He holds me securely in his arms, carrying me to the oversized king bed. I bury my head in the crook of his neck, relishing in his masculine scent. He’s amazing in every way. Every. Freaking. Way. He sets me down, using his long fingers to pull my zipper to my lower back. One sleeve falls down my arm then the other, leaving me standing in nothing but my white lace panty set.

His finger lifts my chin until my eyes are even with his. “You’re stunning.”

He kisses one cheek then the other. “Sometimes, I have to ask myself if you’re even real.”

Then his lips fall on mine—soft and tender. “And, now I know you are.”

His words wrap around my heart, squeezing tightly. He could break me, but he’s worth the risk.

I fumble with the button on his pants as he kisses me deeply. My lips are numb by the time I have him stripped to his black briefs. Our lips part, eyes meeting. He grabs my face in his hands. “Promise me this is real.”

“This is real,” I whisper.

My bra falls to the floor.

“And you’re not running?”

I shake my head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I’m lying on the bed with him between my legs. He trails a hot path of kisses around my belly button to my breasts, sucking and nibbling until I want to scream for him to be inside me.

“Pierce,” I moan, his lips pressed against my neck, slowly working their way up to mine.

He looks down at me, tracing a line around my lips with his fingertips. “The wait,” he whispers, trailing his finger between my breasts, around my belly button then between my legs. He circles once then slides his hand back up to my stomach. “The wait makes it even better.”

My breath hitches as he sits back on his heels. I can’t hold the weight of his stare, not with the day’s light shining through the curtain. Closing my eyes, I hear the sound of paper ripping. For the first time since we entered the room, I feel nerves creeping up. If left for too long, they would suffocate me.

“Look at me.”

Opening my eyes again, I see Pierce. All the doubt melts away as I watch him slip my panties off.

I feel the realness. The connection. Even if this isn’t forever, it won’t be a regret. I want this … I want every part of him.

He kisses me tenderly, easing my nerves as he enters me. He does it slowly all the while keeping his lips on mine. He fills me completely—body and heart. Over and over.

“Amazing,” he says as he picks up pace. “You’re absolutely amazing.”

I wrap my legs around him, creating even more friction. He pushes in quickly then pulls out slowly—not all the way but enough for me to crave more.

“Oh my God,” I pant as the first orgasm hits.

“Jesus,” he groans as I pulse around him.

He pulls my nipple between his teeth. I whimper. He thrusts into me harder. My fingers tangle in his hair, pulling at it until his mouth is back on mine.

Pierce is desire, but he could be love. I feel him everywhere—places I haven’t been touched in a while.

His lips suddenly halt as he pushes inside me one last time, whispering my name over and over again. And for several minutes, we stay like that, our heavy breaths mixing.

My mind wants to wander off to the last time someone touched me like this, but I focus on the feel of his skin against mine—his heart beating against mine. Making comparisons between what I can and can’t have would be worthless.

“Pinch me,” Pierce says, breaking through my thoughts. His voice is huskier than usual.

“What?”

“Pinch me.”

And, I do … on his bare ass.

“So, I wasn’t dreaming,” he mumbles, lying his head on my chest.

“I hope not,” I say softly, curling his hair around my fingers. It’s nice just to lay like this with the comfort of a man’s warm skin. “Do we have to go to that party tonight? I’d much rather lay here with you.”

He rests his chin on my chest, staring at me. “If you put another dress on, we’ll have something to look forward to later.”

All I can do is grin. There’s no reason to worry about the past when what I have now is pretty sweet.

Those things we had to take care of before Wade’s get together ended up being sex, a short nap, and showers. I can’t complain.

My phone rings just as I’m about to head back over to Pierce’s room.

“Hi,” I answer, using my free hand to slip my black heels on.

“Hi. What are you up to?” Mallory asks. “You sound out of breath.”

“Just getting ready to go to an event for all the people working on the New York project.”

“Oh, God. I need to tell you something.”

“Why do I have a feeling this isn’t going to be good?” I ask, holding my clutch as tightly as possible.

I can practically hear her pacing on the other end of the phone. “The guy you’re working with—Wade I think it is—he called Blake for the same project.” There’s a long pause … too long.

“And?” I ask, my voice practically shaking.

“He accepted,” she whispers.

“I can’t … I haven’t. Shit.”

“There’s more,” she interjects before I get too far in my ramblings. “I just talked to him. He’s going to an event tonight, too. He didn’t say where, but—”

“It doesn’t matter,” I finally say, looking over at the digital alarm clock. “There’s going to be a lot of people there. I probably won’t even see him.” I don’t believe a word I’m saying, but it makes me feel better.

“I just thought you should know.”

“Thank you,” I answer quietly, suddenly searching for any reason not to go. This day has been so perfect. Why does my perfect always get ruined? “Can I ask you one thing?”

“Of course.”

“Why did he come back now? After all this time, why now?” I ask.

“Ask him. He didn’t tell me, but I think we both know why he’s back.”

With no more time to waste, we say a quick goodbye. I was sort of looking forward to tonight, and now I can’t wait for it to be over with. The timing of it all couldn’t be worse. After debating telling Pierce, I decide not to because, knowing Blake, he won’t even show up tonight. Or, if he does, we won’t see him.

At 8:33, I open my door to let Pierce know I’m ready only to find him standing in the hallway with his back against his door. He looks edible in a black suit and tie. He’s all I’ve thought about the last hour with exception to the last few minutes. Seeing him now brings him back to the forefront.

“Ready?” I ask, grinning big to mask my nerves.

His lips part as he starts toward me, wrapping his arm around me to pull me to his chest. “Maybe we should skip the party. I can think of something else I’d rather be doing.”

He could convince me with a kiss.

“I already offered that, remember? Besides, we can have the best of both worlds. Let’s go have a drink or two, and then we can come back, and you can do what you said you were going to do.” I need to know if what Mallory said is true, I think to myself. My affections lie with Pierce, but Blake has my curiosity

He grins. Fuck me. “I’ll be thinking about it the whole time we’re there. Remember that when I’m staring at you.”

I swallow hard. Just thinking about it makes me want to push him into my room, but this is business. Business and pleasure can’t be mixed, but they can be stacked. “One hour. We’ll stay one hour then come back here.”

“What are we waiting for then?” he asks, grabbing my hand. “The quicker we get there, the quicker we get back here.”

By the time we step outside to climb in the waiting car, it’s dark outside. This is when I love New York the most—seeing the city lights.

As the car pulls away from the curb, Pierce’s hand grips my thigh. The sleeveless black cocktail dress I’m wearing leaves him lots of room to explore, and he does—his fingertips tracing circles on my inner thighs.

For once, I close my eyes to the passing lights. It’s nice to have someone who helps you forget. There’s a lot I’d like to forget right now. “How long is the ride?” I ask, resting my hand on his knee.