When she finally knocked on the door of Suite 405, Bria was ready to shove the sandwich she was holding tightly in her hand right down Ashton’s throat.

It had taken her three tries to find a shop that even had foie gras because apparently it was goose liver from force fed geese and the whole process was controversial and even banned in some places. She had to Google what the hell it even was and when she did, god, those images were never going to leave her brain.

Why the hell would he eat that?

The lock clicked and the door swung open. Ashton stood just inside the room, dressed in tan pants and a dark blue button down that was open enough to see the white t-shirt underneath. Of course his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows.

His hair was messy, like he’d been dragging his fingers through it. Or someone else had. The thought made her stomach twist.

“Here.” She thrust out the bag to distract herself from the direction her thoughts had decided to go. “Your disgusting sandwich with morally questionable ingredients just like you asked. And right on time.” She almost forgot to give him his coffee and shoved it at him so quickly that she almost spilled it on his arm.

He took it and stepped back, opened the door wider. “Come inside.”

She hesitated on the threshold of his room, but the view she could see out of the floor to ceiling windows drew her forward. The harbor had never looked so beautiful from this high up.

“Wow.” It escaped before she could rein it in and behind her Ashton chuckled.

“Pretty impressive isn’t it? I like to use this suite specifically for that view.”

Bria finally pulled her gaze from the window and turned around. Ashton set his container on the table and motioned for her to sit on the couch then he sat down next to her. Close enough that she could smell his cologne, so that her pulse could leap into her throat, but far enough so that they weren’t touching.

“Join me for lunch.” It wasn’t a question and she bristled at his tone.

“I’m not going to eat that…thing.” She waved her hand at the table and shuddered.

“I’ll order you something from room service. They can make whatever you desire.” The way his voice lowered sent a ripple of want through her body. What she desired was him, like he was last night, when she had been convinced there was something real between them.

Not the way he’d been ever since—cold, cruel, toying with her.

She couldn’t handle being alone in a hotel room with Ashton Carter right now. Not when simply sitting next to him made her crave his touch, even though she knew she shouldn’t.

“I brought you your pretentious lunch. I have things to do back at the office.” She got up and made as if to leave, but his voice forced her to turn and face him.

He’d stood up now as well.

“Are you frustrated by the work I’ve given you today?” His eyes bore into hers and as much as she wanted to look away, she couldn’t. There seemed to be more than just that question burning in his eyes. An unspoken challenge.

She knew what he wanted; a simple answer to let him know that he was in control. Anger burned in her gut. Finally, the dam broke, and she decided to answer his question honestly—not leaving anything out.

“Yes I’m frustrated,” she said. “I’m frustrated by your immature lack of communication. I’m frustrated that despite what happened last night, you treat me worse than some incompetent temp. I’m frustrated because for a moment I thought I saw something inside of you—something human and real and amazing—and now I know that I was just hallucinating. There’s nothing human about the way you treat people.”

Ashton’s eyes grew colder and colder as she spoke, and his jaw muscle twitched. “That’s enough.”

But she continued anyway, blood rushing to her head as she went on, knowing he was growing furious. “I’m frustrated Mr. Carter, because you’re using the fact that you’re my boss to control the one person that might actually have a little inkling of who and what you are.”

“Is that so?” he said softly, but his eyes were blazing now.

“Yes, it is so—and you know it. And I don’t really give a shit how many fancy sandwiches you make me fetch for you, Ashton—deep down, you’re still just a terrified little boy who can’t allow anyone to see that you might actually experience emotions and feelings just like the rest of us.”

There it was.

She’d finally said it—really said how she felt about him, about all of this.

Her chest rose and fell with each harsh breath. They stood staring at each other for several long moments. The reality of what she just said to her boss sank in and she tried to keep her knees from knocking together.

He narrowed his eyes and took a step closer to her. “A simple answer would have sufficed, Miss Long.” His jaw muscle twitched again. “I didn’t ask for a college essay about the matter.”

Bria glared right back at him. “With all due respect, fuck your simple answers.”

His eyes were so dark that they looked almost black. His jaw was tight. She watched as he sucked air in through his nose. “Stop talking,” he growled.

“Oh, so I suppose all that crap about total honesty was just a lie. You meant total honesty as long as it was what you wanted to hear.”

His body practically radiated with tension, but it was the look in his eyes that had her nipples tightening in hard buds. It gave her perverse pleasure to know that she affected him, even if it was just that she infuriated him.

The muscles in his neck tightened.

“What will you do if I don’t shut up? Fire me?” she taunted.

His dark gaze dropped to her lips. “No, I’ll stick something in your mouth to keep you quiet.”

Heat blazed through her body and pooled between her legs. Somehow, all of the anger she felt was mixed in with the desperate need she was feeling, the need and the ache that had been with her since yesterday.

“I bet you’d like to shut me up,” she said, meeting his gaze fully. “You’d like to pretend that I can’t really see you, that you don’t feel it too.”

A low growl rumbled from his chest. He stepped into her space and wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck, holding her firmly in his grip. “You are playing with fire, Bria.” His voice had gone low with a darkness that made her pussy clench with need.

“I’m not afraid of fire,” she whispered. Her limbs felt liquid.

He sucked in a harsh breath and his fingers tightened almost to the point of pain. But she loved it. Loved trying to break through the calm resistance she’d seen in his eyes since she walked into the room.

Bria had no experience with seduction at all, but trusted her body’s response to everything Ashton said and did. It made her feel reckless. She reached out and grazed her fingers over the crotch of his pants, felt the straining hardness she knew would be there. Bria ran the back of her fingers along the length of his cock. Even through his pants she could feel the hard ridges that lined it.

“Bria.” The warning was clear in his thick voice.

“See,” she murmured, “all you do is talk. You’re the one who’s afraid of the fire, Ashton—because I welcome it.”

An animal-like sound erupted from his throat and his eyes went wild. “On your knees.” He pressed down with a firm hand and she sank to her knees. “Hands behind your back. Clasp them together and don’t let go.”

