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  As the big day got closer, I was having serious doubts.

  Love had never been a big deal to me. I’d never had time for such silly, romantic notions. Business was my one true love. The start of a business venture was like that first seduction. Growing that business was like nurturing a relationship. Closing a big merger was like the climax.

  Sure, I’d had girlfriends over the years, but none of them really interested me in the long term. I just felt like I was going through the motions and using them for sex.

  Which was how I ended up thirty-five years old and childless. That’s when Ruth approached me about our potential marriage. We treated the whole thing as a business arrangement, with cold logic and detachment.

  Maybe that’s why I’d agreed to it in the first place, because it felt like another business deal.

  Her terms were simple. We kept our assets separate, we got married, and we could have one child. The last bit was almost a deal breaker for me. I didn’t want one child. I wanted to have children. Lots of them.

  Any time I ever pictured having a family, I envisioned a big group of children running around the house. Money and space weren’t a problem, and while I would have to take a step back from work, my businesses basically ran themselves now.

  Still, Ruth had been firm on that issue so I agreed. One child was better than no child.

  At my age, a man starts to think about his legacy. I wanted to pass on my wealth to a little version of me, and more importantly, I wanted to pass on everything I knew about the world.

  I took another long sip of my scotch.

  Raising a kid in a sterile, loveless marriage seemed like a really bad idea. My own parents had shown no affection for each other and look how I ended up. Sure, I was rich, but my ideas about relationships and love were all screwed up.

  I didn’t want to do that to my kid.

  The problem, of course, was that true love didn’t just fall from the sky. I had to get out there and meet someone. I had to find a woman who made me feel that passion that poets talked about and that I saw in movies.

  I laughed bitterly. That was never going to happen.

  This was the first week off I’d had in years. I just didn’t have time to find true love. It wasn’t like I could just go to a bar or make an online dating profile. Too many people knew who I was. Too many people would want me for my money instead of me.

  It was impossible to trust anyone. Marrying Ruth seemed to be the only option.

  I tipped my glass back and then refilled it. By the time the sun set over the lake, I was feeling warm and numb and at peace. I would just have to go through with the marriage and accept my fate. It was ironic that I was one of the most powerful men in the world, but when it came to love, I felt completely helpless.

  When the first stars started shining in the night sky, I packed up my cooler and headed inside the cabin. My head was swimming in the warm summer air. I needed sleep. None of these problems existed in my dreams.

  The air inside the cabin was stifling. I flung my shirt onto the floor, followed by my pants and my boxer shorts. I crawled into bed naked, already half asleep.

  My last thought before I drifted into slumber was how terribly alone I felt.

  ***

  Then I wasn’t alone.

  I awoke in the darkness to the sound of someone fumbling with the lock on the front door of the cabin. Nobody should be out here. The cabin sat on acres and acres of land that I owned.

  Adrenaline spiked in my still drunk brain and I jumped out of bed wearing nothing but a scowl. I looked for something to use as a weapon but the cabin was lit only by the dim moonlight coming in through the windows.

  I decided my fists would have to be enough. I was in decent shape, and while I’d never been in a real fight, I’d hit my fair share of punching bags over the years.

  I made my way into the living room where the front door was and positioned myself just to the side of it. The door swung open, and the intruder was just a dark silhouette in the doorway.

  I took a deep breath and readied myself. The dark figure flipped on the lights, blinding me, and I lunged at him with my meanest, angriest shout.

  We toppled to the floor together in a heap with the trespasser pinned beneath me. The intruder struggled to get away. I balled up my fist and punched them hard across the jaw, and to my surprise, my attacker let out a high-pitched scream.

  That’s when I realized I had just punched a woman.

  I grabbed her arms and pinned them to the floor. I blinked the sleep from my eyes to get a look at her. She was young and full-figured, just a girl really. Her dark brown eyes looked up at me in terror.

  She didn’t seem to be a hardened criminal. Still, out here in the woods, a man couldn’t be too careful. For all I knew, she wasn’t alone.

  “Who are you?” I asked. “What are you doing here?”

  “Get off me, you crazy asshole,” she shouted. “This is my cabin.”

  That stopped me short. “I don’t think so. I own this cabin, I own this lake, and I own this whole area for miles around.”

  She blinked a few times as she gazed at me, as if trying to see if I was lying or not. Then a big sunny grin broke out on her face, making her look unexpectedly beautiful.

  “So you’re the guy who owns this place? Nice to finally meet you.”

  “What are you talking about? Who are you?”

