He’s not who she thinks, and he has seduction plans of his own…
Danielle Kastien is done with powerful men. After months of near-saintly behavior, she’s determined
to use the company costume party to have her wicked way with every delicious inch of the sexy-but-
sweet mail guy she’s been meeting for coffee. Though her costume is designed to send him into a haze
of blind lust, Danielle quickly realizes Grayson is not the kind of man she can control.
Grayson Harper is used to having his way at work and in the bedroom. He’s dominant.
Commanding. Obeyed. He’s been patiently biding his time with Danielle, enjoying spending time with
someone who sees him as someone other than the CEO of Harper Industries. But before he can
confess, he has Danielle right where he wants her. Where he’s wanted her since the day they met. And
he’s in far too deep to risk his claim on the one woman who makes him hard with need...
S
EDUCING
M
R.
R
IGHT
A
C
OME
U
NDONE
NOVELLA
K
ATEE
R
OBERT
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons,
living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Katee Robert. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute,
or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact
the Publisher.
Entangled Publishing, LLC
2614 South Timberline Road
Suite 109
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Visit our website at
Brazen is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC. For more information on our titles, visit
Edited by Heather Howland and Haleigh Rucinski
Cover design by Heather Howland
ISBN 978-1-62266-541-9
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition September 2013
Table of Contents
To Ben. I think you know why.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Discover Katee Robert’s NYT Bestselling Come Undone series...
Wrong Bed, Right Guy
In Bed with Mr. Wrong
Check out Brazen’s newest releases…
Rising Assets
Wicked Games
Protecting What’s Theirs
For more delicious secret identities, check out these titles…
To Ben. I think you know why.
Chapter One
“You really won’t reconsider?”
“Nope.” Danielle Kastien adjusted the lace mask covering her eyes. “Besides, he invited me to the
party. It would be rude not to show up.” Especially since she had every intention of seducing the mail
guy she’d been chatting up in her building’s coffee shop for the last few months at said party.
He’d spent every Tuesday and Thursday drinking her in with those warm brown eyes the same way
he drank his coffee—slow and controlled, as if it were the most delicious thing in the world. If he
could appreciate something as disgusting as coffee, it made her wonder what it would be like to have
him focus that appreciation on her.
Yes, spending time with Grayson had the nasty habit of making her think all sorts of wicked
thoughts. Considering that she’d somehow managed not to give in to the sexual tension between them
before now, she was already petitioning for saint status.
That ended tonight.
Chelsea perched on the edge of the vanity and handed over the brilliant red lipstick Danielle
favored. As a kid, Danielle had hated the fact that she was so short and built delicately—it meant she
couldn’t keep up on the rare occasions her father actually spent time with her—but now she liked to
play up her china-doll looks.
“I know you were invited,” Chelsea said, fidgeting a little, “but are you sure you’re not reacting to
that blowout you had with your father yesterday?”
She flinched. Her dad, a decorated four-star general, didn’t like what she was doing with her life,
and he never had. He didn’t approve of her corporate job, or the fact that she was twenty-six and still
“mucking about” with various men instead of settling down with a good provider. He’d actually used
that term—a good provider. As if they were still living in the fifties, and her place was to be
pregnant, barefoot, and in the kitchen. He’d be thrilled if she ended up with someone like him—some
man in a powerful job who’d steamroll her until she fit the perfect little mold he thought she should.
Danielle had never been all that good at coloring inside the lines.
“The one where he informed me all my life decisions to date are pathetic and worthless, and I’ll
never amount to anything?” She finished with her lipstick and rolled her lips together. “Would that be
the conversation you’re talking about?”
Chelsea gave her a look filled with concern. “Ah… Yes.”
She made an effort to keep her carefree smile in place, despite the fact that she felt like breaking
something. If she was immature enough to be throwing tantrums, she was playing right into his beliefs
that she was failing at life. Just because she didn’t have a soft and feminine job—what the hell did
Dad even know about soft and feminine? Any appreciation he’d had of those things died along with
her mother twenty years ago.
She might not have the most glorious of jobs, but she was putting herself through night school so
she’d have the qualifications to be eligible for promotion. Not that she’d told her dad about night
school—or anyone else, except for Grayson. He’d thought it was great that she was bettering herself.
Hell, he’d even seemed to understand her reasoning for not sharing that fact with anyone else in her
life. He also understood why she liked working in an office, pushing paper. She was pretty good with
numbers, and liked how they were confined to a very specific logic.
But there was no use thinking about it now, especially when fights with her dad usually left her
feeling reckless, which led to all sorts of stupid decisions. “I’ve had my eye on this guy for a while.
My jumping him has nothing to do with my daddy issues.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with Nathan and me tonight?” From her best friend’s tone,
she knew the offer was a lost cause.
Danielle’s smile was a bit more real this time. “Nah. You guys are great and all, but I’m not really
into the whole third-wheel thing—or seventh-wheel since you have all those other couples with you.”
Chelsea had recently made the decision to move in with the love of her life. This weekend was her
last here before the movers showed up for the big pieces of furniture, and she finally settled into the
gorgeous condo in the same neighborhood as the gallery she now shared with her husband.
“Are you sure? The bar we’re going to is filled with gorgeous single men who don’t work in your
building.” Chelsea stood and smoothed down her Lucille Ball dress. With her red hair done up in the
familiar style, she looked like both a blast from the past and a chic present-day model. The woman
was made to wear that style.
“I’m sure.”
She frowned. “What happens after tonight? I don’t suppose you’re going to date this one?”
Date? Danielle paused and let herself actually consider it. She and Grayson had shared coffee
twice a week for the last few months. It had started when he caught her checking out his ass on the
elevator, and they just kept running into each other. She’d never admit it, but she caught herself
lingering in the lobby longer than was strictly necessary just to see if he’d show up and give her that
look, the one that made her knees turn to Jell-O.
He always did.
And then there were the conversations they had. What started out as a stolen fifteen minutes to
down her energy drink while he had coffee sometimes turned into a full hour. A few times they’d even
talked longer. When she sat across the table from Grayson, time seemed to stand still. He made her
laugh, and he made her hot, and she found herself telling him things he had no business knowing—like
her frustrations with her father, and her tentative plans for the future. He’d even gone so far as to give
her a few different options to look into beyond the one she’d been considering.
But dating was something else altogether. Dating meant bringing him home to Dad and trying to
build a relationship, which she’d never been all that good at doing. Relationships meant putting
herself in someone else’s power, which was something she’d gone out of her way to avoid ever since
she moved out. She liked not having to answer to anyone.
“Danielle?”
What was the question again? Oh, right. Dating. She plumped her boobs and then checked the effect
in the mirror. “Don’t be ridiculous. You know me. I don’t date.”
“Not yet.” Chelsea laughed at the look on her face. “You never know what could happen if you
meet the right guy.”
“Now you’re starting to sound like Dad.” Danielle stood up and turned a quick circle. “What do
you think?”
“You look amazing, and you know it.” Chelsea smiled. “Catwoman was a stroke of genius.”
Danielle wasn’t going to deny it—the whole black catsuit and killer heels thing made her feel like a
vixen. Grayson wouldn’t know what hit him. “I do my best.” She made a shooing motion. “Now get
going. You don’t want to be late for your shindig.”
“Be safe tonight.” Chelsea squeezed her shoulder and then stepped into her heels. “Text me when
you’re in for the night, so I know you’re home.”
“Honey, chances are I’m going to be late.” If she played things right, she wouldn’t be home at all.
“I know, but I worry about you.”
“I’ll text, I promise.” Danielle slipped her ID and credit card into her super sweet utility belt, and
then picked up her bullwhip. It was a smaller version of the comic book character’s, but she hadn’t
been able to find a full-length one in the amount of time she’d had. After taking one last moment to
check to make sure she looked as fantastic as she felt, she headed for the door.
Tonight she was going to get her some hot mail guy. She’d worry about the consequences later.
…
Tonight would be the night he told her the truth.
Grayson Harper shook his head, amused at his melodrama. He wasn’t the type to leave anything to
chance, and the same rule applied to Danielle, the sassy little thing he’d run into a few months ago.
She’d made a sarcastic comment about him checking her out—which was exactly what he’d been
doing—and he’d been intrigued despite himself.
Because she clearly hadn’t known who he was.
How she’d managed not to know surprised him since he owned the damn building, but he couldn’t
turn down a chance to have coffee with her—to have a conversation with someone who didn’t know
him as Grayson Harper, CEO and all-around corporate hard-ass.
Not that he minded, most days. He’d built up his corporation from little more than nothing. Doing so
hadn’t left much time for friends or casual socializing, though he hadn’t felt the loss until the last few
years.
Truth was, having coffee a few times a week with Danielle filled a need he had barely been aware
existed. She treated him as if he was just a man and she was just a woman. When he was with her, his
job and his very identity took a backseat to his personality. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d
met someone who hadn’t recognized him instantly, and he hadn’t felt the weight of it until he’d met
her. Over the years he’d stopped dating altogether because of the way women looked at him—as if he
were a ladder into the life they wanted. When they saw him, they saw money signs and a position of
power. While he didn’t think Danielle was the type of woman to cling to a man for those reasons—or
any reason at all—he was almost afraid of the opposite reaction.
Perhaps he should have told her the truth the second time they met in the coffee shop, but Grayson
refused to run the risk of her changing how she felt because of who he was. He enjoyed her company
far too much to sacrifice it.
It didn’t hurt that he wanted her with a desire that nearly swept away all his hard-won control.
Every time she looked at him, her independence and don’t-give-a-fuck attitude sparking in those dark
eyes, it was everything he could do not to drag her into the nearest empty room and act out every
single fantasy he’d had with her in it.
The last month had made it even more difficult to maintain control. She’d begun touching him with
purpose. It started innocently enough, her fingers brushing his when she passed the sugar, her ankle
pressing against his calf, her shoulder rubbing his when she leaned against him to laugh at a shared
joke. But recently there’d been no mistaking her intent. She’d meet his gaze as she traced circles on
his wrist. Just this week, she’d spent their entire time together sitting as close to him as she could
while being in a separate chair, her shoulder brushing his constantly and her perfume teasing him.
But she’d turned him down every time he asked her out, claiming a variety of excuses. If she didn’t
keep showing up for coffee, he’d have thought she wasn’t interested.
Until now. Just this week she’d made a loaded comment about how she hoped both their desires
would be fulfilled this Halloween. There was no mistaking that.
But even without sex in the picture, he wanted to spend more time with her—outside of the
building’s coffee shop. The problem was, he couldn’t do that without telling her exactly who he was.
Oh, he could, but lies had the nasty tendency to breed and cause problems later down the road. He
hadn’t exactly lied—she’d seen the stack of mail in his hand that first day and automatically assumed
he was the mail guy—but after a few conversations he’d realized what her opinions on powerful men
were, and he’d chosen to stay silent.
Enough was enough, though, and tonight would be the night he came clean.
The Halloween party was a charity event they put together every year, but this was the first time
they’d put together a full-on masquerade ball. It’d also be the first year he attended. His secretary had
been thrilled about the entire thing, and the office was buzzing with speculation about who would
show up as what.
He couldn’t help wondering what Danielle would choose as her costume. After several months of
stolen hours and conversations, he should have a good enough read on her to know. That he didn’t
delighted him to no end. She was a constant surprise, from what she’d say to what she’d do—a breath
of fresh air in the stagnant swamp his life had become. He might be successful but, before he’d met
her, he’d been so damn bored.
Not anymore.
Being around her was a growing addiction he didn’t want to fight. To have all that fire and lightning
of a personality in his arms—and under his control in the bedroom—was something that had started
consuming him. Christ. He rubbed a hand over his face, pushing down the desire threading through
him at the thought of her on her knees, looking at him in open defiance even as she submitted. He
wanted that badly.
Grayson adjusted the cloak about his shoulders and fixed the mask against his face. He’d always
been a fan of The Phantom of the Opera, and lately he’d felt a keen familiarity with the man behind
the mask. Everyone saw what they wanted to see—a terrifying creature bent on destruction—not what
he really was, a damaged man driven mad by loneliness. That one he could relate to.
Not to mention he admired the Phantom for his willingness to do anything to get the girl.
Grayson had plans to do exactly that.
Chapter Two
Danielle passed her invitation to the guy at the door and strutted into the building. She’d always loved
Halloween, loved the festive atmosphere and how nearly anyone could be convinced to have a good
time once costumes were involved. There was also the aura of mystery around everything. You could
be anything on Halloween. More than any other day of the year, it was rife with possibilities.
That wasn’t even bringing the candy into consideration.
Speaking of…
She made a beeline for the dessert table set up just far enough from the main doors so it didn’t mess
with people’s ability to come and go as they pleased. There was every kind of sweet imaginable set
up on tiered plates—cupcakes, chocolate-covered strawberries, and different types of candy.
Danielle picked a strawberry and popped it into her mouth, nearly moaning with ecstasy. Oh, that was
good. That was really good. That might be better than sex—at least the sex she’d had lately. She
frowned. When was the last time? Oh my God, I don’t even remember. That’s how long it’s been.