She looked up at him and did what he asked. A surge of desire swept through his eyes as he looked down at her and he slid his hand free from her neck to cup her cheek. With his other hand he undid his belt, then popped the button and finally pulled his zipper down. The only thing between them now was a thin layer of black cotton.

A whimper escaped from her when he ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “These lips have been making me fucking crazy for weeks, thinking about how perfect they’d look wrapped around my cock.”

Another gush of heat flooded between her legs and she rocked her hips. The small bit of friction did nothing to ease the ache. Knowing he’d been thinking about her doing that was driving her crazy.

She darted her tongue out to run along the underside of his thumb and he groaned deep in his throat. “Fuck, Bria.” The way he said her name, half groan half exhale, spoke to the previously undiscovered sex goddess who wanted out now. Who wanted Ashton to do what he promised and so much more.

With a small turn, she wrapped her lips around his thumb and sucked it into her mouth, her gaze never flickering away from his. She stroked the underside with her tongue, the way she imagined doing to his cock. Not that she’d ever done that before but she must be doing something right because Ashton’s boxers were tented away from his body and his breath sounded above her in short gasps.

His thumb popped free and fingers were holding the back of her neck again as he slowly slid his hand under the waistband of his boxers.

Her breath hitched and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, her gaze now riveted to his crotch.

As crazy as it sounded, she’d never seen a penis up close.

That Ashton’s was the first only made her burn that much hotter. He pulled open his boxers and then she saw his fingers, wrapped around a thick, very hard cock. When he stroked down over the length, the head swelled only inches from her face.

“Oh my god.”

Ashton stared down at her, his dark gaze filled with lust.

“Open.” The one word command sent a new ripple of pleasure through her. She parted her lips and waited. She’d never done this before and had no idea what to expect. The urgency from a few minutes ago had settled into something else. Something slower but somehow hotter. He brought the head of his cock to her mouth, dragged it over her plump bottom lip, but didn’t shove it in like she expected.

It took her by surprise.

Not only that he was being somewhat gentle, but that his cock was so warm.

Something like a growl echoed from him and he pressed forward enough so that the head slid between her lips. Breath hissed from his mouth when she closed her lips around him instinctually.

The fingers gripping the back of her neck slid higher and tangled into her hair, holding her head still as he slid in deeper. Her hands were still clasped together behind her and she reveled in the way he took control. It made her entire body pulse with a kind of need she’d never experienced before.

With him guiding her, Bria didn’t worry that she was doing it wrong. Instead she savored every inch that was sliding in and out of her mouth.

Ran her tongue along every pulsing ridge.

“Just like that,” Ashton growled when she stroked her tongue along the underside of his cock as he slid out. “Fuck yes, that mouth is so perfect and sweet. I’ve been thinking about you doing just this, thinking about it so much that it’s driving me crazy.”

His fingers tightened painfully in her hair but even that sting felt right. He slowly moved in and out of her mouth, sliding deeper with each stroke. He was too big to get all the way in this first time and for a moment, she worried that might make it not good for him, but then he let out a low moan and grew thicker on her tongue.

“You feel too good,” he murmured. “Too fucking good.”

Bria had expected giving a blow job to be a submissive act, one that would give pleasure to the one receiving. She never expected to feel so...powerful. Every reaction from Ashton made her own desire build until she was wetter than she had ever been in her life. She wanted to let her hands go and slid one between her legs, but she kept them clenched together as he’s instructed.

She pulled her head back enough so that his cock rested on her bottom lip.

“You’re a fucking wet dream kneeling on the floor with your mouth around my cock. I want to fuck that hot little mouth of yours until I’m buried in your throat, feel you swallow around me when I come.”

A burst of fiery heat engulfed her entire body and her low moan echoed in the quiet room. Holy hell she wanted to do exactly that to him. She wanted to feel what he described.

Her fingers dug into each other as she fought the urge to let them go and touch him but something in the way he looked at her made her silently vow not to move until he told her to. She opened her mouth and leaned forward, wrapping her lips around the swollen head of his cock to let him know she was very willing.

“But I’m not going to do that--not this time,” he said, finally, as if just barely able to make this decision. “Right now, I want to taste you. And I want you naked, spread out on that bed right there, all mine to enjoy for as long as I want.” He tucked himself back into his boxers, though the material did nothing to lessen how hard he was.

He helped her to her feet and she reached for the zipper on the side of her skirt. Ashton’s hands were there first but he didn’t pull the zipper down. Not yet. He slid his hands around to cup her ass as he pulled her against his body. His erection pushed into her stomach.

“Do you have any idea what it does to me, seeing you in these skirts you wear every day? Having your ass on display like that? That first day when you walked out of my office, all I could think about was bending you over my desk while I drove into you from behind. Every fucking day you wear the same thing and it’s been driving me out of my mind.”

He squeezed his hands, caressing the globes of her ass before sliding lower, enough to touch the back of her bare thighs.

“I got myself off last night with the scent of you on my fingers. The taste of your pussy on my tongue. I thought it would be enough but it’s not. I want it all from you. Want every sigh, every moan, every scream when you come to belong to me.”

“Ashton.” His name escaped from her throat on a breathy moan. There was no way of describing what he was doing to her. His words were turning her on and making her burn, the truth in them was making her heart thud harder against her ribs.

He’d wanted her from that first day?

He dragged her skirt up and over the curve of her ass and groaned when his hands moved over bare flesh. “Knowing there is barely a scrap of fabric covering you drove me crazy all fucking day,” he whispered in her ear. He nipped her earlobe and sparks shot straight between her legs. “Every time you came into my office I wanted to reach under that skirt and make you come on my fingers.”

“You were an ass all morning,” she argued, but it came out too breathy, too needy. He slid his hands lower, used his fingers to run along the edge of her thong. So close but not close enough.

