Page 32 of Yield to Me

Owen nodded, his gaze steady. “I will stay out of your way,” he said.

I instantly felt guilty. It wasn’t that I wanted him out of my life; if the last few weeks had taught me anything, it was that he was right: I knew I wasn’t done with him, with this relationship—whatever it was, even if it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. What did it mean to be seeing him with all of his conditions and proclivities, if you could even call it that?

“Who is she?” I asked.

“A business associate.” I raised my eyebrows. “We’re in talks for Principal Labs to buy her supply warehouse.”

A wave of relief coursed through me. “She’s beautiful,” I said. I paused, remembering the welcoming smile, even the confusion on the woman’s face at my reactions. It made sense that she acted like that. She was a business associate, not a date. “Did you know she would make me jealous?”

He nodded. “It was childish of me.” He added, “Are you still seeing Lauder?”

I shook my head. “The constant drinking turned me off.” Not that I had ever liked him in the first place. And the drinking problem had made me feel sympathetic actually, reminding me of my mother. But I didn’t need to take care of another person like that.

“I have no excuses for what I’ve done, Riley. And I can’t offer you much. As you know, I’m looking to expand my company. I don’t have time for a relationship.” He looked away, as if in the direction he would be moving. He turned back. “But I need to keep seeing you.”

Warmth filled my core, but I was hesitant. “My ex cheated on me,” I said. I locked eyes with him, making sure he was giving me his full attention. He was. “He dumped me for my best friend. And my father was never there for us.” Not to mention the cheating, lying, or total lack of support for us, I thought. But that was a conversation for another time, one I didn’t want to have under these circumstances. “I won’t be taken advantage of. I won’t be lied to. And I won’t be your mistress,” I said with finality.

“I want us to be exclusive.”

Exclusive? Where had that come from? “But not a relationship?” I asked.

“We’re going in different directions,” he said. He stopped, looking around, as if trying to find the right words. “I want you to succeed as an artist. I know how much the program means to you. I can see it in your eyes, your fierce drive.” He smiled at those words, and I wondered if that was how I had made an impression on him before we met. “And I know my career is taking me elsewhere. We can make it work until our paths diverge, but we’ll need boundaries.”

I knew what he meant. As much as I didn’t like the way this conversation was going, I wanted to be with him more than I wanted to fight the idea of boundaries. “What kind of boundaries?” I asked.

“What do you consider romantic?”

“I’m not eschewing all romance, Owen. You have to take me out sometimes. I won’t be your sex slave.”

Owen chuckled, and the laugh lines around his mouth and eyes made me feel like my body was on fire. “I want to know what makes you tick, how to make you shudder with need, and that requires intense intimacy. I’m afraid intimacy like that requires boundaries.” I blushed, and his hand touched my cheek. It was inviting. I felt the need to nuzzle it, but held back. “We can go out together, but I need to stay out of the public eye when it comes to dates.”

“Paparazzi starting trouble?”

He nodded. “Another thing to worry about.”

I definitely understood that and was glad he was still listening to my needs, even if he had a stipulation or two. As long as he knew I wouldn’t be his sex slave. I mean, I could be his sex slave, as long as I was more than that, even if I wasn’t his girlfriend. I deserved more than that.

“Kissing,” I said. “Kissing is romantic.”

He nodded. “Penetrative sex,” he added. It surprised me that he said that; I didn’t expect such a rumored womanizer to think sex was romantic.

“So no kissing and no penetrative sex?” I asked.

“Kissing on the mouth,” he corrected.

I blushed again, thinking of all of the other places he could put his lips, where I could place mine. “Shall we try out these new rules, then?” I asked.

He grinned. “Come with me,” he said.

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