Rule's Addiction

Rule’s Addiction

The House of Rule

Book Three

Garrett and Maria’s story

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Maria Alvarez is her own woman and always has been. She’s more than capable of taking care of

herself, so when Garrett Rule storms into her life with inflexible demands and an agenda of his

own, she has no choice but to fight back.

Garrett Rule has no room in his life for conniving, bitchy women. When he finds himself

inconveniently obsessed with Maria Alvarez, the most conspiring woman of them all, he doesn’t

know which is stronger, his need to punish her or the need he feels to have her under his complete

sexual control. Luckily for him, he doesn’t plan on choosing; he’ll take both.

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Rule’s Addiction

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whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of

brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product

of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons

living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.

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Table of Contents

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Prologue

As Garrett Rule lay in bed in yet another obscure hotel room on the other side of the world, he

didn’t bother fighting the recurring fantasy he’d been having for weeks.

Just the memory of her voice was controlling his actions; she had him that fucking addicted.
Sliding his fingers down the planes of his stomach, he fisted his throbbing cock, and closed his

eyes in both relief and irritation.

Goddamn her . . .he was well and truly obsessed and he’d never even seen her.
His mouth flattening into lines of aggravation, his eyes opened as he blew out a breath, staring at

the ceiling, his cock throbbing in his hand, demanding relief. He tried to put off the inevitable for a
few more seconds, but his goddamn dick was in full control; the testosterone fueling his bloodstream
was going to win the struggle for control. Giving up, he pumped his hand once, twice, letting the
memory of her throaty, husky cadence slide through his brain. He fully understood the situation even
though he cared little for it; she was a goddamned preoccupation that he couldn’t control.

As he continued to jack-off to a hazy, frustratingly faceless vision in his mind, he knew he had to

find a way to exorcise the sorcery of her allure. His teeth gritted as his cock engorged by another
degree, as if it had a mind of its own, as if pissed that his big head would try to keep him from having
her.

He hated what she was doing to him. She was tearing him in two . . . fucking with his ability to

keep his mind on his job. Almost worse than that, the memory of her feminine, sultry voice was

obliterating his desire to screw another woman. His desire? Hell, he didn’t even think about other
women . . . probably couldn’t get it up for one if he tried.

All he wanted was her . . . Maria Alvarez. The name sent a wave of heat down his spine and a

drop of pre-cum formed on the head of his erection. Son-of-a-bitch. He knew what he wanted . . . he
wanted to hear her speak in person; he wanted to ram his cock down the feminine throat the sultry
voice belonged to. The erotic thought had his hand moving faster, his eyes shutting out everything but
the memory of her voice as he pumped up and down, over and over, faster and faster. He imagined
her taking him into her mouth, taking him so far to the back of her throat that she almost gagged with it.

The vision in his head told him her hair would be as dark as his, so in his mind’s eye, his fingers

tangled in tresses of gleaming silk. Holding her tightly by her dark brown hair, with one hand
wrapped around her throat, he controlled her with his hands and fucked her mouth repeatedly. In and
out, deeper and deeper. A groan ripped from his throat. Ahhhhh. . .His abs tightened, his hand jerked
as he exploded in orgasm, his seed erupting and shooting onto the corded muscles of his stomach.

Jesus. His heartbeat remained elevated for several long moments, until finally, it slowed, and his

breathing steadied.

He reached over and grabbed a couple of tissues from the bedside table. The fact that she was an

obsession, an addiction, was an admission that he’d needed to make for weeks now. But even though
he’d acknowledged his weakness, it didn’t help the situation . . . maybe when he finally saw her
tomorrow, this ridiculous fascination he had for her would disappear. He knew it had to; no woman
could live up to the fantasy he’d created in his imagination.

Yeah, his trip to Florida should do the trick.
He had to admit, he’d been relieved when Courtney, honorary family member and the Rule

Corporation’s newest employee, had called and complained about the girl. Courtney had been so
angry that she’d wanted to fire Maria on the spot, but Garrett hadn’t cared for the idea, not a damn bit.
Fire Maria? Send her off into the world where he’d probably never be able to locate her if he tried?
Never get to see the little witch who was making him so hard that he continued to explode with it time
and time again? No fucking way. His cock had immediately rebelled at the idea, swelling and
jumping against his stomach, letting him know in no uncertain terms that nobody was firing that girl
until he’d had the pleasure of fucking her first.

That was, if he still wanted to fuck her after he’d actually seen her . . . his fantasies might dissolve

in an instant, and truthfully, he hoped that they would.

Courtney had been resolute, complaining about the other girl’s manipulations, assuring him that

Maria wasn’t a team player and that she was doing everything in her power to drag out the remodel of
the hotel the corporation had recently purchased. Garrett had believed Courtney at once; she was like
a sister to him—hell, his mother had brought the girl home to live with them when she’d been
orphaned as a teenager—and she’d been so upset that Garrett had known she wasn’t exaggerating.

Rage at the faceless young woman mixed with the lust he felt, dangerously fueling his blood.

Nobody fucked with his family; nobody fucked with the business he and his brothers had slaved over
and built into the empire it now was. And here was the kicker, not only did he feel rage, he felt as if
he’d been betrayed. Why? Because he’d had the pleasure of speaking to Maria on the phone several
times before his intentions of buying the property had become common knowledge.

The first couple of times she’d been courteous and professional before transferring his call

through. But with every call, her voice had gotten warmer and sweeter, until finally, she’d become so
friendly that he’d thought they had a rapport. So yeah, her actions now felt like a betrayal, truly
pissing him off. This was what he got from the girl who used to be so friendly that it was almost as if

they were flirting?

Resolutely, he pushed the memory of the tone she’d used to tease him with out of his mind; it only

pissed him off further. This goddamn fascination he had with her should have already dissolved; he
should have known what she looked like by now. She should have been at the hotel the day he’d
flown into Florida to inspect the property before buying it. But she hadn’t been at work that particular
day, and his disappointment had manifested itself into a deeper infatuation, the spell she’d cast over
him via the telephone staying firmly in place.

The hotel had been in chaos when he’d arrived. The owner had dropped dead of a heart attack a

couple of months before, and the running of it had been left to his widow, a woman who apparently,
wanted nothing to do with work of any kind. She had immediately hired a general manager for the
short-term, and then had listed the hotel for sale.

The day Garrett had visited, the general manager had called in sick, and Maria was a no-show as

well. He’d asked the widow about her whereabouts; he hadn’t been able to stop himself. He’d been
told that she’d taken a personal day, but the woman hadn’t elaborated. He hadn’t been able to let it go
at that; he’d done some digging while subtly interrogating some of the other employees and found out
that it was one of many personal days that she’d earned over the years but hadn’t seen fit to take
before.

It had made Garrett wonder about her reason for not being there on the day he’d been scheduled to

inspect the property. As he’d been given a tour of the facility and came to the desk that she used, the
utilitarian look of it made him wonder about her even more.

Either a man or a woman could have used the space; there wasn’t a single picture or knick-knack

to give a clue about the personality of the employee who usually sat there. But there had been a
scent. A sumptuous, layered, ultra-feminine scent that conjured visions of naked limbs and smooth
skin that had made him even more hotly curious.

He’d wanted to stay in Miami for another day, strictly to meet her, but he’d already made his

decision to purchase the hotel, and had put the pieces in place for the deal to move forward. Hanging
around for another day on a whim wasn’t an option. He’d had shit to take care of; lingering for the
sole purpose of glimpsing a girl who’d flirted over the phone wasn’t conducive to business.

So he’d left, proving to himself that his pecker couldn’t rule him, and the sale had gone through.
The next time he’d spoken to her, her voice had changed. The husky, flirtatious tone was

conspicuously absent. In its place was a no-nonsense, professional voice that sounded as if she had
no time or desire to speak to him, simply transferring his call without any unnecessary fanfare.

So it had been obvious to him—the sale had pissed her off. Or the Rule Corporation had pissed

her off, or maybe Courtney had pissed her off. Something had pissed her off.

And he shouldn’t give a shit why the change in her had occurred. She was just another faceless

woman at another piece of commercial real estate that he had dealings with.

But in the back of his mind, he had a tantalizing thought; he now owned the hotel where she

worked. Tomorrow morning he was going to get on a plane, and soon he’d be in Florida to take care
of things, just as he’d promised he would, so Courtney could get back to the Rule Corporation
headquarters in St. Louis . . . but not before warning her to keep quiet about his impending arrival.
There was no reason to give the conniving little Judas named Maria any advantage.

Putting his hands behind his head, he settled down in the bed to try to grab some sleep. Unable to

let it go, he stared at the ceiling and imagined the two possible outcomes when the moment of
reckoning finally came. He was either going to see her and get immediate relief from his ridiculous
fantasies, or . . . or, he was going to see her and then have to fuck her to make them go away.

So much angst because of one damn female. The fact that she was an employee would definitely

keep her in his vicinity for a while, which suited him, but it also made him grimace. He admitted,
fucking her would be so much easier if she didn’t work for the corporation, but hell, he was probably
going to fire her on the spot anyway.

Why the hell couldn’t that sultry voice have belonged to his doctor’s receptionist or some such

shit?

He pushed the problem from his brain, knowing he’d handle it somehow.
And the fact that she was undoubtedly as pissed off as he was?
He’d deal with that setback when the time came as well.

Chapter One

Garrett strolled into the hotel after eleven o’clock the next night. As he walked through the

vestibule, he glanced around and quickly took in the updates to the décor that had been implemented
since the last time he’d been there. Most were easy to spot: new flooring, fresh paint, updated
furniture.

Dropping his single bag at his side in front of the reception desk, he glanced at the time. Eleven-

fifteen. Neither the general manager who was temporarily in charge, nor the girl he had intentions of
ambushing would still be around. Only the night staff were in attendance, and he was impatient with
the delay. By all rights, he should have had jet lag, but he didn’t. He’d had a private room on one of
the new Emirates airplanes, and he’d slept like a baby and was even now, raring for his first sight of
the girl.

As he checked in, he looked around. The bar was closed, as was the on-site restaurant. A janitor

pushed a trolley unobtrusively down the hallway next to the elevators. Flattening his lips, he knew he
had to find a way to expend his pent-up energy. If he didn’t, he’d be awake all night and he’d be
fucked the next day.

****

Maria completed swimming her ninth lap, did a somersault underwater and pushed off the edge,

putting everything she had into the final round. Her thighs were burning, her biceps were screaming,
but unfortunately, her frustration level was still off the charts.

She hadn’t even finished yet, and already she knew the intense exercise wasn’t going to help. Not

one iota, not a damn bit.

She was too pissed to calm down. There was one concept that sent her admittedly volatile temper

into the stratosphere, one thing she hated most in the world, and that thing was nepotism.

She hated nepotism . . . fucking hated the word and the meaning behind it. Nepotism sucked.

Nepotism could eat shit and die. And the Rule Corporation could eat shit and die with it.

Garrett Rule could eat shit and die, the son-of-a-bitch.
With that thought, refusing to show weakness by using the steps to climb from the pool, she pushed

up out of the water at the edge, forcing the last bit of strength from her spent muscles as she stood to
her feet in a puddle of water.

Pulling her hair from the band that held it, she squeezed the long ponytail with her fingers, trying

to get at least some of the water out, knowing it would only soak the towel she was about to pick up.

A small noise caught her attention in the otherwise quiet poolroom and she snapped her head

around, seeing a man leaning negligently against the back of a wrought-iron chair. He stood silently,
his arms crossed over his chest, one foot over the other at the ankle, while he conspicuously stared at
her.

She should have felt any number of emotions, fear probably being the most appropriate. But as she

watched him watching her, in an area of the hotel that was off-limits to guests at this time of the night,
she felt only one thing, because she knew. She immediately knew who he was, and the feeling that
was bubbling up and taking over her senses wasn’t fear, it was anger. He’d undoubtedly been given
the type of key-card that only designated staff were allowed . . . the kind that opened all doors at all
times. And the only thing she was feeling now was pure, unmitigated, unadulterated anger at his
presence.

As she watched him studying her with narrowed eyes, she took in his appearance with a single,

all-encompassing glance. Motherfucker was gorgeous, damn him. Well over six feet of powerful
male, with dark hair and dark eyes, stood silently watching her as if he had every damn right.

His eyes continued to run up and down her body as if he owned her as well as the grounds and the

building they were standing in, and her muscles stiffened in involuntary response. Setting her mouth in
firm lines, she grabbed the towel and pulled it around her torso, leaving her dark, wet hair to hang
down her back in wild disarray. Fuck it. Who cared? She was as good as fired, and damned if she
cared.

He continued to stand silently and raised a single eyebrow, so she lifted her chin a notch and

retaliated  to  the  silence  that  was  obviously  meant  to  intimidate  her.  “Your  little  girlfriend  couldn’t
fire  me  all  by  herself?  She  needed  to  bring  in  reinforcements?” At  her  questions,  his  jaw  set  and  a
subtle tension seemed to invade his body, but she didn’t care. She was fearless, both because she was
pissed  and  because  she’d  had  her  exit  strategy  planned  for  a  while  now.  “No  answer  to  that,  Mr.
Rule?” She forced a smile to her lips that he’d have no problem as identifying as fake.

When he pushed away from the chair and took two steps closer, she suddenly realized that his

indolent grace was hiding a fury that he couldn’t altogether disguise. Fisting her fingers around the
towel, she braced herself.

She immediately recognized his voice when he finally spoke and it indisputably confirmed his

identity. “Is that why you got so pissed off all of a sudden? Refused to play nice with me on the
phone? Something lead you to believe that Courtney’s my girlfriend?”

At his implication, a quiver of something ran down Maria’s spine that she immediately tamped

down. Whether the other woman was his girlfriend or not was moot at this point. Yeah, keep telling
yourself that, Maria. “I’m pissed about a lot of things,” she tossed back truthfully, attempting to
ignore his anger and focus on her own.

“Yeah?” He took another imposing step closer. “What would those things be?”
Maria held her ground, refusing to step back. “Why would you care? You’re only here to get rid

of me. I’m not stupid, I know what this sudden trip of yours is all about.” She tried to slow her heart
rate by breathing deeply, but that idea was shot to shit when his eyes dropped to her breasts. And son-
of-a-bitch, he had beautiful eyes.

His gaze slowly lifted back to hers. “Do you?” he asked in a voice that hinted she had no clue

what he was thinking.

She ignored the hint and continued in a belligerent tone that had her questioning her sanity, “Yep.

Your fragile little girlfriend wants me gone but was too scared to do it.”

“Just for the record, Courtney’s not my girlfriend, and she wasn’t afraid to get rid of you. The

only reason you’re still employed at this hotel is because of me.” The displeasure in his tone turned to

icy contempt. “And you’re either completely brave or completely stupid not to realize it.”

Son-of-a-bitch just call her stupid? “Oh, I’m not stupid. I just don’t need your job. I think eight

years of my life’s been enough, you know?”

There was a momentary pause before he asked, “You’re saying you’ve been working here for

eight years?”

“You should know that already, if you gave even half a shit about your employees.”
He continued as if she hadn’t spoken, as if he had every right to her thoughts. “I want to know

what’s got your panties in a twist. You used to be, shall we say, quite pleasant on the phone. But that
went to hell in a heartbeat.”

She gave him a cool stare, unable to contain her sarcasm. “And that upset poor little you, right?”
A look came over his features that would have quelled a lesser woman, but her bravado was only

faltered by a fraction. “Honey, I’m going to give you fair warning,” he bit out. “Tread lightly around
me, capisce?”

She stiffened her spine until she felt as if a steel rod was imbedded in her vertebrae. “Or what?”
His eyes turned glacial and his mouth flattened as he hissed, “You want to find out?”
Asshole didn’t scare her. He didn’t. “The worst you can do is fire me.”
He bared his teeth as his features turned remote while he held her gaze captive. “That’d be letting

you off too easy. And I promise you, nothing about this is going to be easy for you.”

Her heart began pounding but she defiantly lifted her chin. “You don’t scare me. Not your fucking

corporation and not your gazillions. Do your worst,” she challenged.

Just as he took another step forward, the outer door was pulled open and the night clerk walked

into the room. The male college student, a part-time employee of about twenty, took one look at her
and then nervously glanced at Garrett Rule before looking back to her. “Yes?” she asked a tad too
sharply.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. But Romero Calderon is on the line and is insisting on talking to you. I’m

sorry, Maria, he doesn’t seem to understand time zones.”

“It’s not a problem.” She wiped her damp palm down the towel that covered her torso and took

the cordless phone the clerk extended. Why was she even taking the call? She was only going to get
fired anyway. But she knew why . . .the hotel was her life, damn it, and she loved it as if it were a
living, breathing entity. Walking away from the two men, she lifted the phone to her ear while she
powered up her tablet that lay on a wrought iron table, knowing she was about to need it. Pulling up
the calendar, she inquired in flawless Spanish, “Good Evening, Mr. Calderon. How are you this
evening, sir? Or should I say morning?”

While she listened to his plea about needing an additional block of rooms for his arrival the next

month, she flipped through the reservations calendar. As he continued to plead his case, knowing of
the hotel’s recent upheaval, she assured, “Oh, no, no, it’s no problem . . . I promise you, the
refurbishment is almost complete, you’re truly going to love the place even more so now. I’ll get you
the extra rooms even if it means allowing one of your guests the use of my own personal suite for the
duration of your visit.”

As he thanked her and made a flirtatious rejoinder, Maria couldn’t contain a mirthful laugh as she

shook her head and rolled her eyes at the sweet old man’s jest. The old guy always brought his wife,
if not his entire family. He was the epitome of a family man; he was at least seventy-five and she
knew he’d been very happily married for at least half of those years. “Oh, really now?” she flirted
harmlessly back. “I think maybe your wife would have something to say about that.”

As she keyed in the instructions and ended the call, she handed the phone back to Justin. “It’s all

set, we’re good to go.”

“You haven’t forgotten about the Anderson bookings, have you? That’s an entire block of rooms

taken while the Calderon party will be in attendance.”

She shook her head with a sad smile. Damn, she was going to miss the hotel. “I haven’t forgotten.

The renovations on the third floor will be complete before the week is up, we’ll have rooms to
spare.”

As Justin departed the room, she gathered her things and blatantly ignored Garrett Rule as she

began to slip away, not caring to finish the conversation they’d started.

Unfortunately, she didn’t get a choice.
“You’re fluent in Spanish?” the hard voice asked.
She swung around to face him. “Does that shock you, Mr. Rule? My given name is Maria Sofia

Isabella Alvarez and I was born and raised in Miami; I’ve lived here all my life. What did you
expect? That English would be my only language?”

“I never really thought about it. If you have an accent at all, it’s only slight.”
“And only when I allow it,” she couldn’t contain the small boast. “I can turn it on and off at will.”
His gaze slid slowly down her body before lifting to her eyes again. “I’ll just bet you can.”
Sucking in a breath at his clear innuendo, she snapped, “Goodnight, Mr. Rule.” Giving him no

time to respond, she slipped from the room.

****

Garrett tried to sleep that night, but the effort was mostly pointless. Maria Sofia Isabella Alvarez

had fucked him up completely. It had been obvious at first sight that his fantasies weren’t going to
dissolve into thin air. Oh, hell no, his goddamn cock was on full alert, condemning him to more cold
showers and jacking-off if he couldn’t get his hands on her.

She’d looked even better than she’d sounded. Granted, his first sight of her had been a stupendous

one; he’d seen her dripping wet, curves and all, even if it had been in a conservative one-piece
swimsuit. But there’d been no mistaking the raging hard-on he’d gotten as he’d watched her
swimming back and forth across the pool, her slim muscles powering through the water as if she were
trying to exorcise something from her brain.

Him.
He’d felt it. He’d felt the tension between them even before she’d lifted herself from the water

and stood on slender, weary legs that were subtly trembling from her punitive workout.

When she’d stood by the side of the pool, it had taken only seconds for him to recognize her allure

as if it were a magnetic force field pulling him in; she was exactly what he’d pictured in his brain but
only better, a combination of bold, sultry and sexy.

Her facial features were delicate, but stamped with such an iron determination that his cock had

engorged at first sight, the clash of wills that was undoubtedly coming feeding his lust even more. Her
dark hair hung in wet tendrils down her back and wisps of it escaped her ponytail to frame her face,
giving it an exotic appeal.

Her eyebrows were high and delicately slanted, her brown eyes enhanced by long lashes, her lips

full and red, her skin smooth with pale gold undertones. She was petite, her frame slender, her
shoulders small. But her breasts . . . Christ, her breasts. To say she had full breasts was an
understatement. She looked to be God’s gift to man; she had an hourglass figure accentuated by high,
round breasts that had sent an instantaneous river of heat sliding down his spine.

He’d noticed all this about her in no more than a heartbeat . . . and then she’d glanced up at him . .

. their gazes had connected, and he’d seen the volatile nature she possessed in the depths of her eyes.
His hard-on had gone from raging to painful, a drop of pre-cum leaking onto his boxers.

Fuck.
He’d known down to his doomed soul that this shit would happen; he’d known she would look

good. Hell, she looked even better than he’d imagined she would in his wildest, horniest dreams.

And that was how turned on he’d been before they’d started throwing insults back and forth. So,

the little witch thought Courtney was his girlfriend? That was what had set her on the warpath? The
idea of anything but a platonic, sibling-like relationship with Courtney was almost laughable—at
least for him . . . but then he remembered the look on Nick’s face when they’d been arguing about her.
It had been about a month ago, when Courtney had finished grad school. He and his brother had had a
disagreement over where her place in the corporation would be; they’d both wanted her for their own
divisions. It had somewhat surprised Garrett that his brother had had such definitive opinions about
Courtney and her future, but at the time, he hadn’t put much thought into it.

Now, however, Maria’s accusations, although false, triggered something that Garrett had been

missing, and the last puzzle piece fell into place. Nick’s feelings for Courtney weren’t platonic. Son-
of-a-bitch. Garrett didn’t know how he’d missed it or how he even felt about it. It was the truth that
Courtney was like a little sister to him, just like Erin, and if Nick ever hurt her . . . he’d have to
answer to him.

But at this particular moment in time, all Garrett could really focus on was Maria and the

quandary she presented. There was no question, he wanted to get her naked and horizontal as quickly
as he could.

When she’d been snapping at him earlier, he’d been this close, this fucking close to saying

‘you’re fired’, and then picking her up and planting her legs around his waist and pushing her back
against the tiled wall. It would have been ridiculously easy to pull her flimsy swimsuit aside and
open his pants. He could have been inside her within five seconds flat. That’s what he’d wanted to
do. That’s what he’d been about to do.

But then that guy had turned up and she’d taken that goddamn phone call that had screwed with his

brain. Even if he hadn’t been fluent in Spanish, he still would have been able to tell how professional
and accommodating she’d been, just by her tone. But he was fluent, because he’d minored in the
language, and he’d understood every word of her end of the conversation. And not only had he
experienced first hand the care with which she’d handled the paying guests, he’d also seen and heard
how much the other employees relied on her.

The ramifications hit him all at once . . . he wasn’t going to be able to fire her; there was no way

he could cut her loose. The general manager in charge was pure shit, and although Garrett hadn’t had
the displeasure of meeting the man, Courtney had been adamant that the guy was on the short-list. So
the hotel needed Maria, at the very least, for the duration of the transition. And that left Garrett in
limbo, in a purgatory of indefinite blue-balls hell. He hadn’t anticipated that attaining his goal would
be difficult in this particular way. He’d been assured the girl was a troublemaker, so he’d assumed he
would just terminate her employment. Once that happened, he’d be able to get his hands on her.

Shit.
He was beginning to get a splitting headache.
Who knew that coming here would only make things go from bad to much, much worse?

****

So, the spoiled blonde woman wasn’t his girlfriend. Right. Maria didn’t believe that shit for a

second . . . well, maybe for a couple of seconds last night when she’d been poleaxed at her first sight
of Garrett Rule. Gorgeous didn’t even begin to describe the man. How tall was he exactly? There was
no question that his height and the width of his shoulders were intimidating. And his face. She blew
out a breath.

Hopefully, as bad as her morning was going, when he finally dragged his ass out of bed, he’d just

fire her and get it over with. It truly would be so much easier. She had a job waiting for her whenever
she wanted it at one of the larger, swankier, waterfront hotels down the road. Granted, she wouldn’t
have on-site accommodations as she did with this job, but then, she wouldn’t be on call twenty-four
hours a day, either.

But for right now, this was her hotel, or at least that’s the way she thought of it, and she was going

to perform the same professional job she always had . . . right up until the moment he woke up and
forced her to the pavement.

With that being said, she waded through the mess that was mid-construction on the west side of

the third floor. Standing amidst five burly construction workers, wearing heels and an over-the-knee,
pencil-slim skirt, she looked over the new sheetrock, checking out the substantial progress made since
the morning before. Well, maybe things weren’t going so badly after all.

Juan, the supervisor in charge of the contract workers, stopped what he was doing when he saw

her enter the suite and addressed her in Spanish. “You like what you see, Miss Maria?”

Maria smiled at him but ignored his sexual innuendo. He’d been harmlessly flirting with her ever

since his crew had begun the project, and she knew he didn’t mean any offense or disrespect. She
looked over the walls at the invisible seams. “Yeah, I do,” she answered back in Spanish. “Your
crew does a great job. We’re lucky to have you.”

With dramatic flair, he put his hand over his heart. “What we do, we do for you.”
She burst into a laugh and shook her head. “Ah-huh. And the paychecks I hand out every week

mean nothing, right?”

“You got me there, pretty,” he said with a smile before picking up his paint roller again.
She was about to wish him a good day when she noticed a half-empty box of cleaning spray.

Strolling over, she glanced down, and for decorum’s sake, bent at the knees before picking up a single
bottle, one of about half remaining in the box. “Where did these come from?” Standing up and
swiveling the bottle in her fingers, she looked it over and then again at the box it had come in.

“They showed up a week ago or so. Why, what’s the problem?”
“Your crew has been using them?” she asked.
“Si.”
“Crap,” she mumbled as she reverted to English without conscious thought. “Don’t use any more

of these bottles, okay?”

“Okay, but we’ll need new ones.”
“I’ll have some here by this afternoon.” With that, Maria spun on her heels, taking the spray bottle

with her.

It didn’t take her three minutes to arrive at the office of the general manager, a man she had little

respect for. She rapped on his door and when he looked up, she lifted the bottle, showing it to him as
if in question.

“What?” the man rasped out impatiently.
Maria inwardly fumed. The guy stayed on his computer all day playing games, gambling, and

messing with his social media accounts while she performed the job he was getting paid for. Poor
Mr. Duncan would be rolling in his grave if he knew his beloved hotel was in such disrespectful
hands. “Did you order these?” she asked.

“Yeah. So?”
Maria heard someone in the hallway behind her but she didn’t turn around to see which clerk had

walked by. “See anything missing?” she asked, indicating the bottle, for the moment, concentrating
only on the mission at hand.

“No,” he snapped, obviously impatient.
“M.S.D.S.” she replied succinctly, crossing her arms. “Mean anything to you?”
“On spray cleaner?” He rolled his eyes as if she had a screw loose. “Run along now, I’m busy.”
She took a deep breath and prayed for patience. “Mr. Treadway, I realize that you and I don’t get

along all that well. But trust me, this isn’t a minor detail.” As she spoke, she attempted like hell to
keep her tone neutral. “Every single bottle of this stuff, all the chemicals used in this hotel, have to
have material safety data sheets on them. Not just on the box, but on each bottle.”

“On spray cleaner? Who gives a shit?” he snorted, looking back to his computer as if she were

wasting his time.

“OSHA’s going to give a shit,” she answered decisively as she walked over to his desk and set

the bottle beside his cell phone.

“OSHA?” he repeated, continuing to give his full attention to his computer screen, not even giving

her the courtesy of pretending interest.

Knowing full well he knew exactly who OSHA was, she lost it and couldn’t keep the sarcasm

from her voice. Hell, she was going to get her pink slip today anyway, so why the fuck not? “Yeah,
you know, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, that large government entity that likes to
protect workers by imposing large fines on corporations that don’t comply with their guidelines? Do
you not care anything about this hotel or its employees?”

Taking her by surprise, his hand shot out and he gripped her wrist, his lips twisting into an

unpleasant sneer. “Your attitude sucks. I know who the fuck OSHA is and I don’t give a shit about a
couple of bottles of cleaner.”

Mounting fury lit her insides that he would dare touch her but she remained perfectly still as she

gave him a withering stare. “If you don’t release me this very instant—”

The threat she was about to make was cut off as Garrett Rule stepped into the room. At the

expression on his face, a fine buzzing began in her ears. The man appeared pissed. Upon further
evaluation, the man looked beyond pissed. And somehow she knew, without him saying a word, that
she wasn’t the person he was pissed at. At the same moment she made the realization, she began
pulling on her wrist, and unfortunately for Mr. Treadway, he chose to tighten his hold.

Garrett came forward, and an air of danger filled the room around her, making her head spin. “Let

her go.” The caustic words were spoken harshly, through gritted teeth.

Treadway released her wrist but made another crucial mistake. “Who the hell are you? Get the

fuck out of my office.”

Maria quickly pulled her hand back, rubbing her wrist without conscious thought and met

Garrett’s  eyes,  some  indefinable  communication  passing  between  them.  With  a  single  glance,  she
realized  exactly  how  beautiful  he  was.  His  eyes  and  hair  were  dark,  his  skin  so  swarthy  that  he
looked  as  if  he  might  have  mixed  ancestry.  His  features  were  refined,  and  at  the  moment,  his  lips
were still curled with contempt.

But she was somewhat disconcerted to see his eyes soften briefly as he studied her. “Are you

okay?”

Too shocked to speak, she nodded her head.
He turned, slammed the door shut and came around the desk, and Maria knew at once that he was

seeing the gambling website on the GM’s desktop. The shit was about to hit the fan. While
Treadway’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air, as seemingly, the proverbial penny
dropped, Garrett placed both hands on the desk, leaning on them so hard the color disappeared from
his fingers, as he observed the other man intently. “You ever heard of the Rule Corporation?” he
asked in a pissed, sinister tone.

