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“Damn.” I stare at the property, dumbfounded.

Out of the corner of my eye, Roman Kingsley appears in the doorway, bright-eyed and waving.

I step out of the car. Matilda doesn’t wait for me to open her door, just jumps over the console and darts out after me.

“Matilda, get back here! You can’t just run off without a leash!” I call after her, but it’s no use. She’s a girl on a mission.

“She’s fine.” Roman chuckles. “The whole property is gated. Looks like she needed to get some of that energy out.”

After a full sniff of the perimeter, satisfied there are no threats, she makes a few celebratory laps, which eventually result in her running circles around us as fast as her legs can carry her.

Once the zoomies are out of her system, she comes back and sits beside me, her tongue lolling out of her mouth in satisfied exhaustion. So much for that grudge she was holding. It seems I’m not the only one who appreciates beauty.

I rub her ears and praise her efforts. “Good girl. You’re so brave. Thank you for keeping me safe.” When I look back at Roman, I find him staring at me with a curious expression. There’s a heat in his eyes that wasn’t there before.

“I really appreciate you putting me up like this, especially on such short notice,” I say, trying to break the charged tension of the moment.

That seems to snap him out of it. He crouches down and presents a hand, letting Matilda give him a good sniff. “Of course. It is no problem at all.”

“I’m serious. I mean, I knew you were a billionaire but…” I gesture at the mansion. “All of this, just for me?”

Roman ruffles Matilda’s ears playfully before standing back to his full height. “Right. About that…” He offers me a nervous smile. “This is actually my house. You’ll be staying just over there.” I follow his gaze to the side of the house where a small white cottage that overlooks the pool comes into view.

I like to consider myself to be a pretty strong woman. I’ve had a lifetime of exposure to harsh criticism and had my every mistake, not only documented but broadcast for all to see and discuss. Yet…I can genuinely say I can’t remember the last time I felt this mortified.

Embarrassment flames my cheeks. “Oh, my God. Of course…” I take a step back and accidentally step on Matilda's paw. She yelps and lurches, clipping me in the back of my knees before tearing off to escape. The momentum sends me stumbling forward…and then I’m free-falling.

My face crashes into the immovable force that is Roman Kingsley’s chest. He wraps an arm around my waist to steady me, and this time my knees go weak for a different reason entirely.

Jesus, he smells good. Powerful too. Like Hercules and leather-bound books.

“Whoa, are you okay?” he asks, his grip still firm on my waist. His lips curl, trying to hide his smile, but his dimples give him away. Those stupid fucking dimples that make me dizzy if I stare at them for too long.

“Yeah. Sorry about that.” I glance around to find Matilda, who’s long abandoned me and snapping her powerful jaws, trying to catch a flickering firefly taunting her over her head.

“Come on, I’ll show you inside—” Roman starts, but I hold up my hand, cutting him off.

“I really don’t think this is a good idea,” I say, needing to put some space between us so I can think clearly. Though this time, I check over my shoulder to make sure there aren’t any animals underneath me.

I can’t stay here. It’d be too weird—even if I hadn’t already accidentally slept with him. Assistants don’t live in their boss’s pool houses… I’m no business expert, but that’s got to be an HR violation, right?

His eyebrows furrow in confusion. “I thought you needed a place to stay? Are you disappointed in the accommodations? Because I know it seems like only a pool house, but I assure you, I designed it to be just as nice as my home.”

I hate the way my heart squeezes at his sad puppy-dog eyes. I try to rub the annoying pain away. When did I start caring about the feelings of men?

Not men.

Man.

For some reason, it’s only this man who I can’t stand disappointing. Probably because I’ve seen his kindness, the way he puts the needs of others in front of his own… Even when he’s the one paying.

An image of Roman on his knees flashes through my mind, those big brown eyes fixed on me with such naked devotion and yearning. Like there was nothing I could ask of him that he wouldn’t eagerly give. I’ve never felt so powerful, or so desperate for a chance to return the favor.

I don’t know why I even thought this would be an option. I’ve already slept with him, even if he didn’t realize it or remember it at all.

Because I certainly do.

How could I forget? I think I’ll be riding that high of the perfect night we spent together for the rest of my life.