Heat. Searing kisses. The melding of bodies and the twining of limbs… Felicity moaned and shifted in bed. A sharp ache grew inside her, filling her with desperation.

“Jared!” Her own gasp woke her up.

She jerked and blinked several times as she realized where she was. In Jared’s bed. Again. Only this time she was alone. Was he on the couch where he said he’d be? For some reason, she hoped he hadn’t kept his promise. Being in bed with him, surrounded by his warmth and strength, was better than feeling alone in bed. Chivalry be damned. After what had happened between them last night, he should have stayed here with her.

The mere memory of last night had her blushing and burying her face in her hands with a little sigh. She’d come apart in his arms. But he hadn’t—they’d still been fully clothed. Mortification churned her stomach and made her hands shake. This was just what she needed, to show an older guy how much of a virgin she was, that she couldn’t even wait before they…

With a little shake of her head, she sat up and took stock of her situation. The sounds of water running, splashes against marble, caught her attention. The bathroom door was open a crack, allowing a beam of light to cut a thin blade’s edge of illumination across the room. Jared must be in the shower, she realized. Felicity glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

7:45 a.m. Sunday.

“Shit!” She threw back the covers and dove off the bed, scrambling to find her clothes. She needed to be at Sabine’s art gallery in fifteen minutes to start work.

As soon as she found her clothes, she frantically stripped and redressed. The shower still ran, so she took a moment to steal a blank piece of paper from Jared’s desk and write a quick note. Then she grabbed her purse and exited the bedroom. Tanner was in the living room, sprawled on the couch, fully dressed and showered. There was no sign of Layla. Tanner lifted a cup of coffee to his lips as he studied the screen of his laptop. National news was on the TV. The sound was muted, but Tanner was more distracted by his computer as Felicity passed by him.

“Where are you off to?” he asked, a little twist of his lips hinting at the smile he held back.

“Work. I completely forgot! I’m running late.” She retrieved her coat and started toward the door.

“Does Jared know you’re leaving?” Tanner’s eyes flicked to the hallway in the direction of his brother’s room.

“He’s in the shower. I left a note,” she called over her shoulder before she closed the door behind her.

A wave of melancholy hit her instantly, crashing through her and ravaging her like the sea against a craggy cliff face.

It was all a dream. A lovely one. But it’s over now.

Jared would go back to his life and she to hers. Even though she knew it was the truth, it still stung like salt in a fresh wound. Her eyes burned, and she clenched her fists. It wasn’t meant to be.

She focused instead on work. Sabine’s art gallery was a high-end art dealer that also offered clients an avenue for interior design options on a large scale or a small scale. As a part-time job, it was ideal for Felicity. The gallery itself was located just off Michigan Avenue, close to the expensive clothing and retail stores.

Her cab stopped in front of the Burberry store when she got out. The massive glass windows of the designer store were full of oversized photos of beautiful, elegant women and handsome men sporting the latest fashions. Clothes she could only dream about wearing since the price tags were well out of her scholarship student budget. One mannequin in the store window wore a navy-blue suit, and suddenly she was seeing Jared. His dark hair, long enough to thread her fingers through. Soft, warm eyes that hypnotized rather than pierced.

Felicity gave herself a little shake and quickly trotted past the store and down the side street. A sleek black-and-white sign read, “Sabine’s.” Across the street, tourists were already lining up to wait for Garrett’s, the famous popcorn store, to open up. By mid-afternoon, Sabine’s would receive a fair amount of customers toting popcorn tins as they perused the art and furniture at the gallery. Excellent business, as Sabine often said.

Sabine’s gallery was a mixture of modern antiques and furniture, with pieces of unique art for sale. The prices were surprisingly affordable for a majority of the items in the store. When Felicity was left alone to run the gallery while Sabine was meeting with clients on site for a design job, Felicity secretly imagined it as a miniature museum.

“You are late,” a feminine voice teased.

Felicity blinked and realized her boss, Sabine, was leaning against the doorjamb of her office, watching her, a little smile hovering about her lips.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized hastily.

Sabine shook her head, her long black hair and fringe of bangs rippling sleekly. “You’re fine, Felicity. I’m only teasing.” Her eyes, like polished turquoise, shimmered. “Come on, we’ve got loads of work to do.”