“Enjoying yourself?”
Danielle spun around and nearly choked. Grayson. He stood so close, her dad would have
whooped her ass for not noticing him approach. Taller than her by a good six inches, even in her
heels, he looked all sorts of menacing with his close-cropped hair and a black cloak making his broad
shoulders appear even larger than they actually were. His brown eyes danced behind the white half
mask, lips drawn up in a small smile.
The man made a damn good Phantom.
She swallowed hard, reminding herself of why she was here. Yes, he was sexy as all get-out, and
yes, she’d started to look forward to their coffee dates more than anything else about her week, but he
was still just the mail guy. This was nothing she couldn’t handle. “Hey there.”
“Hey there, yourself.” With him standing so close, looking even better than the dessert table behind
her, she was having a hard time focusing. Small talk. Small talk was safe. Once she had a few rum
and Cokes under her belt she’d circle around to the real reason she was here. Danielle gave him her
best wicked grin. “What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this?”
His gaze raked over her, making her glad her catsuit hid the fact that her nipples were perking right
up. “I heard a certain thief was going to make an appearance. How could I pass up an opportunity to
sweep her off her feet?”
Oh, he was good. She’d give him that. It was part of the reason she kept coming around for their
little coffee dates. Grayson had a way of keeping her on her toes while instantly putting her at ease.
How he managed to do that was a mystery, but she wasn’t in the mood to question it. Danielle laughed
and poked his shoulder—his seriously well-muscled shoulder. “With lines like that, it’s no wonder
you have to slum it around the office.”
“Danielle, you are anything but slumming it.” He moved closer and ran a finger down her arm. “I
think I like you in leather.”
She tried to cover up her shiver and went for bold. “Look at me. How could you not like me in
leather?” She’d busted ass in aerobics class four times a week for the last few weeks to make sure
she fit into this damn suit, so his blatant appreciation felt like a payoff.
“I’d like you much better out of it.”
Heat flashed through her, centering on a few key areas. Holy shit, he’d just thrown it all out there.
She had every intention of seducing Grayson—and, after their last talk, she’d figured he was on the
same page—so this shouldn’t be a surprise. Not when she already knew he had a refreshing way of
cutting to the chase in any conversation. That said, even if she’d hoped the night would end with her
legs behind her ears and screaming his name, she wasn’t going to simply fold at his first pass.
“Hope springs eternal.” She gave him a flirty smile and turned back to the dessert table. There was
nothing on it that interested her as much as the man behind her, but she pretended to inspect the
different kinds of cake.
Gray reached around her to grab a strawberry, the move bringing his chest flush against her back.
His breath ghosted over her ear. “You and I both know hope has nothing to do with it.”
That was the damn truth. “Maybe. Maybe not.” But she wasn’t going to give this to him that easily.
Even if they never talked again after tonight, Grayson wouldn’t appreciate his time with her if she
didn’t make him work for it. Danielle tried not to think too hard on the ping in her chest at the thought
of never talking to him again. “So, what’s a girl got to do to get a drink around here?”
“I know people who know people.” He offered his elbow, as regal as any bigwig. “I think I can
meet that demand.”
“You know people who know people?” She laughed as she slipped her hand into the crook of his
arm and let him lead her through the groups gathered here and there. “Some mail guy you’d be if you
didn’t have all the connections.”
His mouth tightened, making her wonder if she’d made a mistake. But then Grayson turned those
blazing eyes on her and she forgot her worry. “I have more connections than you could dream of.”
Danielle laughed. “Honey, I could say the same thing.”
“I’ll just bet.” He motioned at the table in front of him. “As the lady commanded—the bar.”
They’d set up an actual bar with a full rack of alcohol behind it. Things were definitely going to get
interesting later on if even half the supply was consumed. She couldn’t wait. There was nothing better
than seeing people drop their professional masks and do things they wouldn’t normally. If she didn’t
have her own plans for the night, she’d probably grab a bottle and post up in a corner to watch it all
go down.
Danielle leaned against the bar and winked at the bartender. He was way too skinny for her tastes,
but she appreciated the balls he had to wear a Green Man suit. Spandex was not everyone’s friend
and he pulled it off like a champ. “Hey there, handsome. How about a rum and Coke?”
“Sure thing, beautiful.”
Grayson took up a spot next to her, his presence making him feel a whole lot closer than he actually
was. It was a neat trick he’d pulled before and it never failed to make her shift closer to him. She’d
spent considerable time wondering what it’d be like to have all that focus centered on her in the
bedroom, away from the prying eyes of the public. She didn’t peg him for a selfish lover—not when
he always held her chair for her, paid the bill despite her protests, and actually listened when she
talked—but she didn’t think he’d be a pushover, either. No, everything about Grayson screamed of a
man with airtight control. What would it be like when he finally let that control slip its leash?
The thought was both unnerving and thrilling.
Generally Danielle was the pursuer. She saw what she wanted, and she took it. If she got to thumb
her nose at her father while doing it, so much the better. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d let
a man get the better of her. Hell, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d wanted one to.
With Grayson sitting beside her practically oozing dominance, she definitely wanted.
Knowing that should send her running in the opposite direction. Hell, it should have made her back
off months ago when she first realized that there was nothing safe about him—which was one of the
reasons she’d turned down his attempts to get her on an actual date before now. She’d foolishly
thought that planning on seducing him at the Halloween party would put the ball firmly in her court. If
she was in control, she was less likely to be hurt.
Obviously it wasn’t going to go down like that. Not when one look from him had her in danger of
dropping her panties right there in the middle of the conference room.
“What are you thinking?”
If any other guy had asked her that, it would reek of insecurity. She would have laughed and patted
his head and strutted off to find someone more entertaining.
Gray asked the question like he already knew the answer. The sheer magnetism of his confidence
drew her like a goddamn lodestone, just like it had from day one. It was everything she could do not
to reach out and touch him. She clasped her hands around the glass. “If you have to ask, you’re not
ready to know.”
“Fair enough.” He laughed, the sound rolling through her until it was everything she could do not to
shiver. “How was your day?”
At his question she flashed back to the disappointed look on her father’s face when they’d met for
lunch, the memory threatening to pull her into a funk. But Grayson was waiting for her response, and
there wasn’t any point in dragging out her emotional bullshit right now. It ran the risk of ruining the
mood of the entire night. “Fine.”
“You know, usually when a woman says that particular word in that particular tone of voice, it
means the exact opposite.” He shifted, his shoulder brushing hers. “You don’t have to talk about it if
you don’t want to, but if you do…?”
The man was too smart for his own good. Or hers. She took a healthy swig of her drink. “I had a
fight with my dad. Again. He was in town for a day before he hopped off to Japan or something—just
long enough to express his disappointment over everything that is me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why?” She shrugged, wishing she could do something about the tension riding through her
shoulders. “It’s not like you’re responsible for him screwing up my good mood this afternoon.”
“Maybe not, but I still don’t like seeing you unhappy. And I know dealing with him upsets you.”
That was Grayson, the guy who cared about what she thought or if she was having a good day—and
who set her blood on fire and made her body ache. Her smile was a bit wider this time. “You’re in
luck then, because I’m pretty damn happy right now.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep. I have a drink in my hand, a smoking-hot guy sitting next to me, and the night is full of
possibilities.” Before he could say something or dig deeper, she changed the subject. “What about
you? How was your day?”
“Tedious.” He turned around in his chair to face the rest of the room. “Honestly, the only thing that
got me through today without losing my mind was knowing I’d see you at the end of it.”
Even though she told herself not to blush, Danielle felt warmth climbing her neck. Enough of this
borderline deep talk. They’d done that so often, she felt like she knew Grayson nearly as well as she
knew herself. Talking was not tonight’s goal. Her savior came in the unexpected form of a middle-
aged woman walking by. “Are those feathers?”
For a second she didn’t think Grayson would let her change the subject, but then he shifted just
enough to follow her gaze. “I do believe she’s an angel.”
“Are you sure?” She looked as if she’d taken a sheet and torn up a pillow to create the tiny wings
that were currently leaving a trail behind her. As Danielle watched, another handful detached itself
and drifted to the ground. The urge to sneeze was nearly overwhelming, even though she was pretty
sure it was strictly mental. “I thought maybe she was a Serta mattress.”
With a laugh, he slid closer and lowered his voice. “That one has nothing on Bob from
Accounting.”
Her gaze landed on the shirtless man. He might not have the best body she’d ever seen but he was
hardly… Then he turned around and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Oh dear God.” What his
guitar had hidden from view was the fact that he was wearing only a pair of tighty-whities that had
stopped being white a long time again. Danielle turned back to the bar and tried to control her
laughter. “We’re going to hell.”
“Maybe.”
Every time his shoulder brushed hers, it felt as if her entire body were contracting. Knowing what
they were working toward, how the night would end, made her responses off the charts. It’d been hard
to keep from inviting him home for a little afternoon delight before, but now she didn’t think she’d be
able to make it as far as her apartment. She wanted him so desperately she could barely think straight.
Stifling a shiver, she took a drink. “Seriously, though. We’re being mean.”
“Are we? Personally, I think Bob pulls off Naked Cowboy rather well.”
“Yeah, his pot belly really glows when it catches the light.”
“Now who’s being mean? And, look, Dolores agrees with me.”
She glanced over her shoulder and shook her head. The angel had taken up a spot next to him and
seemed to be hanging on his every word. Danielle was slightly impressed that Grayson seemed to
know the names of people she’d never even seen, let alone met. Then again, as mail guy, he’d have to,
wouldn’t he? “Can you name every person in this room?”
Grayson shrugged. “Most of them.”
Damn. She barely remembered the names of everyone on her floor, let alone her entire company.
“That’s impressive.”
“It’s part of the job.”
He could have used a list or something to deliver the mail. Knowing everyone’s name from memory
really went above and beyond the call of duty. She could appreciate that kind of dedication and
attention to detail. “Still impressive.”
“Stop it. You’re going to make me blush.”
She leaned in until her breasts pressed against his arm. “Promise?”
“Nope.” He grinned, a flash of white teeth against his darker skin.
“You’re impossible.”
“You like it.”
She’d like it a whole lot better if he were being impossible while getting naked, but she wasn’t sure
if now was the best time to broach the subject. It would be just her luck that he’d flirt with her for
weeks on end, dress up like temptation personified for this party, and mean nothing by it. Then she’d
be the asshole who had to put it all out there and have him nicely—because Grayson would do it
nicely—tell her that he never had any intention of getting her out of this catsuit.
Under normal circumstances, she’d say to hell with it and go for it. The worst he could do was say
no. If this were any other guy, she’d laugh it off and keep drinking and talking and go home alone. But
this wasn’t any other guy—this was Grayson. If she came on to him with serious intent and he turned
her down it might damage their friendship. She hadn’t realized how much she counted on those coffee
dates until she was suddenly facing the possibility of them going away.
And if his turning her down would change everything, how much more so would his saying yes do
it?
“Why are you frowning?” He reached over and ran his thumb between her eyebrows, the innocent
touch sending zings into parts of her body where they had no business being.
Relax. No need to rush this. Danielle almost laughed out loud. Yeah, right . She was in over her
head and sinking fast. “Just overthinking things a little bit.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
Kiss her until she couldn’t remember her name?
Yank her against him until every one of her fears disappeared against the feel of his body pressing
to hers?
Rip this catsuit off her and bend her over the bar, right here in front of everyone?
God, what was she thinking? She should just get out of there before she embarrassed herself more
than she already had. Because right now she was pretty damn sure this was going to blow up in her
face whichever way it played out. She downed the rest of her drink and set the glass on the bar. “I
think I left the stove on. So I’m going to go make sure my apartment doesn’t burn down.”
She actually made it three steps before his voice stopped her. “Danielle.”
Don’t turn around. Just walk away. You can’t regret something you never actually did . Except
she was turning around even as she told herself not to. Looking at him, the very definition of tall, dark,
and handsome, she knew she was lost. How was she supposed to keep her head on straight when all
of her self-control was going into not crossing the distance between them and climbing him like a
tree?
And then he held out his hand. “Why don’t we find somewhere less crowded where we can talk?”
There was no mistaking his meaning. Not when he motioned her closer in a way that couldn’t be
defined as anything other than a command. It made her want to bristle, but that was a conditioned
response. A by-product of her upbringing. He wasn’t asking her to do anything she didn’t want to do.
Because, no matter how much the possible negative outcomes scared her, she wanted this. She wanted
him. “I think I’ve heard this line before.”
“I promise, I have only the best of intentions.”
“Said the spider to the fly.” Why the hell was she fighting this? Maybe she should get out of her
own way and jump in headfirst. Because nothing could go wrong with that plan.
Gray’s hand never wavered, but his eyes darkened. “I won’t do anything to you that you don’t beg
me for first.”
Danielle’s breath whooshed out. Holy shit.
