It was impossible to tell him the truth. Not if she wanted to keep her job. Or her dignity.

Her insides were in knots. “I didn’t mean for things to get so out of control.”

Simon’s eyes were fixed on her. That severe gaze of his made her quiver with some dark, indescribable emotion.

No matter how much Simon had tried to mold himself into the controlled man he was, she knew that deep down he was utterly ruthless. She had witnessed that much at the Q and A earlier. Even with his entire reputation and company on the line, he still refused to back down from the press. The press he needed. If he was willing to discard the reporters he needed, what would he do to a mere assistant who probably meant nothing to him?

“But you lied anyway,” he growled. “You are Heather Monroe, aren’t you? The Heather I grew up with.”

She had no idea how to tell him that, even though they had grown up together, she was no longer Heather Monroe. That girl was long gone. All the innocence and hope she had carried in her heart as a teenager had been crushed after Simon left her without a second glance.

“Yes,” she said finally. “We grew up together.”

“How could you lie about not knowing me?” he demanded.

If she had expected him to take her into his arms after her confession, that hope was immediately dashed. Simon was now scowling at her, suspicion still flashing in his blue eyes.

“It wasn’t intentional,” she said. That much wasn’t true, but she had told one lie already. What difference did one more make? “I just blurted out the lie without thinking. I didn’t let on that I knew you because I was worried I wouldn’t get the job if I admitted knowing you.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You think I’d refuse to hire you because of our history together?”

She nodded.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I’m a fair man,” Simon continued. “I would have given you a chance just like anyone else.”

“If we had simply been friends I would have admitted the truth, but we were more than that.” Her face flushed, and she lowered her eyes. “We broke up, and I didn’t know if that would affect my chances at getting hired.”

“That was years ago,” he said. “We’ve both moved on. The breakup hardly matters at all now. We were kids back then.”

For some reason his words were like a cold, sharp knife straight to her heart. Simon had ended things so long ago, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. If anything, being around him these past two weeks had reopened a wound that had never fully healed.

During their time together in high school, Heather had thought they might have a chance at a future together. A happy life. And Simon had said as much by promising to stay with her even after he graduated. Then he’d abruptly changed his mind, telling her he was going to college out of state and wasn’t interested in a long- distance relationship with her.

The summer after their breakup had been so agonizing. She had buried most of the hurt, but their breakup had devastated her more than she had ever let on. Devastated her so much that she had agreed to let her grandfather pay for her to be transferred to one of the most elite prep schools in the city.

That was why, when Simon had asked where she went to high school, she had answered truthfully. After Simon went off to college, she really had spent her senior year at Roosevelt Prep. Spending her final year of high school away from the public school they had both gone to made the breakup easier. At least she had been able to go to a school that didn’t constantly remind her of Simon.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that it hardly matters. I wouldn’t want us to be so hung up on the past,” she said, hoping he didn’t detect the hurt in her tone. There was no way she could reveal the truth to him. No way she could let her boss know how much their breakup had hurt her.

Or about why she had been laid off from her old job. She was keeping so many secrets inside, and telling Simon would only make things worse. For them both.

“What matters is the present,” he said, bringing her back from her frantic thoughts. “What matters is how we move forward.”

“What are you suggesting?” she asked. “Are you going to fire me for lying about knowing you?”

He heaved out a sigh and turned away from her. “Even if I wanted to fire you, I couldn’t.”

“Why?”

“We shared a kiss, Heather.” He turned back to face her, his jaw clenched as if going over the embarrassing details of their kiss was nothing more than a nuisance to him.

“I kissed you,” she murmured. “What happened is my fault. I got caught up in your speech and—”

“That’s why this is my fault,” he said, cutting her off. “I never should have allowed that speech to get so personal. I see that now.”

“It was a great speech,” she said.

“I added personal details to that speech, even though I suspected the truth,” he told her. “I wasn’t entirely sure that you were the girl I grew up with, but I still had my suspicions. I never should’ve let my judgment get so clouded by our past together.”

“Well...if the past doesn’t matter, why did you let it affect you that much?” she asked.

He hesitated. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve felt like I owed you my success, and I never got the chance to thank you. The speech was the chance to do that.”

“You could always have gotten in touch with me,” she pointed out. Damn, why did she sound like a wistful teenager? Why didn’t you call? He was going to think she was still a kid.

“I could have,” he admitted. “But I’ve never been good at holding on to people. And as each year went by, the idea of getting in touch with you seemed more and more absurd. It seemed better to let the past stay in the past.”

“That’s why I had to lie,” she said. “I wanted the job, and I worried that our relationship would just create awkwardness between us.”

There was more to her lies than wanting to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. But she couldn’t tell Simon that their breakup had hurt her so much that in a moment of loneliness and weakness, she had ended up in Gary’s arms. And then ended up pregnant. With a baby on the way, she’d had to do what was right. Had to marry Gary so her baby could have a family. She was never going to tell Simon that their breakup had inadvertently led to a bad marriage and a messy divorce.