“You’re sexy as hell when you’re all worked up. It reminded me of watching you ride my tongue. Do you know your eyes look the same when you’re angry and when you’re about to come?” He slipped one finger under the fabric and ran it along her slick folds. He circled her clit and her breath caught in her throat. “Your breathing gets just like this, all ragged and quick. Your skin gets flushed.”

The pleasure started to build fast and furious. Ashton flicked his finger against that aching bud while sliding two fingers from his other hand into her body. He crooked his fingers and pressed against the spot that made her broken moan fill the room.

He was relentless, driving her toward a climax that crashed over her without warning. Her body shook. Liquid heat spilled onto his fingers and made the inside of her thighs slick.

“I want to feel you explode like that around my cock,” he growled in her ear. His hands were gone but only to unzip and push her skirt and thong down. He made short work of her top and bra until she stood naked before him. Her nipples pebbled under his scrutiny and he moved to take one hard tip into his mouth.

Bria tangled her fingers in his hair and held him there as he used his teeth to tease until she thought she might scream. Everything he did felt so good. Just when she couldn’t take anymore, he moved to the other side.

As mind-blowingly amazing as it was, she wanted more. She tugged at his hair until he raised his head. His eyes were glittering with heat.

His gaze drove into her, dark and intense. “Lay down.”

Her body obeyed and she scooted back to lie in the middle of the bed. Ashton unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off, then pulled his undershirt over his head.

She sucked in a breath.

The man was a living Adonis. The muscles in his chest rippled as he moved and she followed the ladder down his stomach, got caught on the deep V’s on the sides of his hips. They seemed to point to where his cock strained against his boxers. His pants were gone and then...he hooked his thumbs and drew the boxers down. His cock bobbed free and her legs fell open.

From her position, he stood framed between her knees and the view sent a thrill through her. She did that to him. As she watched, he reached down and wrapped his fingers around his dick, stroking up and down while his gaze was focused between her legs. With his free hand he lifted a foil packet to his mouth and tore it open with his teeth.

She watched him roll the condom on and even that made her hot. She felt herself getting wetter, even as her heart started pounding furiously.

Ashton growled in approval before putting one knee on the bed, then the other. He crawled between her legs and ran a finger up her slit, then dipped two fingers into her.

“Fuck you’re wet.” He ran her arousal over the head of his cock, making it glisten before returning to her pussy. He slid back inside and pressed his thumb against her clit.

She whimpered and lifted her hips.

The pleasure started to build again and any bits of apprehension faded away. When he had her almost to the peak of another explosion he drew back and gripped his cock, used it against her clit to keep her close. His jaw was hard and tight, and there was no color left in his eyes.

He kneeled between her legs, body tight with tension.

“I’ll go slow this first time,” he told her. “I want everything from you. Don’t you dare hold anything back. I want to feel that sweet pussy swallowing my cock and I want to hear how much you love it. Every gasp. Every scream; It’s mine.”

Bria nodded mutely. His dick was huge and she wasn’t sure whether she could handle it—what if she screamed?

Would he be disgusted?

What if she wasn’t any good? This was a man who’d been with the most beautiful, seductive women all around the world. How could she hope to satisfy him?

These thoughts and more raced through her mind, but she wasn’t going to turn back now. She was terrified, but she wanted him enough that it overpowered her fear and insecurity.

The head of his cock slid into her, the wetness making it easy and painless. He thrust, several shallow strokes and inched his way in slowly.

As if he sensed her nervousness, Ashton did not go too fast all at once.

She licked her lips, trying to move her hips, as she felt his huge cock begin to penetrate. There was building pressure, and she whined in the back of her throat.

And then he broke through, sliding deeper, and the pressure became pleasurable instead of difficult.

Aside from fullness unlike anything she had ever experienced, Bria realized that she could actually take him. She could actually take his entire cock, and the knowledge of it was exhilarating.

“Fuck, you’re so goddamn wet,” he hissed, pumping faster now. Finally he slid most of the length out of her, so just the tip of his cock was still inside her folds.

He removed his hand and laid it on her lower stomach, then slid lower still to her soaked mound. A slight pressure kept her hips on the bed as his thumb brushed over her clit again. When she tried to lift up, he slid deeper but kept her pinned down.

“Ashton.” She ached to move, to pull him deeper inside her body, but he kept up his own maddeningly slow pace. On each outstroke, her pussy clamped down on instinct, causing the fire to burn hotter. “Ashton, please.” she moaned, fighting against his strong hold to move. She needed the friction. She could feel the orgasm building so slow she wanted to scream.

Ashton moved his thumb in unhurried circles and her clit throbbed. Her breath hitched in her chest. He pushed deeper and rocked out. In. Out. She gritted her teeth, growled and whimpered and begged. It was an agonizing trip straight to crazyland. Her legs started to shake and she spread them wider.

Finally Ashton groaned. His jaw was rock hard and the vein in his neck bulged and pulsed. His touch got harder, his thrusts less steady. She could almost see the reins he had on his control and they were slipping.

“I want to feel you come, Bria,” he ground out.

Her body responded to his demand and she tightened around him. Pleasure burst over her in waves so fierce that she lost her ability to breathe. Her pussy clamped down and spasmed around Ashton, just like he told her he wanted.

He’d made her climax before, but having him buried inside her this time, it was almost more than she could take. Just when she thought it might slow down, when she drew air into her lungs, Ashton gripped her hips and started to slam into her, each thrust harder than the last. Every stroke hit something inside her and sent the sparks flying again. She couldn’t stop saying his name.

Bria dug her nails into his shoulders. Her back bowed off the bed. Another spasm grabbed hold and she felt Ashton thicken, filling her completely full. His breathing grew rougher. He slid one hand under her ass and lifted. The angle sent him plunging in deeper than before.

“Oh god. Ashton.”

“Fuck,” he growled. His fingers dug into her hips and he froze above her. She felt his cock pulsing inside her as he came. His eyes were closed and every line on his face rigid, but then as she watched, the harshness faded.