What could she possibly say to that? Please, please, yes please. She managed a shaky smile. “You
know, if I’d known you were going to pull out the big guns, I might have reconsidered coming
tonight.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Because you like knowing exactly how much I want you.” He motioned her
forward with his fingers. “Don’t leave me hanging here.”
For a long moment she couldn’t find her voice. Because he was right. Knowing he’d talk to her like
this only would have made her more eager for tonight. And she did like the verbal confirmation that
he was nearly as far-gone as she was. They both wanted the same thing for tonight—to end up naked
and sweaty and swinging from the chandelier. Danielle swallowed past her dry throat. There was
nothing to be afraid of. She wanted Grayson in bed, making her scream his name. Hell, she could
barely breathe past the desire just being close to him made her feel.
She’d deal with the consequences when they showed up.
She slipped her hand into his, the contact soothing her worries in a way she might actually be
concerned about, if not for the man looking down at her with a small smile curving his lips. This was
Grayson. As long as she remembered that, she’d remember there was no reason to worry. No reason
at all.
She let him lead her through the crowd to the edge of the room. They passed people drinking and
laughing and dancing, and it felt strangely like she and Grayson were in their own little world that no
one could touch. No one tried to talk to them, or even looked at them sideways as they reached the
doorway and slipped out. He pulled her into a little alcove tucked off a nearby hall.
Danielle wasn’t familiar with this part of the building—she kept to her floor, a small little law firm
owned by the Mulligans. This was a huge conference room utilized by the bigwig CEO guy who
owned the rest of the building. Rumor had it that Mr. Harper was a scary-ass dude, though she’d
heard a couple of his underlings giggling over how sexy he was. Whatever. Give her a mail guy any
day. This mail guy. A CEO was far too close to a general in her opinion—you didn’t hit the top of the
pyramid without some intense drive and a whole lot of “don’t fuck with me.” Not to mention the fact
that that kind of person wouldn’t have a problem railroading anyone he thought beneath him.
She pushed the thoughts away. Tonight wasn’t about some faceless ass of a CEO. It was about
following through on the promises Grayson kept making that made her weak in the knees.
Danielle had every intention of seeing it through.
Chapter Three
Grayson couldn’t stop looking at her. Her catsuit hugged every curve as if it were painted on. From
what little it left to the imagination, it might as well have been. Combined with the lace mask that only
accented her dark eyes, and those heels making her legs look a whole lot longer, he was having a hard
time reminding himself to play this slow.
The zipper that ran down between her breasts, nearly to the vee between her legs, did absolutely
nothing for his control.
Hell, he’d already jumped the gun and pushed her further than he intended, but he’d panicked when
she’d said she was leaving. Tonight was the night where everything changed, and nothing would
change if she left before he had a chance to make his move. The problem was that he didn’t want to
scare her off, especially when she already seemed on edge.
She slid onto the bench next to him, her hip bumping against his in a way that couldn’t be
accidental. He hoped. “Now that you’ve got me where you want me, what do you plan on doing?”
“Danielle, this is so far from where I want you, it’s not even funny.” He wanted… No, best not to
get into too much detail about what he wanted. Not yet. Play it slow. Do not scare her. Grayson
cleared his throat and leaned back to sip on his bourbon. Now would be the time to tell the truth. All
he had to do was open his mouth and tell her who he was, but he couldn’t seem to do it. Instead, he
took the easy way out. “I’m glad you came.”
“If I have my way, I will be later.” His cock hardened as his thoughts circled around exactly how
he’d make that happen. A thousand ways, until she was as completely enthralled with him as he was
with her.
He wondered what she’d say if she knew just how detailed his fantasies had become as he sat
across from her those first few coffee dates and watched her drink her ridiculous energy drinks and
nibble on her daily doughnut. It had only gotten worse as time went on, and he’d become attracted to
more than just the pretty package. She was intelligent and driven, and completely unafraid of what the
world thought of her. It was a trait he wished he shared more of. Being around her washed away the
dust of the daily grind and made him feel new. Added to that, she had a wicked sense of humor that
she didn’t hesitate to use when verbally sparring with him.
While he was lost in his thoughts, she slipped his bourbon out of his hand and took it as a shot
before setting the glass aside. “Now, let’s stop playing coy. You didn’t lure me over here to this
darkened bench just to make small talk.”
She obviously was used to being in control—had more than proven it with some of the encounters
she’d mentioned when he first met her. Danielle liked her men where and when she wanted them, and
then she wanted them to go on their way. That was too damn bad. Grayson had no intention of
relinquishing control tonight—or later.
He’d allowed her to set the terms of their encounters up to this point, but that ended tonight. “Why
not? I’ve always enjoyed our talks.”
Danielle narrowed her eyes. “I have, too…”
“Then what’s wrong with talking?” Unable to help himself, he took her hand and ran his thumb over
her knuckles and around to her palm. “I happen to love talking.” Though he could think of much better
ways to put his mouth to use right now.
Slow. Play it slow.
“Grayson—”
He kissed her knuckles, his tongue tracing the same pattern his thumb had just taken, ending with an
openmouthed kiss on her palm. Jesus. It wasn’t the part of her he’d spent considerable time imagining
tasting, but the feel of her skin against his mouth was addicting in a way he wasn’t sure he’d be able
to shake. All from one little kiss. How much better would it be when he actually claimed her mouth?
“Hmm?”
“You’re a terrible tease.” Her laugh came out shaky. “But I guess I should have known that, huh?”
“I’m not the only one who teases.” If she knew how many times he’d fantasized about her raspy
voice calling out his name, how many times he’d left their coffee dates and had to go shut the door to
his office and palm himself through his slacks, maybe she’d appreciate how difficult it was for him
not to yank that catsuit off her right here, right now.
And why not?
Because I am supposed to be taking this slow. Even as he completed the thought, he tightened his
hand on hers. What was the point? He was barely hanging on as it was, and if she kept shivering like
that, he was going to lose all semblance of control. Once again the little devil on his shoulder
whispered, Why not?
Grayson glanced down the hall, to where the party seemed to be in full swing. “Thriller” blared
from the speakers, overtaking the laughter and murmur of conversation. No one was looking for them
—hell, no one would have expected him to make an appearance here, so they had no reason to look
for him.
Why not give in to temptation? What was holding him back? He already knew he enjoyed
Danielle’s company in more than a casual way, and that even being around her set his blood aflame.
He knew he wanted more from her than just a physical commitment.
Watching her carefully, Grayson leaned in. If she balked, or even hesitated, he was prepared to call
this whole thing off. They might have had several months to get to know each other, months of casual
touches that turned into sexually loaded ones, but that didn’t mean she was on the same level as he
was. Despite her teasing, he couldn’t afford to assume anything.
Danielle didn’t hesitate. She kissed him, once again striving for dominance by grabbing his
shoulders and angling her mouth. He almost laughed, but the taste of her swept away the urge as if it
had never existed. Chocolate and rum. Grayson couldn’t stifle his growl as he grasped the back of her
neck, holding her in place while he plundered her mouth. Danielle clutched his cloak with both hands,
pulling him closer as a whimper slipped free.
Fuck taking it slow.
He dragged her against him, only planning on getting more of her within reach, but Danielle took it
one step further and climbed into his lap. She writhed against him, rubbing against his cock in a way
that made him grab her hips. If she kept that up, he was going to throw his plan out the window, and
he couldn’t afford to do so. “Patience.”
“I ever tell you I’m not all that good at being patient?” She licked her way down his neck and
nibbled on his collarbone. “Besides, aren’t you supposed to be the big, bad guy everyone’s afraid
of?”
For a second he thought she knew who he really was and dread turned his stomach to stone. Then
Grayson realized she was talking about his costume. Ah, yes, the Phantom. He hissed out a breath as
she rolled her hips again. “Maybe I’m just misunderstood.”
Danielle shifted, tracing her tongue along the shell of his ear. “Maybe. Or maybe you should just
stop bullshitting and take what you want.”
Take what he wanted? Hell, she couldn’t have given him a clearer green light if she’d waved a flag
in his face. He wanted to take her, wanted it so bad he could nearly taste it. Grayson grabbed her ass
and pressed her tighter against him. “You feel how much I want you?”
“Yes.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Thirty more seconds of this and he would have her naked right here and to hell with the
consequences. Once again caution reared its ugly head and shouted at him to slow down. They
couldn’t do this here. It wouldn’t affect his career—though his reputation might take a hit—but it
might damage hers. He refused to put her in that position, no matter how much he wanted to put her in
certain other positions.
Which meant they had to get the hell out of this alcove before someone stumbled along looking for
the bathroom.
Grayson took a deep breath and sat back, releasing his hold on her. “Get up.”
She blinked at him as if coming out of a daze. “Up?”
“Now.” Need made the word a little harsh, but Danielle jumped to her feet, instantly responding to
his command. Since he knew for a fact that she didn’t instantly respond to any command, he relished
it for the rarity it was. It also led his mind down the winding path of how far he could take the game.
“This way.”
He pushed to his feet and started down the hallway, not bothering to look back to see if she was
following. She was. He could hear the click-click-click of her heels on the tiled floors, just as he
could hear how her mood transformed from shocked to confused to angry. “Grayson? Where the hell
are we going?”
Instead of answering—he was hanging on to his control by a thread, and he didn’t trust himself to
so much as speak if he wanted to get her out of this hallway without fucking her senseless—he
stopped in front of the elevator and pushed the up button. The doors opened a few seconds later, and
Danielle followed him inside. She grabbed his arm. “Hey, I asked you a—”
He spun her around and pressed her against the wall. “And I didn’t give you permission to speak.”
It was a test, in the same way everything had been to this point. He had to push her until she shoved
back—or gave in. Only then would he know exactly how far to take this.
Her brown eyes went wide. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again, the frown line
between her brows getting deeper with each thought she didn’t voice. But she didn’t try to get away.
Instead, she arched against him, ever so slightly. Grayson stroked her bottom lip, his thumb standing
out against the red. “Would you like to play a game?”
She nodded, her eyes still wide.
“If you obey, I’ll see that you’re rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.”
Some of the almost-fear left Danielle’s face and she smiled. “This is where you tell me you’re a
genie, right?” When he stared, she made a show of zipping her lips shut. “My bad.”
It had nothing to do with breaking her. He wasn’t the type to enjoy that sort of thing, but Grayson
wanted her submission, had craved her submission from the first time he recognized what she might
come to mean to him. He dropped his hand to bracket her throat, squeezing just a little to see if it
scared her. When her eyes dropped to half mast and a sigh slipped free, he knew he had her.
The doors opened on the executive floor—his floor. There wasn’t much up here except for his
office and the offices of his top three employees, all with their own assistant. All of whom were
downstairs enjoying the costume party, which suited him just fine since he fully intended on enjoying
his office.
Danielle snapped a jaunty salute. “Permission to speak, sir?”
“Now you’re just being cheeky.” But he liked it. He enjoyed this back-and-forth as much as he had
the rest of it. As much as he liked the give-and-take of power, he could also visualize lazy Sunday
mornings with her, laughing and making love and breakfast in bed.
Christ, he wanted that easily as much as he wanted her on her knees.
“Who, me?”
Grayson managed to keep a straight face, but just barely. “Speak.”
“Who the hell did you sleep with to get access to the executive floor?”
He’d forgotten for a moment that she didn’t know the truth. Grayson tried to decide the best way to
approach this, but Danielle kept right on speaking. “Because, seriously, this is somewhere my dad
would be comfortable spending time. And by time, I mean every second of every day. The people
who work up here are probably more married to their jobs than any family they have on the side.” She
shuddered.
Considering the tumultuous relationship she had with her father, it wasn’t exactly the most flattering
of comparisons. The truth hit him like a sucker punch to the stomach—if he told her who he was now,
she wouldn’t stick around to hear him out, not when she’d already acted as judge and jury to the
people who held these offices. She’d take off because it was a knee-jerk reaction, and it wouldn’t
matter that they’d spent hours upon hours talking or that a single kiss had him harder than he could
ever remember being in his life. She’d still leave.
Unless he gave her a reason to stay.
Then he’d damn well give her a reason to stay. If he could prove to her beyond a shadow of a doubt
that they were so well matched, she’d have to pause long enough to see reason. Tonight was his
opportunity to do that. So Grayson gave her his most charming smile. “Mail guy, remember? I get into
all the best places.”
“Oh yeah. Duh.” Some of the suspicion left her face, and she licked her lips. “So are we going to be
very, very bad?”
His grin widened. “Sweetheart, we haven’t even gotten started yet.” Grayson yanked her against
him and kissed her mercilessly, his tongue stroking hers, and then out of reach before she could
respond in kind, again and again, until she melted against him.
Only then did he set her on her feet and take a step back. “Come on.”
This time the look on her face didn’t fade as they made their way into his office. He flipped on the
perimeter lights, leaving the harsher overheads off. When he turned around, it was to find her
watching him with a strange look on her face. “Yes?”
“It’s nothing. Just with the shadows and you in that costume… You really do remind me of the
Phantom.” She glanced away, and then back, a slow grin pulling at the edges of her mouth. “Want to
know a secret?”
