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His older brother had died almost a decade ago, ending his carefree years because as the only other child of Owen and Geraldine Lennox, he was now heir to Lennox Real Estate.

Without the heart to rebel against the changes in his life, because he knew his parents’ hearts were already breaking as they struggled to deal with the sudden loss, he had worked hard in college, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard, and worked at his father’s side as he learned to manage a multi-billion dollar business that reached to the four corners of the globe.

Then eighteen months ago his world had tilted on its axis once again.

His mother—his beautiful, sweet, kind, selfless mother—had lost her four year battle to stomach cancer and passed away. While he was relieved she was no longer suffering, the loss had hit him hard, especially as he watched his powerful, strong father wither away as grief ate at him piece by piece.

Three months ago he’d lost his father, and alone in the world, he’d realized that he wanted more.

He wanted what his parents had. That kind of all-consuming love that could weather any storm life threw at it, including the biggest loss a couple could endure.

How could he find that when he was surrounded by women who were only after him because he was rich and powerful?

All of the women he’d dated—or slept with—would have run in the wake of the crushing loss of losing a child. They would have cut their losses, taken whatever they could get after signing a pre-nup, and disappeared.

Eli wanted more.

He wanted a woman who was his equal, who would challenge him, and who was sexy as sin.

Why was that so hard to find?

With an irritated sigh, he walked to his desk to gather his things.

After losing his parents, he’d decided he couldn’t stay in London anymore and had packed up his life and moved back to New York.

He’d tracked down a childhood friend, Elliot Emerson, who now ran a very successful financial management company that he’d built himself.

While his company bought, sold, and managed real estate across the globe, Eli had several other financial holdings that he needed someone to manage, and his old friend had seemed the perfect person to do it.

He’d also rented offices in the building Elliot owned, since he was going to be putting roots down here he wanted a permanent place to do that, and there was something oddly comforting about being around someone he knew.

Well, he knew lots of people in Manhattan, but Elliot Emerson represented a time in his life where he had been carefree and happy.

Their families had lived next door to each other up until not long after his seventh birthday when his father’s business had really started to take off, and they’d moved to London.

Back when they were small boys, he and Elliot had been virtually inseparable.

They’d played at being ninjas, and dressed as pirates, building a pirate ship in his backyard.

They’d stolen cookies from the kitchen when they’d been told they couldn’t have more, and stayed up late on long summer evenings watching fireflies and counting stars.

Fighting the familiar ache in his chest as he thought about his parents and how much he had lost when they died, he was locking his office door when his phone buzzed with a text.

A half-smile quirked his mouth up when he saw it was from Elliot, despite the fact that his old friend could be rude when he dealt with others, Eli liked Elliot, and Elliot’s wife Susannah.

Apparently, Elliot’s mellowing out was mostly due to the fact that he’d found love, and because he was now a father to a three-year-old daughter, Bessie, who he had only recently learned about, and a new little son who wasn't even a year old yet.

Elliot

It’s after 9:30 you owe me an apartment in Paris

with a view of the Eifel Tower if you're still at

the office

Eli

I never agreed to that bet

Elliot

I take that to mean you’re still there

Of course he was still here.

Where else was he going to be?

The hotel he’d been staying at?

The apartment he had bought but not moved into yet?

A bar or club picking up a woman to take home and have meaningless sex with?

That was getting old real quick.

Not that he was going to tell his friend that. Elliot might have mellowed since falling in love, but that didn't mean they had the kind of relationship where they discussed things of that nature. They hadn't even seen each other in over two decades until Eli had moved back to New York last month.

Eli

It’s a lot of work moving a business’

headquarters to another country you know

Elliot

If that’s what you need to tell yourself

Eli

Did you want something?