His movements slowed until finally he sank down on top of her, his arms cradled on both sides of her body. He buried his face in her neck, pressed his lips to the spot right below her ear.

She loved the feel of his weight on her and wrapped her legs around the back of his thighs, sliding them down over his calves. His hair teased the tips of her fingers when she stroked up and down his neck. After a few moments, Ashton sighed and rolled to his side. She wanted to pull him back, to keep him inside her, but the moment was over. He slung his arm over her waist and tugged her until she was facing him.

He leaned his forehead against hers and opened his eyes, then he exhaled.

After a minute he slid out of bed and went into the bathroom. When he came back he gently wiped her down with a warm washcloth before tossing it to the floor and climbing back behind her.

She never wanted to leave the circle of his arms.

“How many men have you had in your life, Bria?” He ran his fingers along her hip in lazy circles. This relaxed Ashton was hard to get used to. He seemed so uptight, so focused all the time that having him slow down long enough to talk to her, to touch her like that, was both thrilling and unnerving.

She knew what he was asking and she swore that she’d tell him the truth always. “None. Everything we’ve done, everything, was a first.”

He went still behind her and a sharp panic rose up within her belly. When he didn’t move, she turned in his arms. She needed to look into his eyes, to see if he was somehow disappointed in her. “Are you sorry this all happened?” Her breath stalled as she waited for his answer.

What if she was horrible at everything? What if he was regretting it all?

Bria started to pull away but his grip returned at her waist and held her still. “I don’t regret it,” he said softly. He cradled the side of her face and moved his thumb along her jaw. “Not one second of it, I swear.”

Bria relaxed a little and leaned into his touch though there was a tone in his voice that kept her from believing him one hundred percent. He nudged her face and she tilted up. He kissed her forehead. Her nose. Her lips. When she tried to open her mouth under him, she felt him smile but he pulled back and tucked her against his side.

“Why no men?” he said. “You can’t tell me guys don’t hit on you.” He leaned in and pressed his lips just under her ear. “And remember, the truth.”

She took a deep breath in. “It just never quite happened for me. No one special, I suppose—and maybe I wasn’t ready for it.”

“You never just wanted to have fun?” he asked. “You’re young. You’re sexy. You should be experiencing life, Bria.”

She scooted around until she was looking into his eyes. Her nipples pebbled when they brushed across his chest and a low moan fell from her lips. “I thought I was. Isn’t that what this is? What we’re doing right now--having fun?”

“Is that what you want right now?”

The quietness of the question stopped her. What did she want? Honestly, she didn’t want this to end. But if she said she also wanted more from him, would he walk away?

She knew he didn’t stay with one woman for long. She’d been on the front lines watching it happen for the past month. She wanted to tell him that she was having real feelings for him, that this was fun, but it was also so much more than that.

But Bria couldn’t say it, couldn’t tell him everything. So maybe she was going to omit some of the truth, but she wasn’t going to lie.

“Yes,” she whispered. “This is what I want right now.”

And even though a part of her wanted to cry, she didn’t say anything else.

Later, they managed to break for dinner in the hotel room.

“Did you always want to be in media?” Bria asked. “Isn’t newsprint a dying art?”

She picked up a fry and dipped it in ketchup then shoved it in her mouth. There was only one bite of burger left on her plate and she grabbed that too. After a second go round, Ashton had cancelled his meeting and they’d ordered room service.

She was in a just a fluffy white robe that had been hanging in the bathroom. Ashton sat back in a chair with just his black pants on, unbuttoned at the top. Every time she glanced over at him, at the hard ridges of his stomach she’d spent ages running her fingers over earlier, her mouth went dry.

It felt like she’d never get enough of him.

But today would have to end sometime.

With a mental shake, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. He was here now and she was going to take advantage of every second with him.

“It is,” he agreed. “But there’s a lot more to it than just newsprint. By owning the parent company I can redirect assets into viable outlets. Mostly digital now. With news shifting to mostly online outlets, there has to be immediate access to compete.”

“Which is why you’re buying that news station?”

He chuckled and the warm sound sank down into her bones. She couldn’t get over this version of Ashton. In all the time working for him, she’d only seen the cold, hard, driven man.

And boy was he hard.

Once again she forced herself to concentrate on what he was saying instead of what he had been doing to her with that hardness. As if he knew what she was thinking he sat back a little more so she could see the bulge growing in his pants. Now she was truly distracted but he apparently wanted to keep her guessing.

“My ultimate goal is to create a new cable station, CMG, which will become the place to go for breaking world news. Think of Turner News but bigger. Much bigger.”

Bigger. Bria grinned despite herself.. “Why so power hungry? Proving yourself to your disapproving parents?”

It was like a switch had been flipped. The playfulness in Ashton’s eyes was gone. Tension filled his body and he pushed from the chair to walk over to the window. Outside the lights of the city were lit up bright but all she could see was the outline of Ashton’s hard shoulders.

Bria padded silently until she stood behind him. Was it calling him power hungry or mentioning his parents that made him shut down? Unsure what he wanted, what he needed from her, she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her cheek against his back. His heart thundered under her ear.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything...”

“No parents to disappoint,” he said harshly. “Shitty childhood, too many foster homes…so yes, power and control, is something I value above almost everything.”

She could feel him pulling away, and she knew if he did, their bubble would pop and this moment would be gone. Instead of asking questions about his childhood like he probably expected, she pressed her lips to his back while sliding her hands up and down the ridges of his washboard stomach.

“I have a very serious question to ask you Mr. Carter.” His entire body tensed and she kissed him in the middle of his spine. “How do you sit in an office for twelve hours a day and have abs like this?”

He exhaled harshly and chuckled in the same breath. The tension eased form his body and she dragged her nails down over his skin. His breath hitched when she kept going, slid them under the unbuttoned band of his pants to where his cock was already growing hard again.

