Milo looked at his watch and saw that it was approaching one in the morning.

Probably time for him to go home.

He put his head down and kept working. What was the point of going home?

All that awaited him there were more hours of night, time to think about what he’d lost, time to wonder if he could ever hope to regain it again.

He tried to keep that thought out of his head and focus. He wasn’t done fighting, and he would fight for Constance again and again and again.

But what if he was too late?

No.

He wasn’t too late. He just needed to give her time, and then he could make her see reason.

But until then he was stuck in this hellish limbo, one in which each second felt like years, all because he was without her.

Milo stood when he heard his outer door open.

No one should be here at this time of night, not even Val.

He circled his desk and made his way to his open door quickly, quietly, knowing that few had access to his personal offices.

When Constance stepped into the doorway, he wondered if he’d conjured her from his imagination.

Her hair was down, an unruly riot that he’d never seen in the office. She was dressed casually, a pair of jeans and a T-shirt covered with a light jacket.

A feast to his starving eyes, and the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

She stared back at him, her expression one of shock, wariness.

“What are you doing out so late, Constance?” he asked.

She didn’t flinch at his question, so maybe she hadn’t noticed the edge in his voice, both at the thought of her out so late and at the utter relief at seeing her.

“I…I thought you wouldn’t be here,” she said on a whisper.

Even though she spoke in a tentative voice that he hated, with uncertainty that caused him pain, hearing her voice, seeing her was unlike anything he could have imagined.

“Then why did you come?” he asked.

She looked down, her hair falling forward to hide her face, and then she lifted her hand and reached out.

On instinct, Milo did the same, his fingers brushing hers for one electrified minute. Then, the next thing he knew, a light piece of metal, warm from Constance’s touch, fell into his palm.

“I wanted to give this back,” she said.

It took him a moment to process the words, but then he looked down and saw the key he had given her years ago.

So this was it? She was coming to finally end things?

He looked at her, everything in his body rebelling at that.

Eyes on hers, he reached for her hand and deposited the key back into her palm.

“You’re keeping it,” he said.

A look of pure bliss crossed her face, but the expression immediately darkened and she shook her head.

“No, Milo. I’m done. I don’t work for you anymore,” she said, her voice tight, strangled.

“No, you don’t,” he said.

She frowned, looking confused and then continued. “Then why…?”

“Think of it as a symbol,” he said.

“Of what?”

“Of the key to my heart. You have it, Constance. It’s yours. Forever,” he said.

She furrowed her brow deep, frowned even deeper. “What?”

“My heart. You own it. Keep the key to remind you.”

“What are you saying, Milo?”

“I love you, Constance,” he said.

She flinched as if he’d punched her and then stared at him, her eyes blazing. “Don’t say that, Milo. You don’t mean it, and it’s cruel of you to say so just to get me to work for you again.”

Milo’s own heart squeezed when he saw the anguish on her face, and he went to her, capturing her face between his hands, his eyes on hers. “No, Constance. I mean it. I love you. I want you with me forever,” he said.

She didn’t look away, but he saw the doubt that warred with hope in her eyes, prayed the hope would win.

“Do you…? Do you mean it?” she whispered, almost as if she couldn’t quite get her words out.

“More than anything I’ve ever meant in my life, Constance. I want you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he said, his eyes searching hers.

When she looked down, his heart dropped, but when she lifted her eyes, it soared. The feelings he felt, so deep they shook him to his core, were reflected in her eyes. He wanted to yell his happiness, but instead he leaned forward and caught her lips with his.

At the first contact, they both sighed deeply, Constance’s response telling him she had missed this as much as he had.

The kiss, which had started out slow and soft, deepened, intensified, and soon Milo was kissing her ravenously as his hands roamed over her body. He cupped her breasts, letting their fullness overflow his palms, the plump, heavy softness ripping a moan from his throat.

After a moment, though, he dropped his hands to her ass and pushed her flush against him, her soft tits smacking against his chest, his hard cock throbbing against her stomach.

Without breaking their kiss, he quickly opened her pants and pushed them down her thighs, taking off her panties with them. He paused for only seconds and then drove his hand between her legs, wetness leaking from her to coat the inside of her thighs. Milo let his fingers play there, the little throaty moans that pushed out of Constance’s throat to get lost in his mouth making his already hard dick iron.

And when he pushed two fingers inside her soaking pussy, she pulled her lips from his and cried out, her body pulling tight. She rocked her hips, fucking his fingers with abandonment, and Milo watched her, wondering how he had gone even a day without this.

He decided then he wouldn’t go a minute longer.

Ignoring her greedy pout, he pulled his fingers from her and quickly worked his own pants open, his cock springing from his pants as if seeking her.

When she closed her small, soft fist over his shaft and trailed her thumb across his slit, his knees buckled.