“Ahh. . . yes sir.”
“Good. That’ll make this easy. Get the fuck out.”
“You can’t fire me without a hearing—”
Garrett slowly stood up, his eyes never leaving the other man, watching him as if he were nothing

more than a bug to be squashed. “You can choose to continue sitting there, but I promise you, you
fucked up by attempting to use force on her and at the moment, my hands are itching to wrap around
your fucking throat. So, I repeat. Get. The. Fuck. Out. Now.”

The man paled and began removing his personal belongings from his desk. Maria had never seen

him move so fast, but she couldn’t say she blamed him. A pissed off Garrett Rule wasn’t someone you
messed around with. Take note, Maria.

Within three minutes, the ex-general manager was exiting the room, cussing beneath his breath the

entire time.

Left alone, Garrett turned to her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Maria’s head was spinning. Besides the fact that Garrett Rule was a force to be reckoned with,

she had only one other thought bouncing around in her head. She had to secure the hotel from the viper
who’d just left their midst. “Yeah,” she replied, off-handedly rubbing her wrist as she sat down in the
chair the GM had only recently vacated. Putting her hands on the keyboard, she began typing.

“What are you doing?” he asked in a booming voice.
Maria frowned, trying to stay on task. “Not now. I need to concentrate.”
“What are you doing?” he asked again, more pointedly.
“Saving your ass,” she answered, without looking up from the screen.
“Saving my ass? What the hell?”
With that, she glanced up and spared him about three seconds. “He has all the passwords, Mr.

Rule. And you just humiliated him. Do you think he’s the type of man who won’t retaliate?”

He frowned down at her as if in question. “You’re changing the passwords?”
“Yes.” She looked back to the screen.
“Bank accounts?” he enquired shortly.
“Yes, but that’s not the most important thing. Not at this moment, anyway.”
“What could be more important than that?” he asked.
“In the hotel industry? OTA.”
“OTA?”
Did the man know nothing about the hotel industry? “Online travel advisor.”
“You’re expecting me to trust you?”
Her fingers stalled and she glanced back up. “Do you want to do it? Something has to be done

now. He can screw the hotel in the next five minutes if we don’t do something to stop him.”

He hesitated, and then answered, “No, go ahead. And when you’re finished, come meet me in the

restaurant.”

She returned her attention back to the screen. “Okay.”

Chapter Two

Garrett glanced at the time to make sure it was past noon before he ordered a bourbon and Coke.

There  were  certain  standards  he  always  upheld,  and  never  drinking  liquor  before  noon  was  one  of
them.  Not  that  he  was  much  of  a  drinker  anyway,  but  for  some  reason,  the  scene  in  the  manager’s
office had affected him adversely. Not  the  fact  that  he’d  sent  the  fuckwad  packing,  that  wasn’t  it.  It
was the emotion that had run through his gut when the man had put his hand on Maria, with the sole
purpose of inflicting pain and intimidation.

Straight up, Garrett had felt compelled to commit murder.
Firing the guy instead had felt only somewhat satisfying, because he’d known he was going to do

that at some point anyway.

He’d damn sure assumed he’d have a day or two to get a new manager on board, but the guy was

poison and had to go. So now what the shit was he supposed to do? What he knew about actually
running a hotel was next to nil. Buying and reselling for a quick profit? Hell, he could do that all day
with his eyes closed.

Why the hell had he wanted to keep this one anyway? The building was okay, if a bit nondescript.

It was in a decent location and with the right updates and management, there was no question that it
could produce a decent return. But he’d had stronger opportunities with other pieces of real estate that
he’d gone ahead and flipped. So what was it about this particular hotel that had made him want to add
it the corporation portfolio?

With the question lingering in his brain, he took a drink of his highball and watched as Maria

walked  into  the  restaurant,  looking  around  her  with  sharp  eyes.  He  noticed  that  she  wasn’t  just
looking for him, she looked at everything around her. She saw everything around her. Her gaze went
to  the  bar,  from  employee  to  employee  as  she  seemed  to  tick  them  off  in  her  head,  smiling  at  one
while  keeping  a  neutral  expression  when  her  eyes  lit  on  another.  It  became  apparent  to  him  in  that
moment, the girl saw everything. She was on top of everything; she knew the hotel industry, and this
hotel in particular like no one else.

As she sat down across from him, the waiter brought two menus and a glass of iced tea for Maria

without waiting for her to order. The young man set it in front of her and she said, “Thanks, Mario,”
with a smile before pushing her menu to the side.

“I’ll give you a few moments to decide,” he said before turning away.
Garret flipped open the menu but didn’t glance down. He continued to study the woman opposite

him, looking for any signs of distress on her features. Thankfully, he saw none. “You look like you
survived the situation all right,” he commented.

She tossed him a look. “You just fired a piece of scum who couldn’t have deserved it more.

Actually, I’m pretty damn pleased.”

He continued to watch her as she seemed to take a careful sip of her drink before placing it to the

side. The silence grew until finally she spoke, “Look, why don’t you just do what you need to do and
then I’ll get out of your hair.”

He felt a moment of consternation. “Are you advising me to go ahead and fire you as well?”
“It would seem expedient.”
“What makes you think I’m going to let you go?”
“Aren’t you?”

He ignored her question and gave her one of his own. “How long have you been single-handedly

running this place?”

She frowned and broke eye contact, seemingly looking at the bar area before turning her gaze back

to him. “I don’t single-handedly run it. You’ve got a lot of hard-working employees here.”

“Don’t dodge the question. I want an answer.”
She pursed her lips. “A long time.”
He raised an eyebrow in response. “Give me a number.”
“Three years.”
Garrett felt a frown begin. “How old are you?”
She let out a puff of air and rolled her eyes as if he were insane. “You can’t ask me that question.”
“I can look in your file and get the information that way.”
She let out a half-smile and shook her head. “You really can’t, not anymore.”
He felt his temper snap at her word play. “What the hell does that mean?”
“You sure don’t know much about this place at all, do you?”
“Be careful, Maria,” he warned.
She seemed to take a breath before continuing, “Right. Look, I don’t work for you—”
“What do you mean by that? Who the hell do you work for?”
“Technically? I work for the management company out of New Jersey, at least now I do, since

Mrs. Duncan put them in charge the very second her husband died. And that’s where my file is.”

“Technicalities don’t interest me. How old are you?”
She held his eyes as she slowly shook her head. “You’re breaking the law by asking me that

question.”

“You really have a problem with telling me?”
“How old are you?” she asked instead of answering him.
“Twenty-nine,” he fired back instantaneously. “How old are you?” he asked again.
There was five seconds of silence while she stared back at him, and he read fire in her eyes. “I’m

twenty-five.”

“You look younger.”
“Thank you,” she snapped.
He narrowed his eyes. “It wasn’t a compliment. Extreme youth isn’t an attribute for a position like

this—”

“What position are we talking about?”
“You haven’t figured it out yet? I’m interviewing you for the position of GM. Right now. That’s

what we’re doing.”

“Interviewing me? I thought you were about to get rid of me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Seriously? Your blonde girlfriend—”
“Okay. Let’s get that settled between us right now. I already told you last night—and I really don’t

like to repeat myself—she’s not my girlfriend. Not that it would be any of your business if she were.”
He studied her thoughtfully. “Was that the reason you went Rambo on her ass? Are you jealous?”
Shit, he liked the thought of that.

“Jealous?”
He shrugged a shoulder, attempting not to give too much away. “You have to admit it’s a valid

question. Your actions don’t make sense. You’ve been putting up with an asshole who, by the looks of
it, was doing nothing but gambling on his office computer all day while you performed his job.”

“He’s only been here since Mr. Duncan’s wife flew into a panic at the first thought of real work

—”

Garrett continued as if she hadn’t interrupted him, “And then Courtney comes down for a few

weeks after the sale goes through . . . and she’s nothing but quiet and sweet. So why would a female
employee of the Rule Corporation put you in such a snit if you weren’t jealous? You have to know she
told me how you tried to sabotage the refurbishment process.”

Her tone became heated as she looked at him with contempt . . . and something else she seemed to

be  hiding. “I wasn’t jealous ,” she bit out under her breath, looking around as if gauging whether or
not  anyone  could  hear  the  conversation  before  looking  back  to  him.  “And  neither  did  I  do  a  damn
thing  that  hurt  the  hotel.  I  would never  do  anything  detrimental  to  the  hotel.  All  I  did  was
inconvenience her a little.”

“Why?”
“I wasn’t jealous,” she maintained, refusing to answer the question.
“If you want the damn job, I want an answer, an answer that makes sense.”
Her features became pointed as she stared at him without backing down. Her mouth flattened, her

arms crossed over her chest as she spit out, “I don’t care for nepotism. And it seemed to me that she
was going to get the job I deserved because of her relationship with you.”

As soon as the statement left her lips, all Garrett was able to see was the flash of fire in her eyes.

But when he managed to regroup, he felt the direct hit of her accusation. Nepotism? He was being
accused of nepotism? Truthfully, he’d never given it much thought.

Although his relationship with Courtney wasn’t the type Maria had in mind, there was a

relationship. And for a moment, he almost felt guilty, but not quite. And why should he? He and his
brothers fully owned the corporation. They could hire whoever the hell they wanted. So yeah, they’d
hired both Erin and Courtney after the girls had graduated from college. Why the hell shouldn’t they?
The girls were both extremely smart, they were family members who would be loyal to the
corporation, and what the fuck? He and his brothers could do whatever the hell they wanted . . . they
owned one hundred percent of the corporate stock. The corporation wasn’t publicly traded. It was
private. And they could make private decisions as they saw fit.

But looking at it from this girl’s point of view, he could see how the situation might have pissed

her off. Garrett marshaled his thoughts and answered her question to the best of his ability . . . but
only for his satisfaction. “Courtney’s not my girlfriend and I’m not going to say that again—but she is
a member of my family. You and I are not going to have a discussion about nepotism, so you best let
that go.” Picking up his glass, he took another drink before setting it back down a little too abruptly.
“So, here’s the deal about the GM position. From where I sit, it’s obvious you run the hotel and you
deserve the job with a commensurate pay level. You can have the job on a probationary basis, until I
see that you can handle it—”

She interrupted him. “I have a degree in hotel management and hospitality.”
“Good to know. Just for the record, I really don’t care to be interrupted. It’s a small pet-peeve of

mine that you need to learn to appreciate, got it?”

Her lips twisted into a flat smile that contained no pleasure. “Noted, Mr. Rule,” she bit out in a

saccharine-sweet tone.

He continued to stare at her, but she never flinched. He named a salary that was three times what

she was making now and then her eyes widened somewhat.

“And I still get to keep my suite? Live here on-site?”
“You don’t ‘get to’, you have to. Being on call is part of the reason I’m prepared to make you that

offer. But I’m going to be around for a while, just to make sure the transition goes smoothly,
understand?” Sure, Rule, that’s the reason you’re going to hang around.

She nodded her head, her expression resolute.

****

“I need the hard file on the Sanderson acquisition.”
Maria glanced up from her computer screen and immediately schooled her expression as Garrett

barked clipped, impatient words from where he stood in the doorway that separated his office from
the outer station where she presently worked.

You can do this. You can stay cool, Maria . The internal pep talk reverberated through her brain

but she still found it difficult to keep a level head.

She was beginning to loathe Garrett Rule more and more every single day. The more she’d been

exposed to him, the more she’d come to detest his air of arrogance and the complete command he
seemed to have over every situation. She hated his supreme intellect and the fact that he was always,
always right.

She hated his temper, his good looks, his complete conceit. She hated the way he guarded his

privacy as if his life was more important than anyone else’s. She hated the females who called the
hotel at odd hours demanding to speak to him . . . and she hated even more his continued rejection of
the women’s overtures as if he couldn’t care less . . . as if they were beneath him.

She hated the fact that somehow, somewhere along the line, she’d become nothing more than his

glorified secretary. The work he was doing had little to do with the hotel, it was Rule Corporation
business, and she didn’t have time to be his at his beck and call. She hated having to work so
physically close to him . . . and she hated that the damn butterflies in her stomach had only gotten
worse the longer she knew him.

But most of all, she hated his complete and utter disregard for courtesy . . . and the fact that he

continued to ignore her as if she didn’t exist.

Fucker.
She smiled sweetly, as if her only ambition in life was to serve him. “Yes, of course. It’s on your

desk,” she replied in the same soothing, placating tone she’d been using with him for the past few
weeks . . . a tone that, for some reason, was almost impossible to maintain today.

The look he pierced her with would have made a lesser woman wilt and fade away, but Maria

only held his eyes and stared back while she waited for the rejoinder she knew was coming.

He regarded her with set features and said in a low, tempered voice, “I didn’t see it.”
“It’s there,” she fired back smoothly.
His gaze became pointed and a subtle tension seemed to fill his large frame. “It’s not there.”
His voice held that damn arrogance she detested. Asshole. She blinked up at him and attempted a

look of patience she was far from feeling, trying her best not to make it sound as if she were
instructing a six year old. “It’s in the legal-size manila folder underneath the red paperweight.” She
hated the crystal paperweight that had simply turned up in his office one day. She hated the blood red
lines running through it; it was overly ostentatious and far too fragile for everyday use.

His mouth flattened. “There’s nothing under the paperweight.”
She took a deep breath and pasted such a large smile on her face that her eyes were forced into

narrow slits. Why would he lie about this? She knew damn good and well where she’d placed the
folder. With an exercise in control, she kept her tone neutral. “I put it there this morning, not thirty

minutes ago.”

It was obvious he didn’t care to be argued with; his body shifted and the muscles under his suit

corded into lines of strain. His casual position disappeared completely as he stood to his full height.
“You must be mistaken.”

She took a deep breath and without speaking, stood to her feet with a fluid motion and

immediately smoothed the lines of her simple grey skirt. Refusing to make eye contact with him, she
kept her gaze on the doorframe as she began walking toward the entrance to his office . . . the office
that should have been hers by now. When the hell would he go back to St. Louis and leave her in
peace?

When she reached his side and would have passed through, he halted her forward motion with a

detaining hand on her arm.

The move paralyzed her immediately.
He never touched her.
Never. It was an unwritten rule between them.
But now, his fingers grasped the fleshy part of her bare upper arm and no matter how hard she

fought against it, at the first touch of his callused fingers, she immediately stiffened with nerves and
her pulse rate accelerated. As his scent hit her nostrils in a conflagration of sexual heat that she
refused to acknowledge, a fine trembling took hold of her legs.

A dangerous sizzle filled the air as he stood only inches away, looming over her. Trying with

everything she had to appear unaffected, she ran her eyes up and down his length, attempting a
dismissive expression that she knew was a pathetic fail. There was no question that he was
intimidating when he wanted to be, his designer suit molding his tall, powerful body, enhancing his
stance of authority. His eyes were hot and dark as he stared down into hers. “Is something bothering
you today? Cat pissed in your Post Toasties this morning?”

Her breath snagged; he was so close she could see the gold striations running through his pupils.

“You know very well that I don’t have a cat.”

“It was a rhetorical question. I don’t care for the attitude, Maria. You need to lose it, pronto.

Capisce?”

Maria firmed her lips. Keep your mouth closed. Just keep your damn mouth closed, Maria.

Absolutely nothing good can come from arguing with him.  He’ll be gone soon and then you’ll have
the job you’ve always wanted and you’ll never have to deal with him . . . at least, not very often.
As  his  hand  gripped  tighter,  then  loosened,  and  then  pulsed  tighter  again,  she  took  one  stabilizing
breath and then another. When that didn’t calm her down, she counted to ten and closed her eyes for a
moment.  When  she  opened  them,  she  found  him  watching  her  with  a  merciless  expression  that  was
colored with retribution.

Every muscle in her body tightened, and when she remained silent, refusing to give him an

answer, his features turned menacing. She could almost feel his inexorable control slipping; the
primal attributes that made him so much a man had never been quite so obvious as they were now, as
he held her in an uncompromising grasp not six inches away from his torso. Oh, yeah. He was a man
like no other, there was no getting away from that fact. She could lie to herself all she wanted, but
Garrett Rule was pure unadulterated male, through and through.

Their eyes stayed connected; his intense gaze narrowed and the pagan, dominant personality he

usually took pains to keep hidden rose to the fore. Her breath snagged in her lungs. He was
dangerous. She’d known that from the moment she’d met him, hell, from the very first phone
conversation she’d had with him.

Now, as a wave of anger seemed to grip him, he leaned down until his mouth was at her ear and

he demanded an answer. “Do you understand me, Maria? Are you screwing with me? You’ve never
been careless enough to fuck with me before. I’m warning you, now wouldn’t be a good time to start.”

Maria attempted to give him a benign agreement as she struggled for control, but she lost it.
Challenge accepted, douchebag.
Using all the strength at her disposal, she pulled back from him and glared, not even trying to hide

her truculent expression. At the warning that smoldered in his eyes, her stomach flipped wildly, but
she had a point to prove.

She was about to knock the son-of-a-bitch on his ass; she’d teach him to try to intimidate her.
He thought he could subdue her with his hard-core masculinity? Just wait…. how would the

motherfucker react when faced with her undisguised femininity? She took a cleansing breath and then
purposely softened her features, making her eyes turn liquid. Tilting her head to the side, she let her
hair swing forward. She’d caught him staring at her hair more times than she could count and now she
put the thick tresses to good use. Holding his stare from under her lashes, she dampened her bottom
lip and then caught it between her teeth. Not overtly. Not innocently. Just perfectly.

An instantaneous, ferocious look crossed his features while his jaw clenched at her actions.
She held every bit of his attention and she used it to her advantage. Dropping her gaze to his

mouth, she held it there for the count of two seconds before letting it slide down to the bulge in his
pants. Not expecting that and yet refusing to blush, she lifted her face and let her eyes clash with his
before dropping her bombshell in a falsely soothing voice that was barely more than a whisper. “I
promise, Mr. Rule, I wouldn’t dare fuck with you. And if I ever did, I assure you, you’d know it.”

Her words seemed to hit him full force, holding him momentarily transfixed, and taking the

opportunity it gained her, Maria ignored the whirling in her head and brushed past him, walking into
his office.

Taking a quick look around, she spied the missing file folder under a slew of documents not far

from where she’d originally left it. Not knowing who’d moved it and at the moment not caring, she
dug it out from the bottom of the pile and slipped it under the paperweight.

Without deigning to look at her boss again, who’d evidently shaken off his stupor and had

followed her into his domain, she walked past him and out of his office, shutting the door with a snap.

****

The back of Garrett’s head hit the closed door.
His blood was pumping furiously, his goddamn cock was as hard as a rock.
That had been Too. Fucking. Close.
He’d touched her and she’d retaliated, using her feminine wiles on him for the first time since

he’d actually met her. And fuck, she’d hit her mark. That look in her eyes. The softness of her voice.
Son-of-a-bitch. It had been bad before, but now . . . shit, this was going to come back to haunt him.
Every. Fucking. Night.

How could he have been such a dumbfuck? He couldn’t believe he’d actually touched her.
Touched her, hell. He’d reached out and grabbed her, and instead of going for an innocuous spot

like a shoulder or a wrist, he’d just had to touch her soft, feminine flesh. Because he’d been dying to
know what it felt like for the last . . . for-fucking-ever. Since before he’d even seen her. And since
he’d come to Florida? Nothing but weeks on end where he’d fantasized about shutting and locking the
outer office door, with only the two of them inside. Weeks where he’d dreamed about her all the

time. Not daydreams, hell no. He wasn’t some kind of pussy. He never should have stopped jacking
off;  trying  to  prove  that  he  was  in  control  had  only  made  matters  worse.  Because  now  he  was
dreaming  about  her  all  night  long.  Wet- fucking-dreams.  Dreams  that  made  him  wake  up  from  a
perfectly  good  REM  with  his  cum  sticking  to  the  sheets.  Dreams  that  should  have  been  somewhat
satisfying but weren’t in the least.

Usually he could control his thoughts during the day. It was unmitigated hell, but usually, he could

stay focused on work, on the business that he and his brothers had built from the ground up. But the
nights . . . he had no control . . . he thought of her incessantly. He’d even tried a shot or two of
bourbon to get her out of his head.

It hadn’t worked and he’d given up trying.
He knew that when he lay down at night, she’d creep into his subconscious and invade his mind

and body whether he wanted it to happen or not. He’d see her face, and he’d get hard. He’d imagine
her body naked, and he’d get even harder. He’d see the belligerent fire in her eyes as she would snap
her mouth closed and refuse to take whatever bait he’d pitched out to her that day.

Then he’d toss and turn and give up on sleep and go take a cold shower. And more often than not,

that wouldn’t work either and his suffering only made his imagination run more rampant. He’d see her
slip to her knees in the shower stall. Yeah, Maria on her knees. There was no question that he wanted
her kneeling in front of him . . . her eyes on his, her lush, reddened mouth open around his cock, taking
him in, making him come, swallowing him.

Yeah, he wanted her on her knees, but not until he’d fucked her and fucked her good . . . and made

her come in every goddamn position he could think of.

****

As had been her habit for at least four days a week during the last month, Maria left for the hotel

gym at eight o’clock that evening, knowing good and well that Garrett would arrive to lift weights at
around ten. She wanted to be long gone before he arrived: no way did she want to see him anymore
than she was forced to, so she’d quickly figured out his schedule the very first week he’d arrived.

Adjusting hers to his had taken a bit of jostling, but it was more than worth it not to have to be in

close contact with his glowering features anymore than necessary.

Holding her gym bag over her shoulder, she stepped into the service elevator and rode it down.

She hated being confined, but usually, it was a quick trip, as the car went straight down, but tonight,
for whatever reason, it stopped on the floor below hers. Knowing that only employees used the back
elevator, she felt a tiny flurry of nerves, but quickly shot them down. What would be the odds . . .?

The doors opened and her stomach sank. Evidently, the odds were good . . . or bad. Whatever.
Her breath caught in her throat as Garrett took a step inside and then came to an abrupt halt,

looking at her for the space of a second before his features became emblazoned with an emotion that
she couldn’t make out. He was obviously surprised to see her, and a small flurry of butterflies tried to
take off in her stomach but she took a deep breath and refused to give in to them.

“Hello,” she said as nonchalantly as possible. Feeling as if she suddenly had no strength, she

dropped her gym bag down to the floor and stepped all the way to the back of the car, finding the
corner where she held onto the railings with both hands.

He gave her nothing more than a chin-lift in answer, turning to the control panel. When he didn’t

press a button for another floor, and immediately noticing the way he was dressed, it became obvious
to her that he was probably going down to the gym earlier than he usually did. Damn it!

The doors slid closed and they began to move, and just as her mind was going crazy trying to

figure a way out of having to use the gym with him in attendance, he lifted his hand and slammed a
button on the control panel with a force that made her jump. The lift slid to a jarring halt between
floors.

Chapter Three

Every other concern flew from Maria’s head as Garrett silently turned to face her, the muscles of

his neck cording and a tic appearing in his cheek.

Her tongue slid out and she licked her dry lips. “Why’d you do that?” Panic began to infiltrate as

his eyes ran up and down her form.

“It’s my elevator.” His words held both ownership and threat . . . and they seemed to be claiming

more than the elevator.

Immediate tension mounted as she realized that it could be a long, long while before another

employee tried to use this particular elevator. Attempting to quell her nerves, she said in a smooth
voice that she would have been proud of if she hadn’t been scared shitless, “And I’d like out of it,
please.”

“All right, no problem.” Even as he answered agreeably, he didn’t try to fulfill her request in any

other way. All he did was lean against the wall not two feet away from her, crossing his arms over
his chest and his feet at the ankles, as if they were going to be there for a while.

He made no move to do her bidding, and Maria tried to breathe evenly as she took in his jacked-

up physique. He was wearing basketball shorts and a tight-fitting, sleeveless t-shirt, and tennis shoes
that probably cost ten times what hers had. His biceps were massive, his calves held definition that
was more than impressive, and he was no less intimidating dressed as he was now than when he wore
a tailored suit and was sitting behind a desk. In fact, with his muscles on full display, she felt her
heart skip a beat. Adding to her already stretched nerves was the fear she tried every day of her life to
overcome. Claustrophobia.

She’d gotten stuck in a small tool shed at a house belonging to one of her mother’s friends when

she’d been about six years old. The women had been catching up and hadn’t noticed she’d wandered
off. She’d been missing for probably a good half hour when they eventually found her, dazed,
dehydrated and traumatized at finding herself in a dark, locked shed that smelt musty, as if it didn’t
contain enough oxygen. A frisson ran through her at the memory, still so vivid in her mind. Her life
hadn’t been the same since, and even now, confined spaces were enough to make her heart skip a beat
and perspiration break out all over. It was a minor miracle that she rode the elevator alone in the first
place, it took everything she had, and she always made sure she carried her phone.

Now, with the conveyance at a complete standstill and Garrett Rule standing over her as if he had

no intention of letting her out of the enclosed compartment any time soon, her insides were enduring a
double dose of apprehension.

As she stayed in the back corner, resolutely refusing to tell him of her fear, he turned and put a

shoulder to the wall, facing her completely. Her blood began pumping triple time, as he did nothing
but lean against the wall and continue to stare at her.

She didn’t know what she was scared of, exactly. She was usually less afraid inside an elevator

when another person was with her.

And she certainly wasn’t afraid of Garrett.
No freaking way. She wasn’t afraid of him. She wasn’t . And she wasn’t attracted to him. She

wasn’t. Sure, he had awesome good looks, and an awesome voice, but the son-of-a-bitch knew all of
that. So what was there to be attracted to? She refused to be attracted to him.

So what was she afraid of here? She didn’t know exactly, but her heart rate was telling her she

was terrified.

“It’s been a month,” he finally announced.
“A month?” How she managed to respond she hadn’t a single clue.
“Since I came to Florida,” he answered as if that explained it all.
“Yeah, so?” Okay, that’s good, Maria. Totally sounded confident. Bad-ass.
His face turned into lines of antagonism. “I’ve waited a goddamn month, Maria.”
For what? Jesus Christ, were her legs shaking? Where the hell had her damn confidence gone?

“For what?”

He pushed away from the wall and took a step toward her. “What do you think?”
The butterflies in her stomach won out as her palms began sweating. “I don’t know—”
“Bullshit.” With the word still ringing in her ears, he kicked her gym bag away and reached out a

hand, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. She was forced to let go of the rail, and in seconds her
torso was flush against his as he held her caged in the corner, her wrist manacled in his hand and held
to the wall.

She felt her eyes widen and her breath snag. He was leaning down, his face in hers, his body

pressed to hers with a masculine force that introduced his erection to her stomach without preamble.
She began to pant. “You can’t do this. It’s illegal—”

“Yeah, just like I couldn’t ask how old you are. That was illegal, wasn’t it? Just like I couldn’t

ask you if you were married or had ever been married. But I finally broke down and asked you those
questions, didn’t I? I asked you that and more. Didn’t I?”

A stroke of anger rose up and bled together with her panic. So, the gloves were coming off? Oh,

goody. “Yes, asshole.” she got out between pants.

His brows drew down even further at her unconcealed belligerence. “So we both know I don’t

have a problem crossing the line with you.”

“You’re insane , she bit out, throwing her head back, almost completely forgetting about the

enclosed space in which she was virtually trapped. “I’m going to sue your fucking ass for everyth—”
It was the last word she got out before his mouth dropped down and cut off both her voice and her
oxygen. His lips were hot, hard, and possessive as they covered hers with a force that left her reeling.
Unable to compute that this was really happening, her brain went into meltdown as her anger blended
with the raw attraction she felt for him. Lights went off in her head as his thumb began pressing
against the pulse point in her wrist at the same time that his tongue plunged into her mouth, demanding
more.

A primitive thrill shot up her spine and momentarily, she forgot how much she hated him as she

gave him what he wanted. She began to wrap her free hand around his neck, but within seconds, he
made a grab for it, fisting it in his fingers and lifting it over her head, holding her hostage against the
wall.

Securing her firmly, he kissed her repeatedly, his tongue delving inside her mouth and exploring

every inch he could seem to reach. He growled low in his throat, biting her bottom lip as if punishing
her for something, before pressing his tongue back inside as if he owned her and always had.

He pushed his erection against her stomach, thrusting his hips back and forth just as he thrust his

tongue inside her mouth. Imprisoned by his hands, Maria began to sink under his erotic spell. She
tried to kiss him back, but the force he was using gave her no room to do anything but attempt to keep

breathing through the sexual, erotic assault she was experiencing. As if he needed oxygen as much as
she did, he lifted his mouth and took huge dregs of air before rasping, “I’ve wanted to fuck you since
the first time I heard your voice.”

Maria’s eyes snapped open and found his demonic gaze leveled on hers. As his words sank in,

she fought for breath. There was something about that particular declaration that was telling her that
she needed to come to attention. There was something she wasn’t getting . . . something that was
tickling her poor brain, but wasn’t computing because she wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

She felt him transfer both of her wrists to one large hand and then, with an arm free, he slid his

fingers down, over her shoulder, between her breasts, to land on her naked thigh just below the hem
of her gym shorts.

He grumbled again, low in his chest, almost as if he owned her, “Want to fuck you.”
Although her faculties were barely working, something about his blunt, fevered words was setting

off alarm bells, and her anger came roaring back to save her as her muscles stiffened. “Well, you
can’t fuck me, asshole.”

Ignoring her words, his frown intensified even as he gripped her mound, rubbing it, massaging it

with a firm grasp. Maria fought the pull to her senses and growled low in warning, “Let go, Garrett.”

“No fucking way.” With a quick motion, he slid his hand from outside her shorts to the hem and

then he pushed aside the crotch of both her shorts and panties.

She sucked in a breath at the feel of his touch on her most intimate flesh. Pushing against the hands

that held her, she began squirming against him, trying to get free. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

The only answer she received was a low rumble in his chest as his finger slid through her wet

folds. Wet . . . damn it, Maria. “Garrett. Don’t.”

