Cat found herself in an undeniable state of awe.

She was sitting in the passenger seat of what was, without question, the most luxurious car she’d ever been in – next to one of the most famous men in the world.

Not to mention, one of the most attractive.

The images she’d seen of him in magazines and newspapers hardly did the man justice. The moment she’d seen him at the airport, everything had faded into the background and she’d forgotten how to breathe.

The man was the picture of a raven-haired, high-class Adonis.

Shifting slightly in her seat, Catherine snuck a guilty glance at him and her heart stuttered in her chest. The man was impeccably clad in a pair of wool trousers and a crisp white button up with a dark blazer. He smelled like absolute heaven, and the form folded into the driver’s seat was long and unmistakably powerful.

He was classically gorgeous – and he probably knew it: gleaming, bright blue eyes that shone with intelligence, a swarthy face with impeccable bone structure and a few days’ worth of dark stubble dotting his chin. Equally dark hair was swept back from his brow elegantly and his full mouth was set into a contemplative line.

God, he was enough to make any sane woman lose her mind. And besides that, he was rich and incredibly talented.

Somehow, Cat suddenly found herself rethinking the notion that she and Elias might become the best of friends. He was quite obviously a bit out of her league…she’d been torn between staring and trying to figure out something to say for the last ten minutes they’d been in the car together.

“Good flight, was it?” The moment the man opened his mouth, a smooth, accented tenor flowing from his lips, she almost melted against the seat.

“Um…yeah,” she finally managed, hoping she didn’t sound as overwhelmed to Johnson as she did to her own ears. “First time I’ve been on an international flight, actually.”

“Really?” He arched an elegant brow and her stomach twisted in on itself as his mouth quirked into a small smile. “Well, good thing you went first class now, isn’t it? Anything otherwise might be a bit much for you.”

Cat merely swallowed thickly as she nodded, completely and totally tongue-tied. What on earth was she supposed to say? What small talk could she make with a man of the world when she had barely been beyond Detroit’s city limits? “I…um…wasn’t there someone else who could have picked me up?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Cat realized how she must sound and repressed a groan. Christ, she hadn’t meant to imply that she didn’t appreciate him coming to get her! Quite the contrary! “I mean,” her face flushed brightly as she tried vainly to recover, “not that I didn’t want it to be you! I just thought that you’d probably be busy! That someone else would come…”

A low, devastatingly sensuous chuckle interrupted her, and Cat fell silent as heat flared low in her abdomen.

“I know what you meant,” Johnson returned, glancing in her direction as he took a turn off the highway and into a smaller lane. “And in answer to your question: no. I wasn’t coming to pick you up originally. But, the driver got lost, and I was in the area.” As he pulled to a stop at a red light, the man shifted in his seat until he was facing her – and the intensity of his blue gaze stole the breath from her lungs. “I have to say: I’m glad I was.”

If possible, the young woman flushed even more darkly. Was he trying to flirt with her? She had to be imagining things. Catherine knew she must look a hot mess. There was no way this man could think she was attractive in any way, shape, form, or fashion. As he continued to stare at her, Catherine cleared her throat, looking past him to change the subject hurriedly. “Oh my God, is that Big Ben?”

She must sound like the ultimate tourist, she thought. But anything was better than trying to meet the intimidating gaze of Elias Johnson. At her exclamation, he looked back out of the driver’s side window at the magnificent clock tower looming in the distance. “Ah. So it is.” The light turned green, and just like that, a disaster was averted.

For a moment, Cat merely allowed herself to gaze in awe at the cityscape of London as it sprung up around her. Though she’d seen pictures and postcards, being in one of the greatest cities in the world, in the flesh, was beyond anything she might have dreamed. There were immense, posh buildings, both asphalt and cobblestone streets, and an intrinsic charm that Detroit simply lacked. Especially in her neighborhood.

Though she could remember bits and pieces of living in New York, the finer details escaped her. It was as if this were her first time visiting a big city.

“The Savoy’s in the center of the city.”

She was jerked from her reverie when Elias addressed her again.

“Lovely views, and even better accommodations. I’ll be taking you to see the building site tomorrow and we can go over your design together.”

The young woman’s gaze jerked back to the man next to her as her eyes widened.

Her design. That was right. She was here because the man had picked her design, over millions of possible others. Because he thought she might have some talent.

Catherine had just drummed up the courage to ask him what he actually thought of her drawing when they pulled to a stop outside of an immense, breathtaking gothic building on the edge of what she assumed to be the Thames River. Catherine fairly gaped as she looked over the expansive, well-manicured grounds and the multitude of gleaming, expensive cars in the front lot. When her eye finally fell on a sign that proclaimed the building her accommodations for the next six months, she almost choked.

