The burly guy at the door cracked a small smile when he saw Marcus and clapped him on the shoulder. He stood aside and we walked in.

I looked at the ground and let my hair swing down to cover my face as we were led to a two-person booth near the bar. Marcus helped me out of my coat and I set it beside me and climbed into the booth.

He ordered a beer, I ordered a soda. As soon as our waitress had disappeared, Marcus grinned at me from across the table. He took a pen from his pocket and scrawled something on a napkin. When he slid it across the table, I glanced down at it.

Henley Cartwright

He was one of Hollywood’s hottest actors. Maybe twenty-five years old and loaded. He was married to one of Hollywood’s most beautiful actresses and they were considered one of the biggest power couples in the industry.

“That’s our client,” Marcus said, pulling the napkin away and sliding it into an inner pocket of his suit coat.

My eyes widened, but I said nothing. Our drinks were delivered and I took a sip before speaking.

“He’s the petitioner, then?”

“No, she is.”

“Alright. So the news isn’t out yet, obviously.”

Marcus nodded. “They both want everything settled and signed prior to their PR person making a statement. They’re both on location for work right now, so we’ve got about a month to get it done.”

“Got it.”

My gaze unconsciously wandered around the crowded club, searching for Kane. I missed his gruff voice and its undercurrent of tenderness when we were alone. I still saw the hunger swirling in his eyes that night at my apartment.

And I was still thoroughly pissed off at him for leaving and not calling. Maybe he wasn’t so different from other men, after all.

“Viv?”

“Hmm?” I turned back to Marcus.

“You looking for someone?”

I sighed. “I don’t . . . uh . . . sorry. You were saying?”

“How ‘bout a real drink and some food?” He reached into his leather satchel and pulled out a file. “We can start talking property disbursement and numbers.”

“Sure.” I took a deep breath and pushed Kane from my mind. “About the food and the work, anyway. I don’t drink alcohol while I’m working.”

“You will eventually.” Marcus tipped back his bottle of beer. “Give it a couple years.”

I smiled weakly. “Yeah.”

Kane had to be here. I could feel his presence in the club, warm and commanding. Sitting here was proving much harder than I’d expected.

I took my dark rimmed reading glasses out of my bag and put them on, sending me into mental work mode. Marcus talked while I reviewed the paperwork and nibbled on raw veggies.

“Four homes?” I glanced up from the page I was reading. “So they get two apiece?”

“I don’t know.” Marcus shrugged. “They both want the L.A. place a lot.”

The pull was too strong to resist. I had to at least see him, which I hoped to do without him seeing me.

“I need to run to the bathroom,” I said, returning the paper to its file. “If the food comes, don’t wait for me to start eating.”

Marcus nodded, his gaze scanning the club now, too. Was his mind also somewhere else?

I headed toward the bathroom, waiting until I was past the crowd to change direction. The hallway where Kane’s office was located was empty. I walked to his door quickly, before I lost my nerve.

It was closed. Was he inside? I pictured him in front of his massive wood desk, his brows drawn together in thought.

I wanted to knock. I wanted to barge in, actually, and demand the answers to the questions that had been driving me crazy for two weeks. My hand went to the door, but instead of knocking I laid my palm flat against the dark wood.

If he wanted to see me, he would’ve called. I knew that in my head, but my heart was a different story.

I felt the warmth of a presence behind me and spun around. Kane’s dark, calculating eyes were locked on mine. His palms rested on the door now, one beside each of my shoulders, pinning me in.

My heart pounded as his eyes bored into mine. He wore his trademark scowl and his beard looked a bit shorter. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but something kept me rooted in place. He was angry. At me.

“Nice to see you, Viv,” he ground out. “Something I can do for you and your boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Prospective boyfriend, then?”

His bitter tone reignited my anger. “What do you care? You walked out and never called.”

He leaned closer and I took in his smoky cedar scent. “I’m not right for you. But you didn’t need to come here and rub my fuckin’ face in it.”

“Why? Why didn’t you at least call? I thought we had something good starting.”

He dipped his head down and stared at the floor. My pulse raced from his nearness. If only he’d lift his face back up to mine so I could try to read what was in his dark chocolate eyes right now.

“What are you doing with Marcus?” he demanded. “Are you dating him?”

His voice held notes of both bitterness and hope. It told me more than words ever could have. This couldn’t be the end for us. He still felt something, too. I reached out and grabbed a fistful of his black t-shirt, pulling him toward me.

“No,” I said softly. “This is a work meeting. He’s not the one I want . . . you are.”

Kane raised his face back to mine and leaned all the way in, his forehead resting against mine. He pressed a knee to the door between my legs. I arched my back, closing the space between us.

“Careful, Viv,” he said, his voice a low rumble of warning.

“Or what?” My chest moved in and out against his.

He wrapped an arm around my lower back, turning the door handle with his free hand. When the door was open, he pushed his body against mine and we both tumbled into the office. I stumbled but he tightened his hold on my back, keeping me upright.

I held tight to his shirt as he kicked the door closed and picked me up, his big hands cradled around my backside. He put my back against the door and leaned in to me again.

“Or you’ll see the side of me I’ve held back. The side that won’t stop like I did that night at your place.”

The corners of my mouth turned up in a small smile. “Maybe that’s what I want.”

He groaned and pressed his lips to mine, his tongue sweeping across mine in a deep kiss that sent a dizzying wave of arousal from my head down to my toes.

I was pinned against the door by him, our bodies perfectly aligned. My breasts pressed against his solid chest and my hips instinctively arched against him. His thick, rigid erection against my belly reminded me that I had some control over him, too.

“You smell so fuckin’ good, Viv,” he said, his breath hot on my neck. He pressed a soft kiss to my collarbone, his soft beard brushing over my skin.

“I want you,” I said, a note of desperation in my tone. “I want that leather and cedar smell of you all over me. I want to taste you and feel you and hear you say my name when you come.”

With a low growl, he hiked my leg up around his hip. The pencil skirt of my suit strained and my leg fell back down. Kane grunted his frustration and picked me up, his hands squeezing my ass as he carried me to his large wood desk.

My heart raced with a hot, heady sensation. Kane’s hungry gaze made me forget all my inhibitions. When he set me on the floor and hiked my skirt up around my hips, I moaned softly.

“Sit on my desk,” he ordered.

I slid myself onto the edge, my eyes never leaving his. He pushed my thighs wide apart and brushed his thumb down my slit through my wet panties.

He groaned. “So fucking wet for me, Viv. Lean back on your hands.”

I did, and when he reached for the sides of my panties, I raised my hips so he could work them down. Cool air washed over my exposed skin.

Kane slid the panties past my heels and bent down, his warm breath on my thighs making me shiver. He wrapped his big hands around my hips, pressing against the skirt bunched around them. When he kissed my sensitive inner thighs, my back arched into the air and I cried out.