Arianna had been back in Boston for a week and had nothing to show for it, unless you counted the semi-notoriety that came from the never-ending gossip articles.

They had not stopped even after she’d left the ranch. And some of the Boston-based magazines had picked up the story and run with it.

Billionaire cowboy pays escort!

Boston native a real life mail order bride!

The secret life of a city escort.

That one had been her favorite. As if she had a secret life.

Ari hadn’t quite reached celebrity paparazzi stalking status yet, but because the articles loved to point out that she was a native of Boston, more and more people recognized her. How the gossip sites got wind of the story in the first place was obvious as far as Arianna was concerned.

Ari was pretty sure that Molly was behind everything.

The leak about Ari being paid, the picture, the gossip sites never ending barrage of speculation…and what was Molly’s motive for destroying the very business arrangement she’d helped orchestrate?

Simple jealousy.

Ari knew better than to think Molly felt nothing for her boss. The looks of resentment had not been all in Ari’s imagination.

But it really didn’t matter now. It was over and she had to try and put her life back together. It sucked that along with a broken heart, she had to deal with a new life plan. College was out of the question for the foreseeable future.

And so here she was, back in Boston and back at square one.

Now, as she pushed the key into the lock of her temporary home and twisted, a blast of A/C hit her along with the unmistakable aroma of cleaning solution unique to low-end motels. She was still trying to find an affordable apartment, not easy when she still didn’t have a job and had become notorious as a supposed escort.

Most places didn’t like the idea of renting to prostitutes.

Ari had applied at dozens of places but they either never called her back or had heard about her current “situation” and felt that she wasn’t a good fit. Except for the actual escort agency that left a voice mail two days ago. A woman telling Ari that she could make a lot of money of she wanted to continue to pursue that line of work.

Apparently there were a lot of men in the city looking for discreet companionship. Who knew?

Being paid to be arm candy or for sex wasn’t something she ever wanted to do, ironic because the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she and Duke had had sex and he had paid her for her time.

God was that really all she’d been to him in the end? An escort?

No, she refused to believe it. What happened was more than just the arrangement between them. She liked Duke. A lot. Maybe not at first, but the more time they’d spent together, the more she saw the man under the hat and she’d fallen for him hard. And she thought he liked her too. Their week together had been amazing, but as she looked back at everything they did together, she couldn’t really say that any of it was real.

Be seen with Duke. Have pictures taken doing chores with Duke. Seem like a perfectly happy couple together.

God, had he been paying her for sex and she was just too caught up in him to see it?

She almost didn’t cash the check he gave her, but she realized that after one night back in Boston, she had no other choice. She had no apartment, no place to stay and even if she did find something, she didn’t have enough money for a deposit and first and last.

Not unless she cashed his check.

She set her takeout dinner on the small table by the bed and slipped off her heels. Pounding the pavement, literally with those shoes, had been as fruitless today as every other day so far. Her feet hurt, she had no real prospects, and the ache in her chest hadn’t gone away yet.

Even if he only saw her as one of his employees, for her at least, the feelings between her and Duke had been real. But every day that passed without a word from him only proved how naive she’s been. He didn’t feel the same.

It was only four o’clock but she changed out of her business casual clothes and put on a pair of black yoga pants and an “I *heart* Montana” t-shirt she grabbed spur of the moment right before her flight of shame.

Because apparently she was really that lame.

Ari curled up on the double bed with her Chinese food and laptop. Another night of Netflix it was. Good thing she still had two more seasons of Shameless to watch. If nothing else the show made her feel a whole lot better about the level of her messed up life.

She’d just stuffed a huge mouthful of Lo Mein into her mouth, because why not? It wasn’t like she had anyone to impress.

Suddenly, someone pounded on the door. She jumped a little, even though it had happened a few times since she’d been staying there. The area wasn’t home to crack dens or anything, but it definitely wasn’t the Ritz either. The comforters were dated but at least they were clean and the stains along the edge of the tub weren’t too bad if you didn’t look too long.

The Do Not Disturb sign usually kept housekeeping away, but a quick glance showed her that she left it next to the TV this morning when she left. Grab clean towels and back to her exciting evening plans. She rolled her eyes at how pathetic her life had become in such a short amount of time and climbed off the bed, careful not to tip the container over onto her laptop, because that would just be perfect.

