Kate forced herself to wait until the workday was over before going to the library. Regardless of the magnitude of the offer, she was still—for now, at least—Josh’s EA, and she still had work to do.

At six, she collected her things, texted Josh that she’d see him in the morning, and hurried to the library. Her stomach knotted with anxiety. She wanted Tyler to be happy for her, but his relationship with his family and Candy King was a bit complicated. What if he didn’t like the idea of her being offered a promotion?

She knocked at the library door and peeked inside. He was at the computer, inputting books into the system.

“Hey, Darling.” He turned, giving her a wide heart-stopping grin. “You’re late. I had to drink your smoothie.”

“I’ll forgive you.” She entered the library and closed the door behind her.

“Check this out.” He took a box from under the desk and opened it to reveal a lumpy brown brick. “Eighteenth-century chocolate, courtesy of King Confectioners’ history and lab-nerd Spencer King.”

“Really?” She peered into the box. “He was able to recreate the recipe?”

“Yeah.” Tyler broke off a piece and handed it to her. “It’s weird because it’s so different from modern chocolate, but it’s interesting.”

Kate bit into the chocolate, intrigued by the gritty texture and spices. Interesting was the right word. But that was part of the whole process—educating people about the history and techniques of chocolate while giving them a chance to sample what it once might have tasted like.

“I also mentioned the idea of digitizing the collection to my father,” Tyler continued. “We’re going to talk more about it. I think all the handwritten stuff should be digitized, at the very least. Maybe we need to start a priority list.”

He grabbed a notepad and started writing. Kate smiled. She loved how dedicated he was becoming to the company’s history, despite her recollection earlier that day of him as a “party boy.”

Shame rustled through her. She’d known for a while now that Tyler was so much more than a party boy. And if anyone was her tribe, it was him—a smart, funny, loyal, crazy-sexy young man with a love for Monty Python and the singular ability to teach her how to have a good time.

“I have some news,” she said.

“Good news?”

“I think so.” She took a breath, her heart rate increasing. “I had a meeting with Josh, Evan, and your father this afternoon.”

Tyler’s expression didn’t change, but a faint tightness lined his mouth. “About?”

“Nothing to do with us.” She went around to his chair and leaned against the desk. “They offered me a promotion. Vice President of the Corporate Social Responsibility division.”

Tyler stared at her for an instant before a smile broke out on his face, lighting his eyes. “That’s amazing, Kate. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Relief spilled through her. “They told me to think it over.”

“What’s to think about? Of course you’re going to take it. They couldn’t have offered it to a better candidate.”

She smiled, sliding her fingers into his thick hair. “You would be okay with me being a VP?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I know how good you are.”

Kate drew her hand down the side of his face. The VP offer had emboldened her, but she realized now that she had been building up her courage to tell him the truth about her feelings for several days now.

“Josh might also be more inclined to listen to a VP when we pitch the historic candy line idea,” Tyler said.

“You still want to do that?”

“Sure.” A crease appeared between his eyebrows. “Don’t you?”

“Of course, but…”

“But what?”

“Tyler.” Kate lowered her hand and gripped her fingers together. “I know I don’t have any fuck buddy experience, but this…this feels as if we’ve not only broken all the rules, but gone beyond the kind of relationship you described.”

His jaw tightened. “For what it’s worth, I never thought of you as a fuck buddy. A friend with benefits, yes, but only because that’s what you seemed to want. I’ve always wanted you to be more than that. I’ve always thought of you as more.”

Her heart skipped. “Really?”

He stood, warmth rising to his eyes. He wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her closer.

“Kate,” he said. “From the second you fell into my arms, you’ve been so much more. More than a friend, a hell of a lot more than a fuck buddy, even more than just a girlfriend. You’re something no other woman ever has been or will be to me.”

Love and hope bubbled up inside her. “What’s that?”

“You’re my Darling.”

She smiled. He moved his hand around to the back of her neck and their lips met in a warm, lovely kiss that felt like they’d kissed a thousand times before. Like they’d already experienced a lifetime of kisses together.

Kate moved away from him and went to the door. Without looking at him, she closed the door and locked it with a flick of her wrist. Her heart rate ratcheted up as she returned to the desk. Tyler was sitting by the computer again, eyeing her with both heat and a touch of wariness.

“We’re at work,” he reminded her, even as his gaze drifted to her breasts.

“I know. We’re also off hours.” She pushed his chair away from the desk and straddled his lap, pressing their groins together.

Tyler muttered something under his breath and settled his hands on her waist. “Really not a good idea.”

“I’ve thought the same thing a few times since we made our little deal.” Kate slipped her hands under his T-shirt and pressed a kiss against his neck. “Turns out being with you is one of the best ideas I’ve ever had.”

His breathing increased. “And what if someone actually needs to use the library?”

“They’ll come back.” She pressed a line of kisses up his jaw to his lips. “Besides, the door is locked.”

She wiggled on his lap, rubbing her ass against his thighs. She felt his capitulation in instant before his arms slid around her. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers. Kate couldn’t suppress a moan at the contact, loving the full pressure of him—his chest pressing against her breasts, his mouth on hers, his hands gripping her hips with firm possession.

