Unbreak My Heart (Rough Riders Legacy #1)(89)

“I knew she volunteered a lot.” I paused. “And I’ll phrase this as delicately as I can…but I gathered that her volunteerism stemmed from her unhappy marriage.”

“You’re not wrong. But neither did Grace fit the mold of the bored socialite.”

“Is your friendship with my grandmother why you decided to come here today?”

“Partially. I wouldn’t have pulled the ‘your grandmother would be so ashamed’ card. I might’ve used her name to remind you that the things you were prejudiced against were in your own family history.” She smiled. “I’m so very glad it didn’t come to that.”

“Me too. Do you have time to get into this a little deeper with me?” I held up my hand. “Not to argue. But I’d love to hear more about the executive side of your volunteerism.”

“I’d like that.”

I buzzed Nikki and asked her to bring in coffee. Then I directed Mrs. Nash to the seating area—a less formal environment to continue our discussion.

We spent the next hour talking. Or rather, she talked; I listened and took pages of notes. She seemed very interested in PCE’s philosophy of providing capital to women starting home-based businesses. She seemed shocked when I inadvertently let it slip that that concept had come from me.

As she rose to leave, I tossed out, “If you’re free tomorrow night, I’d love to take you to the PCE mixer.”

“I’ll make time. But I do need to know if it’d be clichéd if I wore pearls?”

I laughed. That was proof there’s a little smartass in all of us.



But after Mrs. Nash left, I felt completely unmoored.

So much of what I thought I’d known had been flipped on its f*cking head.

I looked out the window in my office to the world beyond the glass, almost as if I was seeing it for the first time.

The recriminations came immediately. What the hell did I know about anything? God. I was a baby in the world of business. Why had I believed I was qualified to run an organization like PCE? Moreover, why had Phyllis asked me?

Because she knows you’ll work yourself into the ground to make it successful. For other applicants it’d just be a job. For you…it’s so much more.

Would I be better served to focus on my role at DPM? Stop listening to excuses about why things never changed and become proactive?

Even if that meant losing long-time employees?

Yes. If I f*cked it up, at least I tried to fix it—which was more than anyone else around here had attempted.

I heard the office door open and close, then the tiniest whisper of footsteps across the carpet. Only one person in my life existed in stealth mode.

Strong arms circled me completely. He pulled me against his chest as if he wanted to pull me inside him.

Yes, please.

Boone’s mouth journeyed down the side of my throat until he found his spot on my neck. Every time his warm lips landed there, I felt like he marked me, reminded me that I was wholly his.

He murmured, “I missed you.”

At one time I would’ve pointed out it’d been less than eight hours since we’d seen each other; he couldn’t possibly have had time to miss me. But this was what I gave to him. Someone who missed him too. “Back atcha, babe. What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to surprise you with a nooner. I planned to yank your skirt up and f*ck you over your desk.” He sank his teeth into the side of my throat and I squirmed. “But I got a late start so I’m filing that idea for another day.”

“I’ve never had sex in this office.”

He groaned. “Don’t tell me that.”

“I assumed you knew.”

“I assumed that every f*cking man in this office building had the fantasy of doing you in your ivory tower. I just didn’t realize none of them had the balls to give it a try. Not that I’m unhappy I’ll be the first and only dude you’ll bend over for in here.”

I laughed. “Such a way with words, West.” I turned around so we were chest to chest and wreathed my arms around his neck. My gaze roamed over his face.

“What?”

“Sometimes when I look at this gorgeous face I’ve only seen in my dreams the past few years, I can’t believe you’re really here.”

His sexy growl sent a curl of heat through me.

He framed my face in his hands, giving me tender kisses. “Can you play hooky the rest of the day?”

“What would we do? Spend it in bed?”

“Yes. After I f*cked you in the living room. Maybe the kitchen. Definitely the pool. And the shower. Then we’d hit the bed.” His slumberous gaze rolled over me. “I kinda like having sex with you, McKay.”

I forced my eyes wide. “Really? Because I was starting to worry you didn’t. I mean you only had your wicked way with me twice yesterday and once this morning.”

His eyes clouded.

“Boone. I was joking.”

“Promise me it’ll always be like this between us.”

“Hot and sexy and all the damn time?”

“No.” He paused and whispered, “Real.”

My heart and my lungs and my ovaries pretty much exploded right then.

That’s when I noticed he wasn’t in civilian clothes. I eyed his scrubs, wondering if he had them custom-made to allow for those bulging biceps. “Where’s your stethoscope?”