I sniffed and brushed a tear from my eye. “Maybe we could do something small.”

He smiled and leaned forward, kissing my forehead. “Small sounds perfect. With small, we could even do a destination wedding.”

I blinked at him, and images of blue skies and turquoise waters filled my mind. Our Florida vacation had been the best time I’d ever had.

I stepped toward him without even thinking about it. “The beach?”

He smiled down at me and brushed his fingers against my cheek. “I love that idea.”

I grinned and wrapped my arms around him.

“Any beach in particular?”

I stared at him and whimpered. “You’re overloading my brain with girly things.”

He laughed out loud and kissed me. “Do I need to get my mother and Teresa to help?”

I nodded furiously. “Otherwise I might have a panic attack even thinking about all the stuff I don’t know that has to be done.”

“First things first—where?”

Reaching up into the cabinets, I pulled down two plates. There was only one beach I’d ever been to. Was one beach better than another?

“All I’ve got is beach.” I gave a half-hearted smile.

“Okay, we’ve got time. We’ll look this weekend. How’s that?”

“Sounds perfect.”

He smirked at me. “By the way…where are your panties?”

“The ones from today?” He nodded. I bit my lip. “They’re in your pillowcase.”

“Fucking hell, baby.” He licked his lips. “Are you trying to make sure I f**k you while you’re sleeping tonight?”

“Maybe.” I shrugged.

“Next time, bring your wet pu**y to me. You know I’m always up for taking care of you and your needs.”

“Oh, I know. I just wanted to see your reaction.” I winked at him and returned to finishing up dinner.

Owen slammed his hand on his desk, startling me. “Do you know what time it is?”

I glanced at the clock. “Five.” My lip curled up as I also noticed that I was only halfway through the file I was working on. It was going to be another late night.

“You know what five means, right?”

I quirked a brow at him. “Isn’t that the time normal people get to leave work?”

“Yes!” He pulled his suit jacket off and threw it over his desk and onto the floor. “You know what I’m doing today?”

A small laugh slipped through my lips. “Pretending you have a normal job with a steady schedule?”

He frowned and threw his hands in the air. “Lila, it’s Friday! I want to take Amy out on a date. Maybe have a nice long roll in the hay.” He slammed his file shut…or slammed it as well as file folders did. “I like you, but I spend more time with you than I do with anyone else. Let’s run away and spend more time with those we love.”

“That’s a nice dream.” I stretched my shoulders and neck for a moment, feeling stiffer with each second we imagined leaving the place we’d been stuck in all day long. I settled back into my seat and tried to get as comfortable as possible.

“It doesn’t have to be a dream. All you have to do is hit the save button, bookmark your place in the file, sign out of your computer, and walk out the door. Simple.”

“I don’t know—that sounds like anarchy in the making.” I glanced at the clock on my computer.

A couple of keystrokes later, Owen’s monitor went black.

“Fine, stay here. I tried to save you. Always remember that.”

I waved my hand at him as he walked around his desk and picked up his jacket off the floor. “Have a good weekend.”

He saluted, then disappeared down the hall. I shook my head, chuckling at his antics, then returned my focus to the file in front of me in hopes that I would also be able to leave. I fully expected to see Nathan pop in my office any minute, and wanted to get as much done as possible before that happened.

I finished another page before my phone whistled at me, signaling a text message. I picked up my phone and opened up the mailbox.

Congratulations on your engagement.

My brow scrunched as I looked at the number. It wasn’t someone from my contacts, and it wasn’t from an area code I was familiar with.

I set the phone down, my bottom lip trapped between my teeth. Part of me wanted to text back to find out who it was. The other part of me was washed with dread, knowing who it might be.

Nathan and I spent the weekend surfing the Internet, looking for resorts and beaches to hold our nuptials and reception. We decided on the island of Aruba. From the pictures, it looked like the oasis I’d formed in my mind. Being such a tourist destination, there were lots of beautiful places to contact. Most were booked up.

“Divi Aruba Pheonix emailed.” I stared at the screen, rereading the beginning of the message on my laptop to make sure it wasn’t just an automatic notification or something.

Nathan scooted up behind me, his chin resting on my shoulder. “Yeah? What did they say?”

My eyes scanned over the lines of print. “They’re booked until September, and they sent us more information.”

His frown reflected in the screen. “That’s so long.”

I arched my neck back and quirked a brow at him. “In a hurry, Mr. Thorne?”

He nodded. “Yes. You’re mine, and I want you to be mine in every way right f**king now. Problem with that?”

Warmth blossomed in my chest, spreading throughout my body. “No. I like it.”

“Makes you feel special, doesn’t it?” he asked, leaning in. I nodded. “Good, because you are special. You’re my everything.”

“There you go being all sweet and mushy again.” I pressed my lips against his neck.

“You love it, because you know when I’m done, I’m going to show your body who you belong to. I’ll bring out my dirty slut that begs to please me with her body. And if she’s a good girl, I’ll make her come over and over, giving her the pleasure she gives me.”

I squirmed against him, his words affecting me as always. His hand slipped around my waist to between my thighs, the heel of his hand digging in and rubbing against my clit.

My cheeks warmed, and I fought back a moan. “You’re distracting me. I’m trying to read.”