Page 28 of Merry with a Tycoon

The courtyard gate creaks as I push it open, stepping back into the real world. As I climb the stairs to my apartment, each step feels heavier than the last. All I want is a hot shower and my bed, a chance to forget this day ever happened. At least, thething with the revitalization project being real is a good thing. His promise of not evicting any of us is on record.

But as I reach the top of the stairs, I freeze. A figure is slumped against my door, head in hands. Even in the dim light, I’d recognize that silhouette anywhere.

“Preston?”

His head snaps up, relief flooding his features as he scrambles to his feet. “Crystal! Thank god. I’ve been worried sick.”

I blink, confusion overriding my initial shock. “Worried? Why?”

He runs a hand through his hair, a gesture I’m starting to recognize as a sign of his nervousness. “You disappeared after the press conference. I tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail. I’ve been here for hours, imagining all sorts of... I’m just glad you’re okay.”

The genuine concern in his voice makes my heart flutter, but I squash the feeling. I can’t let myself be swayed so easily.

“I’m fine,” I say, my voice cooler than I intended. “I was working in the courtyard. Lost track of time.”

Preston’s eyes drop to my hands, widening at the sight of my reddened, slightly cut fingers. Without warning, he takes my hands in his, his touch impossibly gentle.

“You’re hurt,” he murmurs, and the tenderness in his voice nearly undoes me.

Before I can protest, he brings my fingers to his lips, placing soft kisses on each fingertip. The gesture is so unexpected, so intimate, that for a moment I forget to breathe.

“What are you doing here?” I manage, my voice barely a whisper.

He looks up, his blue eyes intense in the dim light. “I needed to see you. To explain about what happened at the press conference. Vivian and I, we’re not-“

“Stop,” I interrupt, pulling my hands away. “You don’t owe me any explanations. We’re not... This isn’t...”

I trail off, unsure how to define what we are, what this is between us.

Preston takes a step closer, eliminating the space between us.

“Don’t you feel it, Crystal? This connection between us?”

I hate that this is our reality but I need to deny whatever it is I’m feeling… this thing that he feels, too. I need to protect my heart from the inevitable hurt that comes from caring about Preston Hollister. But having him standing so close to me isn’t helping strengthen my resolve one iota.

“It doesn’t matter what I feel, “ I say instead. “You’re you and I’m… me. We’re from different worlds, Preston.”

“Maybe,” he concedes. “But right here, right now? We’re just Preston and Crystal. No Hollister empire, no family expectations. Just us.”

His words chip away at whatever resolve I have left. I should send him away, maintain the professional distance that’s protected me all these years. But a larger part of me, a part I’ve been trying to ignore, wants to give in.

“One night,” I hear myself say. “One more night, and then we go back to reality. Deal?”

He frowns, his eyes narrowing. “Is that what you want?”

I nod. “It’s what I need.”

Preston takes a deep breath, then nods. “Deal,” he agrees before pulling me to him. The world spins as his lips meet mine, his strong arms supporting me as I sway. The kiss is desperate, hungry, as if he’s trying to pour everything he can’t say into this one moment. My fingers tingle in his hair, pulling him closer, savoring the taste of him.

We stumble through my apartment door, a tangle of arms and legs and heated breaths. Preston kicks the door shut behindus, his hands never leaving my body as he guides me toward the bedroom.

The rational part of my brain tries to protest, reminding me of all the reasons this is a bad idea, but it’s drowned out by the thundering of my heart and the electric touch of Preston’s fingers on my skin.

Time seems to slow as we fall onto the bed together, our clothing falling away in a frenzied rush. Preston’s hands and lips seem to be everywhere at once, setting my skin on fire with each caress. I arch into his touch, drinking in the sensation of his solid warmth above me.

“God, Crystal,” he breathes against my neck. “You’re so beautiful.”

His words send a shiver down my spine. I pull him closer, desperate to feel every inch of him against me. As our bodies move together, the world outside fades away until there’s nothing but us and I’m drowning in sensation, in feeling, in him.

---