“I’d say there’s more Chelsea in Charli than Alex, but it’s not that easy…”

She hugged me. “Do what you want. This is your vacation. I’m just happy seeing that perpetual smile on your face. Go… don’t be late for Mr. Handsome.”

“We know his name—it’s Nox.”

“Yes, but not his last name. I’ve dubbed him Nox Tall-Dark-and-Handsome, Mr. Handsome for short.”

I laughed. That was a lot of names, but for someone who had four names herself, six if I included Alex and Charli, Nox Tall-Dark-and-Handsome wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

A few minutes later I stepped into the front lobby of the resort and walked toward the large glass entrance. My breathing hitched when Mr. Handsome came into view. Without thinking, I scanned him up and down. Each time I looked at Nox from afar, I wondered what it was that he’d seen in me and why he hadn’t been dating anyone. The man was sex on a stick, and for a few more days he was all mine. The way his gray suit fit perfectly in all the right places tightened parts of my insides while melting others. He was talking to one of the hotel employees. As I approached, I concentrated on my steps across the shiny floor, but from the corner of my eye, I saw the employee nod my direction and Nox turn.

Any semblance of composure I’d been holding floated away with the breaking of the proverbial thread. From nearly fifty feet away, his blue gaze drank me in and devoured me whole. I was the prey to the lion I envisioned when he growled. Instantaneously, one of his cheeks rose, pulling his lips into a lopsided grin. His approving expression filled me with the confidence I needed to move forward.

The Del Mar employee disappeared into a haze, as did everyone else. Nox and I were the only two people on earth. I’d seen this happen in special effects during a film. Everyone except the main characters was out of focus. As I came to a stop in front of the only person in the lobby, I begged my heart to slow its stampede.

Lifting my hand, Nox brushed his full lips over my knuckles. “You are stunning.”

Before I could respond, he turned toward the employee who had reappeared.

“Don’t you agree, Ferguson? My date is the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen.”

“Sir, you’re a lucky man.”

Taking my hand into the crook of his elbow, Nox turned us toward the doors. “Luck,” he responded to Ferguson, just before we walked away, “has nothing to do with it. It’s all about knowing what you want.”

“Yes, sir. Have a good evening and you too, Miss Moore.”

“Thank you,” I managed to say.

Nox’s closed-lip grin widened, revealing his white teeth and a bright smile. Though he was still talking to Ferguson, his eyes were only on me. “Oh, we shall. We shall.”

I was about to ask about our plans, if we were going to do more than the restaurant in Oceanside when Nox stopped in front of a black Porsche Boxster convertible.

“Your carriage for the evening, m’lady.”

“Really? You’re going to drive? I guess I thought when you said a car—”

“Are you disappointed?”

“No,” I answered honestly. “Not at all. This is a great car.”

Opening the passenger door and helping me in, he replied, “It’s a rental, but I like to drive.” Once he was in the driver’s seat, he said, “I could arrange to have a driver tomorrow night, if you’d prefer.”

“I like this better.”

“Good.” He put his hand on my knee. “I want you all to myself.”

I couldn’t hold back my smile as I fastened my seatbelt. As he pulled out from under the awning, the evening sun washed over us. We made our way down the winding road off the resort. Since I’d decided to leave my hair down for the night, I searched through my handbag and found a hair tie and fastened the auburn waves into a low ponytail.

I wasn’t making Nox feel better when I’d said I preferred his driving. I detested limousines. They reminded me of Alton. Savannah wasn’t that large. There was no reason for Alton Fitzgerald to be driven to his job each day or for he and my mother to be driven to dinner. It was simply him being ostentatious.

As we headed north, I scoured the breathtaking scenery along Highway 101. With the roof open, I could scan every direction. Out Nox’s side of the car, the Pacific Ocean glistened with prisms of light as the sun sunk lower in the sky. Throughout the entire trip, whether we were talking about the ocean or the sky or just enjoying the whoosh of the wind around the Boxster, Nox held my hand or my knee.

The touch of his skin to mine no longer shocked me. That didn’t mean the connection was gone. It was different. Instead of the electricity I’d felt the first time we touched, now our link was more like a familiar blanket. Even though he might only be holding my hand, my entire body warmed with his presence. Still driving along the coastal highway, with the city growing larger in the distance, Nox turned toward me, and I immediately noticed something different in his expression.

“Charli?”

“Yes?”

“Our time is…” He inhaled. Squeezing my hand, he narrowed his light blue gaze. “Damn, I don’t know what to do with you.”

“Excuse me?”

Shaking his head, he slowed the Boxster and pulled off the road onto a scenic vista. Though sunset was still over an hour away, the sky before us was filled with colors. Purples and pinks dominated the horizon as the orange globe of the sun cast yellows and reds in all directions. The blue water shimmered. “I know you don’t really know anything about me, but I can tell you, I am rarely—no never—” he corrected, “hesitant about my demands.”

“Your demands?” My voice came out an octave higher than I planned.

“Do you remember my telling you that my tastes are unique?”

“Yes. No California wine.”

His smile returned. “Well, there is that. I wasn’t speaking of wine.”

I nodded. “Yes, Nox, I remember.”

“Have you had a nice week, so far?”

“I would say nice is an understatement.”

He moved his hand higher on my thigh. “I don’t usually ask for what I want.”

My eyes widened. “You don’t. Does that mean you take it?”

He shrugged. “Yes, but when it comes to sex, I’m not saying it’s ever been against anyone’s will. I can’t remember a time it wasn’t plainly offered or at least assumed.”

“Are you asking if I’m offering?”

“I’m glad you’ve enjoyed yourself this week. I’m ready, more than ready, for you to enjoy yourself more. I’ve tried to go slow on pushing those limits. But damn, time isn’t on our side.”

I tried to swallow, but my mouth seemed suddenly dry. Chelsea’s words came back to me, telling me to have fun and also to think about me. “I promise to let you know if I’m not comfortable.”

Nox nodded. “I’ve been giving this a lot of thought.”

I held my breath.

“And I want to explore those limits tonight. I want you to do something for me. Will you?”

I looked from side to side. There were other cars parked along the highway. In front of us there was a railing and steps. The people in those other cars had probably parked and gone beyond the railing, down the hill, to watch the sunset. That didn’t mean we were alone. There were cars passing by at a regular rate.

He squeezed my thigh, bringing me mentally back to him. “Charli?”

I let out the breath. Does he seriously want a blow job right here, before our dinner?

“What do you want me to do?”

“No, it doesn’t work that way. I want you to trust me. I want you to trust me with this one night. I want to spend tonight showing you a small sliver of my unique taste. Then, tomorrow night, our last night together, you can decide if we go back to nice or we explore more limits. Do you trust me?”

I nodded. His offer excited me in a way I’d never imagined. “Yes, I do.”

“And?”

“And…” I gathered my courage. “…I’ll do whatever you want.”