He looked at her, his hand still out as he waited for her answer. He was holding his breath, terrified what she would say. She’d run away from him once; would she do it again now? Dane didn’t know why it was so important that she say yes, but it was.

Maybe it was because he wanted her to get over her guilt. Last night in the hospital, she’d looked so stricken. So haunted by what had happened to Holly. He had wanted to reason with her. To soothe her fears. But she hadn’t given him a chance to do that. She just handed him back the engagement ring and left him standing there.

He wanted to ask again, push her to answer and say yes, but it was a decision she had to make on her own.

Ordinarily, he would’ve been confused by the breakup. Women didn’t dump him. It probably sounded cocky, but it just didn’t happen. But he hadn’t felt confused. If he was being honest with himself, part of him had expected her to end things. There had been so much pressure on them, especially her. And, arrogant fool that he was, he had been too stubborn to talk about their future together like she wanted until it was too late.

But knowing all that didn’t make him feel any better. Ever since she had broken up with him he had been consumed by a strange, numb sort of ache. Like his heart had just…stopped. Then the world had stopped spinning. The sun hadn’t risen. He noticed nothing. Felt nothing. Except the slow creep of inevitable pain.

It didn’t help that his parents had sat in cold silence after Allyson unceremoniously broke off the engagement in the hospital waiting room. After all his mother’s meddling, she’d reacted to the news with almost no emotion. His father had been stone-faced, too. He’d expected something from his father, more than his mother, but still, neither of them had said or done anything.

It was up to him.

Dane hadn’t slept at all last night. Hadn’t eaten. He’d forced himself to drink half a dozen energy drinks as a substitute for what he really wanted. Alcohol. If he hadn’t promised Allyson’s family that he would go after her, he’d probably be drowning his sorrows somewhere. After he got her settled at his villa, he’d fly back to New York and drink until he blacked out. Then he’d have no choice but to pull himself together, and face the rest of his life without the woman that he loved.

“Please?” he whispered, unable to stop himself.

She rose to her feet and slipped her hand into his. Her touch sent a jolt through him. Chased away the numbness that had started to take over his body last night in the hospital. He knew that whatever her presence awakened tonight would only die in the clear light of day. He wasn’t here to get back together with her. All this was about making sure she was okay. That she was safe. Nothing more.

“I’ll go to your villa.” She breathed shakily. “But I don’t want to overstay.”

The truth was, she never could overstay. Forever really wasn’t enough time to be with her. But there was no use in saying it now. She’d made her feelings clear. Being with him caused her pain. He wasn’t the kind of man who tried to convince a woman of anything.

“You can stay as long as you like. You know that.” Damn, he wanted to hold her. To wrap his arms around her and never let go. “It’s yours. However long you need it.”

“I’ll be heading back to New York in a week.”

“You can come back to the villa whenever you want,” he whispered. “Whenever you need to.”

She gazed at him, a surprised expression on her lovely face. “Why are doing this? Why are you being so kind to me after I hurt you?”

“Because I’m happy when you’re happy.” As happy as a brokenhearted man can feel, anyway. He squeezed her hand gently without thinking. Did it reflexively, as if her hand was meant to be in his.

She stared down at where their fingers were joined and quickly pulled her hand back like she had just touched a hot stove. It just about crushed him, but he didn’t react. Didn’t let her see how much she still affected him.

Her mouth set into a firm line and she squared her shoulders. “I’ll go get my things.”

 

*  *  *

 

The flight out of Nassau was only about half an hour, and the drive to his villa flew by. They didn’t speak much which, for Dane, was probably for the best. No sense in rehashing what they’d lost. There wasn’t going to be any closure.

He helped her out of the car while the chauffer took her luggage inside. It was nighttime, but the entire seaside property was illuminated under cheerful lights. He led her to the villa’s entrance and escorted her inside to the foyer.

“It’s huge,” she said with a gasp. Beyond the foyer was the enormous living room on one side, and the dining room on the other. The entire bottom floor of the villa was mostly open-concept to allow the sea breeze to cool the place down on sweltering summer nights like this one.

