Come on.” He leads me to a staircase that is hidden behind the kitchen. “This was originally for the wait staff. The architect wanted to do away with it, but I like the idea of having two ways out. I also didn’t want to mess with the original design.”

We climb the dark, narrow staircase, and for the first time, I can see why the house has been touted as haunted. It’s downright spooky in certain places, and this staircase is the spookiest of all.

“I would have let him get rid of it,” I say looking around at the exposed brick and ancient sconces. My grip on his hand is tight, and I’m following so close behind I almost trip over my dress.

“Rethinking your belief in ghosts, are you?”

“No, definitely not, but this place looks like the perfect place for a demon who enjoys playing tricks.”

He chuckles as we emerge into a brightly lit hallway. I breathe a sigh of relief and allow more distance between us. “These are a few of the guest bedrooms. A den and a library are up here as well.”

“Why do you need such a big house when it’s only you?”

“I had planned on filling it up with children.”

“And, what happened with that?”

“I never met the right woman. I’m only forty-one, it’s not too late, you know.” He winks, and I feel a hot blush creep up my neck.

“I’m never getting married,” I blurt out. Why on earth would I say that?

To him?

Right now?

“Why is that?” He places his hand on the small of my back to guide me into a large solarium.

“I never want to depend on someone else. I like my independence.”

“You’re afraid of commitment, and you don’t want to expose yourself to pain?”

He stops in the middle of the dark room and points up. I tip my head back, and as soon as I do, fireworks begin to light up the sky. The display distracts me from his comment. “Oh my God, you did this?” I say looking at him. He is staring at me with eyes full of so many emotions, it frightens me but only temporarily.

“I did this for you. I want this to be the most memorable New Year’s Eve you’ll ever have.”

I tilt my head back again and watch the elaborate show through the glass ceiling. Alex moves behind me and wraps his arms around my waist to watch. I can feel his warm breath against my ear and his heart beat against my back.

I notice music playing softly. The fireworks are timed perfectly to the beat and the lyrics. I recognize the song. It’s Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay. I love this song, and now I love it even more.

“Do you like it?” he whispers in my ear.

“I love it,” I whisper back. The fireworks seem to go on forever when the grand finale starts, and my heart skips a beat. No man has ever done anything this romantic for me, not even close. If this is a first date, what would a relationship with him be like?

Relationship, shit, we were talking about why I don’t plan on getting married when the sky started lighting up. I hope he won’t try to resurrect that conversation.

When the last of the fireworks die down, he kisses the side of my neck. “Still think you never want to get married?”

“Are you trying to change my mind on our first date?”

“I didn’t know about your aversion to marriage before tonight, but now that I do, yes, I am taking it as a challenge.”

“Good luck there, buster.” I’m trying my best to sound nonchalant and unhopeful, but the truth is, if he could keep this up, he wouldn’t have to work hard to change my mind. I’m sure I have nothing to worry about. Nobody can be this romantic and thoughtful all the time.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with, Olivia. When I set my eyes on something I want, I don’t hold back.”

“And you’ve set your eyes on me?”

“I have. Prepare to be worshiped, courted, spoiled, and possessed.”

“Nobody possesses me.” I cross my arms over my chest forcing him to free me.

“We shall see. Come with me, I have another surprise.”

He doesn’t guide me this time. Instead, he walks ahead, so I am forced to follow. I guess I deserve that after shooting down what felt a lot like a marriage proposal and or a purchase agreement. What is it with this man? He’s got me so conflicted, I don’t know if I want to follow him to bed or slap him for claiming he will own me one day.

He leads me down a long hall that ends at the grand staircase that I saw when we came in. We descend into the foyer, and he opens the front door.

“We’re leaving?”

“Technically no, we’re taking a short ride, but we aren’t leaving the grounds.”

“It’s cold out.”

“I’ll keep you warm.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders and hurries me into a waiting limo. I’m only chilly for a moment when a gust of wind catches my dress and exposes my leg. Then we are inside the warm car moving down the driveway.

“The house has several smaller residences on the grounds. We are going to one of them.”

“Oh. I don’t suppose it will do me any good to ask why.”

“No, it won’t.”

We ride in silence for a moment when I start to feel anxious. I decide to ask more questions about this past. “Why did you choose to specialize in medical malpractice?”

“When I told you I was an only child, I wasn’t totally honest. I’m a twin. My brother died during childbirth due to a mistake the physician made. My parents told me about it when I was ten. I didn’t have the best childhood, and I always thought how much better it might have been had my brother not died. I guess you could say I did it for him, and then my father was an attorney, too. My parents expected me to walk in his footsteps. My mother was disappointed I didn’t go into another kind of law, something more ruthless and public. She’s all about image.”

“She should be proud of the work you do. You help people who can’t help themselves.”

“Well, my mother hasn’t been proud of anything I’ve done since my father died. That’s a story for another time, though. Tonight is about you.”

“It is? I thought it was about getting to know one another.”

“I’d rather it be about you.”

