One Bossy Dare: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Bossy Seattle Suits)

Goddamn, I’m an idiot.

I lost my fucking head.

I take a deep breath, trying to hold it together on the catamaran as it scours the water in search of dolphin pods.

How could I do anything but lose my shit?

She had that adorably ridiculous brew pipe.

Then her adorably ridiculous story about how she fell in love with coffee.

Then the ridiculously not adorable way she straddled me, my hands roaming her ass, my lips mauling hers like a man possessed.

Hand to God, I never had a prayer.

It’s almost worse now that she’s traded her island dress for this black-and-white polka dot bikini. I can see her tits and ass threatening to spill out of that flimsy fabric every time she moves.

I almost want it to happen.

It’s not safe for work—not safe for life—if this torturous trip can even be called work anymore, much less living.

If Destiny hadn’t found us, I wouldn’t have stopped.

If we weren’t in public and my daughter hadn’t been looking for me—

Fuck.

That kiss was searing, forbidden, and not nearly long enough.

In my head, it never ended. I can still taste Eliza Angelo.

That’s why I ignore the girls laughing on the other side of the boat. They let out ear-splitting screams every time we spot a pod of dolphins.

I need space.

That’s why I’m happy to be alone, gripping the boat railing like I want to break it and trying to pull enough blood into my arms to deflate the hard-on from hell.

I know I should stop dicking off and be grateful.

I’m damn lucky my daughter didn’t catch us mid-act. I’m sure she didn’t, otherwise she never would’ve let this go for an evening on the water.

And what if she had?

How would I have ever answered the ten thousand embarrassing questions she would’ve blasted at me like an entire firing squad?

I swallow, groaning as the wind beats me in the face.

Even if I avoided a total disaster, I haven’t truly escaped shit.

I have to talk to Eliza about what happened, preferably without a teen audience.

This buys me time to figure out what I’ll say, and nothing more.

Scratching my beard roughly, I shake my head, wishing I could eject the unsettled thoughts from my brain.

Why the hell am I more upset about Destiny almost catching us than I am about the fact that she knows what a bong is?

Eventually, I fight back my bile and the bulge in my pants enough to rejoin them.

Eliza laughs, pointing as another group of pointy silver backs emerge from the foaming sea. She’s faster at spotting the dolphins than the ship’s guide, who retreated to the canopy above the main cabin after realizing he wasn’t needed.

The happy shimmer in her eyes tears at me—something I never thought I’d see.

I stay quiet, only breaking my mood to smile softly at my daughter. I won’t let my own crap boil over and ruin this for her.

A dolphin barely ten feet away leaps up, breaching the waves, hovering under the bright sun and sparkling like a lump of silver before it goes crashing back into the ocean.

“Holy—wow! Dad, did you see that?” Destiny doesn’t wait for an answer; she just takes off, sprinting to the back of the boat for a better look.

“No running!” I call after her, even if I can’t help grinning like a fool.

She’s out here on the ocean, enjoying herself, without a hint of fear. It almost makes up for everything else I mucked up today.

Eliza’s loud laugh reminds me who I should be thanking, all sultry music in my ears. It also brings back the hard-on from hell.

“Eliza,” I whisper her name while Destiny has her back to us, fixated on the dolphins.

She spins around on one heel to face me, a nervous twitch in her eyes.

“Come closer,” I growl, reaching for her hand the minute she’s in arm’s reach.

I don’t hesitate.

I don’t ask.

I don’t even think.

I just pull her against my chest, loving how she gasps as she dips down, and I smother her lips. My teeth find her bottom lip and anchor down, firm yet gentle, the animal inside me pulling violently on its chain.

By some miracle, I break away as she blushes.

“Cole. Jesus. Shouldn’t we be… I mean, won’t Dess notice? I don’t want to upset her.” Her cheeks are screaming red.

I’m grateful she has a cooler head.

I’m damn glad she cares about my daughter.

“She’s highly distracted,” I say, silencing her with another ten-second kiss that pulls the breath from her lungs before she can protest.

Fuck, I’m bad. I only realize how bad when she’s pushing at my chest.

“Cole,” she whimpers, her chest heaving, her tits brushing me.

Goddamn.

If we were alone for ten minutes, if we even had a storage closet—

Stop. Stop it, you horndog fool.

I wish it were that easy. Apparently, spending the better part of a decade celibate makes my brain implode when there’s a young, beautiful woman breathing against me with her flesh hanging out.

A woman who acts like she’d come real sweet for me at the faintest touch.