“The…the competition is paying for me to stay here?” Though she’d known that the Savoy was a fairly famous London hotel, Cat hadn’t known that it also seemed to be one of the priciest.

“Of course not,” Johnson returned, as he pulled his Mercedes up to the curb, preparing to deliver it into the care of the valet. After sliding from the driver’s seat, he rounded the vehicle, tossing the keys to the young man who waited eagerly. When he opened her door, Cat was once more enveloped by his sublime scent as he took her hand. “I’m paying for you to stay here.”

Before she could reply, he was tugging her from the car and out onto the pavement –

Where there were suddenly way too many people and a bevy of flashing lights.

It took Cat only a split second to realize that they were cameras, and that they were surrounded by what could only be British paparazzi.

One minute, she was in a quiet, private car and the next she was suddenly thrust into a limelight that she had no idea what to do with. Cat was pretty sure that if it wasn’t for Elias’ firm grip on her arm, she might have turned tail and bolted.

“Catherine Harris? How does it feel to have come out on top over millions of other contenders?”

“How does it feel to know your design is going to be a home for one of the most lauded men on the planet?”

“Is there romance in the air, Catherine? Love at first sight?”

To say it was overwhelming would be the understatement of the century. Cat threw an arm up over her eyes and had to let Elias lead her through the crowd as her heartbeat pounded in her ears. It seemed like an eternity before they were safely beyond the masses and into the hotel, where the deafening roar quieted to a low murmur.

Tentatively, Cat opened her eyes – and gasped.

The hotel’s foyer was absolutely gorgeous – from high, vaulted ceilings to the gleaming marble floor and intricate gold scroll on the walls. The immense front desk appeared to be made out of one solid piece of granite, marbled throughout with veins of jade, and all around the huge space, impeccably dressed people moved about, murmuring quietly.

“There now. That’s better.” When Elias spoke, she looked up at him in shock, almost having forgotten that he was there in her reverie. He steered her towards the front desk, despite her protests that her luggage was still in the car. “Let’s get you checked in, shall we?”

“But-”

“I assume you’re tired, Catherine. You’ll need some down time before we see the building site tomorrow.” With that, he got the attention of the people at the front desk, who immediately stopped what they were doing to address him.

While speaking to them, Elias never relinquished his firm hold on her arm. Though some women might have misconstrued the act as possessive, for Catherine, his grip was steadying as the world spun around her.

Though she’d known that Johnson was rich and powerful, seeing the full scope of said power displayed for her was more than a little intimidating. Cat could only imagine what this place cost per night, and he was putting her up here for six months. Not the company who had sponsored the contest, but he himself?

Jesus.

“You’ll be on the top floor, across from my suite.” Her eyes wide, Cat could only let herself be swept along the long corridor that led to the elevator bay before the door dinged closed.

And they were alone once more.

Though there was low music playing inside, the sudden quiet seemed almost stifling – and the smaller space minuscule. Perhaps if Johnson himself weren’t so huge…well over six feet, and with the breadth to match…Cat found herself gazing up at him expectantly, her mouth dry. “I apologize for all of that.” His tenor washed over her, making her heart stutter in her chest a moment before he graced her with his bright blue gaze once more.

And once his eyes caught hers – holding them in their enrapturing stare – she found it very hard to look away.

“…For what?”

The corner of Johnson’s mouth kicked up in an amused smile. “All the cameras and such. One of the caveats of having me pick you up instead of the driver.”

“Oh…right.” she finally replied, flushing brightly in the dim light of the elevator. “Well, I’m glad to have made it to the hotel at least.” It was better to make small talk than to drool all over the man, right?

“You haven’t even seen your suite yet.” With that, the doors thankfully opened, admitting them to the twenty first floor – and another realm of incomparable luxury.

“Here we are.” From the moment Elias opened the door, admitting her to the opulent suite of rooms in which she’d be staying. Cat had to try her hardest not to stare like a fool. There was an expansive great room with a fireplace, a sitting room, a small kitchen, a marbled bathroom that might have been the size of her entire apartment back home, and finally, an opulent bedroom with the biggest bed she’d ever seen in her life.

As Elias spoke to her about her accommodations, the young woman wandered from room to room, before finally stopping in front of the huge floor to ceiling windows in the Great Room. Her view of the Thames was magnificent – so much so that, for a moment, she almost forgot that Elias was standing beside her.

“Catherine.”

Jumping, she turned to face him.

“Sorry!”