Unable to resist, Felicity grinned back at her boss. The woman always had something fun and exciting to do, which made this job refreshing, and a nice change of pace from school. Sabine was a thirty-five-year-old, self-made businesswoman who had museum and gallery contacts in every major city in the United States. Working with wealthy clients, she often was able to arrange that pieces were donated to museums upon the deaths of the owners, which naturally made Sabine a favorite with curators.

With beautiful caramel-colored skin, long rich black hair, and those blue-green eyes, she was gorgeous. Her clothes were an added bonus. With a black pencil skirt, leopard-print pumps, and a white blouse, she gave off a sense of natural flair.

Felicity hoped one day she’d be able to wear something sexy, yet elegant like that with confidence. Something a man like Jared would find attractive. Suddenly self-conscious, she glanced down at her jeans and sweater, wincing. Oh well, it wasn’t like she had time to change, and they didn’t have any client appointments today.

Hanging her purse on the hat rack by the door, she followed Sabine into the conference room and then froze. Two good-looking men, one young and one middle-aged, were seated next to each other at the small conference table. Massive design booklets with patterns and photos of furniture selections were spread out around them.

“Felicity, I’d like you to meet Mr. Tim Worthington and his son, Mr. Thad Worthington.”

Felicity’s mind blanked, and then in the next instant flashes of the day before exploded through her. Thad! Jared’s friend. What was he doing here? Thad was tall and fair-haired with hazel-green eyes that rooted her to the spot with their piercing intensity. He was too intense, like Jared.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Thad murmured, and his father stood and held out a hand, which Felicity shook, still in a daze. What were the odds that Jared’s best friend would be here at Sabine’s?

“Felicity,” Sabine whispered in her ear and nudged her in the back.

“So nice to meet you both. Would anyone like coffee?” she asked.

The older Worthington politely answered, “Black, please.”

She backed out of the room and headed for the small kitchen down the hall. If she could just have a few minutes to compose herself… She’d expected to have a day to bury herself in work and not think about Jared, but it was impossible now that Jared’s friend would be right in front of her for the next few hours.

Her shaking hands rattled the coffeepot as she tried to put it on the hot plate, and she cursed under her breath.

“Everything okay?” A deep voice made her jump and nearly drop the pot.

Thad rested one shoulder against the doorjamb of the kitchen, his arms crossed. He wore a crisp black suit and a thin silver-and-blue striped tie. His brown hair was a little shorter than Jared’s and artfully styled to look like he’d just crawled out of a woman’s bed.

“I’m sorry, I left before I asked if you wanted anything. Do you?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t shake. She didn’t know how to act around one of Jared’s best friends. He had no idea who she was, and she’d spent a good part of yesterday learning about him. He was good-looking, in that frightening sort of way that scared someone like her out of her wits. A man could be a little too handsome, she decided. Jared, though…he was different, too good-looking but never frightening, only enticing, irresistible—warm and safe yet sexy as hell. Her heart clenched as she had to face the fact that she’d ended whatever she and Jared might have had.

“The name’s Thad. You’re Felicity, right?”

She nodded, shaking his hand. The grip was firm, perhaps a little tight. He was powerful but tense, whereas when Jared held her hand, it was powerful but relaxed.

“I’m Felicity Hart.” Jared’s name was on the tip of her tongue as she longed to mention that she knew him, if only to justify a reason to talk about him to someone. But she didn’t say his name. He might not want her talking to his friends. Maybe he wouldn’t care, but she had no way of knowing for sure. She’d only spent one day and two nights with the guy. It wasn’t the same as really knowing him.

She waited for the coffee to begin brewing, and Thad lingered by her, his blue eyes studying her from head to toe.

“So you and your father are hiring Sabine? What sort of project is it for?”

“We’re going to be buying an old hotel from the 1920s, and it badly needs an overhaul and a revamped interior design scheme.”

Distracted by that, she gasped. “That would be a huge project!” Sabine would make a huge profit, and Felicity would hopefully be a part of it.

Thad’s lips quirked. “It’s going to be. Do you work for Sabine full-time?”

“Uh, no. Just part-time. I’m a working on my master’s at the University of Chicago.”

“Are you now?” Thad’s gaze sharpened. “What’s your line of study?”

“Art history.”

“And you’ve gotten a job here? That’s serious. Most art history majors I knew when I was in college were using it as a blow-off major. But I’m betting you’re serious about this art business.” He winked at her. “Good for you. And what do you plan to do when you graduate?”