“Yeah yeah,” she mumbled, avoiding a gross brown spot on the carpet because she was in her bare feet.

“Ari, I know this is your room and I know you’re in there because I can hear the damned TV.”

Everything inside her froze even as her feet moved her closer to the door. She knew that voice. Had fantasized about that voice. Had hated on that voice. What the hell was that voice doing outside her door?

Here in Boston?

“Duke?”

She didn’t think she said his name very loud, but the handle to the door suddenly turned until the lock stopped it.

“Let me in, Ari.”

Holy crap it was really him. Unease and a little excitement skittered up her spine. Why was Duke here, outside her motel room?

“Ari. Open the door or I’ll use the key I got from the front desk. Which by the way pisses me the hell off. Why are you staying some place that will give any stranger who slips ‘em a few bucks the key to a woman’s room?” She could hear the growl in his voice and despite the cold air in the room, it made her feel warm all over.

She flipped the lock and pulled the chain free.

Her heart was thundering as she opened the door. Two hundred pounds of tense cowboy filled the opening and she drank the sight of him in greedily. Tight t-shirt, jeans that hugged his legs, scuffed boots, and his damned hat that he’d tipped back the moment the door opened.

He really was as hot as her mind remembered.

And his eyes. Blazing and dark and roving over every inch of her, and Ari could almost feel it. Her nipples tightened against the material of her tacky tourist shirt. Duke pushed inside the room and the door clicked shut. The chain lock sounded overloud as he slipped it into place.

He shoved his hand against his hat and slid it off his head. He tossed it into a chair like he lived there. His gaze moved around the room and his lips turned down.

“Seriously, why the hell are you here?” He sounded mad, as if he had any right to barge in and question her living conditions. He’d lost any right to care when he let her drive away and then never even called.

“I think a better question is why are you here?” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

He swung around and took the two steps to close the distance between them. He had one arm wrapped around her waist and the other digging into the hair at her neck. Hunger burned in his eyes now and when she opened her mouth to ask him what was going on, his mouth crashed down over hers, his tongue silencing her questions.

He held her still, ravished her mouth until the only thing she was capable of was moaning. She missed him, missed this. Ari dug her fingers into the material at his waist and clung to him as hard as she could. He shifted and she felt the hard bulge in his jeans pressing against her stomach.

She whimpered, her need evident in that tiny sound.

Duke ripped his lips away and laid his forehead against hers. His warm breath washed over her swollen lips with every harsh exhale. His eyes were wild and she could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly.

“I needed to know you were okay.” His fingers tightened in her hair and the bite of pain send a ripple of desire straight between her legs.

“You could have called,” she said breathlessly, so glad that he didn’t call and came there instead because now she could touch him again. And if she was actually sleeping and face down in her Lo Mein then she never wanted to wake up.

Let the dream continue if that’s what this was.

Duke pulled back enough so that he could look at her. His gaze roamed possessively over every inch of her face. He slid his hand under the hem of her shirt and ran a thumb over the skin above the waist of her yoga pants. A rumbling noise vibrated his chest.

“Fuck darlin, I can’t get you out of my head. I’m like a god damned bull around the ranch, plowing down everything in my path because it’s not the same without you there. I can’t work for shit and all week thinking about you being halfway across the fucking country where I can't get to you.” He took her mouth again and when he finally pulled back again, they were both breathless. “I almost decked another guest because I can’t stand being apart from you, Ari. It’s making me fucking crazy.”

His fingers tightened in her hair as he held her immobile and buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. He scraped his teeth across the sensitive skin just above her shoulder and chills ran down her body.

Her body remembered how he could make her feel and it wanted more.

“Duke.” His name ripped from her throat on a groan. He was there. In her room, but it felt almost like a dream. He let her walk away and had even paid her. “I thought I was just a job to you.”

He groaned. “From the moment I laid eyes on you I knew everything was different. I’ve never had much use for city folks but everything fell into place when I saw you. It was never about the contract or the money for me. Hell I would've tore the thing up and kept you there if it were up to me, but I did need to change my image. And that had been the deal, so I kept going with it way past what made sense. But I shouldn’t have let you walk away. I should've gone after you and told you that it had nothing to do with the money. You walked and it took me a week to get my head out of my own ass and here I am, not letting you go this time.”

