking sound and he couldn’t tell if she was smothering a laugh or so shocked she’d choked on air. “You do?”

He nodded solemnly. “I do.”

She blinked rapidly and he got the feeling she was trying to absorb this news, which further validated his suspicion that Sarah had not told her best friend about their tryst the weekend before, nor had she mentioned their makeout session in her studio earlier this week, he was almost certain.

For a moment it occurred to him that maybe his Sarah was ashamed to admit it. That perhaps she was ashamed of him.

While he could be objective enough to know that he wasn’t unattractive, he also wasn’t what one would label “hot” and he was certainly not “hip.” He got the feeling that Yvette typically dated men who were both, while he was neither.

“Darren?” Kat prompted. His new friend, he supposed he could call her friend, seemed to have come to grips with this new revelation and he found himself blurting out the first question that came to mind. “What type of man does Yvette typically date?”

Kat’s brows shot up in surprise and he opened his mouth, ready to call back the question lest it be inappropriate. He didn’t want to put Kat in an uncomfortable position. But before he could she answered quickly and succinctly. “Players.”

There was no question, no waffling, no rationalizing, just an honest, unpleasant answer.

“Ah,” he said. He couldn’t pretend to be shocked. It was what he’d surmised, yet it still hurt to hear as it further proved the fact that he was not her type.

Kat shifted in her seat, and he watched as she pursed her lips and studied him as if trying to decide something. Then she let out a long exhale and sat back in her seat. “Look, Darren, you seem like a really nice guy.”

His heart fell into his stomach at the way she said it. It wasn’t so much a compliment as a death sentence.

Sure enough, she winced slightly as she added, “And Yvette just doesn’t date nice guys.”

He ignored the sharp stab of disappointment. Kat wasn’t telling him anything he hadn’t surmised on his own. Now was not the time to sit and mope over her statements but rather, to utilize her insight and employ her assistance since she seemed to like him.

“May I ask why?” He kept his voice even and steady despite the warring emotions within him. He’d always been good at keeping his emotions under wraps—sometimes to a detriment, in fact, but now it came in handy.

Kat tilted her head to the side as she considered him. “You know,” she said slowly. “I don’t really know.”

He arched one brow in surprise at that. He knew that they’d been best friends since college and had assumed that if anyone knew the reason behind her predilection, it would be Kat.

“When I first met Yvette freshman year, she was kind of going through a change.”

A change. What did that mean? “A hormonal change?” he guessed.

Kat shook her head with a laugh. “No, not that sort of change. She was redefining herself, creating a new image.” She shrugged. “I think a lot of people do that in college. It’s kind of the time for it, right?”

He remained silent as he had no experience with redefining his image. He’d sported the same haircut and style of glasses since grade school so perhaps he was not the right person to ask.

Kat’s brow furrowed as she looked into the distance as if trying to see the past. “There was a guy she’d been dating in high school,” she said eventually. “I remember that. She didn’t want to talk about him but it was clear that the breakup had been a rough one. But honestly from the time I’d met Yvette she’d only been interested in guys who were emotionally unavailable.” She shrugged and her gaze focused on him. “Sorry, I wish I had more insight.”

“That’s all right,” he said. “I suppose it doesn’t matter how she came to be interested in men who don’t commit, just that she is.”

Kat’s expression turned sympathetic. Almost pitying. It was then that he realized she’d taken that statement to be one of concession, as if he was giving up on his Sarah.

“I feel you should know that I aim to woo your friend.” He scowled at her immediate reaction. “Judging by the way you just slapped a hand over your mouth to stifle a laugh, I’m guessing you find my mission laughable.”

Her eyes widened. “No, it’s not that. It’s just…the way you said it. So serious.” She lowered her voice when she said “so serious” so she was mimicking him.

He found his own lips twitching up in reluctant amusement at her impression. “I suppose I am serious. I’ve gotten to know Yvette this past week, and while I know that our relationship, as it were, hasn’t lasted a long period of time, I trust in my feelings where she is concerned.”

Kat’s amusement seemed to fade but her smile lingered. “That’s sweet, Darren.” Her grin broadened. “Also, I think you’ve been spending too much time with Bryce.”

He let out a short laugh at that. It was true, Bryce prided himself on following his gut and his heart in his business and personal lives. While it seemed to work for him, Darren could safely say he’d never once based a business decision on anything other than his brain.

In his personal life, however, he could no longer claim the same. Though, to be fair, this thing with his Sarah was the first time he’d ever acted so rashly or with such disregard for logic.

Ever.

He only hoped it paid off. On one hand, the comparison to Bryce made him want to balk—they were opposites in every sense of the word—but thinking of how successful Bryce was in wooing Kat, he supposed he should embrace the similarity.

“I’ll accept the comparison.” The words slipped out without forethought and he waited for her mockery. He was the first to admit that he could be a tad too formal, at times. His tendency to call Bryce, “sir,” in the office, for example. Although, in his defense, what had started as a nod to etiquette, having been raised by strict parents, had morphed into a bit of fun as it so thoroughly rankled his easygoing boss.

But Kat didn’t tease. If anything, her expression softened. “I hope you get the girl, Darren. I really do. She deserves someone like you.”

He felt an uncomfortable heat creeping up beneath his collar at the unexpected praise. He found himself clearing his throat nervously. Compliments were not a regular occurrence in his life and this one meant more to him than she could ever know.

After all, Kat knew Sarah better than anyone and if she approved and thought he might be able to make her happy, that had to be a good sign, right?

“I suppose we’ll see this weekend,” he said.

