“I know. Thank you. That means a lot.”

She was staring down at her hands and he could tell there was something more on her mind. He wished he could get her to open up to him. She’d always told him what she was thinking, what was bothering her. So what had changed between them that she couldn’t talk to him now?

He reached over and grasped her hand. “Mia.”

She lifted her head and looked over at him. “Nothing’s wrong, Nathan. Actually, things between us are fine. It really is just work that has me tense.”

He wasn’t sure that was true, but if she didn’t want to talk about the two of them, he wouldn’t push her on it. “What’s going on with work?”

“Women in Business magazine wants to do a profile interview on me.”

His lips curved. “Really? That’s not a bad thing, is it?”

“Well, no. But it’s giving me the worst anxiety.”

“Come on, Mia. You’ll sail right through that interview. You know your business inside and out, and you can sell it with a smile and confidence.”

She inhaled, then let it out. “Maybe you can do it for me. With a smile and confidence.”

He laughed. “Not my area. But I’ll be happy to be the practice interviewer for you. When are they coming?”

“Wednesday. Which means I have two days to prepare for it.”

“Okay. So tell me why you decided to start up a sports management company, Ms. Cassidy.”

She arched a brow. “Oh, we’re doing this now?”

“Why not?”

She placed her hands in her lap. “I’ve always loved sports. My family is a dynasty of professional athletes, including my father. I know everything there is to know about sports.”

“Is that right? Who won the football championship the year you were born?”

“That’s easy. Dallas.”

His lips curved. “Somehow I knew you’d know that. Okay, who won the year after that?”

“Dallas. Again.”

“Oh, you’re good, Ms. Cassidy.”

“Thank you.”

He questioned her for about forty-five minutes on all kinds of trivia, from baseball to basketball to hockey and even on golf and the Olympics. Her knowledge was impressive. Of course, they’d always talked sports in college so he was aware of her knowledge, but he quizzed her as if he didn’t know her, asking her how she had prepared to launch a start-up, what her goals were. She did well.

He finally took a break and finished off his water. “I think you’ve got this. You come off knowledgeable and passionate, but not arrogant. It’s clear you love what you do and you care about athletes and their careers.”

“I hope so.”

“Then relax.”

She stood, smoothing her hands down her skirt. “Easier said than done.”

“Maybe you need a drink, ease some of that tension.”

She walked over to her desk. “And maybe you’re just trying to get me drunk so you can get into my pants.”

“Ha. You’re not wearing pants. And I really did come by today just to talk. Which we’ve been doing.”

“I appreciate you coming by. And I was happy to show you the office. You know I’ve wanted to do that ever since we opened.”

“You’ve done great for yourself, Mia. I’m impressed as hell.”

Her smile was like a beam of sunlight. It always made him happy when she smiled like that.

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“Now let’s go get a drink. Drag some of your coworkers with us.”

“Okay. Hang on.”

She left the office, so he got up and looked out her windows. It was well after office hours, so he looked down at the street level. There were still a lot of people rushing to BART or buses or just walking somewhere. Downtown was always busy this time of day. One of his favorite things to do as a kid had always been to watch people, to wonder where they were headed. He’d always loved going into the city. The noise and rush of people had always energized him.

Maybe that’s why he loved standing in the center of a filled-to-capacity football stadium. He drew strength from that crush of a noisy stadium. It fueled him.

“So . . . the office is empty.”

He turned to see Mia leaning against the doorway.

“Is that right?”

“Yes. I checked everywhere and no one’s here. I guess everyone left for the day. I hadn’t realized it was after six.”

“It was nearly five when I showed up here.”

“Really. Time got away from me today. I told you we’ve been busy.”

He got up and closed her door, then pushed the button to lock it. “You need some relaxation time. Maybe you should consider putting in a spa.”

She laughed. “Oh, right. That’s exactly what we need in here.”

He shrugged. “Might as well. You have everything else.”

He took her by the hands and led her over to her desk, leaning her butt up against it. “So while we’ve been in here, I’ve been thinking about having you on your desk.”

“And by having me, you mean fucking me on my desk?”

Just hearing her say the words made his dick harden. “Yeah.”

“You have a dirty mind, Nathan Riley.”

“I know. That’s why you like me.”

“No, that’s not why I like you.”

When he gave her a direct look, she said, “Okay, it’s not the only reason I like you.”

He closed her laptop and shifted it to the side of her desk, along with a few pens and her planner. Then he stepped in between her legs, wrapping his arm around her.

“You can’t deny it’d be hot to fuck on your desk. Then, every time you’re sitting here at work, you’d think about us having sex here.”

She kicked off her shoes and wrapped a leg around his hip. “That could be a distraction. I’m not sure I need any distractions.”

He cupped the side of her neck, coming in closer to brush his lips across hers. “This is a good distraction.”

As he talked to her, he listened to the way her breathing changed, going from even breathing to short gasps, signaling her desire. Yeah, she wanted this as much as he did. Her leg was wrapped around him and her pelvis hitched up against his cock so she could rub her pussy against him. He was already hard as steel and he wanted nothing more than to release his cock and plunge inside of her. The scent of sex filled the air around them.

“So is that a yes?” he asked.

She tilted her head back, and raw desire was reflected in her beautiful blue eyes.

“Put your cock where your words are, Nathan, and fuck me. Right here on the desk.”

He laid her back on her desk and lifted her dress, revealing hot purple underwear that matched her dress.

“You are so fucking sexy, Mia.”

He pulled her underwear down and off, laying it on her office chair, then dragged her forward so her butt rested on the edge of her desk. Then he pulled a condom out of his pocket.

Mia eyed the condom, then turned her attention to him. “Did you come in here today with plans to seduce me?”

He unzipped his jeans and shoved them, along with his boxer briefs, over his hips. “I always have plans to seduce you.” He put the condom on and stepped between her legs, lifting them as he fit himself inside of her. Damn it felt good to ease into her, to feel the way they fit together. It was always perfect.

“After being caught in the coat closet together without a condom, I swore that was never going to happen again.”

Her lips curved and she arched upward against him. “I’m glad you were prepared today.”

“Me, too. Because I needed to be inside of you, to feel your pussy tightening around my cock and to listen to those sounds you make when I move inside of you.”

She made those sounds as he thrust, the sweetest moans and gasps that made his cock spasm.

Not yet. Not when those little white buttons on her dress needed to be undone.

“When I first came into the office and saw you, these things caught my attention.”

He leaned over and laid one palm on the desk, still moving inside of her while he used the other hand to pop the first button on her dress.