I chuckle at this. “No, you’re not,” I retort, pressing down a little harder over him and gasping.

“Okay, maybe I’m not,” he manages to say between strokes. “But I don’t like hurting you.”

“I’m made of tough stuff,” I assure him, leaning back and realizing that I can take him all the way to the root at this angle.

“Fuck, that’s good,” Brody gasps as I place my hands behind me on his strong thighs for leverage.

I speed up, chasing the pleasure that’s coiling inside of me tightly. His hands come forward to hold onto my thighs, and the extra stability allows me to grind down onto him harder at the bottom of each stroke.

“Oh my God,” I pant, seeing stars as the orgasm rushes toward me.

“Come for me, baby,” Brody says to me, his rough voice like a plea.

I come so hard that I have to dig my nails into his thighs for purchase. My body feels like it might break from the force of the pleasure singing in my veins.

In a distant way, I hear Brody praising me, but the rushing of endorphins and nearly painful pleasure makes it impossible for me to understand his words.

“Brody,” I murmur languidly as I slump forward again. He catches me and presses a kiss to my lips before pulling me against his chest and starting to move again.

He pumps inside of me a few more times and then comes with a shout that echoes around the tiny space. I feel the heat of him inside of me and smile. I love being marked by him, claimed by him.

We eventually climb out of the treehouse, snickering and laughing as we head back inside. I start to move toward myroom, but he shakes his head and tugs me toward his wing of the house.

We shower, helping one another get cleaned up, then tumble into his huge bed. He snugs me up against his body, his large hand curving over my hip.

Even as I am wrapped in his perfect arms, I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t the biggest mistake I’m making in my life.

What if all of this blows up in your face? First, you fuck your boss at your job and now you’re living with him? Are you insane? What happens if this doesn’t work out between you two? What happens if everyone finds out what you’re doing and decides to ruin your reputation in one of the biggest cities in the country?

“Tasha,” he whispers, cradling me against him.

“Yeah?” I ask, breaking out of my thoughts.

“I’m happy to have you here.”

“You don’t know what that means to me,” I whisper.

An hour later I still can’t sleep. The room is huge, way bigger than my old apartment. Every detail is immaculate, from the crisp white sheets to the sleek furniture to the heavy curtains that block out almost all the light.

It’s like I’ve stepped into another world, one I don’t quite belong in. I felt much more at home in the rickety old treehouse.

The pillows smell like his cologne, clean and woodsy, and it makes my heart skip a beat because I still can’t believe I’m here, in his bed, in his house.

But that’s the problem, isn’t it? I’mhere, but I’m not sure I should be.

I don’t feel equal to this life, to Brody, to the CEO of a major corporation.

I’m just a girl from a rundown little town who barely has enough to scrape by, and now I’m in the bed of a CEO.

I keep thinking about how easy it would be for him to realize that I’m not cut out for this, that I don’t fit. Maybe he’s already figuring that out.

I don’t know if I can keep up with the fancy houses, the high-stakes meetings, and the polished people who look at me like I’m a stray that wandered in.

He gave me a chance. Maybe if I can just prove that I’m more than some naive, small-town girl, he’ll keep me around.

If I’m the best assistant he’s ever had, maybe he’ll see me as more than just a temporary help. What if I could make a life here, with him, and finally escape everything I’ve been running from?

I shift closer to him, carefully sifting my fingers through his hair, feeling the softness of it. His breathing is slow and steady, and I can’t help but let myself imagine what it would be like if this was my life, if I could wake up next to him every morning and know that I was where I was meant to be.