Ian

D aisy trembling in my arms post orgasm is the sexiest thing I've ever seen in my life. Her hazel eyes are soft and unfocused, and her body is more relaxed than she's ever been around me. This is the real her, I realize. The gentle, girlish side that she hides beneath the tough professional face.

I want to see more of this. More of her. But I don't want to rush her into something she's going to regret. This is probably too much as it is. I'd bet anything she'll want to go back to her room and overthink this.

Which is why I'm surprised as fuck when she tips herself out of the chair and lands on top of me, kissing me like her life depends on it.

We kiss for what feels like an eternity, our mouths fused together as if we were each other's oxygen. At first, each kiss is slow and soft. Every press of our lips a bare glance, a tender graze of each other's skin. But the longer we kiss, the more it turns fierce and passionate, our teeth clashing, our urgency to be inside each other making us crazy desperate.

I could kiss this woman for the rest of my life and never, ever come up for air.

My cock is steel hard, and I try to discreetly adjust myself. I don't want to assume she's looking for more. But when Daisy notices, she gets this wicked smile on her face.

"Please," she says against my lips, and I damn near come from the thrill of hearing that word from her mouth again. "Please tell me you have a condom."

In two seconds I've whipped one out, grinning like I've just pulled of the most complicated magic trick in history.

Her eyes light up, and her voice turns dark. "I love a man who's prepared for anything."

She reaches for my belt. I shock myself when I stop her, grabbing her hand. But this girl... She's different. This thing between us feels different, and she needs to know my secret before we go any further.

"I, um. I need to tell you something." I lean in, pressing a kiss to that racing pulse just above her collarbone, tasting the salt and sweetness of her skin. She makes a noise that immediately causes my cock to jump. I stay there for a while, trailing little kisses up and down the column of her neck.

Daisy leans into the kisses for a minute, but then pulls back with a laugh. "You have to choose. Either talk to me or do that, because I can only focus on one or the other."

With an effort, I withdraw my lips from her addictive skin. It's not easy, but she's right. I should use my words, not my body. At least for now.

"What is it?" A tiny, nervous smile shapes her mouth. "Do you not want to...?"

"No, no, no," I rush to reassure her. "I want. You have no idea how much I want. The problem is, well, it's not a problem, really, it's just that — it's been a while."

"A while for what?" She tucks a curl back into place. Fuck, she's beautiful. Heroically, I resist the urge to play with her hair.

"A while since I, you know. Did this."

I stare at a spot on her collar, not meeting her eyes, willing the heat on the back of my neck to subside. But the silence is so thick and deep I'm not sure that she heard me. When I finally look up, Daisy's staring at me like I just announced I have a second cock hiding down there.

", are you saying you've been celibate?" Her voice squeaks on the last word, like she cannot believe that my name and that idea have ever been in the same sentence.

"Yeah."

"For how long?"

"A couple of years. Three." I sigh. "Okay, five."

"But how? You're you." Incredulity is plain on her face. "I mean, look at you."

"It's not that I haven't had the opportunity," I admit. "It's my choice. I needed a break from casual entanglements, you know?"

"What about those girls you were with the first day I was here?"

"They're my personal trainers," I explain. "We're strictly friends. Never went there."

"Wow. That's — that's —" She bends down and kisses me with ultimate gentleness. I lean into it. Into her. I've known her for just a little while, but I'm already certain she is the one.

I want her like I wanted my first guitar. Like I wanted to be famous.

I hope that she feels the same. I just need to prove to her that I'm worth it.

"Can I just say, then," she looks down at me with wicked intent in her eyes, "that I am honored to be someone you feel less casual about?"

She takes her time undoing me, discarding my belt and shifting my clothes off just enough to set my cock free. When she's got me all the way out, Daisy licks her lips like I've set a four course meal in front of her. I swear to God, I almost come from that look alone.