“The chef and the housekeeper should be here tomorrow, but I can take you on a quick tour of the property.”

She nodded, and he led her through the villa. The place was equipped with everything they could ever need. A game room, a gourmet kitchen, private terraces, a laundry room, and five bedrooms.

Then he guided her outside to show her the infinity pool that ran from one end of the back patio to the other. On the far side of the patio was an open bar and a dining area, with a hot tub on the other side. The sound of crashing waves filled the air.

He pointed to the row of swaying palm trees several feet beyond the pool. “The ocean’s down there if you want to take a swim tomorrow. And there’s a golf course that’s less than five minutes away from here if you want to go golfing.”

“I don’t get it,” she said. “You can’t possibly come to this place more than once a year. Why spend so much money on the upkeep?”

As she stood in the soft glow of the orange light bulbs, he couldn’t help but remember how practical she always was. How sensible and unpretentious she seemed in the high-class world he had almost dragged her into.

There was a curious expression on her beautiful heart-shaped face, as if she was genuinely interested in understanding why he was the way he was.

“We rent it out sometimes.” He shrugged, trying to brush it off. “Plus, I’ve sent Prescott employees here as a reward. I remember trying to reward you with a trip to Mexico once or twice.”

She waved her hand. “There was never time for things like that.”

“Well, I had planned on selling the place before…” Before he had fallen in love with her. He’d almost sold the place, and then he and Allyson started dating. He’d kept the place because he planned on bringing her here. Planned on taking her all over the world once they had gotten married and settled down.

Now she was here.

But it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

A sudden, desperate urge to fight for her took hold. Damn the rules. Damn what was right. He wanted her more fiercely than he had wanted anything in his life.

Sucking in a deep breath, he reminded himself that he’d gotten into this hell partially because he hadn’t listened to what she wanted. He’d dismissed her concerns about money, children, and where they’d live because he had thought his meddling mother had gotten to her. Trying to convince her to come back might backfire. Besides, she was going through something. Her sister-in-law’s fall had clearly rattled her. Allyson needed to heal. And she couldn’t do that if he suddenly tried to convince her to give him another chance.

“You’ve wanted to bring me here for some time, haven’t you?” Her eyes were glistening.

“Does it matter now?” he asked, unable to hide the bitter edge in his tone.

“Of course, it matters,” she said. “If I had known that, I’d never have agreed to come to a place that brought you pain.”

“Is that why you quit your job? Because being with a Prescott causes you pain?” He gazed at her, waiting to see how she’d react. Prescott Global without Allyson was almost impossible to imagine. Plus, it wasn’t right for her to give up her job because of a relationship, no matter how cut up he was about it. He had to make sure that she was certain.

She groaned but didn’t answer. Wordlessly, she kicked off her shoes, headed over to the pool and sat at the edge, her legs dangling over the side into the placid water. She gasped loudly. “It’s cold.”

Dane knew an avoidance tactic when he saw it. He’d be heading back to New York tonight, and though he knew he wasn’t going to be getting any closure he could at least make sure Allyson was thinking clearly.

He kicked off his own shoes, tossed aside his jacket and tie, rolled up his pants, and sat beside Allyson. He lowered his legs into the water, but made sure he didn’t brush up against her. Sitting beside her was already too much. Already he could sense the warmth of her body. The feminine scent of her perfume filled the air, overwhelmed his senses.

“It’s not that cold,” he said.

“Are you serious?” She looked at him as if trying to see if he was lying, and also relieved to see the focus of conversation wasn’t on them. “Dane, the water is freezing.”

A voice in his head told him to ignore her words and not offer any comfort. But his love for her obliterated whatever common sense he had left. Without hesitating, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gently rubbed some warmth into her arm. Her skin was soft and velvety smooth. She leaned against him and let out a satisfied sigh. With her body pressed against him, he ached to touch the rest of her.

