She pulled open the third drawer on her desk and shoved a few highlighter markers and a random receipt to the side. When her hand hit the key immediately, she leaned down and peered closer. She’d always put the key all the way in the back. She shrugged and pulled it out. It must have shifted around due to all the junk she kept in that drawer.

“Okay, I’ll do that. I’ll stop by the store and get some popcorn, too. That low-fat kind you buy is gross,” Sasha added.

“Whatever.”

Kay’s smile faded as her eyes were drawn back to the picture still open on her computer. It was tempting to get caught up in the fantasy of what could have been. This was how she’d always lived her life, caught up in the clouds and high on the possibilities. She’d always played by the rules, done the safe thing. The predictable thing. She looked down at her sandwich. She even ate the same thing every day for lunch.

But she wasn’t an impressionable young girl anymore. She was an independent woman. A mother. And the time for believing in fairy tales was gone. She clicked the x in the upper-right-hand corner of the picture to close it.

And dumped the last of her sandwich in the trashcan.

THE DOORBELL RANG and Eli jumped. “Mom, I have to go. I’ll call you soon. Love you.”

“I love you too, my darling. I hope you know how much.”

Eli pocketed his cell phone as he walked from the kitchen to the entryway. A faint shadow hovered behind the glass in the brand-new front door he’d just had installed. Part of his preparation for moving back home was selling his current place. He’d made a lot of upgrades to the house over the past few months, including new carpet upstairs, wood floors on the entire main level, and energy-efficient windows. Now that he saw the place looking so good, he wondered why he hadn’t done the improvements years ago. It seemed strange that he was doing all this work and wouldn’t even get to enjoy the results.

He tapped the screen of the iPad installed next to the front door and, with just the push of a button, brought up the camera feed for the front door. All you could see when you looked out the peephole was the front stoop, so his cameras showed a panoramic view of the entire front of the house, including the areas to the sides of the door where an assailant could hide.

Carly stood on the doorstep, carrying a box and several shopping bags. Eli suppressed a groan. He hadn’t thought she’d be there that fast. Apparently, they had different definitions of the word “later.” He took a deep breath and then opened the door.

“There you are! I was trying to call you on the way to ask if you wanted me to bring you lunch.” Carly pushed past him and strutted toward the kitchen. Eli followed and watched as she set the box and several letters on his kitchen counter. She dropped the shopping bags at her feet. “Having an assistant is useless if you don’t answer my calls.”

Eli held out his hand until she put the letters in his palm. “I was on the phone with my mom.”

Carly grabbed his wrist before he could pull his arm back. “You wouldn’t have answered anyway. You never do. I don’t understand why you’re being like this. We’re good together.” She came around the side of the counter and slipped under his arm. When their chests brushed together, she let out a soft sigh. “We’re really good together. Not just anyone can give you what you need.”

Her brown eyes were luminous as she gazed up at him hopefully. He let his eyes flow over her, the long dark hair, the sun-kissed skin courtesy of her Trinidadian ancestry. She was exotically beautiful and didn’t have an inhibited bone in her body. He had no doubt she would do anything he asked of her. Anything. But the thing he needed most wasn’t something she could give him.

Because as beautiful as she was, hers wasn’t the face he pictured when he closed his eyes at night.

Eli pried her hand off his arm, squeezing until she loosened her grip. Her lashes fluttered and she looked up at him flirtatiously. “Mmm, yes. You always make it hurt so good.”

He dropped her arm and stepped back. “I’ll sign this stuff and bring it back later.”

She pursed her lips in a well-practiced pout. “Fine. But I need those contracts signed before the end of the day. They’re already late.”

“Late. End of the day. Got it.” He followed behind her as she walked out.

She stepped onto the porch and then swiveled on the heel of one of her extremely high, red-as-blood stilettos. “You can’t avoid me forever. Some things are inevitable. You and I, we’re the same. We need the same things. So whatever’s going on with you, fix it.” She pulled the collar of her jacket up and then strutted down the stairs to where her car was parked in the driveway.

Eli closed the door behind her and flipped the deadbolt. Carly had no idea how good he was at avoidance. If she was waiting on him to give in, he could only hope she wasn’t holding her breath.

After a hot shower and several aspirin, Eli returned to the stack of mail on his counter. The first was a solicitation for money from his alma mater. He put that in the Keep pile since he usually tried to make a contribution several times a year. Next, he opened the smallest box. He pulled out the Wartenberg wheel and grinned.

He could imagine there was probably some confusion in the mailroom when they’d opened this one. He normally liked to buy his toys directly from a discreet shop in Georgetown, but he’d wanted to replace this quickly. Carly had broken the last one. Deliberately, he was quite sure.

Eli tucked the box under his arm and walked back to his room. It was the only area in the house that he’d taken the time to decorate. With deep plush carpet and midnight-blue walls, it was a sensual haven. He’d chosen white curtains to lighten it up slightly, but everything else in the room was a deep jewel tone. The color palette reflected his personality, he thought. Nothing was too bright or showy. It was a room for introspection and meditation. He looked up at the mirrors installed over the bed. And sex.