The car stops in front of a quaint stone house that could be featured on the front of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Thick green moss grows on the outside walls, and the glowing light coming from the small windows make it appear magical.

“This is it,” he says opening the door before the driver can run around. He helps me out and curls his body around mine to shelter me from the wind as we hustle toward the house.

The outside of the house is deceptive. It’s much larger than it appears but still only large enough for one or two people to live in. The fire is lit, and a television is tuned to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in Times Square where it’s almost midnight on the East Coast.

A bottle of champagne is chilling in a bucket next to the couch, and two glasses are sitting next to it. “Why are we celebrating here?”

“This is where your surprise is.”

“Champagne?”

“No, well yes, we have champagne, but that’s not the surprise. Come this way.” He leads me down a short hall, and I hear whining and the skittering of feet, paws to be more accurate.

“Is that a dog?”

“It is.”

“Why?”

He swings open the door to a bedroom, and there in a configured gate stands the sweetest Husky puppy I’ve ever seen. “She’s for you. My breeder’s dog just had pups, and I saw how much you loved mine, so…”

“No way, she’s mine? I can’t Alex, my building won’t allow dogs, that’s why I don’t already have one,” I say walking to the pen to pluck the wiggly sweetheart from her mini jail cell. She promptly thanks me with a million puppy kisses, and I am in love.

“You can keep her here until you find a new place. Visit her whenever you like, my door is always open.”

“Until I find a new place? I don’t plan on moving.”

“Olivia, you own a specialty pet store. You can’t not have a dog. It’s just wrong. You can take her to work with you on slow days. She’ll be your partner, people love puppies, and she’ll be great for business.”

“I don’t know, Alex. This is too much.”

“It’s not, and you’re in love already, so don’t tell me you don’t want her.”

He’s right about that. He’s right about all of it.

“Come on, it’s almost midnight. Bring her into the living room so we can toast the new year and think of a proper name for her.”

I follow him down the hall, and we sit on the couch. I watch him pour the champagne, and it occurs to me that I haven’t seen his dogs all evening. “Where are your dogs?”

“They have their own quarters on the east side of the house. One of the live-in maids is watching over them tonight for me.”

Their own quarters? I guess being a billionaire’s dog is a pretty good gig.

“I would have liked to have seen them.”

“We can go back to the house when we’re done here if you like. I’m sure this little girl would like to see her sisters and her brother anyway.”

“So she’s from the same parents?”

“Yes, they’re champion-line dogs. Nothing but the best.”

Of course, I think rolling my eyes when he isn’t looking.

“What do you want to name her?”

“I have no idea. This is so unexpected. I’ll have to think about it.”

“So, you’ll keep her?”

“Are you kidding? You probably picked the most adorable pup of the litter to make sure I couldn’t say no.”

“I did.”

“How did you come up with your dogs’ names?”

“I didn’t, Lilly did.” He hands me a glass and turns his attention to the television. Well shit, how was I supposed to know that? It feels like the temperature just dropped ten degrees in the small room, and I’m not sure what to say. Unfortunately, what does come out of my mouth is wrong on so many levels.

“You bought her dogs, too?”

My tone is clipped and uncharacteristically jealous of which I am immediately embarrassed.

He frowns. “No, they have always been my dogs. She named them because I was away on business, and she got tired of waiting for me to do it myself. When I came back, they were already answering to those names, so I let it be.”

He pulls up his knee and shifts on the couch to face me. The puppy squirms in my arms and leaps into his. She calms the second she’s in his lap, and he scratches her behind the ears.

“I want you to know something, Olivia. Lilly and I dated longer than I’ve ever dated anyone before, but it wasn’t because I loved her. She was willing to put up with my shitty schedule, and she was pliable, submissive, and weak. It was a relationship made out of convenience for me.”

“But not for her.”

“No. Not for her. She loved me very much. She wanted to get married, as well she should have at that point in the game. But I couldn’t stand in front of God and commit myself to someone for the rest of my life when I had no significant feelings for her.”

Wow, so he was cool with using her up for a few years, but when it came to committing to her permanently, he cut the strings. “You’re kind of a dick.”

His face crumples into a frown. “I’m a dick for not marrying someone I didn’t love?”

“No, for staying with her until she started wanting more. You had to know she was in love with you, why drag it out and break her heart?”

“I tried to break it off with her more times than I can remember. She wouldn’t let go.”

“So, how did you finally do it?”

He looks away from me, and I know he doesn’t want to answer the question. “That bad, huh?”

“It was difficult, yes. Why are we talking about my ex? I don’t want to ring in the new year with ancient history.”

I can’t help but wonder what it was that made Lilly accept their breakup, but he’s right, this is a shitty first-date conversation.

“Oh, look, the ball is dropping,” I say pointing at the TV. The puppy senses my excitement and squirms in Alex’s lap. He positions her on the couch between us as the countdown begins. At ten, he leans in and captures my mouth in the most delicious New Year’s kiss I’ve ever received.