He remembered the last time he had held her while they were under the stars. Last night. When he declared his love for her. His confession on the balcony of his New York apartment felt like a hundred years ago. So much had changed. On the balcony, he thought they were going to be spending the rest of their lives together. Now, a day later, that hope that been shredded.

“Better?” he asked quietly.

“Much better,” she said softly.

His heart started hammering in his chest. Her nearness was so exhilarating. So wrong. Later tonight he would regret touching her like this. He’d be alone on his private jet, drinking himself into a stupor because he just couldn’t help himself, fool that he was. “Why are you quitting?”

“It’s better this way,” she said. “We won’t have to see each other all the time.”

“You mean we won’t have to see each other ever.” The numbness all but disappeared at the realization that he might never see her again after tonight. Pain, raw and hideous, clawed into him. It felt like his heart had been jammed into a blender.

“I doubt we’ll be friends, if that’s what you’re asking,” she said. “Seeing each other is too painful.”

“I’m not the acting CEO right now,” he pointed out, trying to steer the conversation to something less painful than their relationship. “You could at least stay at Prescott for the next few months. Maybe even move to another department.”

“I can’t,” she said. “The whole place reminds me of you, Dane; the whole city reminds me of you.”

Her body was trembling. He didn’t know if it was from the cold or something else. No matter how soul- crushing the breakup was for him, he knew that it was probably the same for her, too. Allyson hadn’t ended things between them for superficial reasons. Her sister-in-law had almost lost her child. That was enough to make anyone a wreck.

Despite the voice inside his head, he held her tighter. “So, have you formally quit already?”

“Well, there was supposed to be a huge meeting with some executives from Argentina today and I didn’t show up to work,” she replied. “I also haven’t answered my phone all day. I’m pretty sure Nicholas Handel hates me right now.”

“How unfortunate,” he said, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

She pulled away to look at him. Her eyes were narrowed, but the corners of her luscious mouth were twitching in amusement. “You really don’t like him.”

“I don’t like the way he looks at you,” he growled. Talking about another man’s interest in Allyson was making his blood boil.

“Yes, well, he’ll probably have me fired long before I get the chance to formally quit.” She sighed.

“I doubt it,” he said. “Nicholas has taken a liking to you, after all. Besides, only the board can fire you.”

“What do you think the board will do when they find out that I ditched work to lounge by a pool in the Bahamas?”

He looked down, saw their reflection in the swimming pool. Saw them sitting side by side. “I just can’t imagine the place without you.”

Seeing her at work would be too agonizing to contemplate. But if Allyson left, he sensed that it would close the door on them for good. If she left, all hope of them being together would vanish.

“I’ll miss you,” she whispered. “I’ll miss us.”

She leaned against him again, the warmth of her body suddenly distracting him. “You’re shaking,” he said. “Are you still cold?”

“Yes,” she replied. “But… this is nice.”

“I’d suggest the hot tub, but that might be inappropriate,” he said, joking. “On that note, I think it’s time for me to go.”

Allyson pulled away again and gazed at him. “Thank you for coming. Thank you for caring enough about me to come here even though it hurts.”

He stared at her. Drank her in. Committed every line, slope, and angle of her beautiful face to memory. Her green eyes were glittering like emeralds. Those full, kissable lips of hers parted slightly. The thought of never kissing her again filled him with a fierce desperation. The hunger to fight for her took hold again.

His mouth took hers in a bruising, torrid kiss. He hadn’t thought about kissing her. His body had just responded to hers. Had taken possession of what should have been his. Allyson clung to his shirt and arched her back, giving him better access to her perfect mouth. Suddenly, his hand was wandering up her smooth, supple thigh until he reached up under her dress. A low moan sounded in the back of her throat. As he crushed her lips beneath his, her tongue joined his. The sweet taste of her heated his blood, made him hard and desperate to be inside her.

As suddenly as the kiss started, it ended. She drew away from him, her hands still clutching the fabric of his shirt.

“You don’t have to leave now,” she said breathlessly. “I want you… to stay the night.”