“Tell me.”
“I always kind of had a thing for him. The tortured loner with a devious streak a mile wide—
Phantom is my kind of fellow.” She frowned. “Except for the whole not-being-able-to-get-it-up thing.
That was kind of a buzzkill.”
Grayson crossed to her and pressed her hand against the length of his cock that was pretty damn
apparent through his pants. “Does it feel like I share the same problem?”
“Uh… Not so much.” Danielle leaned back against the desk, idly stroking him. “So, what’s the
plan, Stan?”
As difficult as it was to walk away from the feeling of her hand on his cock, he did. He circled the
desk and sank into the chair on the other side. “Strip.”
Chapter Four
Danielle blinked, sure she’d heard him wrong. “Uh, what?”
He made a motion with his finger. “Strip.”
With him sitting behind the desk, almost completely in shadow, the only thing that stood out was the
brilliant white of the half mask on his face. He could be anyone, a complete stranger.
Except this was Grayson. The same man she’d confessed to about her up-and-down relationship
with her father, who in turn told her about how rough things had been for him growing up with parents
who were never around—the same man who’d made her wetter than she could ever remember being
with only a kiss and a sharply worded command.
He sat in silence, not pushing her, but not giving any leeway either. He wanted her to strip? She
could do that. Danielle tossed her hair over her shoulder and unbuckled her belt. Before she could
drop it on the ground next to her, he lifted his hand. “Put that on the desk.”
Her gaze landed on the whip and she wondered if maybe she should just call the whole thing off.
The thought coasted away under a wave of sheer desire when he tilted his head and she caught the
glint of his eyes behind the mask. No one had ever looked at her like that before, as if she were
owned. Plenty of men had wanted to possess her, had tried to make her theirs, but Grayson was the
only one to walk in and just assume control. He’d done it to a lesser extent up to this point—as much
as afternoons in a coffee shop would allow—but this was something else altogether. As if everything
were already decided and it was just a matter of things falling into place.
She was so turned on she could barely think straight. Moving slowly, mostly to assure herself she
wasn’t a total lost cause, she unzipped the front of the catsuit. It was so tight, there wasn’t exactly
room for more than a G-string, so her breasts practically popped out of the thing once she got to the
bottom of the zipper.
She was able to peel out of it without looking like a damn fool, but that was due to a whole lot of
practice and some well-placed baby powder. As she stepped out of the suit, left in only her sad
excuse for panties, she waited for him to say something, do something, have some sort of reaction to
the sight of her naked.
He gave her nothing.
Perversely, it just made her want to perform further. She turned a slow circle, putting a little wiggle
in her hips. Still nothing. Danielle propped her hands on her hips. “Well?”
“The panties.”
Shit, he really wasn’t giving an inch. Danielle toyed with the top of her panties, dipping her finger
in, all too aware of how exposed she was. The satiny feel of the fabric against her heated skin nearly
drove her to the edge. This was insane. Grayson shouldn’t be able to get her this hot without even
touching her. Except he’d already done it countless times before, hadn’t he? This was just the payoff.
And what a payoff it was.
“The panties, Danielle.”
There was no denying the command, and she didn’t want to. She slid her panties over her hips and
dropped them to the floor. A quick sidestep and she was completely naked. For all that she’d been
with people before this and wasn’t particularly shy, she’d never actually stripped for a man up to this
point. Not to mention stripped in such a way that gave him all the power and her none. Her body felt
as if it’d been hooked up to a battery, nerves vibrating as she wondered what would come next. Her
nipples were hard peaks, giving him a visual indicator of her desire. If he decided to come closer,
he’d get a whole list of others. She raised her eyebrows, silently challenging him to keep going.
“Bend over the desk, legs shoulder-width apart.”
Her breath stuttered in her lungs as she obeyed, this feeling so much more vulnerable than the
striptease had made her. When she heard him move, she started to look up, but his voice stopped her.
“Forehead to the desk, please.”
Against all reason, that “please” made her knees buckle, though she caught herself before she made
a complete spectacle of herself by collapsing to the floor.
She could stop this right now. All she had to do was stand up, tell him she was done with his little
power games, and kiss him again. She didn’t think Grayson would turn her away if she didn’t play by
his rules… The thing was that she wanted to play by his rules. Which meant she needed to trust him to
take the lead.
Did she trust him?
Yes. The answer came from someplace inside her that was deeper than reason. It was an instinctive
need to give him everything and, though it terrified her more than a little, she couldn’t quite touch her
fear. Not while in the same room with him circling behind her and making her feel safe even as he put
her on edge. It didn’t make sense, but there was no denying the truth. She trusted him.
Danielle laid her head against the desk, giving herself over to him. There were few positions so
vulnerable as the one she was in right now. He could do anything he wanted to her and she’d never
see it coming.
The thought made her shiver.
“Do you know how many times I’ve imagined this?” He stroked a hand down her spine, making her
gasp. It dawned on her that she was naked and bent over the CEO’s desk while the mail guy touched
her. Wrong did not even begin to cover this situation. So the next time he touched her back, she arched
into it. Who cared if someone could walk in? She was so damn close to orgasming, and he’d barely
done anything yet.
“I asked you a question.”
He had, hadn’t he? Danielle cleared her throat, a smart remark on the tip of her tongue. At last
moment she pulled it back. This felt too real, too raw, for her to belittle with a joke, so she went with
the honest response. “As many times as I have?”
Grayson hissed out a breath. “You’ve thought about this.” He cupped her ass, then slid his hands
down the inside of her thighs, spreading them farther.
It wasn’t quite a question, but she answered anyway. “Yes.”
“Tell me.”
Tell him? Actually admit to all of the times she’d lain in the dark and touched herself while thinking
of him? She could do this. She wanted to do this. This was Grayson. She was safe with him.
She licked her lips. “I’ve thought about how many places in this goddamn building there are to have
illicit sex.”
“Those are not the details I’m looking for and you know it.” He ran his hands down her legs and
then back up again, thumb dragging dangerously close to where she desperately needed him to be.
“You’ve thought about me touching you. Where?”
Obviously he wasn’t going to give her an inch. She closed her eyes, sparks from his fingers
spreading over her skin. “I’ve imagined you sliding your hand up my skirt and fingering me, right at
the table in the coffee shop.”
“Apparently I’ve missed several opportunities.”
Her huffed laugh turned into a strangled sound when he cupped her. It wasn’t enough to send her
over the edge, but the possessive gesture brought out another shiver. “Please.”
“Not yet. How would have things progressed from there?”
From him banging her with his fingers? God, she didn’t know. In the past, all she’d had to think
about was the look in his eyes and his hands on her and she’d come. If she hadn’t… How would she
have wanted things to go from there? “After you made me come?”
“Who said I’d let you finish?” While he kept one hand between her legs, he stroked up her spine
with the other.
Oh. Well, damn. “Maybe I’d come too fast for you to tell me not to.”
He gripped the back of her neck, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to communicate just how
in his power she was. Danielle tried to rock against his hand, so his fingers touched her clit, but he
immediately removed it. “Ah, ah. Not so fast.”
God, he was going to play with her. She wasn’t sure if she hated or loved him for it. Desperate, she
kept talking, “I’d drag you into the nearest empty room, shove your ass to the floor, and jump your
bones.”
She wasn’t aware he moved until his breath brushed the small of her back. “That’s not how it’d
happen.”
Really? Because she was pretty sure she was about to happen. If only he’d touch her. “Grayson—”
“Do you want to know how things would have gone in reality?”
“They’re happening in reality right now.”
He slapped her ass, making her gasp. “The reality is I would have ripped off your panties and
pinned you down as I licked your pussy until you begged me to fuck you.” Grayson kissed the small of
her back. “Find something to hang on to.”
“What—” The only warning she got was his hand leaving her neck and half a second later his
shoulders pushed her legs wider. Danielle bit her lip, barely daring to breathe for fear it would stop
him from doing what he so obviously intended. He licked her as if savoring her taste, and made a
sound in the back of his throat. As he stroked her again, she grabbed the edge of the desk, gritting her
teeth in an effort to keep from moving her hips against him. No way in hell would she do something to
risk him stopping.
When he sucked her clit into his mouth and rolled his tongue around the sensitive nub, she couldn’t
hold back a moan any longer. “Grayson.”
She almost cried out when he moved back, desperate for him to keep going, but he shoved two
fingers into her. “How close are you, love?”
Love? But she didn’t have the mental capacity to question the endearment as he kept fucking her
with his fingers. Had he just asked her something? God, why couldn’t she put two words together?
She’d never had this problem during sex before. “Close.”
“Come for me.” Then his mouth returned, his tongue lazily swirling around her clit.
Danielle dug her fingers into the wood of the desk, hanging on for dear life as pressure built, all
centered on what he was doing to her. She rocked against his mouth, not caring about anything but the
completion that danced just beyond her reach. Then he shoved a third finger into her and she
screamed as her orgasm sucked her under. While shudders racked her body, Grayson gentled his
touches and pulled away.
She managed a laugh even as her knees shook. “How’s that for reality?”
“I’m just getting started.” He ran his hand up her spine again. When she tried to rise—since
Danielle was the only one who’d finished, she had every intention of returning the oral favor—he
stopped her with his grip on her neck again. “Wrists, please.”
“But—”
“Wrists, please.” Once again, he waited until she complied instead of trying to force her. It would
have been the easiest thing in the world for him to position her how he wanted—and she would have
loved every second of it. By forcing her to decide to do it, in a way he was putting the control solely
with her.
Who would have thought she’d feel most in control when submitting?
As leather of her utility belt wrapped around them, heat shot through her. Even as he tightened the
belt, forcing her arms behind her, she marveled that this was Grayson. Who knew the man would be
able to make her come harder than she had with any other guy? How was she supposed to get over
something like that?
The terrible thought surfaced and no matter how she tried to shove it away, she couldn’t. She must
have tensed up, because he stopped rubbing her arms. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Grayson sighed. “I’d like to think I’m a man of reasonable intelligence. So let’s try that again.
What’s wrong?”
If any other man had asked her that, she would have demurred. Or maybe gotten pissed and started a
fight about something else altogether. But this wasn’t just some guy, no matter what she’d told
Chelsea. “I don’t want things to change. Between us.”
And that was the crux of the matter. The fear that had her turning down his previous date requests,
and that almost made her go home alone earlier. Danielle didn’t make a habit of hooking up and not
sticking around long enough for messy emotions and complications to arise. Oh, she’d dated on and
off since high school, but nothing serious. Hooking up was a completely different thing, though. She
wasn’t an idiot any more than Grayson was. She knew sex was sex, and emotions rarely showed up.
Real life wasn’t a story from her secret stash of romance novels—if they had sex it was entirely
possible she’d fuck up their friendship beyond belief.
The thought of never sitting across a coffee shop table from him again made her want to cry.
His comforting hands on her arms tightened briefly. “Why would things change?”
It was such a guy question she almost laughed. Once again, the temptation arose to just brush this
whole conversation off, but she didn’t think he’d let her get away with it anymore the second time
than she had the first. “Because sex always changes things.”
…
Grayson couldn’t argue with her—sex did change everything—but he didn’t think now was the time to
tell her that had been the plan all along. He thoroughly enjoyed every minute he’d spent with her to the
point where his weeks had become a countdown to when he’d see her next. And he wanted more.
More time. More talks. More of this.
She created such a breathtaking picture, naked except for her heels, bent over his desk with her
utility belt binding her arms behind her back. When Danielle had stripped out of her catsuit, a
challenge in her dark eyes, it had been everything he could do not to drag her over the desk and into
his lap to finish this right then and there.
But they only got a first time once, and he’d be damned before he fucked it up.
He kissed the spot between her shoulder blades. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Who said I was talking about you being the one to play least-in-sight?”
Under no circumstances would he sit back and watch her walk away, but Grayson fought back the
instinctive need to tell her so. He knew enough of her relationship with her father to know she
wouldn’t respond well to him telling her how to live her life. If he tried to push her into something,
her knee-jerk reaction would be to leave, even if she actually wanted to stay. So he had to make her
want to stay.
He used her arms to leverage her up until she stood straight. In her heels, her neck was within easy
reach and far too tempting to pass up. He ran his tongue over the top of her spine, surprised yet again
by how much he craved the taste of her. Everything about this woman got to him on a bone-deep level.
“Do you want to walk away?”
“No.”
Relief made him want to wrap her up and never let her go. It wasn’t until she said the words that he
acknowledged that he had held the same fear that tonight would ruin everything. It didn’t matter how
well he planned out things, or how carefully he played them, she could have easily taken what he gave
and then told him she never wanted to see him again. He would have tried to change her mind and, if
it didn’t work, he’d have mourned the loss of her presence in his life. As much as he wanted her—
needed her—in his life, he wasn’t the type of man to try to force her hand when it came to staying.
That she wanted to stay was more a relief than he cared to think about.
“Grayson?”
Get a hold of yourself, man. Now isn’t the time for this conversation . “We want the same thing,
so let’s stop worrying about it.” He cupped her breasts and feathered his thumbs over her nipples.