He guided her backward, his lips still locked to hers, until her bottom hit the desk. Then he lifted her onto it and edged between her thighs, pushing her skirt up, the warm friction of his palms sending tingles through her blood.

Kate lifted her legs, wrapping them around his hips as his groin rubbed against the juncture of her thighs. She sighed with pleasure, shifting to get closer, feeling his heat even more powerfully through her thin silk panties.

Tyler gave a muffled grunt and trailed his fingers up the tender skin of her inner thigh. Before she realized what he was about to do, he grabbed the material of her sheer nylons and pulled, ripping a hole in her stockings.

Kate gasped. “Tyler!”

He grinned, pushing his fingers into the hole to find her panties. “Easier access. Ah shit, I knew you’d be wet already.”

Kate groaned, her concern over her nylons slipping away when Tyler yanked them over her legs and tossed them onto the floor. He eased the elastic of her panties aside, delving his fingers into her pussy. Her nerves sizzled. She spread her legs wider, thrusting toward him to encourage him to go deeper. He obliged, sliding his finger up and down her folds before circling her opening. Then he pressed her back to lie on the desk and moved his face between her legs.

Oh my God.

Kate almost shot off the desk at the touch of his tongue on her clit. She grabbed the edge, arching her body upward as heat flamed through her. She lifted her head, shocked and thrilled by the sight of his dark head buried between her thighs, his hands keeping her legs open. He licked and sucked her with leisurely expertise, as if he had all the time in the world to pleasure her.

And oh lord, was she pleasured. Sensations sparked and burst in her veins, urgent arousal coiling through her body. Her clothes suddenly felt too heavy, weighing her down, and she quickly worked the buttons of her shirt and cast it and her bra aside. She felt Tyler’s hot gaze as she rubbed and squeezed her breasts, rolling her nipples between her fingers.

He drove his tongue into her, working it back and forth like it was a prelude to what he was going to do with his cock. Kate fisted his hair, unable to believe what he was able to do to her.

With a cry, she bucked upward, an orgasm exploding through her, her breath stopping in her throat. Tyler worked the sensations from her before sliding his hands around her waist to unzip her skirt and toss it aside. His eyes burned hot with lust and need.

“Darling,” he whispered, unfastening the fly of his jeans. “I need to fuck you.”

“Oh, yes, please.”

She stared hungrily at the thick ridge of his erection as he retrieved a condom from his wallet and rolled it on. He positioned himself between her legs, and she bowed her body upward to accept the heavy, immediate thrust of his cock.

A shriek tore from her throat, fresh heat sparking through her. She gripped his arms. He planted his hands on either side of her head, his shaft gliding with slick ease in and out of her. She was enthralled by the sight of Tyler above her, his T-shirt dampening with sweat, his eyes lit with fire and his hair tousled from the desperate grip of her fingers. She pulled her legs upward, his cock hitting a spot inside her that sent her careening again toward the edge of bliss.

She convulsed again, her pussy clenching around his cock, her hands clutching his T-shirt. He groaned and plunged into her, his jaw tightening as his own body shuddered with release.

“Christ, you’re amazing.” Tyler rested his forehead against hers, his hot breath brushing her lips, his chest heaving. “I’m not letting you go.”

“Good. Because I don’t want to be let go.”

She pressed a kiss to his lips and wiggled to indicate she needed to get up. He moved away from her, pulling a hand through his hair. Kate eased off the desk and reached for her bra, tugging it on over her swollen breasts, the skin reddened from whisker burn and the greedy clutch of Tyler’s hands.

She loved the way he marked her during lovemaking, as if he wanted to imprint himself on her body. He’d already done that to her mind and heart.

She fastened the front clasp of the bra and stepped into her now-abominably wrinkled pencil skirt. As she was zipping it up, the doorknob to the library turned and rattled.

Alarm shot through her. Tyler grabbed her shirt from the floor and tossed it to her. Kate hurried to turn the sleeves right-side out. At least she’d had had foresight to lock the door. Still fumbling with the shirt, she started for the alcove.

The lock clicked. The knob turned. The door opened.

Josh stood in the doorway, his big frame almost filling the space. Kate’s breath stopped. Tyler darted in front of her, shielding her from his brother’s view, but it was too late.

With one sweeping glance, Josh assessed the scene—Kate in her bra and skirt, Tyler in unfastened jeans. The papers and books strewn on the floor, the empty surface of the desk.

A burn of humiliation crawled up Kate’s neck. She wanted to die.

Josh’s inscrutable expression registered nothing. Then he left, closing the door behind him.

A heavy silence fell. Tyler turned. Kate half expected him to make some flippant remark, or to flash his cocky grin and try to make light of the horrid situation. He didn’t. Instead he touched her hot cheek in a gesture that was painfully tender.

Instinctively, Kate jerked away. His expression darkened. An ache filled her chest, cracking through her bones. She pulled on her shirt and skirt, buttoning them with shaking fingers.

“Kate…”

“No, don’t. Please.”

She shoved her feet into her shoes, grabbed her briefcase, and hurried out the door without looking back.