“Done. All done. Whatever you want, done.”

“Then I guess you have another assistant,” she breathed, and leaned in.

He kissed her so fiercely that her toes curled, and she clung to his thick woolen coat. His tongue slicked against her own in a possessive dance, and Maylee was left gasping and breathless when he released her.

“I guess I’d better tell Mama and them that I’m moving back to New York City.”

“Good,” said Griffin, just as breathless as her. His gaze devoured her. “Very good.”

* * *

A few hours later, Maylee had kissed her Mama, her Nana, her Pepaw and her sisters, packed her small bag, and leashed Bubba, and they were heading to New York City. Griffin had agreed to let her bring her dog, even though it was clear he wasn’t sure what to do around the animal. Maylee wondered if he’d ever had a pet, and then she thought of the queen with her big, fluffy cats, and tried to picture a grimly resolute Griffin petting one, and giggled to herself all the way to the airport.

Once they were back on his jet, Kip took Bubba’s leash and sat at the front of the plane with a drink and a magazine. “I’ll be here in case you need me,” the valet said in a dry voice. “With headphones on.”

That was an odd thing to say, Maylee thought as she held Griffin’s hand and headed to the back seats on the plane. “Why would he tell us that?”

Griffin sat in one large leather seat, and then pulled her down into his lap. “He thinks we’re going to have a make-out session in the back of the plane, I suppose.” He dragged his arms around her and pulled her closer, running his hands along her back and thigh as if he couldn’t get enough of touching her.

She pulled off his glasses and tossed them into a nearby empty seat. Then, she leaned in and took Griffin’s lower lip between her teeth, biting it lightly and enjoying the shiver she felt rock through his body. “Then I suppose we shouldn’t disappoint him?”

Griffin’s groan of response was deliciously gratifying to hear. “There is a room in the back of the plane.”

“Does it have condoms?”

He groaned again. “I hope to God that it does.”

“Let’s go check it out,” she murmured against his mouth, and then slid out of his lap. She sashayed the few feet to the back of the plane and opened the door, knowing Griffin’s eyes were on her every step of the way.

The bedroom at the back of the plane was just as she remembered it. There was a full-size bed on the one side and a mirror on the wall behind it. On the other side of the small room was a desk with a chair, and a door that led to the bathroom.

She headed for the bathroom and heard Griffin shut the door to the room and lock it behind them. Inside the bathroom, there were a number of toiletries, but the thing that interested her the most was the box of condoms under the sink. It looked like the box she’d purchased in Bellissime, and she turned and held it out to Griffin. “You kept these?”

“How could I not? The driver was giving me such dirty looks for breaking your heart that I took them as a badge of shame.” He grimaced at the thought.

She laughed again. “I’m glad you feel bad about that, because I felt worse.”

He pulled her against him again and nuzzled her neck. “You should know you’re the only one for me.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to believe his words—oh, she did—but she’d been stomped on and hurt too many times by his careless words to believe him wholeheartedly. So for now, she trusted and hoped.

Maylee’s fingers stole to Griffin’s hair—soft, shining, and messy. “This is a different look for you.”

“Kip did not approve,” he murmured against her neck. “But Kip is not the one who likes to run his fingers through my hair.”

“I’m glad for that,” she said with another laugh, and scratched at his scalp.

He groaned. “Dear God, that feels good.”

She shushed him with a giggle. “You’re going to have to be quieter if you don’t want Kip listening in.”

He stiffened, shooting an anxious look back toward the front cabin. “I’m not entirely sure I’m comfortable with him sitting right out there—”

She gave him a mock pout, and her hand slid down to the front of his slacks. “I grew up in a trailer. I think if anyone knows how to be quiet when making out, it’s me.”

He frowned back at her. “Who exactly were you making out with—”

“Boys,” she said. And then she kissed him to shut him up.

And he kissed her back. Oh, she loved kissing him so much. No one kissed quite like Griffin. There was an unadulterated hunger to his mouth, as if he feared everything would be ripped away in the next instant and so he had to devour her while he could. She loved that singular intensity of him and suspected he’d be like that in bed, too.