But he recovered and walked them back to his desk.

Constance rested her ass on the edge and spread her legs wide, her sex glistening in the dim light. Milo thought he would come on the spot, but he maintained his control and followed quickly, stepping between her open thighs.

His cock unerringly found her center, and the first hint of wet heat against his sensitive skin again threatened to send him over.

Again he fought the urge and grabbed her full hip in his hand.

Eyes locked on hers, he guided himself into her, not relenting until his cock was buried root-deep in her heat. He stilled for just a moment, enjoying the feeling of her pussy throbbing around his cock, her soft hip in his hands, her warm breath against his neck.

It was heaven, perfection, and he swore he would never go another day without this or go another day without her.

He thrust hard, the motion enough to rock the desk. But Constance simply held him tighter, looping her arms around his neck as he fucked her with all that he had.

“I. Love. You.”

Each word was followed by a hard thrust, but soon, there were no words, only heavy, needful breaths that filled the entire room.

“Milo!” Constance cried out sharply, her body shuddering her climax.

This time, Milo didn’t fight his climax and, with her legs wrapped tight around him, he filled her with his cum.

He held her in his arms until their breathing returned to normal.

Constance pulled back and looked into his eyes. “You meant it, Milo?” she whispered.

He kissed her and then looked into her eyes. “And I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving it.”

“Are you ready to sign?”

Daniel Stone phrased the words as a question. Still, even though Emily hadn’t often heard him speak, she knew it was anything but.

Daniel didn’t ask questions.

He demanded compliance.

It was how he had built his billion-dollar fortune.

Or at least that was what Emily had read in the news or heard secondhand. She was a low-level HR assistant, so she didn’t know Daniel personally, but stories of his business prowess—and his wild affairs—had made it down to her office.

For the most part, Emily tried to ignore the gossip. It wouldn’t help her get ahead and getting ahead was her main focus, her only focus, really. But, she could admit that she’d read some stories about him, and been more than impressed those few times she’d caught fleeting glimpses of him.

She had every reason to be impressed.

Daniel always stood out in the crowd.

If his height, which was at least six foot five didn’t draw the eye, his physique would. Even when he wore expertly crafted suits, there was no way to miss the finely cut muscles of his body. Long, strong limbs, broad shoulders. And there was Emily’s personal favorite, midnight-black hair that was always a little longer than she would have expected from a businessman.

And it wasn’t just his looks. He was handsome, intimidatingly so, but even more, he exuded strength, command, had an aura that demanded attention, and, as Emily was learning, compliance. So, while she tried to keep her head down, she was quite intrigued by being so close to him. She’d worked with his company for two years, but had only gotten fleeting glimpses of the man, so she was eager to see him up close.

In this moment, she watched as Daniel stared at the older man sitting across from him, his expression calm, almost placid. He had no reason to be anything but, and he seemed certain of the outcome.

“No. I’m not ready to sign.”

Emily’s eyes widened, and she only barely managed to bite back her shocked exhale. She’d spent no time with Daniel, but from the subtle change in his expression, she could see how surprised, how displeased, he was. Emily found herself torn, wanting to leave the room but intrigued to see how this would play out. She felt like she was eavesdropping, but there was no way she was leaving.

“We’ve agreed on terms. What other issue could there be?” Daniel said.

Though his expression hadn’t changed, Emily heard the exaggerated patience in his voice. Charlie Green, the man who sat across from Daniel heard it as well, as Emily could see from the slight smile that crept across his face.

Emily was impressed.

Neither man had looked in her direction, and she was sick with nerves, while he had the fortitude to smile.

“Yes, Mr. Stone, we’ve agreed on numbers, but you know that’s not all I care about,” the other man said.

Emily knew that Mr. Green was the owner of a large company that Daniel had set his sights on acquiring. It had been her understanding that terms had been reached and this meeting was intended to finalize the deal. Apparently, there was still an open topic, though. She hazarded a look at Daniel and saw that he kept the same expression, though his startlingly midnight-blue eyes had darkened ever so slightly.

“I’m well aware of how you operate. I’ve made it clear that all of your employees will be taken care of and that none of the values that your company stood for will change,” Daniel said.

He had, which was why Emily was even hearing this conversation. Last night her boss, the director of human resources, had dropped a stack of documents on her desk, and told Emily they needed to be on Daniel’s desk at nine a.m. sharp. And then the man had proceeded to leave.

Emily had been annoyed but not surprised. The same thing happened all the time, and she’d gotten used to her boss giving her an unreasonable amount of work. But she knew her hard work would pay off, so Emily kept her head down, working and waiting, sacrificing sleep and any semblance of a personal life to get ahead.

“I know you promised, and we wouldn’t have even gotten this far if you hadn’t. But I’m more concerned about you,” Charlie said, looking at Daniel pointedly.

