I use a crusty piece of bread to scoop up the last of the juice from my steak and let out a disappointed moan at my empty plate.

For the past hour, I have been enjoying the most incredible, most life-changing meal I have ever had. And surprisingly enough, it wasn’t the juicy piece of meat that had cost more than my damn shoes that made this meal so incredible. No, it was the beguiling, confusing, hilarious woman sitting across from me. She is in one breath so cultured and intelligent and in another, so innocent and curious. Her passion for life is downright fucking inspiring.

I swear I catch the same look of disappointment cross her face when she sets her own fork down on her plate. I can tell that we are both in new territory here. Going straight from high school to the Marines did not leave me a lot of time to date. And I admittedly was not the type to wine and dine a girl. My priorities had always been on my work and my family. Despite the urgings of my very enthusiastic mother, I never could sustain enough interest in a woman for more than a few weeks. And never before had a woman captivated me as much as the one sitting across from me tonight.

Fuck, I want this woman. Specifically I want her in my bed. My permanent semi-hard cock straining against my belt buckle is broadcasting that fucking loud and clear. But it’s more than that: I want to continue talking with her, laughing with her, listening to her passionate debates on the merits of toffee ice cream. And that is what bothers me the most. Because I know just one taste of Gabby will never be enough. The question now is: am I enough of a masochist to say “fuck it” and take it? Damn the consequences tomorrow? Or do I finally admit to myself that there is no logical world where someone like Gabby Monroe would even consider being with someone like me?

“So,” Gabby says, interrupting my thoughts with her whispered breath. She runs her delicate finger across the rim of the glass and she looks up at me from behind her thick lashes. She somehow manages to look both so innocent and so seductive, and it makes every single muscle in my body tick.

I recognize the look on her face. I’ve seen it hundreds of times. The penetrating gaze she gives me, the way she licks her lips. She wants me. And I would be a fool not to take her up on it. Every inch of my body is screaming at me to take her. But I can also see the rosy flush in her cheeks and the empty bottle of champagne on the table and that is enough to stop me. Forget the fact that her sister is the one signing my paychecks, and that I would have to be a fucking idiot to screw this gig up. Daphni, not Gabby, has to be my priority this summer. I need to shut this down.

I offer Gabby a tight-lipped smile and wave the waiter over. “I think we’re ready to go,” I tell him and he nods curtly before scurrying away.

Across the table, I can see a tentative smile sneak up Gabby’s face and I instantly realize my mistake. Fuck. She thinks me rushing to get out of the restaurant is my way of telling her that I fully intend on taking her back to my hotel room to do all the dirty, wonderful, sinful things she is promising me with her eyes. Just the thought that Gabby even remotely wants this causes my dick to harden even more, and I make a half-hearted effort to tuck the bastard away.

The waiter rushes back with the check, handing it to Gabby. A pleased smile at the damage rises to her face and she signs the check after adding, I’m sure, a very generous tip.

“Are you ready to go?” I ask her.

She nods and pushes her chair back before standing. And because my eyes haven’t left her for a second since I caught her pounding on her sister’s door, I notice the way she fumbles out of her seat and catches herself on the back of the chair as she stands. The girl is tipsy at best. She throws me a shy smile over her shoulder and I quickly step toward her so I can guide her out of the restaurant without her completely crumbling to the ground.

With my hand guiding her, I lead her out of the restaurant. Outside, I let the valet know we need a cab and he hails one. After helping Gabby get inside, I slide in next to her and pass along the name of our hotel to the driver. As the driver takes a sharp left, Gabby tumbles against me, her hand landing on my thigh. I instantly feel my body tense, and it takes all my willpower to remove her hand, gently placing it on the seat between us.

As I break our contact, she turns away and I can feel her hurt and confusion. It makes me feel like such an asshole. I kick myself for being so reckless and letting the wrong parts of my anatomy guide me this evening. I had let my walls down, flirted with this girl, and let her get under my skin. And only when my plate was cleared did I finally realize that this was a colossal fucking mistake. There is no way I can focus on my job protecting Daphni if I'm constantly distracted by her younger sister. I need this job and I desperately need the money. There is too much on the line to risk it all.

We finally arrive back to the hotel after fifteen agonizing minutes of silence. We continue our silent march as we walk to the elevators and I press the button for her floor. My plan is to walk her to her door, make sure she gets inside safely, and then run like hell out of there.

After what feels like an eternity, we arrive to the floor and I follow behind Gabby as she walks to her hotel room. She pulls her key out of the bag on her wrist and slides it into the door. She hesitates briefly before opening the door and I swear I can hear the wheels turning in her head.

Turning around to face me with the door to her room slightly ajar, she tells me, “You know, I have cake in my room.”

I clench my jaw but try to keep my face relaxed. “Gabby, I—"

“It’s just cake, Liam. Besides, it’s my birthday. You can’t have me eating my birthday cake all alone now, can you?” she asks in a teasing tone.

My walls collapse: she looks so nervous and hopeful, and the thought of disappointing her breaks my last fragment of self-control.

I shake my head and offer her a smile. “Sure, of course,” I reply, and I follow her inside.