“Mmm. Okay.” She arched against him, leaning her head against his shoulder. “But if we’re going
to stop talking, maybe we should get on with the fucking.”
He laughed. “Yes, let’s.”
When he moved back, she turned toward him. The expression on her face stopped the command
he’d been about to voice. She kept her eyes downcast, but there was no mistaking the need there—or
the stubborn set of her chin. “I have a request.”
How very careful she was being, playing the game he’d started when they walked in here. “Yes?”
She seemed to force herself to meet his gaze. “I want to suck your cock while you sit in the boss’s
chair.”
He hardened to a near-painful degree. As many times as he’d sat in this very office and imagined
Danielle naked and in countless positions, that was one particular experience he’d been damn near
obsessed with. Though it hadn’t been something he’d planned to demand—not this time—he didn’t
have the willpower to turn her down.
Not when he wanted her so much.
He undid his cloak and dropped it near her pile of clothes. His shirt followed quickly after. When
he reached for his belt buckle, she made a protesting noise. “Leave them on.”
How quickly the tables turned, though one could argue he was still in charge considering she was
bound. Grayson suddenly didn’t care. He undid his buckle and freed himself, dropped into the office
chair, and waited while she knelt between his knees. Having her here like this was almost too good to
be true. He closed his eyes for a long moment, barely resisting the urge to pinch himself. Because this
was real. He was in his office with Danielle—the woman he’d been unable to get out of his mind
since they met—naked and on her knees in front of him.
He opened his eyes in time to see her take his cock into her mouth.
She moved slowly, humming a little in the back of her throat. As she licked her way down to his
base, he took fistfuls of her hair, though he couldn’t have said in that moment if it was to control her
movements or to keep it free of her face so he could see what she was doing to him. Her lips were
brilliant red, even in the low light, and watching them slide down his cock was nearly enough to send
him over the edge.
He held on to his orgasm through sheer force of will, refusing to let go until she’d done the same at
least once more. If there were anything more captivating than this woman in the midst of an orgasm,
he had yet to lay eyes on it.
As if sensing his faltering control, Danielle picked up her pace, taking him so deeply he bumped the
back of her throat. Three strokes of that and he knew he wouldn’t last a fourth.
Grayson drew her off him and leaned forward to kiss her. When she tried to go for his cock again,
he braced her throat with one hand while keeping a hold of her hair with the other. “Not so fast.”
“No fair.” She leaned forward, pressing her throat more firmly against his hand as if relishing the
contact. “You finished me off.”
“No one said anything about being fair.” He maneuvered her up until she was standing in front of
him. Though the temptation to keep her like this rose, he wasn’t sure she’d be able to avoid falling.
He’d catch her—no way was he letting her get hurt—but the threat of falling might prevent her from
giving herself over completely.
No fucking way was she holding back.
He pushed her back onto his desk and yanked off her shoes. “You aren’t going to need these.”
Positioning her heels on the edge of the desk opened her to him completely. Grayson sat back and ran
his hand over his mouth. He tried to breathe through his need to kiss her everywhere, touch her
everywhere, fuck her right this very second.
He’d never be able to sit here again without seeing this mental picture.
With that in mind, he allowed himself a smile as he dragged a finger over her pussy. “You’re wet,
love.”
“Yeah, well, an orgasm will do that to a girl.”
He pushed a finger into her, using his free hand to hold her hips in place when she tried to rock
against him. “It wouldn’t be that you enjoy sucking me off, would it?”
“That’s just ridiculous.” Her eyes drifted closed as he used his middle finger to circle her clit.
He chuckled. “My mistake.”
“Yep. Make sure you don’t make it again.”
“Most definitely.” He slid his hands under her ass and lifted her as he leaned over to lick her again.
Her back bowed as he licked and nibbled his way down from her clit and back again. Though he
could spend all night tasting her, that wasn’t part of this night’s plans.
Reluctantly, he lifted his head, once again debating throwing the damn plan out the window. The
night was young, and there was plenty of time left to take this to the next level while still allowing
himself an hour or two of driving her wild with his mouth.
Danielle cursed, interrupting his thoughts. “You’re killing me, Smalls.”
Which was the plan, though he had to laugh that she was quoting nineties movies while in this
position. “God forbid.” He leaned back and lifted her to drape her legs over the arms of the chair. At
the last minute, he remembered the condom. With a curse of his own, he yanked a packet out of the top
drawer and ripped it open.
“Whoa. Boss man is a dirty birdy.” She frowned. “How the hell did you know he had a stash?”
“Mail guy, remember? I know all the employees’ dirty secrets.” The lie turned his stomach, but he
couldn’t exactly tell her the truth until he’d proven how good they were for each other. Before he
could think about how pathetic that excuse sounded, even to him, he rolled the condom on.
“Remind me not to let you look through my mail.” Her laugh was cut short as he pulled her down
onto his cock, sheathing himself to the hilt. She arched against him, but with her hands bound and her
legs in their position, she was helpless to do much more.
Grayson took full advantage of that, trapping her against him with his arm across the small of her
back and wrapping his fist around her hair. He kissed her even as he ground against her, his tongue
lashing hers.
She pulled away with a gasp. “Grayson, please. Please let me touch you.”
Part of him wanted to deny her, to keep her helpless until he drove her out of her mind with
pleasure. But the need to have her hands on him rose, so strong it was as if his very skin cried out for
it. This had never been a problem before—when he’d been with other women, he’d had no problem
keeping them tied until they were both exhausted—but things felt different with Danielle. Yes, he
enjoyed dominating her, but he craved her touch on a level that would have scared him if not for the
fact that he was buried inside her at the moment.
He reached around her and undid the belt, giving in to that need for the first time he could
remember.
Immediately she ran her hands up his sides and pulled him into another kiss. Though it was just as
deep and desperate before, something shifted in his chest, falling into place. It was right with this
woman. Everything was right with this woman.
Grayson slid out of the chair and down onto to the floor, careful not to dislodge her. The carpet was
cool against his back, a direct counterpoint to her wet heat wrapped around his cock. She rose above
him with a grin, lightly raking her nails down his chest. “Control freak on his back?”
She had no idea how close to the truth she’d hit. The fact that he let her out of her bonds felt like a
huge step, let alone this. “Only for you.”
The moment stretched on, and a thousand words he couldn’t say created a silence he couldn’t
break. Not in this moment. Not tonight. Soon, though. Danielle ducked her head, her hair temporarily
shielding her face from view. She started riding his cock, her slow movements changing the entire
tone of the encounter. The need didn’t dissipate, but the softer emotion inside him threatened to take
hold and never leave.
So be it.
He pulled her down, kissing her even as he used his grip on her hips to keep her decadent rhythm.
The feeling of so much skin sliding against his as she rode him nearly sent him over the edge. He
existed on a precipice, riding it as if there were no danger of falling. As if he could continue on like
this forever.
All too soon, her rhythm became choppy, but he kept her going as she came, her whispering his
name quite possibly the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard. Then and only then did he give in,
pounding into her as he lost control. She clutched his shoulders as his fingers dug into her ass, sealing
them together as his hips came off the floor. His vision actually blacked out for a second while he
relearned how to breathe.
Fuck, that was intense.
Grayson kissed her again, a slow playing of his tongue against hers, half considering keeping this
up until he was ready to go another round, until Danielle slid off him with a laugh. “Slow your roll,
cowboy. I need a breather—and probably a shower—before you start getting me all riled up again.”
“Come home with me.” He spoke without really considering the implications. If she came home
with him, he’d have to answer all sorts of uncomfortable questions—namely how a mail guy could
afford a penthouse down on Vine Street.
He had to tell her the truth, even though the prospect worried him far more than it had at the
beginning of the night. Before, he’d known he enjoyed spending time with her and that he didn’t want
to lose that small thing they had together. Now… Now he’d been given a taste of what being with
Danielle really meant. She was the full package—and he still wasn’t sure how she’d react to finding
out his true identity. He’d like to think she’d forgive him for the lie, but he wasn’t sure. And, because
he wasn’t sure, he couldn’t force himself to open his mouth and ruin what was turning out to be a
perfect night.
She solved the dilemma for him. “Why don’t you come to my place? I’m only about three blocks
from here.”
Avoid any potential problems and get a chance to see her in her comfort zone? He jumped at the
chance. “I’d like that.”
She smiled. “Me, too.”
Chapter Five
It wasn’t really as simple as saying, “Come home with me.” Danielle eyed her catsuit—getting back
into it was going to be a bitch. Somehow she was going to have to make it look like she hadn’t just
been having the best sex of her life before walking out of here.
There had to be a back door somewhere.
Grayson came to the rescue. “Why don’t you wrap up in this? It should do for three blocks.” He set
his cloak over her shoulders and the fabric slid sensuously over her skin despite the weight of it.
She closed her eyes and inhaled, loving that she caught the barest whiff of his cologne. Up until
tonight, Danielle hadn’t been willing to act like a creeper and risk getting caught sniffing him or his
clothes. Now everything was different.
Once again, a faint fear that everything would be ruined as a result of tonight rose, but she ignored
it. She wasn’t going to worry about something that might never happen. He’d said nothing would
change, and she had to take him at his word. Determined to outrun the doubts in her mind, she yanked
on her panties and then slipped on her shoes. The cloak would have to be enough to get her home.
While she was brooding, he’d fixed his pants and put his shirt back on. He picked up her suit and
folded it far more neatly than she would have been able to. “Ready?”
Taking his hand felt like a way bigger step than it should have. It was just sex. Sure, sex with
someone she’d come to consider more than a friend, but it wasn’t like she’d gone and professed her
undying love or something. Danielle’s chest twinged at the thought and she used the excuse of holding
the cloak in place around her to slip her hand free of Grayson’s.
She cared about him, knew she cared about him. There was no shame in admitting that. Grayson
was unlike any man she’d ever met and, as much as she’d run her mouth with Chelsea, there was a
whole lot more to this thing than wanting to bang the gorgeous mail guy. But how much more? That
was the question, wasn’t it?
“What are you thinking about so intently over there?”
It was a question he’d asked her often enough over their coffee dates. The fact that she felt
comfortable enough with him to space out instead of prattling on was something she’d never been
willing to examine too closely. Danielle opened her mouth to say “Nothing” but then reconsidered.
Why not be honest? Worst case, he’d make some excuses and go home alone, and she’d know now
that he’d lied when he said things wouldn’t change.
That didn’t sound like a great option. But what was the alternative? To spend more time in this
delicious limbo and then get kicked in the teeth with the truth later on? No, it was better to know now.
“I like having coffee with you.”
He frowned. “I like having coffee with you, too.”
“I really don’t want to lose that.” She felt like she was beating a dead horse. Hadn’t they just had
this conversation? He said nothing would change, and she should probably just take him at his word
instead of questioning him like she was some insecure twit.
“Why would you lose it?”
“We talked about this. Sex changes everything.”
“Of course it will change things. Nothing stays the same.” He shook his head. “Would you like to
have breakfast with me tomorrow, Danielle?”
What the hell? “Well, I hadn’t planned on kicking you out of my apartment before you were dressed
and fed.”
“While that’s good to know, it’s not what I meant.”
The pieces clicked into place and her jaw dropped. “Are you asking me out?”
“Don’t look surprised. This isn’t the first time.” He paused. “Are you finally saying yes?”
Was she? As terrified as she was of losing her coffee dates with Grayson, she wasn’t sure how she
felt about an actual date. That was almost scarier than losing everything. It was why she kept turning
him down—she didn’t want to rock the boat. Why mess with a good thing, right?
She gripped the cloak with white-knuckled hands and then frowned. What the hell was she bitching
about? He wanted to date her. She had a blast spending time with him, and the sex was off the charts.
Why not try to date him for real? “I’m considering it.”
He led the way to the elevator, his silence turning into something much less comfortable. She took
in the tightness around his jaw and how stiffly he held his shoulders. Great, now she’d gone and
stepped in it. As usual. “Why are you pissed now?”
“You have to be the most gun-shy woman I’ve ever met.”
It’s something she never would have called herself. Brazen? Sure. Out there? Oh yeah. Gun-shy?
Not so much. “You’re mad because I have yet to fall all over myself to say yes to dating you?”
“When you say it like that, you make it sound ridiculous.” And he didn’t sound any less pissed.
They stepped into the elevator, and Danielle clutched the cloak more firmly around her. “The sex
makes this different. You know this, and I know this. So excuse me for being a little cautious.”
“You wouldn’t know cautious if it bit you in the ass.”
She jerked back, stung. That sounded exactly like something her father would say. No. Grayson
isn’t anything like him. She needed to stop reacting without thinking and calm down. Just because he
had sounded pretty damn superior there for a second didn’t mean a damn thing. This was the man
who’d held her hand and comforted her after the last time Dad went off the rails at her. The guy who
listened to her hopes and dreams and encouraged her when she hadn’t had the courage to tell anyone
else in her life about it. He wanted her exactly how she was—he wasn’t trying to change her.
