Off Limits

‘Life. Together. You—me. For as long as we have. Never wasting a day or taking it for granted.’ He pulls me into a bear hug. ‘I want this. I want you—so much.’

I expel the breath I’ve probably been holding, in part, since I stormed out of my office three days earlier.

‘Let’s do this,’ I agree, my smile stretching my face.

I have known happiness and sadness, but I have never known such perfect, utter rightness before. It settles into my heart and brings me peace and pleasure.

I am Gemma, he is Jack, and we have found each other at last.

Epilogue

‘GEMMA? ARE YOU in here?’

Strange that in all the time I worked for Jack I never came to this side of his home. The mysterious ‘Private Wing’ of his mansion. And now I am here almost all the time—in his bedroom, his kitchen, his living room. We have barely been apart since that afternoon three weeks ago, when he came to my home and broke down all my defences.

‘Yeah?’

I set down my laptop and stand, butterflies bouncing about in my stomach as though it is a forest and they its sole occupants.

He sweeps in and I hold my breath—as always, bowled over by his physical perfection. In dark jeans and a simple white T-shirt he is hypermasculine and edibly delicious. The idea fans my stomach and I’m walking towards him before I realise it, itching to touch him, to taste him.

He sees the intent in my eyes and chuckles. ‘Wait until you’ve heard me out!’

But he pulls me to him, his hands seeking the hem of my shirt and lifting it so that he can hold my bare hips. He makes a small sound of relief at the contact and I echo it in my heart.

I understand.

This—being naked, touching—this is how we need to be.

‘Remember my hunch about Ryan?’

It takes me a few seconds to remember the guy in Australia he didn’t think would work out. ‘Yes?’

His eyes are sparkling with something I don’t understand. ‘Well, it occurs to me that you would be an excellent candidate for his job.’

I blink, confusion and excitement at war within me. ‘He’s left?’

‘Yeah. Just wasn’t up to it. The job is difficult. I need someone I can trust.’

Of course the idea is instantly appealing. Building the Australian office from scratch would be a challenge to relish. And yet...

‘It’s a long way away,’ I point out, as though perhaps my sexy, brilliant lover doesn’t comprehend the logistics of geography.

‘From London, yes. But we’d come back whenever you wanted.’

I freeze, my eyes flying to his face. ‘We?’

A smile cracks over his face and I hold my breath.

‘Why not?’ He pulls at my top, lifting it over my head so that his hands can roam my bare back. ‘Do you really think I’d let you move to Sydney without me?’

I stare at him and wonder if perhaps he’s lost his mind a little bit. ‘Jack...your business is here.’

‘I am my business,’ he says with a shrug. ‘I can fly here whenever I need to. Fly people out to us. But I have it on good authority, my beautiful, distracting, brilliant Gemma, that you need to spread your wings before you settle down.’

‘What?’ I blink my eyes, realisation settling. ‘Grandma?’

‘Mmm...’