The coffee machine beeped, indicating it was done. She reached past Thad to fetch an empty white ceramic cup. He didn’t move back even an inch, and she had to brush against him.

“Well?” he asked, voice softer than before.

She drew back, trying to put distance between them. “Hopefully I’ll be a museum curator.”

“Ah, that’s why you’re working with Sabine. She’s got the best connections in the country to the major museums, especially the Art Institute here in Chicago.” The gleam of triumph in his eyes told her he was a man who thrived on unraveling puzzles, especially puzzles that were also people. Felicity knew she’d have to be careful around him.

“Um, yeah. Sabine’s great to work for, and it’s nice to know she’s connected.”

She picked up Thad’s father’s coffee, and Thad trailed behind her as they returned to the conference room. Sabine and Mr. Worthington were discussing the art deco style of the twenties and how they planned to integrate updated Roaring Twenties styles into the old hotel. They didn’t even seem to notice she had returned.

“They’ll be at that for hours.” Thad chuckled from behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder and met his gaze. He nodded his head in the direction of his father and her boss. “You should join them. I’ve got to make a quick call.” He touched her lower back, gently pushing her so she would go inside the room. Before she could say anything else, he was already turning away, his cell phone to his ear as he stepped outside.

She watched him through the shop windows pacing outside the shop. He moved like Jared, a slow panther-like grace that entranced and warned her.

“Felicity, what do you think of the color schemes Mr. Worthington and I have been discussing?” Sabine drew her attention to the task, and she quickly lost herself in the project. She likely wouldn’t see Jared again, and the pain her chest was sharp, but she had to ignore it. What other choice did she have?

* * *

Jared felt like singing. He wanted to belt out songs in the shower, but he wisely resisted the urge. Felicity was still asleep in his bed, and it might wake her up. He didn’t want that. The pleasure of waking her up was something he wanted to do himself. As he got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, he whistled softly.

It was an irresistible temptation to go to his bed, climb in, and curl his body around hers. The passion simmering inside him demanded action, preferably through breathless kisses and slow, teasing caresses. Last night with her had been mind-blowing. Jared had had sex before, lots of sex, with a fair amount of women, but nothing compared to what he’d done with Felicity last night. He hadn’t even gotten off, and it hadn’t mattered. Only her pleasure had.

He’d held her for an hour on the couch, making sure she was deeply asleep when he finally lifted her in his arms and carried her to his bed. The promise to stay on the couch had seemed irrelevant by then, and he’d just gotten in bed beside her, pulling her back into his arms. Her body was fast becoming an addiction, a craving he didn’t understand, only knew he wanted and had to have.

Opening his bathroom door with a wicked grin, he said, “Good morning—” His words died on his lips as he took in the sight of the empty bed, the empty room.

“Felicity?” Why he said her name he didn’t know. She wasn’t there.

A small slip of paper lay on top of his pillow. The sight of it made his muscles tense. He crossed the room and snatched it up. A scrawling, delicate hand filled the paper.

Jared,

Thank you for the wonderful day yesterday. It meant so much to me.

—Felicity

For a long second he didn’t move. His breathing became harsh through his nose and mouth as his heart beat rapidly. Her words felt like a goodbye, but why? She wanted to walk away from what they’d shared. Logically he knew it was for the best, but damn it, he wasn’t ready to let go of her. It was too late, though. She’d walked away, and he hadn’t been there to stop her. Rage and pain exploded inside him, so powerful and shocking, but he swallowed it down and crumpled the note in his fist. She was just a kid, someone he’d met only twenty-four hours ago. Her being gone shouldn’t mean anything to him, didn’t mean anything to him.

What was the phrase? Ships passing in the night? He had to view it that way—there wasn’t any other option.

Still… He tossed the note in the trash bin by his desk and glared at it for a long second before he bent, retrieved the crumpled paper, and smoothed it flat again. With a heavy sigh, he tucked the paper in the top drawer of his dresser. It was then he noticed the carefully folded shirt and boxers. The ones she’d worn. He picked them up and grimaced. They still held a lingering sweet vanilla scent. Hers. How could he come to miss that scent, to feel the loss of its owner so deeply in so short a time? Felicity had turned him sentimental.

