Her back was turned to him.

His eyes focused on the arch of her slender neck, exposed since her auburn hair was tied up as usual.

Heather was standing just a few yards from him, and yet she might as well have been hundreds of miles away. Even without seeing her face, Simon sensed her agitation.

He walked across the room and joined her on the balcony.

She was holding tightly to the railing, staring up at the sky. Though he hated to, Simon had to admit that she really was lovely standing in the light of the sunset. He hated admitting it because it meant admitting that he could be distracted. Could lose focus from his work. That never happened. Until now.

“I know you think I push people away,” he said.

“It’s not just me who thinks it,” she said softly. “Everyone thinks so. The media. Your media relations officer, Linda. I mean, Linda pretty much warned me that you don’t care about the lives of your employees.”

“That isn’t true,” he said. “I do care.”

“Forget I said anything,” she said. “I don’t want Linda to get in trouble.”

“I won’t bring it up to Linda, if that’s what you’re afraid of.” He glanced at her, struck by her wholesome, innocent beauty that made his chest tighten. “I do care about my employees.” One employee in particular, if he was telling the truth. Which was the problem. Caring about someone like this wasn’t in his nature. So, why start now?

She turned her head to face him, her hazel eyes glowing fiercely in the light of the setting sun. “Is that why you made things so difficult today? Because, if you cared about your employees, you wouldn’t have made the meeting with Mr. Mattis so difficult.”

“This isn’t about Mattis,” he said coolly.

“So, what is it about if you know so much?” She threw her shoulders back in defiance.

There was something so thrilling and exciting about this delicate wallflower of his childhood standing up to him. Nobody stood up to him. Not really. He wasn’t an unfair man, but wealth made people suck up to him in a way that Heather seemed to shun. It really was remarkable, even if it frustrated him at times.

“You’re upset about something I’ve done,” he said. “This is personal for you, isn’t it?”

She narrowed her eyes. “You tell me.”

“You’re angry with me,” he murmured. “Angry that I’ve kept people at a distance. Angry that I’ve kept you at a distance.”

Silence. Heather turned from him and looked back up at the rapidly darkening sky.

“Heather, talk to me,” he insisted. “You were letting me have it a mere five minutes ago. Don’t go all quiet on me now.”

“Why didn’t you get in touch with me for all these years?” she asked.

“I...” He hesitated. Turned her question over in his mind. It never occurred to him that Heather might have been more hurt about how things had ended between them than she’d let on. Their breakup had seemed amicable, but maybe she had still expected his friendship. “It never felt like the right time.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

“First came college, and I got so busy focusing on that. Then came the chaos after college,” he said.

Her head jerked back in surprise. “Chaos? What happened?”

During his years in college, he had invested in Dover. Laid the groundwork for the little startup to become one of the most important tech companies on earth. The consequences for his initial decision had almost ruined his life. Almost destroyed him. But there was no use dragging Heather into his personal life now. Demons weren’t meant to be shared, no matter how she insisted.

“I was dealing with expanding the company,” he finally said. “And at that age I didn’t have nearly as much clout and wealth as I do now. The early years of Dover were tough going.”

“Of course.” She sighed heavily. “This is what I was afraid of. That’s why I kept the truth from you and let you believe I was someone else. The truth has been out for only a short time, and yet I’m already taking things too personally. I’m sorry for lashing out.”

“Don’t worry about it. Tensions are pretty high. And you were right, I should have tried harder to engage Mattis,” he admitted. “It’s just...”

“Just what?” She turned to look at him again, the agitation on her face vanishing.

“It’s just that, all day I’ve been thinking about you,” he said. “About us.”

“Us.” The way she said that one word made his pulse race like crazy.

“I have no right to think in those terms,” he said firmly. “No right to want anything with you.”

“Simon, do you only want me because you can’t have me?” she asked.

It was a bold question. One that knocked the wind out of him. That couldn’t be the reason he was so drawn to her. He knew that she was probably still pining for her ex, but that wasn’t the reason he desired her.

“I want you because you’re such a mystery to me,” he admitted. “Every time I think I’ve figured you out, you surprise me. You excite me. You always have.”

She laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever been described that way by a man. Certainly not by Gary.”

“Gary is a fool,” he said forcefully. “Any man who would let you go is a fool.”

“You let me go once,” she reminded him.

He set his hand on the railing and slid it over to hers. Then, he covered her small hand with his, needing to touch her skin. Needing to know that she was real. Because if he had ever conjured up a woman who would haunt his dreams, he couldn’t have created anyone more perfect for that than Heather.

“I was a fool, and now I’m paying the price for it,” he said. “You still want your ex-husband. And that’s all I could think about today. That’s why I was so distracted. So uninterested in talking to Mattis. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I can’t stand your ex-husband.”

“You’re jealous.”

“I am.” Coming clean like this was the hardest thing he had done in years. Jealousy was the kind of primal emotion that was totally foreign to him. Revealing that much to her put so much control in her hands. Heather had the ability to ruin him. Upend his life. Destroy his career. And, worst of all, she had the ability to smash his heart into a million pieces. Knowing she still wanted her husband was ripping him apart.

But she had the right to know at least this. Because he was her boss and she the subordinate. He would grant her as much power as humanly possible so that she could be safe. Protected.

“Tonight is our last night here,” she breathed. “Which means, the chance for us to...be together again is over.”

Her cheeks turned so pink that he could see her blush, even in the waning light.

“Over?” He wanted to reach out and stroke her cheek. But that was too risky out here. No matter how high off the ground they were, the place was still crawling with tech reporters. Tech might be their beat but everyone liked a good scandal, and this would make one hell of a scandal.