She sucked in a breath as he circled her damp opening.
“Ask me nicely,” he hissed in tones of steel.
“I’m going to sue you nicely if you don’t let me go!”
His finger stayed exactly where it was while they stared at each other. One second, two seconds

—

She was just about to lose it and push against him when he withdrew from her clothing only to

slide his hand up to her chin and lift it. “I’m going to give you fair warning, baby. That shit you pulled
on me today? Don’t turn it on for me if you don’t want me to react, understand?”

“I didn’t do anything,” she denied hotly, knowing she was lying.
“Oh, I think you did,” he answered, gripping her harder.
“Bullshit,” she spit out.
“Bullshit,” he retaliated.
“Fuck you,” she hissed, so angry she thought her head might explode.
It was on the tip of his tongue; she could see it was on the tip of his tongue. If he’d been mad

before, his anger had just etched up another notch. His eyes became pointed and his stance widened
just that much . . . preparing himself to dominate her where she stood. His hand bit into the flesh of
her chin while the fingers he held her imprisoned with turned into bands of iron. She felt it coming . . .
she reared back as far as she could go but it didn’t help.

His expected verbal retaliation came in the form of an erotic, physical assault on her body and

senses. His mouth fell back to hers and he began kissing her like a madman. He stroked inside her
mouth, taking what she was refusing to give. He punished her with his tongue, he retaliated with his
lips and his teeth, his kiss animalistic. Lifting his head, his eyes almost hypnotized her with their
intensity. “I don’t care for smart-ass little girls like you.”

“Fuck y—”
Her insult was silenced by his lips on hers. He kissed her as if she were his. He kissed her as if

he had every right to proceed any damn way he pleased. And damn him, even his anger was
addictive. His scent was masculine, musky, crisp and infinitely appealing to her. And if she allowed
it, it could do things to her that she wouldn’t be able to control.

Her pulse went spinning. It was damn hard to stay coherent when her body wanted nothing more

than to let go. But she couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t. There was something about Garrett Rule,
something that had told her from the very beginning that he wasn’t safe. If she slept with him, he’d
either toss her aside or . . . or he’d take her over completely, and she’d be pulled along for the ride
with him in full control, whether she wanted to be or not.

And that wasn’t going to happen. She could probably deal with being tossed aside, but there

wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that she was going to stand still and let him run roughshod all over
her. Wasn’t. Going. To. Happen.

With every ounce of physical and mental strength she possessed, she ripped her mouth from his

and turned her head away from him. Her eyes flew open and she stared at the wall, listening to her
heartbeat in her ears while she was vaguely aware of his own fight for oxygen. She could tell he was
staring at her profile, and she closed her eyes in denial.

This couldn’t be happening. She’d fought for too hard and for too long for her place in this hotel;

she wasn’t going to give it all up just because this man waltzed inside, bought the place, and then tried
to not only take it over, but her as well.

****

What the hell was he doing? Garrett released Maria’s hands and her arms immediately came

down and crossed over her chest, her face held rigidly averted from him, as she turned away so that
he was left to study her profile.

It was a beautiful profile, but then he’d known that for every hour of every day for the last four

weeks.

But that was no excuse. He’d had beautiful women before so why did she matter so much? Women

were expendable. And he’d yet to find one who was worthy of his trust. He’d almost been burned in
college. He’d found out quick-fast that when a woman wanted a man’s money, or his future, as had
been his case, then said woman could lie like there was no tomorrow.

And he’d been lied to. Once upon a time, in his dark past, a woman had claimed he’d impregnated

her, to force his hand. But he hadn’t been that naïve. He’d demanded a DNA test, and of course, she’d
been found out.

No, he had no reason to trust women, and certainly not the conniving little femme fatale who

stood in front of him now, no matter how angelic she looked.

He’d had her number from the beginning. She’d been a bitch to Courtney, and that kind of attitude

didn’t simply disappear . . . although until today, it hadn’t been anywhere on the surface for him to
see.

There was no question that he needed to focus on getting her out of his mind . . . he just hadn’t

been concentrating hard enough. He’d let the last four weeks pass by, hoping against blind hope that
she’d do something that would be so off-putting that his lust for her would evaporate into thin air.

But it hadn’t happened. All she’d been was a model employee, smart, hard working, dependable.
But then that shit earlier today had pushed him over the edge. He took in a breath and tightened his

abs . His fault. Touching her this morning had been a mistake. Touching her now had been a
monumental screw-up, one he didn’t know if he’d be able to recover from. The feel of her slick, wet
heat had almost driven him out of his mind, and it was a damn miracle he’d been able to release her
when she’d demanded it. Something had to come to a damn head. And soon. Very soon.

With an amount of effort he couldn’t believe it took, he released her and turned away, pressing the

button that would allow the elevator to start moving again.

When the doors opened on the gym-floor level, he held the door and glanced back at her. She was

still leaning against the corner, her face ashen, her hands gripping the rails. “Are you coming?”

Antagonism lit her features, a brilliant sparkle of ice shining from her eyes. She stayed exactly

where she was, shaking her head and clenching the railing so hard that her knuckles lost color. When
she spoke, she spit defiant words out that were meant to hit their mark, “Not with you. Never with
you.”

Her meaning hit him solidly in the solar plexus and his temper flared as his cock hardened more

fully. He took her words one way only, as a direct challenge. So much for attempting to leave her
alone.

Well, then . . . game on, baby.

****

The next morning, Maria sat at her desk somewhat amazed that she’d been able to sleep at all the

night before, let alone as much as she had. Garrett was already enclosed in his office as well, she’d
heard him banging things around in there not three seconds after she’d arrived at her desk.

Logging on to her computer, she crossed her legs and glanced down at the outfit she’d put on not

half an hour ago, a tiny hint of restlessness assailing her. What the hell was wrong with her? Was she
trying to cause herself more of a problem than she already had with Garrett? If she was, at the moment
at least, she didn’t think she really cared.

His attitude yesterday had seriously pissed her off. She hated that he continually tried to intimidate

her with his raging, over-the-top masculinity. His actions were beyond the pale, not cool in the least.
So naturally, she’d want to retaliate, right? Just as she had yesterday, when, by his own words, she’d
turned it on for him. So, this morning, she’d dressed with a bit more care than usual . . . because if he
was going to make her life a living hell, she intended to give back as good as she was getting.

She hadn’t done anything overt with her appearance that anyone should be able to peg right off the

bat. It was simple things, really, several of them. She’d started with one of her standard outfits that
Garrett had already seen at least a couple of times. The top was a simple blue blouse, but she’d worn
a push-up bra underneath it, and she’d left an extra button undone. The skirt came an inch or so above
her knees . . . but she’d teamed it with higher heels than she usually wore. She always wore at least a
low heel because of her lack of height, but she rarely wore high-heels to work. But she had today. Not
platform heels, because those would have been too noticeably different. These were stilettos . . . five
inch stilettos. She’d added a double layer of mascara to her almost negligible make-up routine, and
since her lashes were long to begin with, the effect was rather dramatic, if she had to say so herself.
Other than that, she’d curled the tips of her hair, producing a bit more bounce to taunt him with.

Overall, she was more than pleased with her appearance. Nobody could accuse her of going out

of her way with different clothes or a dramatic change in hair or make-up.

But what would Garrett think? She’d bet her bottom dollar that he’d notice.
Now all she had to do was sit back and wait.

She didn’t have long to wait. Five seconds later, Garrett walked out of his office toward the

coffee-room. He didn’t once look toward her. But a couple of minutes later, on his way back through,
he glanced her way, then came to an immediate halt, a scowl blazing across his features. Holding his
coffee cup suspended halfway to his lips, his body stilled as he narrowed his eyes on her. His gaze
ran up to the top of her head and then down her torso where she sat behind her desk, coming to a
silent, screaming halt at her breasts.

Finally, lifting his eyes back to hers, he didn’t speak for a long moment.
“Good morning,” she said as calmly as she could manage, knowing that her ploy had worked—

and he hadn’t even seen her shoes yet.

His expression turned steely, his body held in rigid lines. He took a drink of his coffee and then

finally spoke, as if he had something to be pissed about. “I’ve got a meeting with a real estate
developer from the Keys in about half an hour. Show him in when he gets here.”

With that, he turned away, walked into his office and slammed the door with a deafening crack.

****

Twenty minutes later, the real estate developer was escorted into her office by the front desk

clerk. The girl had been here for several years now and was pretty much Maria’s right arm when it
came to running the hotel. The young woman had a dreamy look on her face, and when Maria looked
into the newcomer’s eyes, she could definitely see why.

Maria stood to her feet with a smile for the man and quietly dismissed the dazed employee.

“Thanks, Beth.”

After another long stare, the girl finally turned around and went back to her station.
Maria came around her desk and held her hand out just as she heard a faint click of a door. “I’m

Maria Alvarez,” she said simply with a professional smile of welcome.

He reached out and his hand swallowed her smaller one. “Maximo Villareal,” he responded with

a masculine smile before leaning slightly forward and saying in a more intimate tone, “you can call
me Max.” Without releasing her hand, he broke into fluent Spanish, “If you’re an example of the
women in Miami, I’m going to have to visit more often.”

With a hint of a blush that she couldn’t for the life of herself control, she dipped her head

graciously and replied, “Gracias, Senor.”

A harsh, booming voice came from Garrett’s office door. “Villareal, you want to do business with

the Rule Corporation or not? I don’t have all fucking day to wait while you loiter with the
employees.”

Shock hit Maria hard, sliding through her veins at Garrett’s rough announcement. Max slowly

released her hand and turned to face the other man, his smile dropping, his eyes turning speculative.
As he held Garrett’s eyes, he switched to English and asked, “So, it’s that way, is it?”

Garrett replied at once, his teeth gritted in a punitive clench. “Yeah, it is.”
Maria felt almost speechless, but evidently, her brain wasn’t quite yet incapacitated. “No, it’s

not.”

Garrett turned to her with a pissed, pointed gaze that screamed retribution if she dared argue with

him. “Yeah, it damned well is.”

She felt a stroke of temper and dared. “No, it damned well isn’t,” she began arguing heatedly, but

all at once, she realized his eyes had fallen to her shoes, undoubtedly noticing the effect they had on
the length of her legs underneath her basic clothing. Her blood heated as his hands balled into fists

and his shoulders seemed to grow a mile wide, his smoldering, accusatory gaze lifting back to hers.
What the hell had she done? How smart could it be to tweak a tiger’s tail? Well—it was done now.

“We’ll discuss it later,” he snapped out, and then turned to the other man. “Shall we?” he asked,

holding out a hand, indicating his office.

The businessman followed Garrett into his inner sanctum, the door clicking closed behind them,

and Maria slowly let out her breath, not even realizing that she’d been holding it for the last few
seconds.

Recognizing right away that she didn’t want to be anywhere close by when their meeting was

over, she decided that now would be as good a time as any to make her rounds of the hotel.

****

Two hours later, Maria was walking back through the main lobby when she saw Garrett come

from the back office area. Even with the distance that separated them, she could see that his eyes were
sharp and focused only on her. He pointed to her and then tilted his head with an arrogant jerk,
indicating that he wanted her presence at his side, pronto. Without waiting to see if she followed, he
turned around and walked back through to the offices, obviously expecting her immediate compliance.

Steeling her guts for the altercation that was no doubt to come, forcing a bravado that she wasn’t

feeling, she rolled her eyes and stomped in his direction.

She arrived at his office door, glanced inside and saw that he was waiting for her, his arms

crossed over his chest as he leaned back against the front of his desk. He’d taken his suit jacket off,
and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

“Yes?” she questioned as serenely as possible.
“Come in and shut the door,” he snapped, obviously pissed.
Son-of-a-bitch.
Maria stepped inside and shut the door, but didn’t walk any farther into the room. She tried to

breathe even as she waited for the explosion she knew was about to happen.

Lifting his hand and slashing it downward, he indicated her. “What’s this all about?”
Damn. That had been quick. “I’m sorry. What is what all about?” she asked, stalling.
He shifted position slightly, not coming to his feet but not leaning back quite so much anymore. “I

don’t want any shit from you right now, got it? Why the fuck are you dressed like that?”

Her spine stiffening, she asked, “Dressed like what, exactly?”
“A fucking sex siren, that’s what.”
“I’m sorry, what?” she screeched. Come on, really? Mascara and high heels? Please.
“You think it’s entirely smart to come to work showing off your goddamn cleavage like that? And

what’s up with the fuck me heels?”

Maria about lost it. Her mouth flattening in lines of anger, she crossed her arms over her chest.

“You’re so stupid.”

He came off the desk in an instantaneous show of fury. “You want to say that again?”
She didn’t back down an inch. “You need to get your head out of your ass,” she clarified. “How

much is the Rule Corporation worth, exactly?” She spit the question out, and in two seconds flat, he
was stalking toward her, but she kept talking. “So. Stupid,” she bit out. “Do you know the meaning of
sexual harassment? I’m going to find a lawyer and own your fucking corporation.”

He reached her in four quick steps and grabbed her by the shoulders with hands of iron. “I’m not

sure you understand what happens to women who make empty threats—”

She lifted her chin and glared. “I’m not sure you understand what happens when men let their

cocks do the talking for them in the work place—”

His hands tightened into bands of steel. “If you ever flirt with that motherfucker again, so help me

God—”

She kept up with the change of subject without batting an eye. “I didn’t flirt with him, but I can

and will flirt with whoever the hell I want—”

“Not if I have anything to say about it, you won’t.”
“What are you going to do about it?” she threw out the challenge, ignoring the trace of heat

trickling along her nerve endings and focusing only on her anger.

His fingers bit into the flesh of her shoulders. His gaze dropped to the tiny hint of cleavage that

was on display and his eyes lit with impressive fire. His torso came a few inches closer, obliterating
the last bit of personal space she had left. He bared his teeth, and an uncontrolled look of rage filled
his features.

His eyes lifted to her lips, and he began lowering his head. Just when she thought that his lips

would land on hers, he startled her completely with the downward swoop of his head. Holding her
shoulders  in  place  against  the  door,  his  mouth  landed  on  the  top  swell  of  her  breast,  which  was
plumped up by her push-up bra. Pushing the material of her blouse aside with his jaw, his lips came
back  to  her  naked  skin.  He  began  sucking  with  a  force  that  sent  shooting  tendrils  of  heat  down  her
spine,  all  but  wiping  out  any  vestige  of  brain  power  she  might  have  had  left.  Heat,  instant  and
liquefying, shot through her breasts, straight to her nipples, pebbling them into hardened points.

He moved one hand from her arm down to her neglected breast, and he found her nipple as

quickly as a missile finding its target. He began manipulating it in time with the suction of his lips,
causing fire, all-encompassing and urgent, to land at the juncture between her thighs, softening her to a
trembling mass of feminine need.

Her thought process splintered; she began to drown under a wave of lust unlike anything in her

previous experience. Nothing had ever felt like this; nobody had ever felt like this. In the back of her
mind, she knew she was playing into his hands and should put a stop to it. But for the moment, at least,
she was unable to do anything except feel.

Maria was rudely awakened from his erotic spell by the low vibration coming from his chest, and

the feel of his hand dropping to the enclosure of his pants, his intent evident.

Dawning panic and self-preservation forced her brain into functioning again, so she put her hands

to his chest and began pushing with all her might, and to her relief, he let her go and seemed to shake
himself.

He took three steps backwards as they stared at each other, both wildly trying to control the

oxygen coming in and out of their lungs. His gaze held hers with an emotion that he kept simmering
below the surface, until his eyes dropped to her breasts and his features were transformed by a look
of pure satisfaction. The expression on his face sending a shiver down her spine, Maria glanced down
and saw the purple bruise he’d left on her skin.

Sucking in a frantic breath at the sight of it, she whirled around, fumbling for the door handle,

wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there. His words stopped her and she froze in place.

“I saw the expression in that motherfucker’s eyes when he looked at you. I didn’t like it, got that?

Stay out of his fucking path, Maria, you understand me? Fucker looks like he eats little girls like you
for breakfast and you’re not going to be his next goddamn meal, got it?”

She stood facing the door, her back to him, while she tried to breath. It took several seconds, but

finally, she was able to regulate her oxygen intake. Not turning around, not deigning to answer him,

she walked from his office and shut the door with nothing more than a soft click.

****

Maria didn’t stop until she was upstairs in her private suite. Walking into the bathroom, she

pressed the switch until the small room was flooded with bright light. Swallowing hard, she opened
the button she’d hurriedly put back into place on her way up. Now, she stood staring at the mark
Garret had left on her breast. The mark he’d purposely left on her breast.

Studying the bruise and not understanding the way it was making her insides quiver with

butterflies, she began to question her sanity where he was concerned. She ran her trembling fingers
over the splash of out-of-place color on her otherwise unblemished skin.

Why was she doing the things she was doing? Why was she taking these chances with him?

Granted, there hadn’t been a thing she could do about the visitor he’d had or the way the man had
reacted to her, but what had induced her to dress up just to rile Garrett? And even more disturbing
than that . . . why did she know in her heart that she was going to do dress up again tomorrow?

****

Garrett sank into the chair behind his desk and ran his hand down his face. Holy hell. He should

have known after he’d broken form and kissed her in the elevator that something like this would
happen eventually.

He just hadn’t known it would be this soon.
Who the fuck would have ever suspected that something as simple as another man paying marked

attention to her would have sent him off the deep-end? But it damn sure had. That son-of-a-bitch’s
eyes on her, the open way the man had been discerning her as if she were fair fucking game—it had
sent Garrett over the edge. And combined with that had been her over-the-top sexiness that morning.
She’d had no idea he’d been expecting the man, so Garrett knew for a fact that her choice of weapon
that morning had been aimed at him, and not his visitor.

What the hell was it about that girl? She kept him unsteady . . . fuck, almost unstable.
There was something about Maria Alvarez . . . and he didn’t understand exactly what it was,

except for the obvious sexual attraction he felt for her. But there was something else that she had that
he admired. And that was making it even more difficult to stay away from her.

He admitted, he didn’t have much to do with any one, single woman on a regular basis. The

incident a few years back had soured him on women; he now saw them as expedient for one thing, and
one thing only. He just couldn’t trust them. He hadn’t met a single one who had honest intentions.

But Maria? She was about as damn honest as one could get. Granted, it was honest hate and anger

that she felt for him, but she damn sure didn’t try to hide her feelings or pretend otherwise. If she was
trying to hide stuff, then she was doing a piss poor job.

But now, after this morning, he knew she was up to something. The changes in her today had been

subtle, but they’d been meant to land a blow, and damned if she hadn’t hit her mark.

He needed to come to a decision and quickly. The girl was more than competent; she’d been

running the hotel more than capably ever since he’d arrived and who the hell knew how long before
then. He had to make a decision about the Keys and finish up his business there. But after that, he
didn’t need to be in Florida much longer, if at all. If he stuck around, he needed to admit to himself the
reason he was staying.

That reason formed like a rolling picture in his head that wrapped around his brain and wouldn’t

let go. Maria. Naked. Under him. In his bed. Under his control. . .

Yeah, his reason for staying was as simple and as complex as that. He wanted her. And he would

have her.

Chapter Four

When Maria arrived downstairs the next morning, Beth glanced up from the reservation desk, a

somber expression on her face, as if the light had already been extinguished from the day. “He’s not
here.”

Knowing exactly who ‘he’ was, Maria let out a slow breath. “Where is he?”
“He went to the Keys, I think to meet that land-developer guy. That Villareal dude is kind of

scary, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t want him for an enemy, that’s for sure. But I’m pretty sure he’s met his match in

Garrett.”

Beth nodded her head in agreement. “Garrett said to tell you that he’ll be gone for a few days.”
Maria smiled at the other woman. “Well, yay for us, right?”
Beth gave her a puzzled smile in return but shrugged her shoulders. “If you say so.”

****

Late the next evening, Maria wearily pulled herself out of the water, her arms and legs shaking

from the two extra laps she’d added to her routine. Turning to grab a towel from the table, she sucked
in a breath at the sight she encountered.

Garrett was leaning against the same chair where he’d been the first time she’d seen him . . . and

he was doing the same thing now as he had been then, staring at her relentlessly. He was fully
dressed, didn’t appear to be about to make use of the swimming pool, and she knew he’d sought her
out on purpose. Her entire being flooding with something she wasn’t about to try to dissect, she
ignored the flutter in her belly. “Hey,” she threw out nonchalantly as she wrapped the towel around
her torso, not bothering with her hair.

“Hey,” he grunted back.
As she ran her damp palms down the sides of the towel, she stated the obvious to break the

looming silence, “You’re back.”

“I am.” His words were precise and succinct, leaving her no indication of his mood, and at the

same time, they kicked the butterflies up to such a degree that it was now impossible to ignore the
quivering in her belly.

The fact that her belly was quivering—that only made her want to get away from him, from

whatever it was that was making her feel this way. She stood perfectly still, wanting to get to the door
but not prepared to have to walk so closely past him to reach it. “So . . . how was your trip?”

“It sucked shit.”
She glanced at the door again, gauging her possible escape. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled distractedly

under her breath.

“Are you really?”
Having no idea how to respond to that, she lifted her shoulders, just once.
His eyes narrowed, as if finally understanding that she wanted to be any other place than where

she was standing now. “You want to know why it sucked shit?” he asked impatiently.

Maria had no clue where he was going with this, but she didn’t think she cared to follow, so she

shook her head.

Her negative response didn’t stop him from giving her an answer, though. “It sucked shit because

Villareal happens to be a player. Evidently, he thought the way to soften me up to his terms was to get
me laid.”

The blunt response sent a provocative shiver down her spine for several reasons. One, she didn’t

want to think about Garrett getting laid. Two, she didn’t want to acknowledge the reason she didn’t
want to think about him getting laid. And three, the question of why he was telling her all of this was
screwing with her head and making the butterflies stronger, all at the same time.

When she continued to remain silent, he pushed away from the chair and took several steps

towards her, as if he were stalking prey. “You want to know the reason that the thought of getting laid
by some random chick in the Keys sucked shit, Maria?”

Quickly, she shook her head. No, she didn’t think she wanted to know. Not if she didn’t want a

mess of convoluted crap exploding this very second.

He took another two steps forward and stopped, blasting her with an angry, accusatory look.

“Can’t think about fucking anybody but you.” As he scanned her up and down, his words sent a
vicious hit to her equilibrium and she put a hand out to the table, balancing herself before she fell
over.

He resumed walking toward her and Maria began scooting backwards, until her back hit the tiled

wall. Within seconds, he came to stand in front of her, and lifted her chin with a single finger. His
voice when he spoke was low, rumbling, “I know this is the point where you start screaming about
lawsuits and harassment.” He stared down into her eyes and she began having to fight an almost-
overwhelming need to lean into him. His words turned harsher as he continued, “but I don’t want to
hear that shit right now. Do me a favor and save it for later.”

Still unable to get her vocal chords to function, all she could do was stand on her own two feet

and clutch the towel around her middle while he studied her with penetrating eyes. Roughly, almost
violently, he put his hand at the top of the towel and with a smooth, aggressive move, whipped it from
her and tossed it away.

Galvanized by his action, she attempted to jerk from his hold, tried to get away and leave, but he

sank his fists around her wrists and held her arms down at her sides while he looked her over. His
gaze was glued to her breasts, and with a dart of heat, she realized he was looking at the fading bruise
on her chest that he was responsible for. “Did it hurt?” he asked in a low, heated voice.

She swallowed, her heart hammering, and forced out an appropriate answer. “No, but you had no

right.”

His gaze left her chest and forcefully landed on hers. “You don’t think so?”
“No,” she panted, attempting to wrench away from him again.
His hands clamped down hard, holding her in place and his answer came abruptly. “How fast do

you think I’d own the right if I set my mind to it?”

At his words, she grew still as she sucked in a breath, realizing she had little control over her

wayward attraction to him. If he gave it his all, as he intimated he might, she’d undoubtedly be
doomed before the contest even began.

His fists still holding her wrists, she felt his thumbs begin to caress her skin. “Come on, baby. We

both know where this is headed.”

Maria literally felt her eyelids get heavy as her legs began to tremble. Her body might be

experiencing a certain physical weakness, but she still retained control of her voice, and she
attempted with everything she had to make it strong now. “I’m not going to tell you again. Leave me
alone, Garrett.”

A dark cloud descended on his face. “That is not fucking happening.”
Her brain splitting and feeling as if she were losing all control, she attempted to put up a fight.

“I’m going to—”

“Yeah, I know,” he interrupted, dragging in a harsh breath. “You want your day in court, got it.

Might as well give you some decent ammunition against me.” His gaze slid quickly down her bathing
suit to her legs and his muscles seemed to tense where he stood. Holding her wrists hostage, he let out
a tormented groan and pushed his torso flush against hers. His erection was full and straining against
his pants, pushing into her stomach.

Maria felt a heady delight at the impact, but before too much more could register, he bumped her

face up with his chin and took her lips under his. There was nothing gentle about his kiss. It wasn’t
rough, or brutal, but it held no gentleness. He simply took her mouth as if he had every right, as if it
were his and his alone, as if he’d been doing it for years and years.

With his lips almost smothering hers, his air of self-confidence enveloped her and she realized all

at once that that was the one thing that most attracted her to him. He walked into a room and he owned
it. He opened his mouth and he owned the attention of everyone around him. His lips fell to hers and
he owned her. His body touched hers and he owned her even more so.

Thank God that was something that only she knew. He’d never know, he could never know, not in

a million years.

His hands released her and he lifted them to wrap around her face. He tipped her chin, affording

himself better access and the kiss deepened. The trembling in her stomach turned into full-blown
sexual excitement, and in the recesses of her mind was the thought that if his self-confidence didn’t
manifest into such full-blown arrogance, that maybe, just maybe, he’d be the perfect man to have for a
lover. Sexy. Dominant. Take-charge.

Certainly her libido was telling her that he was the perfect man as he held her against the wall and

continued to kiss her as if it were a given that she’d wind up in his bed. His tongue stroked against
hers, learning every inch of her mouth with a dedication and skill that had the oxygen snagging in her
lungs. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip, his hand running to her chin and holding her in place as he
devoured  her.  Bottle  rockets  exploding  in  her  head,  she  vaguely  realized  that  with  him,  she  was  in
danger  of  drowning,  in  danger  of  losing  her  independence,  because  he  was  the  type  of  man  who’d
expect  more  than  a  mutually  satisfying,  sexual  relationship.  He’d  expect  to  own  her,  to  have  full
control over her . . . to dominate her.

Under his onslaught, her brain was only half functioning as she had that thought once again. So it

was with no small shock that she suddenly found herself leaning against the tiled wall without any
support from him. He’d released her and stepped back, and now stood a few feet away. The look on
his face seemed to contain agitation or confusion, as if she’d messed him up somehow. Running his
hand through his hair, his features tightened and became the same mask that his face usually reflected.

Her heart skipping a beat at the sudden lack of emotion in his eyes, all she was capable of doing

was leaning against the wall while waiting for him to make a move.

She didn’t have to wait long. With an intense, lingering look, he swung around and walked out of

the room, the door ringing a loud echo behind him.

****

Maria tiptoed around Garrett the entire next day. He was making her antsy, so much so that she

couldn’t stay one hundred percent focused on her job, and that worried the crap out of her.
Determined to force him from her brain and resolving to do better at her job, she set out to ignore him.

That evening, the Calderon party was in attendance. The family and their friends were in town for

the wedding of one of their grandsons, and Maria was determined to make their stay perfect as well
as memorable.

The Calderons were a lovely family. They’d lived in Miami at one time and still had family and

friends in the area. The older couple had been coming to the hotel for years, more often than not
making a vacation of their stay here, and usually, at some point, having their two grandsons in
attendance. Maria was well acquainted with both young men, having gotten to know them off and on
through the years.

It was Friday night, and they’d reserved the ballroom for a hotel-catered rehearsal dinner before

the small church wedding the next day. Evidently not wanting to step on any toes, they’d not only
invited the entire wedding party to the dinner, but all of their out-of-town guests as well. The party
was a huge affair, with approximately a hundred and fifty guests.

Before the family’s arrival that afternoon, Maria had inspected their block of rooms one last time.

Finding a small fault with only one room, she’d called maintenance but one employee was taking a
day  of  vacation  and  the  other  man  was  resolving  an  issue  with  the  swimming  pool  pump.  Knowing
that  the  pool  problem  was  more  crucial  than  this,  but  determined  to  make  these  rooms  perfect,  she
hadn’t hesitated, but had gotten on her hands and knees to clean the stain from the carpet herself. She
didn’t  mind  helping  or  the  hard  work,  but  the  outfit  she’d  been  wearing  was  now  wrinkled  and
smelled of cleaning fumes.

Glancing at her watch, she slipped to her room to change clothes, knowing that she’d be amongst

the partygoers that evening. Letting out a breath, she knew she’d been foolish to think she could have
done the cleaning in her best outfit and come out of it unscathed. She’d planned to wear that particular
dress tonight; it had been perfect, and, as her clothing pieces were limited, it was about her only
choice for the event.

Already knowing her small wardrobe by heart, she steeled her spine and pulled out The Dress as

she  thought  of  it,  the  one  garment  that  somehow  transformed  her  into  someone  gorgeous  when  she
clearly  wasn’t.  It  was  that  once-or-twice-in-a-lifetime  article  of  clothing  that  should  somehow  be
treasured and only brought out for special occasions. An article of clothing that was timeless, that she
could  own  forever  if  she  treated  it  lovingly  and  only  wore  it  sparingly.  Looking  at  it  now,  draped
across her bed, she began berating herself for not finding the time to go shopping for new clothes. It
wasn’t as if Garrett wasn’t paying her enough now, because suddenly, she could easily afford to shop
if she wanted to. If she had time.

Refusing to let the small detail of having to wear The Dress unbalance her, she pulled her clothes

off and slipped into the shower.