It seemed like she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t get enough. The idea that she did that to him thrilled her beyond belief.

* * *

Bria woke the next morning, tangled in strong arms. The sun was just cresting over the harbor outside the window so it had to be around six. Ashton had pulled her back against his chest and they’d slept that way all night and now she was having a hard time finding the willpower to actually get out of bed.

But they had to because it was a work day and they both had to get to the office.

And she needed to go home and shower and change before that because showing up at the office in yesterday’s clothes would be a dead giveaway that she had not gone home last night.

She tried to move away as quietly as possible but Ashton tightened his hold on her and pulled her back to bury his face in her neck. The feel of his lips grazing her shoulder brought a groan to the surface.

Would it be so bad to play hooky and stay in bed all day?

She was apprehensive how things would be once they walked out of the room. The last time Ashton had changed; he’d pulled away and it had hurt more than she’d wanted to admit.

After last night though, it would devastate her if he did it again.

“We should get ready for work,” she said. “And I need to go home first and change.” Shit, her car was still at the office. She was going to have to call a cab, go home and change and then call another to get back to work. Dollar signs were adding up in her head and she cringed.

Ashton nuzzled her neck and his fingers made lazy circles around her nipple until the peak hardened in response. “Stay. I’ll order room service. We can be late.”

She really really wanted to, but the room was growing brighter with the sun rising. Knowing she should get out of bed and actually doing it were two different things though. Especially when Ashton’s fingers were trailing down her stomach. When he reached the apex of her thighs, he nudged her legs open and slid his hand between, then brushed over her clit.

Delicious shivers raced over her body and she arched her butt back against the hard length of him. She rocked her hips, loving the feel of him touching her.

Ashton gave a growl of want, a purely male satisfied sound, and placed a gentle kiss just below her ear. “I’ll start a bath for you. And I insist on ordering breakfast too. Garden vegetable omelet, juice and coffee sound good?”

Her stomach growled at the thought of food and she ducked her head. “Toast. Raisin toast too.”

“Give me a minute to get the tub ready and to all that in and I’ll be back to take care of you. Don’t. Move.” He slid out of bed and a surge of appreciation heated her skin.

God he was beautiful. Hard lines and lean muscle. A man’s ass should not look that...bitable. She had spent a lot of time in the last twelve hours touching every inch of his body and she wanted to start all over again.

When he turned around to face the bed, her mouth went dry. His cock was hard and standing straight up, jutting out from his body.

The blanket fell and she scooted over to the side of the bed. Air hissed from his teeth when she closed her fingers around him. Before he could stop her, she leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the head.

“Fuck.” His fingers fisted in her hair and she revealed in the way he guided her back and forth. “Tub and breakfast, Bria,” he muttered.

She pulled back until he popped from her mouth, then looked up at him from under her eyelashes. “Before I clean up, I want to get dirty.” With everything they’d done all night, finishing him off in her mouth wasn’t one of them.

“I want to taste you this time.” She opened her mouth and slid him in, as deep as she could take him. The head of his cock nudged the back of her throat and she inhaled through her nose as she held him there.

His fingers tightened painfully as he held her head still and rocked slowly into her mouth, small thrusts that kept his cock in deep in her mouth while barely moving at all. Bria felt him swell and grow thicker. Her eyes watered and her breathing staggered but when he tried to ease back, she put her hands on the back of his thighs and pulled him back to her.

She wanted to do this for him.

The muscles under her fingers trembled.

She slid her tongue toward her teeth, opening as much as she could to take him.

He slid deeper and she groaned around the cock filling her mouth. He started moving again, fucking the back of her throat in gentle strokes.

“Fuck.” He groaned low in his throat and fisted her hair with his other hand. Now he held her head, barely moving it back and forth,

He swelled even more and his legs were shaking.

“Bria, fuck baby, I’m gonna come,” he growled.

She erupted in goose bumps and leaned just a little closer, swallowing around the head of his cock, taking him as deep as possible and holding him there. His cock spasmed.

“Fuck.” The word exploded from his mouth at the same time he erupted in the back of her throat. She felt him pulsing and each time a low groan ripped from his chest. Bria held him there until his grip finally loosened.

He stood over her panting, his eyes closed.

She licked the last few drops off the tip and sat back.

Ashton still hadn’t opened his eyes and she watched the muscles in his stomach flex and move with each ragged inhale he took. Finally, he looked at her and there was a new softness in his eyes.

“Hell woman,” he croaked. “I think I blacked out there for a few seconds.”

Then he grinned down at her and looked so relaxed, boyish even, that it took her breath away. She liked Ashton Carter a lot despite the fact he was a royal jackass most days, but this version of him, this carefree man whose eyes actually glinted bright blue in the morning sun, god she could fall head over heels for him so easily.

Emotion clogged her throat.

And probably get her heart broken into a thousand pieces in the process. Ashton did casual and why shouldn't he? He was gorgeous and rich beyond belief and could have any woman in the world.

She was...what exactly? Broke? Ordinary? Inexperienced?

All of the above.

Ashton pulled her from her thoughts when he leaned down and placed a gently kiss on her forehead. “I’m still drawing you a bath and ordering food. And if we’re late, let someone complain to the boss. Oh right, that’s me.”

He left and then disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of water running filtered out. Despite all her misgivings, Bria smiled. No matter what happened between her and Ashton when they left the hotel room, she had the memory of her first time, one she wouldn’t ever forget.

She regretted none of it.

“It’s ready,” Ashton said from the doorway. He’d wrapped a towel around his waist but it did nothing to hide most of him from her gaze. With his tousled hair and the shadow of stubble along his jaw, chiseled chest and six pack that went on for days, he looked like he could be the centerfold for a hot man-of-the-month calendar. She stared until the corner of his mouth quirked up and he held out his hand. She slid off the bed and moved toward him.

Do we have to leave the room?

The words almost escaped her lips as he led her to the huge garden tub, then helped her step over the edge. As the hot water surrounded her body, she sighed and sat back. Her eyes drifted closed. “Heaven.”

