The elevator ride down from the VIP lounge is supposed to be forty seconds. We make it two before Julie is pressed against the mirrored wall, my mouth on hers, her hands fisting my tie. I stop the elevator from moving and capture her mouth. Her dress is silk, and herugh is muffled against my lips when I drag her leg around my hip, grinding into her.


    We don’t go all the way, not with a ballroom full of investors waiting, but I give her what she needs. When she’s breathless and satisfied, I press the button to restart the elevator. While she smooths her gown into ce, I adjust my suit. Her cheeks are flushed, her red lips kiss-swollen.


    The elevator slides open, and I’m utterly wrecked. We continue our way to the skywalk that connects to the convention center. Those pretty green eyes dare me to finish what I started, and I can’t wait until we’re alone again.


    Thankfully, the walk to the ballroom is fast.


    The expansive room is lit like the inside of a diamond. Crystal chandeliers glitter above hundreds of investors, partners, and executives in tuxedos and gowns. Voices hum, deals are whispered, and champagne sses clink.


    It’s the kind of room I’ve walked into a thousand times, but tonight, it feels different. I’m not just here as Nick Banks, the man who built this empire from the ground up with his sister. Tonight, I’m here with Julie. It’s the first time I’ve brought a woman with me to a business event.


    Julie walks beside me, her hand threaded through mine, her red hair shining under the chandeliers. Diamonds hang around her throat. The navy silk gown fits her like a second skin. When the crowd parts to stare, she doesn’t even flinch. Her head turns toward me, and she grins.


    “I could go for a pumpkin spicette,” she says, brow lifting.


    I squeeze her hand, giving her as much courage as I can.


    But Julie is confident, glowing, and mine. I’ve never been prouder to have her by my side.


    I lean down, whispering in her ear, “You’re beautiful. You might have half of New York’s elite trying to steal you from me.”


    Her lips curve, teasing. “Rich assholes usually aren’t my thing. You’re an exception.”


    “Thanks.”


    God, I love her.


    She’s not impressed or intimidated by the glitz, the money, the politics. I’ve never been more certain that she’s the one for me.


    Julie’s eyes flick down over me before she leans close enough for only me to hear. “By the way … I really love this suit on you. Especially the orange tie.”


    I nce down at the burnt color against ck and white. “Want to know a secret?”


    “Of course,” she says.


    “I picked it for you.”


    Her grin is kind. “It reminds me of us.”


    And just like that, the whole ballroom fades away.


    I mutter into her ear, “I can’t wait to get out of here.”


    “Same,” she tells me.


    The orchestra crescendos, and silence falls across the crowd. Asher signals me from across the room, and I know it’s almost time for the quarterly wrap-up. I’ve led this presentation a dozen times before, and it focuses on numbers, projections, and the kind of hollow wins that keep shareholders happy.


    I press a kiss to Julie’s temple, lingering there for a second, and then straighten my shoulders. “Wish me luck.”


    Her hand squeezes mine. “You won’t need it.”


    With her sexy gaze burning through me, I stride toward the front of the room.


    I step up onto the stage, the polished wood gleaming under the lights, the microphone waiting. Tonight, my chest pounds with anticipation.


    Faces turn toward me. Many familiar, some powerful enough to shift entire industries with a single phone call. Usually, I’d care about that, but right now, I don’t.


    “Good evening,” I begin, my voice carrying across the space. There are at least a thousand people in attendance, and the event is also being streamed online. “Every quarter, I stand here and walk you through the numbers. Our growth, our projections, our new contracts. And tonight, I will do the same. Rest assured, the numbers are fantastic. Banks’s Advertising and Marketing Firm continues to thrive because of this team and because of the trust you’ve ced in us.”


    A polite ripple of apuse sweeps over the room, and I pause, allowing it to fade.


    “But tonight,” I continue, “I want to talk about something else first.”


    All eyes are locked on me.


    “For years, I thought sess looked like this.” I sweep a hand toward the glittering chandeliers, the polished ss, the endless skyline behind me. “Money. Power. Headlines. But somewhere along the way, I lost track of who I was. Of what home meant. And what was actually important.”


    My gaze finds Julie’s. Her lips part, her chest rising.


    “I’ve recently learned that sess isn’t always about where you stand, but who stands beside you.”


    Whispers spread through the ballroom. Investors lean forward, and some people look confused.


    “That’s why, tonight, I’m proud to announce the firm is expanding with a new satellite office.” I pause, letting the words sink in. “In Cozy Creek, Colorado. The new office will be fully operational by the beginning of the first quarter next year. I’ll personally be based there, working remotely with the corporate team, alongside my department. This also means that we’ll be able to expand our clientele, which is always a win.”


    The room erupts in apuse. Some people are surprised. I find Asher, and he’s grinning. We discussed this a few weeks ago, and he gave me the final proposal.


    I let the pping subside before I finish. My voice is steady, my decision absolute. “The firm will continue to grow exponentially, and this is just one of the ways we’ll make it happen. Now, since that announcement is out of the way, let’s continue with what you’re here for—numbers.”


    After I’ve run through the quarterly report and future predictions, I open the floor to questions. Several hands shoot up into the air.


    I nod toward a man in the second row, and he’s handed a microphone.


    Before he speaks, he clears his throat. “Mr. Banks, when exactly do you n to make this move?”


    I don’t hesitate. “Tomorrow.”


