Elise still shot back defiantly, "Don't you dare underestimate what your girlfriend is capable of."

"Even so," William countered smoothly, "you should never forget that your boyfriend possesses a mountain of solid gold bars. Hard. Reliable. Dazzling to the eye."

Elise couldn't suppress a laugh at his vivid self-description.

Changing topics, William then inquired, "Are you free tonight?"

"...Yes." She'd been practically ignoring him for nearly two weeks. Even if work wasn't finished tonight, she decided she absolutely had to see him.

William made the arrangements. "I'll pick you up after work. We're having dinner at your place."

Elise did a double take, certain she'd misheard. "My place? There's practically no food there."

"You can make pasta, can't you?" he asked simply.

"That's all you want?" Elise questioned, surprised.

"Yep," he replied, a happy note in his voice.

Elise didn't refuse.

Just then, Matthew Johnson entered with a report for her. "I need to get back to work now," she said into the phone. "See you tonight."

"Alright."

With that, Elise ended the call and plunged back into her work, fully focused.

It wasn't until half past seven that Elise suddenly remembered her date with William. She quickly snatched her phone and called him.

"I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me, Ms. Scott," his melodious, magnetic voice chided from the other end.

"Where are you?"

"Look down," William instructed.

Elise walked to the glass wall and peered down. There it was—that impossibly conspicuous black Maybach. And leaning against it was the man himself, looking up and waving casually at her.

It was a nonchalant gesture, yet he managed to look incredibly cool doing it.

"I'll be right down," Elise said hurriedly. She shoved her phone into her bag and practically flew out of her office, her mind racing, wondering just how long he'd been waiting there for her.

At the main entrance, William was still leaning against his car as Elise rushed up to him. "I'm so sorry. You should've called me, you know—my mind goes blank after back-to-back meetings."

"As long as you remember me eventually," William shrugged, unfazed.

She wasn't usually that unreliable—just overwhelmingly busy.

He opened the passenger door for her. "Get in."

Elise slid inside, and they drove off toward her apartment.

The moment they stepped inside, Elise didn't pause. She immediately tied an apron around her waist and got started on cooking.

While she was focused on the task, she suddenly felt strong arms wrap around her from behind.

His tall, powerful frame easily enveloped her, pulling her snugly against his chest. Her heart stuttered in her chest.

"Consider this compensation," William murmured, his voice a low rumble near her ear as he nuzzled the sensitive skin of her neck. His lips brushed against her earlobe.

He seemed to have a particular tendency to nibble there—the memory of the last time sent a phantom ache echoing.

"Then stop moving," Elise said, forcing herself to stay still.

For a split second, her instinct was to push him away. But that impulse cooled, soothed by the unique, clean scent of pine that clung to him.

"Okay," William agreed, though his hot, steamy breath continued to scorch the shell of her ear.

"Your lips too," Elise demanded firmly.

William remained silent.

She could certainly be bossy when she wanted to be.

A silence settled over them then… though it wasn't truly silent. The frantic beating of their hearts seemed audible in the quiet kitchen.

Ba-dump.

Elise could feel the powerful, rhythmic thumping of William's heart against her back. It seemed to resonate with her own erratic pulse, both completely out of sync.

Finally, she finished cooking the pasta. But as she was draining the boiling water, she accidentally splashed some on her hand.

"Ah!" she yelped involuntarily.

In an instant, William scooped her up as if she weighed nothing, depositing her neatly on the nearby kitchen counter. He immediately took her hand in his, his expression turning serious.

"Where did it burn you? Show me," he demanded, his voice utterly bewitching and full of concern.