The smile he gave her was enough to melt her to putty on the spot. “Nothing to be sorry for. I just wanted to tell you to order what you want from room service. Everything is already paid for. And enjoy your evening. A car will be here to pick you up at eight in the morning.” With that, he very suddenly – and unexpectedly – reached out to take hold of her chin. “Do get some rest. You’ll be needing it for tomorrow.”

Cat could still feel the feather light stroke of his fingers on her skin after he left; and the moment the door closed behind him, her knees went weak and she struggled to keep her legs beneath her.

This was going to be the longest six months of her entire life.

**

“You what?”

Elias lounged on the bed in his suite, trying to relax. Such a thing was easier said than done when he knew that, just across the hall, the lovely Catherine Harris might be doing the same in her own suite. Despite the fact that he hadn’t intended to really stay in the Savoy – only to book the room for publicity purposes – he now found the fact that he had a room close to her extremely convenient.

“You heard me.” At Michael’s incredulous tone, he chuckled softly. “She’s lovely. And I intend to have her.”

From the other end of the line, his friend exhaled an exasperated sigh. “So now you’re gung ho about the whole thing? Because she’s a looker? What about her design?”

“Oh, the design is fine.” To be completely honest, Elias might have forgotten about it in the short time since he’d met Catherine.

He knew that he was being a bit of a cad, but he couldn’t help it. When was the last time he’d been so immediately interested in a woman? A woman who wasn’t throwing herself at him in a vain attempt to gain his attention?

It seemed like an eternity.

The fact that Catherine seemed overwhelmed by what was happening to her intrigued him. Most women he’d encountered were happy to be in the limelight, while she just seemed to want to escape it. She was a private person, it seemed.

And that much he could appreciate.

Especially if she was going to be his.

“Fine. Are you listening to yourself, Elias? Mister Architectural Perfection, admitting that you went with a design that was just ‘fine’?”

“The design was more than fine.” Rolling onto his stomach, Elias gazed out over the magnificent view of London that his suite afforded him. “I just happen to be more interested in the woman at the current moment.”

“….That’s not like you.” Michael’s hesitation showed very clearly just how surprised he was at his friend’s admission. Elias chuckled, shaking his head slowly.

“It’s not, is it?” He himself realized how ridiculous the entire scenario seemed. He, who was usually far too obsessed with his work to give most women the time of day, suddenly wanted to cast aside the only viable option he’d had for this ridiculous contest.

In favor of claiming the winner for far more physical pleasures.

“Elias, please don’t tell me you’re going to bullocks this all up. You didn’t even want the girl here in the first place. Now you expect to just shag her at your leisure for the next six months?”

“Well, once I charm my way past her defenses, yes.” Sitting up, Elias grinned conspiratorially. “I know I don’t exercise it much, Michael, but you, of all people, should know how charming I can be when I put my mind to it.”

A low groan answered his proclamation. “That’s what worries me.”

The next day, Elias was up early after a decidedly restless night. It was hard for him to sleep for two reasons. One: despite the fact that he knew that this was a huge publicity stunt, he couldn’t help the thrill of excitement that always accompanied his starting a new project, and two, he kept picturing what Catherine Harris slept in.

It was ridiculously unseemly of him, true. Elias Johnson fantasized about vaulted arches and artistic balustrades more than anything else. But, for some reason, whenever he tried to mull over ideas for a new project, he instead found himself picturing the divine curve of Catherine’s waist down to ample hips.

Elias had met his fair share of American women in his life. All in all, he considered them brash, loud, cheeky, and far too self-absorbed for their own good. But, Catherine Harris was like no American he’d ever encountered before. Curiously enough, she seemed to be the antithesis of most Americans, which left him wondering: how on earth did she get that way?

He pondered the question on the ride out of the city, as the sun slowly rose above the horizon and the English countryside. However, after an hour-long drive to the sea, he was still nowhere closer to an answer.

Ultimately, he supposed, it didn’t matter. He would get her to divulge to him in short order.

While he himself had gone ahead of his guest to make sure that the building site was prepped, Catherine herself didn’t arrive until close to nine-thirty – a good two hours after him. In that time, he managed to contact a number of contracting companies – she would help him choose the one they finally selected for the project – and obtain copies of the permits they would need to begin. Elias was, in fact, so wrapped up in the professional aspect of the job that he had almost forgotten what he had planned for Catherine.

At least, until she arrived.

The moment the diminutive woman stepped out of the gleaming Lincoln that had delivered her to the beachside property, Elias’ body responded instinctively. Today, she wore a red, loose long-sleeved sweater over a pair of jeans that clung deliciously to her lean legs. Her dark hair was piled in a haphazard knot atop her head, her face fresh and clean of the slightest hint of makeup.