He dressed hastily, not that he had any reason to. There was nowhere to go, nothing to do. No art exhibits to view with her. He had to stop thinking about Felicity or he’d go crazy.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out. Thad’s name flashed across the screen.

“Yeah?”

“You busy today?” Thad sounded amused, and for some reason that pissed Jared off.

“Maybe I am,” he snapped, then regretted it. “Why?”

“I’m meeting with the interior designer for the new hotel we’re buying. I want you to look over the contracts before we sign them. It’d only take a couple of hours,” Thad said.

A couple of hours. Not like he was going to do anything today anyway. He might as well work. Especially since this deal could make his career. Thad’s father had promised Jared that if the hotel deal went well, they’d start using Pimms & Associates for their legal work. Jared would be a partner by Christmas. Six years of hard work would finally pay off.

“Fine, but I’m charging double my hourly fee.” He knew Thad would pay without question. His friend was exploding with money and never had an issue paying extra for weekend work.

Thad chuckled. “I’m happy to pay that. Besides, it’s worth it. There is the hottest girl at this little gallery. She’s…interesting. I’m planning on taking her out tonight. You ought to see her. It might inspire you to get back into the game.”

Jared scoffed. “Game? You don’t play, Thad. You sleep with women for a night and move on. That’s not even a game.” He slid his jacket on and headed for the door.

“I might make an exception. This girl is…well, you’ll see when you get here. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone after a sweet, innocent little thing. I bet she’s a firecracker in bed.” Thad was laughing. “I need a good challenge. This will be it.”

With a shake of his head, Jared rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “Whoever she is, leave her alone. Find more willing prey.”

“Not on your life.” Thad hung up.

Great. Now he had to go and intervene before Thad broke some innocent girl’s heart. With a low growl he stalked out into the main room and looked about for Tanner, but his brother was nowhere to be seen. Either he had a class or he’d gotten back into bed with Layla.

Half an hour later he was in front of the address Thad had texted him. A chic looking little gallery faced him. He opened the glass door and followed the sound of voices. Thad, his father, and a beautiful olive-skinned woman were seated around a conference table poring over sketches and design books. Thad glanced up, saw him, and winked.

What the—

Someone bumped into him from behind, and he stumbled forward.

“Oh, sorry!” A feminine gasp came from somewhere in the hallway just a foot behind him.

“It’s fine.” He spun and caught the woman from behind him, and his heart stopped.

Felicity. She’s here. In my arms. The sheer rush of joy and excitement short-circuited his brain for a full five seconds.

Startled gray eyes met his, and her lips, those luscious lips he’d loved tasting last night, parted in surprise in a little O shape. His fingers curled around her upper arms, and in that moment all he could think was how much he wanted to kiss her.

“Ahem.” Thad’s cough broke through the haze of his desire, and just like that, he remembered the empty bed, the note she’d left. An invisible layer of ice washed over him, and he dropped his hands from her body and stepped back.

“Ah, Jared, you’ve met Felicity. She’s Sabine’s young protégé.” Thad joined him by the door and turned his attention to the olive-skinned woman poring over the books. “This is Sabine.”

Sabine raised stunning turquoise eyes to meet his. Beautiful, of course, but they lacked the heat and passion that a certain pair of silvery eyes had. Sabine’s lips twitched, and she nodded in silent greeting before returning to her work and speaking to Mr. Worthington. He turned back to Thad and Felicity, seeking her face instantly.

Felicity continued to stare at him with a deer-in-the-headlights look that made him feel strangely satisfied. What was the right thing to do? Pretend they’d never met? No, he couldn’t do that.

“We…uh, have met. She’s a friend of Tanner’s,” Jared finally said.

“You have?” Thad somehow worked his way between them, one shoulder blocking her from Jared’s direct view. The possessive and somewhat protective move made him want to growl.

“Yeah, at one of Tanner’s parties,” Jared added. It took all of his power to focus on his friend. “You mentioned contracts? I’m ready to review whatever you have.”

“Good.” Thad pointed to the table and glanced over at Felicity, who was still gaping at Jared.

It was a wicked thought, but he was glad she was still stunned. After her disappearing act, he was happy she was the one off balance and not him. Clenching his jaw, he slid into a seat at the table next to Mr. Worthington, and after a quick greeting to the older man, he took the contract paperwork and glared at the first page.

He didn’t read a single word.