The kiss is slow and sultry unlike the out-of-control passionate kiss we shared at his house. He’s reigning himself in, I can tell. He keeps one hand on the back of the couch and the other on my knee that is exposed through the slit in my dress.

As much as I want to take this slow, I wouldn’t stop him if he pushed me further. I want him, and he wants me. Wanting something you can’t have, for whatever reason, makes it even harder to resist.

When the crowds in NYC shout Happy New Year, the puppy throws back her little head and howls effectively ending our moment. “I think she’s saying Happy New Year,” I say scooping her onto my lap.

“I think she’s a little cockblocker, maybe I should have gotten a boy?”

I hold the pup up in front of me and talk to her as if Alex isn’t here. “He thinks you’re a cockblocker. That’s not nice, is it? You’re just excited for the new year, aren’t you, sweet girl?” She licks my face and yips in agreement.

Alex is shaking his head. “Great. Allies, just what I need.”

I giggle and continue speaking to the puppy. “I’ll bet he didn’t get a boy because he would have been jealous.” I glance up, and the expression on his face is priceless. “I’m right, aren’t I? You seriously got a girl so you wouldn’t have to compete with another male. I hate to break it to ya, buster, but us ladies stick together.” I look at the sweet little fluff ball. “Don’t we, lady?” She yips.

“I think you may have found her name,” he says.

“Lady?” I ask, and she yips again as if to agree.

“Yes.”

“I like it if you like it, Lady.”

He watches as Lady paws at me and begs for attention. I do my best to comply until she settles down to rest in my lap.

“Thank you,” he says brushing my hair off of my shoulder.

“For what? You’re the one who’s been spoiling me all evening. I think it should be me thanking you.”

“For putting up with me bullying you into this night. I know I can be pushy at times.”

I’m surprised by his admission. I wouldn’t have thought him the type to apologize for anything. “You’re welcome, and I’m glad you’re pushy and determined. I would have missed out on a great time with a wonderful man.”

“You think I’m wonderful?”

I give him a side-glance and narrow my eyes. “Yes, sometimes. Don’t let it go to your head, though.”

“Oh no, I would never,” he says although it’s obvious that it already has.

“You’re too much, Alex Wolfe. You know that, right?”

“So I’ve been told.”

We relax into the gray plush couch, his arm around my shoulders and Lady stretched out on our laps to watch the world celebrate the new year. When the party in NYC moves out of Times Square, we decide to go back to the main house.

Lady has a potty break outside with Alex while I wait in the car at his insistence. I told him I would suffer the cold since Lady is officially my dog, but he wasn’t having any of it.

Ever the gentleman he held her on his lap in the limo so as not to get my dress dirty. I tried telling him his tuxedo was worth as much as the dress, but again, he refused to listen.

We found Lexi, Piper, and Cole lounging by a fireplace in the east wing with a maid named Emily. A young twenty-something brunette with a nice figure, she could easily be considered competition, but her easygoing nature puts that thought to rest right away. She gushes over the puppy for a few minutes before disappearing and leaving us alone with the pack of dogs.

“Why do they have their own part of the house?”

“The house is over ten thousand square feet. If I let them roam all over, I’d never know what they were up to. They can get into a lot of mischief when left unattended.”

“Most dogs do, but this breed especially, they’re curious by nature. Does Emily dog-sit often?”

“Yes, she loves animals.”

“She’s very pretty.”

“Is she? Do you like her? I thought you were into me?” he says with a smile and a wink.

“Just an observation, and no, I’m not interested in women if that was your roundabout way of asking.”

“I don’t ask roundabout questions. If I want to know something, I will let you know, and I expect the same from you.”

That’s good because I happen to have a direct question for him. “Okay, I have a question then.”

“Ask away.” We are sitting on the floor in front of the fire with the dogs around us. He stretches out on his side propping his head up with his hand, and I do the same. “Did you really just happen to stop in my shop for dog treats that day?”

“Yes, at the encouragement of my housekeeper, who was indeed sick and unable to come that day. She told me the shop was owned and run by a beautiful young woman, and that I would be a fool not to pursue you. And, since I’m no fool, of course, I took her advice. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know, it just felt weird like…”

“Like kismet?”

“Yes, exactly, like you already knew we would be good together, and you were just there to let me in on the secret.”

“I do think we will be good together. I feel like we have known each other for a long time, and that’s not some bullshit come-on. I really feel that way.”

“Me, too. I was thinking since we both feel like we have known each other for a while, and we will be spending time together since you so conveniently tied yourself to me with a puppy, maybe it wouldn’t be so awful if I went further than I normally would with a man I just met?”

His eyes become more intent, and he scoots closer closing the distance between us on the rug. “Are you saying you might consider spending the night with me?”

I lower my gaze to the space between us suddenly feeling brazen but not too brazen to deny my desire for him. “Yes.”

He reaches out and hooks a finger under my chin to bring my eyes back to his.

“I can’t think of a better way to start the year.”