로그인“You think this is love?”“I think it’s none of your fucking business.”“It becomes my business when you drag the family name through the mud.”I let out a sharp and humorless laugh. “Family name? You and mom did that years ago. I’m just maintaining the tradition. But yeah, I’m sure Harper’s the real problem.”His eyes flash. “Your mother’s choices have nothing to do with this.”“Everything about me comes from you two.” I fire back. “You can tell mom I lived up to the expectations.”He exhales through his nose, the way he does when he’s seconds from losing control. “Your so called mother walked out on you, the same way this girl will. Just like she did before. History repeats when you refuse to learn. Open your eyes before she ruins everything you’ve built, son.”“Then let her,” I say quietly. “If she ruins the things that never made me happy maybe I owe her a thank you.”David stares at me like I have made a decision that will rattle through the family tree. “You let your dick make d
I push open the office door and brace for whatever fresh hell he’s decided to deliver.There he is.David Jones.Former CEO, current asshole, and full-time manipulator. Fifty-eight going on immortal. Salt-and-pepper hair in place, tailored to perfection. He sits in the chair across from mine looking half bored, half judgemental, like he owns the place—which, once upon a time, he did.“You’re late,” he says.“And you’re still alive. Guess we’re both full of surprises.” I shut the door behind me. “Plus, I had to stop and make sure I still gave a shit about whatever you’re here for. Took longer than I thought.”His mouth pulls in the faintest smirk. “If you showed up, I assume you still care what I have to say.”I bark out a laugh and head toward the sideboard. “You assume wrong.”“You’ve gotten mouthy.”“Or you’ve gotten more annoying.”Guess that’s how we say good morning in our relationship.“Sit,” he orders.“No thanks. I like standing when I’m being lectured.” I uncork the decanter
It’s too damn early to be this pissed but I fucking hate Mondays. And traffic. And rain. And whoever invented the Jones Tower parking lot layout deserves a special place in hell.I’ve had exactly three hours of sleep. Two of which I spent talking myself out of dragging Harper into my place. So, not much sleep. But Iʼve got exactly ten minutes until the meeting, ten minutes to stop thinking about the elevator, the way she pressed against me, and how that insistence in my chest has been quietly reorganizing everything I thought I know about wanting someone. The memory is bone-deep and, frankly, inconvenient.Harper. Harper. Harper.“Fuck.”I slam the trunk of my car shut hard enough to make the SUV groan, muttering under my breath as a fat droplet of rain hits the back of my neck. Perfect. Just perfect. The one goddamn morning I forget my umbrella, and the sky decides to open up like it’s got a personal grudge against me.Which, honestly, fair. So do I.Yesterday night pre-date was… hol
I haul her into the backseat, my mouth crashing against hers, groaning when her thigh brushes my cock. Her dress is bunched up around her hips, her legs wrapped around my waist. She gasps against my mouth and I deepen it, tongue sliding against hers, hands in her hair, her fingers tugging at my shirt like she needs more.Tinted windows. Best fucking invention ever.I slide my hand up her thigh and feel her tremble.“We shouldn’t have had wine tonight,” I mutter against her neck.She moans. “We’re not drunk.”“Then what’s our excuse?”“Desperation.”She’s right.“You’re making it hard not to fuck you,” I growl.“Matthew,” she moans, grinding into me, “if you don’t fuck me, I’ll fuck myself.”My cock twitches so hard I nearly black out.“Fuck.”And that’s the last coherent thought I have.My fingers yank the neckline of her dress down, exposing her lace-covered tits. My mouth finds one, then the other. Sucking. Biting. Marking. I want to ruin her for anyone else. Want her walking into r
7:35 p.m. sharp. I’m at her door.She opens it like she’s been waiting behind it for ten minutes—and the second I see her, I stop breathing.Holy fucking hell.The dress is red.Short enough to make me wonder what I did right in a past life, but long enough to make it worse. It hugs her in every place I’m trying not to look. The kind of dress that should be illegal in public if men are expected to think straight.I want to fuck her against the wall.Thin straps. Low back. Low neckline. Minimal makeup. Her hairʼs half-up, just a few loose strands teasing the curve of her jaw.And her legs.Jesus. Those legs.It’s Harper, but it’s also not. It’s like looking at a dream I forgot I had.She smiles when her blue eyes meet mine, then bites her lip. Like she’s nervous.She shouldn’t be doing that.Not if she wants to make it through dinner.“Hi,” she says.Jesus fucking Christ.I should say hi back.Instead I stare.“You okay?” she laughs softly.No.I’m not.“Uh huh.” I offer my arm. “Letʼs
Board meetings are hell.And I’ve sat through a lot of them. Multi-billion dollar mergers, tech acquisitions, shareholder tantrums—none of them ever tested my patience like this one.There’s a man across from me talking—Slovak accent, maybe Czech—about quarterly returns like they’re an aphrodisiac.I want to kill him.Not because he’s saying anything wrong—he’s not. He’s actually making some decent projections. Our quarterly profits are up, the Prague expansion is moving faster than projected, and the board members are practically jerking themselves off over the latest valuation increase.But I don’t give a damn about quarterly returns right now.All I can think about is her.Harper.God—I lean back in the leather conference chair, force myself to blink, to nod, to pretend like I haven’t been mentally replaying last night for the last seven hours straight.Her mouth. Her hands in my shirt. Her breath against mine. Her soft gasps. The exact way she melted when I whispered, Then don’t