And she wasn’t a little girl anymore, so desperate for approval and only receiving a verbal slap-
down for her trouble. She took a deep breath. “Maybe not, but I’m also not an idiot. I said I’d
consider a date, and I will. So stop pushing.”
“I think you like it when I push.” He didn’t move, but he suddenly seemed a whole lot closer. He
reached out and ran his fingers through the ends of her hair, not pulling or trying to maneuver her—
just touching her with a propriety that made her weak in the knees.
Who knew the daughter of General Kastien would have a submissive streak?
A shrink would probably have a field day with the revelation.
She watched as he moved his hands, nearly as dark as her hair, up to her chest, parting the cloak so
he could touch her bare skin. “What do you think, Danielle? Do you like it when I push?”
In some ways, hell yeah. Having him order her around in the office had gotten her nearly as hot as
his touch did, but she wasn’t sure she liked the idea of giving him control outside the bedroom. She
looked up into his brown eyes, and the words felt as if they were being dragged out of her mouth.
“Sometimes.”
“Would you like me to back off?”
She licked her lips. “No.”
“No?”
“No, I don’t want you to back off.” In reality, she wanted him to shove her against the wall and fuck
her right here, but the falling numbers were a reminder of how little time they had right now. Sure,
they could pull the emergency stop lever, but that would draw attention, and she really didn’t want to
lose her job over a handful of orgasms.
Even if they were earth-shattering-forget-your-own-name orgasms.
“Good.” He hauled her against him, taking her mouth as if he owned her.
As Danielle wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, she wasn’t sure he didn’t.
…
He had to tell her the truth. He knew he did. But as they climbed the stairs to her apartment and she let
them in, he couldn’t find the right words. There had to be a better way than just blurting it out.
Grayson stopped inside the door as she flitted about the room, turning on lights in her wake. From
their conversations, he knew she had a roommate, and the clash in styles was easy to pick out. The
classic beige three-piece sofa set surely wasn’t Danielle’s, but the brilliantly colored knit blankets
laid haphazardly on them were. So were the shoes tossed into a pile near the front door, along with
the case of energy drinks on top of the fridge. She didn’t like coffee—for all that they met in the
coffee shop—but she drained those Monster things as if they were the best invention ever created.
They’d long ago agreed to disagree there.
While he was musing, she opened one of the doors. “Give me a second to get into something a little
less cloak-and-dagger.”
“Stop.”
He loved how she instinctively responded to his commands. His pleasure was made even better by
the fact that he knew she got off on it as much as he did—possibly more. Grayson motioned. “Come
here.” When she took a step, he held up a hand. “Leave the cloak there.”
Though she sighed as she dropped it, there was no hiding the way her nipples pebbled or the flush
rising beneath her skin. Her breasts bounced as she walked toward him, and he appreciated the way
her hips swung, though he still wasn’t sure if she did it on purpose or not. It didn’t matter. All that
mattered was the fact that there wasn’t a single thing about this woman that he found wanting. He
valued her opinion, and her sharp wit, and the way she made him laugh even when he’d had a hellish
morning.
As he’d told her earlier, he wanted more than the little slices of time their coffee dates had offered.
Grayson smoothed her hair back and framed her face with his hands. “Will your roommate be home
tonight?”
“Nope.”
“Good.” He kissed her forehead. “Let’s watch a movie.”
“What?”
He laughed. “A movie. Lady’s choice.”
“Uh-huh.” She propped her hands on her hips. “I don’t suppose you’re going to let me get dressed
first, are you?”
“Not likely.” He had no intention of watching a movie, either, but Grayson loved being able to keep
her off guard like this. He dropped onto the L-shaped sofa and watched her dig through the shelf of
DVDs. Her ass was right at eye level and he was almost 100 percent sure she’d done that on purpose.
If so, he definitely appreciated her ability to tease, even if he had to grip the end of the couch cushion
in order to keep from reaching for her. She grabbed a film and popped it in before heading toward
him.
Danielle turned off most of the lights and stopped next to the couch, a small frown on her face. He
took the choice of where to sit away when he hooked an arm around her waist and yanked her into his
lap. “There.”
“Ass.” She wiggled into a more comfortable position, all the shifting making his cock jump to
attention. He looped an arm under her shoulders and moved her up so she could lean against the
pillows on one side of him and stretch her legs out on the other side.
As the movie started, he was unsurprised to recognize The Goonies. Of course she’d pick that after
quoting The Sandlot to him while naked and spread out on his desk. “Nice.”
“I happen to have excellent taste in movies, among other things.”
“I believe that goes without saying.” He waited for her to relax, enjoying the freedom of having her
naked in his arms. This, even more than the sex, was something he craved. It had been so long since
he actually dated someone for enough time to facilitate the casual touches so many people took for
granted. Grayson had found that, as much as the last few women he dated had wanted him, they didn’t
have much use for him outside of his bedroom and credit cards. His most recent ex never would have
been caught dead cuddling on the couch, and that was part of the reason they were no longer together
—along with the fact that she charged eight grand on his Amex card in a single day.
Somehow, he knew he’d never have to worry about that kind of thing with Danielle. As if sensing
him watching her, she glanced over and mock-glared. “Eyes forward, sir.”
“I like my eyes where they are.” To prove his point, he slid his hand up the inside of her thigh.
“You are a bad, bad man to interrupt this movie. For shame.” But she spread her thighs a little to
give him better access.
“I’m a shameful kind of guy.” And then he pushed a finger into her.
…
Grayson worked her with his fingers, rubbing over that spot guaranteed to make her lose her mind.
They’d only been together tonight, and it was like he knew Danielle’s body better than her single
long-term boyfriend ever had. Every time he touched her, she lost a little more height from the walls
surrounding her heart.
If she were going to be honest, he’d started doing that before he ever laid a hand on her. She clung
to him and closed her eyes, not ready to deal with what the look on his face meant.
Of course, he wouldn’t even let her have that. “Open your eyes.”
God, why did he have to look at her as if she were the most priceless thing in the world—as if she
were all his?
Her orgasm loomed as he played with her, just out of reach. She tried to tilt her hips so his wrist
would press against her clit, but Grayson easily held her in place. “Tell me something.”
She was about to come, and he wanted to talk? What the hell was wrong with this guy? She gasped
a little when he twisted his hand. “What?”
“What’s holding you back from agreeing to date me?”
It was official—this man was insane. No one else would be bothering with a relationship talk
while banging her until she was nearly out of her mind with pleasure. Then again, maybe it was all
part of his plan. It was pretty genius, now that she thought about it. “Grayson…”
He withdrew his fingers and circled her clit. “Answer the question.”
What the hell did he want her to say? There wasn’t any reason for her not to date him, especially if
she could look forward to this kind of treatment on the regular. Combined with how well they meshed
on a nonsexual level, Grayson was pretty much the perfect guy.
So why fight it?
“I don’t know.”
He plunged two fingers, and then three, inside her, watching her face the entire time. “Then why
not?”
She didn’t know. Danielle’s breath hissed out when he leaned down to suck on her nipple, putting
the slightest of pressure on it with his teeth to make her head fall back. Since his hold still kept her
from moving, she dug her nails into his shoulders, fighting not to lose herself. “What? You want me to
be your girlfriend or something?”
“That’s exactly what I want.” He moved to the other nipple. “But first I want you to come for me.”
As if her body had been waiting for her permission, the pressure inside her wound to a near-painful
degree. Then Grayson cupped her, his palm sliding against her clit in rhythm with the thrust of his
fingers, and it was all too much. She buried her face against his shoulder and sobbed his name as she
came.
It felt as if every bone in her body turned to liquid, so she didn’t protest when he lifted her off the
couch. “Bedroom?”
Danielle motioned vaguely toward her room and laid her head on his shoulder. God, this man was
something else. What was she supposed to do with him?
Date him, you idiot. Oh yeah, that.
He laid her down in the middle of her bed—which was simple since she’d shoved all her covers
and comforter off this morning in her sleep and never gotten around to putting them back—and
stripped. After rolling on a condom he pulled from his pants pocket, he stretched out on top of her.
Even though she’d had more orgasms tonight than she’d managed in a week with her idiot exes, she
couldn’t help arching against him.
Grayson kissed her neck. “Your room is a mess.”
“Are you seriously complaining right now? You have a naked woman wrapped around you.”
“Mmmm.” He repositioned and shoved into her. “And she’s wet for me.”
Every word that came out of his mouth felt like a brand digging into her heart. Please, please,
please don’t let this all be an act to get laid . She kissed him, the feel of his tongue sliding lazily
along hers silencing her doubts like little else could. He slid his arms beneath her back, cradling her
even as he ground against her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and fell into rhythm with him,
while he murmured in her ear, “Tonight you’re mine, Danielle.”
How could she deny it? She’d done everything he’d asked of her—and more—and loved every
second of it. “Yes.”
He kissed her neck again, setting his teeth against her skin. “I’m never letting you go.” Then he
shifted, lifting her legs and spreading them until she was completely helpless as he drove into her. All
she could do was cling to him as she was swept away yet again. He went completely rigid as he
came, his arms a cage around her she never wanted to escape.
God. She was so in over her head it wasn’t even funny.
For the first time, she let herself consider if that was really a bad thing. As he rolled off her and
tucked her against his side, she couldn’t think of a damn reason why she shouldn’t date him. “Yes.”
“Hmmm?”
This was her last chance to back out. Grayson wasn’t exactly the type of man to throw himself at the
feet of a woman he enjoyed just because he wanted her. No, he’d stand back with that imperious tilt
of his head and motion her forward like a king holding court.
But she didn’t want to back out. She swallowed hard, trying to regulate her breathing—which was
pretty damn tough considering what they’d just been doing. “Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend.”
He pulled her to him, holding her so tightly she half wondered if he thought she was going to take it
back and run naked from the room. When he didn’t show any signs of letting go, she smacked his
chest. “Can’t breathe!”
“Sorry.”
“Liar.” She wiggled up to press a kiss against his jaw. “I know you mentioned breakfast, but can
we skip that and do brunch instead?”
“Brunch?”
“It’s this meal between lunch and—”
He laughed. “I’m aware of what brunch is.”
“I’m not a big fan of the whole morning thing—especially after the night we’ve had. So let’s skip
getting up early and just mosey on over to my favorite diner at a reasonable hour—like noon.”
“I think we can manage that.”
“So glad we’re in agreement.”
Grayson reached over the side of the bed and grabbed the comforter to cover them. “How do you
feel about Hawaii?”
“Never been there.” It was one of the few states she hadn’t managed to visit while moving near-
constantly with her father. The longest they’d stayed in one place was in Texas, and that had been
barely two years. It wasn’t the normal military brat’s existence but, as Dad was so fond of saying,
they weren’t normal people. They were Kastiens.
“I have a trip planned next week. You should come with me.”
She lifted her head and frowned at him. “Honey, that’s all well and good, but I don’t exactly have a
few grand lying around that I can blow on a last-minute trip to Hawaii.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“No, thanks.” She frowned harder. She wasn’t going to let him throw away his entire savings or
something for her. “Unless being a mail guy for Mr. Harper pays a whole lot more than anywhere else
in the city, there’s no way you can afford that.”
A look passed over his face, gone so quickly she was half-sure she imagined it. What the hell did
he have to be guilty about? Danielle shook her head, shoving it from her mind. It had been a long night
and she was dead tired. There was no use making mountains out of molehills. She yawned so widely
that her jaw cracked.
Grayson smoothed her hair back again. “I think it’s time for some sleep.”
She couldn’t argue there. “Definitely.”
“And tomorrow, we’ll grab some brunch.”
She fell asleep in his arms, wondering how she could have been so lucky to end up with this man.
Maybe her love life was finally actually working out.
Chapter Six
Danielle woke to the smell of bacon. She smiled and rolled over, deciding today was off to a brilliant
start. Not only did Grayson give her mad orgasms and want to date her, but he cooked, too.
She definitely won the boyfriend jackpot.
Boyfriend. She wasn’t sure how she felt about throwing a label on this thing so early in the game,
but the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if it was her personal problems getting in the
way. She’d be the first to admit that she had Daddy issues in a bad way, and that was part of the
reason she’d made such…questionable…decisions in the past when it came to men. The one time
she’d gone to a therapist to see if the man could smack some sense into her, he’d told her she was
remarkably self-aware when it came to her problems and seemed to have things well under control.
Not so much.
But the thing she kept coming back to was the fact Grayson was different. He wasn’t in some high-
powered job that would keep him from his family—from her. He was the type of man to fight for
those he loved. Hadn’t he basically spent the last few months quietly waiting her out until she was
ready to make the next move? A man who’d make that much of an effort just to date a woman he was
interested in wouldn’t spend all his time tied up in a love affair with his job. If he had, he never
would have looked at Danielle twice after she didn’t fall all over herself to go on a date with him. He
wouldn’t be an empty chair at an even emptier dinner table.
That was the kind of man she’d actually consider building a life with.
