17

MACY LOOKED OUT over the city, breathed in the hot, dry air and hugged herself. Here she was, back in Las Vegas, in a suite nearly identical to the one she’d stayed in the weekend before.

Here she was in the place where she’d tried to cast off all her inhibitions but had just ended up making a horrible mess instead. The memories of that wicked weekend left Macy with an achy, hollow feeling in her belly that refused to go away.

She’d spent all afternoon dealing with Golden Gate business, and all evening sitting in her room eating room service, watching crappy movies and feeling hopelessly sorry for herself.

She took in the sight of all the twinkling neon lights, then looked up at the night sky, where the stars were barely visible thanks to the ambient light from the city. What was she doing here? By herself. Again. It was too bad God wouldn’t spell out all the answers for her in star patterns.

Down below, the sounds of nighttime in the city created a cacophony that made her feel like a lonely loser. While the rest of the city was partying, she was in her room alone.

Alone. Was that really such a bad thing? Weren’t women of her age and generation supposed to relish being free and single?

Apparently so. Macy sighed as she watched a convertible full of what looked like college girls cruising the strip down below, calling out to a group of guys on the sidewalk.

If people were supposed to be happy alone, then why were they always looking to hook up? Of course, that was the part that no one was supposed to talk about—that being alone was perfectly fine in theory, but in practice, it left something to be desired.

Namely, companionship. Sex. Affection.

Macy had to believe those things weren’t too much to want. But they were too much to want with the wrong guy.

Determined not to let her thoughts get any more morose, she left the balcony and went inside, got into her nightgown and crawled into bed with the latest Nora Roberts book, which she’d been saving for just this type of occasion. If she couldn’t have true love of her own right now, at least she could experience it vicariously.

When she heard a knock at her door, Macy blinked at the ceiling, disoriented. She must have dozed off, she thought. But then it registered that it was actually daylight in the room, not nighttime. Which meant she must have slept all night. Her book was beside her on the bed, and the bedside lamp was still on. She must have been exhausted for the light not to have woken her up in the middle of the night.

Must have been housekeeping knocking on the door.

Macy glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost eight o’clock. A little early for housekeep—

Almost eight o’clock, and she had a meeting with the Golden Gate execs at eight-thirty. She bolted upright in bed, her heart racing. She still had to shower, get ready, review the presentation materials….

And then there was the person at the door to deal with, too. Macy got out of bed and called, “Just a minute.”

She crossed the room to the door and peered out the peephole, expecting to see a woman with a cleaning cart. Instead she saw Griffin.

Griffin?

Macy’s belly flip-flopped, and her breath caught in her throat. This was the last thing she needed to deal with right now. Griffin, here to remind her what a horrible person she was? Here to tell her he’d changed his mind and wasn’t leaving after all? Here to reclaim his rightful place running the account? Griffin, here to…what? What could he possibly have been in Las Vegas for?

“Macy? Could you open the door? I can see your shadow through the peephole. I need to talk to you.”

She put her hand on the doorknob but couldn’t seem to make herself turn it. “So talk. I’m listening.”

“I need to see your face to say what I have to say.”

Macy looked down at her nightgown. He’d seen her in a lot less. She took a deep breath and let it out. She was terrified of facing the one person she’d failed the most, the person who’d seen her at her ugliest.

Facing him again would mean facing her failure, but more important, it would mean facing the temptation to settle for less than her ideal guy again. That is, if he was still even interested in her.

“Macy?”

She pulled the door open. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled. “I talked to Carson last night. He told me you were giving the big presentation this morning, so I caught the red-eye out here to help you prep this morning.”

She tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. He’d flown out here just to help her? Not likely. Not Griffin.

“What’s your ulterior motive?”

He grinned, busted. “Can I come in before I tell you?”

“No.”

“Please?”

Macy rolled her eyes and stepped aside, then closed the door behind him. His presence was at least welcome to her senses, which went on alert at his nearness. His scent nearly made her swoon, and she tried to breathe through her mouth to avoid becoming too intoxicated.

“You don’t look like you’re all ready to go into the big meeting. Or is this your latest business attire?”

“I overslept, smart ass. Your knock woke me up.”

But that reminded her, time was ticking away. If she skipped the shower, she could probably get ready in fifteen minutes instead of an hour, so that’s what she’d have to do.

“Good thing I arrived then, eh?”

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to get dressed in the bathroom. You can talk to me through the door,” she said as she opened the closet and pulled out her overnight bag and her suit.

“Wait,” he said. “I just need five minutes of face time. If you want me to leave after that, I’m gone. Okay?”

She dropped her stuff in the bathroom and turned back to him.

“Are you trying to sabotage me now?”

“I’m not the one who launched the big sabotage campaign in this relationship.”

She winced. Oh, right. That was apparently her expertise.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“I forgive you. For everything. Okay?”

Her throat tightened, forcing her to nod in response. He was making this too easy. She deserved more of his wrath.

