“He also took out the walls to everything he could, because he wanted it to be open space, like a warehouse. I think it was supposed to be a play on modern life and how we live at work or something.” Magnus shrugged. “That’s why the kitchen is right open to the living room and the stairs are all the way at the very back of the floor.”

“It’s very . . . odd?” she said as they walked toward the kitchen area. “I don’t know that it feels all that welcoming. I don’t mean that to sound rude. I mean, the place is fascinating, but not really—”

“Much like a home? Yeah. I thought the same thing when I saw it.”

She gave him a funny look, that smile still curving her mouth. “Then why buy it?”

“Two things—location and price.”

Edie nodded thoughtfully, running her long fingers along the granite soda-shop countertop of the kitchen “table.” “It is a good location.”

“Walking distance to all the important parts of New York,” he agreed.

“So you got it cheap?”

“Oh, hell no. It was ridiculously expensive.” He lifted his fingers and made a quote. “Because it was ‘art.’”

She laughed again, shaking her head. “You wanted it to be expensive?”

“It was right after we sold Warrior Shop.”

Her brows drew together and she gave him a little headshake, indicating she didn’t understand.

“Warrior Shop? The game?” He couldn’t believe she hadn’t heard of it. They were all over the Internet. Hell, there were pages and pages of memes devoted to their game. “‘Take an axe to it’? ‘Axe to grind’? The game with the big plastic swords? Haven’t you seen the shirts?”

“I . . . guess I wasn’t paying attention. So it’s a game?”

He snorted, a little pissed that she didn’t know just how big a deal Warrior Shop was. “Biggest online game in years. A computer company bought it for two billion dollars.”

Her eyes got as big as saucers. “Two . . . billion dollars? For a game you made?”

“Yep,” he said proudly. He was still damn proud of that little game. “Levi and I made it ourselves. Levi had the concepts, but I did all the muscle work. At first we tried to sell it to a few places. I’d been told all over town two years before that it was too basic. Too simple, wouldn’t make any money. We put it online, and it got popular. Then we sold movie rights. Then merchandising rights. Next thing I know, we’re seeing Warrior Shop T-shirts on street corners and backpacks. That’s when the big companies came calling. So I decided that when we sold it, I’d buy the most expensive place smack dab in NYC that I could find.”

She tapped a finger on the countertop. “And this was it?”

“This was it,” he agreed.

“Couldn’t you have spent a little less and got someplace a little cozier?” she asked, still grinning with that beautiful red mouth of hers.

“I could have, but that wouldn’t have proved my point nearly as well,” Magnus said, smiling back at her. “You want to see the other floors?”

“I do,” she agreed, then gestured. “So this floor is the foyer, the living room, the kitchen, and I guess that wide open area with the pool table is the dining area?”

“That’s it. Second floor is bedrooms, third floor is the entertainment room and the workout room, and the fourth floor is our offices.”

“Sounds intriguing. Let’s go.”

He paused as she limped past him. “It . . . it’s not going to bother your leg, is it?”

She flashed him an annoyed look. “I’m not going to break. Do you have an elevator?”

“Well, no—”

“Then I’m going up the stairs, aren’t I?”

She sure did get prickly when he asked about her knee. “I could always carry you,” he offered, mostly because he wanted to see her bristle.

She shot him the finger and kept walking, which made him laugh.

He showed her the fourth floor first, so they could get all the stair climbing out of the way in one swoop. She seemed interested in his office, admiring the view of the street and sidewalk below. She examined his desk and the neatness of his side of the room, and then gave him a knowing look at Levi’s messy side of the office. She gazed at the Warrior Shop posters framed on the walls and studied his idea board for The World, which right now was a wall covered with several historical world maps from different time periods, and concept art and ideas for different countries and peoples. She was less interested in the third floor, with the rec room full of movies, a projection screen and stadium seating, and the workout equipment on the other side of the floor. The second floor was their final stop, and he paused in front of his shut door. “I’ve kept Cujo in here since you were last here. She’s starting to come out a little, but she’s still skittish.”

Edie nodded. “That’s normal for a frightened cat. Have you tried petting her? How is she reacting to you?”

He rubbed his scalp. “Eh, we sort of ignore each other for the most part. Kind of like two cranky roommates.”

She gave him a chiding look before opening the door.

Magnus followed Edie inside, wondering if she was going to comment on the changes he’d made. Three cat trees of various sizes were scattered around the large room, and cardboard-box “houses” had been set up in strategic corners, each one lined with a soft blanket. In the far corner of the room were the food and water bowls, and in the opposite corner, the litter.

Edie made a pleased noise in her throat and glanced back at him. “I see you did most of your homework. Most.”

“Most? Are you kidding?” He gestured at his room. “This looks like cat heaven to me.”

She chuckled again and slipped her shoes off as she entered his room, which always made him think of intimate things. “No, I’m sorry. You don’t get a gold star just yet. Especially not if I had to come back already.”

“Huh?” He was distracted by those small, bare feet on his floor.

“To help you with your cat?” She gave him a chiding look.

Oh, right. “It’s not that I can’t handle her,” he commented, taking off his own shoes. “It’s that I want to get a professional opinion. I can pay for the best, after all.”

She just gave him a thoughtful look and peeked into one of the cardboard boxes.

Three boxes later, they were able to locate Cujo, who was lying on the scarf Edie had left there a few days ago. She sat near the box and began to make soft clucking noises, scratching her jeans to indicate she wanted to pet the cat. After a few moments, Cujo yawned, stretched, and came out to investigate.

“Well, that’s a good sign,” Edie said, her voice in that low, soothing tone he was starting to associate with his cat. “Maybe you don’t need me after all.”

“I don’t know about that,” Magnus said, since he had to keep her here and keep her distracted long enough for Levi to woo Bianca. “I’ve been sitting with her a little over the last day, but she’s still pretty skittish.” He’d been unable to convince Levi to work, so he’d retreated to his room to burn off some of his anger on his treadmill, and had instead sat down on the floor with his laptop and tried to work on a few problem files on his own. The cat had come out to investigate him, but they were still on uneasy terms.

Even now, Cujo was rubbing her head against Edie’s hand, begging for petting. He snorted. “Traitor.”

Edie just flashed him a grin, and that grin blew his socks off. Why was he so fascinated by this woman? She certainly wasn’t dressing to excite him. She wasn’t impressed by his house or his game, and half the time when they talked, they bickered. But there was something about her that filled him with . . . lust. Yeah, that was it. Pure, unadulterated lust. Because if Edie was this fiery outside of bed, he had to wonder what she’d be like inside it. She’d probably be demanding and bitch the entire time he went down on her, one pushy hand pressing on the back of his head while he licked her pussy and—