"I thought the office was empty when I kissed my billionaire boss’s poster—until his real voice whispered from behind me. "

By 4:00 p.m., Lord Vanguard’s legal team had unconditionally surrendered, signing the revised buyout agreement at the lower eleven-point-four-billion-dollar valuation.

Back at the Savoy Hotel executive suite, the atmosphere was euphoric.

Victoria Vance was in the small office nook, frantically answering calls from international financial news outlets, while Adrian and Nora sat in the main parlor, drinking champagne near the towering glass windows overlooking the foggy Thames.

"To Footnote Seventeen," Adrian said, raising his crystal glass toward her.

Nora clinked her glass against his, a breathless laugh escaping her lips. "To not getting sued for corporate defamation."

"They couldn't sue us," Adrian said, taking a sip of champagne, his dark eyes fixed on her face. "You were right. You are always right about numbers."

Nora set her glass down on the marble mantelpiece. She walked over to the tall glass doors leading out onto the private stone balcony. The afternoon rain had softened into a gentle, misting rain over the city.

She pushed the door open, stepping out into the cool London air, taking a deep breath.

Behind her, she heard the quiet, rhythmic sound of dress shoes against the stone floor.

Adrian stepped out onto the balcony behind her. He didn't stay at a professional distance. He walked up right behind her, his tall frame blocking the cool wind, his presence surrounding her completely.

"Are you happy, Nora?" Adrian asked quietly, his voice dangerously close to her ear.

Nora turned around slowly. Her back pressed against the cold stone railing of the balcony, but her front was only inches from his warm, towering chest.

"I’m overwhelmed," Nora admitted softly, looking up into his dark, intense eyes. "Forty-eight hours ago, I was sitting in a cubicle on the nineteenth floor, worrying about parking spots and Mr. Reynolds' spreadsheets."

"And now?" Adrian murmured, his hand slowly rising to rest against the stone railing beside her head, trapping her in a web of heat and dark intensity.

"And now I’m standing on a balcony in London with a billionaire who promotes people based on their analytical precision," Nora whispered, her pulse racing wildly.

Adrian’s eyes darkened. His gaze dropped slowly from her eyes down to her lips—the very lips he had watched on his security cameras two nights ago.

"I lied to you, Nora," Adrian said, his voice dropping into a deep, rough whisper.

Nora’s breath hitched. "About what?"

"I didn't promote you just because of your analytical precision," Adrian confessed, stepping one inch closer, his chest brushing against hers. "I’ve been watching you on the nineteenth floor for three months. I watched you stay late every night. I watched you solve problems nobody else saw. I watched you smile when you thought nobody was looking."

Nora stared at him, her heart hammering so hard she was certain he could hear it. "You watched me?"

"Yes," Adrian whispered, his free hand slowly rising to touch her cheek, his warm thumb gently tracing the soft line of her jawline. "And when you kissed my photograph on Tuesday night... I realized I was done watching."

Nora’s mind went completely blank. The cold London rain, the city noise, the multi-billion-dollar deal—everything faded into white noise, leaving only the searing heat of his hand against her skin.

"Adrian..." she breathed.

"Tell me to stop, Nora," Adrian whispered, his head lowering slowly, his dark eyes searching hers for permission. "Tell me you want me to be your boss, and I will step back right now."

Nora looked up into the dark, raw, uncompromising honesty of his face. She felt the fierce, magnetic pull that had been building between them since the moment his voice had whispered from the dark hallway.

"Don't stop," Nora whispered.

Adrian didn't hesitate.

He leaned down and covered her lips with his in a deep, fierce, breathtaking kiss that swept the ground out from under her feet.

His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his body, while his other hand tangled into her hair, deepening the kiss until Nora was clinging to his shoulders, completely lost in the electric heat of his touch.