    Shock and surprise wash over people’s faces. When I nce back at Julie, she’s staring at me like I just set the entire ballroom on fire.


    A woman with diamond bangles lifts her hand. “Nick, how will this affect your, uh … public persona? People see you as New York’s most eligible bachelor. Is that changing?”


    I lean into the mic. “I’m not sure if you’ve been on the intetely, but that’s already changed.”


    More whispers happen. A dozen more hands lift; their questions are variations of the ones already asked. I field them as best as I can.


    “Will this decision impact your investors’ confidence?” another man asks.


    “Absolutely not.”


    And then the question I was waiting fores.


    “Do you n on getting married soon?”


    It hangs in the air. Some lean forward, waiting for me to spin or dodge it.


    Before I can answer, Asher strides forward, his voice firm. “Let’s keep the focus on business and not my brother’s private rtionship. Banks Advertising and Marketing Firm is stronger than ever, and tonight’s announcement makes that clear. Questions about Mr. Banks’s personal life are irrelevant here. Now, anything else?”


    Asher meets my eye, his expression proud. His jaw flexes, his throat works, and for once, the man who never lets emotion show looks happy for me in the best possible way. He gives me a slow nod, then moves away from the microphone. He ps a heavy hand on my shoulder, squeezing hard, his eyes locking with mine. A silent you did it. A silent I’m proud of you.


    It’s the first time I’ve seen him look at me like I’m not just his broken big brother. Right now, he’s looking at me like I finally got it right.


    Even though Asher shifted the conversation, I don’t let the question fade away. My silence stretches until the room hushes again, every eye on me. Then, I answer anyway.


    “Marrying Julie is absolutely happening,” I say.


    The ballroom explodes with whispers, gasps, and lifted phones. But I don’t care. I step down from the stage, walking past the tables, through the chatter and the stares, straight toward Julie.


    Before I reach her, she’s on her feet with tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.


    I stop in front of her, cupping her face in both hands, and kiss her sweetly.


    “Do you mean that?” she whispers.


    “Of course I do.”


    When we kiss, it’s without hesitation. Her hands clutch my suit jacket, her body molding against mine, and for a moment, the ballroom ceases to exist. Her eyes are shining.


    I lean my forehead against hers, my voice a near whisper. “You’re my endgame, Jules.”


    “And you’re mine.”


    We leave before the ballroom swallows us whole. Security ushers us through a side exit, cameras still shing, voices chasing us into the night. A limo door opens, and we slide inside, letting the chaos fade into muffled silence behind us.


    Julie exhales, leaning into me, her hand still gripping mypel, like she’s afraid to let go. “You just set a bomb off in the ballroom.”


    I grin, pulling her into myp, kissing her until she gasps. “I’d do it again. A thousand times.”


    Herugh is soft but real.


    Her fingers trace my tie. “Where are you going to stay? In Cozy Creek, I mean. With me?”


    I rest my forehead against hers. “Yes. But not permanently.”


    Her brows lift. “Exin.”


    “Let’s build our dream home. Zane’s giving us a piece ofnd near Hollow Manor. I want it to be ours. Big enough for us to carve one hundred pumpkins and have space for as many kids as we want. A ce that we can grow old in,” I confess.


    “Yes.” She’s kissing me again, tears wetting my cheek. “I’d love that.”


    I cup her jaw, tilting her face so she sees every raw piece of me. “Let’s do it.”


    The city streaks past in shes of light, but I don’t care about any of it. Her mouth is hot under mine, hungry now, her body twisting until she’s straddling me in the back seat. Her gown hikes up around her thighs, silk pooling, and the sight makes me groan.


    “Jules,” I rasp, gripping her hips as she presses down on me. The feel of her heat, even through the barrier of my pants, makes my head spin.


    Her fingers tug at my tie, loosening it, dragging me closer. She has me cursing under my breath.


    “I need you,” she whispers against my corbone.


    Our mouths crash together as her hips rock against me in a rhythm that’s pure torture.


    It takes every ounce of restraint not to push her beneath me and bury myself inside her right here.


    “You’re killing me.” I groan into her mouth.


    Her smirk is wicked as she licks my bottom lip. “Good.”


    Her red hair tumbles forward, brushing my cheek, and she pulls back just enough to look me in the eye. Her voice is a whisper. “Being with you feels right.”


    “Because it is,” I say.


    Her lips curve into a slow smile before she presses her mouth back to mine. The driver turns another corner. Her warmth, herugh against my lips, and the taste of certainty consume me.


    The city blurs outside the tinted ss. She tugs at my tie until it’s loose, her teeth scraping my throat as sheughs against my skin. “I love watching you lose control.”


    I grab her ass, grinding up into her so hard that she gasps. “You think this is me losing control? Sweetheart, I’m holding back.”


    My body begs to finish what she started, but I don’t.


    I don’t want to rush; I want to remember her.


    Her forehead rests against mine, her lips hovering a whisper away. “I can’t get enough of you.”


    “You never will,” I promise, brushing her mouth with mine as the limo slows to a stop in front of Park Towers.


    She groans, climbing off of me. “Why did he drive so fast?”


    “He didn’t,” I say, helping her smooth her gown into ce.


    My cock aches, but I rein it in.


    The door opens, and the cool November air cuts the heat. Cameras sh as Julie slips her hand into mine. She’s glowing as she nces over at me, and I shoot her a wink.


    When we finally step into my penthouse, my mouth is on hers.


    Now, I’ll finish what she started.