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Doesn’t matter that I earned this job.

That I worked my ass off to make it out from under my brother’s shadow.

Doesn’t matter what degrees or certifications. One secret in the wrong hands... one fucking detail—and I’m not a qualified expert anymore.

I’m not enough.

Just another woman who fucked her way into the building.

So, no.

I don’t tell him.

I kiss him back instead. Like he’s new. Like he hasn’t already had every inch of me.

Even though he’s the only one who’s ever made me want to fall apart.

Even though I’ve been thinking about that night every time his voice drops below a whisper.

I don’t tell him.

Because if I do—

If I hand him this truth—

I might lose the only thing I built without anyone’s permission....And I’m not sure I can survive that. He kisses me again. Soft. Intentional.

Like he’s not trying to prove something—just say something. I kiss him back. Because I don’t know how not to.

Somewhere outside this tinted glass cocoon, The Bay’s still buzzing. People are still snapping photos. Still drawing headlines. Still asking questions neither of us is ready to answer.

But in here? It’s just him. Just me. Just this moment I’m not supposed to want.

His lip's part mine with a kind of savage need that makes my chest cave in. And when his hand finds my waist, pulling me closer, I don’t resist. I fold.

I let it happen. All of it.

Because if I think too hard, I’ll remember I’m lying.

If I speak, I’ll say something true.

And truth is dangerous.

So instead, I climb onto his lap. My dress rides up and my conscience shuts the hell down.

His fists twist in the fabric. My thighs part without hesitation, like they know him.

They do.

“Liam,” I breathe, as his hand trails over my skin. “We should stop.”

He groans into my mouth, like the idea alone physically hurts him.

But he doesn’t stop.

His thumb drags slow and lazy creeping between my thigh and my breath gets caught in my chest. His mouth finds mine again—no patience. No pause.

Just want, sharp and reckless. And I swear I could live inside this moment and never want for anything else. He hisses—his fingers slide beneath my panties and find the truth.