Elliot

Actually yes

Can you go to my office and grab the files on the

right corner of my desk. I forgot to bring them

home with me and I need them

I'd go and get them myself but Jakey is teething

and I told Susannah to get some rest while she could

I finally got the baby to sleep but he’s passed out

on my chest and I don’t want to risk waking him

by putting him in his crib

Eli

Yeah I can grab them and bring them round

Elliot

Thanks, man

I thought we were home free with the lack of sleep

once Jakey started sleeping through the night

but teething has had him up screaming every

night for the last week

Eli caught the hint of regret in his voice and knew that Elliot was thinking about how he had been deprived of four years of his daughter’s life.

He hadn't been around when Bessie was a newborn, when she was teething, or learning to walk, saying her first word, or potty training. Eli couldn’t imagine how he’d feel knowing he had missed out on so much of his child’s life, but he was glad that Elliot and Bessie were together now and that his friend would be there for every other milestone in his daughter’s life.

Eli

I’ll leave them with the doorman so I

don’t disturb the baby by knocking on the

door

Elliot

Thanks

Stopping by Elliot’s office, Eli grabbed the files his friend wanted, then headed down to the ground floor. He had texted his driver to tell him he was ready to go back to the hotel, but when he stepped out into the cold night, he saw that his car wasn't there yet.

As he waited, his attention was drawn to a woman walking out of the alley across the street.

She was short, if he had to guess not more than five foot two, but she walked with an air of confidence that made her seem seven feet tall.

She was dressed in a pair of jeans that, even from here, he could see hugged a perfect pair of toned legs, and although she wore a coat, he could see that it covered a pair of small but perky breasts.

She had long blonde hair that whipped around her face in the wind, and she had her arms wrapped around her middle as though she were cold.

The woman stopped abruptly and then bent down, picking up something he couldn’t see, and that was when he noticed it.

The car.

Headlights illuminated the woman, and he saw a pale face with delicate features and wide eyes that were locked on the vehicle.

Instead of slowing, it sped up, and it wasn't swerving away from her even though the driver had to have seen her.

Eli didn't even think about it.

He sprinted across the street and launched himself at the woman, wrapping an arm around her and rolling them both out of the way of the oncoming car.

9:46 P.M.

A blur of black in her peripheral vision caught her eye.

Before Florence could react, she was tackled.

She landed hard on the pavement, her wrist taking the brunt of the fall and pain shot through it, reverberating around her body.

The car careened past.

If she’d still been there it would have slammed right into her.

Since she’d been kneeling and not standing, her head and chest would have taken the brunt of the bumper’s force. There was no way she could have survived such an impact.

The car sped off, and Florence turned her attention to the person who had tackled her. Whoever it was still lay on the concrete beside her, an arm wrapped around her waist, her body flush up against his hard one.

So far, he hadn't made any move to harm her, but that didn't mean he wouldn’t.

Not willing to wait and see what the man would do next, whether he was friend or foe, she squirmed quickly out of his grip and pulled out her weapon, holding it on the man. “Who are you?” she demanded.

Surprised dark eyes looked up at her, and then he broke out into a bemused smile. “I just saved your life, darlin’, that how you thank me?”

“You didn't answer my question,” she bit out. “Who are you?”

The man stood slowly, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that she had a gun aimed at his chest. It was a nice chest, his coat and suit jacket were both open, and she could see his muscles’ definition through his white shirt.

He was tall, at least a foot taller than her, maybe more, and he had to outweigh her by at least a hundred pounds, all of it muscle.

He took a step toward her, and Florence knew that she should announce herself as a cop, and if the man wouldn’t answer her questions then cuff him and keep him here until she could call in what happened and back up arrived, then have him taken down to the station to be questioned.

For all she knew this man was in cahoots with whoever had tried to run her over.

Instead of doing anything, she stared up at him. The short, scruffy beard made him look ridiculously sexy, and the way he was looking at her had her blushing even though she wasn't a woman who blushed when a man looked at her like he wanted to devour her.

Despite the fact she didn't know who he was, her gut said this man wasn't a threat to her safety. And she reluctantly had to admit that if he hadn't been here she would probably be dead right now.