“Me?” Daniel asked. The tone of his voice gave away his annoyance and impatience, as did his next words. “What do you need to know about me other than the size of my bank account?”

Emily’s eyes widened as she listened. Daniel had a reputation for cutting to the chase, but she was still shocked he’d been so direct, though she supposed she shouldn’t have been.

“I need to know what kind of person you are, whether you are worthy of having my company in your hands. It’s my legacy, my life’s work, and I built it from the ground up. I won’t sell it to just anyone, especially not because they have a big bank account. I want to make sure it will be looked after.”

“Charlie, I told you. I’ll take care of your business,” Daniel said.

Emily sensed that Daniel was being honest, but the barely contained anger in his voice was not reassuring.

Apparently, Charlie didn’t think so either. “I heard what you’ve said. But now I want to see who you are. See if there’s more to you than what they write in the papers.”

Emily felt herself beginning to smile before she stopped the expression. Charlie didn’t seem like the type to read tabloids, but maybe she had been mistaken.

“Tell me you don’t pay attention to that garbage?” Daniel said.

“I know some of it’s not true.”

“Most of it,” Daniel interjected.

“Maybe most of it. But some of it is true, and that’s cause for concern.”

“Mr. Green, I’m going to be direct with you. I want your business. I’m ready to pay. The rest of this is nonsense. Are we going to make a deal or not?”

“That’s a good development,” Charlie said.

“What?” Daniel replied, voice low and almost lethal.

“That’s as honest as you’ve been with me during this whole process. And that’s what I want to see more of. I want to know what kind of man you are, what kind of family you have.”

“What kind of man I am?” Daniel asked, his lips dropping ever so slightly before he quickly moved back to his neutral expression.

Charlie nodded. “Yes, what kind of man you are.”

A second passed, then another, but then suddenly Daniel flashed a bright smile, one that had Emily’s heart pounding.

“Let Emily tell you,” Daniel said.

Both pairs of eyes in the room turned to her, and Emily wanted to sink through her chair. The feeling only intensified when she looked at Daniel. His dark blue eyes felt like they were going to burn through her, though his expression hadn’t changed. Still, she got his message loud and clear.

“Mr. Stone is great. Wonderful…” she said.

She trailed off and then looked from Daniel to Charlie.

“I’m sure he is. But that doesn’t tell me anything,” Charlie said.

“Well… Um… He’s great to the employees. Very fair.”

And he was. At least as far as she had seen.

“Come on, Emily. Don’t be shy,” Daniel said.

He reached for her hand then, and Emily’s mouth dropped open. Both from the action and the shock of having his warm, surprisingly rough fingers on hers.

“What?” she managed to choke out a few seconds later, though she had no doubt that her face was reflecting the confusion in her mind.

Daniel had no such confusion.

He smiled, the expression genuine, warm. “It’s okay. We can tell Charlie.”

“We can?” Emily said.

She wasn’t sure why she’d said that, but she also wasn’t sure what they were talking about. Again, Daniel didn’t seem to share her confusion.

“Yes,” Daniel said.

He smiled at her again and then looked at Charlie, but Emily kept staring at him, frowning, her mind swimming too fast for her to do anything else.

She had no idea where this conversation was going, and the fact that Daniel still held her hand, his calloused thumb working against the skin of her palm, made it impossible for her to focus.

“We tried to keep this quiet, but since it’s so important to you, Charlie, I can share. Some of the stories about me in the tabloids were true. I…dated…my fair share, didn’t want to settle down. But that’s all behind me.”

“Really?” Charlie asked, his bushy gray eyebrows lowering. “Why?”

Emily finally looked at Daniel again, but his serene expression didn’t give anything away. When she glanced at Charlie again, she got the sense that he was confused and skeptical, just as she was.

“It’s like you said yourself, what’s important is family, and I found the person I’m going to build mine with,” Daniel said.

“You did?”

Emily had looked at him and uttered the words before she could stop them from coming out.

Daniel frowned deeply, but his face instantly relaxed and he even added in a low-pitched laughed. “It’s one of the reasons I love her so much. She’s so funny,” he said, looking back at Charlie.

Then he looked at Emily again, his eyes intensifying for a moment before his face went calm again. “Come on, Emily,” he said, hitting her with a smile so dazzling she almost forgot where she was. “I know we said we were going to keep this quiet at work, but we can share with Charlie.”

“We can?” Emily said, her ability to form more complex sentences seeming to have been lost.

“We can,” Daniel said, hitting her with that blinding smile again. He held her hand a little bit tighter, his expression suddenly urgent. But he covered it quickly, and then he looked back at Charlie.

“You’re the first to know, Charlie, but I asked Emily to marry me, and she said yes.”

Emily thought she would faint.