For a few minutes we sat in silence, my words hanging in the air between us. I could tell that what I shared worried Gavin. Hell, what I shared worried me. Gavin wasn’t a violent man like Nathan, but he still valued control. Almost too much. Maybe Gavin wasn’t the kind of man to use sex or hit a woman to make her obey, but I worried what other methods he might use.

“Thank you for telling me. It helps me understand things more clearly.”

I nodded, surprised by the depth of our sharing tonight, and totally unsure about what came next.

He moved closer, cupping my jaw with his large palm, and I leaned into him, having forgotten how good it felt to be touched by this man. Every time it was electric, and immediately I needed more. Gavin met my eyes, watching me. I didn’t move any closer, but I wasn’t backing away either.

Lowering his mouth to mine, he pressed a soft kiss against my lips.

“Gavin . . .” My voice broke over his name.

“Missed you so much,” he murmured, his lips moving to my throat.

Tugging me closer, Gavin continued kissing me, and my body lit up under his touch. The warmth of his tongue sliding against mine was pure bliss. For a moment, I lost myself in his kisses, in the press of his rather insistent erection against my belly. Rutting against me uselessly, he let out a soft grunt. But I needed more than his grunts.

My first thought was yes, yes to everything. To him. To all of it. But then my head cleared and my libido slammed to a halt.

No.

“I’m not ready.” I let the words out in a rush, afraid if I let him go further, that would be the end of everything. And this new side of Gavin, so open and bare, was too intoxicating.

“Okay.” He stroked my cheek, then stood, smoothing the wrinkles in his shirt. “I’m going to bed. Would you like to join me?”

I stared at his tall, muscular frame for a moment, although I already knew my answer. Even with his shirt still on, I could see the outline of his firm chest muscles, the curve of his bicep under his sleeve. The bulge in his pants.

I shook my head. “I’m still not ready to sleep with you, Gavin.”

He nodded and briskly left the room. “Good night, Emma,” he muttered over his shoulder before closing his bedroom door behind him.

And just like that, after we’d both shared so much with each other, it felt like we were back to square one. Gavin was cold and distant, and I was left wondering what the hell just happened.

Two weeks ago, I was falling head over heels for a gorgeous man whose dominance and intensity made me weak in the knees. Now, however?

I didn’t know if I could ever let him be in control again.

Chapter Five

Gavin

In the morning, I had breakfast delivered to our suite but ended up eating my omelet alone because Emma still hadn’t emerged from her room. Last night’s conversations were enlightening, and I hoped that now that everything was out in the open, we could put the past behind us and move forward.

Once I’d dressed and gotten ready for the golf tournament, I knocked gently on the door to the adjoining room and waited until I heard her footfalls on the plush carpeting.

Emma opened the door wearing a bathrobe, the creamy swells of her breasts clearly visible, and my cock ached with longing. Did she sleep naked?

Before I got the chance to run with that thought, she raised her eyebrows and pasted a thin smile on her lips.

“What’s up?”

I cleared my throat and tried to get my galloping pulse under control. Things were still strained, which was to be expected. I would have to take it slow with her if I hoped to have her stick around.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

Her posture softened, and her smile turned more genuine. “Yes. And you?”

“I would have much preferred you in my bed, rather than the company of my hand.” I chuckled lightly. “But yes, I slept fine.” It wasn’t even a question of trying to censor myself. Emma brought out an uninhibited honesty in me. And maybe all that sharing last night had rubbed off on me.

Her cheeks turned slightly pink, and she looked down at her polished toes.

I brought my hand to her cheek, lifting her face to meet my eyes. “Does that make you uncomfortable, pet? To know that I jerked myself last night to thoughts of you?”

She shook her head, but her eyes held a mix of stormy emotions.

Softly stroking her cheek, I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m going to fix this.” Dropping my hand away, I took a step back. “I have to head to the clubhouse, but I was wondering if I could set you up a spa day while I’m away today. All the works, on me.”

She stepped back from the door and grabbed what looked like a beach cover-up from the bed, along with a book and a bottle of sunscreen. Deftly, she let her robe fall open to showcase a blue-and-white polka-dot bikini.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away her creamy skin and soft curves.

“Nope, I’m a simple girl with simple plans. Today it’s the pool and this book.” She thumped the cover of her paperback.

“Okay, well, I’ll see you after the tournament, then.”

“See you then.”

Turning, I closed the door behind me and headed toward the elevator, trying to stop the wry grin that was already threatening my lips. In spite of everything, I liked this girl more with every passing day. What kind of woman was offered a spa day and turned it down to do something that cost nothing?

Emma, that’s who.

By this point, she shouldn’t have surprised me anymore, but she did. Maybe that was why she drove me so crazy . . . in every sense of the word.

Deep in thought, I made my way to the clubhouse and joined the group of men readying themselves for a long day of golf. It was eight in the morning, but a few guys already had beers in their hands. Typical business-trip behavior. All it made me do, though, was wish I was lounging by the pool with Emma in her tiny polka-dot bikini.

I blew out a sigh and dived into the fray, a smile at the ready. “Good morning, gentlemen. Ready to have your asses handed to you by the master?” I asked with a wink.

As the morning wore on, I schmoozed and passed out my business card, answering questions and pretending to laugh at stupid jokes while my mind was still spinning with thoughts of Emma. Ever since last night, I hadn’t been able to get her off my mind.

The things she’d shared with me . . . the things I’d shared with her. I’d told her things even my own brothers didn’t know.

Still, if there was one thing I’d learned, it was that I had to take the next few steps carefully. I would have to be gentle with her, to remember that she’d been hurt in some of the worst ways a person could be.

Inside, my emotions roared at me to kill the man who’d done that to her, but I controlled myself, funneling all my energy into my game once I stepped up to the first tee.

I needed to win Emma back for real, and I was going to. Right when this fucking game was over.

“Mr. Kingsley?”

I turned, expecting to find my caddy ready with a new putter, but instead, the hotel concierge was staring at me with wide eyes and a card in her hand.

“A message for you,” she said. “It’s urgent.”

I took the note and faced the men around me. “Excuse me, gentlemen, this should only be a mo—”

My words died off as my gaze flitted across the words on the paper.

Company crisis.

Call and return to the city ASAP.

My heart skipped a beat and I swallowed hard, trying to maintain my composure. If either of my brothers was hurt, surely they would have told me in the message? This had to be something else, and anything else was manageable. I just had to find out whatever it was and deal with it.

“I’m so sorry, guys,” I said, trying to keep my cool. “It looks like I have some pressing business and need to get back to the office. You all have my card if you need anything.”

I shook a few hands and then followed the concierge up the hill, past the green, and back toward the sloping lawn that led to the hotel entrance. All the while, my heart was pounding in anticipation as I scrolled through my phone messages, anxious about the news that was apparently too sensitive to text me.

If this was Cooper with more drama, I was going to wring his fucking neck. I had just pulled up a blank screen to tell him so when my phone buzzed in my hand. It was a message from Quinn with a single link, and I paused in my tracks to click on it and wait until it loaded.