Author: Jaci Burton

“Oh. Bad move, princess. Never mess with a client and his woman.”

Elizabeth raised her glass. “Amen to that. Lesson learned the hard way. I figured out I don’t know everything. Imagine that.”

Tori laughed. “Well, our egos do get the best of us sometimes, and we like to think we can walk on water, cure cancer, negotiate the best contract for our client, and do it in killer high heels.”

“When will we learn we can’t have it all?”

“Why can’t we?”

Elizabeth shot Tori a direct look. “Do you? Do you really have everything you’ve ever wanted?”

“Of course. I have a career I love, tons of money, a great apartment in New York, incredible clothes, amazing friends, and I take ridiculous vacations. What more could I want?”

“So you don’t feel like you sacrificed a husband and kids to get what you wanted?”

“No. I date fabulous men all the time, have great sex, and then I boot them out the door when I get bored with them. And I don’t have a single maternal bone in my body. My younger sister has three beautiful children whom I adore and can visit in Connecticut whenever I feel the need to cuddle little ones. Believe me, that cures me of any feelings I might have ever had that I was missing something. And men have about a six month shelf life in my world.”

Elizabeth laughed. “So you’re perfectly content.”

“Perfectly. But it sounds like you’re not. Biological clock ticking?”

“I never thought so before. I was always happy with my life.”

Tori took a swallow of her martini. “That must mean there’s a man in it who’s making you think of husband and babies.”

“Oh, hell no.”

Tori laughed. “Liar. It’s written all over your face. My God, Elizabeth. You’re in love.”

“I am not. I’m in lust.”

“Lust never makes you think of babies, Liz. Maybe you’d better reevaluate this relationship you’re in.”

“I’m not in a relationship.”

“Again. Liar. Written all over that beautiful face of yours. Time to sit back and figure out what you really want out of life. Maybe a career as a sports agent isn’t it.”

“God, Tori. Sometimes I hate you.”

Tori smiled at her over the rim of her glass. “No, you don’t. You love me because I never lie to you like you lie to yourself.”

Shit. She was going to have to work harder at keeping her facial expressions in check, or the next thing she knew Gavin would find out how she felt.

And that could never, ever happen.

ELIZABETH FELT BOTH PENSIVE AND REENERGIZED after her lunch with Tori.

How could she have ever thought that she didn’t like women or that she put more value on her relationships with men than with women? She could have never had a conversation with a man like she’d had with Tori today. No man could understand the drive and ambition and sheer willpower it had taken to rise to the top like Tori did. Nor could any man ever understand the yearnings Elizabeth had. Yet with one look at her face, Tori got it. She may not have the same cravings Elizabeth had, but she identified.

There was nothing like a little female empowerment to spark the creative juices, as well as a cold slap of reality across her face to make her realize that maybe she couldn’t have it all.

She loved her career, had loved it since the moment she’d stepped foot through the agency doors as a green newbie not knowing what the hell she was doing but knowing this was the only thing she’d ever wanted to do with her life.

She’d loved sports, had always loved them. She loved contract law and marketing, and the marriage of all three meant being a sports agent was a win on all counts. She couldn’t see herself doing anything else for the rest of her life.

Until the night she’d slept with Gavin. And every night since, she’d felt a tug in her priorities. Her wants and needs were starting to shift, and she was beginning to think of other things besides her career.

And she wasn’t certain if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

All she knew was she’d been at this conference for three days and she was missing Gavin. He was on the road, too, and had texted her and called her.

Like it or not, they were in a relationship, for whatever that was worth.

It was starting to feel like it was worth a lot.

And that scared the hell out of her because her world was tilting on its axis.

EIGHTEEN

GAVIN HAD A BOUQUET OF FLOWERS IN HIS HAND WHEN he went to Elizabeth’s condo. It had been almost a week since he’d seen her, and he missed her so much he ached inside.

Now he stood at her door with flowers in his hand. How ridiculous was that? He wasn’t a flowers kind of guy. A bottle of Jack Daniel’s, maybe, especially if there was going to be some hard partying involved. But flowers? Not unless it was Mother’s Day and he was going to see his mom.

He thought about going back to his car and tossing the flowers in the backseat. She’d laugh.

Fuck it. He rang the doorbell.

She answered a few seconds later, a bright smile on her face.

God, she looked good in a black sundress with tiny yellow print on the fabric. High heels of course. And her hair was down.

She glanced at the bouquet and her smile brightened. She lifted her gaze to his. “You brought me flowers.”

“Yeah.”

She grabbed his free hand and pulled him inside, shut the door, wrapped her hand around the nape of his neck, and put her lips on his, sending him into a quick buzz of arousal. All he’d done for the past week was think about her—her smell, her taste, the way her lips and her body moved against him. He thought about her smile, her laugh, the way they argued with each other, and how much she irritated him.

She tasted like mint and wine, and he sucked in a breath at the same time he was gut punched by how much he’d missed her. He swept his arm around her and pulled her close, his body and his mind swamped with sensation and emotion.