He longed to bury his face in her shoulder and sample the soft skin there, but they had some business to take care of first. “Good morning, Catherine.” With a genuine smile, he strode over her, amused when she blushed at his greeting.

“It’s Cat.”

“Pardon?” When he reached her side, his brow arched in inquiry.

“Cat,” the young woman repeated, louder this time. “No one calls me Catherine.”

Even better, then. “Well, Cat, what do you think?” Taking her arm in a manner not unlike he had the previous night, Elias steered her firmly over the seaside cliff upon which they would build. For a moment, her large, almond-colored eyes gazed over the expansive space and the smear of the sea beyond. She took in the view of the nearest houses – at least a good three miles off – before assessing the dark soil and grass beneath their feet.

To his surprise, she broke away from him – not out of nervousness, but in what appeared to be concentration. Slowly, she moved over the land, her eyes fixed alternatively on the ground and then the sky. Crossing his arms over his chest comfortably, Elias watched her with a growing sense of bemusement.

After about five minutes, she finally turned back to him, her expression unreadable. “Can I see a copy of the drawing?”

“Of course.” Elias headed over to the makeshift office they’d created for the site and emerged a moment later with the drawing he’d been sent – along with the modifications he’d made, of course.

He handed it to Catherine with relish, and after taking it from him, the young woman just stared.

“What on earth have you done to it?”

For a moment, Elias was taken so completely aback that he didn’t quite register what she’d said. “…Excuse me?”

Her full, small mouth pursing into a frown, Catherine held up the plans before her line of sight as she perused them. “You changed it.”

Well, that much was obvious. “Here and here.” The young woman smoothed her hand over the paper in quick motions to indicate the modified ceiling and ornamental front wall. “I can see why you’ve added the rotund arches here, but here? Why block the natural light?” Biting her lip, Catherine continued to go over the plan, heedless of his ever-more-incredulous gaze. “With all of the add-ons, it looks like something you would design.”

Elias opened his mouth to agree with her – only to realize the bold point she was trying to make.

It was her design. And he’d chosen it precisely because it wasn’t his own. Trying to make it into something it wasn’t…well, he’d been doing that so frequently for the past years that it came naturally now.

“Take this away.” The young woman extracted a pen from the back pocket of her jeans, uncapping it with her teeth. “And this.” She did away with the ornamental wall, as well as half of the upper floor. “Leave the entirety of the windows here.” She scribbled out another addition he’d made as Elias’ brow rose ever higher. “This looks more like what I originally drew.”

Part of him wanted to be affronted. It was his first impulse and, had Cat been anyone else, Elias would most probably have lost his temper. He hadn’t worked as hard as he had in his career to be questioned.

But, somehow, the fact that the young woman seemed to have no regard for his additions…it intrigued him. She hadn’t yet looked up to see what his reaction was, she was so absorbed in the design.

Not unlike he could be himself when he was working on a project.

“Are you offended that I changed your blueprint?”

At his question, Cat seemed to realize what she might have been implying. Her eyes widened and her face flushed. “Offended! No, I just…well…I thought the point of all of this was for you to pick an emerging talent. Certainly, I’m not questioning your taste…I just…well, if you wanted to design your own house, why go through all this trouble?”

Elias couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing.

For a woman, Catherine had some enormous balls. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had attempted to make major revisions to something he’d drawn up. Over the length of his career, he seemed to have adopted an air of unapproachability.

But this tiny girl, who knew absolutely nothing about him, didn’t seem intimidated by him in the slightest. At least, not in a professional sense.

“What?” As she looked up at him, her gorgeous eyes wide in confusion, Elias merely shook his head. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing at all,” he finally managed, running a hand through his dark hair.

She really had no idea what she was doing to him. Or what was coming to her.

“So, you’d like to keep things simple?” He drew her attention back to the plans in her arms by wrapping his own obtrusively around her shoulders to draw her indulgently back against his body.

The young woman stiffened only slightly before he spoke in a low tone against her ear. “Take away all the additions?”

Cat swallowed thickly, but made no attempt to push her way out of his arms. “Not all of them,” she finally managed in a low voice, raising a hand to point to some of the more decorative features he’d incorporated into the ground floor. “I like these. They’re gorgeous.”

She was gorgeous. And she smelled like heaven. It took every ounce of his resolve not to lower his mouth to her neck and nibble at the site of her pulse right in front of everyone present. “Then we’ll keep them. Your design, after all.”

The small smile that spread across her face was worth his enduring her feisty opinion on his work. Besides that, a part of him could see where she was coming from. Cat had intended for the design to be as simplistic as possible – even simpler than his normally unfettered mind could concoct.