“Unfortunately, there’s awkwardness now anyway,” he said. “The kiss backstage was...”

“A mistake,” she blurted out.

Surprise flickered in his eyes. “I was going to say that I felt things. Things that no boss should feel for a subordinate.”

So, he had felt the same passion that had been burning inside her. When she kissed him, she’d thought he’d pull away from her. Instead, he had deepened the kiss. Revealed a part of himself that he had kept so under control. The fierce way he had kissed her had taken her breath away. And now, he had just confessed to feeling something for her.

She swallowed hard. “You can’t blame yourself for something that started years ago.”

“I can’t,” he said. “And yet I do.”

Heather took a step toward him. Then another. Until she closed the gap between them and was standing so close to him she could inhale the rich scent of his masculine cologne. “What if I wasn’t your subordinate?” she asked. “What if right now I was off the clock? What if I was just the girl you knew in high school and nothing more?”

He groaned and shut his eyes.

As if of its own accord, her body closed the remaining space between them and her arms wrapped around his strong shoulders. Her lips met his and suddenly she was blazing out of control. Simon didn’t end the kiss this time either. This time he took control. Gripped her tightly to him until the sensation of his hard body against hers made her ache in places that hadn’t been touched in a long time.

Heather melted against him as he took her mouth with his. His tongue stormed her mouth, claimed her and branded her.

This was a dangerous, insane thing to do, but right now she didn’t care. She hadn’t been held like this in so long she couldn’t remember the last time it had happened. It had been a long time since someone had noticed her. Wanted her.

With their lips still locked she started to stumble towards the bed, losing her handbag on the way. If she didn’t do this now she’d always regret it. Always wonder what her life would have been like if she’d only been brave and taken charge of it. And Simon made her brave. Made her feel like it wasn’t crazy to want more than she had.

They stumbled together until they reached the bed. Suddenly they were on it, Simon on top of her. The weight of his hard body on hers sent the most delicious feelings through her.

He ended the kiss to stare deep into her eyes. “Are you sure you want this? Because once we do this, there’s no going back. You can’t pretend you don’t remember. Not after you’ve been with me.”

If bedding him was going to be that memorable, she had to have him. Now.

“I’m sure,” she gasped out. “I want this. I want you.”

His hands wandered down and slowly began undoing the buttons of her blouse.

“You don’t have to be that gentle.” Her boldness should have surprised her, since she hadn’t been intimate with a man in months. But if she was going to break all the rules, there was no sense in being gentle now. Her desire for Simon had started off as a spark, and now it was burning out of control. The only way to stop the passion was to let it burn until it burned itself out.

Simon’s blue eyes widened with momentary surprise. “Damn, woman, you have changed” He grinned wickedly. Then he started tearing off her blouse, the buttons popping off.

With her lacy black bra still on, Simon cupped her breast and thumbed her taut nipple through the fabric. She moaned softly, quivering underneath his touch.

Wanting more, she sat up, holding the hand that was still caressing her breast. She licked her lips, desperately hoping that she somehow looked seductive, instead of the bundle of nerves she was now. It was one thing to let him do things to her. But she had to be present with him as well. And the thought made her anxious.

Her ex-husband’s taunts echoed in her mind. She wasn’t adventurous enough. Couldn’t hold his interest. But the way Simon was looking at her, like he wanted to devour her, made her see herself in a way that she had never felt with Gary.

As anxious as she felt right now, having a man look at her like this made her feel sexy and desired for the first time in ages.

With one quick movement of his free hand, Simon unclasped her bra and tossed it aside. She let out a soft gasp as the fabric was ripped away, exposing her breasts.

This wasn’t the awkward, fumbling schoolboy she had lost her virginity to. Every motion of his hand, every look in his eye, showed her that Simon knew exactly what he was doing.

“Damn, woman, you are so perfect,” he breathed.

He circled her exposed nipple with this thumb, sending a delightful shiver down her spine. When he lowered his lips to her other breast, taking a nipple into his mouth, she moaned loudly.

His teeth lightly grazed her sensitive skin as he sucked greedily. Already she was losing control. She tossed her head back and closed her eyes, allowing herself to just feel for once. As he thumbed her nipple with one hand, his tongue swirled around the other. Pleasure made her body go limp and she collapsed onto the bed.

That didn’t stop Simon. He turned his attention to her other breast, taking the other nipple into his mouth, his tongue licking at her flesh. He groaned loudly, as if he enjoyed pleasuring her as much as she enjoyed being pleasured.

She was already so wet with desire. Right now she ached for more intimate contact.

But he seemed to like tormenting her, as he started to trail kisses down her breast until he kissed across the skin of her stomach and stopped at the waistband of her skirt.

“Take it off,” she instructed, keeping her gaze on him. “Now.”

His lips curved up into a wicked grin. “It’s not like you to be impatient.”

And it wasn’t like him to reveal so much of himself. Simon kept his desires to himself. To the point where she wasn’t even sure if he had them. Yet now, she could see that underneath his cool steely exterior, the same passion that burned inside her burned in him, too.