When she pulled back, she licked her lips and took the flowers from his hand, laid them on the table next to the door and wound both her arms around him.

“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but all I’ve done is think about you.”

He liked hearing it. “Why shouldn’t you tell me? I’ve thought about you, too. I think you probably have about fifty text messages from me.”

She shuddered out a sigh. “I know. I saved them all. I feel like a teenager. How pathetic am I?”

“I should probably just dump my balls into your hand.”

“I should hand over my feminist card because they’re going to kick me out of the club.”

He laughed, swept her into his arms, and carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. It was still early enough that sunlight streamed in through the gauzy curtains at her windows. He stood her in front of them and admired the halo of light around her hair.

God, he was poetic now. If he didn’t fuck her soon, he might cry like a girl.

“I know you dressed all pretty for me, and you look great, but I’m going to strip your dress off and get you naked and messy.”

She moved closer, wriggled against him. “Oooh. Can’t wait.”

He pulled the straps of the dress down her arms and reached behind to unzip it. It floated to the floor and she stepped out of it.

It was a good thing he was a young guy with a strong heart, because she wore a black and yellow bra with matching panties. Christ, even her shoes matched. She fell onto the bed and spread her legs, leaving those dangerous heels on.

Gavin stepped forward and skimmed his hands along her calves and thighs, lifting her legs to get a look at her shoes.

“You buy underwear to match your shoes now?”

She giggled. “Sometimes.”

“You never fail to surprise me, woman.”

“I hope not.”

He swept his hands down her legs, so smooth and soft, then laid them back on the bed, spreading them apart so he could stand between them. She planted her heels in the side slat of the bed and lifted her hips to him.

He slid his thumb over the bright yellow and black silk of her panties, found her clit. She hissed as he brushed his thumb back and forth over the hard bud; she let out a soft cry when he tucked his fingers under the lace to touch her soft flesh. When he moistened his fingers with her juices and circled her clit, her hand shot around his wrist.

“There. Right there. Don’t stop.”

He rubbed the bud back and forth, and she arched against him, dancing against his finger.

“Gavin, I need to come. I’ve held off all week just waiting for you.”

There was such power in a woman demanding to be pleasured. But he wanted to taste her, wanted to peel off her panties and bury his face between her legs. That’s how he wanted her to come.

He pulled his fingers away and she whimpered, but when he drew her panties down her legs, her eyes blazed emerald fire.

She lifted up on her elbows and widened her legs for him, panting as he shouldered his way between them.

“Yes. Lick me. Make me come.”

She reached for his head and slid her fingers in his hair, pulling him down to her pussy.

Oh, yeah. She really needed it. Her desperation made his dick pound, because that meant she’d waited for him, that she needed him. The ego boost made him want to slide his cock inside her, made his need to come almost as strong as hers.

But Elizabeth was going to come first.

He swiped his tongue along her soft flesh, inhaling the sweet aroma of her arousal, licking every secret fold as he made his way to the tight button that would rocket her into a climax. She tensed, lifted her butt off the mattress, and shoved her pussy against his face.

“Please,” she murmured. Her back arched, and her knuckles were white with strain.

He swept his arms under her legs and lifted her pussy, then drove his tongue inside her, fucking her with long strokes, using every part of his face to rub against her. When he felt her shaking, when he knew she was close, he swept his tongue across her pussy lips and up to her clit, then covered it with his lips and sucked, sending her over the edge.

She came with a wild cry, bucking against his face and tearing at the sheets. He loved watching her come apart, her sweet flavor filling his mouth, and knowing he could give her this release. And when she finally settled, he crawled up her body, peppering it with light kisses, giving her time to catch her breath.

He leaned over her, and she took a big breath, sighed, then grinned up at him.

“That might have been worth waiting a week for.”

He arched a brow. “We’re not done.”

GOOD GOD. WHAT A WELCOME-HOME PRESENT. ELIZABETH was certain she’d just had the best orgasm of her life.

Then again, every orgasm Gavin gave her always seemed like the very best she’d ever had.

He was the best she’d ever had. No surprise there. Maybe being in love with someone upped the climax factor. She’d always heard sex was better with someone you loved. She’d just never believed it.

Now she did.

One orgasm down, and his hair brushed her belly. She slid her hands in the lush softness of it. She loved his hair, could never tire of running her fingers through it.

He bent over her and licked her breasts around the lacy cups of her bra.

“Mmm, that’s nice,” she murmured.

And when he surged forward and took the strap of her bra between his teeth and dragged it over her shoulder, she felt herself melting, desire screaming to life.

If that wasn’t the sexiest damn thing, especially when he grabbed the other bra strap and did the same thing, then reached underneath her, popped the clasp like a champion, and pulled the bra from her body—again with his teeth.

Yowza.

He moved to her neck and kissed her there, then dragged his tongue across her throat, down her collarbone, and to her breasts. He licked her nipples, sucked them, took her breasts in his hands and used his fingers, his thumbs, his mouth on them until every nerve ending in her body screamed to the heavens.