She couldn’t wait to find out. Her hand rubbed at his cock again, feeling the thick length of it under her fingers. “Now,” she murmured, stroking him when she paused. “Did you want to make out back here with your new assistant? Because she’s a pretty demanding sort.”

His eyes were glazed with passion. “Oh?”

“Very. . . .” Stroke. “Demanding . . .” Stroke.

He groaned again, this time louder, and she kissed his mouth to quiet him, pleased by the fact that her tightly controlled man was not quite so controlled in the bedroom.

“Want to know what I demand?” Maylee asked.

He nodded, unable to form words.

“Your tongue . . .” Stroke. “All over my body.” Stroke. “And then I’ll do the same to you.” Stroke. “How does that sound?”

“Incredible,” he breathed, his dazed expression warming her heart.

“Then let’s go check out that bed, shall we?” And she reluctantly slid her hand away from his cock and left the tiny bathroom.

He followed her out, his hand touching her back, her arm, as if reluctant to let her leave him for one moment. And that was rather gratifying and sweet, all at once. She felt a surge of affection for him—this lonely, isolated man who didn’t know how to ask for affection, but basked in her attentions.

She’d be careful with his heart. Maylee turned around to give Griffin a sweet smile and to tell him how much she cared for him.

But his mouth landed on hers, his hand at her neck, holding her close, and she forgot all about being careful with anyone or anything. His desire devoured her own, and when the kiss deepened, Maylee’s knees got weak. She’d never been quite so affected by a kiss as she had by his. Her hands clawed at his clothing, and she felt a sudden desperate need to feel his skin against hers. “Clothes off,” she panted.

“You first,” he told her. “You said you wanted my tongue all over your body and I aim to comply. Now, get naked for me.”

A shiver moved over her and she nodded, pulling at her T-shirt. So much for staying in control. He’d quickly taken over again and she’d willingly given up control to him. With a quick movement, she tugged her shirt over her head, and then undid her jeans, slipping out of them and kicking them aside. Then she stood before him in nothing but an old bra and panties that had both seen better days.

She grimaced, imagining how it must look to his eyes. “I left all the clothes you bought for me back at the hotel. All I have is this old stuff—”

“You’re beautiful,” he told her softly, and kissed her mouth with infinite tenderness. “Even if you wore rags, you would be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. Before you, I never found camouflage erotic, and now I get a cockstand at the sight.”

Tears pricked her eyes and she gave him a soft smile. “You’re just saying that to get into my pants.”

“I’m in your pants,” he told her. “But I mean what I say. I love you, Maylee Meriweather, and to me, you are the most wondrous creature I have ever seen.”

She gave a small sigh of pleasure at hearing him say that. This was the man she’d fallen for. She was terrified to think about what might happen. What if they were just words? What if a man with an upbringing like Griffin’s didn’t know how to love? She worried it was all another misunderstanding, but kept those thoughts to herself. To distract him from her silence, she removed her bra and panties.

“Utterly beautiful,” Griffin said reverently, stroking his fingers up her tanned arm. “Like my own personal Venus.” Those fingertips moved across her shoulder and collarbone, lightly tracing her skin. “I am the luckiest man alive.”

Her hands fluttered as she put them on his formal coat, her desire making her pulse and ache between her legs. “Are you going to get naked with me?”

“Eventually,” he said, and his hand trailed between her breasts. “First, I want to get my fill of looking at you.”

So she stood in front of him, trembling, as he let his fingertips explore over her body. They glided and grazed over her breasts, circling the tips. They moved down the gentle curve of her belly, traced along the lines of her hipbones. They moved between her legs and lightly grazed over the damp curls of her arousal, and she sucked in a breath, hoping for those fingers to push between her legs and open her for him.

But instead, he knelt before her and tenderly kissed the skin just above her mound. “So beautiful.”

She was practically vibrating with desire. “Griff,” she murmured, voice husky. “If you don’t throw me down on this bed and make love to me, so help me—”

He ignored her and pressed his face inward, lightly nuzzling at the curls of her sex with his mouth, and she felt the tip of his tongue graze her clit.

A high-pitched gasp escaped her throat, and her knees buckled slightly. Only his hands on her hips kept her upright. “Oh.”