Shaking her bare shoulder gently, Brecken watched as her eyes fluttered open and met his. “Good morning, sunshine.”

She groaned and threw an arm over her head.

Considering she’d only been asleep for three hours he could hardly hold her behavior this morning against her. They’d been holed up in his apartment for the better part of three days, and still he wasn’t ready to re-enter the world outside.

“I need to go into the office to take care of a few things. I’ll be back later this afternoon.”

“I need to go home and work on my website today.”

He agreed with a small nod and bit back a protest for her to stay. “Edward can take you home whenever you’re ready. I’m flying out to Kansas City early tomorrow morning for work. I’ll be out of town all week, but I’ll call you later this afternoon.”

She peeked out from under her arm, and he was almost certain she stared up at him with a look of disappointment. Content that at least she didn’t like the idea of him leaving, he kissed her lightly and then forced himself to leave for work.

As much as he’d like to take another day off, he couldn’t. There was too much to do to get ready for his meeting in Kansas City, and Tina would have his hide if he dropped the ball. Brecken’s phone buzzed in his pocket as he exited the apartment. Without having to look, he knew there was a good chance it was Nadia calling… again.

She’d been calling incessantly since he’d left the office Friday. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, Nadia’s name flashed on the screen, and he pressed decline with the tap of his thumb. He shrugged off any notion that it was work related, knowing she would have left a message if that were the case. Perhaps he hadn’t been as clear about their arrangement as he’d thought. She’d never reacted this way before. Then again, neither had he. It wasn’t like him to rush out of work or to decline her calls.

He and Nadia weren’t a thing, they never had been. He didn’t feel like he needed to explain anything to her. Still, he knew he would have to have a conversation with her anyway.

He checked email and created a list of things he needed to accomplish as Edward drove to the office, already wondering if he’d be able to get away early and see January before he flew out tomorrow morning.

The car pulled to the curb, and he opened the door to find none other than Nadia waiting, leaning casual as could be against the front of the building. He clenched his jaw, annoyed that she couldn’t have just waited upstairs for him. No, she was going to flank him through the building until she got what she wanted, not that he had any idea what that was.

He took his time closing the distance between them before offering, “Hello, Nadia.” He held open the building door while she shot daggers in his direction. With a final glare, she turned and walked in front of him without a word. Words would have been easier. Yelling, screaming, throwing shit—that he could handle. But a silent, pouting Nadia didn’t bode well for his afternoon of productivity.

The building was quiet, one of the many reasons he liked going to the office on Sundays. He’d spent a lot of time working in the quiet of his apartment or the small, vacant space that was his first office when he’d started the company and couldn’t afford office supplies or employees. Back when Blackstone Software had been nothing more than a dream. A thirst to become the man he was today.

Following behind Nadia, the smell of her spicy perfume billowed around him as they entered the elevator and rode to the top floor. When they stepped out into the reception area, he broke the silence, wanting to get the inevitable conversation over with as soon as possible. He had work to do and a woman in his bed that he ached to see.

“What do you need, Nadia? I have a lot of work to do today.”

The click of her heels and the haughty huff that filled the room were the only assurance that she’d followed him into his office. He knew she would. She wasn’t there on a Sunday to do work, that much he knew for sure.

“You’ve been avoiding me. This was the only way I could think to see you.”

Taking a seat behind his desk, he opened the laptop and entered the password. As the computer hummed to life, he leaned back in his leather chair and met her cold stare. He wasn’t fooled. He knew there was a vulnerable and scared woman under that icy exterior.

“I’m not avoiding you, Nadia. I’ve simply had a lot going on this week.”

She moved around the desk and turned his chair toward her. “You haven’t stopped by my apartment all week. I miss you.” She stepped between his legs and pushed her hands underneath his jacket, scratching her nails along his sides and down to his pants in a V.

“Listen, Nadia,” he said as he captured her wrists and stood, sending Nadia stumbling backward. “It’s been a busy week and I have work to do.”

“What all the sudden you don’t wanna fuck me anymore?”