As she sat up and reached for a pair of sweats next to the bed, a buzzing sound vibrated from the
nightstand. Danielle frowned and leaned over to get a better look. “Is that a Takaski Luxom?”
How the hell had he gotten a hold of one? Not only were they expensive as all get-out, they weren’t
in any of the stores in town. She knew, because she’d looked even though she couldn’t afford to buy
one.
Even as she told herself it was an asshole thing to do, curiosity got the better of her. These things
were supposed to have triple the battery life and be twice as fast as anything else on the market.
She’d half convinced herself that the press was exaggerating, but there was only one way to tell for
sure.
She picked up the phone and brought up the home screen. The first thing to pop up was the text
message alerts, but she clicked out of it without reading anything—no way was she that kind of
girlfriend. Grayson had left the damn thing in the room—the fact that it wasn’t attached to his hip
meant he had nothing to hide. So she flipped through the system setup, her eyes widening at the
capacity. “I have got to get me one of these.”
Resolving to make it happen, she started to put the phone down. A message popped up on the
screen as her finger hovered over the button to put it to sleep, and a familiar name caught her eye in
the preview. Mr. Harper.
Why the hell was he getting an e-mail addressed to the owner of the building they worked in?
Dread curled through Danielle’s stomach. Surely he wasn’t involved in something illegal? Grayson
was wicked smart—too smart to hack into Mr. Harper’s account. She hoped. And what would he
think to find? From what she understood, Harper had a reputation for being fair—if tough—with his
employees. He could have ruled through fear like a lot of CEOs out there, but everyone she’d talked
to respected the hell out of him. He didn’t seem to be that bad of a guy when all was said and done—
a workaholic, but that was nothing surprising. Hell, he was the one who’d thrown the Halloween
party. Hardly the type of guy who had skeletons in his closet important enough to warrant hacking.
But what did she know? It wasn’t like she’d met the man.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she opened the e-mail and skimmed it. It was some
confirmation of a meeting the next week between Harper and the guy sending the e-mail—not exactly
top-secret stuff. Danielle frowned and flipped back into the e-mail account, scrolling through the
messages.
Every single one of them was to Mr. Harper
What the hell?
All of a sudden, her dread tripled. No way. Absolutely no way. She switched to the Internet
browser and typed in Grayson Harper. As it loaded, she tried to tell herself it was bullshit. The
search would bring up nothing—probably some poor guy in South Carolina who sold hot sauce out of
the back of his truck or something. And yet, when the page finally appeared, the top picture was of a
painfully familiar face. “No.”
Her Grayson and Mr. Harper were the same damn person.
Betrayal swept through her, thick enough to choke on. He’d lied. The fucking mail guy? Was this all
some sort of joke? Let’s see how far we can string poor, stupid Danielle along. She bet he got a great
laugh out of it when she agreed to be his girlfriend.
Reality kicked her in the chest. That office they were in last night had been his. No wonder he
hadn’t been worried about getting caught. What the hell would anyone be able to do to him? He
owned the freaking building.
Which meant she’d been wrong about him all along.
He wasn’t the type to create a family or settle down, let alone with a girl like her. He was just like
her father—married to his goddamn job. Danielle knew all too well how mere humans measured up
in comparison.
God, she was so stupid.
She should have known something was up, but she’d been so swept away with their conversations,
she’d let all her reservations go. She’d let everything go.
She looked at the door to the rest of the apartment, wanting to do anything except walk out there and
confront him. Considering she normally enjoyed a good knock-down, drag-out fight, the thought of
going toe-to-toe with Grayson made her want to cry. He’d played her. Everything about him was a
lie, and that realization hurt way more than it should have.
There was no help for it, though. Her dad might be an ass, but he hadn’t raised a coward. With a
deep breath, she lifted her chin and reached for the doorknob.
…
Grayson carefully set the bacon on the paper-towel-covered plate and reached for the eggs. She might
have mentioned going to a diner, but there was no reason to leave the apartment when he was
perfectly capable of cooking. Besides, he fully intended on keeping her naked for as long as possible.
He heard the bedroom door open and turned to greet Danielle, but the smile on his face died when he
saw the look on hers. “What’s wrong?”
“What could possibly be wrong?” She dropped his phone on the table, the screen still open to the
search she must have done on him. In the picture, he was smiling as he shook hands with the owner of
Washington Tech.
Fuck.
“Danielle.” He reached for her. “I can explain.”
She slid back a few steps, putting the table between them. “I don’t doubt it. You’re good with
words, right? You knew exactly what to say to make me trust you. Why? Was it all some game?”
A game? Her accusation couldn’t have been further from the truth, though he felt a whole lot like he
was losing right now. “No, of course not. How could you possibly think that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you lied. God, I should have known better, you know? You
were too good to be true.” She shook her head, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
Grayson held up his hand. “Wait—let’s just hold on a second. I made a mistake when I didn’t tell
you who I really was, but that doesn’t mean everything else was a lie—last night wasn’t a lie. I know
you feel the same connection I do.”
“What connection’s that? I trusted Grayson, the mail guy. I can’t say the same for Grayson Harper.”
“You’re splitting hairs.”
“No, I’m really not. Because the man I thought you were wouldn’t have lied to me, and he sure as
fuck wouldn’t have set me up like this. You’re no better than my father, manipulating the little people
around him to get his way.”
And this was the reason he hadn’t told the truth. Granted, he usually had to worry about the
opposite reaction—women sidling up to him because of his last name and the influence his money
brought him—but the fact remained the same. He thought she’d seen beneath the surface level, had
actually seen him. After last night, she should have been able to see past the job to the man beneath.
Apparently he’d been wrong about a lot of things. “I’m nothing like your father.”
She met his gaze steadily, though her lower lip quivered. “You’re right. Dad might be a lot of
things, but a liar isn’t one of them.”
So this was it. He should have known this wouldn’t work out. Relationships never did once his
career came into the picture. This had just ended a hell of a lot earlier than he anticipated. Grayson
took a deep breath and tried to get a hold of his pride before he turned around and walked out of her
life for good. “Danielle—”
“I think you should go.” She wrapped her arms around herself, as if she were barely holding it
together. Even knowing she wouldn’t welcome it, he still wanted to pull her into a hug.
Goddamn it.
No. Fuck this. He’d be damned before he let this woman get away without a fight. He stalked
around the table, hating the way her eyes went wide, hating it even more that she didn’t have a smart-
ass remark on the tip of her tongue. When he got within touching distance, he hooked the back of her
neck and pulled her in until their foreheads touched. “Make no mistake. I care about you. I’m sorry I
lied, but I have no intention of sitting back and doing nothing while you walk out of my life.”
She tensed, no doubt about to sucker punch him, but he moved away before she could break his
hold. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Stalking is illegal in all fifty states!”
He stopped in the door and looked back. “You have a week. I’ll leave you alone and let you sit
back and actually think about this. Once you do, you’ll realize that I’m nothing like the type of man
you believe comes with being a CEO.”
“You’re a jackass and a liar. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“A week, Danielle. And then I’m going to come calling and we’re going to talk this out.” Then he
turned around and walked away, though it killed him a little bit inside to do so.
Chapter Seven
Danielle barely waited for the door to close before she threw the bolt and nearly sprinted for the
shower. As she scrubbed the scent of him off her skin, she couldn’t decide if she should be livid or
seriously freaked out by his proclamation.
Who the hell did he think he was, giving her a goddamn timeline to get over it? Oh, of course. Silly
her for forgetting.
He was Grayson freaking Harper.
She grabbed her body wash with more force than necessary and nearly took out an eye when it
sprayed in her face. “Goddamn it.” Another fault to lay at his feet.
How the hell was she supposed to magically get over the fact that he lied to her, repeatedly over
the course of several weeks, gave her mind-blowing orgasms, and then tried to bully his way into her
life in a permanent way?
God, he really was just like Dad.
Her father never stopped to consider that someone might not agree with him—he just bulldozed
over their protestations. Just like Grayson was trying to do to her.
Well, she wouldn’t stand for it. He’d give her a week? He could take his week and go jump off a
cliff. She didn’t know if she could get over this betrayal, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to do it on
his timeline.
With her pride surrounding her, she should have been walking tall coming out of the shower, but the
reality was that she felt more like huddling into a ball and waiting for it to all pass. She wished she
could blame the twisting up of her stomach on a hangover, but it’d be a dirty lie.
She wanted to call Grayson and yell at him, if only to hear his voice.
“Get a hold of yourself. He’s a bastard who lied to you. He doesn’t deserve a phone call, let alone
one an hour after he left.”
A knock on her door startled her nearly out of her skin. She clutched her towel to her chest as
Chelsea poked her head in. The redhead frowned at the room before turning her amber eyes on
Danielle. “I thought you said you wouldn’t be home today, but then I heard you talking and assumed
you had company…”
She tried to force a smile. Her best friend had things coming together in a seriously fantastic
fashion, a husband who loved her to distraction, and was finally, truly happy for the first time since
they’d known each other. She didn’t need Danielle dumping her emotional bullshit at her feet. “Just
got home early.”
Chelsea narrowed her eyes. “What happened?”
Her life would be a lot easier if her friend were stupid. Still, she tried one last innocent look.
“Nothing.”
“Why don’t you try that again?” She shook her head. “I always know when you’re trying to BS me
because you look innocent. Did that ever work on your father?”
“More than you know.” Mostly because he’d never been around to worry about what she was up to.
It took getting in over her head in trouble to make him actually pay attention to her. Cliché, yes, but it
had worked. When Chelsea perched on the edge of her bed and patted the mattress next to her,
Danielle joined her with a sigh. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Are you sure?”
She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. She’d been so certain things were one way, and then the
world had gone and turned itself on its head. It made her want to punch something—preferably
Grayson’s perfect face.
On the heels of that thought, she shook her head. She didn’t want to hurt him. Except she most
definitely did. God, she didn’t even know what she wanted.
Chelsea gave her a sympathetic look. “I take it things didn’t go as well with the mail guy as you had
planned?”
“Funny thing, that.” She laughed, though it came out like a sob. “It went perfectly. Best sex of my
life.”
“If it went so perfectly, then…”
“He’s not the mail guy.”
She frowned. “Now I’m really confused. Did you sleep with someone else? I thought you really
liked this Grayson.”
“No, and I do—did.” She buried her face in her hands. “He’s not the mail guy.”
“But I thought you’ve been having lunch with the mail guy?”
Danielle lifted her head. “He isn’t the mail guy. He’s Grayson Harper, owner of Harper and
Company. He lied to me about everything.”
“He pretended to be the mail guy? But… Why?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? “Maybe he’s a psychopath who likes playing with innocents’
emotions.”
Chelsea laughed and then slapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t the best of
times to point this out, but—Dani, you’re no innocent.”
“That doesn’t make what he did okay!”
“No, of course not.” All laughter disappeared from her face. “What happened?”
“I went to the party. Things were going so well—did I mention the hot sex?” Even thinking about it
now sent a shiver down her spine. His commands, the way he touched her, the way he fucked her… It
felt as if he were putting his mark on her. Anger rose because he had put his mark on her. She didn’t
know if she was going to be able to get over this, and how the hell was she supposed to have sex with
someone else? It was all downhill from here.
“You might have.”
“He asked me to be his girlfriend. No, he didn’t ask. He flat out told me that’s how things were
going to be.” Unable to sit still, she pushed to her feet. “Why did he have to lie? He ruined
everything.”
“While I’m not excusing his lie, I’m not exactly sure why you’re this angry.”
“Chels, he’s the Mr. Harper. He owns that building and five others just like it in major cities
across the US. Someone doesn’t get to that level of power without making some serious sacrifices
along the way.”
“I agree. What does that have to do with the present?”
She was going to make Danielle say it. “I grew up with a man like that. I won’t get stuck in a
relationship with one. You know me. I know me. We both know I can’t play second fiddle to anyone
and be happy, let alone to someone’s work.”
“Have you ever considered the fact that not every powerful man is like your father?”
Had she? “I’ve met more than a few of them. They’re all bulldozers, and they are all willing to
sacrifice their families to get what they want.”
“While I don’t disagree with you on the bulldozing aspect, the rest isn’t universally true.” She held
up a hand when Danielle started to protest. “I think you’re forgetting that I come from a family of men
—and women—like that. And while I’m not exactly the poster child for a healthy family, my husband
is also one of those people now. And he puts me first every single day.”
“Then you’re one of the fortunate few.” She didn’t want to be jealous of her best friend, but she
couldn’t help the bitterness clogging her throat. She didn’t begrudge Chelsea her happiness—she was
just so damn tired of her wants and needs coming in second with the men in her life.
“My point being that you have no proof this Grayson is like your father. Don’t you think his making
time to have coffee with you several times a week is a good sign?”
Her father couldn’t even manage to make it home before her nanny tossed her in bed most nights of
the week. “I guess.”
“What’s stopping you from giving this man a chance?”
She gritted her teeth. “Because he told me I had a week to get over this and then he was coming for
me.”
“Excuse me?”
All her pent-up agitation exploded in a shriek. Danielle slapped the wall and then cursed.
