He held Delaney, both of them naked, the blankets wrapped around them, the heat and lights still off. The silence stretched out as he thought about her question.

Was he afraid of being alone?

“It’s okay if you’re afraid. It’s human and natural.”

He glanced at her but didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry about asking. Wasn’t my place,” she said softly.

He pulled her in closer, rested his chin on the top of her head, and stared out at the snow falling behind the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“You can ask me anything,” he said honestly, meaning it. “To be honest, I’ve been alone my entire life.”

She shifted slightly and tipped her head back to look at him. “Really? You have so much family, so many friends.”

He chuckled humorlessly. “You’d be surprised how alone someone can be when surrounded by people.”

They were silent for long seconds.

“I know being alone frightens me.” The tone of her voice told him that that was something she had never admitted before, maybe not even to herself.

“At one point, I thought I was afraid to be alone.” He’d never admitted that out loud. “My whole life, I’ve been surrounded by money and people, social gatherings, socialites, parties and professional events. And all of that, being covered in wealth, knowing the friends I had weren’t genuine, yeah, I’d never felt more alone.”

Shit, he just got real with her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He held her tighter.

“But now,” he said just as softly, “I’m not afraid of being alone. I embrace it, make it my own. I’m used to it, know that I can survive despite that.” The silence stretched on between them as he told her the truth.

“I have a feeling this is the realest you’ve ever been with someone.”

“It is.”

They didn’t move, didn’t speak, but the air around them was comfortable.

It was real.

“I just assumed someone with your wealth and status couldn’t be anything but happy.”

“Money doesn’t buy happiness, that’s for sure.”

She stared at him for long seconds, and despite the darkness in the room, he could see she was empathetic, even understanding.

“How about we get dressed and I find some flashlights?” He wanted to change the subject, because even if he was used to the loneliness, of isolating himself from everyone and everything, when it came to Delaney, he didn’t want that.

Her fire had him feeling alive, as if he weren’t just this ornamental piece and his family’s legacy. Her witty retorts and attitude made him happy, told him that she was strong. The women in his life, his mother, his sister, everyone … they hung out, put on a show, a façade. They pretended to be happy, played the part, smiled and cooed at what their husbands said.

It was all a lie.

He saw their unhappiness, their loneliness when they didn’t think anyone was watching.

They were miserable, but would never admit it.

He recognized it because he’d felt the same way for years.

For his entire life.

“I’m really sorry you felt that way.”

Her voice was soft, sweet. He felt warm, whole when he was with Delaney in this moment. It was strange, to be honest, to feel so connected to someone, this switch turning from a love-hate relationship to something more.

And he wanted to tell her that, to say that despite their banter at work, their goal-oriented lives, he felt something more for her, something so much stronger than he’d ever thought possible.

But he said nothing like that at all. That would surely scare the fuck out of her.

“How about I get those flashlights and see if I can figure out the weather situation?”

He leaned down and kissed her soundly on the lips, cupping her cheek, wanting to deepen it. Hell, he wanted to thrust deep in her tight, wet pussy again, but instead he stood, the chill biting at his naked flesh.

Ivan wrapped the blankets more firmly around her before grabbing his clothes and getting dressed. He left the office in search of flashlights, assumed there would be something of use in the janitorial closet. Once at the closet, he opened it, seeing two lantern-style flashlights and a stack of batteries. He grabbed what he needed, even found a couple of extra blankets, ones that felt more like scrubbing pads than anything else.

But he’d take what he could get at this point.

As he made his way back to Delaney’s office, Ivan couldn’t stop himself from grinning. He’d just man-up and tell her how he felt, tell her that he wanted her as his.

Fuck the promotion.

Fuck the no fraternization at work policy.

Screw the rules.

Fuck what everyone might say.

Ivan wanted her and he would have her.

She was everything he’d ever hoped he could have in a partner.

Smart.

Fiery.

Determined.

She gave as good as she got, didn’t put up with shit, and was sexy as sin.

And despite her telling him this was a one-time thing, he could see the way she stared at him, the hope, longing in her gaze, as if she wanted to tell him she didn’t want this to end.

Same as him.

He stopped by the window and watched as the snow continued to fall, draping a blanket of white all across the city.

He saw red taillights for as far as the eye could see, accidents, and police and ambulance cruisers trying to get to the pile up. It was a shit storm out there, and despite the lack of heat and lighting, Ivan wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.