I'm waiting for Griffin in the parking lot of Allison's condo. When his Porsche roars up and he gets out, I fling myself into his arms.

His smell—warm, spicy, masculine—washes over me. I press my face into his neck and he picks me up, spins me around, and laughs.

He hugs me so tight that I can't breathe.

When he puts me down he stares into my eyes while smoothing back my hair. I've left it loose, as he likes.

"Christ, I've missed you." He presses his lips to mine and our tongues find each other. We're making out right there, in the parking lot, and I break away so I can stare at his angular face.

"Hi." I'm giddy.

He picks me up again and carts me to the passenger side of his car, then opens his door.

"Where are we going?" I ask as we pull into traffic.

He lets out a low, wicked chuckle and merges onto the interstate, accelerating so fast that I'm pressed into the leather seat.

"Please tell me?"

"Nope. Another surprise weekend."

I giggle. It's as if all of the worries from this week—about my family, moving out, trying to find another job—melt away the further we get from the suburbs. The glittering Miami skyline is ahead, and I assume we're headed through downtown and to the beach. Probably to a dinner or a club.

Or maybe his house.

"You look gorgeous tonight." His hand squeezes my bare thigh, just above my knee.

"Is this okay? I wasn't sure if I should be more dressed up or not." I'm wearing one of Allison's dresses. It's black and lacy, the neckline is stretchy, so I've pulled it down my shoulders. I'm also wearing the heels Griffin bought.

"It's perfect." He squeezes my leg again and then puts both hands on the wheel to take the exit that says DOWNTOWN.

I don't say anything as he drives into the dark streets. Over the years, I've been to a lot of places in the Miami area—the beach, the Aventura Mall, Coral Gables—but I haven't been downtown much other than the handful of times when I've visited my mom's office. It's mostly tall office buildings and expensive condominiums.

"We're going to have dinner here tonight."

Griffin slows near a building, and I see an upscale pizza place, a yoga studio and a juice bar on the bottom floor. He pulls into the building's parking lot and finds a space near the entrance.

Since the pizza place is the only restaurant that I saw, I assume we're going there. The idea is making my stomach rumble. Pizza is life. Could this man be any more perfect? Well, except for the obvious.

When we're on the sidewalk, he's grinning like crazy, and holding my hand. At one point, he stops and pulls me close to plant a kiss on my cheek.

"Nice shoes," he whispers.

The new heels are rubbing on the backs of my feet but it doesn't matter. I'm too happy to let anything ruin this night.

We stroll past the pizza shop windows, and he doesn't pause at the door. Instead, he turns the corner and we pass the restaurant's other bank of windows. Oh god, I might drool. It's the expensive kind of pizza, with toppings I've never heard of and served on a raised tray. It's not delivery in a cardboard box.

About halfway down the block he takes my elbow and steers me towards a set of double glass doors. Lumina, it says in cursive letters above the door. I guess that's the name of this building. Maybe there's a restaurant on the top floor?

Griffin taps a key card against a little black box—it seems like he has access to everything, the entire city even—and the glass doors slide open.

My eyes grow large as we walk into the lobby, which is decorated in shades of white, grey and scarlet. It's all very sleek and modern, and a tall metal sculpture of a naked woman doing a backbend sits in one corner.

We walk past a concierge desk, where a younger man sits. He and Griffin exchange nods.

At the bank of elevators, one is already open. We step in and he presses the 21st floor. The growl of my stomach echoes in the small space.

"Sorry," I say with a grin.

"Can you hold on a little longer? We'll eat soon."

I wrap my arms around him and kiss his neck. "I can."

He makes a growling noise and pretends to bite my bare shoulder. "I'm hungry for other things. Much later, though."

The elevator door opens and we walk down a bright white hallway. The floor looks like cement, gray and flat. When we get to a door and Griffin takes out a keyring from his pocket, I frown.

Are we visiting someone? What are we doing here? This looks like a someone's condo.

Griffin opens the door. "After you."

I walk in slowly, not knowing what to expect.

The apartment, or condo, is small. The kitchen and living room are almost one, and I spy a bed behind an almost sheer, white curtain partition. Still, the place is stunning, done up in comfy modern furniture in white and light blue colors, with gold accents. It reminds me of the bed in the Keys.

There's a giant bouquet of white flowers on the island counter. I think they're lilies, because the entire place is bursting with the smell of fresh heaven.

I totter a few steps, then freeze. "Oh, that view!"

Floor-to-ceiling windows frame two sides of the condo, and it's the most incredible downtown view I've ever seen. The lights of buildings near and far twinkle in the darkness. Not that I've seen many skylines, outside of photos.

I notice there's a sliding glass door, and a balcony on the other side.

"Come," he says.

He unlocks the sliding door and we step out onto the concrete balcony. It's windy, and my hair flies everywhere. The faint sound of horns honking and engines revving wafts upwards. I step to the rail and am breathless at the vibrating, illuminated cityscape below.

"It's like standing inside of a twinkling skyline," I say softly.

Griffin stands next to me and gathers my hair in his hands. Then he turns his head and presses a kiss to my temple.

"It is like standing inside of a skyline. And it's all yours."

Juliette wobbles on her heels and sways, so I put my arm around her shoulders to steady her.

"W-What?" her voice is barely audible over the buzz of the wind.

Goosebumps have flared over her bare arms, and I guide her inside, shutting the glass door, sealing us off from the wind. She sits on the edge of the sofa, her knees together. Jesus, her legs are gorgeous.