She frowned. “This weekend? But aren’t you flying to Montana with me and Bryce tonight?”

He nodded. “Yvette is coming too.”

She blinked. And then she blinked again. “Pardon?”

“Yvette has agreed to come to Montana for the holidays.”

“Montana,” she repeated.

“Yes.”

“With you?” she said.

“Indeed.”

“For the holidays, which you’ll be spending with family, I take it.”

It hadn’t been phrased as a question so he kept quiet. At this point it was clear that Kat was just trying to wrap her head around this new development. Boy, his Sarah really hadn’t been opening up to Kat this week. He wondered if that was good news or bad.

Kat seemed to be on the same mental path. “She never mentioned anything about any of this the other night when Caleb and I saw her.”

He kept his mouth shut, equally unsure of what to make of that.

After a moment, he watched Kat’s lips curve up as her eyes filled with mischievous laughter. “Interesting,” she said in a silly French accent. “Very, very interesting.”

* * *

After her initial shock, Kat seemed delighted by this twist of events. Bryce and Kat sat across from him in the limo as they headed to Yvette’s apartment in Brooklyn to pick her up. Despite the fact that she’d agreed to come and had even texted him with questions about what she should bring, he was not entirely certain that she’d go along with this.

Why would she?

Yes, they still had some work to do on her application, but it was nothing they couldn’t do over the phone. She could most likely even finish up the paperwork without him and just call with questions.

Her sudden change of heart in wanting to come along didn’t quite add up.

But then, maybe he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe she was starting to come around, after all. It was entirely possible that she was feeling the same pull around him, the same overwhelming need that went beyond satiating physical desires and to something so much deeper.

He found that his foot was tapping incessantly against the car floor as they pulled to a stop. One thing was for certain, he never knew what to expect when Sarah was around, for better or for worse.

Right now, for instance, he thought as he stared up at the old apartment building. He wouldn’t be too shocked to discover that she’d had a change of heart. Heck, maybe she wasn’t even at home.

“So, let’s go over this again,” Kat said, interrupting his paranoid thoughts. “What exactly is your game plan here?”

He cleared his throat while trying to inconspicuously wipe his sweaty palms on his pants. “I’m going to court your friend the way she deserves.”

This earned him a smirk from Bryce and a long-suffering sigh of resignation from Kat. Her mouth puckered up and she looked worried…for him, no doubt. Sure enough, she repeated the same argument she’d made in his office earlier once she’d realized that this trip was, in fact, truly happening.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with my plan?” she asked.

“No.”

Bryce looked like he was trying valiantly not to laugh. They both ignored him.

“Honestly, Darren, I’ve known Yve for a long time. I know what she likes when it comes to men.”

“No.” He put one hand on the car door. He didn’t want to have this argument again, even though he knew that Kat was only trying to help. “I’m not going to treat the woman I care about with disrespect like every other guy she’s ever dated.”

Kat rolled her eyes subtly. “I’m not suggesting you treat her like dirt like those assholes she’s used to, I’m just saying that you might want to consider playing a little hard to get.”

He knew Kat meant well. She thought he should kiss her and then walk away, sleep with her and then leave her wanting more. Act as though his heart was not invested. Kat was clearly convinced that the only way he could get and keep her attention was by being emotionally unavailable.

But that he could not do.

Kat nibbled on her lower lip, clearly certain that his straightforward method of courtship would fail with her commitment-averse best friend.

He wasn’t sure how to tell her that he was playing hard to get… sort of. In the physical sense, if not emotional. He wasn’t sure how to explain to Kat that he’d made their friendship strictly platonic, which forced the issue of involving emotions and intimacy if she wanted anything physical.

Which she did. He knew she did.

But damn it, he wasn’t willing to settle for anything less than the real deal with her, no matter how sexy she was or how turned on he’d been while in her presence but unable to act on his natural animal instincts.

Kat was eyeing him, even Bryce looked intrigued and he’d made it clear that as Darren’s boss he was officially removing himself from any involvement in his personal life. Of course that didn’t stop him from insisting that Darren use the limo to pick her up and that the two of them stay at the lodge rather than some motel near his family’s place.

He might not be giving his two cents but he was absolutely using his money to help the cause.

Which was fine by Darren. Being under the same roof…one that didn’t contain his parents as well, was surely better conditions to woo his lady.

Kat was waiting for some kind of response but he couldn’t be totally forthright, not without explaining that they’d had sexual relations in the past—something she did not seem to be aware of. He couldn’t betray Yvette by revealing that fact if she chose to keep it secret.

“I appreciate your insight,” he said gravely. “But I want to earn Yve’s trust. I want to show her what a real relationship could look like. What real intimacy means…”

He trailed off as Kat sighed, her gaze wistful. “She really does deserve someone like you, Darren. I just hope she’s not too blind to see it.”

He gave a short nod of thanks before getting out of the limo and walking up to her front door. As he did he thought over Kat’s words. Not too blind…

He didn’t think that Sarah was blind, but he couldn’t tell Kat that either. Who was he to claim some deep knowledge of the inner workings of Yvette? He hadn’t known her for weeks, let alone years like Kat. So who was he to say?

He was only the man who loved her.

He pressed the buzzer and waited with baited breath. He might not know her as well as Kat, but he thought he might know her in a different way. Or maybe he was wrong.

But if he was right, then he had a theory of his own.

Kat wasn’t blind, she was terrified. He might not know the reasons why but she was clearly too scared to trust men with her heart. But he wasn’t men, he was the man. Her man. He belonged to her, heart and soul. He would no sooner hurt her than he would himself.

Now, if only he could get her to see that.