Kiro led me up a grand staircase, the kind I’d only seen in movies. “The place is big, but I’ll give you a tour. If you get lost, just take a bunch of right turns, and you’ll end up back here.” He glanced back at me with a sexy little smirk on his face.

“Right turns, got it,” I said. I didn’t let my gaze linger on him. I worked hard to be a good friend to him. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable with my little infatuation.

Dating Will had helped a little but not much. Now that I was living across the country from Will, that was over. He hadn’t been very happy about it, either. He’d actually raised his voice to me and asked me if I was stupid.

I didn’t answer him, because maybe I was being stupid. My mother didn’t seem to think it was smart. But if I had said no, I was sure I’d regret it for the rest of my life. Being near Kiro made me happy.

He stopped and opened a door, and I almost ran into his back. I’d been so lost in my thoughts. “This is your room. I will show you your office, if you’d rather have one not attached to the bedroom. There’s a sitting room through there that can be used as an office, but that’s your call.”

I stepped inside, unable to form words just yet. Office, sitting rooms, and holy crap, this bedroom was massive. It even had a large marble fireplace. I understood now why it was called the white room. It looked like heaven. Everything was a soft white. Even the bed had a white, flowy canopy that gathered at each corner and hung down until it puddled at the floor. I was going to get lost in that bed. Four people could sleep in it comfortably.

“What do you think?” Kiro asked. He almost sounded nervous.

I spun around to look at him, and all I could do was smile. The big, goofy kind of smile that just can’t be helped.

He took a few steps toward me, and his perfectly sculpted lips tugged up a little at each corner. “You got words to go with that beautiful smile?” he asked in a husky voice that always made me shiver. Problem was, he wasn’t on the other end of a phone. He was in front of me. I would have to control my shivers around him.

His smile faltered, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled sharply. We stood there a moment, just staring at each other. I was afraid to breathe, and he didn’t move toward me again. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I was afraid he was keeping his distance because of my shiver.

“It’s . . . it’s amazing,” I finally choked out, trying to get us back on comfortable ground.

Kiro’s shoulders eased some, and he nodded, then stepped back from me. “Good. I’m glad you like it. I’ll send someone up, uh, in a little bit to show you around. I have some shit to do that I’ve been putting off.” He gave me a forced smile and left the room.

Well, crap. I’d just made him run off. This might have been the biggest mistake of my life. Being close to him like this all the time wasn’t going to be easy. If he freaked out and ran every time I did something stupid, like shiver, then we were never going to make it. I would have to go back home. But I didn’t want to. Not now.

I was just going to have to work harder not to think about Kiro’s lips or his sexy voice. I was his employee now. I had a job to do, and it didn’t involve lusting over my boss.

Kiro

From the moment Emily told me she was dating that dickhead, I knew I was bringing her here. She wasn’t mine, but dammit, the idea of some other man touching her drove me insane. So I made it happen. I had won. She was here. But fuck me, what the hell was I going to do with her now?

Six months ago, all I could think about was fucking her. Not much had changed, except now I liked her. I cared about her. I would kill anyone who hurt her. But I still wanted to fuck her. Seeing her shiver when I got close to her was pushing me. I wasn’t a good guy.

“You got the princess in her tower?” Dean asked.

I shot a glare over to him as he stood at the bar pouring himself a Scotch. “Don’t call her that,” I growled.

Dean smirked as he took a drink of the amber liquid. “That’s right. You haven’t fucked her. She’s not a princess.” My scowl deepened, and Dean chuckled. “I’m just teasing you. It’s fucking fun to be able to tease your possessive ass.”

“Her name is Emily. She will be treated as part of the family. I want her respected,” I reminded him.

He nodded and held up his hands, as if surrendering. “I got it. No problem. I just want to know exactly what she’ll be doing. Rush’s momma is bringing him to me. Said she needs to get some shopping done. Viv used to help me with him. Is Emily gonna do the same?”

Rush was Dean’s two-year-old son. He was a cute kid, but he was still a baby. Viv had helped with all that baby shit. I hadn’t thought about Emily having to do that. I wasn’t sure I wanted her to. Rush’s mother, Georgianna, was fucking insane. I wasn’t sure I wanted Emily going anywhere near her kid. Especially considering I’d fucked the bitch a couple of months ago when she’d shown up at one of our after-parties. Too much vodka that night. Then we had fucked a few more times. She kept coming around, and she was really good with her mouth. But she’d gone crazy bitch, and I’d ended that shit.

“Much as I like your kid, I don’t like his momma. Emily ain’t getting anywhere near Georgianna.”

Dean took a long swig of his Scotch. When he set the empty glass down, he sighed. “I figured as much. Might as well warn you, Georgianna is also coming to see you. Can’t believe you fucked her. What the hell were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t thinking. I was trashed and she sucks like a damn vacuum.”

“I figured as much. But now you got her wanting to see you. Bitch ain’t easy to shake. Her fiancé ran off with her cousin. He called me pissed that I’d knocked her up, and I told him it wasn’t me. Y’all had been fucking. Not me. Now she’s saying he married her cousin. Can’t say I blame him. Georgie’s cousin was gorgeous and fucking sweet. But now she’s on the rebound, and you walked right into that shit.”

We were gonna have to hire a nanny. I wasn’t letting Emily near her now. No fucking way. “I don’t want that crazy bitch in the house.”

Dean frowned. “She’s Rush’s mom. I gotta let her come inside.”

“Then Emily and I’ll be gone. When do they get here?”

Dean shook his head. “You taking out the help? Seriously? Why are you even pretending this is about Emily working for us? You wanted her here so you could have her. That’s all this is. Admit that shit, and hire a real house manager.”

If only it were that fucking easy. “When are they coming?” I repeated, ignoring him.

“She said she’d call when the plane landed.”

“Hire a nanny. I’m going to see if Emily is up for dinner tonight.” I turned and headed back toward the stairs.

“Why can’t Emily find me a nanny? That’s her job,” Dean called out after me.

“Fuck off!” I yelled in reply, and took the stairs two at a time. I was anxious now. I wanted to rescue Emily before Georgianna walked through that door.

Having my life choices thrown in her face was making me nervous. I hadn’t considered how our worlds colliding would affect things. Emily was the good part of my life. The pure, clean part. I didn’t let the screwed-up shit touch her. But Georgianna showing up to see me while Emily was here was going to force my two worlds to merge.