This woman had more fire than Sibyl ever did. Over the course of my week’s surveillance, I learned a lot about her. But the heat that burned from the inside out to touch others—I hadn’t gotten to witness that until this morning. I had thought it a fluke, but now, face to face with the woman, I realize that no, this was all her. Fire and grace, and an unwillingness to give in. Despite the era into which I was born, I found it highly erotic.

Some said women who knew their own minds were dangerous. I disagreed. A woman who knew her mind, and her worth, was intoxicating.

She cleared her throat, and I realized my thoughts had been wandering to the past. “My apologies.”

Her face flushed a pretty pink. “It’s fine, just stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m more than an employee.”

I leaned out, about to pull her in again for another lesson, but she stalled my hands, placing her small ones on the outside of my own. They were chilled slightly, but the touch sent a heat through me I hadn’t felt in years.

“I think we just had this conversation.”

She leaned in and pulled her hands into her lap. “No, we had a lecture. You told me how you wanted it and didn’t give me the chance to offer an opinion.”

Fair point. “Very well, what is your opinion on the matter, Miss Vale?”

“Do you actually want to know, or are you going to do that playboy billionaire thing where you declare something to be, and suddenly, the universe aligns against the poor unsuspecting female you set your sights on?”

I chuckled. She was funny. Maybe Sibyl had been funny too, and I never took the time to notice. “I promise your opinion will be considered with appropriate weight.”

“That sounds like something a billionaire playboy would say.”

I didn’t respond to her taunts but waited instead for her answer.

She raked her eyes over my face and body, and I’d never felt more on display. I sat up straighter, which caused a little tick of a smile to appear at the corner of her mouth.

“I don’t want to date you, Gray. You’re technically my boss, and while you’re very attractive, I can’t put aside my personal work ethic.”

My heart hit my feet and shattered like a boulder into a pile of rubble. Of course I wasn’t going to force her to do anything. But part of me had hoped my charm or appeal might at least give me the opportunity.

“Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”

She shook her head and gave me a sad soft smile, the kind reserved for deathbeds and christenings. Definitely not the reaction I wanted from her. Not the smile I wanted from her.

I nodded and stood up, unable to remain under her scrutiny once she’d made her opinion so very plain. “Of course. I’ll not bother you again.”

“And you’ll stop following me?”

I threw some bills on the table, slipped my arms into my coat, and buttoned it, all without meeting her eyes. The rejection stung. In fact, I don’t think I’d ever felt this particular mix of humiliation and sadness. Once I was put together and glued on the face I showed the world, I gave her my own version of the deathbed smile and a little bow. “Of course.”

I walked away without a word, but when I reached the middle of the square, a hand clasped my shoulder. Izzy grabbed me and held out the book I’d left on the table. I took it and met her eyes, unsure what she could see there, unsure what I could and couldn’t hide when I was around her.

She leaned in and whispered, “I’m not going to ask to kiss you, but I will give you this as a parting gift.”

The scent of her surrounded me as well as the tang of chicken salad and soft croissant. The coffee on my own breath. I swallowed, unsure what she was aiming at. When she leaned in to place a soft kiss on my cheek only an inch beside my mouth, I decided if I only got one shot at this, I might as well make the most of it.

Instead of letting her end it there, I wrapped my hands around her cheeks, looked deep into those blue eyes and waited a hair's breadth of a second for her to pull away if she wanted.

It was a new kind of relief when she remained, and I didn’t allow her a second chance. I kept my eyes open, watching her emotions war in a mix of curiosity and reluctance. When I pressed my lips to hers, they cleared into something far more delightful.

As she softened to me, I gave in, closed my eyes, and savored the feel of her soft skin on mine. It lasted a second until I released her and stepped back. She stood stock still, her hands still where they’d lifted to clutch my forearms, eyes closed, lips open and freshly flushed.

“Good Day, Miss Vale,” I said, before tucking my book under my arm and heading back to my office. At the very least, I’d given her something to think about. At the most, I’d been given a memory to cherish until maybe, in another life, we might play this game again.

I ignored everyone until I was in my office, the door shut tight. Then I let the mask drop away and sat unmoving on the couch. The doctors called it depression. The way I felt hollow all the time, mostly feeling absolutely nothing, until something could spark me, and I would feel human again for a short while. It never took long for it to return. They wanted me on some sort of medication, and while I wasn’t against pharmaceuticals, I had no idea what and how my body would react to anything. I wasn’t exactly a normal man.

Instead, I’d practice being normal and when I was alone, I could break the mask and tell myself it was okay not to feel anything.

Izzy had changed that recently. It would only take a glimpse of her to bring me to life for a week at a time. After that kiss, I should have been walking on clouds, and yet, the idea of never doing it again crushed any happiness I’d garnered for those brief seconds.

The macabre part of me wondered if this was how it was meant to go in the past. Maybe Sibyl was never supposed to meet me, or fall in love. Maybe if I hadn’t been selfish and pushed her, she would have lived out her life, perfectly oblivious to me and my dark desires.

If I’d have been a stronger man, maybe I would have let her. Even as I tried to convince myself, I knew it was all a lie. I was as powerless against Sibyl in all her glory as I was against Izzy now. All she had to do was say the word, and I’d crawl at her feet.

Was I seeking forgiveness from Izzy for my mistakes with Sibyl? Maybe. What was so wrong with that? It wasn’t as if she’d ever know, ever understand how much I needed to make amends for my sins, or how much I’d done over the years in the attempt.

I glanced up at the bookshelf lining the wall behind my desk. It was basically the only solace I had in this world that I seemed unable to quit. I got up and placed War and Peace on the shelf carefully between Proust and Kafka, the spines flush and straight. I’d already read it at least a hundred times. Some new material might be in order.

I hopped on the computer and scrolled through the wish list on my favorite book retailer, but before I could pinpoint something, a light knock came at the door.

I didn’t have any more appointments, and I only returned to the office because I didn’t want Izzy to think her rejection of me hurt as a bad as it did.

“Come in,” I called. Then I schooled my features into my trademark look of mild curiosity and billionaire savoir faire.

The door popped open and then inched farther as Izzy stepped inside. “So, this is the bat cave, huh?”

“Can I help you, Miss Vale?”

She cleared her throat and gestured at the chair across the desk. “May I sit?”

“Of course, please.”

“I saw that you approved the updates. You did that earlier, before I even proposed it as a prize in that game, didn’t you?”

I shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe I really think it needs an update.”

She let out a long-suffering sigh and measured me across the desk. I could feel her eyes on me, going over every single inch. Fortunately, years at this meant she’d never find a hair out of place. “Mr. Gray, would you like to accompany me for a drink this evening?”

I had to keep my joy, which was threatening to choke me, from my tone. “Why Miss Vale, do you think that entirely appropriate? I am your boss after all.”

She stood up and tossed a paper ball at my chest before heading toward the door. Her hair stood up on one side, and she’d dropped some sandwich on her blouse to join the coffee stain. And yet, even in her perpetual state of disarray, I wanted her.

“I’ll pick you up at seven, Gray. Don’t make me wait.”