he custodians to the people who work at the coffee shop to the information technology staff to the board of tr

for me in the future, not dread it and jump ship from

weekend because I told him I never had and always

ra finishes preparing my ba

r it. You keep h

Mr. Ashfor

Wish I wasn't so fucking embarrassed around him, but I've never ever acted on a crush be

ory River's straight. And sure, I know you can't always judge a book by its co

. You know she's off limits and he knows you'd never do it, so it allows you to be a little more open, a little l

int, but a year later, when Jenna Wilde kissed me, I felt nothing. No excitement, no thrills, no repetition necessary. Her lips were too yielding, and although she made the initial advance, she seemed to be waiting for me to assert control, and I did not like being put

as completely broken, but those pesky sparks immediately returned as Liam's hard lips met min

e in life if I wished to remain the heir to his multi-billion-dollar empire. And as always, instead of coming to my defense, my mother, Vivienne Ashford, pretended that the fight wa

d to a hotel room. My grandfather purchased this building sixty years ago, and it probably represented the soundest financial decision either he or my father

w, squinting as if I can s

what he

ich is where I should be. And to my desk, I return, boot up my computer, and soak up the reassuring noises: the whir of my mini-fridge, air blowing through

vel, my thoughts still keep drifting to River. Asking myself how

bly be creeped out to heck a

because, regretfully, I stil

rning. I also must figure out how not to be creeper than hell before I speak with him a

over, I head to the parking deck reinforcing to myself that I wa

car based on the weather. Still dwelling on the fact, I feel a little embarrassed arriving at the parking lot of Moreno Custom Garage thir

hé,

rned into a torrent. Umbrella-less and ignorant of the weather report, I hop out of the car as fast as

he back of the counter. The instant our eyes meet, I know she

re just li

inutes older. So technic

in

work, Julian. Don't

ere doing the Maserati yesterday, right? Sorry, it won't be done anytime soon," she says, playing with th

s morning that I'd forgotten

the bay already. If it's up, he'll have

at look like gray Dickies. The sight I'm not yet ready to see hits me squarely in the face. His pecs are pushing against the tank top he has on, and even

back," he growls in a

ft, two others, including my Maserati, simply parked on the floor in the open spa

l my tongue up his chest, then my hands before they get trapped in his...

song, but I never appropriate my brother's connection. It's bad enough that my

horribly