****

Late that night, Garrett returned to the hotel. He’d been gone most of the day, having felt a need to

escape from the unrelenting pull he felt toward Maria. While he’d been gone, he’d done some
unnecessary banking and visited several properties in the area. His day out hadn’t helped much; he
hadn’t been able to fully get her out of his mind for more than ten minutes at a time.

And that only pissed him off. He was beginning to get a nagging feeling in his gut that was telling

him that fucking Maria wouldn’t be enough. Refusing to believe it, or in fact to even allow the thought
to take hold, he walked inside the lobby with determined steps. Just one more fucking taste; that
should be enough to hold him for the day.

Just inside the lobby, there was a large gilded frame set up on an easel, in which a beautiful

scripted font announced the Calderon party’s rehearsal dinner. That name hit him; the memory of
Maria laughing with the man over the telephone the night he’d met her hit him full force with a punch
of jealousy that, had he allowed himself to acknowledge it, would have disturbed him.

Unannounced and uninvited, not giving a shit, he walked inside the ballroom. It was late, the

catered-meal was over, and now people were scattered all over the room, talking in small groups,
some of them swaying to the soft music that played in the background. The open bar in the corner was
still manned by one of the hotel bartenders, but the atmosphere in the room told him that around now,
the party was about to break up, the guests needing to prepare for the wedding that would undoubtedly
take place the next day.

As he glanced around the room, it didn’t take five seconds before Garrett saw her.
And when he did, his ire rose up, almost swallowing him whole.
She held a glass of champagne in one hand, and a masculine arm was draped over her shoulders.

A man was leaning over her with a smile as he laughed at something she said, and then he reached up
with his other hand and touched her cheek. Touched her fucking cheek . The move put her within the
circle of the unknown man’s arms, and Garrett felt a wave of fury rise up and inundate him.

As he stilled just inside the double doors and watched, it took everything he had not to go over

there and physically rip the guy from her side. Breathing deeply, even from this distance, he could see
the blush that stained her cheeks as she shook her head, her eyes filling with a teasing laughter.

Garrett took in the blush right before he noticed the dress she was wearing. His heartbeat flew off

the charts as his cock hardened and jerked against his fly. The anger and jealousy running through his
veins only made his erection more potent. There was nothing wrong with the dress, per se. On a
mannequin, it would have been impressive. But on Maria, the dress took on a life of its own. The
allure of sexiness that she’d been ramping up the last few days dimmed in comparison to the way the
dress enhanced her figure. The garment was black, came a few inches above her knees, but it clung
with a tenacity that seemed to make it show off every feminine attribute that she had.

And she had attributes in fucking spades.
At that moment, a waiter carrying a tray of champagne passed them, and the man she was with

reached out and snagged only one flute, as Maria’s was still full. When the fucker let go of her with
one hand to accomplish the feat, Garrett was only mildly appeased that she seemed to take the
opportunity to gracefully dance out of the man’s reach. As she made the move, she glanced over the
party with that precise eye for detail that told Garrett she was still on the job. As her gaze traveled
around the room, he prepared for the moment when her eyes would meet his.

Expecting the punch to his system, he braced himself, feeling his lips flatten. When her gaze hit

his, it was like a shot of electricity that almost knocked him over. Her allure only irritating him more,
with a sharp tilt of his head, he motioned for her to join him, knowing damn good and well that if she
refused, the outcome wouldn’t be good. For either of them. He wasn’t in the mood to tolerate any
bullshit this particular evening.

It became apparent immediately that she was refusing him. He fought both his anger and his

arousal, as he turned and stepped just outside of the ballroom. Turning his head, he kept one eye on
her, fully prepared for the moment she’d have to make use of the elevator to get to her room.

With his eyes on the double doors of the ballroom, he leaned back against the wall and waited.

****

Maria was silently panicking. She’d seen and heard Garrett pissed before and for whatever

reason, she wasn’t ready to face his anger tonight. His anger . . . and his arousal. There’d been no
question looking at him earlier, the man was pissed. And an aroused, pissed off Garrett Rule was not
someone she was up to fighting with tonight.

She wasn’t scared of his anger, not really, and she wasn’t scared of his arousal, at least, not at the

moment. She took a breath and then admitted what she was afraid of: she was scared of her response
to him. And of what she might not be able to stop from happening if she was alone with him tonight.
And there was no question, from the fire smoldering off him, she knew his intentions were to get her
alone. She needed to stay away from him, especially tonight. It wasn’t as if she was tipsy, because
she’d been nursing the single flute of champagne the entire night and it was still half-full. So,
inebriation wasn’t the problem.

Her nerves were upset, because she didn’t seem to have any control over her shifting emotions

where  Garrett  was  concerned.  She’d  realized  that  fact  when  she  had  no  reaction  to  Luis  Calderon.
The  younger  Calderon  grandson,  the  one  who  was  still  firmly  single,  was  ridiculously  handsome.
She’d  had  a  small  crush  on  him  off  and  on  during  the  years.  In  the  past,  she’d  enjoyed  his  flirting
repartee . . . had even been tempted to start something with him, as he’d always indicated they should.
But  she  hadn’t,  mostly  because  he  was  a  guest  at  the  hotel  and  her  professionalism  precluded  that
anything might happen between them. But tonight she hadn’t felt a shred of temptation. Her head had
been filled with the image of another man.

The image and the memory of another man’s taste. Of his touch. Of his power over her.
And then she’d looked up and there he was, staring her down as if she were betraying him, as if

she’d done something that was immoral, unethical, something that she’d be severely punished for
when he got his hands on her.

And then he’d called her over to him with that damn arrogant tilt of his head that she detested. No

way. Not tonight. For some reason, a reason that was stronger than it had ever been since Garrett had
arrived in Miami, she didn’t feel up to a contest with him, sexual or otherwise.

She made her escape from Luis’s side when one of his cousins came and joined him. She wished

them both a goodnight and told Luis she’d see him later. She took a few steps forward, and was able
to sneak a peak at Garrett as he leaned against the wall in the vestibule just outside of the ballroom,
his intention of ambushing her as she left the room more than obvious.

Refusing to be caught in his hold, she decided to take the service stairway, which she was her

preference over the elevator anyway, and missed it completely when Garrett turned his head and saw
her make the move toward the obscure doorway that housed the steps.

****

About to round the corner of the landing leading to the fourth floor, Maria’s nerves jolted when

she heard the sound of the door above her opening and then closing with the loud, echoing slam of
steel against steel.

She came to an abrupt halt and listened, knowing for a fact that someone was in the stairwell

above her, just out of her sight.

Silence.
The only sound she heard was her heart beating loudly in her ears, but she knew she wasn’t alone.
If she took two steps forward she’d be able to look up and see whoever was there. Two steps

back might give her time to escape.

Unable to slow the raging pulse that was telling her that Garrett had found her, she took two steps

backwards toward the wall, preparing to turn and run down, her stiletto heels clicking loudly against
the bare concrete.

She never had a chance.
He sprinted down the half flight of stairs before she could even grab the railing that would

balance her on the way down.

Damn stilettos. Damn her vanity for wearing them.
His hands reached out and he caught her, dragging her backwards, and she found her spine against

the wall in the corner of the landing before she could even blink.

Breathing unsteadily, she looked up into the eyes of a madman as she fought for oxygen.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he raged, indomitable fury in every line of his body.
Breathe, Maria. Just take one breath and then let it out. For some reason, she had no idea why,

it never occurred to her to lie to him. “Avoiding you.”

The look on his face seemed to say that he wanted nothing more than to shake her, but he didn’t.

His fingers bit into the flesh of her upper arms, and his brows came down in a thunderous scowl of
rage that was not scaring her. Hell no, the dude did not scare her. If she could just remember to
breathe, then maybe she could convince herself of that truth.

He looked down at her, his height and breadth dominating her where she stood, as a small buzzing

in the back of her brain told her that it probably wasn’t wise to take on a guy who was at least a foot
taller and probably outweighed her by a hundred pounds of pure muscle. And that was without
considering the pissed off river of testosterone that seemed to be flowing through his bloodstream at
the moment.

Her eyes stayed glued to his, and as he moved several inches closer, her chin lifted and her neck

arched at an uncomfortable angle so she could keep him in her sights as he loomed closer. All the
while her heart was beating so rapidly that her head was spinning, and she was sucking in oxygen so
quickly that she was beginning to hyperventilate.

“The goddamn stairwell, Maria?” he questioned in a yell, biting the words out.
“What . . . what?” she asked, confusion setting in.
Lines of ice-cold fury bracketed his mouth. “Do you not have a clue? Do you not have a single

working brain cell in that head of yours?”

She jerked her head back, not caring for that question one damn bit. She felt her blood pressure

rise as her eyes narrowed, a returning anger filling her bloodstream. Fuck him. Fuck his arrogance.
“Watch it, Mr. Rule. You’re beginning to piss me off.”

He leaned into her another intimidating inch. “Piss. You. Off?”
“I promise, you don’t want to piss me off,” she challenged, ignoring the warning bells in her head.
A yellow spiral of heat began blending with the brown of his irises, surrounding the growing

black circle of his pupils, telling of his anger. “Yeah? We’ll get back to that shit in a minute,” he
stated, as if her own anger was no more irritating than a fly buzzing around. “Why the fuck would you
take the stairway?”

“Why . . . why shouldn’t I?”
He rolled his eyes heavenward and then looked back down. “Do you not give a shit about your

own safety?”

“You think I’m going to trip and fall?” she asked sarcastically, beginning to get a glimmer as to

where he was really going with this.

“Smart-ass,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “You’re going to get assaulted, that’s what I think.”
“You think it’s dangerous in here?” she snapped, seeing no threat except for the one standing in

front of her.

One brawny hand released her arm and moved unerringly, forcibly, to the hem of her dress. “I

don’t know, what do you think?”

Chapter Five

Without so much as a pause, Garrett pushed the skirt of her dress up, out of his way, the palm of

his hand seizing her mound, covered only by a triangle of silk fabric. She sucked in a startled breath
as an arrow of heat shot through her, immobilizing her. He squeezed threateningly as he stared down
at her, the lines of his face showing both scalding anger and a growing, imposing arousal.

Lights and whistles began going off in her head. Shit, shit, shit. This wasn’t good. Even now, she

could feel her body begin to release a wet heat. Damn, he’d feel it through her panties any second
now. Four, three, two, one—

The expression on his face transformed as fire exploded in his eyes. “Son-of-a-bitch, Maria.”

Lightning fast, he pushed the crotch of her panties aside and his finger landed on her clit. He began
rubbing, massaging her, and shock at the sudden situation held her momentarily in place. Although
aroused, his anger was still there. “What if it had been someone else? Someone who wanted to hurt
you?”

Despite her growing arousal, because of her growing arousal, Maria made a grab for his wrist to

try to stop him as she struggled for words. “It’s completely safe. Only employees and guests—”

He didn’t release her. “Bullshit, it’s not safe . I get that you trust the employees here. But

goddammit, you’d have no fucking clue if a psycho checked in. Anybody could follow you in here,
overpower you, hurt you. You’re going to quit taking the stairs, understand me? You want to take the
fucking stairs, you take the open staircase in the lobby, not this back stairwell, you got me?”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” she spat out, meeting his gaze straight on.
“I’m sorry, what?” The impatient words ripped from his throat. “What the fuck just came out of

your mouth?”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do!” she plunged on defiantly.
He didn’t bother to answer. His head swooped down, he nipped at her bottom lip and then forced

his tongue inside her mouth, just as he began swirling his finger around her clit again. A low growl of
vibration started coming from deep in his chest as he crowded her back against the wall while
spreading her legs apart, pushing his lower body between them.

Maria’s head began swimming again just as a new burst of damp heat flooded the juncture of her

legs. How could he piss her off so badly and make her feel like this all at the same time? She was
beyond excited, if this went on for much longer, she’d be in danger of climaxing, right here in the
stairwell.

Abruptly, he lifted his head, his mouth coming off hers. She opened her eyes and found him staring

down at her, his nostrils flaring. “And what about this goddamn dress?”

“What?” she asked, disoriented.
“I’ve never seen it before,” he stated with a stroke of censure before switching gears on her.

“Who the fuck was the dude, Maria?”

Dress? Dude? What was he talking about? “What dude?”
At her question, he growled in warning and his finger slid down and found her wet opening. Her

heart went haywire and she tried with everything she had not to push forward, her traitorous body
searching for some degree of satisfaction.

He plunged inside without warning. She let out a semi-startled moan and heard him groan at the

same time. His forehead fell to hers as he swirled his finger inside. She gave up; she pushed against
him, adjusting her leg just a tiny bit. Ahh. . . there. Oh, God, that was it, that was the place.

But he wasn’t through questioning her yet. “The dude in the ballroom. The motherfucker who had

his arm around you.”

“No. . . nobody,” she panted, unable to think of anything but the magic his fingers were creating.
“Don’t give me that shit. You feel me inside, baby?” He pushed harder, swirled in a larger circle

around her inner walls, making her entire body short-circuit. “Let me explain it to you,” he growled.
“Nobody puts their fucking hands on you again, understand me?”

Christ. The guy was a maniac. “You . . . no. . . you can’t tell me what to do.”
“No? I think I fucking can. But don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. You’re not going to have much of

a goddamn choice.” With that, his lips fell back to hers and anything else she might have said was
silenced by his mouth on hers.

Maria was swamped on all fronts by basic, sexual need. Under the onslaught of his mouth, teeth

and tongue, she could barely breathe. She became light-headed, and all the feeling in her body seemed
to dive and circulate around a pulse-point between her thighs. He added a second finger to the first,
and the impact was electrifying. His thumb rubbed against her clit, and she was aware of the bulge of
his erection pushing into the fabric of her dress, pressing so hard that his belt buckle began pinching
into her.

It should have hurt, it would have hurt if she hadn’t been so far gone. If anyone walked in on them

. . .but all she could focus on was his incredible scent . . . he smelled so good. Tantalizing . . .
addictive . . . her hormones were going crazy. She felt as if she’d never recover from this one sexual
encounter for the rest of her life to be able to enjoy anything else. Ever. Her brain splintered in two
with the thought and as she felt him push against her, with his fingers, his lips, his tongue, she began
splintering in two for real as she began falling over the edge.

She heard whimpers in the background, a noise that turned into a wail, and then she was blinded

on all sides as ecstasy swamped her senses. Cataclysmic heat ran down her veins and centered at the
intimate place where they were connected.

As soon as she began breathing again, Garrett ripped his mouth away from hers. Holding her

pressed against the wall with his torso, he removed his hand from her and immediately went to work
unfastening the enclosure on his pants.

Danger signs began lighting up inside her head. They were blinking as if she were on a road

leading to a dark cliff that she couldn’t see, but that she knew was there. Undoubtedly, she’d end up
somewhere where she’d crash and burn. “Garrett, no.”

She pushed against him, her sudden about-face taking him by surprise and allowing her to pull

away from him so she stood just beyond his reach. His hands stilled on his pants as the look of a
dangerous animal crossed his features. “No?”

She began shaking her head and backing away, not even looking or realizing where she was going.
His hand shot out and grabbed her arm, forcibly pulling her into his chest and away from the steps

behind her. Her heart began hammering at what she’d almost done, and suddenly she wanted nothing

more than to cry.

But she never cried.
And she wasn’t about to start now. And certainly not in front of Garrett Rule. “Let me go. I’m

okay.”

“You sure?”
“Yeah.” She pulled back, but he clamped her wrist, holding her still.
His eyes ran over her, from top to bottom and she couldn’t read his expression. But what came out

of his mouth shocked her silly. “I’ll never forget the way you look in that dress, you coming on my
fingers, not until the day I die.”

Though earthy and erotic, it was an almost romantic thing for him to say, and it only upset her

more. She tugged on her arm again, but he didn’t release her. He began walking up the steps to the
fourth floor, all but dragging her with him. Apprehension clawed down her spine. “Where are we
going?”

“I’m escorting you to your room.”
“I don’t need an escort.”
He stopped and turned to face her. “You think I’m going to leave you on the stairwell, all alone?”
She recognized the uncompromising set of his features and chose not to argue with him about it.

Clamping her lips shut, she began walking toward the steel door of the stairwell. He pushed it open
and held it for her, never once releasing her wrist.

As they began walking down the hall to her room, he slid his hand from her wrist to her fingers

and encapsulated her palm within his. The movement caused an imbalance in her already messed-up
system. When he came to a halt at her suite, the fact that he knew exactly which room was hers
somehow didn’t surprise her.

With trembling fingers, she pulled her card from her pocket and swiped the door. It opened with a

ding and when she went to move through, he stopped her by pulling on her hand. She stood in the
threshold, and he leaned against the doorframe with a look of intractable command. A barrage of
emotions hit her belly as she pulled on her hand.

Once again, he transferred his fingers from her hand to her wrist where he held her in place. “Stay

still.”

His words only made her pull harder.
His fingers clenched more tightly and a look of menacing retribution touched his features. “Stay

still and listen up. If I catch you in the stairwell again, there’s going to be hell to pay, understand
me?”

She remained infinitely still and totally silent, staring at him from under her lashes.
He flexed his jaw and antagonistic displeasure screamed off him in waves. “Follow me, babe? I

get that you think that you’re the boss around here, but there’s one person who can tell you what you
can and can’t do, and that’s me. Whether you like it or not, you don’t get a fucking choice, you have to
do what I say, understand?”

Although her stomach was jumping around in crazy little feminine quivers at the primal caveman

holding her captive, her anger came to the rescue and stomped all over any residual hints of desire
she was feeling and pushed them below the surface. And thank God for that. “Fine. I’ll stay out of the
fucking stairwell, mister boss man,” she hissed in sarcastic anger. Then she stood on tiptoe and
brought her face as close to his as she could reach and glared up at him. “But if you want to be the
fucking boss man, you better stay the fuck out of my panties, understand me, asshole?”

When a look of stunned comprehension crossed his face, she used his momentary shock to pull on

her hand with all her might. She broke away, and not giving him a second to recover from her
outburst, she slammed the door in his face and locked it and then bolted it for good measure.

****

The next day was brutal for Maria. As much as she tried, she couldn’t get the memory of that

amazing orgasm, or of his words, out of her head.

Garrett made his displeasure with her exceedingly obvious. He slammed doors all day and went

out of his way to make sure she knew that he was ignoring her. He didn’t speak to her, even when he
needed to. Several times, she heard him bark for Beth and then question the poor girl about something
or other. Beth, in turn, would come from his office, stand in front of Maria’s desk while shaking, and
ask the question that Garrett should have asked her in the first place. Maria would answer Beth as
calmly as possible, trying her best not to bring the girl into the middle of their fight. At that point, Beth
would walk back and give Garrett the answer, and then he’d bark out her dismissal.

This went on for hours, until finally, at about two in the afternoon, with Beth questioning her about

something ridiculously trivial, Maria felt her temper erupt. “Surely you know the answer?”

“Of course,” the other woman answered with a look that said she was beginning to understand that

something was going on. “I told him but he said I had to check with you.”

Maria stood to her feet and pasted on a smile. “It’s all right, I’ll handle him, okay?”
Beth looked relieved. “Are you sure?”
“Of course, don’t worry. This isn’t about you. Go back to work.”
As Maria headed in the direction of Garrett’s office, Beth went back to her station at the front.

Trying to contain the fury racing through her veins, Maria walked into his office and shut the door
with a silent click, and then turned, leaned against it and waited for him to raise his head from the
document he was perusing.

After a long moment went by, she realized he knew that it wasn’t Beth in his office, and now he

was blatantly ignoring her, or possibly, playing some sort of demented game, waiting for her to speak
first.

She accommodated his wish without hesitation. “I think it’s time for you to go back to St. Louis,”

she said without inflection.

He immediately raised his head and seared her with a look that spoke volumes. His expression

clouding with fury, he bit out contemptuously, “What, exactly, makes you think you have the right to
tell me what to do?” He continued to stare and then bit out way too softly, “Who do you think you
are?”

An abrupt chill hung between them at his question. Refusing to allow a river of hurt to unfold at

his  callous  words,  she  focused  on  the  tide  of  rage  seething  inside.  “I  can  do  this  job  with  my  eyes
closed  and  you  know  it.  There’s  no  reason  for  you  to  be  here  anymore.  You’re  unbalancing  the
operation  .  .  .  you’re  upsetting  Beth. You  can’t  keep  pulling  her  from  the  reservation  desk.  It  can’t
continue to go unmanned the way it’s been today.”

He swiveled his chair and stood to his feet, a glowering mask of condemnation reflected on his

face. “I’m warning you. You best be careful what you say to me.”

For some reason, insanity perhaps, she wasn’t scared of his threats, at least not as far as her job

was concerned. He could rant and rave and threaten all he wanted. For some inexplicable reason, she
knew her job was secure, no matter what the personal outcome between them turned out to be. Being
secure in that knowledge, it made it easy for her to continue fighting with him. “Seriously, Garrett.

You need to pack your shit and leave. Go to the Keys or to St. Louis or wherever the hell you want,
but there’s no damn reason for you to stay here.”

His hand lashed out in hostility. “There’s every fucking reason for me to stay here and you don’t

get a vote in the matter, understand?”

Maria steeled her insides. “What reason?” she shouted. “What possible reason do you have?”
There was a pause of only about one second before he exploded. “You, goddammit!”
A sudden ridiculous, horrible, inappropriate thrill shot down her spine and rippled through her

bloodstream. That he would voice the admission out loud shocked her silly. Why, she didn’t really
know. But she never expected him to admit to the reason he continued to hang around, not in a million
years,  even  if  she’d  known  the  truth  deep  down.  And  now,  as  he  began  stalking  toward  her  with
punitive,  sexual  intent  blazing  from  his  eyes,  she  was  damn  sorry  she’d  opened  what  was  quite
obviously,  a  can  of  worms.  She  breathed  deeply  for  a  moment,  until  she  realized  she  only  had  a
second left before he reached her.

She took it and ran, turning and escaping from his office, slamming the door behind her.
She thought about running upstairs, running somewhere, but she didn’t. She took a stabilizing

breath and walked as calmly as she could and sat down behind her desk. Running her hands over the
keyboard, by rote she pulled up the next month’s reservation calendar and pretended to study it.

The door to his office clicked open and without looking up from her computer screen, she was

aware that he came to stand directly in front of her desk.

Her eyes stayed glued to her screen as he placed his palms on the edge of her desk and leaned into

them. “Don’t question my actions, Maria.” His voice was harsh, pissed, and Maria slid her eyes over
and saw that his fingers were pushing down so hard on her desk that his knuckles had turned white.
Two of those fingers had been inside of her last night . Her heart beating wildly with the thought, she
surreptitiously slid her eyes back to her screen as he continued even more antagonistically, “You
want the right to question my actions? You want the right to have a fucking input into my life? Don’t
tell me to stay out of your panties. Denying me what I want won’t ever get you close enough to have
an input.”

With that, he turned around and stalked from the offices altogether.
Maria took her hands from the keyboard and leaned back in her chair. Somewhere in the pit of her

stomach, she knew that her day of reckoning wasn’t going to be avoided for much longer. She let out a
breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding . . . and silently admitted that the river of lust she felt
for him couldn’t be held behind the dam much longer anyway.

****

Garrett slammed out of the hotel and got into his rental, a black Cadillac Escalade. He put it in

reverse and spun the wheels, the burn of rubber against asphalt sending an admittedly immature
satisfaction coiling through him. As he tooled down the streets of Miami, he knew something was
going to have to give and damn soon. He literally couldn’t keep up with what he was doing for much
longer.

She was going to have to give in. . . or he was going to have to give up and leave, just as she’d

vociferously told him not five minutes before.

But how could he leave without fucking her first? He wouldn’t be able to forget . . . he hadn’t

been able to get her out of his mind when she had only been a voice in his head. And now . . . hell,
no. He couldn’t just leave. It wouldn’t work. His need for her was too strong. And on top of all that,

after getting to know her, it was more than just her voice and her exotic good looks. It was the
goddamn way she sighed when she was tired . . . it was the way she twisted her neck when she’d
been at the computer too long . . . it was the way she smiled when she was pleased about something.

No, he wouldn’t leave. Fuck that shit. He couldn’t leave until this was finished. The orgasm he’d

given her the night before would fuck with his brain for the rest of his life if he couldn’t find a way to
have her. With a new determination, he braked and then turned around, heading back toward the hotel.

And if he still wanted her even after he’d accomplished his ultimate goal of getting her into bed?
He shook off the thought. He’d worry about that when the time came.

****

At six that evening, Maria walked into the restaurant bar area where a complimentary happy hour

was served every evening from five until eight. It was her habit to pop her head in to make sure that
there was at least a bartender in attendance, and then she’d usually leave.

Tonight, however, Luis Calderon and a couple of other guys from their party were sitting at a bar

table and motioning her over toward them.

With an unsettling feeling in her stomach that was telling her she was damn glad that Garrett was

nowhere in sight, she strolled over to them, her high heels clicking on the brand new porcelain tile.
Standing next to the table, she smiled. “Good evening, gentlemen.”

Luis pushed out a bar chair for her. “Hey, hon. What’ll you have?” he asked as he switched to

Spanish, introducing her to the Hispanic men he was with before motioning to the waiter who was
making rounds.

Maria smiled at the men in greeting, and as she sat in the chair, she made eye contact with Mario,

the server in attendance. He watched her carefully in return. The two of them had been through this
drill more times than she could count and they had it down pat. “I’d love a Crown and Diet Coke,”
she said, and then she lifted her hand, holding her finger and thumb only slightly apart. “But make it
light, okay, Mario?”

The word light together with her hand motion was a secret signal that she’d perfected with the

waiters and bartenders long ago. It meant that she wanted a Diet Coke only, but both she and the
employees pretended she was drinking alcohol, usually because one guest or another expected it of
her, and she always tried to please her guests if she could. She wasn’t a teetotaler by any means, but
she didn’t care to drink every night and the small deception had never hurt anyone; her drinks were
certainly never added to anyone’s tab.

A few moments later, she had a Diet Coke served in a highball glass garnished with a lime

wedge. She thanked Mario, and he gave her a small, conspiratorial smile in return before he turned to
leave. Taking a moment to squeeze the lime into her drink, she felt Luis’s arm slide behind her seat.
He wasn’t touching her person, only her chair, so she pretended his arm wasn’t there as she turned to
all three men and began an animated conversation in fluent Spanish about nothing in particular.

Some ten minutes later, Luis’s arm was still hanging on to the back of her seat, and she’d finished

maybe half of her drink, when she happened to glance across the room. Her eyes clashed forcefully
with Garrett’s as he stood in the threshold watching her, a storm brewing on his features.

He was wearing blue jeans, boots, and a tight black t-shirt that molded his chest, abs and biceps.

He looked literally good enough to eat, and the territorial look in his eyes was both alarming her and
doing a number on her femininity. Her stomach twisted in knots and her fingers grew clumsy, so she
set her drink down before she spilt it.

Garrett’s eyes left hers and lazered in on the arm behind her chair, before moving to study the man

next to her. He walked about halfway to the table where she was sitting before coming to a halt. His
gaze came back to her, his lips flattened in a distinctive line of displeasure, and he tilted his head
with a jerk, calling her to his side without so much as a single word.

The man beside her noticed. “Who is he?”
Maria began sliding from her seat. “The new owner. I better see what he wants.”
As she stood to her feet, Luis’s hand slid to her shoulder, his low, Spanish words concerned. “It’s

obvious from the look in his eyes what he wants, babe. You going to be okay?”

Maria picked up her drink and responded in the same language, telling herself that she was

unconcerned by the fact that Garrett was within hearing distance, his large body looming only a few
feet away, “He can look all he wants, but that doesn’t mean he’ll ever have.” With that, she gave the
three men a radiant smile that she knew Garrett couldn’t fail to miss. “I’ll catch you guys later, okay?”

“Sure, hon.” Luis said, picking up his drink and lifting it toward her, making the motion of a toast.
Maria smiled once again and tipped her head, and then turning on her heel, she began walking

toward Garrett. When she reached his side, he put his hand on her elbow with a pissed, precise
motion and began leading her out of the room.

Keeping his hand at the underside of her arm, he walked her to the bank of elevators. The car was

already waiting, so they stepped inside and the doors slid closed with a silent whoosh. He pressed
the number for the fourth floor, and then with a rapid, impatient movement, he maneuvered her against
the wall.

Maria held her drink out to the side, attempting to keep the liquid in the glass from sloshing her

skirt and blouse.

Garrett leaned both arms on either side of her head, enclosing her in his space. “What’d I tell you

last night?”

Her stomach twisted into a tight knot. “I’m sorry?”
“Last night,” he said again, “What’d I tell you?”
“You told me a lot of things.” She took a quick breath, knowing good and well he was referring to

Luis Calderon and the arm the man had wrapped around her a few moments before. “You told me to
stay out of the stairwell.”

His eyes turned glacial. “I told you nobody touches you.”
She lifted her chin and clenched her jaw. “And I called bullshit on that, didn’t I?”
Just as a ferocious look crossed his face, the door pinged and the elevator slid to a halt on her

floor. Garrett stepped back and held the door open, obviously expecting her to step out. Where the
hell else was she supposed to go? She had no choice but to follow him out.

He grabbed hold of her arm again and began marching her toward her suite. The butterflies in her

stomach expanded into a ribbon of need that began rocketing through her system, even though her
brain was in a contest with her body. Why not? her girl parts wailed. Because he’s an arrogant ass,
her brain replied.

As he all but frog-marched her down the corridor, she almost stumbled and he immediately

gripped tighter. “How much have you had to drink?” he asked, pissed.

“Nothing.”
They’d arrived at her door, and he swung her back against it. “You’re drinking now. Are you

telling me that one’s your first?”

“I’m telling you that this is Diet Coke.”
He looked more than skeptical; his expression said she was lying. “Bullshit.”