  Her smile widened. She looked like we were having a polite introduction instead of talking while I had her pinned to the floor.

  “The name’s Rachel. I come out here all the time. Nobody’s ever here.”

  “You’ve broken into my cabin before?”

  She shrugged as best as she could with my arms holding her down. “It’s a nice place to get away from things.”

  There was something disarming about her bright smile and the twinkling humor in her eyes. She almost seemed to be enjoying herself despite the fact that this should have been a tense situation. My anger began to drain away to a dull feeling of annoyance.

  All of a sudden, I became acutely aware that my naked prick was pressed against her bare leg. Her firm breasts pressed against my chest, and with only the thin material of her tank top, it was almost like there was nothing separating us.

  I felt an unwelcome stirring in my loins and blood rushed to my cock.

  I tried to shift my hips away, but the only way to break contact was to get off of her. She didn’t seem dangerous, and I was sure I didn’t need to keep pinning her down, but the moment our bodies parted, my bare erection would be revealed. That seemed like a worse option than what was happening at the moment. With no idea what to do, I just lay there frozen.

  She looked up at me with a strange expression on her face. The only way to describe it was delighted confusion.

  “Um, this might be a stupid question,” she said. “But are you naked?”

  ***

  My face flushed scarlet.

  “Yes,” I replied, not knowing what else to say.

  “Okay, quick follow up question. Are you turned on right now?”

  I closed my eyes, embarrassed. “It appears that I am. Yes.”

  “You’re not going to take advantage of me, are you?”

  My eyes flew open in shock. “Of course not. I would never do something like that.”

  She visibly relaxed and that charming smile reappeared on her face. “Okay, well I don’t mean to be rude, Mr. Whoever You Are, but do you think you could let me up?”

  “My name is Edward,” I said. “Edward Morgan. And I’ll get off you if you close your eyes.”

  She giggled beneath me. “What?”

  “Close your eyes. I don’t want you to see me naked.”

  “I think it’s a little late for modesty, Edward.”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  “So I can feel your hard cock but I can’t see it?”

  “Whoa, where’d you learn to talk like that?”

  She laughed. “Listen, you can give me a
lesson on manners once your massive erection isn’t digging into my leg. Until then, you’ve lost the moral high ground.”

  “Fine,” I said.

  I released her hands and shifted my body off of her. Rachel’s eyes gazed at my hard length with approval. She made no secret of it. I turned my body away from her as soon as I got to my feet.

  “Not bad,” she said.

  “Would you stop that?” I asked, flustered.

  The whole situation had gotten away from me. It was not a position I was accustomed to. I should have been livid, outraged even, at this brazen young woman breaking into my cabin, but somehow, I felt like I was the one in the wrong.

  “What?” she asked innocently. “It’s a compliment, Ed.”

  “It’s Edward, and I don’t want your compliments. I mean, you’re just a child.”

  She made an angry sound. “I’m twenty years old, thank you very much. I am not a child.”

  “Still, it’s not right, you sitting there ogling me.”

  She stood up and rubbed at her wrists where I had pinned them down. They looked red and bruised. A wave of shame washed over me, along with something else.

  A pang of lust throbbed within me as her curvy young body came into view. She wore cut off denim shorts that showed off her long, shapely legs and a tank top so tight I could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her hard nipples poked through the fabric in a way that made me want to touch them.

  “If you’re uncomfortable,” she said. “Put some clothes on. Or don’t. I’m enjoying the show.”

  I rolled my eyes at her and hurried to the bedroom with my hands covering my erection, which refused to go down. I shut the door behind me and leaned my back against the cool surface of the wood. I took a deep breath to still the pounding of my heart in my chest.

  It had been a long time since I’d had sex, and apparently, my body was aching for it. I forced myself to ignore the arousal clouding my brain and tried to get a handle on the situation. I had to put some clothes on. That was step one. Then I had to figure out what to do with Rachel.

  I emerged from the bedroom fully clothed and much more in control of myself than I had been before. My cock was securely hidden behind boxers and jeans and it was soft again. Well, mostly soft. I couldn’t quite shake the memory of how good Rachel’s body had felt against mine.

  She was in the kitchen sipping on a glass of scotch. I watched her in amazement for a moment, first because of the audacity of the young woman who just made herself at home like she belonged here, and second, because she drank the liquor like a champ. I’d seen grown men who couldn’t drink scotch without making a face, but she seemed like an old pro.

  I shook my head and forced myself back into the moment. I snatched the glass from her hand and swallowed the rest of the drink in one gulp.