When she bends her head, taking every inch of my length into her mouth, I let out the least dignified noise ever, wrenched from my throat. Daisy laughs, giddy with power, and holy shit, I feel that resonance down to my fucking toes. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, I would not do or pay to experience that again.

But bless her, she offers my unworthy self this joy for free.

I don't know how long she licks me from root to tip, or how many times she takes my cock all the way down her throat. All I know is I have to touch her. My hands slide beneath her top, lifting it up to reveal the glory of her generous tits. Fuck me, they are magnificent. I play with them, teasing and tweaking her nipples to see if she likes it harder or softer. I'm determined to make this perfect for her. But every single touch makes her moan even harder around my cock, and soon I am literally shaking in the most divine agony. I have to get inside her before I combust.

"Daisy, darling," I moan, not even the tiniest bit embarrassed. "Ride me."

I laugh when she tips her imaginary cowboy hat at me, but I'm focused on my mission, stripping her bottom half bare. She slides the condom on my desperate cock, and almost before she's finished, I'm gripping her hips. Our eyes connect as I guide her warm, waiting pussy onto me in one swift move.

I could die happy right here and now, inside her silky wet heat. But then, she starts to move, and holy shit.

"Fuck," I growl. "Fucking hell. You are so fucking perfect."

Dear God. She's got me growling. Like some kind of animal. Like a filthy fucking beast, with no language, reduced to caveman grunts. I am nothing but want and need as I thrust up into her sweet pussy again and again. I run my thumb over her clit, determined to make her come again before I let go. She groans with me, and for a while there is nothing but the heat of her around me and the sweat and grunts and the sweet, sticky sounds of our bodies coming together over and over.

She tenses, and her whole body shakes as she shouts my name and her pussy clenches tight around my cock. I want to hold out, but the rhythm of her quivering around me sends me over the edge, and I come, exploding into her warmth like a fucking rocket.

We lie together, beyond words, until my cock softens and slips from her body. After reassembling ourselves into something like decency, we walk back to the house, holding hands, occasionally giving one another quiet, smiling glances.

I leave her at her bedroom door with a lingering kiss and a promise to see her in an hour for lunch. I'm humming — fucking humming, like I'm in a damned romantic comedy — as I make my way back to my own suite. I don't even care. This might be the best day of my adult life.

I'm just about to head to the dining room when I notice my phone vibrating. Although I don't recognize the number, this is my private secure line. If someone's calling, then it's important.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Worthington-Jones?" I immediately recognize the voice of the federal agent leading the investigation into my thieving bastard accountant.

"Yes, Agent Scott, it's me. How are you? Has there been any progress?"

"There has been, though I'm afraid it's not anything you'll want to hear." The man sounds exasperated. He's never sounded like anything else, to be fair, but it seems like he's got an extra dose today.

"Go on."

"We have a lead, a very promising one. Unfortunately, it looks like he's in Montenegro."

"That's good, isn't it? If you know where he is, you can go get him." And my money.

"The United States does not have an extradition treaty with Montenegro, sir." The agent's disgust comes through crystal clear. "While we believe we know where he is, I'm afraid he's out of our reach."

"I… I see." My voice sounds hollow, even to my own ears. "Thank you for letting me know."

"Obviously, we're not giving up, but I have to be frank. The likelihood of us recovering your funds is very slim."

I make the proper noises, but my brain is on autopilot. I don't even notice that we've hung up the call until I pull the phone away from my face.

Twenty years of work, gone, just like that. All that so-called saving for my future he encouraged? Gone with the wind. The foundation I planned to create? A phantom.

So much for my legacy. So much for building a life.

Daisy's face flashes before my eyes. Fuck me. She's gonna kick me to the curb if she finds out about this. There's no way she wants to be with an idiot who let himself get taken advantage of. Who was too arrogant to check on what was happening with his assets.

This winery really is all I have. I need to make this work, if I'm going to have any chance with her at all.

Otherwise, I can kiss the best thing that ever happened to me goodbye.