And I fled the woman who could make it all go away.

“Nice shoes.”

Cara was sitting behind her desk, dressed in the heather-gray sweater dress she seemed to love more than life. Her scuffed chunky heels were back as well as the tight ponytail that made her look years younger than she already was.

“Nice dress,” I answered back, surprised to see she’d beaten me to the office.

I was usually the first to arrive on Mondays, the most hated day of the week. While most people were sluggish and tired from their weekend spent with family and time in front of the TV, I found myself recharged, hopped up on caffeine, sex, and sleep.

And most of that was still true today.

Minus the sex.

I’d been an absolute nightmare for the remainder of our trip to California, feeling like a lunatic, as I tried to sort out my feelings for Cara. I was like an out-of-control pendulum, agonizing over my desire for her one minute and pushing her away the next.

After an entire day of meetings with Jude and our West Coast division, I’d decided it would be in my best interest to stay focused and just keep my eye on the prize. I’d busted my ass for this company, and in less than two months, our entire board would be arriving. This wasn’t the time to become overly besotted with my assistant.

But then the pendulum had swung again.

This time, it wasn’t a baby or sweeping emotions that had pushed me over the edge.

It was just her.

We’d said our good nights and good-byes, knowing that Cara and I would be catching an early flight out the next morning. With Jude and Lailah’s crazy baby schedule, I hadn’t wanted to wake them when we left, so I thought it would be better if we hired a driver and let everyone sleep.

As I meandered through the house, collecting phone chargers and random items that still needed to be packed, I found myself face-to-face with Cara.

Wearing very little clothing.

“Oh!” she nearly squeaked.

A look of surprise painted her red cheeks as my eyes moved up and down her body. She must have thought she could sneak to the bathroom, unnoticed, because she was in only a T-shirt and panties.

And damn if I hadn’t caught her.

“I was just running to the bathroom to grab my toothbrush,” she explained, awkwardly trying to pull the hem of her T-shirt down. It barely grazed the top seam of her panties, exposing a bit of tender flesh around her abdomen.

God, how I wanted to lick her. Right there.

Everywhere.

I took a bold step forward without even thinking. A slight gasp escaped her mouth as she looked up at me, her warm breath against my neck.

“Then, I guess you’d better do it,” I whispered.

Time stopped.