Lillian

I'm sprawled out on the floor of my living room completely naked and worn out. My body aches in new ways and my heart’s dancing in my chest. Nick is laying on top of me, his head resting on my breast. I feel like I'm dreaming; this has to be a dream. He just bursts through the door and claims me. That couldn’t be real, but I know it is. Why? I close my eyes and think about the few words that he said before he owned my body. He said something about leaving him, but I’m confused. We never see each other, so why would he be upset about me going on vacation? My eyes pop open. His mom knew about the trip. Something tells me she told him, but she must have left out the whole vacation part of me leaving. The woman was slick and wise. I giggle out loud.

“Baby, I hope you're not laughing at me.”

“I’m definitely not. I'm just trying to figure this out. All of this is sudden and completely unexpected.”

“Yeah, I suppose I should have come in and talked to you first before mauling you like an animal. But this has been three years in the making, I couldn't hold back any longer. Why are you leaving?”

“I happened to like the wild beast that showed up today. Anyways, I'm going on vacation,” I explain. As much as I wanted to run away from Nick, I’m positive that I can’t stay away for long.

“No, I mean why are you leaving Knight Publishing? Are we not offering you a good deal?”

Oh, what the hell was this about, then? Was he just here to stop me from leaving? Did he think taking one for the team would work? “Leaving the publishing company? I'm not going anywhere. I just signed another two-book deal yesterday. Is that why you came here?”

“That asshole. I came here because I thought I’d never see you again, and I couldn’t let that happen.” He shakes his head, and I look up into his eyes. He’s sincere. “Then what's with the packed luggage?”

“I'm going on vacation,” I tell him again.

“With who?” he asks. There’s a steely tone to his voice that turns me on. He’s jealous.

“Myself.”

“The hell you are. If you want to go somewhere I'll take you, but like hell are you going anywhere that I'm not. I should have tied you down years ago when I first walked into that meeting room and saw your perfect face,” he barks out. Then he calms himself down, looking me in the eyes. “Lillian, I'm so in love with you.”

“I love you too, Nick,” I sob out, tears sliding down my face.

“Baby, why are you crying?”

“I'm sorry. I just waited so long, hoping that you'd see me for something more than just a client.”

“I'm sorry, sweetie. You’ve been more than a client to me this whole time. We’ve lost so much time together. I wished I acted on it. It killed me to avoid asking questions about your life and digging deeper into your soul every time we crossed paths. I wanted to make love to you on that conference table. You know I'm not letting you go.”

“I've already paid for the trip.”

“I mean I'm not letting you go from me ever. You're mine, Lillian.”

“Please don't ever let me go.” He smiles down at me, then his mouth closes around mine. A sigh of pleasure escapes my throat. I thrust my hands into his hair, deepening our kiss and hoping for more.

“Nick, I have to ask you something,” I blurt out before I lose my nerve. I know this answer can destroy me, but I have to know. He’s admitted to loving me, but that means something different to everyone.

“Anything, baby.”

“Um…have there been a lot of women since we met?” I stutter out.

He turns that thousand-watt smile on me, brushing a few stray hairs behind my ear. “That’s easy, baby. There's been no one else. Ever.”

“Like what, you haven't dated?”

“Sweetheart, I was a twenty-six-year-old virgin,” he says.

I cock my brow at him, challenging him. “I can't believe that.”

“Why not? You're a twenty-three-year-old virgin?”

I bump my hips up. “Was,” I answer with a giggle.

He shakes his head and smirks, kissing my forehead. “I suppose that’s true. Honestly, when I was a teenager I had a girlfriend, but we never made it all the way because I was too inexperienced for her. I found out that she wanted to meet a bestselling author we had under contract. When I told her that I never met the guy, she split. It bruised my ego and, well, soured me on dating.”

“Well, I’m glad she missed out.” He gets up and pulls me into his arms.

“Me, too, Lillian. I’m all yours. Now let’s go shower.”