“I agree,” came his husky voice, close to her ear.

Before she knew what was happening, Ashton drew a washcloth through the water and then over her sensitive skin. Her nipples hardened at the rough texture. She grabbed his hand to stop the downward movement of his hand.

“I think I’d better do that or we’ll never get to work. Don’t you have food to order?” Playfully she pushed his hand away and made a point of washing her shoulder.

“That I do,” he said, and then swaggered out of the bathroom.

Knowing he was going to order food for her now, after drawing her a bath…it was almost too much to believe. She was seeing a side of him that warmed her heart.

God, I’m in so much trouble, she thought.

As much as she wanted to linger, there wasn’t enough time so she washed her hair and her body with amazing smelling soap and stepped out of the tub. She wanted to live in the white fluffy towel that the hotel provided it was so soft.

When she walked out to the bedroom looking for her clothes from the night before, a large white box sat on the bed. Was it for her? She could hear Ashton moving around in the other room so she went closer and saw that the lid had been removed.

“I thought you might need something to change into,” Ashton said from the doorway. “I had it sent up with breakfast.”

Bria ran her fingers along silky material before lifting it from the box. It was a champagne colored sleeveless silk blouse that felt like air in her hands. A navy blue pencil skirt was neatly folded next and there was a beautiful nude colored bra with sheer cups and lace sides and a matching thong to go with it. The sexiest pair of nude heels she’d ever seen with straps that buckled around ankles were last. Everything was obviously designer. She stared down at the outfit that probably cost more than she made in a month.

“Everything should fit. I checked what you had on yesterday.”

Her gaze went watery. “You bought me new clothes?” she whispered. “I can't take these. It's too much, Ashton. I can just go home, it’s no big deal.”

He moved behind her and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. “They’re yours. I want you to have them. You deserve something nice, Bria.”

She thought back to the jewelry she’d sent out on his request to the same women whose calls she fielded. Gifts to his one night stands. Oh god, was this her brush-off?

Bria tensed. “Because of last night?”

“What are you talking about?” He spun her around and lifted her chin until she’d met his stare. There was real confusion in his eyes.

“This is what you do,” she said hoarsely. She took a long breath in. “You send gifts. I’ve done it enough to know how it all works…”

“Fuck,” he muttered. He took a step back and dragged his fingers through his hair. “That’s not what this is Bria. If you didn’t have to go back to your apartment to change we’d have time to eat breakfast together. I wanted you to myself for a little while longer.”

Hope warred with apprehension. He curved a finger under her chin again and titled her head up. His eyes were stormy and dark and then his mouth was on hers, his tongue demanding that she open under him. She felt his hand on the back of her neck, tangling in her wet hair to hold her still as he ravished her mouth.

When he finally pulled back to rest his forehead on hers, her body was alive and aching for him again.

“I’m not sending you on your way this morning, okay?”

He held her there until she nodded. She still wasn’t sure what was going to happen. He’d only said this morning, but did that mean he planned to push her away tonight? Or tomorrow?

“Now get dressed because you standing here in nothing but a towel is going to make both of us late for work.” He moved his hips and she felt the length of his hard-on against her stomach.

“Stop looking at me like I’m your breakfast and I will,” she said against his lips.

He growled and nipped the corner of her mouth then dragged his lips along her neck, her collarbone, then right above where the towel was wrapped over her chest. His open mouthed kisses were driving her mad.

With a flick, her towel came apart and fell at her feet. Cold air washed over her and her nipples tightened. His hot mouth was on one rigid peak immediately. Bria arched into the flashes of pleasure. Ashton nudged her with his body until the back of her knees hit the bed then unceremoniously pushed her back. She barely had time to brace her fall before he had her legs on his shoulders and his face between her legs.

He spread her wide open and lapped at her clit like he was a starving man and she was his last meal. Tension coiled tight and fast and she spiraled upwards, balanced on the peak of release. Ashton sucked her clit into his mouth and used his tongue to throw her over the edge.

She arched up, coming off the bed with a scream lodged in her throat. White lights burst behind her eyelids and she couldn’t catch her breath. He kept going, kept pushing her higher until she came apart again. She sucked air into her lungs. Every muscle strained tight.

He was relentlessly torturing her clit, forcing her past her limits as another climax built inside her. He shifted and she felt fingers pushing into her body. Pressing against that spot that shattered her into a million pieces.

She screamed. The sound bounced around the room and echoed in her ears.

Her fingers were tangled in his hair and she rocked her hips against his tongue, riding out the waves crashing over her. With each breath, his touch gentled. He eased her back down with soft licks. When she finally stopped shaking, she was boneless on the bed.

He looked up from between her legs and licked the evidence of her release from his lips. “You taste better than breakfast ever would.” He kissed the inside of her thigh, stood up and went into the bathroom.

After he emerged, she needed to go back in to clean up yet again, and then get dressed in the luxurious clothes he’d bought for her. They fit perfectly, somehow.

And by the time she came out, the breakfast he’d ordered from room service had arrived, and they ate together, peaceful and easy and relaxed.

She felt like she wanted to tell the whole world how amazing this was, to just run to the window and shout her happiness out to everyone.

Finally, they exited the hotel together, and she tried to remind herself that this wasn’t something she could count on. But something about it felt different. It felt as if they’d somehow become a couple, and she wanted to revel in that feeling.

Leaving the hotel together, she half expected the bellhop to greet them with a, “hello Mr. and Mrs. Carter.”

But then Bria shook it off. It was a fun little fantasy, but now they were going back to the real world. Last night was last night. The hotel was the hotel.

What happened between them would stay back there, a wonderful memory she’d cherish for as long as she lived.

* * *

It wasn't until a half hour later, when they pulled up to the headquarters of Carter Media that the uncertainty returned. Even with their morning distractions no one saw them come in together.

