The next morning, I wake with Rose’s pert ass pressing against my hard cock. It would be so easy to shift and bury myself deep in her cunt, but I hold back. We haven’t discussed what happened last night, let alone losing the condoms. I roll on my back and think about work, trying hard to kill the need.

“Morning,” Rose says with a yawn. She smiles up at me with sleepy eyes. Not a shred of doubt or regret.

Warmth spreads through my chest, and I fight back the urge to fist pump in the air. I knew I was right about her. Instead, I lean down and kiss her. This connection is what has been missing from my life all this time. It pisses me off that Asher didn’t stay because deep down I know, he needs this just as much as I do.

“Good morning to you,” I say, caressing her cheek. It was obvious that Rose was hurt that Asher left in such a hurry last night, even though she tried to hide it. I’ll deal with him later. Right now I want to bask in this moment.  “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Good,” she says and lets her eye travel down to where my dick is tenting the blanket. “I can help with that. Last night we didn’t… you and I.”  She bites her bottom lip and looks back up at me. “That is if it’s okay without Asher. We didn’t really talk about that last night.”

“We’re playing by your rules. And we’re still in the bedroom,” I say and toss the covers back. “As for Asher, it’s his loss for not staying.”

Her smile brightens, and she grabs a condom from the table. She pushes me back on the bed and straddles my hips. I lay back, allowing her the control this morning. She rocks her hips, seating my cock slowly, almost painfully so. I have to fight the urge to thrust up and impale her. I fist the sheet, determined to let her set the pace.

And when she starts moving, I’m glad I was patient. She’s like some ancient sex goddess.

With her head tossed back and her brown hair spills down her shoulders, Rose gets lost in a slow, steady tempo. After a few moments, her body is slick with sweat. Her breasts sway with the motion as she grinds her hips, finding her own pleasure.

It’s fucking amazing to watch.

I’ve never wanted a woman like I want her. Rose is more that even I expected. I understand Asher’s apprehension, but I’m done pretending. She’s ours.

Rose leans forward and grips my shoulder, picking up the pace. I grip her hips helping her move, so her clit grinds against my pelvis.

“Oh, yes. That feels good.” She moans and grinds harder. Her breath is coming hard, and her eyes drift close. Her legs are shaking and I know she’s close.

“Let go, baby. Come for me.” I tighten my grip on her hips and keep the rhythm.

She tenses and locks her gaze with mine as I continue to pound into her. “Yes, Leo.”

My own climax hits me, and I pull her down hard on my cock as I come. It’s enough to push her over, and I feel her muscles pulse around me, prolonging my own release. We both collapse into a heap of tangled arms and legs, panting hard.

After she catches her breath, Rose kisses me softly. “Thank you. What a nice way to wake up.”

I couldn’t agree more. I’m pretty sure I’m already in love with her, and that changes everything. She’s opened up something inside me that I didn’t know existed and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure this lasts.

* * *

As promised, we keep the sex to the bedroom. We work hard and keep things professional, but once we get home, all bets are off. After a few nights of amazing sex, I realize that keeping things to the bedroom was a lot harder than any of us expected. I want to touch her all the fucking time, and the feeling is universal. Soon the rule is amended to include anywhere in the penthouse.

But the merger still dominates most of our day. Most of our time is spent in the office, and for the first time I can remember, I hate the idea of working so many hours. It has everything to do with this woman. I want so much more with her.

She has boundaries. I get it. But that doesn’t mean I can’t test them.

Asher and I have a black tie affair at the end of the month. We’re getting a stupid award for donating a shit-ton of money to a local foster care program. I want Rose to be there with us. We’ve never gone out on a date or even had a meal at a restaurant. This event is a great opportunity to remedy that.

On the ride home from work on Friday, I bring it up.

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “We agreed.”

“We agreed on a lot of things, but our relationship has evolved. It was your idea to take things out of the bedroom.”

“I meant the sex. This is like dating.”

“This isn’t like a date,” I argue. “There’ll be food, dancing, drinks. You’ll have fun.”

“Oh, it’s that simple. I’m just supposed to come?” She looks back and forth between the two of us. “With both of you?”

“You do all the time,” Asher says and runs his hand up her leg.

“I’m being serious. How would it look? People would make assumptions.” She turns to Asher. “Back me up on this.”

“You live with us, Bambi. I’m pretty sure people are already making assumptions.”

“See. There’s no reason for you not to go.”

“Men. They never listen. I must be stupid to get involved with two of them.” Rose tosses her hands up in the air and growls her frustrations. “What if I told you, I don’t want to go?” Rose says crossing her arms. “I’m not a party girl.”

“It’s not that kind of party.” I tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear and kiss her jaw. “I want you there,” I whisper against her ear.

To my surprise, she picks up my hand and kisses the knuckles. “That’s sweet, but I don’t have anything to wear.”

“I can take care of that.” I smile in triumph and send a text to my personal shopper. He’ll have a selection of dresses to her by dinner.

The car comes to a stop outside our building. Asher chuckles and opens the door, shaking his head. “You walked right into that one, Bambi.”

Rose rolls her eyes but accepts his hand as she gets out of the car. Once standing, she grabs Asher’s jaw and plants a quick kiss on his lips. “Don’t call me Bambi.”

He laughs and slides a hand to the small of her back. “You love it when I call you Bambi.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a flash of light. Asher must have seen it too because he turns, pushing Rose behind him.

“What is it?” she asks.

I spot a guy in a trench coat across the street snapping pitchers. “Fucking, paparazzi.”

“Let’s get inside,” Asher says to Rose who’s straining to see around him. “I’ll send out security.”

“I don’t understand,” Rose says, confused. “Why are there paparazzi taking pictures of us?”

“It must be a slow news week, and the gossip columns love to speculate about Asher’s love life.”

“My dad’s up for re-election next year,” Asher says after coming back from security. “It’s always worse during an election cycle. They’re going to increase patrols, but if it gets bad, I’ll hire some additional security.”

Not one to let an opportunity go, I put my arm around Rose. “Looks like you’re going to be in the paper. Now there is really no reason for you not to go.”

She sighs, and I plant a kiss on her temple. At least Rose is starting to relax into the idea of a relationship. Now, I just need to get Asher more invested.