“You’ll be gone?” I contemplated meeting these people without Van present. If I were to stay for a while, Fridays would come and go. Tomorrow, or today, was as good of a time as any. “I’ll be fully dressed before leaving the suite.”

Van’s devilish grin returned. “As your employer, I am considering a dress code, a uniform.”

Heat returned to my tired body. “We can discuss that and the invisible line tomorrow.”

Van took a step closer, crossing the threshold and reaching for my face. “I have meetings tomorrow and am overbooked because of meetings I canceled for today.” He kissed my lips. “Never have I wanted to play hooky this badly.”

I reached for his hand. “Did you turn off all the lights?”

“The house is secure, if that’s what you’re asking.”

My focus went to where our hands were connected. “Mr. Sherman, do you cuddle?”

His eyes opened wide at my question. “Do I cuddle?”

The answer seemed obvious in his surprised expression and the emphasis he’d placed on the word, yet I pushed. “Yes, do you cuddle or are you a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am type of man?”

“Of late, I’m mostly neither. Historically, I would say wham-bam.”

I tugged his hand toward the bedroom. “Tonight, you’ll cuddle.”

“Remember my rule.”

“I do. When it comes to sex, you lead the way. Tonight, you led the way many times. Now this isn’t sex. It isn’t even an invitation for more.” We were in the bedroom. “This is sleeping and cuddling.”

His skeptical expression morphed. “I’m not declining your invitation. However, if I wake and your sexy body is there, I can’t promise cuddling won’t become sex.”

I pulled back the covers on the far side of the bed and walked around to the nearer side and did the same. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I assessed the man staring at me. “Maybe instead of never enough, your memoir should be about your inability to respect boundaries.”

“I respect them, Julia. I see them as challenges.”

“Challenges you must overcome.”

“Every challenge must be overcome.”

“Turn off the light, Van. I want to go to sleep and since our employer-employee line has been obliterated, I want to cuddle. Come cuddle.”

He didn’t argue as he turned off the light and climbed into the big bed beside me. The king-size bed was larger than the one in the cabin. We both moved toward the middle. “Thank you,” I said as I settled next to him. With my leg near his, I knew he’d taken off the blue jeans and was back to his boxer briefs.

“Good night, Julia.”

“Good night.” I fell asleep tucked in the fold of his strong arm, with my head on his chest as his heart thumped a lullaby.