With a growl, I moved to lick her long and deep, but suddenly something seemed wrong.

My aching, needy dick was twitching with hunger, but it also felt . . . pleasured, almost sated. But not entirely. I still needed her, needed to feel her warm and wet around me, but it was as if someone had hit the fast-forward button and we were already fucking.

I craned my neck to see Emma’s face, but she had vanished from the bed.

Confused, I sat up and opened my bleary eyes.

• • •

My desk. My office.

I blinked again.

I was awake now, but the strange sensation persisted. I rubbed my eyes and glanced down to find a woman kneeling in front of me, her blond hair covering her face. She stroked my stiff cock with her hand, purring my name in time with the rhythm. Her other hand moved to tuck her hair behind her ear, revealing the last face I expected to see hovering just inches from my erection.

Sonja.

I started to pull away, shock rendering me speechless, but then the door opened and I looked up to find Emma there, a smile of greeting frozen on her face. It was like slow motion as her gaze instantly zeroed in on Sonja’s hand on my crotch before the door snapped shut again.

“Emma, wait—” I called out, but I had no idea what to say.

I swatted Sonja’s hand away and she recoiled, a ridiculous pout forming on her face. Ignoring her, I sprang from the couch and dashed out of the office, zipping my pants as I ran after Emma.

How could that have happened? Jesus, I’d been dead asleep. That was an assault. Surely, Emma had to understand. Though, in truth, after everything we’d been through, would she even believe me?

It was exactly what it looked like—I just hadn’t been a willing participant. How could she know that?

Panting, I finally caught up to her in the lobby, ready to storm past the swarm of reporters into the early morning light.

“Wait! Please, wait!” I shouted and she stumbled to a stop, turning to face me. “Can you just listen?”

“Why the hell would I do that?” Her voice echoed in the empty atrium. “I know what I saw.”

“No, you don’t. I’m not interested in her. I was dreaming about you, and then I woke up to find her . . . well, you saw.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed and she stared at me, doubt clouding her beautiful face. “You must have led her on or given her some clue that you—”

“No, I swear to you, I was dead asleep. We’d been up all night.” I raked a hand through my hair, desperate now. “Emma, come with me and I’ll fire her right now. Even if you don’t come, that’s what’s going to happen. Just give me a chance to show you.”

Her lip trembled and she dashed a hand beneath her tear-filled eyes. “You didn’t call me all night. I was worried sick.”

“I’m sorry, really. Just, please, for the love of God, Emma, come with me.”

She considered for a long moment, then gave me a begrudging nod. Together, we went back onto the elevator and returned upstairs to find Sonja with her arms crossed and her lower lip trembling, standing near Alyssa’s desk outside my office.

“What the hell were you thinking?” I blurted, unable to control myself.

Sonja blinked from me to Emma and back again, running her hands self-consciously over her forearms.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, I held up a hand to stop her. “Get your things. You’re fired. Your behavior was completely inappropriate.”

Her chin wobbled as her eyes turned watery. “Gavin, please, I—”

“I don’t want your excuses. I want you gone.”

“I need this job,” she pleaded, tears sliding down her cheeks. She looked desperately at Emma as if hoping she would do something, but Emma turned away, struggling to hide her disgust.

“You should have thought about that before,” I said, but my voice must have been louder than I realized.

Quinn appeared at his door, frowning. “What the hell is happening?”

“We’re letting Sonja go,” I said, my tone brusque.

Quinn glanced at Emma and then Sonja before motioning for me. “Gavin, a word. Please.”

Gritting my teeth, I followed him into his office and he slammed the door shut behind us.

“What the actual fuck? You’re letting Sonja go? She’s one of our most valuable—”

“I don’t give a fuck.”

Quinn turned to face the wall, his hand a fist at his side, then looked at me again. “I don’t know what the fuck is happening around here anymore. Ever since Emma showed up, everything has gone to shit. I don’t know how she’s involved, but I just know she is. Sonja is too valuable—”

Glaring at him, I cut him off. “She could be the queen of England, but I don’t care. We’re letting her go. She was molesting me in my sleep.”

And just like that?

Quinn finally had nothing to say.

Chapter Six

Emma

“Okay, but just give me, like, three sentences, Em. How was Florida? How are things with Gavin? Learn anything new about the situation with the dead ex?”

It was three in the afternoon, and all day, Bethany had been poking her head into my office every hour on the hour, grilling me for information.

I groaned and rubbed my temples before shooting a dirty look her way. “Look, there’s nothing to tell. And even if there was, it could wait until after work.” I was a bad liar and I knew it, but there was no way I could talk to Bethany about Gavin here. I’d only been gone for a couple of days, but I somehow had at least a week’s worth of work to catch up on.

Bethany raised one eyebrow and shook her head. “You’re evil, Emma Bell. I don’t believe for one second that you and Gavin shared a boring, run-of-the-mill weekend getaway. Those brothers are too sexy and too mysterious for anything they plan to be that vanilla.”

She’s got me there. “Go away, Bethany. I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Fine, but we’re getting drinks when you’re done. And you’re buying. That’s what you get for withholding information.” Bethany winked and started to close the door before quickly pushing it open and popping her head back in. “Blink twice if you two did the dirty,” she said, waggling her eyebrows and suppressing a smile.

“Oh my God, leave!” I laughed as I crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at her head.

Turning back to my computer, I sighed at all the work I had left to do. My brain wasn’t stuck in vacation mode; it was stuck in Gavin mode. And in Gavin mode? It was impossible to get anything done.

A couple of hours later, Bethany and I were walking into our favorite bar around the corner from the library, just in time for happy hour. I got our drinks from the bar while Bethany grabbed us a small table in the corner. As soon as I placed her drink in front of her, Bethany took a long sip, crinkling her nose after she swallowed.

“What’s in this?” She coughed, looking at me like I’d just served her cat pee.

“It’s supposed to be sangria, but I swear I saw the bartender pour some vodka in there.” I laughed, shrugging my shoulders. Bethany said nothing, simply shook her head and swirled the red liquid in her glass.

“It’s the drink special of the day, okay?” I said, growing a little defensive. Working for the Kingsley brothers might pay well, but fixing up my beautiful brownstone was quickly eating through that money. If I was paying for our girls’ night out, we were drinking the cheap stuff.

“Fine.” Bethany shuddered as she took another sip of her drink. When she was done, she drummed her fingers on the table and gave me a mischievous grin. “All right, missy, it’s time. Spill.”

I took a long swig of my drink, coughing as it went down. Bethany was right. This stuff was strong.

“What do you want to know?” I asked, propping my elbows on the table.

“Um, everything?” Bethany said, mirroring me. “Start with what happened when you arrived in Florida.”

“Florida was . . . good, mostly. Productive. Things were tense at first.” I thought about our time on the jet. “But during our first dinner, Gavin opened up about what happened with Ashley. Like, really opened up,” I said, staring at the red liquid in my glass. “It was the first time I felt like I could really see him. He was so vulnerable . . . almost soft. It was like a glimpse into the darkness he’s been carrying around inside him all these years.”