I pull back—barely—making her gasp again when my cock grazes her hip through my shorts.

So hard. So ready. So insane with want.

“I had to tell you, I enjoyed our evening. Messy shit and all,” I whisper, well aware that I’m usually more eloquent.

“Yeah?” Her grin widens and her eyes sparkle with relief. “Um, me too. It’s the most fun I’ve had since…”

Thank God she doesn’t finish that thought.

Her smile just digs my grave deeper—or is it a tunnel straight to hell?

Without even realizing it, I’ve crossed a boundary that was sacrosanct, and we’ll have to acknowledge it eventually.

Just like we’ll have to decide if we want to breach that red line again.

I have no clue what I’ll say. I can’t convince myself that this is right.

Though I’m not sure I’d ever regret taking this woman to bed.

Not true, you caveman prick, I think. You live for rules.

You also don’t fuck strange women behind your daughter’s back.

You don’t ask for pain.

All you have are regrets.

No, not quite.

All I have are what-ifs, and they stab me every time I let myself fall a little deeper into Eliza Angelo’s smile, the way her chestnut hair splashes down her shoulders, the soft curve of her body against mine…

What if Destiny hadn’t come?

I know where there’s a hammock in a secluded corner, not far from where the trees begin. I don’t think anyone knows about it. I could have led her there.

I could have stripped off her soaking wet panties and splayed her legs open and mounted her like a bull in rut.

My cock pulses at the thought. I have to fight not to grind myself against her like a dog.

Fucking hell.

What if instead of apologizing for the colossal mess I’ve made by acting on my attraction, I grab her by the hand and lead us both into stupidity?

What if we’re so addicted to the fireworks it doesn’t stop when we get home?

What if I let this breezy little snack of a hellion sink her teeth into me? All while I lie back and enjoy it.

And what the hell if it’s more than just sex? What if it turns into candlelit dinners and tense sit-downs with HR and introductions to everyone as a “couple” and—

I hate that I almost physically push her away when I stagger back.

Just in time, too, because I hear Destiny calling.

“Dad! Dad, come quick—I think I see a turtle!”

Brakes slammed.

So hard it hurts when I look back at Eliza and see the confusion lashing in her eyes.

Yeah, I’ve been down this road before, regardless of whether or not this route has different twists and turns.

I know where they inevitably lead.

Calamity.

Clearing my throat, I step away from Eliza, muttering, “I should keep a closer eye on Dess. The evening waves can get strong out here without notice and she keeps leaning on the railing. Don’t want her falling over.”

Eliza’s eyes barely register the comment before I’ve darted away to find Dess again. Thankfully, she’s still so obsessed with sea critters that she’s oblivious to the dynamite kiss that was going off behind her the entire time.

With precious space, maybe I can think before tripping into chaos.

Destiny grins from ear to ear as she looks up at me. “This is so cool! If you’re quiet, the guy in the back told me the dolphins come closer sometimes. Eliza deserves a raise for this.”

“You think it’s her doing?” I ask.

“Dad. You’re encouraging and all, but with both of you on this boat with me—I dunno—I’m not afraid. Not even for a second.” Dess turns her face up, gleaming in the sun. I try not to see a younger Aster. “She’s just a chill lady and it makes everything easier. You’d better give her a beast of a bonus when we’re home.”

I smile at her. “We’ll see. With that enthusiasm, maybe you should explore marine biology after all.”

“Oh, I’m thinking about it.” Her smile thins into a serious line.

Damn. I was still half joking, but there’s nothing whimsical in that look.

She’s young, but if she truly thinks there’s a future in this and she can get past the ocean and its bad memories…well, I’ll be damned if I’ll keep her chained to a family legacy.

A few minutes later, I hear soft footsteps padding on the deck behind us.

Eliza stands so close to me we’re barely touching. I won’t meet her eyes as she looks at Dess. “If you’re having fun on the boat, I think there’s a local tour around here. They’ll take you out deep enough in the water to snorkel and swim with the dolphins.”

“Oh!” Destiny meets my eyes. “Can we go, Dad? I…I think I’m ready,” she adds in a small voice.

My phone buzzes with a text. I pick it up, see a message from Troy, and frown before I feel Destiny’s eyes still on me, waiting for an answer.

I look up.

“I’ll see when my schedule aligns again with Miss Angelo’s,” I say neutrally, finally looking at this storm of a woman I want to regret kissing.

The shine in her eyes won’t let me.

Her sunny, curious gaze just makes me want more—no matter how recklessly intense or monumentally stupid acting on that want might be.

