Prologue
****
The S.O Publishing Industry, New York.
Six months ago, if anyone had told Grace Bush that her dream of working here would come true, she would have laughed in their face. Maybe worse. Now she stood in the building she once only imagined, staring at the glowing lights and polished floors, trying to breathe.
“How I wish Mom and Dad were here to see this,” she whispered.
Her chest tightened as tears threatened to fall. She wiped them away quickly.
“Not now, Grace,” she told herself. “Not now. No thinking about the past. You have to move forward.”
Yet something about tonight felt wrong.
The boss had asked her to wait behind. It was already past eight in the evening, and aside from him, she was the only one left on the floor. As if that was not unsettling enough, he had sent for her again.
“I don’t want to lose this job,” she muttered. “What does he want?”
Grace stood up and walked toward the executive office. She stopped in front of the heavy gold-colored door. The name engraved in silver stared back at her.
Noah Creed.
She whispered it under her breath, and almost instantly, the voice that always unsettled her spoke from inside.
“You don’t need to stand there, Grace. Come in.”
Her heart skipped.
That voice, it made her weak.
She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. “Good evening, sir,” she said calmly, though her pulse betrayed her. Clearing her throat, she added, “You sent for me.”
“Yes,” Noah replied, glancing at the gold watch on his wrist. Wealth sat on him effortlessly. “It’s almost eight-thirty. I was wondering why you’re still here.”
Confusion hit her fast.
What is he talking about? “Sir, you asked me to wait,” she said, disbelief creeping into her tone.
“Ah. I did, didn’t I?” he replied casually.
Something snapped.
“What? Are you kidding me right now?” The words escaped before she could stop them. Her eyes widened. “I mean, sir…”
“No, Grace,” Noah said, cutting her off with a wave of his hand. He stood up slowly. “I’m not kidding. I just didn’t think you would listen to me. You never do. Even though I’m your boss.”
She looked down at her hands, heat flooding her face. Just die already, she cursed herself.
“But you know the funny thing,” he said, now suddenly closer. She did not even hear him move.
His fingers traced the line of her ear.
Grace shivered.
He tilted her face up gently. “I’m going to take you here and now, Grace. And it won’t be a joke.”
Her mind froze.
Before she could react, his mouth crashed onto hers. She gasped, and he took advantage of it, his tongue sliding deep, claiming territory she never knew existed. It was her first kiss. She forgot to breathe.
She choked.
“Are you alright?” Noah asked, pulling back, genuinely puzzled.
“Are you trying to kill me?” Grace asked, breathless and shaken. “Was that a kiss or a death sentence?”
He frowned slightly. “How can someone die from a kiss?” His hand rested on her shoulder. “It’s not like this is your first time being kissed.”
Her body went rigid.
Silence filled the room.
Noah stared at her, realization dawning slowly. The look on her face told him everything.
It was her first kiss.
Rules were clear in all his companies. Relationships between staff were forbidden. People had been fired without hesitation. He had enforced it himself countless times. Yet since Grace Bush walked into his world, his mind, heart, and body had been in chaos. He had noticed the way she stole glances at him, thinking he did not see.
He only wanted to satisfy his desire and send her away by morning.
But this changed everything.
If she had never been kissed, then she was untouched.
And he hated virgins. They were too clingy. They wanted more than he ever intended to give.
He should apologize. He should stop. He should send her away.
But he didn’t.
Instead, as if possessed by something unfamiliar, Noah kissed her again.
Time seemed to lose meaning.
Grace’s heart pounded violently as her knees weakened. All she felt was him. The softness of his lips. The heat of his body. The way he overwhelmed her senses without effort.
Noah kept his eyes half open, checking again and again, making sure she was real. His fingers curled around hers, grounding him. Something stirred inside him, something he had never felt with any woman before.
Grace’s body responded before her mind could catch up. His scent surrounded her, intoxicating. When she parted her lips, he deepened the kiss, warmth spreading through her, curling her toes, silencing her thoughts.
His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer, pressing her against his desk. It felt forbidden. It was forbidden. Her fingers slid under his shirt without permission from her conscience, finding his heated skin.
For a moment, nothing else existed.
No rules. No consequences.
Then reality returned.
'Grace get a hold of yourself, you can't let this happen.' She scolded herself within.
Without wasting time, she pushed him away, breathless and shaken. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t think we should do this.”
Confusion crossed his face. “What are you talking about? You want me just as much as I want you.”
She did. But wanting him and allowing this were not the same.
“There is too much at stake,” she whispered. “I can’t.”
With one last look at him, she ran.
Noah stood frozen.
“We can’t?” he murmured. He had seen the desire in her eyes. Untouched, yet bold. Wild in her own way.
Something inside him refused to let go.
He smiled slowly. “Sorry, Grace,” he said to the empty office. “You won’t escape me for long. When I want something, I get it. No matter how long it takes.”
Outside, Grace did not stop running until she reached the street. She slowed only when she saw security, forcing herself to appear calm.
“What just happened?” she whispered, trembling.
“You’re insane, Grace,” she scolded herself. “How could you give in so easily?”
In her wildest dreams, she never imagined her first kiss would happen in an office, with a powerful man like Noah Creed.
How did this even happen?
She had no answer.
And that frightened her the most.