Fire lit her spine. “Smell it. Take a drink,” she challenged.
“Why’s it dressed up to look like a cocktail? And why’d you stumble?”
“I didn’t stumble.” Stumbling meant ending up face-first on the ground, right? She prayed her little

trip-up hadn’t been nearly as ungraceful.

He growled as if out of patience with her answers. “Where’s your key-card?”
Seeing another couple leave their suite a few doors down and not wanting to continue standing

there making a scene, Maria slipped her card from her pocket and slid it into her door. When she did
it, a hard, dark hand reached around her and pushed the latch down and the door opened.

She gasped and tried to turn, not expecting that he’d try to get inside her room. She thought his

intention earlier had only been to try to separate her from the men she was sitting with. She mumbled,
“You can’t come in,” but it was already too late.

He propelled her forward into the suite with a firm hand at her back and then he stepped inside

and turned and latched the door. As if in a daze, she stood still as he took the glass from her hand and
put it to his nose. Looking her in the eye, he took a sip, obviously testing her, and then set the glass on
the bureau next to the television.

Ignoring his lack of faith in her word, she swallowed and tried again, “I don’t want you in here,

Garrett.”

“Don’t much care,” he bit out succinctly as he took a small white card from his back pocket and

tossed it on the bureau next to the glass.

“What’s that?” she asked, glancing at what looked like a business card.
His eyes narrowed and he said through gritted teeth, “The name of a good attorney.”
Her heart skipped a beat and then began pounding so hard she could hear it in her eardrums. “An

attorney?”

He took a step closer. “The best in the state. He specializes in sexual harassment. You’re going to

need his services.”

Chapter Six

Holy. Shit. He was calling her bluff. A rush of white noise drowning out her thought process, her

vocal chords seized up and she was unable to say a word. He tipped his chin up in a nod, as if he
were confirming something that was registering in her head, and she took another step backward as he
took another step forward.

“Garrett—”
“Yeah?” He reached out and swiped her hand in his and pulled her into his torso with a force that

almost knocked the breath from her.

She tilted her head and looked up at him. “I don’t think—”
He cut her off with twisted lips. “I don’t care.”
Her nipples pebbled against the material of his t-shirt. “You can’t just—”
His hand sank into her hair and a look of utter command came over his features. “Yeah, I can.”
“But I don’t want—”
“I think you do want.” The fingers in her hair threaded all the way to her scalp and tightened,

holding her firmly in his grip.

Her eyes widened and she made a last desperate attempt to wriggle from his hold.
He retaliated swiftly, swinging her around until her back was against the wall. He tried to force a

leg between her knees, but her skirt was pencil slim, and with a low, pained sound coming from the

back of his throat, he released her scalp just long enough to jerk her skirt up around her hips. She had
nothing on underneath except satin briefs, and without missing a beat, he grasped the material at her
hips and ripped her panties down her legs.

He forcibly lifted one foot and then the other, tossing her underwear aside. He pushed his knee

between her thighs to hold her legs open and looked down toward her nude lower half. Her eyes
closing, she heard him suck in a sharp breath through his teeth.

The back of Maria’s head hit the wall, and she stood still, trying to take in oxygen as Garrett lifted

a finger and trailed it down her cheek in a gentle touch that somehow made it all the more threatening.
“So gorgeous,” he rasped out in a hoarse voice. “So fucking beautiful.”

He leaned in to kiss her, his fingers moving to her chin and pulling it downward, giving him quick

access to her mouth. Without thinking, her hands slid to his shoulders and clung. His kiss came
quickly and was hard, hot, hungry, wet. Trying to fully grasp the situation, her breath hitched as heat
blossomed between her thighs.

His hand snaked down with a determined path and found her slick, bare mound. At the first

contact, a wave of heat slid down her spine at the same second that she felt his muscles contract under
her palms, proving to her that he was just as involved in the moment. As his lips and tongue continued
to ravish her mouth, his tongue plunging inside and retreating again and again, his fingers slid through
her wet folds and found her clit. A coil of pure pleasure lashed out at her, and a moan escaped from
the back of her throat, her hands clinging to him more tightly, trying to find stability in a world
suddenly careening out of her control.

She was melting under a heady desire, and in the back of her mind, she was only glad that this was

finally happening. She’d wanted this for so long, and she was glad that he was taking control, pushing
them to this point. Maybe she’d never fully admitted it, but there was something that Garrett Rule had
that she’d never come across in another man before. He had something, even if it was indefinable,
and by God, she wanted it, or rather, her libido wanted it, even if her saner self wasn’t quite so sure.

A tickling concern came to her through the drugging of hunger clouding her head. She only had a

few seconds, because in a few moments, he’d make a move for his zipper, and she knew she wasn’t
going to stop him so she had to use her brain while it was still halfway functioning. Before this went
any further, she broke her mouth from his and turned her head away, trying to get enough air to speak.

He pulled her face back around for his kiss, sinking his hand into her hair to hold her captive.

Fireworks went off in her head, but she couldn’t let them get out of control before she’d settled this
between them. She broke away again and managed to get her lips a few centimeters from his. “Garrett
—”

He let her mouth go, but his forehead fell against hers and he tightened his palm into her mound,

his fingers sinking into a firmer grip. “What?”

“Do you have a—”
His eyes snapped open and she saw the impatient glaze of heat surrounding his irises. “Have a

what?”

“A condom,” she said softly.
As if in answer, he reached down and nipped sharply at her lower lip before grabbing one of her

hands and pushing it against the wall, holding her firmly in place. He stared down at her, his eyes lit
with a mercurial fever as he stated in what seemed to be recrimination, “I’ve been packing twenty-
four/seven since the first moment I saw you.”

His answer, though affirmative, was hardly reassuring. As he stared down at her, holding her

against the sheetrock, there seemed to be an accusatory look of barely-concealed restraint on his

features that was saying his emotions, his actions, were her fault.

The lines of brooding hunger on his face were sending wary waves of heat through her system.

Her stomach was flipping wildly with excitement, but she didn’t know if it was because of the almost
feral hold of primal intent that he held her captured with, or in spite of it.

His eyes holding hers with a molten look of ownership, his fingers threaded through hers as he

continued to hold her hand against the wall. With his other hand still claiming the naked heat between
her thighs, his fingers caressed with an inexorable determination that was fast making her lose her
sanity.

Her eyelids began to drop.
“No,” he stated unequivocally.
Her eyes widened and stayed glued to his as a wave of heat made her push against the fingers that

were teasing her. “No?”

He shook his head. “Want to see it when you come.”
“Garrett-”
“What?”
She was barely able to hold his gaze. “I can’t,” she whispered, her eyes slipping closed.
A dark frown descended on his features. “Why not?”
“It’s too—”
“Too what?” he bit out harshly.
“Too intimate.”
A slow, heated noise of reprisal came from his lips. He released her from his hold, but he

continued to pin her in place against the wall with his torso, giving her no chance to maneuver away
from him, as if he were readying himself to take some sort of twisted masculine revenge. Her eyes
opened only a fraction before widening at his abrupt actions.

With a one-track, ruthless intent, he pulled his boots and socks off within seconds flat and made

quick work of the fastening on his pants. Without any hesitation at all, he pushed his jeans and
underwear down and off, pulling a plastic square from the pocket before tossing the garments aside.
All the while, he held her plastered against the wall with a male dominance that left her little room to
form a cohesive thought. He released her momentarily, stepping away from her to take his cock in his
hand, his fist enclosing his length and stroking, causing a bead of pre-cum to seep from his slit. Even
as he rolled the condom on his engorged length, he kept his eyes on her, undoubtedly knowing she was
helpless to do anything but watch his movements, and probably knowing from her restless movements
that the sight of his cock was arousing her.

With an impatient, jerky motion, he ripped open and discarded his shirt, then put his hands on

either side of her blouse and tore it open. The sibilant hiss of material giving and the sound of buttons
popping froze her in place, and a wicked shimmy of wanton heat slammed through her bloodstream.
He held her eyes as he slowly, deliberately pulled her shirt off, and unzipped her skirt and allowed it
to fall to her feet, leaving her naked but for her bra.

Feeling almost as if she were having a sexual dream, or an out-of-body experience, Maria’s heart

beat loudly in her ears as Garrett pulled the cups of her bra down, forcing her breasts to pop out over
the top, all the while staring into her eyes as he did it.

A hot, sexual moment passed between them before, slowly, his eyes dropped to her chest. His

cheekbones became tinged with red, his expression showing a sudden strain. His lips molded into a
satanic twist and his nostrils flared.

With a strength that astounded her, he lifted her at the butt and picked her up, putting her back

against the wall and maneuvering her legs around his waist. In seconds, Maria felt his erection, hot
and hard against her opening.

He lifted her chin, so his eyes caught and held hers again as he began pushing inside with an

unrelenting force. Maria sucked in a breath and swallowed, her eyes on his as he thrust inside. The
look on his face screamed satisfaction, and in some dark corner of her mind, realization dawned that
it wasn’t only a sexual satisfaction he was feeling.

His erection was large and pulsing, wide and hard as he stretched her feminine flesh. Her breath

hitched as he came to a halt and she knew he’d accomplished his goal; he was fully seated within her.

He bent his head and bit her bottom lip, and then lifted his face once again, penetrating her with

his stare. His mouth tightening into lines of strain, he pulled out and then plunged in again with a force
that dragged a startled cry from her lips, even as her body softened for him. Suddenly, he hissed out,
“I’m looking and I’m having.”

Abruptly, his words pierced through the haze of desire she was feeling and she felt a flare of

temper. “What?” She pushed her hands against his chest and tried to rear back, not quite believing he
was throwing her words back at her. Her words that had been spoken in Spanish. The son-of-a-bitch
spoke Spanish? “What did you say?” she asked again, letting her nails grip his unyielding flesh.

Holding her under her bottom with one hand, his other sank into her hair, his fingers threading all

the way into her scalp to hold her captured tightly. “I said I’m looking at you and I’m having you.”
Staring at her and gritting his teeth, he withdrew before pumping back inside so forcefully that her
body began sinking with delight even as her mind remained clouded in anger.

“You understand Spanish,” she accused tightly.
“Yeah,” he bit out as if it were nothing.
Her head began swimming under the knowledge, while she tried to think of everything she might

have said in front of him that she hadn’t realized he understood. Shit. “You lied to me.”

His eyes narrowed at the accusation as his hands gripped tighter. “I never lied to you.”
“That’s crap. A lie by omission is still a lie.”
“I don’t think so, and I’m not having this conversation. I speak Spanish, big fucking deal.”
Her hands pressed against his chest even as she itched for relief. “I don’t have room in my life for

a liar, Garrett.”

“I’m not a liar—just because I saw an opportunity to withhold information doesn’t in any way

make me a goddamned liar,” he disputed. “You’re just pissed because I’ve won.”

“You haven’t won anything.”
“No?” With that taunting word standing between them while they stared at each other like two

opponents on a field of combat, he pulled back out and then stroked back inside with a degree of heat
that had the oxygen snagging in her lungs.

“See, baby?” he asked, as he took another stroke.
Somewhere in her lust-addled brain, Maria knew she was supposed to be hanging onto her anger.

But the relentless thrusts of his body holding her pinned to the wall weren’t leaving room for anything
more than the dangerous sizzle of raw sexual satisfaction her body was demanding.

His next stroke hit a magic place inside, and a thousand erotic lights began dancing in her head as

passion clawed its way up and took over her entire body, leaving little room for anything else.

Leaning down, he nipped her lip with his teeth once more before focusing on her again. His mouth

opened and he uttered a menacing warning. “This isn’t a goddamn contest, but trust me, if it were, I’d
be the winner. You shouldn’t have said what you did to that asshole, and his fucking arm shouldn’t
have been around you.”

At his arrogant words, despite the arousal holding her in its grip, she let out a small, negative

sound of refutation.

“Oh, goddamn,” he bit out, undoubtedly understanding she wasn’t giving up. “Let’s go over this

one more fucking time.” His fingers fisted her hair more tightly just as he took another hard, deep
thrust, bottoming out and staying inside her. “Nobody touches you, got that?”

His gaze pierced hers and she stared back, panting. She was literally dying for him to continue

thrusting, his body moving inside of hers felt like heaven on earth but his intractable demand was
sending warning bells down her spine and she felt the need to fight back, at least verbally. “You don’t
own me.”

“No?” He took a stroke and slammed back inside, making her head spin. “Whose dick’s buried

inside your pussy right now?”

The primal words shocked her and radiated down her spine as tendrils of heat exploded deep

inside, where they were joined.

His fingers clenched into her butt cheek. “Answer me. Whose. Dick. Is. Buried. Inside. Your.

Pussy?”

Dear God, Shit. Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ. “Y-yours,” she stammered.
“That’s right. And that’s the way it’s going to be from now on. So be a good little girl and agree to

what I’m telling you. Nobody fucking touches you.”

Maria swallowed, wanting nothing more than to agree just so he’d let her climax; the memory of

the last orgasm he’d given her was tempting her to allow him whatever he wanted. But the incendiary
heat in his eyes, the territorial flaring of his nostrils were sending a quiver of unease to land like a
lead ball in her stomach. It wasn’t as if she wanted to sleep with anyone else, that wasn’t it. It was the
control over her that he was demanding that was panicking her. She licked her lips and tried to form
the words that he wanted. “I—”

When she stalled, he leaned down, kissing her quickly as he pushed with his hips. “Just agree with

me baby and I’ll take you straight to heaven.”

The truth came tumbling from her lips. “I’m nervous—scared.”
A harsh frown came between his eyebrows, but then his features suddenly softened a bit. His

forehead came down and pressed against hers and the hand in her hair became caressing.
“Sweetheart, nothing bad is going to happen here. You’re safe with me. I’m not going to let you come
to any grief. But you have to understand that this is the way it’s going to be. I want to fuck you—I’m
going to want to fuck you over and over again, and part of that means that nobody else gets to touch
you.” He took a breath. “Now say it.”

A flaming ball of emotional crap landed just below her breastbone. She wanted what he was

describing, in all its fucked-up glory. She could sense how awesome he’d be in bed, as a dominant
lover. Even now, she was a hair’s breadth away from climaxing. But the possessive, caveman antics
were giving her blaring red lights. But Christ, maybe she could just agree with him now and worry
about it later? That was messed-up, she knew it was. But she needed to come. And really, at the
moment, there wasn’t anyone else she wanted to be with, so she wouldn’t be lying to him. It would
just be short-term. Yeah, that was it. Short-term. With that compromise easing her conscience, she
said softly, “Okay.”

“Okay, what?” he insisted.
“Okay, I agree.”
“Say it.”
“Nobody—” Why was this situation so difficult?
“Nobody touches you—say it.”
Instead of saying it, she found herself asking her own question. “And nobody touches you either,

right?”

His answer came immediately, almost as if he were outraged at the mere suggestion. “Hell, no.

Fuck, no, nobody. Nobody but you.”

His ready agreement ratcheted up her heat by another degree and she took a shuddering breath.

With his guarantee, she was more able to give him the concession he wanted. “Okay. Nobody touches
me.”

The second her words were spoken, he withdrew and then sank back inside. His hands gripped

her  tightly  as  his  mouth  fell  to  hers.  He  began  long,  even  strokes,  moving  in  and  out,  his  tongue
swirling  around  hers  and  Maria  found  it  hard  to  keep  breathing.  He  was  amazing.  Christ,  he  was
awesome.  It  felt so good. She wriggled her pelvis against him as with a slow, relentless stroke, he
plunged with continuous, mind-scorching thrusts. It was there, she could feel it and her hands lifted to
wrap  around  his  face.  Tilting  her  head  for  a  more  perfect  fit,  she  kissed  him  back.  Long,  soul-
destroying kisses that she’d never known could exist. She rocked against him, knowing she was close.

His body began shaking, his muscles hardening, and his strokes became harder, firmer, pushing

against her in just the right spot.

Maria flew over the edge with a rush of heat and a moan coming from her lips. Lights exploded in

her brain as she pushed against him, milking her orgasm for all it was worth. He stiffened against her,
seemed to grow larger within her, and then he let out a loud, deep groan as he pushed up inside her to
another degree. He held it there, and the vibrations of his body against hers were spectacular,
prolonging her orgasm. With his groan loud in her ear, her breathing began slowing, and her heart
almost shattered when she realized that he’d just spoiled sex for her for the rest of her life.

It would never be like that again, unless it was with him. She knew that, indelibly.

****

Garrett leaned his head against Maria’s forehead and took forcible intakes of oxygen. Still buried

deep inside of her, the fingers of one hand clenched around her butt cheek while he slowly released
her scalp with the other, letting his hand slide down and sink around her ass. Hoisting her up, refusing
to release her, he turned and spun around, dropping her to the bed and then coming down on top of
her.

He knew he had to withdraw from her in a moment, not because his cock was softening, because it

wasn’t, but because he couldn’t start pounding into her again with the soiled condom between them.
Although he had no way of knowing if she was on some manner of birth control, if she wasn’t,
somehow he knew she’d get really pissed off if he fucked up and got her pregnant.

Pregnant.
Why in the hell would the thought of Maria pregnant make his cock swell up and take notice? That

was completely fucked-up; he needed to clear his head; he wasn’t thinking properly—she had him
completely unbalanced. But he couldn’t think now, he was still in the realm of only feeling. And
Christ, she felt good. Exactly as he’d expected, exactly what his fantasies had already anticipated.

Christ. It had finally happened. He’d finally nailed the woman behind the voice. Jesus, but it had

taken long enough. He’d never waited for anyone, ever, that long before in his life. But he knew if he
had to do it again, he would.

She was that spectacular.
Forcing his addled brain to regroup, he kissed her on the forehead and slowly began to withdraw

from her. She was tight, so tight that a moment ago, he’d almost lost it too soon, and now, his
withdrawal was more difficult than his entry had been.

She winced and he attempted to make a soothing sound, putting his hand to his cock and holding

the condom in place. He was trying even now to protect her, the difficulty of his withdrawal telling
him that he was holding a loaded gun in his hand. She let out another gasp and the knowledge that he
was hurting her almost made him come unglued. “Shhh, baby. Be still, just a sec, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, although she turned her head away as if she was supremely embarrassed.

Embarrassed? Yeah, they’d had sex, the dirty and gritty kind, but sex was normal and why should she
feel even the slightest trace of embarrassment?

Finally separated from her with the condom where it should be, he absentmindedly removed the

protection while watching her. She rolled to her side and curled up in a ball, and stark concern had
him quickly disposing of the evidence of their encounter in the bathroom. He came back and sat on the
edge of the bed, putting his hand to her backside. “Hey,” he said, wanting her attention.

“Hey,” she mumbled back as if she were greeting someone.
He rolled his eyes. “Maria, look at me.”
She shook her head and her eyes slipped closed.
His face creased into a frown. “Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No.”
His eyes narrowed. “Then what’s wrong?”
Finally, she rolled over and faced him, opening her eyes. “Nothing.”
God, she had beautiful eyes. “Are you sure? Still pissed because I’m bilingual?”
“Yeah . . . no.” Her lips lifted in what looked to be an attempt at a smile.
“Right.” He studied her for a moment longer, trying to figure out what was in that feminine brain

of hers. Having no clue what to say to her, he went for the mundane. “Are you hungry?”

After an abbreviated moment, she surprised him by nodding her head.
Pleasure at her agreement to readily spend more time with him raised his mood and he felt one

side of his mouth lift as he caressed her backside. “You want to go grab some dinner somewhere?”

Her eyes widened and she scooted back on the bed, up onto her elbows, into a semi-reclining

position. “You mean like somewhere other than in the hotel?” She made it sound as if she never got
out, almost as if the hotel was her boundary.

“Sure. Wherever. We can eat downstairs or take a drive, find a restaurant on the water some

place. That sound good?” She looked back at him in silence for a moment, as if he’d surprised her.
What the hell? She didn’t think he’d bother feeding her? That kind of hurt.

“Yeah, that sounds good.”
He rubbed her butt again because he couldn’t seem to make himself stand up and move away from

her.

She looked at him beneath her lashes. “Garrett?”
His hand took another stroke he couldn’t seem to control. “Yeah?”
“That thing you said to me earlier?” she asked.
He frowned. “What thing?”
“About you not messing around with other women?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“If you weren’t being honest with me, I’ll find out, and trust me, that’ll be the end of whatever this

is between us.” She was studying him intently and then she opened her mouth again and turned his
words around on him. “Got me, babe?”

She was so fucking adorable he couldn’t help but crack a smile.

****

The next day at work ended up being anti-climatic for Maria. The restaurant Garrett had taken her

to the night before had been casual, but there had been little conversation between them. He’d
practically stared at her throughout the entire meal, his look both harsh and assessing. The few words
between them had been inconsequential, and it was as if they were both only eating for the fuel the
food would bring, while each was basically lost in their own thoughts.

She’d certainly known what she’d been thinking. She couldn’t come to grips with the explosive

sex they’d had, the dominant force he’d used, and his quiet but semi-raunchy gentleness afterwards.

After the restaurant, he’d walked her back to her room almost like a gentleman, and she’d half

expected that he’d try to come back inside for seconds, but he hadn’t. He’d simply kissed her, deep
and hard, and then with a gentle push, he’d set her inside her room.

And now, after a regular workday where he hadn’t shown up, she wondered for the billionth time

where he was. She imagined that he was back in the Keys, but she wasn’t at all sure. A tiny,
ridiculous feminine hurt tried to rear its ugly head, but Maria refused to let it take hold. Her therapy to
keep her mind from him was to stay busy, and that’s exactly what she’d done all day.

Staying busy hadn’t been a problem, with electrical problems blacking out part of the building,

causing temporary chaos and meaning that she’d ended up stretched to the limit. She’d give anything
right now for a scented bath, some candles and some alone time, and certainly being alone seemed to
be on her agenda, as Garrett still hadn’t shown up yet.

So now, as she was riding the service elevator up to her suite after her long stressful day, she was

attempting to keep at bay the claustrophobia she always felt when she stepped into an elevator. She

was alone inside, and she watched the numbers rise while she tried to breathe steadily. You can do it
this, Maria. Remember, you do it every single day.

Just as she thought she had the fear conquered, the elevator came to an abrupt stop with a grinding

lurch, and the lights went off. In an instant, she was transported back to the dark shed of her terrifying
childhood experience; logic went out of the window. Her heart started pounding, and she practically
choked on her own breath, debilitating panic overcoming her as terror wrapped around her and
gripped her in waves, refusing to let go.

Chapter Seven

Garrett walked into the hotel that evening just as one of the maintenance workers shouted across

the lobby. Annoyance was his first feeling, wondering why in the hell the man would break from
protocol and send a possible upset through any guests who might be within earshot.

Already anxious to see Maria, he glanced around, knowing instinctively that if there were a

problem in her hotel, she’d be right in the midst of it all. When he saw another maintenance man join
the first, with still no sign of Maria, he walked over to them. “What’s going on?”

The first man, the one who’d shouted, was a much older, no-nonsense looking guy with a nametag

that read ‘Dan’ on his coveralls. “The elevator doors are stuck.”

“Any guests on it?” Garrett asked.
“No. Service elevator. “ Dan answered shortly, turning away abruptly as if he didn’t have time for

questions.

The slight insubordination hit Garrett the wrong way; there was no question that the employees

here knew that he owned the place. “Then why exactly would you shout across the damn hotel like the
place is on fire? You purposely trying to upset the guests?”

The man turned back with fire in his eyes, “Because Maria’s on it, that’s why. And that’s all I

give a shit about at the moment, not the hotel and not the guests.” The words were pissed, as if
someone was trying to slow him down from saving his own child.

At Maria’s name on the other man’s lips, Garrett reared back as if he’d taken a hit. “Is she okay?”
“Hell, no. The girl’s got the worst case of claustrophobia I’ve ever seen. And she’s been stuck in

there by herself for a good twenty minutes already.”

“Claustrophobia?” Why the hell hadn’t he known she had claustrophobia?
“Damn near debilitating. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get her out of there, okay?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“Fine, let’s go.”
The men vaulted up the stairs and worked on getting the doors open with a vengeance that was

telling. The people here loved Maria, that had been more than obvious to Garrett since the day he’d
arrived, and now, they worked like madmen to release her from her confinement.

When the doors finally opened, Garrett almost lost it at the sight that greeted him. Maria was

sitting  in  the  back  corner,  on  her  butt  with  her  knees  drawn  up  to  her  chest.  Her  head  was  bent
forward,  her  face  pressed  tightly  against  her  knees  with  her  eyes  screwed  closed,  and  tears  were
streaming  down  her  pale  cheeks.  Her  shoes  were  off  and  lying  beside  her,  her  hair  was  a  tangled,
damp mess, and she was moaning in the back of her throat, rocking her torso forward and then back
again.

“Goddammit,” he barked, making an immediate move for her. Before he could take two steps

forward, Dan put a proprietary hand on his arm, indicating that he’d be the one to see to her first.

Rage, unlike anything he’d ever felt before, boiled up from Garrett’s throat and clawed itself out

in a display of emotion that, had he retained a bit of sanity, would have astonished him. With a move
that pushed the older man back against the elevator wall, Garrett snarled, “Back the fuck off.
Understand me, old man? She’s mine. My woman, my responsibility.”

Releasing the clearly shocked man from his death grip, Garrett turned and crouched beside Maria.

She was exactly in the same position; her head was still against her knees, her arms wrapped around
her legs. “Babe,” he all but whispered.

The rocking motion stopped, but she remained still, with her head lowered.
“Baby, come on.” He ran a gentle hand from the top of her head down her damp hair, but still she

didn’t respond.

Putting his fingers to her clammy forehead, he pushed back until finally, she raised her face and

opened her eyes.

He sucked in an agonized breath at the look of her. Her mouth was set in lines of tension and her

eyes seemed hollow before she jerked them away from his gaze and looked away. He’d never thought
she looked her age, but right now, she looked every day of her twenty-five years. Her eyes were red
from crying, and the only thing that saved her skin from being deathly white was the streaks of
mascara and other make-up that was smeared in a colorful mess on her cheeks.

“Baby,” he mumbled again in commiseration for whatever she’d gone through in the last few

minutes.

When he received no indication of an answer, Garrett glanced back at Dan. “She’s in shock. Her

temperature has dropped, she needs to be warmed up.” He thought for a moment before coming up
with an idea. “Do you know if there are any guests using the hot tub?

The man began shaking his head as if it wasn’t the answer they needed. “You won’t find the

privacy she needs there. I was just there and the swimming pool area is more crowded than usual.”
The man seemed to debate something for a few seconds before continuing, “But there’s a hot tub in
the Presidential Suite, and the room is unoccupied at the moment.”

“Fifth floor?” Garrett asked.
“Yeah.”
“Do me a favor and get some room service up there? I want a bottle of cognac,” Garrett paused,

wondering is she’d balk at the liquor. “And a bottle of red wine, house brand is fine. After that, get
whatever doctor the hotel has on call and send him up. If we need anything else, I’ll call down for it
later, okay?”

“Yes, sir. I’m on it.” The man gave a last lingering, paternal glance at Maria before frowning and

turning away.

Garrett glanced at the other maintenance man who was standing still as if staring at a tableau

unfolding, and barked, “Make sure this gets repaired. I don’t give a shit how much it costs or who we
have to call to make sure it happens. I don’t want this shit happening again.”

“Yes, sir,” the man said, already cordoning off the area with yellow tape.
Garrett turned back to Maria, tipping her chin up with his hand. “Let’s get you out of here, okay?”
Her eyes wouldn’t meet his, almost as if she was scared of everything around her. “You’re safe

now, baby. I’m here and I’m not going to let anything hurt you, okay?”

At his words, her gaze swung back to his and clung as if she were looking at her only lifeline. His

abs tightened as he took a hit to his equilibrium. “I’m going to pick you up and get you out of here.”

When she didn’t answer or acknowledge his words, Garrett slipped an arm under her already

drawn-up legs and the other behind her back. Gratifyingly, she didn’t try to fight him, only stayed

curled into a tight ball and huddled against his chest.

He stood to his feet and as he made a move toward the main elevator of the hotel, she whimpered

a denial in the back of her throat. Feeling as if he wanted to kick himself in the ass for causing her
additional upset, he went toward the stairwell and climbed the flight of stairs, gladly carrying her the
entire way, feeling as if he deserved the slight penance for upsetting her.

When they arrived at the Presidential Suite, he was forced to set her on her bare feet while he

grabbed his key-card from his wallet. She leaned against him while he opened the door. Picking her
up again, he pushed inside and took a moment to glance around. The suite was very nice for the size
and age of the hotel, but then again, it had only recently been refurbished with Rule Corporation
money. And he and his brothers almost unequivocally did things right.

He walked through to the bedroom and pulled back the covers, placing her within them and

tucking her in. Finding another blanket, he laid that on top of her as well. “I’m going to turn the heat
on the hot tub, babe. I’ll be back in a sec.”

When her eyes closed and she turned her head away, he grimaced, but pushed through to the

bathroom. The hot tub was big enough for four, and he adjusted the setting to an appropriate
temperature.

By the time he started for her side, a knock on the door let him know the doctor had arrived.

Garrett let the man in and shook his hand, briefly explaining the situation.

They walked through to the bedroom. “Maria, baby. You know Dr. Valdez . . . he’s going to check

you out, okay?”

Almost imperceptibly, she nodded her head.
The doctor went to her side. “I’m going to take your temperature and blood pressure, just to make

sure you haven’t had any residual side effects from your scare, okay?”

Again, the only answer she gave was a slight tilt of her head.
The doctor went about his business, taking her temperature and testing her blood pressure. “Can

you tell me what happened, Maria?”

Her eyes left the doctor’s and sought out Garrett’s gaze and he felt his stomach dip as she seemed

to want him to answer for her. “She got trapped in the elevator, I already told you that,” he hissed out,
pissed the doctor was upsetting her needlessly.

“Yes, you did. And I’d like for Maria to tell me in her own words,” the doctor said firmly.
Garrett looked back to Maria and her eyes were frantic. He turned back to the doctor and glared.

