Cleopatra Knight never expected to sleep with her handsome boss, Dante Damaso, during a trip to Tokyo. Their passionate nights lead to unexpected consequences, turning Cleo’s life upside down. Despite Dante’s jet-setting lifestyle and reluctance to settle down, he can’t forget Cleo. Living together, they both discover deeper feelings, and Cleo wonders if her heart’s desire is within reach.
He glanced upward as if seeking answers from the heavens and then brought his gaze back down to hers. “When we first met, I saw a pretty woman. One who immediately set off my internal alarms. ‘Instant dislike,’ I told myself. ‘Stay away from her; she’ll annoy the ever-loving hell out of you!’ But I…
Zach, remembered forever. “You don’t mind?” he asked, and she flung her arms around his waist and hugged him close. “No, I don’t mind,” she said as she put the beautiful pendant on, turning slightly for him to fasten it for her. “It means so much. Just so much.” “I have one too.” He tugged…
“Thank you,” she said. “For everything.” “Anytime, hon. Anytime.” A couple of hours later, sated and exhausted, Dante and Cleo lounged on the sleeper couch, completely naked. “I’ve never made love on a sleeper couch before,” he said bemusedly, and Cleo giggled. She felt absurdly happy. “It’s called slumming it.” “I mean, we could have…
“I have some rules for you too,” he said. “They’re pretty simple. You allow me to finance a studio for you so that you can start teaching on a more serious basis.” “But that’s . . .” He held up his forefinger and tilted his head. “Shush. I’m not done talking yet. You always share…
“I don’t know either,” she said, her absolute confusion showing in her face and in her voice. “So you’re living with Callum again?” he asked, changing the subject. “It’s just temporary.” “And how have you been? After everything?” “Fine,” she said. “Some days are harder than others, you know?” “Yeah. I know. I got a…
“Have you spoken to him about this?” “He’ll agree with me. He has to. It makes no sense to drag this out when there’s nothing more between us.” The boat finally started moving, and Luc sat down on Cleo’s other side and dropped an arm around her shoulder in casual affection, giving her a comforting…
He was starting to hate that place more and more. Cleo had turned it into a home while she had lived there, and he resented not having that home anymore. He missed her companionship, those movie nights with those awful films she got such a kick out of making him watch. He longed for the…
She was tempted to say yes to that suggestion but didn’t think it would be fair to ask him to make the half-hour drive to his penthouse at the Waterfront and back to Hout Bay again. “I can’t ask you to do an hour of unnecessary driving,” she said regretfully. “It’s okay; you go home.…
“Good talk,” she said, and this time he actually chuckled. “I like you a lot, Cleo,” he said, the words sounding impulsive. “You make me laugh more than anyone else ever has.” “Oh, how . . .” She paused to think of the word. Unexpected. “Nice of you to say that.” “I wonder if Zach…
She laughed merrily and then immediately sobered. “Cleo, it’s okay to laugh,” Dante said gruffly. “It’s okay to be happy. There is no right or wrong way for you to deal with this.” “And how do you know this?” Since when had he become an expert grief counselor? “When I went back to the hospital…