“Your dress is in the bathroom along with all the lotions and beauty products you liked,” Monroe whispered as he gently kissed her bare shoulder. It was late afternoon, but he could easily be convinced to stay in bed with her until the next morning. If she protested the idea of keeping their dinner plans, his willpower would snap like a dry twig under heavy snow.

“Are you sure you want me at this dinner?” she asked, squirming to press all of her naked body to his as he curled around her tighter. “I won’t be insulted at all if you decide to go without me. The reservation is made. No hard feelings.”

“Don’t say hard,” he groaned, nibbling on her ear. “I’ll be canceling the dinner completely if you keep talking dirty to me.”

“I wasn’t,” she protested, playfully swatting him away. “I laid a lot on you, and I just wanted to give you the chance to back out. I’m not your problem.”

“There you go again,” he said, gripping her hips tightly before she could get away. “Laid a lot on me? I’d say so.”

“It’s a good thing you have your looks,” she teased as she finally broke free of his grip. “I’m getting in the shower. A hot shower. So hot and wet.” She was halfway to the bathroom now, her face lit with a funny smile. Tossing the sheets off in mock fury he made a break for her. She exploded with an effervescent giggle as she rushed into the bathroom and locked him out. Her sound of sheer joy intoxicated him. His own success had been paramount to anything else. That had been the key to his achievements. But getting her to smile was climbing on the list of things he wanted.

As he heard the shower turn off he knew he had to get up. If she stepped out and saw him lying in bed staring at the ceiling, she’d start asking questions. Like most other emotions that tried to infiltrate the rational thought in his life, he’d shake this off. Aria was beautiful. She was incredibly insightful and smart. The kind of woman who, if he ever considered having a future, it would be with someone like her.

He reluctantly pushed himself off the bed and tried to get back to what was important. Dinner with James West. Deciding if the resort was a solid investment or not. He had the documents he needed now. His office had finally sent over all the public financial information he’d been waiting for. Cost analysis could be done. Risk analysis could be completed. Every piece of the puzzle was in his hands. It was time to slide them into place.

“This dress,” Aria cooed as she glided out of the bathroom. “Where did you find something so perfect? Classic nineteen sixties design. This fabric is so rich and elegant. Halter. Flare. I can’t believe how well it fits. The color, magenta, it’s so rich.”

“I can’t claim to have picked it for those reasons. I like the way I knew it would hug those curves of yours. I knew the color would look good against your pretty skin.”

“You did good. You did so good,” she said, running her hands over the fabric and grinning widely.

The ache returned to Monroe’s chest. Like a drunk who’d just been poured a drink, the more she smiled, the more trouble he was in.

“I should get dressed too. We’ll need to leave for dinner soon. I got a text from James. He and his wife landed. They’ll check in and meet us at the restaurant.” Moving by her, he fought the urge to hold her and that perfect dress against his body.

“You know,” she said as she followed him into the bathroom and began pinning up her hair, “I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life to put on a dress like this. I promise I won’t spill anything on it, and you can give it to the next girl.”

He spun the knobs on the shower and stepped in once it was clear she had no problem hanging out while he did. There was an ease about her and the way she moved through his life. He watched through the glass, unable to pull his eyes away as she applied a ruby red lipstick on her lush smile.

“I don’t pass dresses around to all the women I know,” he chuckled as he lathered his cheeks, ready to shave away the stubble he’d let grow over the last couple of days. Dinner with a potential business partner meant his clean-cut look.

“So we all get new ones?” she teased as she touched up the rest of her makeup.

“Aria,” he said in a low voice as steam began to fill the room and cut off his view of her, “you need to go home. I can help you. I’ll get the answers you’ve always wanted. I can find out what kind of man your father is. I can track down your mother and help find a solution for her. You can’t stay here any longer.”

“I know,” Aria whispered. “But I couldn’t ask you to do all that for me. Just do what you came here to do. That’s what’s important. Maybe later we can talk about it.”

“So you’ll at least consider it?” he asked, his blood pumping faster at the idea of her stubbornness fading. She’d cracked the door open, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he’d be able to walk right through.

“You could do all that, Monroe?” she asked, and he wiped the steam off the glass so he could read her expression. Her brows were knit together and her eyes glassy with emotion. “It seems impossible.”

“For you kid,” he smiled, his cheeks still half covered in shaving cream, “I could move mountains with my bare hands.”