“She knows what happened. Just make sure her vitals are good, okay?”

“Her vitals are fine. But I’d like her to at least prove that she can speak before leaving her in your

care.”

Garrett was just about to lambast the motherfucker when Maria spoke softly, “I can talk, I know

what happened.”

“Good, good,” the doctor said, loading his equipment back into his bag before turning to Garrett.

“It’ll probably be a good thing to keep her warm. The spa is a good idea. She seems fine, her pulse is
strong, if a bit elevated. Just monitor her for a while, and make sure nothing like this happens again.”

Garrett agreed with the pompous ass and then escorted him from the suite.
Just when he was about to shut the door, room service arrived with the items he’d requested. He

quickly took them and shut the door again. Putting the tray with both the cognac and the wine next to
the spa, he tested the water and found it about perfect.

Now if he could get Maria undressed and warmed up, he’d start breathing a little easier.

****

Maria’s heart was only now beginning to settle down from the sheer, unmitigated terror she’d

experienced. In the back of her mind, she was inordinately thankful that Garrett was with her, but she
didn’t take the time to question why or to think on it too much.

She was just glad.
He came back to the door and studied her. “Where’d you find that guy?”
Maria felt her lips lift a little; it was obvious he was referring to the good doctor. If she’d been

capable of laughing, she would have let loose at Garrett’s disgruntled expression.

At her silence, he continued, “I’m glad you’re okay. If you weren’t, there’d be a couple of

maintenance men looking for new jobs right about now.”

She knew he was joking to make her feel better, and she appreciated that about him, she really

did.

“I’m going to help you into the spa now. The water is warm, it’ll make you feel better.”
She licked her lips and tried to form an answer; her brain still felt sluggish. “My swimsuit is in

my room.”

“You don’t need it.”
She swallowed and nodded her head, trying to insist without speaking.
“I’ve seen it all, remember?”
Her heart began slamming against her breastbone and she forced out a single, desperate word.

“Please.”

A look came over his features, and at any other time, Maria knew this would be a fight that she’d

lose. But she was about to win, because somehow, she knew he wouldn’t want to upset her anymore
than she already was. She didn’t know exactly how she knew that fact, but when he pushed away from
the doorway and said, “I’ll be right back,” it didn’t surprise her in the least.

But it did send a feeling much like warm molasses sliding through her veins.
“Garrett?” she barely formed the whisper.
He stopped and turned back, a look of concern on his features.
“Top drawer.”
He nodded his head and turned to do her bidding.

****

Thirty minutes later, Garrett sat beside Maria in the swirling water, a pair of board shorts his only

clothing. He would have gotten into the water naked, but he’d known his nudity would only upset her
more, so he’d retrieved his trunks when he’d left to get her swimsuit.

He’d asked her what she wanted, Cognac or wine, and at the slight tilt of her head, he’d opened

the wine bottle and poured two glasses.

As they sipped the wine, Garrett studied her where she sat across from him, and as she continued

to do nothing but look into the water, he asked with a grimace, “It was pretty rough, huh?” At her
silence, he continued, “You don’t have to say anything. I’m not looking for answers.” He paused and
continued, “People have fears. That’s normal. Claustrophobia is fairly common . . . we don’t have to
talk about it.”

She pursed her lips and glanced at him before looking away again and mumbling, “That’s good.”
He smiled, more to himself than at her. The girl was hardheaded, he’d give her that. He supposed

that stubbornness was something he was attracted to.

After a few moments of quiet, she glanced back to him. “Have you ever been afraid of anything?”

she asked in a quiet voice.

The question jolted him; he hadn’t expected her to try to make conversation. But he needed her to

keep talking, to forget what had happened to her, or at least to move on from it, so he thought about
her question. “I don’t have a phobia, if that’s what you mean. At least, not one that I’ve discovered as
of yet.”

He paused before deciding to open up. What he was about to tell her wasn’t something that he felt

the need to talk about, but he’d do or say damn near anything at this point to wipe that still-shocky
look from the depths of her eyes. If it meant talking about himself, when that was usually something
that he never did, then so be it. So he took a breath and began. “But there was a time in my life when I
was afraid, yeah—my father died when I was in college. It was unexpected . . . a massive heart
attack. In addition to the pain of losing him, the debt we found out he owed was damn near crippling.”
He paused and saw that her eyes were clinging to his. “You want me to go on?”

She nodded her head, the look in her eyes sincere.
Garrett let the memory wash over him. “It was scary as fuck and I was petrified. My mother had

never worked outside of the home, and Erin, our sister, was still a teenager, about to leave for college
that my brothers and I had no goddamn idea how we were going to pay for. We found out that it had
all been a smokescreen—the lifestyle we’d been living. When my father died, the bank called in all
the loans, both personal and business, and the house we’d grown up in looked like it was going to go
on the auction block without a serious input of cash . . . cash that we didn’t have. Damian and Nick,
my older brothers, were adamant—they were going to find a way to send Erin to school . . . to keep
our mother in the home she’d been in since she’d married our father, and frankly, forming the Rule
Corporation with my brothers was one of the hardest things I’d ever done in my life. I was still in
school . . . and suddenly my future was decided for me. And what made it worse was that I didn’t feel
as if I had anybody to discuss it with. My dad was gone, and my brothers, for whatever reason, didn’t
want to burden our mom with how bad things were. I’ve never figured that one out . . . she’s a strong
woman, but I guess she’s got such a soft touch that you really can’t see beyond it and they felt the need
to protect her. Anyway, for that reason, I couldn’t talk to her either and I felt totally alone. Alone and
forced to go along with my brothers when I had no fucking clue what we were getting ourselves into.”
He took a deep breath and pushed the memories aside. “Of course, it all worked out. We worked our
asses off and the thought of our family losing everything isn’t even a consideration anymore. But let
me tell you . . . we had some dark days.”

His words came to a standstill. The flush of color on Maria’s face told him that he’d done the

right thing by getting her mind off her recent experience.

She licked her lips. “I’m sorry.”
One corner of his mouth lifted in a twisted smile. “Thanks . . . not your fault, though.”
“My dad left my mom and me when I was a little kid,” she said softly.
He hadn’t known that. “That sucks, baby.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “It is what it is. We survived.”
“Where’s your mom now?”
She let out a tiny, wistful smile and he was damn glad to see it. “Fort Lauderdale. She married a

real estate adjuster she’d met who was in the area after the storm. I worked part-time here during my
senior year of high school, and when I graduated, I was offered a full-time job with a suite, so I
moved in and she sold the house and left.”

“So you went to college and worked at the same time?”
“Yes.”
He found his eyebrows coming together. “Do you have hard feelings about your mom leaving the

area?”

“No, they wanted me to come with them, but I had big dreams, you know, and I already had this

crazy affinity for the hotel that I can’t seem to shake.”

One side of his mouth lifted. “Why is that?”
She lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. It was my first job . . . and I’ve always loved being here .

. . loved the people . . . loved the building.”

“So I guess it came as a shock when the family sold out?”
“Not then, because I already knew that Mrs. Duncan’s heart wasn’t in it. The shock came before

that . . . when Mr. Duncan died.”

“I’m sorry about that, baby.”
“Yeah? I don’t suppose it’s really your fault.”
He half-snorted a laugh. “That’s true. I didn’t kill the guy. Never even knew him.”
“He was a good man.”
A moment of silence pulsed before he said, “And if he hadn’t died when he did, you and I

wouldn’t have met.” Why in the hell had he said that?

Her eyes lifted and clashed with his. A strange emotion filled the air as a loud, thunderous silence

beat between them. “Come here,” he whispered.

Her eyes widened and she stayed exactly where she was, so he attempted to soothe, “I’m not

going to do anything. Want to hold you, that’s all.”

Her eyes appeared troubled, but after a stilted moment, she left her seat and came about halfway

to him. When she stopped, he reached out and took her hand with his and then pulled her into his
arms.

She shuddered and he lifted her until she was straddling him, her stomach against his chest. Her

body was softly trembling, and Garrett lifted a hand and ran it down the honeyed contours of her back.
He felt as if a stroke of magic hit his guts when she laid her head on his shoulder.

“I almost came unglued when I saw how freaked you were,” he said into her ear, nuzzling her

gently.

She let out a shaky breath. “It was pretty bad.”
“Shhh. . . I know, baby. You’re okay,” he said, his hands running up and down her spine.
“Garrett?”
He heard his name whispered in that sultry tone straight out of his dreams and his cock instantly

engorged. Taking a couple of deep breaths to get himself under control, he asked quietly, “Yeah?”

Her head lifted from his shoulder and her eyes tangled with his. “Will you make me forget?”
He felt as if an arrow hit him straight through the heart. “If that’s what you want, sweetheart.”

****

Maria stared into deep brown eyes that were swallowing her whole. She felt a dip in her stomach

before her heart quickened its beat. Garrett’s fingers trailed up her back in a spine-tingling wave of
heat before landing on her shoulders and taking a moment to caress her there. Leaning in, he kissed
her gently on the lips, his mouth remaining closed on hers. “You’re so sweet,” he whispered, his lips
moving to her ear as one arm wrapped around her middle, the other wrapping around her face and

cupping her cheek.

She closed her eyes and let the amazing scent he exuded slip over her senses. She took a deep

breath and tipped her head to the side. Her action worked, his lips slipped down to her neck and he
began to trail a line of kisses over her wet skin. She let out a tiny moan, and the second it slipped
from her mouth, the arm around her waist tightened a bit.

His lips trailed down between them, coming to her wet cleavage. His hand slid down and she felt

her breasts lifted, as his mouth came down to the top swell of her skin. Slow and infinitely gentle, his
lips moved back and forth between each breast, before he groaned and lifted his mouth to hers.

When his lips met hers, his fingers found the turgid tips of her nipples and he began stroking her

there, just as his tongue slid inside her mouth and began stroking her in that place, too. A thousand
lights went off in her head as a river of temptation made her lift her hips and push into his torso.

The arm he held around her midriff pressed her closer. She began panting under the perfection of

his kisses, and his hands ran up to her shoulders and slowly, giving her time to deny him, he peeled
the shoulder straps of her swimsuit down and off her arms.

Without releasing her from his kiss, he pushed her swimsuit down until her breasts were bare, and

then his hands ran up and down her sides, coming closer and closer to her breasts until finally, she
was wriggling and pushing against him, begging for his touch there.

He accommodated her with a deep groan, his hands coming between them and lifting her fullness

there. She felt her nipples pebble and as his thumbs stroked over them, back and forth, her hips began
pushing against him in time with his tweaks. His kiss became ravenous, and she returned it,
completely lost in the sensations coursing between them.

“Maria, baby, I’m going to take your suit off now, okay?”
She mewled an affirmative answer; it was all she was capable of. His hands dropped to her sides

and as he pushed her swimsuit down and off, she wriggled for him, helping him, wanting only to feel
her wet naked skin against his.

He tossed the swimsuit up on the side of the hot tub, and when his hands fell down to her naked

hips and he took them in his hands, she moaned as a feeling of intensity shot down her spine. She
pressed her hips against his stomach, and one hand left her hip to come around between them,
pressing against her mound, cupping it in his hand with a degree of possession that was making her
head spin.

His fingers found her clit, and his mouth fell back to hers. As he stroked inside her mouth, her

hands fell to his shoulders, his slick, wet fingers performing magic as they danced over her clit. Her
hands came to his face, and as they kissed, as she pressed against him, in the recesses of mind, she
knew what she was experiencing was pure magic. It was as if they were one, together and the same,
and she felt as if he could feel every stroke of wonder and desire that she was feeling. As if reading
her mind, he suddenly lifted her up, swiveled her around until she was out of the water, sitting on her
butt, only her legs hanging over the edge.

He turned until he was on his knees between her legs, and with his hands running up and down her

wet limbs, an emotion came over his features that she couldn’t exactly read. As his hands slid up the
inside of her sides and separated her folds, he groaned, “You’re not too cold?”

She shook her head from side to side as his mouth fell to her most intimate flesh. He kissed her

there, his tongue and teeth running over her clit, lapping at her, licking her repeatedly until she began
whimpering in the back of her throat. “I want you to come for me, Maria. I want you to come on my
tongue. I need to taste you.” She mewled again, and in answer, he slipped a large, blunt finger inside.
It was like a delicious stroke of fire, and it had her lifting her hips up and searching for more, and

then he inserted another finger to join the first. With his tongue and lips on her clit, combined with his
fingers in her core, sensation radiated down her spine in a thousand waves of electric heat until with
a moan spilling from her lips, she exploded in ecstasy around him.

He gave her a moment to come down, and then he surged from the water and dripping wet, he

picked her up and carried her through to the bedroom. He laid her on the bed, and through a wave of
satiated euphoria, she was aware that he dropped his board shorts and rolled on a condom that he’d
retrieved from his jeans. He came down on the bed on top of her, and pushed between her spread
thighs.

“You okay?” he asked, his words grave.
“Yes,” she whispered back, and two seconds after that, he surged inside with a single stroke,

holding her in his spell.

He lifted to his elbows and wrapped his hands around her face as he stared down into her eyes. “I

don’t ever want to see you upset again.”

She bit her lip and closed her eyes as he continued thrusting into her, his strokes sending an

incantation through her mind that made thinking almost impossible.

Over and over he thrust into her, until she began to feel it building in her bloodstream again.

“That’s it, baby. Come with me.” His fingers stroked over her cheeks and her brows, and she
concentrated on the gentleness of his words. “I’ve dreamed of you coming with me. Over me, under
me, on my fingers, my tongue, but always, always with me.”

“Garrett—”
He gritted his teeth, his hands sinking into her hair. “Yeah?”
She lifted her hips as a wave of heat came over her. “I’m coming again,” she wailed.
He groaned, deep in the back of his throat and pushed against her, holding himself there, pushing,

pushing, rocking against her until with a great groan of relief and satisfaction, she felt him exploding
inside of her, his heat and power turning her brain to mush as she came with him.

Chapter Eight

The next day, Maria’s heart was pounding when she sat down at her desk. The residual fear she’d

felt the night before from the elevator incident had all but slipped away under the spell of Garrett’s
lovemaking, but her brain was barely functioning this morning.

He’d messed her up last night with his gentle display, no doubt about it. Had his personality

turned on a dime because of her upset? Or had her distress disturbed him so much that he was able to
show her a side of himself that she hadn’t even known existed?

She’d known him for a while now, and never once in all of that time had he even hinted that he

could act the way he had last night. There had been that one scene when Treadway had caught her arm
and Garrett had walked in on them. His facial features had softened on her then, when he’d been
unclear if she’d been hurt, but that small incident in no way compared to the gentle, almost adoring
way he’d treated her last night.

She got up to pour herself a cup of coffee, and noticed her fingers were trembling. Not just

trembling, her entire hand was shaking. She set the cup down before she spilled it and went back to
her desk and sat down before she fell down.

She settled into her chair and tugged down her skirt, not quite believing that she’d played up her

looks for him again today. Her insides were so screwed up this morning that now she wasn’t even
sure what her motivation was anymore. Was this now just a vanity thing for her? Did she have an

inner vamp living in her psyche somewhere who knew that Garrett was in the building so she was
damn sure going to look her best? Why? Was she dressing for her . . . lover . . . her man? She wasn’t
really trying to prove anything to him anymore, she wasn’t trying to best him, so what was her deal?

The fact that she didn’t know the answer to even that small question confused her even more.

Before she could think too much more about it, the door opened and Garrett walked through. His eyes
landed on her at once, running up and down her torso where she sat behind her desk.

Instead of his usual frown, he broke into a smile and continued to his office and stood at the

threshold, watching her with a slight smile that was doing a number to her insides. Her gaze dropped
to her computer screen in an attempt to disguise the light-headedness she was feeling at his unusual
reaction.

“Maria?” he questioned, obviously refusing to let her attention fall away from him.
She glanced back up, her pulse upping a notch as she waited for him to speak.
“Could you come in here, please?’
Please? Had he just employed the word ‘please’? Totally disconcerted by his gentle and polite

tone, Maria stood to her feet, having a ridiculously hard time balancing on her stilettos this morning.
Refusing to stumble, she breathed deep to calm herself, then put one foot in front of the other and
walked into his office, hoping she managed not to appear too ungraceful.

As she moved into the room, he shut the door and leaned back against it. His beautiful, chocolate

brown eyes ran up and down her body, stalling on her high-heels before running back up to her
cleavage, and then finally, lifting to her eyes. “We still playing this game, babe?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Stupid, Maria. He’ll be able to see through that.
A hint of gruff laughter spilled from his throat. “Really?” He took his suit jacket off and tossed it

on an empty chair, and even though it was only eight o’clock in the morning, he began rolling up his
shirtsleeves with terse, economical movements. He took a step towards her and she took a step back,
towards his desk.

When he continued to walk past her, then turned and leaned against the front of his desk, she took

a deep breath and waited, trying like hell to get her nerves under control.

His hands fell to his sides and landed on either side of his hips at the edge of the desk. His body

language seemed to be saying he was relaxed, but the fact that his fingers were clenching the desk so
hard  that  his  knuckles  lost  color,  was  telling.  Maria  wasn’t  altogether  buying  his  relaxed  stance.  “I
need  to  talk  to  you  about  something,”  he  said  a  bit  more  gruffly,  in  a  tone  she  was  more  used  to,
although  the  modulation  of  his  voice  turning  serious  did  nothing  for  her  nerves  that  were  still
bouncing around.

“What’s that?” she asked, trying to sound as calm as he appeared. Well, at least he appeared calm

on the outside; what he was feeling on the inside was anyone’s guess.

“You need to either hire a personal assistant, or choose someone here who can do the job . . .

Beth is young but she seems capable and dependable, but it’s your choice.”

The demand sent a knot to her stomach. “Why do I need a personal assistant?”
He studied her with set features, giving her no indication of his thoughts. “Until recently, you’ve

always been the assistant, right? Doesn’t it make sense that you’d have one now?”

“I suppose, but I don’t need one.” She liked being in charge; she wasn’t going to deny to herself

that she received a thrill from being so completely indispensable.

His brows furrowed into a frown. “You can’t be here twenty-four/seven . . . the hotel needs

someone who can run things in your absence.”

“The number of hours I’m gone are negligible, I’m almost always on-site. I don’t think it’s

necessary, the employees on the whole are more than capable.”

“There needs to be a designated person in charge when you’re not here,” he came back swiftly.
“I never go anywhere—”
“Well, you’re going to start. Not taking your vacation days isn’t healthy. You need to be able to

unwind.”

“I do unwind—I don’t want to be anywhere else. I’m not a big traveler, you know? And we have

some of the prettiest beaches in the world, right here. I certainly don’t think we need to get in a big
rush—”

Her argument came to a grinding halt when he reached out and snagged her hand, pulling her

bodily between his thighs with a force she was well acquainted with. “What, exactly, do you think is
going on here . . . between you and me?” he asked, his eyes dropping to her cleavage for the count of
two heartbeats before lifting and impaling her with his gaze.

Heat traced down her spine and she licked her lips. “I don’t—”
“Right,” he cut her off again. “What do you think it means when we say we don’t touch anyone

else? That was our agreement—we’re only sleeping with each other.”

A delicious shiver of heat slammed her, making speech impossible.
His hand fell to her hip and he began caressing her. “I can’t stay in Florida indefinitely. I think

you’ve already figured that out.” His hand slid down and cupped her butt, down so low that she felt
his fingers pressing between her thighs. “Don’t for a second think I’m going to simply abandon this
thing with you—I’m not giving this up until I’m damn good and ready. And that time isn’t remotely
close. So get me when I say that whether you enjoy traveling or not, you’re going to have to accept it
as part of your immediate future. And for that to happen, you need someone who can run this place
when you’re not here, understand?”

“I—” she swallowed, a wave of desire rushing over her as his fingers began kneading her as if it

were his due.

His hands landed on her hips again as he came off the desk with a surge of power. In the blink of

an eye, he lifted her, turned, and Maria suddenly found her butt on the desk as he pushed between her
spread thighs. He lifted her skirt to her waist, and before she could get her brain cells to function, she
found her panties discarded, lying in a heap on the carpet.

As she tried to breathe evenly, he made quick work of the enclosure of his pants, and within

seconds, he was gripping her thighs, ready to push inside.

Ready to push inside, without a condom.
Her heart racing, she balanced on one elbow as she snaked her hand down to cover her mound,

the only protection from him she could find in that second. “Garrett—”

He rasped a low warning in his throat.
She didn’t move her hand. “Protection,” she got out, the only word she could manage.
His eyes bored into hers like heated missiles. “Are you on birth control?”
She worked her bottom lip, suddenly aware she was getting in spectacularly deep. “Yes.”
His hand sank into her scalp, his gaze holding hers captured. “I’m clean.”
She took a deep breath. “Me, too.”
His eyes blazed as his mouth firmed into severe lines. “Move your hand,” he demanded between

clenched teeth.

A river of trepidation bled down her spine as her hand quivered over her mound. She was going

to get hurt if she wasn’t careful.

He showed no signs of patience, his earlier display of gentleness nowhere to be seen. “Move your

hand and understand—it’s mine.” His voice was firm, final, resolute.

She hesitated another second and his eyes hardened into icy slits of warning. Butterflies went

wild in her stomach, and with her thighs trembling, she slowly moved her hand away. Finding his
shirtsleeve, she clutched at his bicep for stability.

He took immediate advantage; he pushed her thighs farther apart and with his hands on her hips,

pulled her to the very edge of the desk. He held his erection with one hand and maneuvered it to her
opening, the fingers of his other hand sinking into her scalp and lifting her face to his.

She hung within the circle of his body, her breathing unsteady as his eyes lit with a primitive

hunger. His nostrils flared as she felt the head of his cock push inside. His features were set, his
brown eyes sharp as he hovered at the precipice. Her heart beat wildly and she watched him,
enthralled by the smoldering depths of his eyes.

His gaze focused relentlessly on hers, he slammed inside with one hard, smooth thrust of his hips.

Sensation rippled in waves as she exhaled a shallow pant.

His hand tightened on her scalp, color tinting his cheekbones. His jaw tensed as he held himself

there, stretching her, as his lips twisted in an almost cruel line. “I get that you’re independent and
strong-willed when it comes to your career—and I’m fine with that if it makes you happy. But trust
me when I say that when it comes to everything else—” he pushed so hard against her that her breath
caught before he continued, “—I’m in charge. You’ll learn to like it, but for now, it’s enough that you
accept it.” He took another stroke and advised darkly, “Don’t argue with me for argument’s sake . . .
don’t think you can twist me around your little finger and control me because I want your pussy more
than I want to breathe . . .don’t give anyone the impression that you don’t fully belong to me, not if you
don’t want to see me come unhinged.”

His voice came to a halt and shock at his words hit her full force. As he began to thrust within her,

the impact of his strokes jarred her and at the same time, sent a wave of liquid heat to the point where
they  were  connected.  Her  senses  spun  in  a  conflagration  of  twisted  emotions.  God,  she  loved  this.
Loved  the  way  he  felt  inside  of  her,  loved  the  scent  of  his  skin,  loved  the  forceful  control  of  his
dominant personality. But an arrow of very real concern was beating through her bloodstream, making
her  wonder  if  she  was  doing  the  right  thing  by  being  with  him. His  words  and  actions  were  only
proving what she already knew; he was a maniac.

But then the memory of his gentleness the previous night washed over her, spreading like a balmy

mist over her, easing her distress. He had been so gentle. She knew he had that capacity inside of him.
Could she bring that aspect of his personality out if she tried? With that thought, but without her
conscious volition, her hands reached up and found his shoulders, her eyes holding his. “I don’t want
you to come unhinged,” she soothed. “What do you want me to say?”

The lines of his face only hardened and his words came out just as aggressively as before, “I want

you to agree that you belong to me, and understand what that means.”

Maria took a sharp, uncontrolled breath. “Okay,” she complied, keeping her voice soft with effort.
“And that you’ll do what I say when it comes to all things sexual,” he hissed in a tone that wasn’t

anywhere near gentle, the grip of his hands only growing tighter.

Maria forced herself to ignore the alarm bells and focus only on the amazing way he made her

feel, determined to see if her idea would work. “Okay,” she agreed again, hoping against hope that
she hadn’t just lost her mind.

“I want you to find a person who can run this goddamn hotel for you so you can be with me when I

need you,” he demanded, biting the words out as if there would be hell to pay if she didn’t comply.

“Okay, I will,” she said simply.

“Promise me,” he said, but it sounded as if he hadn’t finished his thought.
“Promise you . . . what?” she asked gently.
There was a pause while Maria thought he wouldn’t say anything more, but then he rattled out in a

pained, almost vulnerable sounding tone, “Promise that you’re mine and only mine.”

She heard what sounded like a need for reassurance in his voice and was shaken by it. “I

promise,” she whispered.

When she said the words, it was as if a switch flipped inside of him. His eyes closed as if in

relief and then his head dropped to her shoulder. His arms wrapped all the way around her, and still
buried inside her, he clutched her to his chest almost as if she was as precious as gold.

A ribbon of emotion bled through her veins and encompassed her entire body as she lifted her

arms around his neck and held him back. “Garrett,” she whispered.

After a moment, he lifted his head and wrapped his hands around her cheekbones. “What?” he

asked simply.

She took a deep breath. “Make love to me.”
His eyes closed, almost as if he were feeling an emotion he didn’t want her to see. His eyes

opened, ran all over her face, and then with a rasp of oxygen, his mouth fell to hers. He began kissing
her as if he couldn’t get enough, as if he wouldn’t ever get enough, and Maria felt fireworks explode
in her head.

As they kissed, his hips began moving again and soon, Maria was swamped with a desire, a

heightened emotion unlike any she’d ever felt before.

His kiss was so sweet it felt almost like adoration, and she fell hard and fast under his spell. It

was exactly as it had been the night before, his caresses though firm and controlled, were as gentle as
if she was deserving of everything he had to give.

Right before she fell over the edge into orgasm, she felt him coming with her, felt the scalding heat

of his release warming her, and she knew that she was in deeper waters than she’d ever been before.

Her eyes remaining closed, euphoria engulfing her, her last thought was she hoped he’d save her

from drowning.

****

When Maria left his office, Garrett sat behind his desk, feeling almost as if he was in a daze.

Christ, had he just trusted her to be on birth control? What the hell had come over him? And why,
even now, did he know in his heart that he was going to continue to trust her word?

He’d never trusted a woman’s word about birth control in his life; he’d been particularly careful

after the incident in grad school with the condom splitting and that bitch claiming she was pregnant.

He’d been so careful, that in fact, the sex he’d just had with Maria was the first time he’d ever

been naked inside a woman. And it had been amazing, stupendous even. As he drummed his fingers on
his desk, it didn’t escape his notice that he was fast becoming addicted. He’d been obsessed with
Maria for a long time, but having her hadn’t helped the feeling go away. Hell no, sleeping with her
had only made matters worse.

And now he was acting far from his usual careful self. He never trusted women; he’d found most

of them to be prevaricators as well as mercenary.

The memory of Maria calling him a liar the other night hit him. She’d told him that she had no

room in her life for liars. The idea that a woman thought that about him was twisted. The tables had
damn sure turned on him, and he had no idea if he was as in control of the situation as he was

pretending to be.

But for now, he had no choice in the matter; there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that he was

ready to let her go.

The insidious thought that he might never be ready to let her go tried to well up and take over his

brain; he ruthlessly pushed it to the back of his mind, refusing to give it any attention.

****

A week passed and Maria had no idea if she was sinking or swimming. The sex between them

was stupendous, amazing.

As she stood in the break room, she heard the click of the door shutting and the lock sliding into

place. Without turning and looking, she knew who’d done it; she knew who stood behind her. Her
hands shook as she made a fist around the coffee filter she’d just pulled from the box.

She continued to stand still in front of the counter, not moving a muscle, not turning to face the

threat behind her.

“You knew Villareal was coming today, I believe I mentioned that yesterday.” Garrett rasped in a

low, heated tone.

She had braced herself for a bark, but when he began speaking, that wasn’t what she got. His

voice was low and quiet, and the fact that she knew more about his personality wasn’t something that
was soothing her now. Hell, no. It was scaring the crap out of her. Garrett always barked when he
was angry. The fact that he presently felt he had to keep his vocal chords under ruthless control only
proved how pissed he really was.

She nodded her head in confirmation of his statement.
“Turn around,” he bit out in a voice that brooked no denial.
She turned slowly and leaned against the counter for support.
“You understand his reputation with women?”
Not fully understanding the question, Maria narrowed her eyes and shook her head.
“He wants to fuck anything on two legs,” he elaborated, gritting the words through his teeth. “I

told you that once before—he’s a player.”

She sucked in a breath. “And you think this has something to do with me, how?”
He stared at her for the count of three beats and then pushed off the door. Without hesitation, he

advanced on her until he was standing only inches away, invading her personal space. He lifted her
chin, and as she looked up, she was mesmerized by his eyes. Eyes that contained a fire that almost
scorched her where she stood.

His voice when he spoke reflected only a small slip of control, but Maria knew him well enough

to know how affected he truly was. “We have a lot of shit going on between us,” he announced as his
eyes ran over her face, down her neck and landed on the madly beating pulse in her throat. Sliding his
hand from her chin, his thumb landed on the spot that told of her rapidly beating heart. He pressed on
it,  with  just  a  hint  of  his  strength,  and  raised  his  eyes  back  to  hers.  “I  get  that  you’ve  made  it  your
mission  in  life  to  continue  to  keep  me  off-balance.  Wearing  your  hair  like  this,  the  stiletto  heels,
making damn sure I know when you’ve got on thigh-high stockings.” His thumb slid up and down her
throat  before  pressing  into  her  pulse-point  again.  “Why  you  feel  the  need,  I  don’t  have  a  clue.”  He
took in a deep breath. “But this dress . . . “ His voice trailed off before he began again. “You, in this
dress. You  know  how  fucking  good  you  look  in  this  dress. You  knew  I’d  remember  it. You  had  to
know what I’d be thinking about the second I saw you in it.” His eyes turned into gleaming slits of

accusation. “And you knew the son-of-a-bitch would be here today, watching you. You did it on
purpose.”