Later, I stare across the table, relieved that I can keep a smile with this man without looking like I’m chewing on broken glass.

“The food’s spectacular. They source it all locally here. Hell, the mahi-mahi might be the best thing on the menu in my not-so-humble opinion. You won’t regret ordering it, Cole,” Troy says with a wide grin.

“Thanks,” I tell him. “This restaurant wasn’t here last time.”

He nods, sipping his mai tai. “Oh, yeah, lots of interesting changes around these parts. I admire you for coming back even if it took some time—both of you. I know it isn’t easy.”

Destiny smiles warmly, and it must be infectious because I don’t feel like I’m faking it. When Troy sent over that text asking for a dinner to square away our argument, I didn’t have the heart to turn him down.

“What can I get you?” a smiling server asks.

I look at Dess first, knowing she takes a million years to decide without a little encouragement. “You got your eye on the mahi-mahi too?”

“Um, yeah. With garlic mash and island slaw.” She nods firmly, her dark-blond hair flapping.

“Excellent choice, madame. And to drink?”

She looks at me. “Can I get a piña colada?”

“As long as it’s a mocktail,” I grumble.

She rolls her eyes at me like she’s actually expecting me to slip the lady a bribe to spike my underage daughter’s drink.

“We can certainly make it one,” the waitress says.

“Actually, just give me a banana smoothie,” she says, sighing like only a disappointed bratty teenager can.

I look back at the server. “Two mahi-mahi specials, a bourbon, and a smoothie.”

“I’ll have the same,” Troy says.

The waitress grins at him. “With the banana smoothie?”

“Surprise me,” Troy says with a laugh, falling back in his chair. His permanent tan makes him look like part of the scenery, blending him with the lacquered wood and high leatherback chairs under the low lamplight.

“How much trouble have you guys been getting into today? I saw Dessy a couple times around the house, but I heard you hopped on a boat earlier?”

“Yeah! We had to see the dolphins, Uncle Troy…”

I sit back while she talks his ear off, as if he hasn’t been living the island life for the past decade.

“Dang, girl. I thought you were building up to tell me about mermaids,” he jokes with her before he looks back at me. “So you’re both having a good time?”

“We’re good,” I say bluntly, taking a purple-tinted taro roll from the basket.

“Happy as hell to hear it.” His eyes dart to Destiny. “I know it’s a little heavy coming back here—say no more.”

My eyes flick to her nervously, but she just smiles and nods.

I know I should just behave.

He’s a nice guy who genuinely misses us, not some damn creeper. Why did I overreact so harshly when he started asking about Destiny?

Maybe because it’s becoming more obvious that she’s not the one who needs to put a lid on her emotions on this trip.

“We’re good, Troy,” I repeat, considering my next words. “We had to come back sooner or later, didn’t we? I never sold the house.”

“You would’ve gotten an earful if you had. Your future grandkids would never forgive you. Right, Dessy?”

She laughs awkwardly in the way a kid only can who’s being teased by a stand-in uncle.

A surprisingly normal scene.

Yeah, I think I was only so short with Troy because he was the only one here when fate tore a hole through our lives.

It’s subconscious, this stupid unease. I read a hundred articles about trauma back when it happened.

That’s why his presence around the people I care about puts my shields up.

The drinks show up and I instantly go for my bourbon, taking a long, gut-scorching sip.

Katelyn’s right. I haven’t let go of Aster’s death, and it’s turned me into a fucking snapping turtle.

Destiny doesn’t deserve that.

Neither does Troy.

Neither does Eliza—even if I can’t decide whether she deserves my other moods.

I just know I need to back off for everyone’s sake.

“…I understand. Yeah, no, it couldn’t have been easy…” Troy is nodding when I look up, so much empathy in his eyes for my daughter.

What the hell were they saying?

Destiny saves me from having to ask. “I was honestly okay. I had a great time on the ship and Eliza said she’d take me surfing anytime.”

“Eliza surfs?” I cut in. I vaguely remember her mentioning something about it before we stepped off the boat.

“Dad, you were there.” Destiny laughs. “Her cousin taught her, remember? He was a lifeguard and big surfer and all in San Diego. So obviously.”

I smile, imagining Eliza hanging ten on a surfboard in that skimpy dotted bikini of hers.

My cock seethes. I may need a leash if I don’t fuck this girl.

“I never knew residency was a requirement, Dess,” I say absently.

Troy’s lips curl up, regaining my attention. “Eliza from R & D, right?”

