Prologue

      Winter looked at her watch for the tenth time in the past forty minutes. “Unbelievable,” she huffed as she took out her phone to call her sister Autumn. She answered on the second ring.

      “Either your date went terrible or he stood you up.”

      “Considering he is already forty minutes late, I’m assuming he plans to stand me up.”

      “Maybe something came up?”

      Winter looked at her phone to make sure she had dialed the right number. “Since when are you an optimist? I expected you to tell me to forget about this blind date and go home.”

      “I’m still half realist, half pessimist. But in this case, since you both share a few mutual friends, I think it’s best if you at least wait until he gets there.”

      “What if he doesn’t show?”

      “Wait ten more minutes. If he doesn’t show, leave.”

      As she hung up the phone, she still wasn’t sure she wanted to wait ten more minutes. Just as she’d made the decision to ignore what Autumn said and leave, she felt as if she was being watched. She turned her head toward the entrance of the restaurant and got lost in the chocolate eyes of a man she hated to admit was worth the wait. Since moving to Chicago two years ago, she’d heard more than a few women comment on Taheim Reed’s good looks. Seeing him in person, she now knew firsthand.

      He began walking toward the table with a confident stride, gaining the attention of more than a few women.

      “Nice to officially meet you, Winter,” he said when he reached the table. She glanced down at his outstretched hand, debating whether or not she should accept it.

      “You’re almost an hour late.”

      His lips curled into a smile. “I had some business to attend to.”

      She waited for him to offer more of an explanation. “So, no apology, then?”

      He turned his head to the side and motioned for her to take a seat. She thought about ignoring his request but quickly decided she’d rather sit down than give the people sitting next to them something to talk about.

      “I apologize. There is no excuse for keeping a woman as beautiful as you waiting.”

      Hmm, smooth talker. Looks-wise, he was definitely Winter’s type. She wasn’t really picky. But personality-wise, he was someone she would never go for. She typically fell for musicians or the starving-artist type. Not the conceited playboy. “I accept your apology.”

      “Great,” he said as he took her hand, which was placed on the table. “Now we can get to know each other more.”

      She wasn’t sure what it was about his move that irritated her, but she pulled her hand out of his and picked up the menu, which she’d already memorized in the time she’d waited for him to arrive.

      “Are you both ready to order?” the waiter asked when he approached their table. She voiced her order, as did Taheim without even opening his menu.

      “You must come here a lot.”

      He shrugged. “I’ve been here a few times.”

      Winter nodded her head as she played with the rim of her glass of water. The awkward silence was unavoidable.

      “So what do you do?” he asked as he sat back in his chair.

      “I’m one of the owners of Bare Sophistication lingerie boutique in the River North area downtown. What about you?”

      “I’m a partner at R&W Advertising and a clothing designer. You may have heard of me,” he said, then took a sip of his water. Winter forced her eyes not to drop to his lips. “I just launched my clothing line, Collegiate Life Apparel, early last year.”

      Of course she’d heard of him. And she was sure that because of the friends they shared, he’d heard of her, too. “Congratulations on your success.”

      “You, as well,” he replied, confirming that he had heard of her boutique even if he hadn’t said anything. His eyes dropped to her lips before making their way back to her face.

      “What are your plans after this date?”

      I’d barely classify this as a date. And the question was pretty random, even for Winter, who often loved random questions. “Probably working on some new designs. What about you?”

      He leaned forward and the movement caught her off guard. “If all goes well, I’m hoping for an intimate nightcap.” His eyes dropped to her lips again, but this time, he didn’t hide the heat behind his gaze. Did he just suggest what I think he suggested?

      She didn’t know whether to curse him out or kiss him senseless. The way he quirked his mouth to the side made her want to see what he had behind his smize. On the other hand, the fact that she immediately had naughty thoughts about the mouth of a guy who didn’t care enough about the date to be on time made her want to give him a tongue-lashing, and not the toe-curling kind. So she opted for the latter.

      “You have some nerve,” she said as she leaned closer to him. “First you show up almost an hour late. Then we barely hold a conversation and when we do speak, it’s about things we already know about one another. Next you suggest that we have an intimate nightcap?”

      “I apologized for being late,” he said, clearly amused by their banter. “And I did plan on asking you more questions. But let’s just cut to the chase.” He brushed his fingers over her arm and it took all of her energy not to give him the satisfaction of her pulling away again. “We both know how this night is going to end. You’re as attracted to me as I am to you.”

      “Oh, I see,” Winter said. “This is how it usually works for you.” She waved her hand back and forth between them. “You take a woman out, spit a few seductive words, and before you know it, you’re dragging her back to your place.”

      He squinted his eyes together as if he was contemplating what she was saying. “Pretty much. I wouldn’t proposition you if I couldn’t tell you were already interested.” He leaned back in his chair. “Until you admit it, too, you’re just wasting both of our time.”

      Who the heck is this guy? “Ha!” she said, finally moving her arm from his touch. “I bet that underneath that arrogant facade is a little boy who was hurt so badly by a woman that he developed this playboy alter ego. When deep down, he’s just damaged