“Goddamn it, that hurt. Chels, he stood there in our kitchen and told me I had a week before he came
looking for me. Then we’d talk, whether I wanted to or not.”
A dangerous glint came into her friend’s eyes. “Then, by all means, whatever you choose, don’t
make it easy on him.”
“I have no intention of making anything easy on him.”
…
Two days later, his irritation had finally worn down enough for Grayson to admit he might have made
a mistake. As soon as he’d gotten home, he’d put in an order of chocolates… And received a call a
few short hours later to let him know the delivery had been refused with some choice words.
Irrationally, that had only made him more determined to win Danielle over.
More chocolates, flowers, tickets to a show she’d mentioned two weeks ago that she wanted to see.
All were turned away. As more time had gone by he was forced to the unhappy realization that he
might have fucked up beyond all reason.
It was obvious gifts wouldn’t win her over, so he went back to the drawing board. As he stared at
the blank screen of his laptop, he cursed himself to hell and back for letting things get so out of
control. He should have been honest with her from the beginning and avoided this mess.
The problem was that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if he’d told her who he was, she
wouldn’t have given him the time of day. Her instant dislike of any man she deemed too similar to her
father was too ingrained. All she saw was his title—not the man behind it.
He’d hoped to get around that since they’d spent so much time together. He knew Danielle. And
he’d been pretty confident that she felt the same, especially when she’d trusted him enough to come up
to the office that night. Grayson’s skin heated at the memory of her bent over the desk, completely
willing to follow his commands.
Would she ever trust him like that again?
That was the clincher. He wanted her for more than the fact that she’d been the best sex of his life,
for more than the stolen moments at the coffee shop. He wanted those sparks of humor that lit up his
day, the conversations that made him lose track of time, and the vulnerability she let him see when she
climbed into his lap and let him wrap his arms around her.
He wanted it all.
So what was he going to do about it?
That was the million-dollar question. He hadn’t been lying before—he couldn’t let Danielle go
without a fight—but he was at a loss as to how to proceed. His money and position actually counted
against him when it came to her opinion. He dropped his head into his hands. Everywhere he looked,
he saw memories of her. The coffee shop downstairs. The elevator. Here.
Being in his office was sheer torture. He couldn’t look at the goddamn desk without seeing her
naked on top of it, or sit in the stupid chair without picturing her there with him. In the short time
they’d been up there, she’d successfully imprinted a memory of her on every inch of this space that
had been his before.
He couldn’t live like this. He missed her with an ache that there was only one cure for. Danielle.
How the hell could he miss someone he hadn’t truly had to begin with? Grayson didn’t know. He felt
like he didn’t know anything anymore.
If these types of grand gestures weren’t working, he had to try something else. His fury had turned
into something closer to desperation. There had to be a way to make this right. There had to be
something he could do.
He lifted his head and frowned, an idea forming. There might be a way…
…
Danielle curled up on the couch, the final scenes of The Notebook playing for what felt like the
millionth time in the last five days. And she just kept crying. The broken shards in her chest only got
worse with each gift Grayson tried to send. Did he think she was some cheap whore, whom he could
just buy off with flowers and chocolate? Apparently so, because he hadn’t shown his face since he
walked away from her the night after Halloween.
She wished she could keep riding the wave of self-righteous anger, but it had petered out around
day three. Tuesday. The day she and Grayson usually met in the coffee shop. A small, weak part of
her had wanted to go just to see if he’d show up. Instead, she’d hidden in her office and taken the
stairs, determined to avoid any accidental running into him.
Even though she craved the sight of him.
It was more than that now. Before, she’d enjoyed their conversations and ogling his gorgeousness.
Now, she knew exactly what lay beneath those nice duds. She knew he could bring her to the edge of
orgasm with a spoken command, and that he made her feel like the most cherished woman in the
world when he held her.
She knew that he’d wanted a relationship with her.
In the cold light of day, she’d been forced to admit that to herself. If this was all just a game of Fool
the Idiot Woman or whatever, he wouldn’t have tried to push a commitment—he would have just
enjoyed the night and disappeared. Which meant maybe it hadn’t all been a lie.
The kicker of it was she could see why he hadn’t come clean. If she’d known who he was from the
beginning, she would have instantly brushed him off. Her distrust for any and all powerful men made
it impossible to do anything else.
But what if she’d been wrong?
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Chelsea had a point. Neither of them had fairy-tale
childhoods when it came to their parents, but her best friend had managed to find a powerful man who
doted on her and was nothing like their fathers. If she could find one, that meant surely there were
others out there? Nathan, Chelsea’s husband, wasn’t the type of man to miss a single event of his
child’s life, from kindergarten graduation to sporting events to parent-teacher conferences. Danielle
knew, because she’d heard them talking about their future children one night and he’d been pretty
damn determined not to repeat the mistakes of his absent father.
Would Grayson be the kind of man to value those same little milestones?
She smiled through her tears. If her time with him was any indication, he would move heaven and
earth to get what he wanted, and he wouldn’t neglect it. That being said, he needed to learn a thing or
two about dealing with a Kastien. The steamrolling thing was sexy in the bedroom, but she wasn’t a
dog to be brought to heel because he deemed it necessary. Those meaningless gifts weren’t going to
do a damn thing for her.
But…
She couldn’t let this thing with Grayson go for the sake of pride. Not when she’d gotten more out of
their coffee conversations than she’d gotten out of every single one of her past relationships. That was
before the insanely good sex. A connection like that didn’t come along more than once in a lifetime.
She wiped her eyes. Was she really considering a future with him? A real one? Danielle snorted.
“No, I’m considering a fake future.” God, she was dramatic.
The credits started rolling at the end of the movie, taking away her excuse to sit there crying. Okay,
she might as well lay it out there. There had never been another man in her life who was so totally
content with the person she was and with the dreams she had. He encouraged her like very few
people in her life had, all without trying to mold her into what he wanted. And, hell, he brightened up
her week like nobody’s business. If he could do that with a few short hours, how much more so could
he do it if they were actually together?
She wanted Grayson, even though he lied to her, even though he was the freaking CEO of Harper
and Company. So the question remained… What was she going to do about it?
A plan dawned, so ridiculous she wanted to rub her hands together with glee. She’d make this right
with him, and she’d give him a chance—and hope to God he wasn’t going to throw her trust back in
her face.
Chapter Eight
Grayson trudged out of the elevator, doing his damnedest not to hunch his shoulders like a kicked
puppy. Though he was tempted to toss the flowers he’d purchased for Danielle in the trash, he
couldn’t quite bring himself to do it. He’d planned on convincing her to meet him somewhere so he
could apologize profusely and ask her what it would take to make things right between them—or if
they even had a chance to do so.
Except she hadn’t answered her phone or her door, and all her work had been able to tell him was
that she took a week off for personal reasons. For all he knew, she could be on a plane to Miami or
Los Angeles or some other warm-weather city she’d told him she always planned on returning to. No
matter which way he looked at it, she was beyond his reach.
He had well and truly fucked this up.
Grayson walked into his office and shut his door. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against
the cool wood, wishing he could go back a few months and tell Danielle the truth from the beginning.
She might have blown him off at first, but this thing between them was too intense to deny for long. He
would have found a way to change her mind.
Like he was doing right now? The thought was laughable.
He didn’t know how to fix this, and the more time passed, the more he was sure he’d lost something
beyond measure.
A throat cleared behind him. “Squeezing those flowers to death isn’t exactly the most romantic
gesture I’ve ever seen. In fact, it’s kind of creepy in an Of Mice and Men sort of way.”
Apparently now he was hallucinating, because he could have sworn Danielle was in his office and
talking to him. Since he’d never had a problem with voices in his head, it could only mean one thing.
She was actually in his office. Grayson took a deep breath and turned around.
And lost the breath he’d taken just as quickly.
She knelt in front of his desk, dressed in a jacket that didn’t give any hint as to what might be
beneath it, her hands clasped demurely in her lap. He laced his own hands behind his back to avoid
the temptation to cross the room and pull her hair free of its ponytail. Then it hit him, truly hit him—
she was here. He had the opportunity to say all the things he should have from the beginning.
“Danielle, I—”
She held up a hand. “Hold that thought. If I let you get talking, I’m going to take the easy way out
and not say all the things I need to say.”
That didn’t sound promising. Her words almost directly conflicted with the submissive image she
presented. Calm. He could be calm and rational, even if all he wanted to do was beg her to forgive
him. “I’m listening.”
“I’m sorry. I had every right to be pissed about you lying, but the reason I freaked out was more to
do with the issues in my head than with reality. You might share some superficial similarities, but you
are not my father.” She glanced down at the floor before meeting his gaze. “I shouldn’t have reacted
as if you were Daddy 2.0. Did I mention that I’m sorry? So I’m here, and I want you to know that I
trust you, and I’m not really that great with words, so I thought I’d show you.” She lifted her hand,
displaying a shiny set of handcuffs.
She was willing to submit to him again. There was no greater trust than doing so—no greater gift
she could have given him.
Legs shaking, he made his way to her. Grayson dropped to his knees in front of her and shook his
head. “No.”
“No?”
Before she could misunderstand, he took her hands and pressed his lips to her knuckles, taking the
time to kiss each one individually. “You’re not the one at fault. I lied, and I never should have. It
doesn’t matter if I thought I was justified—there’s no excuse.”
“I forgive you.”
The words were a balm to his soul, even though he was certain he didn’t deserve them. He set her
hands down and slipped the cuffs away from her. “I would like to make things up to you.” He slapped
the cuffs onto one of his wrists and then the other.
Danielle’s eyes went wide. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you’re kind of a control freak.
You don’t do the whole submissive thing.”
The fact that she understood the gesture he was making only confirmed that she was the right
woman—had been the right woman all along. “I do with you.”
She ran her thumbs along his jaw and leaned in until her lips brushed his ear. “You know, if you
fuck up again, this is what I want—not all the worthless presents.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I really care about you, Grayson. Like really, really care about you.”
“There’s no one else for me. No one else can compare.”
“Good.” He swallowed past his suddenly dry throat as she stood and unbuckled the belt of her coat.
“Is that offer to go to Hawaii still on the table?”
As if he’d ever deny her anything. “Yes.”
She dropped the coat, leaving her standing in only the skimpiest of lingerie. “I was going to
surprise you on your plane, but your security guy caught me trying to sneak through the door. Do you
know how hard it is to sneak anywhere when you’re worried the wind will kick up and everyone will
see your ass?”
Picturing the look on Harry’s face when he caught her made Grayson smile. “Can’t say I’ve had the
experience.”
“You should try it sometime.” She shifted, her black panties tantalizingly close to his face. “How
long do we have before the flight leaves?”
Grayson kissed the bare skin just above the silk. “It’s my plane. They’ll hold it for me.”
“Mmmm. Good to know.” She ran her hands over his head, urging him lower. “Because now that I
have you at my mercy, I have no intention of letting you go.”
That was perfect, because he had no intention of going anywhere. As he’d told her before, Danielle
was it for him. She made him laugh, and made him crazy, and heated his blood just by being in the
same room. No other woman would do.
Did you love this Brazen? Check out more of our steamy titles
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Acknowledgments
To God, as always.
To Heather, who didn’t smack me when I wrote yet another secondary character who demanded her
happily ever after. And a huge thank-you for coming up with the brilliant idea for the anthology and
letting me be involved.
To Sue and Haleigh, for your helpful comments and smack-downs on the various drafts.
To my family, for not even rolling your eyes when I slipped “one more book” into the schedule.
And lastly, but definitely not leastly, to every fan who read Two Wrongs, One Right and wanted to
know more about Chelsea’s best friend with her wicked sense of humor.
Thank you so much!
About the Author
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell stories at her
grandpa’s knee, but at age twelve, she discovered romance novels and never looked back. When not
writing sexy contemporary and speculative romance novels, she spends her time playing imaginary
games with her wee ones, ogling men, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
and be the first to hear about 99¢ releases from Katee
Robert and other fantastic Entangled authors!
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Thank you for reading!
Discover Katee Robert’s NYT Bestselling Come Undone series...
Prim and proper art gallery coordinator Elle Walser is no good at seducing men. She slips into her
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C
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set up on a blind date…until meets mousy librarian Brianne Nave. Her sweet curves and kissable lips
are like a siren’s call, but her smart mouth? Not so much. How can two people have so little
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Grace Love can spot a match for someone else a mile away, but the only guy who makes her sixth
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A night of passion is all down-on-her-luck flower shop owner Alexa Conroy wants, but when she
propositions a sexy stranger, she gets more than she bargained for. Dillon James isn’t who he says he
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Sam Kercher is every inch a wickedly hot Marine. But when his best friends call in a favor, Sam is
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Determined to leave her wallflower tendencies at the door, Heather Pierce attends a speed dating
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Document Outline
- To Ben. I think you know why.
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Discover Katee Robert’s NYT Bestselling Come Undone series...
- Check out Brazen’s newest releases…
- For more delicious secret identities, check out these titles…
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