Damon rises and I say my goodbyes, scurrying to my office and wondering when Kay will be moving in. Once I sit in my chair, I grab for my purse and remove my BlackBerry. No messages. I go about the rest of my day, trying to make up for lost time and when I look at my BlackBerry again it’s four o’clock. Still no messages. I had told him I’d leave work at six today so I guess there was need to call me. I just thought . . . I’m not sure what I thought.

Time passes slowly after that. I twirl in my chair and pop my legs up on my desk. I’ve always prided myself on never being one of those needy girls, well not never—once and only once. But I learned my lesson quickly, and not since Levi have I sat around and waited for a guy to call me. So why is it I’m thinking it would have been nice if Jagger called me today? In fact, why isn’t he calling me? Oh God, what if he doesn’t pick me up? Was he really just using me?

My phone rings and I jump.

Reaching to pick up the receiver on my desk, I hug it to my ear. “Hello?”

“Aerieee, I’ve been waiting for you to call me all day.” It’s Dahlia.

“Dahlia girl, how am I supposed to know you’ve been waiting for a call? I did just see you yesterday.”

“Fess up now. Don’t make me squeeze it out of you.”

I laugh. “Jagger spent the night.”

“I know that. I figured that out when he didn’t come home. So . . .”

“So we had sex,” I say it as fast as I can.

“And?”

I bite my lip just thinking about it and the ache between my legs is back. “And, I think I had my first orgasm.”

A scream explodes through the line. “You think?”

“No, I did. I know I did. More than one by the way.” I can’t believe I’m having this conversation at work.

“So you still like him then?”

“Yes, Dahlia, I still like him. Actually, I really like him.”

For the longest time silence fills the line.

“Dahlia?”

“Sorry, Aerie. I am trying not to cry right now.”

“Dahlia! It’s not like I’ll be getting married tomorrow. I like him. I enjoy his company.”

There’s a knock on the door and before I say, “Come in,” it opens. Kay stands there. I kick my feet down and straighten myself.

“Hey, Dahlia, I’ll need to call you back later, but—really quick—is he there?”

“He stopped by long enough this morning to shower and then took off. I haven’t seen him since then. Is everything okay?”

“Yes, Dahlia girl. Just curious. I’ll call you later.”

I hang up the receiver.

“Aerie, I’m so sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to stop by and make sure you were really okay about sharing your office with me until mine is ready.”

I roll my chair toward her. “It’s fine. When did you want to move your stuff up?”

“Friday should work. Damon said construction wouldn’t begin before Monday.”

“Tomorrow I’ll ask Shelly to arrange the move then.”

“Thanks so much. I look forward to learning the ropes from you.”

I fold my hands on my desk and give her a friendly smile.

As soon as the door clicks shut, I pull my BlackBerry from the pocket in my purse—6:05. Finally! Time to leave. Anticipation at seeing him again burns through me, but fear that he won’t be there worries me. As I walk out of the office, I convince myself that he’s not using me. That playing the role of my uncle in the movie isn’t why he’s spending time with me. But old ghosts haunt me and I remember what happened with Levi—how one minute he had me under him naked and the next he was kissing another girl.

The automatic doors open and through the light drizzle I can see his car isn’t parked where he dropped me off this morning and my heart sinks. But then I glance sideways. Under the awning, leaning against the wall, I spot him—the wayfarers that cover his gray eyes, the faded jeans that fit snuggly on his narrow hips, the scuffed boots with the orange laces, the messy but somehow perfect dark hair, and the wool coat—the one I told him I liked. He appears deep in thought, but then suddenly glances up.

He walks toward me and tucks his glasses into the opening of his coat before reaching me. I stand there, unable to move. I’m so elated that he’s here. His hands curl behind my neck as he pulls the clip from my hair out with one hand and sticks it in his coat pocket, tangling his fingers though my hair with the other. Before I can study his expression, his lips are on mine. Soft, full, kissing me with burning passion. He pulls back, leaving me breathless and completely aroused.

“How was your day, Alice?” he asks with a grin.

I press against his chest, not caring that this is a very public display of affection. Then I lean back to look into his eyes. “Better now that work is over.”

His hands run down my arms and lace in my fingers, and my stomach dances with excitement.

“And how was yours?” I ask.

As he speaks I notice sadness in his eyes. “Mine was—”

“Have a great night, Ms. Daniels,” Shelly calls from behind me.

I turn toward her voice. “You, too. See you tomorrow.” I wave.

Before I can turn back to him, his lips are near my ear. “I missed you.”

I can almost feel his beating heart against my back. I flip around and reach up on my toes to find his mouth. “I thought about you today.”

He dips his head and finds my lips, brushing them lightly. “What exactly did you think about?”

I normally wouldn’t want to say what I’m thinking, but it’s the truth, so I say, “How you could make me come like no one ever has. How you felt inside me.”

His lips curve into that smug grin and his stormy eyes dance with pleasure. “Good, because that’s all I thought about, too. So what do you say we get out of this rain and I feed you, so we can go practice?”

“Where’d you park?”

As he pulls me closer he lets the umbrella drop to the ground. He wraps one around my waist. Then with his sexy smoldering grin, he points toward the parking lot. “Where I’m supposed to park.”

I don’t care that I’m getting wet, I don’t care that my shoes might be ruined, I stop right there and step in front of him. “What do you say we order in again?”

The past six weeks have passed by in a whirlwind. Jagger and I have been spending more than just a lot of time together. We have seamlessly combined our lives. He’s joined my evening yoga classes and sometimes he comes to my morning training sessions. He’s not a morning person though—it’s cute how much he dislikes getting up. He stays with me almost every night, and I have never had sex as much or as often as I do with him—I love every minute of it.

The movie audition has been delayed because of script issues. But regardless, Jagger has kept busy. He picked up a few small modeling jobs and last week he went for a second round of shots to do print for a big fashion house. He’s pretty excited about that. He’s also gone on numerous casting calls. He was offered a small part in a movie that he turned down because he was filming overseas and it would interfere with his audition for No Led Zeppelin. And although I’d like to say I’ve been the one helping him, he’s been helping me as well. Having someone to talk to while I go through my uncle’s belongings has been therapeutic. I’ve found photos, cards, and his complete vinyl. We also found a bunch of old sales reports, some from when Uncle Ian was Avery Wilde’s silent partner and some from Nick Wilde’s days under the Little Red label. I know Avery was very involved in his son’s career so I assume the items just got mixed up in their offices.

Once I told him about Damon and my other half, I stopped talking about work. It wasn’t as interesting as other topics. And sharing an office with Kay has been much more pleasant than I thought it would be. She’s actually really nice and doesn’t seem to have any hidden agendas. She keeps to herself and sometimes even seems nervous. I don’t ask—it’s not my business. But I have shown her all the facets of my job and she seems very appreciative. In fact, with her at the magazine, I’ve been able to come in a little bit later and leave slightly earlier—a win/win for both of us. And a bonus—Damon was really happy with the article we co-wrote about Ivy Taylor and I think he feels comfortable that the magazine is running smoothly—so he hasn’t been around as much.