Pierce nudges my shoulder. “We’re here.”

I glance over at his smiling, handsome face. The way he is with me … the way he’s always trying to make me happy, it’s not something I’ve experienced before.

He holds his hand out to me. “We need to hurry, or we’re going to miss it.”

I slide out of the seat behind him getting my first glimpse of the ocean. “Where are we?” I ask, mouth gaping.

“Chelsea Pier.”

We walk hand in hand to the end of the pier. We’re not the only ones here, but we might as well be because the silence lends to the sounds of nature. With a slight breeze, small waves hit against the pier. A few white pelicans fly overhead while a pod of them float on the water right off the deck. With the sky glowing from a deep purple to orange, they look even more beautiful.

Once we reach the end of the pier, I let go of Pierce’s hand to grip the railing. The wind blows against my skin as I close my eyes, breathing in the scent of the ocean. There are places—moments—that you just wish you could stay in forever.

Everything is perfect … and nothing else matters.

Pierce wraps his arms around my waist, momentarily resting his chin on my shoulder. “Is this what you had in mind?”

“This is the way life should always be,” I mutter, my eyes locked on a small sailboat coming into the harbor.

“I agree,” he whispers, pressing his lips to my cheek. “It’s definitely better than work.”

“This would top just about anything,” I answer honestly.

His hands fold over my stomach, pulling me even closer. “Is this okay?”

I nod. There’s nothing I would change about this moment. Not a thing.

And we stay like that until the sun seemingly disappears into the ocean, slowly painting black where the purple and orange once lit the sky.

“That was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed,” I say, covering his hands with mine.

“I’m glad I was able to give it to you,” he says quietly, lips pressed against my hair. “About earlier—in the elevator—that wasn’t just a moment. I want to kiss you every time I look at you. I’ve been patient, Lila. I’ve been waiting for your heart to mend. There’s no one else, and I’ll hold on to the idea of us unless you tell me it’s never going to be.”

His words touch me in a place I thought had become untouchable.

He’s flowers just because.

He’s candles and rose petals.

He’s the meaningful diamond and a house in the burbs.

He’s a perfect now and forever after.

“I want us,” I say, leaning my head back against his shoulder. “I just need it to happen slowly … naturally. Like this … this is perfect.”

“I agree.”

We stay just like this for a while. Maybe it’s the surroundings or maybe it’s being locked in his arms, snuggled against his strong body, but I feel weightless for the first time in a long time.

“As much as I don’t want to, we should probably get going,” he says. “It’s getting late, and we have a big day tomorrow.”

“We can’t just tell Wade to screw off and explore the rest of the city?” I ask, only half joking.

“You have no idea how much I’d love to tell that asshole to fuck off, but we made it this far. Might as well show him what you got because you really did knock it out of the park.”

I laugh nervously, only reminded of what’s to come. “You don’t have to lie to make friends, Stanley.”

He loosens his grip around my waist, spinning me in his arms. “I don’t need friends, Ms. Fields. I really only need you.”

I open my mouth to respond, but he cuts me off. “I’m moving too fast,” he says, brushing my hair away from my eyes. “I’ll stop.”

“Thank you for this.”

He winks. “It’s just the beginning.”

ON THE WAY BACK TO THE HOTEL, he holds me close in the back of the cab, rubbing the backs of his fingers up and down my arm. His touch lulls me until my cheek rests against his chest. I watch the lights go by until the cab comes to a stop in front of the hotel.

“Can you walk?” he asks, still brushing his fingers against my skin.

“I’m just tired. I’ll be fine.”

He wraps his arm tightly around me as we make our way inside the hotel, not letting go until we’re standing in front of the door to my room.

“Lila,” he whispers so close I feel his warm breath against my lips. That little touch is all it takes before I’m leaning into him, curling his crisp, white shirt between my fingers. Without another thought, I stand on my tiptoes and press my lips to his. It’s just a touch—a soft, lingering, sweet touch—but then his strong arms wrap around me, and he pushes for something more.

His teeth tug at my lower lip then he presses me tightly against him—hips, heart, lips—and his tongue begs for entry. It feels like forever since I’ve been kissed like this, and desire grants him a key.

I remember everything about Pierce and how we got here. There’s something about a man who can kiss a woman and tell her everything he’s feeling at the same time.

Pierce leaves nothing unsaid.

Seconds…minutes…hours could have gone by with us locked in the same place. For the first time in a long time, I feel alive—like there might be something left in this life besides sadness and loneliness.

My lips are numb by the time he finally pulls away. My fingers instinctively trace where his mouth was. Powerful yet sweet. Firm yet tender. Everything he is. It takes everything I have in me to not pull him in for another.

His thumb comes up, tracing a line under my lower lip. “That was the best night I’ve had in a while,” he whispers, chest heaving up and down.

“That was the best anything I’ve had in a while.”

“If you’d let me, I’d make every moment feel just like that one.”

“Pierce—”

His finger moves up, pressing against my lips. “Don’t consider it an invitation. Consider it a reminder.”

I nod, enjoying the feel of his fingers against my sensitive skin. “You haven’t been forgotten.”

“Good,” he says, the corner of his mouth curling up. “We should get to bed. I have a feeling Wade is going to keep us busy tomorrow.”

“I can hardly wait.”

“Your sarcasm is one of the things I like about you. I never know what is going to come out of that mouth of yours, yet I expect something.”

“Can you guess what I’m going to say now?” I ask staring up into his mischievous eyes.

“No, but I know I want to hear it.”

I lift up on my tiptoes and kiss him softly. It wasn’t meant to linger, but it does. I feel stuck to him and don’t want to let go. I pull away hesitantly. “Good night.”

Turning my back to him, I fumble with my key card. It’s not a hard task by any means but I can feel his eyes burning into my back.

“Do you need help with that?”

A shiver runs down my back as his warm breath hits my neck. “I’d be okay if you weren’t staring at me.”

“Here,” he says, slipping the key out from between my fingers.

He unlocks the door easily, holding it open for me to go inside. When the door clicks shut, he’s standing in my room, staring at me.

“What are you doing?” I ask, startled.

He leans back, resting the sole of his expensive shoe against the wall. “You don’t really want to sleep alone in this big room do you?”

“Pierce—”

He shakes his head. “Let me hold you. Nothing else.”

Words want to fall from my lips, but I consider them carefully. There have been way too many forks in the road for me lately, and I’m getting so tired of having to pick my way. “Can I trust you?” I finally ask, feeling my heart pound against my chest.

What he’s offering could be the start of something perfect, or it could just be the next in a line of bad decisions I’ve made.

Without words, he walks to me, cupping my face in his cool hands. I can do nothing but look at him. He’s gorgeous and successful—a dream for most women.