And without all the bells and whistles he’d added, it went right back to what she had intended it to be: the design that caught his eye.

These next weeks were going to be even more intriguing than he’d thought.

**

“So, where did you go to school?”

Cat almost choked on her salmon.

It had taken her a good ten minutes to settle down once they’d been seated at their table in the upscale café – and at least a good five minutes after that of gawking before Elias had convinced her to look at the menu.

She knew she must look ridiculously naïve, but could she help it if she’d never been in such plush surroundings? The best restaurants she’d ever been to were diners in downtown Detroit – and that was just for special occasions.

In the week that she’d been in London, Elias had taken her to more high-class restaurants than she’d known existed. And at each and every one, he refused to even let her see the bill. It wasn’t as if Cat had brought a lot of money with her, but she was continually baffled at exactly how moneyed Elias was. She remembered a girlfriend of hers telling her that once you reached the billions, you started earning money faster than you could spend it.

Apparently, that was true. “I…um…” She paused with a decadent bite of potato halfway to her mouth as she struggled vainly for a response.

School? Cat was pretty sure Elias didn’t mean high school, which meant that he was under the impression that she had far more education than she actually did. Clearing her throat, she forced herself to meet his searing blue gaze. Swallowing thickly, she divulged the truth.

“I…actually never had a chance to go to college.” Her eyes darted down to her plate and she could feel her face burning. As much as she had been enjoying her time in London, she never imagined she would spend so much of it alone with Elias and in that time, be coerced into revealing rather intimate details about herself.

For a moment, the silence between them was almost deafening. Within the space of three seconds, Cat went from wondering if Elias had really been flirting with her as much as she suspected to wanting to flee in embarrassment.

“So, where did you learn to design?”

At his next question, her gaze jerked back to his in surprise. Far from looking disgusted with her, Elias looked oddly…interested. His blue eyes were gleaming with intrigue as he waited for her to answer his question.

“I…have a book,” she finally managed, fiddling with her fork almost restlessly. “A library let me have it. There are some basic architectural concepts in it…and I had a few semesters of community college. That, plus the internet…I mean, it’s amazing what you can do these days on the web.”

She might have been playing own her efforts just a little bit. It had taken no small amount of dedication to find the answers to some of her question. She must have spent hundreds of hours of her spare time on the internet.

“So, you learned how to draw like that…from a textbook. And a few hours in front of a computer.” It was a statement rather than a question, and Elias’ deep, sexily inflected tone only made her blush even darker than before. Cat swore to God; the man could make anything sound ridiculously sensual by the simple virtue of spouting it from his lips.

While other people ran all over the place, tripping over themselves in an effort to make sure he got what he demanded when he demanded it, Cat had the luxury of just being able to watch the man – every minute facial expression, the way his brow drew downward when he was upset, and the way he seemed to embody the artistry he created. Elias was complicated and complex, but at the same time, very simple:

He was a man used to getting what he wanted.

And more and more, Cat was beginning to wonder if he didn’t want her. She supposed that all the signs were there – she was just completely and totally perplexed as to why?

“That’s quite an accomplishment.” He took a bite of his filet mignon, and Cat found herself envying his goddamn cutlery. It was honestly a crime how breathtaking the man was. Both breathtaking and intimidating as hell. “I dare say some very accomplished architects might be extremely surprised to find out about you.”

Biting her lip, Catherine looked away as he chuckled. It wasn’t as if she meant to deprive other people of their opportunity. After all, she wasn’t the one who had chosen her own drawing! That had been all Johnson!

“You look very fetching when you’re put out, do you know that?”

The statement actually made Cat inhale sharply as she looked to Elias once more. The man’s lips were curving upward into a slow, utterly devastating smile that made her heart flutter in her chest.

He was doing it again.

It had happened at least once a day ever since she’d arrived in London – that look. They’d be looking at plans together, having lunch, or simply in the car on the way to some new location, and she’d catch him looking at her…like that. As if he were imagining what she looked like with her clothes off.

Cat was simultaneously startled and aroused beyond all rational belief. Did he even know he was doing it? They were supposed to be working together; and one minute, he looked over plans and directed construction, while in the next, she’d turn to see her staring at her with heat blazing in his eyes.

And then, there was the unmistakable possessiveness of his actions. At the building site, how many times in a single week had he put an arm around her in the guise of directing her? Perhaps too many for her to count. And each and every time, she was enveloped by the smell of him the feel of his hard body against hers…and she wondered what the hell she was getting herself into.