With a promise of coffee, Bria sent Ashton to his office so she could boot up her computer and print out his schedule for the day. At least today wouldn't be as bad as yesterday. The sandwich he sent her all over the city for ended up in the hotel room’s trash before they left.

She was still smiling when the screen flickered to life and she typed in her password.

The air in her lungs froze.

Her screensaver had been changed.

It was now a picture of her and Ashton leaving the hotel this morning. His arm was around her and his face buried in her neck. She had her hand on his chest and was smiling. There was no doubt they were coming out of the hotel together. But it wasn’t the picture that sent bile racing up the back of her throat. It was the large word typed across the screen in blood red font.

WHORE.

Her legs buckled and she sat down hard in her seat, fingers pressed to her mouth.

Who’d done this? And how?

“Ms. Long. Can you check my schedule and see what I have at…” Ashton’s voice stopped when she lifted her gaze to meet his. “Bria?”

All she could do was point with trembling fingers.

“What the fuck?” he growled, pressing between her and the screen.

“It was there when I booted up.” Her voice shook.

After a few seconds Ashton clicked the mouse and stepped back. There was a field of sunflowers now. “There.” As if deleting the image changed the fact that someone knew about them.

“Who could have done that? Who saw us this morning and took that picture?”

Maybe there was something on the security monitors.

Ashton could check and see who had done this. When she suggested it he sighed. “I’ll have them check the security footage and also have IT check the computer logs, see if we can pinpoint whomever got into your desktop.” He sighed and scratched his cheek. “But I’m guessing whomever did this was aware of our security. They probably will have found a way to mask the activity, unless they’re just that dumb.”

She felt as though she might burst into tears. “Why would they do that? Who was watching us?”

He shrugged. “Could’ve been a number of people. Unfortunately, some of this comes with the territory. I’ve had very strange pictures snapped of me over the years. People do the stupidest things to get their rocks off—you’d be surprised.”

“I guess so,” Bria said, trying to be as calm and nonchalant as him.

“Seriously, don’t worry about it. We have nothing to hide.”

“Yeah. You’re right,” she agreed, trying to nod and smile.

“Could you print out my schedule and bring it in?” he said, checking his watch. “We’re running way behind.”

“Right away, Mr. Carter.”

She watched him disappear through the door with a sick feeling in her stomach.

Maybe no one else had seen the picture. Maybe whoever had put it on her computer wanted her to know that someone knew what was going on. She hated the idea that an unknown person in the office had seen her and Ashton leaving the hotel.

How the hell did anyone know they were there? Was it the same person who’d ratted her out as having lied about her resume?

Did she have a stalker?

Bria printed out Ashton’s schedule and made him a cup of coffee. When she took it into his office he was already on the phone. He gave her a nod when she set everything on his desk and she left more than a little disappointed.

Apparently Bruce needed three additional copies of the material she’d sent yesterday, something Ashton didn’t mention until she’d already put the first two in the mail. She bound and labeled what he needed and put it in her to mail pile to take down to the mailroom.

“I should be back by four,” Ashton said, coming from his office with his suit jacket on. She already knew he had offsite meetings most of the morning, but she couldn't help the wave of apprehension knowing he wouldn't be here.

What if she got another picture? Or some kind of threat.

“Be ready to leave around five. We’re going to my place for dinner tonight.” His eyes went dark with desire, though he did nothing but nod at her on his way out.

Bria worked at her desk until ten and not a single person came by. Most of the people who would have come up to see Ashton buzzed her first to see if he was in and rarely did anyone just drop by without an appointment.

It wasn’t until she took the west coast material to the mail room that she noticed the looks being thrown her way. People were whispering as she walked past and by the time she got to the counter, her face was beet red.

“I need this to go overnight, please,” she told Tim.

“Overnight?” he said, grinning.

“Yes. Why, is that funny?”

“Nope. Just making sure it comes overnight. That’s how you like it.”

She wanted to slap his face, but managed to keep her composure.

It took all her strength to hold her head high as she walked back through the growing whispers.

Arlene, the head of HR stopped Bria right before she got on the elevator.

“Ms. Long, please tell Mr. Carter I need to speak with him as soon as he gets back. It’s very important and he needs to hear what I have to say. There are some policies that obviously need addressing.” The woman’s eyes had narrowed on Bria before she turned and stormed away.

Tears burned Bria’s eyes when she finally sat back down at her desk. Every part of her body felt numb, except for the buzzing in her ears. Everyone knew. The entire office was talking about her and Ashton spending the night together.

He might not think it was anything, but the looks coming her way were anything but harmless. She was sleeping with the boss. Ashton Carter was sleeping with his assistant.

“Mr. Carter is buying you a condo in Back Bay?” Kassidy said, appearing out of nowhere.

“What?” Bria asked, forcing herself to focus on her only friend.

“Or a Mercedes. Oh wait, that red haired bitch in media relations said it was a Lexus.” Kassidy sat on the edge of her desk and swung her leg. “I told them they were idiots and to stop listening to unsubstantiated gossip.”

Bria met Kassidy’s gaze bleakly.

“Holy shit, you did sleep with him.”

Bria swallowed and nodded. “Yeah.”

Kassidy leaned in. “Tell the truth. Was he as good as they say?”

Bria grabbed Kassidy’s hand and pulled her into a nearby spare office where she closed the door. Once they were sitting on the couch, Bria spilled everything. She didn’t give as many sexual details as Kassidy wanted, especially since she was more focused on having had her picture taken and then the message on her computer.

“Who do you think it was?” Kassidy asked. “Any ideas or clues?”

“I have no idea. None. Ashton said not to worry about it, but the way everyone was staring at me today? Whoever did it made sure to spread it around. Like, someone’s out to get me around here. What should I do?”

“First of all, just calm down. He’s the boss, he’s not going to let anyone screw with you.”

“And HR—“

“He runs the company,” Kassidy said. “He’ll make it all go away. Just talk to him.”

“I just can’t do this, can’t be here with everyone judging me.”