“Yeah.” I don’t look at him.

If I say anything more, he’ll be like a dog with a bone. I’m also not sure he’s smart enough to keep his yap shut about it in front of my daughter like he should.

It’s only natural, I suppose, considering old times.

We were in the Navy together for four years before he came to work for me. We may have drifted apart over the years, but he still knows me better than almost anyone.

That happens when you share a bunk on a cramped spy ship and have to breathe another man’s body odor every night.

And the fact that he knows me so well—old me—is scary as fuck.

I look at Destiny. “You and Eliza have gotten chummy, haven’t you?”

“Chummy?” She stares at me like I’ve grown another head.

“Friendly.”

“Oh, yeah. She’s a badass. I like her and she seems good with you,” Dess says with a wink.

“See, Big Daddy?” Troy throws a shit-eating grin across the table at me. “She’s even in good with the kid.”

I glare at him.

Then my eyes trace to Dess again. I remember I’m here to make peace, not snap his head off in front of my daughter.

“Right, right.” Troy holds his hands up, lowering his voice. “Don’t think you’re off the hook, my man.”

Destiny’s gaze slowly sweeps from Troy back to me. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Nothing important, baby girl. Did you email that turtle sanctuary to see if they’d let you drop by one day?” I change the subject swiftly.

Troy continues to look over his drink at me, damn him.

And about that time—perfect timing— the waitress returns with a tray stacked with our food. She places a steaming plate down in front of each of us and smacks her head. “Oh, I’m such a dummy. I forgot to refill your waters. Let me grab that.”

“Not a problem,” I say politely.

I’m so happy for the distraction that she could’ve poured the whole tray on my lap and I’d still thank her.

“God, I’m starving!” Destiny cuts into her fish, scraping her knife loudly across the plate.

I can’t even get after her.

With the kidlet gushing about the best fish she’s ever had, I don’t have to suffer Troy and his diabolical sense of humor. If I’m lucky, I might keep Little Miss Science Chick off my brain for five minutes.

When the waitress returns with our water, I order a second bourbon to help take the edge off.

Am I really okay with Eliza teaching my kid to surf?

My stomach twists at the idea of Destiny—okay, either of them—out there far enough on the water to get into trouble. I’ll scare up an extra lifeguard later and make sure they’re discreetly waiting in the wings to step in if anything goes wrong.

Hopefully, I’ll also have another day to come up with whatever I’m going to say about that kiss.

That goddamned kiss.

When my new drink arrives, I swallow half of it in one gulp.

It’s been that kind of day. I tune out while Troy and Destiny make conversation.

“Hey, Dad, can I check out the arcade next door?”

I glance over, about to tell her to eat first when I realize she’s cleared her plate.

Damn. I’ve only taken a few bites.

It feels sinful to lose my appetite with such a delicious dinner.

“Have you eaten today? Before now?”

“A few bananas and an acai bowl for lunch,” she tells me.

“You only ate fruit?” My brow furrows, hoping I don’t have an eating disorder masquerading as a new fad diet on my hands.

“I was busy.”

“Before your dolphins? And with things that aren’t digital?” I gesture to her phone.

She nods. “The signal out here kinda sucks anyway. Troy just told me it gets better in town.”

I smile. “There’s a booster in the conference room if you need it. A little time off the grid could be good for you—as long as you remember to check in. And let’s try for three square meals tomorrow, okay, little bee?”

“Ugh, I’m fifteen, Dad. Not five. Don’t call me that.” She sits up straighter with an indignant look. “Can I go to the arcade now? I saw some old-school pinball machines…”

“Your phone still gets a signal here, right?”

She nods.

“Then go. But don’t talk to any strangers and you only leave to come straight back here. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.” She pushes her chair out and stands awkwardly.

Oh, right. Old-school, she said. That probably means the machines still take coins or tokens.

I fish a twenty out of my wallet and hand it to her. Her face twists like it’s not enough, but she knows better than to keep milking me for more.

I watch her leave, noting that she looks too much like a grown woman in that dress with her pink bag swinging off her shoulder.

“How ’bout another round?” Troy asks, hammering his empty glass down with a decisive clink.

“Sure,” I say, draining the last of my bourbon and liking how my brain fogs over.

He waves the waitress down and orders a couple shots of gold rum for both of us. No point in waiting for one to be gone to reorder when we’re both in the mood to indulge.

“So, tell me, man, now that it’s just us… Is it going to be just you and Destiny forever?”