I stand awkwardly by the door and trail her with my eyes as she kicks off her heels and marches over to the mini-fridge. Her hotel room is similar to mine, with a large living room with a couch, television, and kitchenette. A closed door leads off to the bedroom, and I have to physically restrain myself from hauling Gabby over my shoulder a second time and kicking the door open to her bedroom.

“Ta da!” Gabby announces as she opens a white box to reveal a small, circular, bright-pink birthday cake. It has a single candle perched on the top next to a flower made of icing. Laying it on top of the coffee table, Gabby drops down onto the couch and looks over to me.

“Do you want to have a seat?” she asks.

I nod, realizing how ridiculous I look huddled in the corner. I take a seat a few inches away and pull a lighter out of my pocket to light the short candle. Gabby rewards me for the small gesture with a beaming smile, and it makes me feel like I rescued a box of kittens from drowning in a well.

“Time to make a wish,” I tell her as I hold the cake up to her.

Closing her eyes, Gabby leans forward, pursing her lips together. In the dim light of the room, the flickering candle illuminates the softness of her face and her full, lush lips. Those fucking lips will kill me. Plump and pink, I want to reach out and run the pad of my thumb over them. I want to feel them crushed under mine as I devour her mouth with hungry kisses. I want to see them wrapped around the thickness of my hard—

“Liam?” Gabby’s voice pulls me out of my depraved reverie.

I shoot her a quizzical look. “Eh?”

“Cake? You want a slice of cake?”

“Cake, yeah right. Please.”

She takes the cake from me and cuts me a piece, carefully placing it on a round ceramic plate before handing it to me. She cuts another piece for herself and then leans back into the plush couch cushions.

A loud moan escapes her lips and I angle my face to watch her. Her eyes are closed, and she is licking the plastic fork clean, her tongue darting out to catch every last speck of icing.

I force myself to look away and focus on the cake on my plate. I shovel it into my mouth in two quick bites and place the plate on the glass coffee table with a loud clang.

“You want another piece?” Gabby asks as she sees my empty plate. She is not even done with hers yet, still taking her time and enjoying every taste.

“No, I’m good. I think I’m actually going to head out. You know, long day tomorrow.”

I start to push up off the couch but Gabby shoots her hand out to catch my arm.

“Wait.” She brings her plate down to the table and turns to look at me. “Thank you so much for tonight,” she says, as she trails her hand down my arm.

Though my brain is screaming at me to run away, my fucking body won’t listen. Instead it collapses into the couch below me, my only lifeline the feeling of Gabby’s hand on my arm. I do nothing but watch as Gabby shifts on the couch, bringing her leg up to straddle me. She places her hands on my shoulders as she shifts her weight to settle her warm core on top of my eager cock. She lets out a soft gasp as she feels my cock prick up at the contact. Surprisingly, though, she doesn’t stop. With her eyes locked on mine, she leans forward and places a chaste, tentative kiss on my lips.

Instantly all my senses are overwhelmed. The sweetness of her lips on mine, the flowery scent of her perfume, the searing-hot touch of her hands burning through my clothes, the gorgeous swirl of lust and desire in her eyes, and the sound of her breath mixing with mine. Everything about this girl is overpowering me, and I finally admit defeat and allow my body to submit. I lift my hand to grasp the back of her head, tangling my fingers through her hair and pulling her face closer to mine. My other hand cups her ass, squeezing it, encouraging her to rub herself against me and give us both the release we desperately need.

The second her lips are on mine a second time, I angle my face so I can take her kisses in more fully. I open my mouth, let my marauding tongue go free, and coax her lips to open to mine. The second she does, my tongue enters her. I have an overwhelming desire to conquer this woman the same way she has so obviously conquered me. When I feel her tongue dart out to meet mine, I grow even harder and I dig my fingers into her plump ass, encouraging her to keep grinding against me.

A loud moan escapes her lips and it’s like my fucking Kryptonite. Instantly I’m pulled back to reality. A reality where my boss’ little sister, who is obviously drunk, is grinding herself on my hard dick. I feel a rush of anger and guilt as I realize that I am doing every goddamn thing I swore I wouldn’t be doing ten minutes ago. I jerk away, and a startled Gabby topples off me, landing on the couch beside me.

“Gabby,” I start, my voice raw with desire.

Sensing my change, Gabby scrambles off the couch. “No, Liam. It’s okay,” she cuts me off before I can finish.

I rake my fingers through my hair and let out a huff of air in frustration. “Gabby, let me finish,” I demand.

Ignoring me, she makes a beeline for the door, opening it to the hallway. “I’m good, Liam. I got a little out of control. I’m sorry,” she curtly replies.

I stalk toward her. “Gabby, just listen to me! You are a great girl. You are but…Fuck, Gabby. I work for your sister and I need this job and this is so fucked up.” The words leave my mouth before I can even try to edit them.

“Wait, that isn’t what I mean,” I try to quickly add, but the damage has already been done. I can see her eyes glistening, and it fucking destroys me to know that I have single-handedly made her birthday an even greater disaster.

I open my mouth again but snap it closed when I see the obvious hurt all over face. I walk past her and step into the empty hallway as she quickly shuts the door behind me. Maybe it’s better that she hates me, I tell myself. If she hates me, it will be easier for me to resist her. But even as the words enter my head, I know it’s bullshit. Because resisting someone like Gabby Monroe is downright fucking impossible.