She didn’t want to pretend anymore. She wanted whatever had been happening between them this weekend to continue. Her heart was going to break on Monday morning when she walked into the office and Brant treated her like nothing more than his assistant. Shit! This had been a bad idea from the start. Life was so much easier before. They might not have had a great relationship, but it was one that they both understood. He didn’t like her and she didn’t like him. They both mostly enjoyed their verbal wordplay, but that was it. Truth be told, the arguments with Brant made her job more interesting. Even when he pissed her off, things were never boring. She put in the transfer requests only because she knew he wouldn’t approve them. She wasn’t sure what she would do if he ever did. Now, though, she was forced to admit the horrible truth that she had been denying, even to herself: She was in love with Brant Stone and had been for a while. He was everything she said that she hated, but it was a lie. She loved him right down to his boring black suits and matching, nondescript ties. She was in so much trouble.

Brant discreetly removed Jill’s hand as it crept closer to his crotch yet again. He thought he had made himself clear to her earlier when she had grabbed his ass on the dance floor. He had nicely but firmly told her he was involved with Emma and he wasn’t interested. She had handled that pretty well until she had tossed back another half-dozen drinks. Actually, the whole crowd was consuming alcohol as if they had just been threatened with Prohibition at midnight.

Emma’s friends had settled into a table in the back of the room and, unfortunately, Jill had immediately taken the vacant seat on the other side of him. She told him all about her husband dumping her for another woman. He figured her husband probably got tired of having his cock grabbed in public and packed his bags.

Emma had been quiet after their spontaneous combustion against the side of the building. He had been on the verge of asking her if she was feeling okay when Madison jumped up and pulled Emma out of her seat. Soon they were on the dance floor doing some dirty dancing moves that had him breaking out into a cold sweat. How could he possibly be hard again this soon? It had nothing to do with Jill’s wandering hands and everything to do with the siren in the white dress looking at him so provocatively as she danced with her friend. Damn it, she was killing him. He barely recognized who he was at this point. He had torn up the dance floor with a group of strangers, thanking God along the way that he watched Dancing With the Stars often enough to function. He had slow danced with a woman with at least five sets of hands, and he had fucked Emma outside against a building for anyone to see. This was not him at all. He wasn’t a man led around by his penis or his heart. He felt completely out of control and yet . . . he couldn’t remember enjoying anything in recent memory as much as he had enjoyed this weekend with Emma. Could he turn something from make-believe to real? Did he really want to go there with her?

“God, you’re gorgeous,” Emma’s familiar sexy voice purred against his neck. He jerked back in surprise. He had been so lost in thought, he hadn’t seen her return from the dance floor. She was flushed and her eyes were bright, possibly with one too many daiquiris.

He pulled her against him, settling her in his lap. His cock was thrilled with her close proximity, although a bit frustrated with the barriers between them. “Hey, baby, I enjoyed your dance, although I would have preferred watching it in private.” She wiggled her bottom against his hard ridge, causing shivers to shoot through him. “Behave before I embarrass myself in public.”

“Mmm, I’d love that,” she teased. He was thrilled when she added, “I’m ready to go whenever you are. I don’t think I have another dance left in me.” Almost before she could finish that thought, Brant had them up and saying their good-byes to her friends. Another minute later and they were back in the humid night air. His driver and car were parked around the corner, and a quick call had them picked up and settled in the back.

He would love nothing better than to skip going back to her parents’ house and find a nice hotel for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, they had a very early flight home tomorrow and they would have to pick up their luggage. It just wasn’t workable. Maybe if they were quiet, though, her parents wouldn’t have to know that he was having sex with their daughter under their roof . . . again. Yeah, he could do quiet.

When they pulled up to the house, he helped a sleepy Emma to the door. It took another few minutes to locate the key in her purse. A lamp was on in the foyer, but there was no sign of anyone awake. Things were definitely going his way so far. Emma giggled and groped him all the way up the stairs. He gave her a lingering kiss before making a quick trip to the bathroom. When he returned to the bedroom ready to continue their foreplay, he was brought up short. Emma was sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep and snoring like a sailor. Her dress had ridden up, exposing the tops of her creamy thighs. He tried not to dwell on the fact that she wasn’t wearing underwear. Sighing, he dropped to her side and removed her shoes. He lifted her slightly to pull up the bedcovers and then settled her back beneath them. Maybe it was better this way. Sex could only cloud things further between them.

He knew tomorrow was likely to be a difficult and confusing day, and he probably needed all of his wits to make some decisions. He had started to hope that she was as interested as he was in seeing where things might lead between them. There was no way this could have all been an act on her part. He didn’t know what he felt for her, but he did know that it was completely foreign to him. He had never been this messed up over Alexia, even when she left him. There was something big happening between them, at least on his part, and he was both anxious and terrified to know how she felt.

The last thought he had before drifting into sleep was that the woman beside him held the long-lost key to his heart.

Chapter Eleven

Emma found herself sitting on the airplane beside Brant not having a clue as to what to do. The morning had passed in a blur. They had been up early for their flight and she barely had time for a good-bye hug from her mother and father before Brant was rushing her out the door and into a taxi. Since they were up late the night before, the ride to the airport was spent in companionable silence as they both dozed lightly. Now, on the plane, the first moment of awkwardness had arrived. She wanted to reach over and take his hand, but she didn’t know if that was okay anymore. Was their time officially over now? As she continued to sit quietly, racked by indecision, Brant reached over and took her hand in his, settling them both in his lap. She felt her body relax. Everything was still okay between them. She leaned her head on his shoulder.