She certainly hadn’t come to London to entangle herself with a man. But when one was working with someone as attractive as fucking Elias Johnson, it was kind of hard not to.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to be…what is it you called it? Cheeky?”

At her hesitant inquiry, Elias’ smile only widened. “You catch on to English sayings quite quickly, don’t you?”

Cat couldn’t help but smile in return. The man’s humor was infectious – even if he was only teasing her.

Her first few weeks in London passed by in a blur. It seemed no sooner had she settled in her suite every day than she was forced to leave it for one thing or the other. Though the young woman knew she’d been brought to London to work, somehow, she hadn’t thought she’d be running around this much.

She barely had time to order and eat her breakfast in the morning before Elias was summoning her off on some business to do with the building. Everything from materials to finalizing plans needed her approval, and Cat usually found herself busy from dawn until dusk.

But, on the plus side of things, she spent the majority of her time with her charming, gorgeous host. He showed her all of the great London warehouses, where the steel for the frame of their building would be manufactured, introduced her to more window specialists than she could remember the names of, and took her on tours of some of the city’s old, historic homes. Though the style of most of London’s architecture hearkened back to the Victorian period, there were a few post-modern buildings that she saw her own design in.

And whether the structures were older or newer, she soaked up all the information she could get from Elias like a sponge. Having had no formal schooling, she wanted to learn all that she could. After Catherine got back to the states, who knew when she would have this opportunity again? That, and she was pretty sure she’d never be as enthralled in any class as she was with Elias’ smooth, velvety British tones espousing on the history of cobblestone and brick.

Of course, they had time for a few non-architecture related things as well. Elias took her down to High Street – London’s fashion district – and after watching her stare, awed, into windows for the better part of two hours, finally dragged her into one of the shops, insisting that she buy something. Of course, Cat was far too meek to admit that she barely had enough money to afford the few expenses the hotel didn’t take care of, but at her reticence, Elias took charge.

He had a way of doing that.

They were supposed to be peers, Cat had reminded herself as the man led her over to various racks of women’s clothing. She was designing his house. That was all it was.

…So why the hell had she let him pick clothes for her? Pluck silky dresses from the racks that cost more than she made in months and then let him see her try them on? Cat had hardly let her former boyfriends go shopping with her. What happened that she suddenly let Elias bully her into doing what he wished?

She supposed it might have something to do with the fact that she liked his bullying. Well, it wasn’t bullying per say. It was just that the man was…forceful. He gave orders. He steered her in the direction that he wanted her. His large form hovered over hers in a way that simultaneously intimidated and interested her as he guided her about London with a firm hand.

The young woman found herself trying to stave off thoughts of what his hands might be like behind closed doors. What was Elias Johnson like as a lover? For the past few years of her adult life, Cat had studiously tried to avoid romance. If she needed pleasing, she could please herself just fine. Men had done her wrong more often than not. But, Elias was different. He emitted a kind of cool, commanding confidence that had her almost desperate to see how his persona would carry into the bedroom.

Would he be gentle and tender? Domineering and rough? Dreams of both scenarios had her waking in the middle of the night, flushed and uncomfortable below the waist as she tried to find sleep once more.

Despite all her repressed desire, Cat held her own admirably. There were several situations in which the man might have been making advances and she staved him off; ducked under his arm, backed away, or outright fled back to her hotel room. She was feeling very pleased with herself on the afternoon he offered to take her to the London Eye.

Very in control.

Unfortunately, that control was quite easily wrested from her.

Not only did Elias want to show her the London Eye, he wanted to take her up in it. And Cat could hardly refuse him – especially not when the man rented out the entire goddamn thing on a busy day just so that they could take a ride.

Catherine’s face was plastered to the window of the capsule they sat in as she took in the view of London far below them. The Eye rotated slowly enough for them to get an expansive picture of the city spread out in every direction, and Cat could do little more than gape in awe. She could hardly remember New York, and so this was the biggest city she’d seen in a very long time. 

“It’s gorgeous.” She breathed, her breath fogging the glass slightly. She’d have to remember to take enough pictures to send to her mother later.

“One gets used to it, after staying here long enough.” At Elias’ casual words, she turned to arch a brow at him before she smiled teasingly. The man was sprawled over the bench on the opposite side of the capsule, every delicious inch of him on prime display in a pair of tailored slacks and a gray button-up. Cat was, all at once, glad that they were the only ones around. It meant she was free to sneak glances at him whenever she liked.

“Well, we can’t all be rich and glamorous,” she returned, teasing him gently. “Or world renown architects.”