I snort. “Straight to the point, huh? Listen, I’m either on the phone trying to convince a lit teacher my kid isn’t the anti-christ or I’m at work. I don’t know how I’d ever have time for anything else.”

“C’mon, Cole. Destiny seems way too chill to get in trouble.”

“It’s normal trouble, thank fuck. She uses her phone too much or talks during class, but it drives her English teacher crazy. Still, she has a four point oh. Unweighted. She landed a 1540 on her PSATs last fall—a year earlier than most kids. I know I’m lucky and I shouldn’t bitch. Just wish she wasn’t glued to her phone twenty-four seven.”

Troy laughs, his face as boyish and easygoing as I remember, despite the fact that he’s started greying slightly at the temples. “Welcome to the 2020s, bossman. Every kid on the planet stays glued to their phones—so do most adults. That’s nothing to sweat. She’s turning out great. She’ll be out of the house soon, won’t she?”

“A few more years, yeah. She was looking at Columbia or Cornell—really interested in seeing the other coast—until this marine biology obsession cropped up recently.”

“Let her explore. You’re only young once.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I have any choice. She’s a smart cookie. I’d planned on her working for me so she could take over the company someday. No sign she’s interested, though. And maybe that’s for the best.” I sigh. “I also don’t think she’s really found her calling yet, but that’s another story.”

“She still has time. Don’t stress.”

Our shots arrive and Troy grabs one, holding it up for me. I take it with a friendly nod and toss it back.

I watch as he follows suit.

It’s almost like old times, venting over booze with a close friend. A bizarre way to end a day where I feel like I’ve lived as someone else.

“She has a couple years before she settles on a college. We’ve been joking about marine biology a lot lately. I hope she takes it seriously, though, because seals and dolphins are all she cares about besides her phone.”

“If she likes her phone so much, she could make apps or be an influencer. Lots of fat stacks in that,” Troy says happily.

“I’ll have her in a submarine with the whales before I ever let my daughter be a TikTok sensation,” I snarl.

We clink glasses and down our second shots.

“If she’s off to school on her lonesome, and you’ll be alone in a few years,” he says quietly. “You ever thought about finding another woman? I’m just asking. Maybe the R & D chick?”

Shit, we’re back to this, again?

“I told you, Troy, that’s not happening,” I say harshly.

The fire in my blood isn’t all booze. It tells me I’m a filthy liar. It burns hotter every time I think of her.

“Yeah, but—”

“She’s an employee,” I clip. As if I cared about that when I had my tongue down her throat earlier. “And you’re one, too.”

He pulls back, stricken, and I feel like shit.

There was a time when I told him everything, before the fucking sky shifted and the stars fell out of my world.

“Look. I don’t have time to get mixed up with relationshits. I’ve got my company, I’ve got my daughter, and that’s enough. I’m not sure why you don’t get it when you’ve spent the last ten years banging Bali pool girls.”

Anyone else would take that as an insult. Troy just throws his head back and laughs, drunkenly pounding my shoulder.

“Still got it, you bastard. And so do I. This boy wasn’t made to settle down.” His too-wide grin fades and he settles back in his seat with a heavy look. “You, on the other hand… I just want you to be happy, Cole. That’s all. Half your life is leaving and you’ll have a lot of free time on your hands. A long time ago—before the accident—I remember when she made you happy. Maybe someone new could, too.”

I don’t know if it’s my mood or the drinks or this damn humid night.

As soon as he finishes, I glare across the table, my lip curling.

“Troy. Drop it.”

He holds a hand up. “Okay, okay. Sorry, I didn’t mean to take it that far. It’s just…I know. I get it, man, everyone moves on in their own way.”

Moves on from fucking what?

He’s described my dilemma without knowing it, though.

Is that what I’m doing with Eliza? Giving in to temptation? Trying to prove to myself that the past is the past, over and done and buried like Aster’s ashes.

Troy isn’t the only one who’s mentioned moving on recently. So has Kate—the only person who knows me almost as well as he does.

Maybe there’s something to this.

Troy knows what kind of man I used to be before I became a workaholic husk without a life beyond Wired Cup and Destiny.

I need to keep my shit together. Especially with a lab girl whose chemistry could blow my life—and hers—to kingdom come.

I’d do well to remember that the last woman who was tangled up with me that way hurled herself into dark, dangerous waters and never came home.

No siren deserves my selfish fantasies.

No one needs to share the shadow hanging over my life.

No beautiful young woman needs my damage when damage is all I have to give.

Torches blaze overhead, casting warm firelight on every surface.