“No, I--” She began, knowing he spoke the truth, but not about to admit to it. Why had she worn

The Dress? Granted, she’d teamed it with a blazer to play it down, but Garrett was right. She had
known that Maximo Villareal would be here today, and she’d known what Garrett would remember
when he saw her in it. Why was she playing with fire? Was it because she’d let him have his way in
so many areas that she needed some sort of affirmation of her own control?

He interrupted her thoughts and her fiercely beating heart. “You need to be careful with the game

you’re playing. I’ve been letting you have the upper hand, been letting you win your little game,
because it humors me. But be careful, Maria—don’t take it too far.” His hand spread out over her
neck and his fingers pulsed against her windpipe in a shocking, sexual threat. “Trust me when I tell
you that you don’t have to go out of your way to provoke my jealousy. I’m already jealous. I already
want to kill every motherfucker who looks at you. I already want to take you home to St. Louis, tie
you to my bed, lock the door and toss away the fucking key.”

Her heart began pounding so hard, she thought it might explode. She heard a roaring in her ears

and her knees began to shake.

When he slid his hand from her throat to land on the vee between her thighs, Maria gasped and

closed her eyes.

She heard a deep, tormented sound before he growled, “Now here’s the deal. I’m pissed, and I

need to clear my head. And for that I need some clean, Midwest air to breathe. I’m going to finish my
business with the motherfucker in my office and then you and I are catching a flight to Missouri.” He
glanced up at the clock on the wall. “You have about an hour. Pack what you can, but other than that,
don’t worry about it, I’ll buy you what we need when we arrive.”

A roaring began in her head. “Garrett, I can’t go with you. I can’t leave the hotel.”
“You damn sure can leave the hotel, and you will leave the hotel.”
“But I—”
“If you want to spend the next hour going through the motions with Beth instead of packing, that’s

your business, I don’t give a fuck. All I care about is your little ass next to me on the plane.”

“Why?”
His eyes impaled hers with an icy look. “I told you already. I can’t breathe. Need some goddamn

air.”

She swallowed and gave a last ditch effort. “If you want to go home, go, but I can stay here.”
“Not happening, babe.”
“Garrett—”
“Not fucking happening. Be ready in an hour,” he snapped as he turned and slammed from the

room.

Chapter Nine

Maria hadn’t wasted any more time arguing with him or herself. She’d flown up to her room,

pulled off the contentious dress and then slipped into jeans and a shirt. She’d packed an overnight bag
in less than ten minutes, and had then spent the remainder of the time allotted to her going over all the
minutiae of running the hotel with Beth. Thank God she’d been prepping the other woman for a week
already, just in case something like this came up.

It had been an intense forty-five or so minutes with Beth, and now, as Maria sat in first class

beside Garrett, she finally let go of worrying about the hotel, and thought about what in the hell she
was doing sitting next to him on a plane to begin with.

Christ.
She’d had the thought before, and she was sure she’d have it again. The guy was a maniac.
But as he slid his hand over her thigh and he gripped her knee in a subtle caress that sent shivers

down her spine, she closed her eyes and let the anxiety she was feeling slip away, concentrating only
on the exquisite harmony that seemed to bleed through her entire being every time he touched her.

Please, God, let him be a maniac she could trust.

****

Maria sat back in the soft leather seat of Garrett’s Mercedes S-Class as he tooled down a winding

road shaded by tall trees and flanked by a running path. The neighborhood was in the suburbs of St.
Louis, and it was quiet, upscale, and about as far removed from what she was used to as could be.
“Do you live here?”

“Yeah. The corporation bought the lake house as an investment, and since no one ever sees fit to

make use of it, I decided to move in.”

Maria looked around in both directions. “I don’t see a lake.”
He tipped his head forward. “You will. We’re coming up from behind, but we can go check out

everything tomorrow if you want.”

“Okay.” She agreed readily, as Garrett made a turn and then another, and after a moment, they

were pulling into a driveway in front of a two-story house set in a hillside.

“Whose car is that?” she asked, staring at the late-model American-made sedan parked in the

driveway.

The almost-relaxed look that had encompassed Garrett’s features since they’d sat down on the

plane dissolved as he studied the car. “I don’t know. Never seen it before.”

He pulled up next to the car and studied the house. “It doesn’t belong to one of my brothers, not

that they come here anyway.” he muttered, and then glanced at her. “Stay here while I check it out.”

He left the motor running, and as he walked up the path and in through the front door, Maria

pressed the button at her side, lowering the window by about an inch, to give her the possibility of at
least hearing what might be going on.

About sixty seconds later, Garrett walked back out and leaned against the hood of the car, giving

her a perfect view of his splendid backside, even if it was through the clothes he was wearing. His
stance was casual, yet he gave her no indication that she should leave her spot in the vehicle, so she
remained sitting where she was.

About three minutes after that, a man and a woman walked from the house, the man’s face held in

lines of fiery displeasure that Maria immediately recognized, because she’d seen the same look
plastered on Garrett’s features more times than she could count. This guy looked exactly like Garrett,
although older, and even though he’d said that the car didn’t belong to one of his brothers, there was
no question in Maria’s mind that this man was a Rule male.

Maria studied the woman the other man held gripped in a death hold at his side. She had hair

color of such a jet-black that Maria immediately knew it was dyed, and she wore make-up that held a
Gothic edge. It mattered not a bit; the girl was delicately beautiful despite the flamboyant tone of her
appearance. Even from this distance, Maria could see that the other woman was pale beneath the
make-up and was trembling subtly. It occurred to her that the other woman’s cultivated look was

perhaps a camouflage of some kind, almost like a pretense or disguise the girl presented to the world.

As the couple stalled on the driveway, the man stared at Garrett who was still reclining against

the car, and snapped to the woman, “Get in the car, Angie.”

Maria heard the muted double-click of the other car’s locking mechanism, and the girl held a

perfectly straight face, her spine erect and her chin up as she walked to the passenger side of the car
and slid inside and then shut the door.

The two men began arguing immediately and Maria was guiltily pleased she’d had the forethought

to crack the window.

“What the fuck, Garrett?” the other man all but yelled.
To give him credit, Garrett didn’t come unglued, but Maria did notice his spine stiffen as if

readying himself for something. “What?”

“You’re supposed to be in Florida,” the brother accused.
“I believe I can be any fucking place I choose to be,” Garrett shot back in a deadly cold voice.
“You should have called.”
The cold in Garrett’s voice went to fire in an instant. “Really? You’re not my goddamn boss and

it’s my fucking house.”

“It’s Rule Corporation property.”
“That’s bullshit semantics. I found it. I made the deal. I live here. You never gave a shit about the

house in the first place. You want to strike it from the corporation’s portfolio? Fine, I’ll write a
fucking check.”

The brother’s mouth firmed, his eyes narrowing as Garrett kept on talking. “If anybody should

have called, it’s you—you’re just pissed because you got caught with one of your women with your
goddamn pants down—”

Maria reared back as the brother lunged for Garrett, who came to his feet and sidestepped, and

then the two men became deathly still as they stared each other down, an overabundance of
testosterone about to light a fuse that could shatter any remaining possibility of a peaceful resolution.

Maria’s nerves escalated as she glanced across at the other car. The woman, Angie, was staring at

the scene unfolding before them, any remaining color on her face having long since disappeared. She
glanced away from the men toward Maria, and their gazes connected and held. The girl seemed even
more upset than Maria was feeling. They didn’t smile at each other; there was no room in the
dangerous scene playing out in front of them for pleasantries. But Maria felt as if they were sharing a
silent communication of some kind, and she wondered if the other girl had heard Garrett’s crude
comment and had been hurt by it.

When Maria looked away again, the men had broken apart from each other. The brother was

getting inside his car, and Garrett stood in the driveway with his arms crossed until the other vehicle
had pulled away and was out of sight.

Then he got back into the car and pressed a button on the dash that raised the garage door. He

drove in silently and cut the engine.

“So, that was one of your brothers?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking.
“Yeah.” After the terse answer, he got out of the car, came around to her side and held the door

open.

“I guess he bought a new car?” she asked, sliding from the vehicle.
“He said it was a rental . . . his is in the shop.” Garrett popped the trunk and retrieved their bags.
“Did you really catch him with his pants down?”
Garrett choked off a laugh as they walked inside the house. “No, but it was damn close. He had

the girl’s shirt unbuttoned.”

“That’s not quite so bad then,” she said, even though she was wincing for the other woman; it

could have been much worse.

“Yeah? Tell him that. You would have thought I’d seen his virgin bride stark naked, spread-

eagled on his bed instead of getting a miniscule glimpse of some random woman’s bra.”

“Maybe that’s why he got so mad. Not because you said he’d been caught with his pants down, but

because she’s not a random woman,” Maria said, glancing around at her gorgeous surroundings.

“Trust me, they’re all random women when it comes to my brother. He’s not going to settle down

with one, at least, not anytime soon. You can take that to the bank.”

“He seemed pretty upset.”
Garrett dropped their bags in the living room. “Yeah? Son-of-a-bitch shouldn’t have been here to

begin with. He’s got a condo in the city as well as a house in the suburbs. Why he felt the need to
bring her here is beyond me. I’m going to change the goddamn locks.”

Just as the words left his lips, they halted in front of a huge window and Maria’s heart almost

stopped beating at the picturesque view she was seeing. “Maybe he was trying to impress her with
this,” she said, tilting her head toward the lake. “It’s beautiful, Garrett.”

“Yeah? I think so.” He came to stand behind her and Maria felt his arms snake around her middle

as he pulled her back into his front. “I love it here. It’s peaceful. Home, you know?”

Just as he said the word ‘home’, a vision of the hotel popped into her head. That’s how she felt

about the hotel, crazy, but it was true. The building didn’t belong to her, it didn’t have a view like this
one, but she felt a sense of peace and belonging when she was there. “Yeah, I know,” she whispered,
looking out at the shimmering water with the lights of the evening dancing along the currents.

His head fell to the crook between her shoulder and neck and with a tiny thrill of sensation, she

felt his teeth bite into her flesh. “You want to tell me why you put on that particular dress this
morning?” His voice was a dark rumble as his teeth slid across her skin, his words producing a level
of distress.

“No,” she whispered, closing her eyes, confusion mingling with sexual excitement, holding her

senses hostage. Was he going to start on that again? Was he, even now, planning on punishing for her
wearing the damn dress, as if forcing her halfway across the Continental US against her will wasn’t
enough?

“Ahhh. . . I’m going to take that as an admittance of guilt,” he said the words so neutrally that, for

the life of her, she couldn’t tell if he was angry. “You did do it on purpose,” he finished knowingly.

“I don’t—” she gasped on the denial, interrupted as his hand snaked down and slid over her

mound.

He held her back to his front with an arm clamped across her midsection as he palmed her heat

with the other. “Did it work?” he asked at her ear while he caressed her, making ripples of longing
slide down her spine. “Did you get the reaction out of me that you were expecting?”

Those words definitely weren’t angry; Maria heard pure seduction in his tone and responded to it

with a wave of heat, making it difficult to stay with the conversation. “I wasn’t expecting to be in St.
Louis by this evening,” she panted.

“What were you expecting?” he asked again, as if trying to get her to yield something to him.
“I don’t know,” she compromised.
“Is that an admission?” His hand between her thighs stopped moving; it clamped around her and

held her possessively. “You wore the dress on purpose?”

Maria licked her lips and took a deep breath, feeling like she was about to jump off a ledge.

“Yes.” She felt a shudder run through him at her answer, almost as if she’d pleased him.

“Why?” he asked urgently, wanting her to admit the complete truth.
She swallowed, not ready to give him that much. “I don’t know.”
In the space of a heartbeat, he spun her around, tipping her chin up with his fingers. “Why’d you

do it?” he bit out, determined.

“I don’t know,” she said again.
“You do know,” he challenged.
Her pulse raced as he stared down at her. “Yes . . . kind of . . . not really,” she confessed in utter

confusion.

“You were trying to make me jealous,” he said, as if the idea pleased him.
She remained silent.
His eyes narrowed. “All I want is the truth . . . you were trying to make me jealous.”
She shook her head with a jerk. “No,” she lied, staring up at him, hoping he couldn’t read the truth

in her eyes, yet knowing he probably could. She took a breath and went as far as she was willing to
go. “I—I was trying to get your attention,” she finally said, holding his gaze.

A look of pleasure lit his eyes, although he held his expression in firm lines. “You haven’t figured

out yet that you have my full attention?”

Her heartbeat slammed against her chest, her breath snagged as she studied him, but she remained

silent.

After the pulse of a second while they stared at each other, he swung her up in his arms and began

leading her down a hallway. “I’ll prove it to you,” he said in a lust-filled voice.

Maria closed her eyes and let every other thought except for Garrett Rule escape her mind.

****

“You want to see our place?” Garrett asked over coffee the next morning.
“Place?” Maria asked, her mind still fried from the night that had passed . . . and the morning in

the shower together.

“Rule Corporation headquarters,” he qualified.
A thrill shot through her that he would take her there. “That sounds good. When?”
“How about now?”
“Okay,” she said with a smile.
Forty-five minutes later, Garrett pulled up in the underground parking level beneath the Rule

Tower. Maria had felt a tiny bout of queasiness rise up in her throat when they’d driven up and she’d
seen the huge building. At her questions, he’d explained that they owned the entire building, and
Maria’s head almost began swimming. She hadn’t known that their conglomerate was quite that
extensive, quite that lucrative. It made her wonder why he’d zeroed in on her hotel when there were
so many other more impressive and better-located opportunities in Miami.

As he bypassed the stairs and kept walking, he asked, “You going to be able to handle the

elevator?”

As his fingers enclosed hers, his thumb slid gently over her skin, offering comfort, and she nodded

her head.

They boarded the elevator, and Maria distracted herself from the enclosed space by wondering

what reason Garrett would give to his brothers for having her tag along. What if they questioned his
motives for bringing her to St. Louis with him? And did he have a motive, other than the most obvious

one?

As the elevator doors opened, unfortunately, the first person Maria saw was Courtney Powell,

and a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach made her admit that she’d been dreading a meeting with
the other woman. There was no question that Maria hadn’t been welcoming to Courtney after Garrett
had bought the hotel and sent the other woman to oversee the renovations. She’d felt both envious and
jealous of the competent blonde, and she felt bad about that, she truly did, but what the hell, she was
only human—she wasn’t perfect.

Courtney was standing with a cup of coffee and a file folder, speaking to a receptionist in the

large open area directly across from the bank of elevators. As the other woman glanced up and
recognized Garrett, Maria saw a grin break across her face. But it was gone just as quickly when she
spotted Maria standing next to him.

Having no choice but to follow in Garrett’s wake, Maria trailed beside him as he hugged

Courtney. “How’s everything going?” he asked her.

“Good. Everything’s all set with the Houston acquisition.” Maria watched as Courtney gave that

assurance to Garrett, and then the other woman looked to her. “Hello,” she said with obvious
reservation in her voice.

“Hello,” Maria answered neutrally, trying not to sound awkward. Why had she been such a witch

to the woman? Jealousy was a bitch, and hers was coming back to bite her in the butt with a
vengeance.

Garrett must have felt the tension in the air because he winced and then held out his hand to hustle

them out of the reception area. “Let’s go have a chat, shall we? Your office is fine,” he directed.

“All right,” The other woman agreed amicably enough as she spun on her heel and headed for a

large office three doors down.

A middle-aged woman manned the entrance, and Maria noticed that Courtney stalled beside the

secretary’s desk while she held her hand out to them, indicating they should move forward into her
office. At that moment, Garrett’s cell began ringing and as he answered it, Maria heard Courtney lean
down and ask her secretary in a low voice, “Have you heard from Nick yet?”

“Yes, ma’am. He was delayed last night at the last minute but left a message—”
Maria heard no more of the secretary’s low comment as Garrett cupped her elbow and indicated

she should move forward into the office, he himself still distracted by the phone conversation he was
having.

As Garrett indicated, Maria sat down in one of two chairs in front of the desk as he took a seat in

the other. Courtney closed the door and came around and sat down behind the desk, but her eyes never
met Maria’s. They stayed glued on Garrett, and Maria couldn’t help but be impressed by the
remarkably serene expression on the other woman’s face.

Garrett held up a hand indicating he’d only be a minute, and as she waited, listening to the deep,

cultured sound of his voice, Maria’s eyes traveled around the beautifully appointed office. Coming to
a framed picture that clearly featured the Rule siblings, Maria recognized Garrett, a dark-haired
younger girl who must be the sister, a second brother she’d never seen before and Courtney, standing
beneath the arm of a man who was indisputably the one Maria had seen at the lake house.

The picture had to be several years old, and there was something in Courtney’s expression that

was giving Maria a messed-up feeling in her gut. Did the other woman have feelings for this man?
The same man who Maria had seen with another woman the night before? As her gaze left the picture
and touched briefly on Courtney again, it occurred to Maria that she felt compassion for her, that if
she’d known her better, she’d probably warn her about what she’d seen the previous night.

Enough puzzle pieces were there to make Maria uncomfortable . . . Not three minutes before,

she’d heard Courtney asking her secretary about Nick, with a worry that wasn’t hard to recognize and
now Maria felt something that could only be labeled as sisterhood coming up to rear its head. She
wanted to save the other woman from hurt, if Courtney did indeed have feelings for the rat bastard
Maria had seen.

With an abrupt movement, Garrett stood to his feet. “Excuse me for a minute,” he said in an

aggrieved voice before walking from the room, totally wrapped up in his phone conversation.

After the door slammed behind him, Maria looked back to Courtney. With an obvious hesitation,

the other girl’s eyes left the door and met Maria’s. An awkward silence pulsed between them.

As Maria wracked her brains for something to say, the other girl spoke up. “Do you like St.

Louis?”

“Yes, so far. It’s certainly different from Florida.”
“Tell me about it,” the blonde woman said with such an affinity that Maria wondered at it.
“Do you know Florida well?” Maria asked. As far as she’d known, the three or so weeks the

other girl had been at the hotel had only been a visit for her.

“I’m from Florida, Maria, born and raised, I thought you knew that,” Courtney said.
Surprise engulfed Maria. “No, I didn’t realize that.”
“From the Emerald Coast,” the other girl elaborated. “I grew up in Panama City Beach, and then

went to college in Gainesville. I spent a lot of time at Daytona Beach, too. The Miami area was new
for me, though,” she said, referring to her stay in the hotel.

Maria took a deep breath and forced herself to make an admission that she couldn’t continue to

ignore. “I suppose I owe you an apology.”

The other girl shrugged her shoulders as if she’d moved past it. “I’m sure you had your reasons. I

didn’t take it too personally,” she said.

Maria took a breath and plowed on. “My reasons were selfish, I guess. I was envious of your job

with the corporation—well, not this job,” she tilted her head, indicating the office they were sitting
in, “but the job at the hotel, you know.” No way in hell was she going to admit to the jealousy she’d
felt when she’d thought Courtney was involved with Garrett. That wasn’t happening. Not in this
lifetime.

The other girl nodded her head, as if she understood. “And now it’s my understanding that you

have that job.”

“I do,” Maria agreed, as a fond smile she couldn’t control came over her face.
“Well, I’m glad it all worked out for you.” The woman seemed to debate something and then she

said, “Listen, just so you’ll know, as much as I love Florida, I don’t want to be there, so you don’t
ever have to worry that I’ll want your job. I need to be here, in St. Louis.”

With the other girl’s statement, Maria couldn’t contain her concern any longer. She knew she

should hold her words back, not get in the middle of the other girl’s life. But she had several reasons
why she felt the need to say something. First off, she knew what it was like to be hung up on one of the
Rule brothers. She and Courtney obviously had that in common, but now, knowing that the other
woman was a displaced Florida girl as well? Maria opened her mouth before she could think twice.
“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes,” the other girl said slowly, no doubt recognizing Maria’s serious tone.
“Something’s bothering me that’s absolutely none of my business.”
The blood seemed to drain from Courtney’s face. “What?” she asked, as if she didn’t really want

to know.

Maria stood up and lifted the picture down from the shelf and came around the desk, laying it in

front of the other woman. She put her finger on the man who held his arm around Courtney. “Is that
Nick?”

“No, that’s Damian,” Courtney said slowly.
Maria dropped her head and let out a relieved laugh. “Oh, thank God.”
Courtney sent her a confused smile. “Why? What’s up?”
Maria began speaking, unable to keep the joyful relief from her voice, “Look, you don’t have to

tell me anything more. It’s your business. I’m just glad that one’s not Nick.”

“Why?”
“Because I think you having feelings for Nick—” As the other girl’s eyes flared, Maria held up a

hand, stopping any words that she might have spoken. “Look, it’s not my business, I get it, we’re not
friends or anything, I’m just relieved, that’s all, because last night, I saw that one,” she indicated the
other brother, “with a woman. When I heard you asking your secretary about Nick, and then saw that
one’s arm around you, I got the two of them confused.”

Courtney studied her for a moment before asking softly, “You felt bad for me?”
Maria gave her a lopsided smile and shrugged. “Well, I’m a woman, that’s all. And when I knew

that one had been—”

“Damian?” Courtney interrupted.
“Yeah, when I knew Damian had been with that Goth chick last night—”
Courtney interrupted with a stunned look on her face, “Damian was with a Goth chick?

Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Maria answered slowly, wondering what she’d said.
“Was her name Angie?” Courtney asked.
“Yeah.”
“No way. He was with her again?”
“You’ve seen her too?” Maria asked.
“Yeah, I met her at a party. He seemed really possessive, which was totally shocking, because

Damian has a reputation, you know? It’s a love ‘em and leave ‘em type thing for him. That party was
weeks ago—I can’t believe they’re still seeing each other.”

“Garrett said she was a ‘random woman’, but I told him she didn’t look random to me. I can tell

you this, nobody introduced us or anything, but she didn’t look very happy. They were at the lake
house when we arrived and Garrett wasn’t too pleased about it, but that one—”

“Damian?” Courtney asked with a smile when Maria referred to Damian as ‘that one’ for about

the fourth time.

“Yeah, Damian was pissed—at Garrett,” Maria told the other girl.
“But it’s Garrett’s house,” Courtney said, confused.
Maria shrugged her shoulders. “So I’ve been told.”
Courtney was silent for a moment while she stared at her as if contemplating something, and

Maria began to feel uneasy until the other woman asked, “So Garrett’s pretty hung up on you, huh?”

Both embarrassment and a thrill went through Maria. “No! I don’t think so, I mean, no. . . why do

you say that?”

Courtney let out a smile. “Come on, Maria. You think he keeps every hotel he buys? He usually

flips them so fast it makes your head spin. But he didn’t flip yours, did he? Why did he hang on to it?”
The other girl was quiet a moment before continuing, “And you’re here with him now.”

“You think so? You think he feels something . . . different for me?”

Courtney gave her a soothing smile. “I’ve known him a long time. He doesn’t drag women around

with him, ever.”

The two girls watched each other as Maria took that statement in. Before she could form a reply,

the door opened and Garrett walked back inside. When he shut the door and sat down, a sudden quiet
fell over the room.

Silence pulsed for a few seconds before Garrett spoke up. “Look. You two need to hash this shit

out before it drags on for much longer. The animosity between you two is—”

Maria kept her gaze on her hands folded into her lap until Courtney interrupted, “We’re okay,

Garrett.”

Maria lifted her eyes to Courtney who was smiling at Garrett. Then the other girl turned to her for

confirmation. “Aren’t we, Maria?”

Maria felt relief at the other woman’s generosity of spirit and a hint of happiness wrapped around

her heart. “Yeah, we’re all good,” she said with a small smile.

****

Garrett showed Maria around the building and she couldn’t help it, she was impressed. The décor

was both elegant and subdued, yet somehow conveyed a warmth and vitality that made the building
come alive. As they turned toward Garrett’s office, Maria caught a glimpse of a young, dark-haired
woman carrying a take-out coffee cup and a designer purse walking from the direction of the bank of
elevators. She looked like the girl in the picture in Courtney’s office.

“Hey,” Maria heard her call out.
Garrett stopped in his tracks and turned, his lips twisting with pleasure as the girl strolled up

toward them. “Wassup, big brother?”

“Nada, baby sister.”
The two siblings smiled and embraced each other, the girl holding her coffee-cup out to her side.

When they broke apart, the woman looked straight at Maria with a slight frown of question and then
turned back to her brother with her eyebrows raised.

Maria watched as Garrett choked off laughter and then she couldn’t see his expression anymore as

he slid behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders with pure possession. “Erin, this is Maria.
Maria, my sister, Erin.”

“You’re the bitch?” Erin asked, as if stunned. “You don’t look like a bitch.”
Maria winced at the same time Garrett squeezed her shoulders. “She’s not a bitch. Are you ever

going to learn to control your mouth?” he asked in a tone that held only a hint of remonstration toward
his sister.

Maria smiled, took a breath and tried to diffuse the situation, if it even needed to be diffused. “I

can be pretty bitchy.”

In return, a smile transformed Erin’s face, making her even prettier than she already was. “Then I

guess I’m going to take care not to piss you off.”

Maria felt a jolt of pleasant surprise at the woman’s continued antics. “That might be best.”
Erin continued to smile while she looked at her brother again. “When did you get home?”
“Last night,” he answered.
His sister narrowed her eyes on him. “Have you seen mom yet?”
Maria felt Garrett flinch. “No, and I probably won’t.”
“That’s not nice, Garrett,” the girl said with censure, and then continued a bit dramatically, “You

know she pines for her youngest son.”

“She needs to get a life,” Garrett said sharply, but not too unkindly.
His sister raised a single, wicked brow. “Haven’t you heard? She has a life now . . . or plans on

getting one.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Garrett bit out.
“She wants to start dating again.”
“Bullshit,” Garrett bit out, as if he had a say in the matter. The sound echoed through the hallway

and Maria glanced around, seeing several faces watching them.

“It’s true,” Erin announced.
“That’s the most ridiculous shit I’ve ever heard.”
“Why?” Erin asked.
“Because she’s old—”
“She’s not old, Garrett. She’s fifty-four. Dad’s been gone for years now. What exactly did you

mean when you said ‘she needs to get a life’? You think she should take up crossword puzzles or try
to hike the Appalachian Trail? She probably could, you know. She’s wicked fit. I, for one, think she
should find someone. If she set her mind to it, she could do it—” Erin snapped her fingers. “—just
like that.”

While Garrett stood almost obnoxiously silent on the subject, Erin slanted her gaze toward Maria.

“What do you think?”

“Me?” Maria swallowed, not wanting to get in the middle. “I haven’t even met your mother . . .

but I’m sure she deserves happiness.”

Erin’s face lit with satisfaction as she looked at her brother. “See? I don’t give a flying flip what

you and Damian and Nick think—”

Garrett interrupted the tangent his sister seemed to be on. “Is Damian in his office?”
“No, I think he went to get a haircut,” Erin answered distractedly and then frowned, telling her

brother without words that she knew he’d purposely changed the subject.

“How about Nick?” he asked.
“California,” his sister replied succinctly.
“Silicon Valley?” he questioned.
“Yep—but I think he’ll be home soon,” Erin said.
“Does Courtney know that?” he asked in a tone that Maria couldn’t place.
“Why should she care? So she can take cover?” his sister asked, seeming almost confused by the

conversation.

“Nothing, never mind—”
Erin interrupted her brother. “I don’t know why you think she’ll care, all he does is ride her ass

about something or other. No wonder she wanted to work for you instead of him. Seriously, Garrett,
his attitude with her is getting worse, not better. You should say something to him.”

Maria felt Garrett’s hands tense on her shoulders before he answered. “I’m sure . . . she can

handle him.” As Garrett’s touch remained stiff and his words came out even more so, Maria realized
that she wasn’t the only one who’d figured out that there were undertones to that particular
relationship.

“You can be so cold,” his sister condemned, obvious disappointment in her voice. “I expect it

from Nick, and certainly from Damian, but I thought that you’d side with Courtney on this.”

“On what, exactly?” Garrett bit out, obviously displeased with the direction of the conversation.
“He’s mean to her!” Erin snapped. “And there’s no reason for it. You’re never here. You have no

idea what she’s going through putting up with his attitude. It’s bullshit is what it is—”

Maria felt Garrett’s hands release her as he stepped closer to Erin. “You don’t get it?” he

questioned his sister in a low voice.

Erin’s eyes narrowed in total confusion. “Get what?”
Silence pulsed between the siblings and Maria had no difficulty reading the tension in Garrett’s

expression. She could tell he was trying to decide how much to say to his little sister. She held her
breath and waited.

“Never mind. I’ll say something to him, okay? Will that make you happy?” he asked with a

resigned tone.

Erin blew out a breath and her expression softened. “Yeah.”
Garrett smiled and took her in his arms again. “I’ve got work to do,” he announced as he hugged

her and ruffled her hair. “Catch you later, okay?”

“Okay,” she said as she turned to Maria with a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” Maria agreed, before Garrett grabbed her hand and pulled her away.
He wasted no time; he took her to his office and briefly introduced her to his secretary. Then he

brought her inside and shut the door. “I’m sorry, I’ve been gone a long time, I’ve got to take a look at
this stuff, okay?”

“Sure.”
“Make yourself comfortable,” he said, tipping his head toward the sitting area.
As Garrett sat behind his desk and began flipping through folders and clicking through his

computer, Maria walked around and sat down on the couch that faced the skyline of St. Louis. She
could see the Arch in the distance and the Mississippi River behind it. The sky was a beautiful
cerulean blue and she had to admit, the view from up here was arresting.

As she sank into the sofa cushions, she became lost in thought for a few moments until she heard

him mutter, “Shit.”

She looked away from the view and focused on him. “What’s wrong?”
He ran his hand through his hair as if he’d like to be any place other than sitting behind a desk.

“Same shit, another day.”