At her words, Elias stood, crossing the expanse of the capsule and closing the distance between them so quickly she barely had time to realize what he was doing. “I’ll admit.” And just like that, there were mere inches between then, she pressed up against the clear, concave glass wall of the capsule as he entrapped her with an arm on either side of her. “Just now…it has its perks.”

Cat swallowed thickly, her heart hammering against her ribs. “Elias…” she managed, her tongue darting out to wet her lips self-consciously. “What are you doing?” It was a ridiculous question, she knew, but she couldn’t help but ask. She needed to make sure this was real.

“I’m looking at you, Cat.” He breathed lowly, his face mere inches away from hers, blue eyes blazing with virile interest. “I find that I quite like looking at you.”

Her breath caught in her throat. Funny…she’d just been thinking the same thing. Only Cat wasn’t bold enough to admit it. At this particular moment, she found her eyes roving his sharp visage, from the high lines of his cheekbones and the vivid, rich color of his hair…all the way down to the plump line of his mouth.

It wasn’t fair for a man like him to have a mouth like that. How was she supposed to think of anything else but how it might feel against her own?

“What’s…what’s so interesting about me?” she finally managed, a lump of anticipation hard in her throat.

At her question, the dark-haired man smirked. “What isn’t?”

And then, all at once, his mouth was on hers.

Cat couldn’t really remember the last time she’d been kissed. For years, she’d tried to put it out of her mind – how men liked to grab and shove their tongues down her throat as she endured in stolid silence.

But this…this was something different entirely. Elias’ hands cupped her face in a firm, yet gentle grip as his lips roved hers. The contact was light at first – almost tentative – but the moment a soft sigh of allowance escaped her, the gesture turned hungry.

With a low groan, Elias slanted his mouth against her own as his tongue slid past her lips. A hushed moan escaped her in reply as her fingers sifted through his dark hair, and Cat wondered if she wasn’t dreaming.

The man tasted like absolute heaven – and as his tongue tangled with hers, a fire sprang to life low in her belly that begged to be sated. The young woman clung to him, her lips moving over his with just as much hunger as he devoured her; and when Elias caught her lower lip between his teeth to nibble on, she shuddered in sensation. “Elias…” His name left her on a breathless sound of want before she could stop herself.

And a switch was thrown.

Cat inhaled sharply as the man’s hands suddenly slid from her jaw to her waist, pressing her flush against the glass pane at her back. One of his knees wedged between her legs, pressing against the most sensitive part of her, and her breath hitched against his mouth. His powerful form was suddenly flush against hers, and Cat found herself clawing at his shoulders like her namesake in an effort to be closer.

“Cat…” Elias murmured against her chin, his voice thick with desire. “So bloody sweet, Cat…do you know how much I need to make you mine?”

His words jerked her back to the present – where she was currently in a very compromising position in a transparent glass capsule – and the world was probably watching. Taking a deep breath, Catherine tore her mouth from Elias’, trying to force the haze of lust that enveloped her to clear.

Make her his?

The prospect was enough to make her shiver in want even as she resisted the urge to run for the hills.

Not that she could have run anyway. Even if he wasn’t kissing her, she was still trapped between him and the glass wall, the man’s hungry gaze pinning her just as thoroughly as his body. “Problem, Cat?”

The way his tongue slid over her name should very well have been illegal.

The young woman swallowed thickly as she attempted to regain her wits. “I…everyone can see us,” she finally managed, glancing beyond the Eye’s car to where the ground was slowly advancing on them.

Elias merely smirked. “Let them look.” He went in to kiss her again – and Cat almost let him. At the last possible moment, she slid her hand between them – and the feel of his hot mouth against her palm was almost too much to bear.

This…this couldn’t happen. They were from two entirely different worlds. Atop that, Cat knew the difference between lust and actual emotional attachment, and she wasn’t idiotic enough to think that Johnson actually felt something for her. If she gave into him now, she’d be letting him exploit her shamelessly for the next five months, and then they would simply part ways.

And there was no way she was having that. The man might be stunningly attractive. He might be talented, rich, and ridiculously charming when he put his mind to it, but Catherine Harris hadn’t come all this way just to spread her legs for him.

No…she’d come to work with him – to be his peer and his equal. And she couldn’t compromise that. “I…we shouldn’t.” To her merit, the words came out far steadier than she’d imagined they would.

Never mind that Elias merely arched that imperious, dark brow of his at her. “Why shouldn’t we?” As he demanded an answer, he pressed his body even closer to hers, and Cat could feel the very prominent ridge of his erection through his slacks.

It almost undid her. Almost.

“Because…” she finally managed breathlessly. “This is a business arrangement. We’re working together…and it’s never a good policy to mix work and pleasure.”

