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“Thank you,” I whispered against his lips.

“For?” He kissed the corner of my mouth.

“Finding me.”

“I’d like to keep you.” He moved his thumb along my lips. “All to myself.”

“I think I’d like for you to keep me.”

When he shook his head, the mood between us shifted. Why would I tell him I wanted him to keep me? One night, no strings, no expectations. This stranger who didn’t even know my name wasn’t supposed to declare his desire to possess me, and I sure as hell wasn’t supposed to be giving into that desire.

How had my steamy, one-night stand taken such a strange turn? Because nothing ever went the way it should when it came to me. I’m a complete and utter disaster.

“Keeping you, would turn my world upside down,” he said.

Buddy, you have no fucking idea…

FIVE

Huxley

What the hell am I doing? How have I allowed this young woman to rid me of any common sense? I don’t do romance or relationships. Those things don’t fit into my lifestyle. And if they did, I’m quite certain a woman half my age would not be up for the challenge that is me.

I didn’t get caught up in feelings for a multitude of reasons. Although, I couldn’t think of one of those reasons. Wait…I’m grumpy and complicated. I’m set in my ways and like my routines. That’s good. Keep going. I’m in the middle of the biggest deal of my career. I don’t have time for distractions.

“Hey.” She touched my arm, adding to my uncertainty. “I meant you could keep me for the next few hours.”

How did she know I needed her to save me from myself? “I can do that.”

Her bright and chatty demeanor wasn’t something I was used to. I didn’t often associate myself with people who couldn’t control their emotions. Feelings were bad for business. If I got attached to someone, I couldn’t do what had to be done. With her, I could allow it because she had nothing to do with business and everything to do with pleasure. Which was exactly why I thought I could indulge in such a complication-free relationship.

But there was no such thing as complication-free. Was there? I had too much on my plate with the Connecticut project. It wouldn’t be fair for me to explore anything with her if I wasn’t willing to put her first.

“Can we have more champagne?” she asked.

“You can have anything you want.” Except for me. “Can I ask you why you needed tonight?”

“I’m going through a stressful time. I needed tonight to escape.”

“I get that,” I said. The concern on her face overtook her features. It bothered me to see her distressed. I had no idea what her story was, so why did I have such an urge to help her?

“You said that you could relate.” She stopped me from swooping in and saving her. “How come?”

“I’m negotiating a huge deal, and I need everything to fall into place. I tend to get frustrated when things don’t go my way. I thought this particular project would be a change of pace for me. I wouldn’t have to be so ruthless.” My offers on those properties were more than fair. The holdout on that last property surprised me. That would all be taken care of in the morning. “I didn’t think I’d have to be the bad guy.”

“I don’t think you’re a bad guy.”

“That’s because you don’t know me.” I didn’t let people in for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I didn’t want to have to change who I was or how I did things. Successful relationships required compromise and that wasn’t always easy for me. “It’s probably best we keep it that way.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not sticking around.”

“Agreed.” I didn’t really agree. No feelings!

“I’m in negotiations too.” She ran her hand through her silky locks. “I’m not sure why I blurted that out.”

“Is that why you’re stressed?” Why am I traveling down this road? “Maybe talking about it will help.”

“I’m sure it isn’t as important as what you’re dealing with. But then again, I’m not a lawyer or a billionaire, so there’s that.”