He pulled his hand away from her, the absence of her touch leaving him cold. As he headed back inside he said, “Come inside. We shouldn’t talk like this out here.”

“Does it have to be over?” he asked her.

Placing her hand on his arm she gazed up at him, her hazel eyes on fire. “No. It doesn’t. At least, not until we get back to Seattle.”

“One more night?” he asked. “If you don’t want to, I completely understand. You have every right to turn me down.”

“I don’t want to turn you down,” she said. “I want you, Simon. Right now. We’ll never have a chance like this again. Let this be the last time we do this. Let this be our goodbye to each other.”

The fierce, determined look in her eyes actually left him speechless. It was insane to be this enthralled by a woman, but here he was. Totally under her spell again.

“Do you want to get on the bed for me?” he asked.

Her full pink lips curved into a saucy smile. “Yes.”

Before he could react she raced across the room, kicked off her shoes, and fell down onto the bed. She let out a breathless laugh. There was something so happy and carefree about her now. As if a small part of her from their time together as high school sweethearts remained.

He sauntered over to her and sank down to his knees in front of the bed. “May I?”

From his vantage point, he saw her hazel eyes widen.

“Simon, what are you doing?” she asked with a scandalized gasp.

“Have I ever tasted you?” he asked, his voice rough with lust. “I know we made love in high school, but did I ever do this?”

“I...I don’t think so,” she said. “I’d remember if you did.”

He stifled a groan, the desire to put his mouth between her legs making him so hard it almost hurt. “Can I taste you, Heather?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “Yes, Simon.”

If they were going to share one last night together, he wasn’t going to take anymore from her. He was going to give. Pleasure her. Tonight wasn’t about him. All he wanted to do was give Heather the same pleasure she had given him last night. And take nothing return. He had already taken things too far with her. Tonight was his way of giving her the pleasure she deserved.

He let his hands slide up her supple thighs. Enjoyed the sensation of her soft skin beneath his fingertips. Already, her body was quivering. She moaned softly.

When his fingers finally reached the lacy fabric of her panties, he cupped her gently. Heather let out a cry as she arched her back.

She was already wet. He could feel her slick essence even through the fabric of her underwear. The urge to taste her overwhelmed him.

He slipped his hands into the waistband of her panties and tugged. As she lifted her hips to help him pull her panties off, he stared into her eyes. Watched her as he lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing the bare flesh of her sex.

“I’ll never be able to get over how beautiful you are,” he ground out as his eyes drank her in. Heather spread her legs in response, and the sight of her so exposed nearly melted his brain.

This time he didn’t stop the groan that tore from his lips. Couldn’t stop it even if he tried. His hands wandered up and down her thighs and he started to kiss the sensitive flesh of her inner thigh. Slowly, he kissed his way down until he was so close to her sex he could practically taste it.

Simon’s gaze darted up to hers. “Can I?”

“Yes,” she said.

He lowered his mouth to her wetness and swirled his tongue onto her slick, wet, heat. Her hoarse, ragged moan made him want to take his time. Coax a climax out of her slowly.

When he tasted her, he realized there was no way they had done this before. He would have remembered the sweet taste of her. Remembered how her body shivered as he tormented her with his tongue.

She whimpered, her thighs tightening around his head.

He stroked his tongue into her, increasing the torturously slow pace until he was licking her furiously.

When she moaned his name, he tore his mouth away from her sex and planted a kiss on her quivering inner thigh. “Are you okay?” he asked against the soft flesh thigh. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No.” She reached desperately for him. “Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”

Simon planted another kiss on her thigh, flashed her a wicked smile, and lowered his mouth onto her again.

It didn’t take long to have her panting as he tasted her, enjoying the sounds she made as he pleasured her.

A desperate cry let him know that he had her close to the edge, and when she fisted the sheets he knew that she had climaxed.

He pulled away from her, stroking her thighs with his hands. “Did you come?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “Couldn’t you tell?”

“I just wanted to hear you say it.” He smiled at her and kissed her thigh again.

She laughed. “Damn, you’re so much cockier than you let on.”

“That’s how you know I don’t suffer from false humility.” He got to his feet and lay down on the bed beside her.

Heather was still breathing hard in the wake of her orgasm, so he reached for her hand and held it to his chest. Right above his rapidly beating heart.

“Where did you learn to do that?” She let out another breathless laugh.

“Can’t give away all my secrets.” He turned his head to gaze at her.

Her face was flushed, red from the throes of her passion. Locks of her hair had escaped the bun, and it looked so sexy all tousled and messy like that. Is that what she would look like once she went back to Gary? Happy and sated and satisfied?

His jaw clenched. The thought of another man’s hands all over her filled him with a blinding rage he didn’t know he could possess. All these dangerous emotions that she stirred in him unnerved him. Made him realize just how out of control he was when he gave in to his baser urges with her.

This had to end. Without another word to her he climbed out of bed. He didn’t want her to see the turmoil that raged inside him, so he smiled at her.

Eyes lighting up, she returned his smile.

“Just give me a sec,” he said to her, and then he stepped into the adjacent bathroom, closing the door behind him.

When he got a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, he averted his gaze. Seeing the look on his face after pleasuring her was the first and last thing he wanted to do. Because giving her pleasure had felt so damn good in the moment. Even now it felt good, and she hadn’t put a hand on him.

He turned on the tap, ready to splash some cold water on his face to wake himself up and get back to reality. This was the last time they could indulge in something illicit like this. Their affair was a chapter he planned on closing. Now and forever.