Eliza wears that lethal dotted bikini and tight cutoff shorts. She skips ahead of me, giving me the view of a lifetime. Her ass looks so delectable I want to fucking bite it.

“Where are we going?” she asks, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

I don’t care.

I just know I’ll be sad when we get there if it doesn’t involve having that ass.

“Hello? Earth to Commander Coffee?” She stops, waving her hand in front of my face.

“My beach.” I point past the lush vegetation at the edge of my property, the neat line where the soil becomes sand. “Do you want to get closer to the water?”

“Sure.” She smiles like the devil as she shimmies off her shorts and runs into the tide, kicking and splashing water.

I admire the view until she disappears under a tall wave, diving as gracefully as the dolphins we saw earlier.

Go ahead. Call me a dirty old fuck.

I still want to punish that tight little ass of hers.

With my cock tenting my shorts, I wade into the water beside her.

I just watch her, the way the moonlight makes the beads glow on her creamy skin. It’s looking a little more tanned every day.

Eliza gestures toward me impatiently.

So I close the distance between us, pulling her into my arms. My fingers push under her bikini, greedy as hell, squeezing her ass underwater.

“Are you sure about this? Tell me now—before it’s too late to stop.” If I’m being honest, it already is.

She just stares at me, breathing softly, her nipples peaking under her bikini top.

Even in the darkness, her eyes are so needy.

She leans her face down, planting an innocent kiss on my shoulder.

“Yes,” she whispers intently. “Cole…”

My grip around her tightens as her hand skims my thigh, reaching for my cock.

I groan the instant her fingers wind around it, and she strokes me in one teasing flick.

“Holy hell. You scare me,” she whispers.

I look at her darkly, pushing my hand over hers, helping her fingers glide up and down my angry length.

“Woman, the only thing that should scare you is what happens if I’m not inside you in the next sixty seconds.” I’m growling, brushing my lips against hers, adding teeth before I pull away.

She gasps with delight, her brunette curls so soft in my fist.

Her mouth opens eagerly like she’s been waiting for this all damn night—I know I have since the day she was hired—and the first caress of her tongue matches my urgency.

I only break our kiss to nibble down her jawline, down her neck.

“Oh, Cole. Oh, shit.”

That tremor in her voice flips some hellish switch in my head.

Any control I ever had is gone.

I sink to my knees, peeling away her wet bikini bottoms. My fingers roam soft brown curls, seeking her clit.

When I find it, I press my finger in, massage that pearl in quick, teasing circles.

“Oh. Oh, God. Oh, Cole,” she whines, her caramel-sweet eyes flickering, inviting, reflecting back my own lustful stare until it’s all I see and—

And then everything goes black.

Sirens wail in the distance, but they’re moving closer.

The noise engulfs everything until I can’t hear her moan, her hot breathing.

There’s a knock on my door.

I swing it open and find a cop on the other side. “Can you come to the station, sir? She’s gone.”

I don’t have to ask who or what the fuck he means.

Eliza.

But he’s here, so why are the sirens still going?

I jerk up violently, my eyelids ripped open, a hard-on the size of Canada stabbing at the ceiling like a sword.

“Holy fuck,” I mutter.

Just a dream—a goddamned annoying one.

No sirens.

No tragic surprises.

No heavenly first fuck.

The wailing is my alarm clock. I don’t know how I shut it off without chucking my phone at the wall.

My options are a cold shower or my hand.

Deciding on both, I kick off the sweaty sheets tangled around my legs and head for the bathroom, my fist already tight around my raging dick.

The cold waterfall shower sends me over the edge in under a minute.

Eliza.

My head snaps back and I’m grinding my teeth, my whole arm pumping, spattering the wall with thick ropes of my release.

This is what she’s done to me.

Ropes for days.

Reduced me to painting the shower like a fucking boy before prom night.

When I’m gasping and finished and the water washes the mess away, I soap myself down, then stand under the ice-cold water, my fingers pressing deep into my eye sockets.

I’m sick in the head. Terminally ill.

I’ve got to keep some distance between us because I’m now aware of two things.

I have no control around her anymore. The effect she has on me is maddening.

Secondly, the last woman I got involved with left scars for life.

Eliza doesn’t deserve that, and honestly, neither do I.

If only Destiny wasn’t so attached. I’m not sure how to neutralize that friendship without hurting them both.

Still, I have to man up and resist Eliza Angelo, along with my own fever dreams.

Our chemistry is too strong.

And if I can’t contain it, and soon, we’ll only brew an acid drip that disintegrates every bit of our lives it touches.