He stepped forward, holding her icy gaze. “You’re my assistant Nadia and while we’ve crossed the line on more than one occasion, I was very clear that our relationship was strictly social obligations and casual sex. You don’t get to waltz into my office like some jealous girlfriend and throw a tantrum.”

Anger flashed in her eyes, but she pursed her lips and straightened. “Fine, I’m going. You know where to find me.” She smiled and with a toss of her hair over her shoulder she left.

Brecken cursed under his breath as the elevator dinged, signaling Nadia’s departure. Tina had warned him getting involved with Nadia, however casual, was bad news, and he kicked himself now for not listening. She’d be a nightmare to replace if it came to that.

* * *

He managed to focus for about three hours before his fingers hovered over January’s name on his phone. He couldn’t call. He couldn’t. He couldn’t. Tipping his head back, he stared at the ceiling and wondered how he’d gotten himself so tangled up in this woman so quickly.

The daughter of a politician and the son of a rancher. It seemed an unlikely pairing despite how different they’d both strived to be from their parents. Something about her desire to be different from the person she was expected to become resonated with him, even if that person wanted nothing to do with the lifestyle he was starting to find himself a part of. Fundraisers and social invitations nearly every week—it wasn’t why he’d worked so hard to own a successful company, but he’d always seen them as an added perk. Maybe it was because his social calendar had been so empty before.

Thinking of his calendar, he opened his schedule and checked his flight reservation and scanned ahead to see what other commitments he had this week—meetings on top of meetings on top of meetings until…

He smiled and grabbed his phone.

“Hello?” she answered, her voice muffled and sounding far away. “Shit,” she screeched and a loud clang followed, forcing him to pull the phone from his ear. “Hello?” she said again, her voice clearer.

He grinned as he pictured her fumbling about with her phone. “What’s going on over there, Miss Lyle?”

“Sorry, I dropped the phone.”

“I miss you.” The words tumbled from his lips without thinking, but he didn’t care. It was true. He’d missed her since the second he had left.

Her voice was playful as she responded. “It’s only been a few hours.”

“Your point?”

“It hasn’t been long enough for you to really miss me.”

“Untrue. I’m quite in tune with my feelings, and I fucking miss you.”

His honesty was rewarded with a light giggle that had his heart soaring.

“That isn’t why I’m calling, though. Have dinner with me Friday night when I get back. Technically, it’s dinner with me and a business partner, but I’d like you to come with me.”

“A business dinner?” Her hesitation was obvious, but he wasn’t easily deterred. There was no way he could go an entire week without seeing her and then fly back and sit through a dinner, all the while knowing she was across town. No. He’d never make it past dinner drinks.

“The dinner should only last a couple of hours, and then we can go wherever you’d like, do whatever you want. Just the two of us.”

The line was silent for a moment, and he pictured her chewing on her bottom lip or pacing her living room. “I don’t know anything about your business. Wouldn’t you rather take Tina or someone who works for you?”

Brecken’s thoughts drifted to Nadia. She’d accompanied him to nearly every dinner and event he’d attended since she started working for him last year. “No, I would rather take you, which is why I asked you.”

“Who is the dinner with?”

“Martin, my lawyer, and his wife Sylvie. They’re nice. I think you’ll like them.”

“What if he asks me about your company. I know nothing about it.”

“Tell him that. It’s only dinner with a business partner and his wife, not a business dinner. We won’t bore you with work talk if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“You know that isn’t the issue.”

“Mmm,” he hummed his agreement. “I know you could never be bored with me.”

She laughed, and the tension over the phone eased. “All right.”

“You’ll come?” He smiled like an idiot and held back a fist pump. Even alone in his office, he knew he was too old and dorky to pull that move off.

“Yes, but on one condition.”

“Anything. You name it.”

The voice that answered was all business, negotiating her terms. “You stay at my apartment Friday night.”

“That’s it?”

“Mm-hmm.” Her voice sing-songed with trouble.

“Done. I’ll pick you up at seven.”