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Those soul-stealing blue eyes bore into me.

What would it take for Harrison King to put his scars and suspicions behind him and open his heart, his life, to a woman?

I reach across Ernie to tug the papers toward me, but Harrison doesn’t release the blueprints, and our fingers brush, heat zinging through me.

His thighs clench under the expensive fabric of his pants, and his exhale is half groan.

All I hear is the hammering of my pulse. Harrison’s smoldering gaze burns me up from the inside.

Our faces are inches apart, his firm lips parted. “La Mer isn’t yet mine, but with this in my collection of venues, I’ll surpass Mischa in growth. With or without La Mer.”

I turn my attention back to the blueprints, scanning the scale drawings that include the bars, the lighting, the stage.

They’re impressive.

“So, I’m supposed to believe you’ll get everything done on schedule because Harrison King wills it so?”

“Because you know what I’m capable of.”

It’s what makes him a powerful ally, and a dangerous one.

“If you can get your approvals lined up and show me this place is coming together, I’ll sign on. For this amount.” I reach for the pen in his jacket pocket, pull his hand toward me, and scrawl a number on his palm as he watches, bemused.

“You’re joking.”

“My rate’s gone up since Ibiza.”

My rate for him has, anyway.

Harrison stares at me incredulously. Every inch of his perfect body is tense, and he’s not bothering to hide the impatience on his face. “Are you forgetting I made you in Ibiza?”

“Actually, I made you. The Debajo door doubled under me.”

“And you trembled under me.”

Before I can respond, he jerks me toward him.

His lips claim mine, hot and possessive.

There’s no questioning in this kiss. It’s punishment and regret, a dark cocktail crafted by his hard mouth and demanding tongue.

I try not to respond. His grip on my hair is demanding, but I can’t bring myself to pull away.

I’ve been fantasizing about kissing him for an entire month, afraid it would never happen again. Now that it’s happening, that low throb in my body starting up like it never stopped, I remember why.

Ernie whines in my lap, but Harrison doesn’t relent until he’s tasted me to his satisfaction, until I’m panting and my heart is racing against my ribs.

When he pulls back, his arrogant face is clouded with desire.

“You don’t have the right to do that,” I manage.

“I never had the right. Wasn’t a problem before.” He rubs a hand across his hard jaw, eyes dancing. “And don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy it.”

I want to slap him.

I want him to press me down on this coffee table and see if it’ll hold both our weights.

Before I can decide, his phone buzzes and he glances at it. “I have a meeting tomorrow with the man in charge of zoning. We’ve gotten permits to upgrade the walls, flooring, anything that wouldn’t raise suspicions for warehouse use. The rest will have to wait until the zoning is completed. In the interim, I’ve had my marketing team mock-up some options for promoting opening night. I want to go over plans with you. Tomorrow night, over dinner.”