Her heart soared and tears burned her eyes. Everything he said was what she’d wanted him to say before. Now was okay. It wasn’t too late. She pressed her lips against his, ran her tongue along the seam of his lips until he opened for her. His mouth was warm and velvety, but most of all, she wanted to claim it as her own. Duke let her lead for a few moments, then he took control, possessing every inch and demanding everything from her.

He ripped his mouth away and his eyes blazed. “Fuck I missed you, darlin.”

Ari groaned. Her body was on fire. Duke had left Montana, he’d come all the way to Boston because he missed her. Ari felt like Cinderella when the prince slid the glass slipper into her foot.

“I missed you too. So much.”

He grabbed behind her thighs and lifted while he spun her around. Her back thunked against the door but she still wrapped her legs around his waist. It put the hardest part of him against her soft wet center.

The thin material of her yoga pants was no match for the rigid denim and he rocked his hips, grinding his cock against her clit. Even through all the fabric she could feel the pressure building. It came half from what he was doing to her, and half that it was him doing it.

Duke.

He was there.

Because he was going crazy without her.

Emotion swelled in her chest and she dug her nails into his shoulders. He groaned against her neck and shifted her higher before stepping back. She was wrapped around him like a spider monkey.

“Seems you missed me too, darlin.” He kissed a path from her shoulder to her chin. Everywhere his lips touched, goose bumps sprang up.

Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her fingers clinging to his thick hair. She couldn’t get close enough. “You. Now. I want you.” She couldn’t finish a single sentence. All she knew was that she needed him inside her right that second.

He set her down long enough to yank his jeans open and push them down enough so that his cock bobbed free. Her mouth went dry. She reached for it but he grabbed her hands and held them prisoner over her head as he shoved her yoga pants down and off. He released her wrists so that she could pull her shirt off.

“Wrap your arms around my neck,” he demanded. His breathing was erratic and his eyes were dark with lust.

She did as he asked and he grabbed her thighs again, lifting her as if she weighed nothing. He brought her higher and she tightened her arms around him and then he began to lower her. Right onto his cock.

Air lodged in her lungs.

He stopped, poised at her entrance.

“Have you been with anyone else since you left the ranch?” he ground out.

“It’s only been a week.” It took her a moment to understand what he was asking.

His gaze pierced through hers. “Have you, Ari?” he growled, dragging the tip of his cock through her wetness. She arched her hips but he wouldn’t let her have it.

“Have you?” she snapped back.

His eyes darkened and he slid the tip inside her pussy. “Fuck, no. Now answer me.”

All the fight left her and Ari groaned. “Of course not. I was too busy looking for a job and being mad at you and...” Air hissed from between her teeth when he pushed inside her, sheathing his cock in one long, hard thrust. “Oh god, Duke.”

He hooked her knees in the crook of his elbows and pulled back, then shoved forward, making her cry out when he bottomed out inside her. Her back thudded against the wall.

“That’s right, darlin. No one else gets to be inside this sweet body. Only me.”

Duke pounded into her and she wrapped her legs around his waist, taking everything he gave. There was a desperateness between them, both trying to get closer.

The climax burst over her so fast that she didn’t have time to get ready. The angle drove him against her clit and his cock pounded that spot inside her that was going to drive her mad.

She came again, crying out his name this time, as she spasmed around his hardness.

“Again,” he demanded, picking up the pace until he slammed into her faster and harder. She could feel it building. Could do nothing but cling to him. He growled. His body went tight. He held his cock inside her and she felt it jerking, filling her as he ground against the place that sent her over the edge on last time.

Her legs were shaky when he finally let her stand.

“Shower,” she croaked. Her throat was scratchy from the noises he’d forced out of her.

“Shower, food and then we’re gonna take this to the bed and I’m going to take hours seeing how many times you can unravel before I even get back inside you.”

Her sated body came back to life.

He lifted her hand and kissed it before leading her to the bathroom. He sent her a smirk over his shoulder.

It was going to be a long and satisfying night.