  “You’re too young to be drinking,” I said.

  “I’m old enough to do a lot of things.”

  “Like break into my cabin?”

  For the first time, she had the decency to seem remorseful. She slumped down into a chair by the kitchen table.

  “I’m sorry,” she said in a low, throaty voice. “I didn’t know anyone was here.”

  “Well there is. Now tell me, what are you doing out here? There’s nothing to steal.”

  She shot me an offended look. “I’m not a thief. Like I told you, this is a nice place to hang out and get away from my problems.”

  I frowned. “What sort of problems?”

  Rachel looked down at her hands. “You don’t care. Nobody cares.”

  I refilled the glass and handed it to her. Her eyes met mine like she was sizing me up.

  “Try me,” I said and sat down at the table across from her.

  “Let’s just say you weren’t the first guy to punch me in the face today.”

  Her words stung as if I’d been the one who got punched. She tucked her hair back behind her ear and for the first time, I noticed she had a bruise on her cheek. It looked slightly older than the bruise I’d planted on her chin.

  “I’m really sorry to hear that. And I can’t apologize enough for hitting you. I didn’t realize…”

  “That I was a girl?” she finished for me.

  “Yeah, I would never hit a woman. Never.”

  I didn’t know why I needed her to understand that about me. I guess I just didn’t want her to feel afraid. I’ve always been a sucker for damsels in distress, and the last thing I’d ever want to do is be the cause of that distress.

  She smiled at me. God, I loved that smile. It was infectious.

  “I know you wouldn’t hit a woman,” she said. “You’re not the type.”

  I grinned back at her. The expression was not one I was accustomed to. “And what type of guy do you think I am?”

  She cocked her head and looked at me. “I don’t know. You’re not like any of the guys around here, believe me. But you seem…” She trailed off.

  “What?”

  “Sad.”

  A lump formed in my throat and I got up to pour myself another drink, making sure to turn my back so she couldn’t see my face.

  What the hell was this girl doing to me?

  I was not an emotional guy, and I sure as hell didn’t cry. It had probably been twenty years since the last time I shed a tear. So why was I losing my composure now?

  Maybe it was the fact that she bothered to notice my emotional state at all. Nobody in my life gave a shit how I felt. They cared about my business acumen, and they worried about what I could do for them, but they never stopped and wondered how I felt.

  I felt a light touch on my shoulder. “Hey, Edward, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  I took a long drink and focused on the burning feeling of the scotch going down my throat. It wasn’t manly to have feelings nor to express them. Men had to be strong. Men had to be tough. That’s just the way the world worked.

  When I turned around, I had regained my self-control.

  “It’s fine. I’m fine. So, Rachel. I’m guessing you don’t have anywhere else to go tonight.”

  “I was planning on staying here, but I guess that’s off the table.”

  I shook my head. “Look, I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but you can stay here tonight on one condition.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at me with worry in her eyes. “What?”

  “You have to promise not to murder me in my sleep.”

  The smile lit up her face like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. “I’ll do my best.”

  “But you’re getting the couch,” I said. “My chivalry only extends so far.”

  She bent her knees in a little curtsy. “That’s very noble of you, sir knight.”

  My face turned serious. “Please, Rachel. Don’t make me regret this.”

  She looked at me with wide eyes. “I promise. You can trust me.”

  “And it’s only for tonight.”

  She looked disappointed, but she nodded. “Alright.”

  “Alright, I’m going to bed. Do not drink all my liquor.”

  I headed for the bedroom.

  “Good night, Edward,” she said, almost in a whisper.

  “Good night, Rachel.”

  I closed the door behind me and stumbled into bed. Exhaustion swept over me now that the adrenaline had worn off. I drifted off to sleep almost immediately. When I dreamed, I dreamed about Rachel.

  In the dream, I didn’t get off her when I had her pinned to the ground. Instead, I leaned down and kissed her. She kissed me back.

  It was the best dream I’d had in years.

  ***

  When I awoke, Rachel was nowhere to be found.

  The blankets on the couch had been folded neatly and stacked on top of her pillow. She wasn’t in the bathroom or the kitchen. I breathed a sigh of relief.

  The dream was still fresh in my mind. Images kept flashing in my head like clips from a movie. Our bodies pressed together. My lips on hers. A stirring
of passion within me that had long lain dormant.

  It was probably for the best that Rachel was gone. Desire can make a man do crazy things, and if she had stuck around, I couldn’t be sure I would be able to control myself. I only hoped that wherever she had gone, she would be safe there.