“I’m going to bring some work up and use the excuse that Mr. Carter needs a report finished ASAP. That way you don’t have to be up here alone.” Kassidy stood and dragged Bria to her feet, then wrapped her in a hug. “It’s going to be okay, Bri.”

When Ashton returned to the office a little after four, Bria had managed to avoid everyone with the help of Kassidy, who had decided that she was going to work by Bria’s side all afternoon. When the elevator dinged and Ashton stepped out, Kassidy gave him a long look. “Hi, Mister Carter,” she said, smiling as she walked past him. The look she shot him was knowing, and it gave Bria a strange feeling in her chest.

“Hello,” Ashton replied, frowning a little as they passed each other.

And then Kassidy got in the elevator, gave a quick wave, and the doors closed.

“Did she need something from me?” He said, puzzled and distracted as Bria shook her head.

“Helping me with something,” Bria replied. “How were your meetings?”

“Long.” He sighed and loosened his tie. “Let me send a few emails and we can go.”

“Okay.” Bria used those minutes to change the password on her computer and then shut everything down. She’d put everything that Ashton asked her to finish on his desk, so there wasn’t anything to do but wait now.

When the phone rang, Bria eyed it warily until she saw it was an outside line.

“Ashton Carter’s office,” she said.

“I’d like to speak to Ashton,” came a woman’s clipped voice.

“He’s in a meeting right now, can I take a message?” It was the standard response when a woman didn’t immediately identify herself.

The woman huffed. “This is Chloe Donovan. I’m sure he wants to take my call.”

Bria rolled her eyes. They all said that. “I can have him call you,” she said, even when an ache started in her gut. This was Ashton’s normal.

“I’m confirming our date for the Friday night gala at the Met. I’ve book our usual suite at the Four Seasons and would like to know if we’re riding to the city together or not. Please have him get back to me sooner rather than later.”

The woman hung up but Bria wouldn’t have been able to say anything anyway. Her throat had tightened when that woman mentioned a suite. Which implied that he was planning to spend the night with her.

She set the receiver down and sank into her chair.

Bria felt like such an idiot. She pressed shaking fingers to her lips. The worst part was that she knew it before she even got involved. She could have lied the first night when Ashton asked if she wanted him to kiss her. She felt like such a fool that there weren’t even any tears.

The door to his office opened but she didn’t look up.

“Ready?” he asked in that low voice that made her body respond, even if she didn’t want to.

Before she could reason her cell phone rang. There weren’t many people who called her on it. The ID came up as Unknown. Ashton made an impatient noise but she answered it anyway.

“Hello?”

“Is this Bria Long?” a man’s voice asked.

“Yes.” Her heart started to pound against her ribs.

“This is Rob Teller, I work at Heartland Rehabilitation Center.”

Bria’s blood went cold. Her sister was at Heartland.

“Ms. Long, you’re listed as the point of contact and I wanted to let you know that Shana fell and hit her head today. She lost consciousness for a few minutes and when she came to, she was experiencing confusion and blurred vision so we’ve had her taken to Mass General. They’re going to run tests to check the severity. The doctor will be available after the evaluation for any questions.”

She ended the call before the man could keep talking.

After everything else, the idea that Shana was hurt again was beyond comprehension.

Nausea burned in her throat.

Shana was struggling before, how would she be after this newest tragedy?

“I have to go.” Bria picked up her purse and walked right past Ashton to where the elevator dinged open. She didn’t look at him, didn’t speak to him even when his frustrated breath brushed across the back of her neck.

“Where are you going?’ He blocked the elevator and crossed his arms.

Panic had her firmly in its grip and she could barely think straight. She needed to get to the hospital. “I have to go Ashton. Move.”

“Who was that?” he demanded harshly.

His eyes were ice cold and he was glaring at her. His jaw was hard and his entire body had gone tense. No matter how fierce he looked at her though, she couldn't tell him about her sister. It was the most personal thing in Bria’s life, her biggest regret and the one thing that drove everything she did now.

Bria had never told anyone the entire truth about her sister’s accident.

Had never told anyone about her own sense of responsibility in the matter—it was something she lived with, something personal and deep and she couldn’t talk about it.

Especially not this day, not with everything else that had already occurred.

“Move Ashton.” She pushed at his chest but he was an immovable wall.

“Not until you tell me who you’re going to see,” he growled. “You told me there was no one else. Who called you, Bria? Who are you running off to see?”

“I don’t have time for this,” she said. “Just get out of my way so I can leave. I have to go right now.” Her voice broke and the desperation reached a peak inside her chest.

“We have an agreement, Ms. Long,” he reminded her. He was back to boss mode, using her last name. “You are to answer my questions honestly. You have to tell me the truth. Always.”

She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She needed her job more than he knew, but how could she open herself up to him when this was all just a casual hookup? How could she trust him with her biggest secret?

With a deep breath, she drew away so that she could look into his eyes. For one second she wanted to tell him. Wanted to confess and lean on someone for once. An image of Shana in the hospital popped into her head. The ventilators. The machines.

Drawing strength from the guilt, she narrowed her eyes.

Remembered another phone call that could be used to deflect from her own personal pain.

“Ms. Donovan called earlier,” she told him. Bria’s voice was light. “She wanted to remind you she booked the usual suite for your stay together Friday night and she wanted to know if you were riding to the city with her.”

Ashton’s clenched his jaw and his gaze slid from hers. She took advantage of his uncertainty and slipped away from him. The elevator was still opened and she stepped inside.

The doors slid closed as Ashton just stood there, his gaze frozen on her face. Once alone, the tears came and Bria sank against the wall.

What the hell was she going to do now? She’d played the scorned lover card when all they’d shared was a few rounds of sex.

This might mean the end of not just their relationship, but also her job at the company.

Everything was falling. Falling apart.

Bria was falling too.

Falling for a man who could never take her seriously, a man who would never be hers, a man she could never trust.