For a moment, she thought he’d ignore her altogether and get back to kissing her senseless. But to Catherine’s surprise, Elias backed off.

Raising his hands in surrender, he stepped backwards to put about five feet of space between them – though the intense hunger in his expression never faded. “If that’s what you want, Cat.” Was it just her, or was the man hiding a hint of amusement behind that aggressor’s mask? “Far be it from me to press your boundaries.”

Oh, thank God.

The young woman breathed a sigh of relief and her eyes slid closed at the notion that she’d gotten off so easily. At least, until Elias continued. “When I do make you mine, you’ll forget about propriety. And you’ll forget about what’s right and wrong.” When Cat met his gaze again, the intensity of their deep blue hue stole her breath. “I promise you that.”

It took everything she had not to melt into a mussy puddle on the floor at that exact moment.

In the space of a single revolution of the London Eye, Cat realized, she had gone from being in control to grasping at its’ straws.

**

Patience was not one of Elias’ strong suits.

As the tall man stood in the center of his suite’s immense shower, letting water sluice over his bare form, he tried to find his inner peace.

Little Catherine Harris had disrupted it dreadfully.

She’d barely been in London for a month, and yet she was all he could think about. What the architect had thought would be an easy conquest was quickly growing into something much more confusing.

He still wanted her, of course. Elias wanted her more powerfully than he ever wanted another woman – but the reason why continued to perplex him:

Cat didn’t want to be seduced. She took pains to avoid it. Perhaps Elias had been spoiled by years of women flocking to him like excited pigeons, but this was something completely different. She was…maddening. Like no one else in recent memory, she told him things bluntly, and shot straight from the hip with a direct innocence that he would have found impudent if it wasn’t so goddamned alluring.

She hadn’t even been to school for architecture, for Christ sake. Which meant that everything she had learned she taught herself – proving that she was far from unintelligent.

Yes, he wanted Cat. But with each passing day, the itch grew into something a bit stranger for him. It wasn’t just her body he wanted – it was her flippant, teasing mouth and the way she stared at architectural plans as if she could lose herself in them. Her innocent wonder and rapt attention as he showed her a city he thought had lost all its luster.

Somehow, inexplicably, Catherine was helping him to rediscover it.

God, he was a fool. He’d wanted her blindly from the first moment he’d seen her without truly considering how much time they might spend together – how much time he would want to spend with her.

Running a hand over his face to skim off moisture, Elias watched the droplets swirl down the drain near his feet.

What was she doing now, his little quandary? It had to be close to nine o’clock in the evening, so she was probably bundled into bed like a good little girl. Did she, he wondered, as lower parts of him stirred in interest, sleep in a pair of ratty sweats or with nothing on at all? The notion of her soft, pale skin sliding against the Savoy’s rich Egyptian cotton sheets was enough to urge his wavering erection into a full one and he cursed lowly.

Though their kiss had been the previous day, he could still taste her on his lips. Sweet as honey, hot as fire...he’d wanted nothing more than to do something completely reproachable on the platform of the Eye. Something he’d regret and that would launch him into British tabloid headlines for years to come.

But she’d stopped him. With something or the other about work and pleasure.

The memory made Elias frown. For him, work was pleasure and vice versa. He lived for his work – breathed it with every iota of his being.

And in designing his newest residence, Cat had become a part of that. If she couldn’t see that he meant to make her his in short order, she would soon enough.

His patience was running thin.

The next time he kissed her, he would continue until she was a writhing, wanton mess of nerves beneath against him – until she was begging him to sate her.

The thought gave him such profound satisfaction that he almost touched himself. Then, he decided better of it. He would go to bed hot, hard, and wanting – as punishment for his inability to purge Cat’s lithe, buxom form from his thoughts.

Turning off the water, Elias stepped from the shower. He didn’t bother with a towel, merely dripping across the bathroom floor as he headed for the sink to brush his teeth.

He had only just finished when there came a firm knock on his door.

The blue-eyed man scowled in displeasure. He’d specifically told the hotel staff not to bother him after eight – if they had concerns, they could bloody well wait until morning.

When the knock came again, however, Elias resolved to answer it. Grudgingly, he grabbed a minute towel from the bar next to the sink, slinging it low about his hips before he padded, barefoot, to the door. His mouth still turned downward, he undid the bolt before yanking the door open –

And freezing in place.

Catherine stood on his doorstep, clad in a pair of shorts so tiny they might not have existed at all and an oversized t-shirt. She was clearly ready for bed – her hair mussed and face scrubbed clean – but at the sight of his bare chest at eye level, her almond eyes widened.

They burned.

And Elias knew that the time had come.