She shook her head and let out a laugh. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Decisions . . . this game is nothing but fucking decisions. You make the right one, you make

money. The wrong decision—not so much.”

Maria stood to her feet and wandered over, coming to stand next to him behind his desk. “What’s

so difficult?” she teased, both curious and unused to being unproductive during the day.

His eyes stayed on the computer, where a picture of the front of a hotel was prominent, but his arm

snaked out and wrapped around her, pulling her into his side.

She leaned into him, relaxing against him. “Are you thinking of buying that one?” she asked.
His hand ran up and down her hip. “Hmm? Yeah,” he answered, distractedly.
“So what’s holding you up?” She leaned in to get a better look. “The building looks well-

maintained.”

His hand slid further around her, caressing her upper thigh. “Yeah, it seems to be.” At the same

moment he clicked for the next picture, his hand caressed its way back to her hip, and Maria got the
idea he mind was on one thing while his body was on another.

She continued to look at the picture. “What city?”
“Raleigh, North Carolina.”
As he clicked to the next picture, Maria slid her hand to the back of his head and absently began

playing with his thick, dark hair. “I’m sure you’ve already checked the market demand for the area.
What about residential real estate? Have the property values risen?”

“Yeah. It’s all solid.”
“Is it close to an Interstate? Easily accessible?” she asked, breathing in his scent.
His hand clenched her butt cheek. “Yeah.”
She sucked in a breath. “What about competition? Not too much?”
“Very little,” he said, his fingers clenching again.
She licked her lips and attempted to stay on subject. “Well, I’m guessing The Rule Corporation

doesn’t have to worry about down payments or financials from that particular standpoint, right?”

He turned to her and lifted an eyebrow. “Right.”
“So, what’s the problem?” she asked again, noticing for the millionth time the gold flecks in his

eyes.

He swiveled his chair toward her and spread his legs. “I don’t know. I can’t pinpoint it.”
His arm sank around her waist and her palms fell against his chest as she tried not to smile.

“You’ve checked out the reviews and the room rates?”

His hand came up and encompassed her breast. “First thing.”
Her heart skipped a beat as his thumb brushed against her nipple. “Well, if you’ve done all your

homework and you still can’t decide, you know what you have to do, right?”

“What’s that?” he asked, his eyes falling to her breasts.
His thumb continued to stroke and she swallowed shakily. “You’ve got to check-in for a few days,

incognito,” Her eyes closed as her hips swayed into him. “Check out the food, the staffing, room—”
her breath hitched, “—room service.”

He palmed her breast again as the arm he held around her waist lifted and pulled her closer. “You

know your shit, don’t you?”

She leaned toward him and softly kissed him on the lips. “Only enough to be dangerous,” she

whispered, smiling.

His hand left her breast and sank into her hair. “You are dangerous,” he said with a hint of

something indeterminable in his voice. “Do you want to go with me?”

Her pulse accelerated. “Are you serious?”
“Sure. We can leave whenever,” he answered with a hint of satisfaction in his tone.
She licked her lips and took a deep breath. “Okay . . . can I ask you something?”
His eyes narrowed, a diabolical smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “What’s that?”
“Does that door have a lock on it?”
His eyes reflected heat. “Yeah.”
“And can I lock it?” she asked softly, holding her breath.

Chapter Ten

Could she lock it? Garrett’s cock came to immediate, screaming attention. “Yeah,” he got out

gruffly. She slid away from him and walked across the room with a grace that he knew she didn’t
even realize she had. As she flipped the deadbolt into place, he stood to his feet and waited as she
came back to him.

When she did nothing but stand in front of him, his dick engorged as his hands fell to her

shoulders. “What do have in mind?” Fuck, he’d agree to anything.

“I think you have a beautiful view,” she said softly as her eyes went to the window behind him.

“Yeah,” he bit out, not taking the time to look away from her.
“Can you sit in your chair?”
He didn’t need to be asked twice. He fell back into the seat, his blood pulsing hot and hard

through his veins at her possible intentions.

When she fell to her knees in front of him, he almost had a coronary. Just breathe, Rule. Her

hands went to the fastening of his slacks, and as she began fumbling inexpertly, a blush covered her
cheeks and his cock jerked in response. Did she have a clue? Did she understand that she held a
charm that was like an uncontrollable force reeling him in? Did she know that her softness
mesmerized him to such a degree that it had become a craving, a need he couldn’t resist?

Unable to wait much longer, he helped her to release his zipper, and then he made an adjustment,

getting himself ready for what she wanted.

She stared at his cock, making it jerk and throb for attention, but he knew that, this time, he’d need

more than her mouth on him, and he wanted to be ready. “Just a minute, baby.”

She glanced up at him, a flush on her face, and he pointed to the skirt she was wearing. “Panties.

Off.”

She licked her lips and he felt the immediate reaction in his guts. “This isn’t about me, Garrett.”
“No? I disagree. This is always about you. Take them off.”
As if she had a mind to drive him crazy, she turned away and lifted her skirt, and then, slowly,

exquisitely, she slid her panties down her hips and stepped out of them. She performed the maneuver
gracefully and modestly, and the fact that she’d done it without showing him anything was about to
make him pop his wad.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, and then brought her to her knees. “You sure you want

this?”

Her eyes flared in reaction and in answer to his question, she lowered her head. She wrapped her

hand around the base of his cock, and her lips enclosed the tip. She took a tentative taste and lust
surged through his bloodstream, landing with a force in his guts that almost brought him out of his
seat. He hardened even more, and with a small moan in response to his reaction, she took him inside
her mouth and began sucking.

His hands found the arms of his chair and he braced himself. He watched the dark fall of her hair

covering his lap, felt the wet heat of her mouth where he’d dreamed of it more times than he could
fucking count, and he knew that his life, in that moment, was as damn near to perfect as it would ever
get.

He let her have her way for maybe thirty more seconds, because that was all he could take without

coming. He’d have it that way one day soon . . . but for now, he needed to sink inside of her wet heat,
wanting to feel her come even more than he wanted his own satisfaction.

He was nearly at the end of his control, but he took about five more seconds for himself, thrusting

his hands into her hair and directing her movements, holding her there, pushing her down over him,
and when he knew he couldn’t trust himself anymore, he moved his hands to her upper arms and
pulled her up.

An almost-drugged look of desire lit her eyes when she opened them. “What?” she whispered, her

mouth shiny and swollen, trying to wriggle away from his tight hold, trying to go back down on him.

He groaned and lifted her, jerked her skirt up to her waist, pushed her thighs apart until she was

straddling him. He pushed his fingers into her hair, and with her eyes on his, told her what he wanted.
“Fuck me, baby.”

He felt her thighs quiver, and he held a hand at her back as he adjusted her to the place where he

wanted her. He felt her tight opening catch on the head of his cock; she was so hot, so wet, so clearly
ready for him. “That’s it, baby. I want you to come on me—I want you to fuck me.”

Her eyes flared as she began to slide onto him. It felt like magic, like heaven on earth, and he

knew in that split second he wasn’t going to be able to give her up any time soon, if ever. He saw his
life flash before his eyes, and in every frame, she was there, exactly where he wanted her to be.
Contentment bled with fierce arousal, and he gripped her harder. She was over him all the way now,
he was seated within her to the hilt. Lust ripped through his insides. His arms wrapped around her
and he was unable to control his voice. “Ride me.”

She let out a tiny mewl and lifted herself, sending a stroke of anticipation down his spine. She slid

back down and ecstasy hit his brain cells. He found her hips and began jerking her up and down,
gritting his teeth and dragging oxygen in and out of his lungs. “That’s it,” he panted. “That’s perfect.”

“Yes, perfect.” she moaned.
His hand slid back into her hair and he pulled her head back until she was looking straight into his

eyes. “Never again. Just me. Only me. You fuck me and only me, nobody else will ever touch you
again for as long as I live, you understand me?”

He felt her breath catch in her throat and then her eyes closed as euphoria engulfed them both.

****

Later that evening, they were sitting at a table in a restaurant overlooking the river. They’d

finished their entrees, and Maria was absently picking at a chocolate dessert she’d been unable to
resist, but now, under Garrett’s relentless observation, she found she couldn’t eat much of it. A bottle
of wine sat between them, but they’d barely touched it.

He picked up her free hand, and twirled her fingers through his. “So, I was thinking . . . “ he

trailed off and Maria’s stomach tensed. She kept her eyes firmly on her plate, her messed-up feelings
causing an imbalance that was sending darts of apprehension down her spine.

As she stared down, slowly moving the chocolate around, avoiding his eyes, he began again, his

fingers trailing over the hand he still held caught in his. “Why don’t you stay here . . . with me?”

Her fork fell from her fingers with a clatter as she glanced up. “I’m sorry . . . what?”
“It would be good—there’s plenty of room for both of us at the lake house.”
“You want me to move in with you?” No way. Well, sure, maybe, if he loved her. But the ‘L’

word hadn’t come up between them, and she wasn’t about to throw it out there first. What did she
want from him, exactly? Surely it was too soon to expect a declaration—but without one, she needed
to get home, back to the hotel.

“Why not?” He shrugged, and a look came over his features as if the conversation meant little to

him. His dispassionate reaction gave her no confidence.

“Because I live in Miami,” she said. “And run your hotel there, that’s why.” Give me something

definitive to build on, please.

“Shit changes, Maria. Nothing ever stays the same. We can get somebody else to run the hotel.”
Shit changes? That was hardly the declaration of love she was only now admitting to herself she

was looking for, although she had to give him points for using the ‘we’ pronoun, as if the hotel
belonged to them both. “I can’t just pick up and move here, Garrett.”

“Why not?” he asked again, his expression set in stone.
“I think a better question would be . . . why?” Please, please, please. Just say it, say something.
“Why?” He repeated as he released her hand and crossed his arms over his chest. “Because

distance sucks, that’s why.”

God, that was romantic. “That’s why airplanes were made,” she said defensively.
“I don’t want to get on a goddamn plane every time—” He stopped himself as if he was about to

say something that was too crude.

Maria held his eyes for as long as she could before looking away. She swore to God, she wasn’t

going to let a single tear fall. Wasn’t going to happen . She steeled her spine and composed herself,
and then looked at him once more. “Well, I don’t see any other way. You could move to Florida, I
guess.” Right. Like that was going to happen.

“I can’t move to Florida, Maria,” he said sharply.
“Well, I can’t move to St. Louis, Garrett.”
A sudden rush of anger sent a flush of heat over his face. “You could if you fucking wanted to,” he

accused.

“That’s undoubtedly true. If I had a good enough reason—but I don’t think hot sex is a good

enough reason, you know?” There. Take that.

He stared at her but had no comeback. He began drumming his fingers on the table as if pissed,

and when the waiter passed by, he raised his hand and signaled for the check, making her stomach
plummet in disappointment.

****

Two weeks later
Maria walked through the lobby on her way to her office. Why in the hell couldn’t she get her

mind off of Garrett and back on her job where it belonged? Could it possibly be because every day
since she’d boarded the plane that had brought her back to Miami, she’d received a text from him? A
text that read the same thing, day after day. Nobody touches

Always short and succinct. She’d never bothered responding. He knew where he could find her if

he wanted to see her, but she had to admit, just that one small form of communication from him every
day was reassuring.

“Maria,” Beth whispered and caught her arm as she rounded the corner of the reception desk.
“What’s up?” Maria stalled in her tracks at the flushed look on Beth’s face.
“You know Garrett just arrived?” the girl whispered, looking around as if they were telling top

secrets.

A whole mess of crap emotions exploded in Maria’s head. “When?”
“About fifteen minutes ago. I texted you,” Beth said, frowning, letting her know she hadn’t

bothered answering.

That was sort of true. Maria hadn’t bothered looking at her phone. “Is he upstairs? Or in the

offices?”

“Upstairs,” Beth answered. “There’s another thing,” the girl went on, whispering again. “That

man is waiting for you in your office.”

Maria stalled in her tracks again. “What man?”
Beth looked as if she’d seen a flesh-eating zombie. “That guy from the Keys. Maximo Villareal.”
“He’s here? Now?” Maria asked, dumbstruck. Two arrogant men in one day? Great. Lucky her.
“Yes,” Beth hissed in a whisper, jerking her head toward the back offices.
“How long has he been here?”
“Maybe three minutes.” Beth answered, still in a whisper. “I sent you a text,” Beth said again,

accusingly.

Maria ignored that. “Did he ask for Garrett?” she asked uneasily.
In answer, Beth began shaking her head, her eyes wide.
“He asked for me?” Maria heard herself all but screech.
“Yes,” the other woman said firmly.
“Why?” she asked, although Maria knew the other woman probably wouldn’t have the answer.
Beth bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders, a perplexed look on her face.
“Okay.” Maria said, taking a breath. “No time like the present, I guess. Look, if we’re still in

there in ten minutes, knock on the door and make up an excuse to get me out of there, okay?”

“You got it.” Beth agreed, her eyes lighting with a fire that told Maria the girl would protect her if

she could.

“Thanks.” Maria turned away and ran her hands down her skirt, smoothing a wrinkle as she

walked to her meeting on low-heeled shoes. As she glanced inside her office, the office Garrett had
used, she saw the man sprawled in one of the chairs that faced the desk.

“Hello,” she announced as cheerfully as possible as she entered the room, leaving the door wide

open.

Maximo Villareal stood to his feet and a smile appeared on the hard planes of his face. But for

whatever reason, the smile didn’t seem to touch his eyes and Maria felt her stomach drop in reaction.
“Miss Alvarez,” he said, inclining his head.

Maria stopped to shake his hand and felt a slight trepidation run down her spine. When he

released her, she sat behind her desk and asked, “How may I help you, Mr. Villareal?”

“Max, please.”
She inclined her head infinitesimally. “Max,” she agreed, lifting her hand to indicate he should

take his seat.

When he walked around her desk and leaned against it, not a foot away from where she sat, Maria

felt her heckles rise. “The chair is uncomfortable?” she asked in challenge.

“No, it’s fine,” he said as his gaze raked over her.
Even though his face was couched into a smile, his eyes were cold and distant, and Maria got the

unwavering impression that whatever he was feeling, whatever he was doing here, it had little to do
with her. “Might I suggest you take your seat then?” she asked with a saccharine smile.

In answer, he lifted himself from his indolent position and sauntered a couple of feet away, but

remained standing. Turning to face her, he announced, “I’m sure there’s no need for me to beat around
the bush—I’d like for you to come work for me.”

Surprise and an arrow of disbelief had her wondering about his machinations. “You hardly know

me.”

“Yes, but what I do know of, I appreciate,” he answered precisely. “Good employees are most

difficult to come by, I’m sure you’re aware.”

“Yes, I am.” She stared straight at him without blinking. “I sincerely appreciate it, but I like my

position here—I’m content.”

He studied her, almost knowingly. “You seem very loyal to the Rule Corporation.”
There was something in his tone that was sending a chill down her spine. “I’d say I’m loyal to the

hotel, although the Rules seem like a lovely family, from what little I’ve seen.”

It was as if an arctic blast hit his features. “Yes, three brothers who are quite close, I believe.”
Christ, he was making her antsy. How soon could she get rid of him? “Yes, and a mother and

younger sister whom they love very much, as well.”

He seemed to freeze where he stood. “A younger sister?”
The question that should have been innocuous somehow sounded threatening, coming from him.

Damn, she should have told Beth five minutes, instead of ten. Taking a deep breath, she stood to her
feet, preparing to usher him out. “Thank you so much for your kind offer—”

Her words were cut off when he reached out and took her hand. “I assure you that I’d pay you

quite well—I think you should hear me out.” As he smiled down at her, Maria heard a sound at the
door, but he continued, “I’d really love to take you to the Keys with me.”

Silently thanking God that Beth hadn’t listened to her and had interrupted early, Maria relaxed

slightly, about to turn him down once again, rising from her chair to dismiss her unwanted visitor.

She never got the chance.
In two seconds flat, a masculine, brawny arm wrapped around her from behind, pulling her away

from Villareal. Maria recognized the touch and scent instantly, even though she hadn’t seen his face.
Garrett yanked her back and placed her behind him and confronted Max. “What the fuck do you think
you’re doing?”

From her position, Maria recognized the look of malice on the man’s face as Garrett confronted

him. His spine seemed to stiffen and his muscles tensed. Shit. These two definitely weren’t friends.
“Putting a proposal to Miss Alvarez,” Villareal enunciated clearly, his words deliberately taunting.

Garrett’s shoulders seemed to grow a mile wide. “I told you to stay away from her, motherfucker

—”

A look of loathing directed at Garrett came over the other man’s face and Maria was more than

alarmed by it. “I don’t want to sleep with her, Rule. I want her to come work for me.”

“Work for you? Bullshit. Get the fuck out before I break every bone in your goddamn body.”
Villareal raised a single eyebrow as he stared Garrett down. Maria held her breath, expecting

violence at any moment. And then finally, to her relief, the other man glanced at her, and with a small
hint of respect in his eyes that hadn’t been there when he’d looked at Garrett, he dipped his head in
her direction, turned and walked out of the room.

Maria let out a ragged breath and sank into the closest chair, one that faced her desk. Feeling

lightheaded, she dropped her head down and began breathing slowly and evenly.

Garrett strode to the door and flipped the lock and then came back to her, going down on his

haunches in front of her. “Are you all right?”

“I think so.”
“Did he hit up on you? Tell me the truth . . . I want to kill the motherfucker—just give me a

reason.”

Still hanging her head low, she shook it. “I didn’t—”
“Didn’t what?”
“I didn’t feel any sexual interest coming from him . . . I think he honestly just wanted me to come

to work for him.”

“There’s nothing honest about that guy.”
“I didn’t get the feeling that any of it was about me,” she elaborated. “It almost seemed as if he

wanted to inconvenience you by taking me away from the hotel.” She lifted her head and looked into
Garrett’s eyes. “He hates you.”

“Yeah?” he asked as if unconcerned. “I don’t care what his problem is with me. As long as he

didn’t make a move on you—”

“He didn’t,” she assured, running her eyes over him, drinking him in. Two weeks was too long.
He took a breath, his hands clenching on her thighs through the material of her skirt. “This shit

wouldn’t have happened if you’d been with me.”

A helpless feeling of remorse landed in her stomach. “I can’t be with you all the time.”
His features hardened. “That’s bullshit. All you have to do is make a choice—”
Her body jerked reflexively. “What choice? To be your travelling sex doll?”
An offended look immediately encompassed his features. “My sex doll?” Without waiting for her

to speak, he pulled her from the chair and backed her up against the wall. “My sex doll?”

She hung against the sheetrock, breathing so rapidly she began to feel lightheaded again.
“That’s what you think, Maria? That’s what you think this is all about? You think I just want to get

my rocks off? Has it occurred to you that I can get laid anytime, anywhere?” His hand sank into her
hair. “I love you, goddammit.”

The words hit Maria in the solar plexus, and her breathing stalled for a moment. When she sucked

in a breath, a rush of joy bled through her veins that landed solidly in her heart. “You love me?”

He pushed out a bitter laugh. “Have you been blind, baby?”
“That’s not nice,” she whispered, her emotions in upheaval.
“I don’t feel nice. I feel pissed. I feel like I want you with me all the fucking time and all you give

a shit about is this fucking hotel.”

She swallowed harshly. “That’s not true.”
“Then why the fuck won’t you come live with me in St. Louis, travel me with, be with me?” he

asked, fire in his eyes.

Maria stared at him, confused. “Because—because I didn’t know—didn’t think—”
“Didn’t think I loved you?”
She stared up at him, unable to hide the answer in her eyes.
His mouth firmed into a thin line. “I do love you. How the hell do you think I could feel this

obsession for someone I didn’t love?”

“I don’t know,” she answered softly.
His hand snaked up and he palmed her breast. “So here’s the question,” he inhaled deeply, his

eyes serious, “You feel anything in return?”

Her pulse quickened as she stared up at him. “Yes,” she admitted softly.
“Yeah?” he asked shortly. “You want to be more specific?”
Maria felt her lips lift into a smile. She bit her bottom lip as her face turned hot. She braced

herself and said, “I love you.”

“Well, thank fuck for that,” he said, just before his mouth fell to hers. He kissed her hotly, roughly

for about thirty seconds, devouring her mouth, before suddenly, his touch on her turned gentle.

He lifted his head and stared into her eyes. “I should probably be completely honest,” he said in a

voice that sounded as if it was costing him.

Maria swallowed, her muscles tensing for something bad. “You probably should.”
He reached down, took her hands in his and lifted them above her head, plastering them to the

wall. He pushed between her legs and stared down at her. “The last two weeks have been the worst
two weeks of my life.” His mouth tightened. “And I’ve had some bad weeks, baby. I’m not going
through that shit again. I’m not prepared to take the chance that someone might try to steal you away
from me. I’d just be scared and pissed all the time.” He took a deep breath and bit out, “I’m not going
to be satisfied until there’s a ring on your finger.”

An arrow of joy and relief pierced through her heart. She lifted her chin and throwing his words

back at him, she challenged, “You want to be more specific?”

His face split into a smile. Releasing one of her hands, he put his fingers under her chin and stared

into her eyes, his smile dissolving as a serious quality took over his expression. “I love you, Maria
Alvarez. Will you marry me?”

Pleasure, in its purest form held her in its grip. She reached out and hit his shoulder, before

wrapping her arm around his neck in a stranglehold. “Why, Mr. Rule, I thought you’d never ask.”

Epilogue

Seven years later
Garrett knocked on the bathroom door, while keeping one eye on his kids who were running

around the hotel suite like proverbial chickens with their heads cut off. “Maria—are you ready,
babe?”

“Almost,” she answered through the door.
“Well, hurry up. The kids are going to tear the place down if we don’t get them to the pool pretty

soon.”

“I’m almost ready. Just give me a sec—” her words stopped when he opened the door and stuck

his head in.

He felt his body harden as he looked her up and down. “You think you’re wearing that?” he asked

through gritted teeth. He usually loved the vacations they took to Miami. But this time . . . not so
much.

She looked at herself in the mirror and tilted her head as if the choice were entirely hers. When

would she ever get it? “I think so,” she said absently, as if she hadn’t decided yet.

He ran his eyes over her ripe curves. Curves that had only gotten better since childbirth and

motherhood. Curves that never failed to turn him on. “Nope,” he bit out.

She turned to look at him. “Nope? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re not wearing it. It’s a string-fucking-bikini, Maria,” he exaggerated, maybe a bit

too harshly.

“No, it’s not,” she laughed.
“It’s a bikini,” he qualified, his gaze glued to her breasts.
She rolled her eyes. “No, it’s not.”
“It’s a two-piece,” he accused, not about to give in.
She turned back to the mirror and frowned. “It’s a tankini—”
“I don’t give a shit what you want to call it. You’re not wearing it down to the pool.”
“What’s got you so riled all of a sudden?” she asked with an edge of concern.
“Nothing,” his mouth flattened. “I’m going to sell the goddamn hotel,” he threatened under his

breath.

She choked off a bark of laughter and turned back to him. “You can’t,” she smiled like the cat that

had gotten the cream. “You gave it to me for a wedding present, remember?”

Son-of-a-bitch. He had done that. He’d purchased it from the corporation and then gifted it to his

wife. He couldn’t sell it. His hands were tied. “Whatever. You’re not wearing that.”

She studied him for a moment as if gauging his temperature. Taking a few steps forward, she

poked her head into the suite and very briefly checked on the kids before pulling him into the
bathroom with her. She shut the door with a quiet ‘click’. “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing,” he denied.
“Garrett,” she said softly, trying to wrangle an answer from him.
Damn it. “They checked in. I saw them.”

Her brows creased. “Who?”
“The Calderons. The older couple and their whole damn family. That fucker who’s always been

so into you is with them.”

Her face lit up with a pleased smile. “Really? I haven’t seen them in years.”
“Yeah, well, the first time isn’t going to be in a bright red bikini—”
“Tankini,” she corrected, looking back to the mirror.
As if it made a damn difference. “Maria,” he growled.
“Yes?” she asked, using that innocent tone that drove him wild.
“Are you trying to drive me insane?”
Her eyes cut to his and she looked at him from under her lashes. “Always.”
He felt the hit just like he always had. Like it was an addiction, a compulsion, an obsession that he

couldn’t shake . . . that he never wanted to shake. He grabbed her by the hand and twirled her until her
back was against the door and he was standing over her. “Baby?”

“Yeah?” she asked, panting, gratifying him to no end.
“You want to wear the bikini?” he bit out.
“Yes.” Her eyes flared as if they were about to play a game that she liked.
“All right.” He palmed the heat between her legs and squeezed. “On one condition.”
Her hands landed on his pecs, where she was undoubtedly able to feel his heart beating. “What’s

that?” she asked as she caressed his chest.

“If he comes to the pool room and sees you, you can greet him—you can even be nice to him, but

then you come and sit on my lap.”

“That’s kind of rude and in-your-face,” she accused, but he could tell she was trying not to smile.
“Yeah? You think I give a fuck?” He took a breath. “And two—”
“Two? You said ‘one condition’.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I lied. Two conditions.”
She bit off another spill of laughter. “What?”
“Later. After the kids are asleep, I’m going to peel the damn suit off with my teeth, got it?”
As she studied him, her smile dissolved and her gaze became intent. “Okay,” she agreed

seriously.

He ran his eyes over her beauty that had him well and truly addicted. “Baby?”
“Yeah?”
He lowered his head. “I love you.”
She sucked in a breath and lifted her face to his. “I love you, too.”
His lips landed on hers as his arms wrapped around her.
Satisfaction and pure pleasure held him in its grip. Life was good. Marriage was even better. His

wife was perfect. Every other thought other than Maria disappeared from his brain as contentment
washed over him. He began kissing her the way she liked it best, the way he liked it best, the way that
had him happily addicted. Forever.

The End

####

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The House of Rule, Book Four

2015

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An excerpt from Rule’s Obsession, Book one of The House of Rule

The limo pulled in front of her apartment and idled, the privacy screen drawn up to provide a

seclusion that Angie wasn’t quite comfortable with. The rest of the evening had been long and
tedious, only because Angie’s nerves were affected. After the scene with the Robertson guy, the party
had sailed smoothly with everyone else accepting her and including her as if she were one of their
own.

She pasted on a smile and held out her hand, determined to give Damian a business-like shake

before she went inside. “Well, good-bye.”

He glanced down with a maddening hint of arrogance, his gaze riveted on her face before

dropping to examine every inch of her. Something intense flared between them and her heart jolted,
the prolonged anticipation of his touch almost unbearable. Slowly, he put his palm against hers,
wrapping his fingers around her hand, squeezing, but not letting go. “Are you planning on escaping
with a handshake?” His voice was deep yet smooth, melting her insides where she sat.

Her pulse pounded and she could barely form a word when she thought about what he might be

inferring. “Yes?” The word that should have been an affirmation sounded like a question, even to her
own ears.

He frowned as if he couldn’t fathom that she might want to escape from him. “After all those hot

little looks you gave me from across the dinner table?”

He’d given her hot looks all evening as well, and even now, the expression on his face was both

seductive and filled with virile appeal. “I thought that’s what you wanted from me. You said it had to
look real.”

His steady gaze bore into her, making her stomach tingle. “You went far beyond what I expected,

though.”

Was it apparent to him that any acting on her part hadn’t been necessary? Mortification filled her

and she attempted to divert him from the truth. “I’m sorry. I’ve never taken acting classes or anything.
I was flying by the seat of my pants.”

“Yeah, but now for the sixty-four thousand dollar question.” He slid a single finger down her

cheek. “Was it all an act?”

The smoldering flame in his eyes was beginning to panic her. This would so not be a good idea,

no matter what the tingle between her thighs was telling her. “What . . . what do you mean?”

“Your hot little looks indicated you wanted nothing more than to get me naked.” He glanced up

from her lips and his eyes caught and captured hers. “Is that the way it is or did I misread you?”

Damn. “Um . . . “
“It would be good, you know?”
Jesus, he smelled good. Concentrate, Angie. “Yeah, but it wouldn’t be a good idea,” she

managed to say, her eyes glued to his.

“I agree with you.” Angie’s heart almost stopped when his fingers dropped to the top swell of her

breast. Without looking away from her eyes, his thumb flicked just once against her nipple and she
froze. “It’s a bad idea.” His gaze dropped to her breast as he hissed out, “It’s a fucked-up idea.”

Angie attempted to maintain control though it was all but impossible; her heart was racing so fast

she could barely speak. “Bad idea . . . nothing in common,” she rattled.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” His palm enclosed her breast entirely and he squeezed just hard enough

that the immediate pleasure she felt was enhanced by a tiny frisson of pain. His gaze lifted and stayed
riveted to her eyes as he rasped, “We have one thing in common.” He squeezed again, his thumb
spearing across her nipple. “We want to fuck each other so badly we can hardly stand it.”

Rule’s Obsession: Book One of The House of Rule; Available now

****

From Lynda Chance:

Pursuit (The first meeting and romance of Logan and Lauren)

Marco’s Redemption

The Rancher’s Virgin Acquisition (historical)

Under the Cowboy’s Control

The Mistress Mistake

The House of Rule

Rule’s Obsession: Book One (Damian and Angie)

Rule’s Property: Book Two (Nick and Courtney)

Rule’s Addiction: Book Three (Garrett and Maria)

The Redwood Falls Series

Josh and Hannah: Book One

An Eye for an Eye (Zach and Katie’s story) Book Two

The Sheriff and the Innocent Housekeeper (historical novella)

His Indecent Proposal (contemporary novella)

The Ranchers of Chatum County

Staking His Claim (novella)

Sarah’s Surrender

The Louisiana Liaisons novellas:

Seduced by the American Millionaire, Blackmailed into Bed, Bedded by the Boss

The Temptation In Texas short stories:

The Thrill of the Chase (a trilogy of short stories)

Logan and Lauren

Mike and Megan

A Logan and Lauren Christmas Special 2014

****

You might also enjoy:

The Diamondback Ranch series by Anne Marie Novark

Document Outline