“I’m impatient to find out what you’re going to do to me,” she said, her voice a soft purr.

That seemed to drive him over the edge as he suddenly reached for her skirt, tugged it off, and tossed it aside. Then he grabbed at her lace panties and dragged the flimsy fabric off, leaving her in nothing but her heels and stockings.

He planted a kiss on her thigh, right where her stocking ended and her exposed flesh began.

“I want you to keep these on.” His voice was a rough command, husky with lust. The sound of it awakened her senses. Made her want to do anything with him. Her heart was racing so fast she was sure he could hear it.

Somehow through the haze of her own desire, a sudden thought occurred to her. “Do you have protection?”

“The hotel leaves condoms for guests,” he replied, pulling away from her.

Within seconds he was ripping his clothes away, standing naked before her.

When she got a glimpse of his erection, her face went hot. The old familiar shyness came rushing back and she almost looked away. But his body was so exquisite that she couldn’t avert her gaze.

His chest was solid, the muscles rippling with power. Simon might have spent his time working in an office, but it was obvious that he worked out. And often, from the look of his toned abs.

She bit her lip, suppressing a moan.

“You don’t have to hide your reaction from me,” he said. “That’s the condition if we’re going to keep going. You can’t hold back.”

“I won’t if you won’t,” she gasped out.

A sly smile was her reward. He reached for the nightstand by the bed and returned to her side, a condom in hand. Tearing the wrapper with his teeth, he put on the condom.

“Spread your legs for me, Heather.”

I’m done. The way he commanded her made her wet all over again. There was something so dangerous about doing as her demanding boss instructed. So dangerous. And so wrong that it felt so very right.

Wantonly, she bent her knees and spread her legs for him.

Lust blazed in his eyes as he stared down at her exposed flesh. With a groan, he positioned himself between her legs, wielding his massive erection in his hand. “Do you want me?”

She nodded, anticipation making her heart beat even faster.

“I need to hear you say it,” he growled.

“I want you,” she said firmly. “I want you inside me.”

His eyes widened, clearly surprised again by her directness. It was so unlike her, but Simon’s obvious desire for her made her bold. Brave enough to ask for her own pleasure.

Without a word, his free hand suddenly reached for her hair. Reached for the pins holding up her bun, and he slowly started to remove them. One by one, he tossed the pins aside and unfurled her auburn hair. Let it fall across her shoulders.

He gazed into her eyes again, and what she saw nearly took her breath away. No man had ever looked at her like this. With a mixture of blatant desire and complete tenderness. The two sides of Simon were warring with each other again. A thrill went through her as she wondered which one would win.

Simon was running one hand lovingly through her hair, while he held on to his manhood with the other. One gesture tender. The other, the gesture of a man who had seduced her so quickly she was ready to throw her career away for one chance to be under him.

She felt her control unraveling. Heather was going to meet Simon’s condition. She would hold nothing back. Even with all the secrets she was keeping from him. Even with her lie hanging over them. She would reveal herself to him in this moment. “Take me now,” she begged. “Please.”

He thrust into her with so much power that she inhaled sharply, too breathless to do anything but feel. Heart pounding in her ears, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he rocked into her. He was so huge that he filled her completely. Stretched her, and sent sparks of pleasure dancing across her skin.

Heather lifted her hips to meet each hard stroke, bliss seizing her. She hadn’t done this in months. Hadn’t felt such all-consuming pleasure in so long that it was like the sensation was new to her. And suddenly it was like she was with Simon for the first time again. She whimpered, pleasure shooting through her.

His eyes met hers and he held her gaze, watching the pleasure on her face just like she was watching his. The ecstasy mounted and she clenched around him. Simon let out a ragged groan, and quickened the pace of his thrusts.

Fast losing control, he fisted the sheets in his hand and pumped hard into her. His hard body covered hers, the weight of him making her feel safer. Braver with each thrust.

As his thrusts became more frenzied, he brought his sensuous lips to her ear and gasped out her name. “Heather.”

The sound of her name sent her over the edge, and she came hard and fast. With one final thrust Simon groaned loudly, and she knew he’d climaxed, too.

He rolled away from her, and for a moment she thought he would walk away. Or fall asleep and leave her with her thoughts. But he didn’t. Instead, his hand wandered up to her cheek and caressed her.

His breathing was labored, intense. And his entire body was drenched with sweat. Yet he didn’t pull away from her. Right now he was staring deep into her eyes with a reverence she had never seen in a man before.

“You’re too sexy for your own good.” He flashed her a wicked smile that made her tremble at the sight. Being with him was so dangerous. If what they had shared had just been sex, she might have been able to let go. Might have been able to leave the past where it belonged.

“And you were amazing.” But this had been more than just sex. At least it had been to her. She was feeling things she had no right to feel. What they had just done was wrong. So wrong that there was no turning back. As Simon gathered her in his arms, she found that she didn’t want to turn back at all.