He continued. “I don’t care how we started out. All I know is that I want you, and I’m not going to be happy until I have you. If you don’t feel the same way, I’ll turn around right now and walk away and never see you again.”

She shook her head, wishing she could erase all the damage she’d done. “I’m sorry, Griffin. I just don’t see us working out in the long run.”

“Why? Because I don’t fit some preconceived notion of the kind of guy you’re supposed to be with? Because I’m not your dark, brooding romance hero? I’ve got to tell you Macy, what you’re holding out for is a fantasy, not a real guy.”

She blinked, shaking her head, unable to produce a proper defense.

“You need to forget about all that and let me be the guy you need. Because I am. You need someone who sees how amazing you are, someone who doesn’t care about your flaws because to him they’re not flaws at all, someone who’s as crazy about you as I am.”

His words sank in, and Macy tried to think of a proper argument. But… He was making a hell of a lot of sense. Was she really looking for a guy who didn’t exist?

No way.

“I’ve dated guys just like what you described. I know they’re out there.”

His eyebrow cocked. “Oh, really? So why aren’t you with any of them now?”

“Because they weren’t the right guy.”

“Because they weren’t me.”

“You’re just my high-school fantasy,” she said, turning toward the bathroom. “You’re the kind of guy I wanted before I knew better.”

But he caught her hand in his, and in one fell swoop she was somehow up against him, pressed against the wall. He took both her hands in his and lifted them up over her head. And he kissed her like they might never have another chance.

Like this was the last kiss in the history of the universe.

The feel of his lips coaxing hers into submission, the feel of his tongue against hers, the friction of his skin, the heat of his body, the firmness of his touch, all worked their magic on her. And she knew, no freaking way could this be the last kiss.

This was her wakeup call.

She had to stop going around wishing for things she didn’t really need and looking for the things she did. Like Griffin. She needed him. Her body needed him. Her soul needed him.

She finally understood what was missing from her life—all the stuff she was afraid of. All the stuff she couldn’t control. All the risky stuff.

Griffin was one of those guys she couldn’t control, and she was an idiot for not seeing that as the benefit it was. Who wanted a man willing to live under her thumb?

Who wanted a fictional guy, a romance-novel hero who brooded too much and said only the things the author made him say? He was an illusion, and Griffin was real.

And maybe that had been the problem. She’d spent too much time looking for a guy who could measure up to an impossible standard. And she’d spent too much time obsessing over her teenage angst. Lauren had, of course, been right about that.

She felt herself melting against his heat. Her body, her desire, her will to resist, all melted away. Left in their place was only this kiss, and when she broke it, she couldn’t let him go on thinking she was still holding out for anything less than him.

“I’m sorry, Griffin. I want you more than I can say.”

He smiled as he traced his fingers along her jawline and down her neck, sending tingles through her.

“Are you sure?”

“I should be asking you that.”

“I’ve never been so sure of a woman in my life as I am of you. I love you, Macy. No getting around it.”

“I love you, too,” she said, and the words came out so easily, so full of certainty, she knew then that they’d been true for longer than she’d been willing to admit to herself.

“There’s one more thing. I’ve decided to strike out on my own, start a new agency and see what happens.”

“Wow.” Macy blinked at the news. “Are you sure?”

“Turning down the promotion made me think about what it is I really want in a career, and the truth is, I’ve never really wanted to work for someone else. I’ve always wanted to have complete autonomy, and I’ve decided I need to try working for myself before it’s too late.”

“There goes my fantasy of illicit meetings in the coed bathroom.”

“Maybe not. Would it be too underhanded for me to hire Bronson and Wade’s best talent away from them?”

“You’re going to have illicit bathroom meetings with Carson?” she asked, trying not to laugh.

“With you, smart ass. Would you be interested in working with me? I mean, I know it’s a big risk for you, giving up working for a prestigious ad agency to go work for an unproven one. And we’d have to work for peanuts for a while until we have a solid client base, so I understand if you wouldn’t want to do it.”

Macy’s throat tightened. She couldn’t have concocted a better thing for him to offer if she’d dreamed it up herself. If she was really going to be the kind of risk-taker she’d always dreamed of, this was her chance. Her current job was great, but like Griffin, she ached for a new challenge. Starting from scratch in a new business certainly qualified.

“I’ll think about it,” she said, smiling. “But first I want to know more about the compensation package. Namely, the fringe benefits.”

“There would be many, many fringe benefits,” he said as he bent to kiss her neck.

“Hmm,” she said, relaxing into his touch. “Maybe I could just cancel the meeting, tell them I’m sick…and we could stay here all day and night.”

“Another wild night in Vegas? If it turns out half as good as our last one, how could I turn it down?” She smiled. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?”

“No way. What happens here goes right back to San Francisco. I’m going to need a hell of a lot longer than a night with you.”

She kissed him again. A month, a year, a lifetime—whatever he wanted, he could have it.