"What did you say out there? I don't think I understood."

Grinning, I sit beside her and tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Remember how I told you I bought three condos this week?"

She nods.

"This is one of them. And I want you to live here."

Her beautiful pouty lips part, and her eyes scan the room suspiciously. Her hand clenches my forearm. Damn, she's digging in with her nails, and will probably leave half-moon marks in my skin. I stroke the back of her hand and she eases up.

"You want me to live here?"

"Is it too small? The other two condos are bigger. Would you like one of those?"

She shakes her head. "Griffin."

"I figured this was better because Miami-Dade College is only a few blocks away."

"Griffin."

"What?"

"You can't do this."

I expected her to put up a fight, and I suppress a smile. "I can."

"No! I can't afford to pay you rent." Her voice rises an octave. "I'm trying to get a second job and that's why I'm staying with Allison and her mom, because all her mom wants is fifty dollars a month towards utilities."

"Oh, angel." I pull her in and feel her trembling. "I don't want rent. I don't want any money at all. I bought this in cash. I told you I was going to invest in legitimate businesses. This is part of that plan."

"But how will you make money if I'm not paying you rent?" she mumbles into my chest.

This sweet thing in my arms is too good to be true. "You want to hear the details?"

She sits up and nods, her eyes brimming with unfallen tears.

"I bought this unit and two others in the building as a package deal. The seller ran a corporate housing business. You know, renting apartments short-term to people who need to be in the city for a few months at a time. He was moving back to Europe and needed some quick cash. I got a great deal. I'll rent out the other two and make a lot. Enough to cover the maintenance, taxes and utilities on this."

Of course, I don't tell Juliette how I know the seller. He imported illegal amphetamines for high-end racehorses and I'd been introduced to him some years back. We'd had a few things in common and become buddies. We'd refer clients to each other. She didn't need to know the gory details.

"Is that why it's furnished and perfectly decorated?"

"Yeah. But if you don't like something, we can replace it. All of it."

"I don't think I can stay here."

"Why?" I thread my fingers through hers and kiss the back of her hand.

"Because...because. We don't really know each other."

"I've known you since you were..." I do a quick calculation in my head. "Two. I met Ashton when we were nine."

She grimaces. "God, that sounds weird when you put it like that."

"Ok. We won't put it like that. Let's say we've known each other for a long time."

"This is a pretty big deal. Moving here would be a huge step. Why would you do this for me?"

I run the back of my finger down her soft cheek. "Because I want to take care of you. Because you deserve this."

She's frozen in her seat, her eyes on me. "Thank you. I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll stay. Say you'll think about enrolling in a summer semester at the college. Say you'll pursue your dream of an English degree."

She looks at me like I've grown a second head. "No, I need to stay on track and study to be a pharmacist. I was going to visit the school next week to apply for loans."

"You don't need to do that, either, if you don't want."

"Why?" she pauses. "Don't tell me, you're going to pay for my school, too?"

"I am." I shoot her a small grin. "I looked up the prices for a semester. It's less than I spend on a weekend trip to Nassau."

"Griffin," she whispers. "What's in this for you?"

I cup her face in my hands and lean in to kiss her. She looks so fucking sexy in that little dress and those heels, and my dick comes to life when I smell her perfume.

"What's in it for me? Hmm." I kiss her cheek, then the part of her jaw under her ear. "One. Seeing you happy."

I press my lips to the velvety skin of her earlobe. "Two. Knowing you're living in a safe place."

I kiss her neck. She's wearing the necklace I gave her last weekend. "Three. We'll be closer to each other and I'll come over whenever you want."

She sighs pleasurably and wraps her arms around my neck. I press her down on the sofa, wanting to lose myself in her softness and sweet scent.

"Is this why you you were stressed this week?" she murmurs in my ear.

I pause, my lips on her neck. During one of our phone conversations, I'd mentioned how I was stressed out, but didn't elaborate. It wasn't because of the condo closings. It was because of the neverending TV news stories about the thirty-two drug overdoses at the concert last Sunday. That's how many there were. Thirty-two people taken to the hospital.

One died.

All of my dealers have been laying low this week, and I've been extra careful. Zoe, Matthew and I spent days randomly testing the raw powder we've gotten from China. So far, we haven't found anything that's not pure, but I'm not ruling out the possibility that we somehow allowed bad shit to get out.

And if they trace it back to me...

"Yeah," I trail my tongue down her neck. "One of the reasons. Getting everything in order."

"Thank you," she whispers, shifting and wriggling underneath me, which only makes my dick harder. "You're incredible, you know that?"

She unbuttons my shirt and when it's fully undone, I sit up and strip it off. I stay kneeling while she runs her hands over my chest. It makes me shiver, her fingers on my ab muscles.

"I thought you were hungry," I murmur.

"I am."

Her black dress has elastic at the collar, and I discover that I can easily tug the fabric down. Down. Down. I groan when her I see she's not wearing a bra. She has the most perfect tits I've ever seen.

"I'm starving. For these." My mouth is on one nipple and I'm rolling the other between my thumb and index finger. She's mewling and without asking, has spread her legs so I'm nice and comfortable, pressing my dick into her.

It's almost unfathomable how much I want her. How much I've been thinking about her. It's pure, blind, craving.

"Kiss me," she coos.

My hand is at the elastic of her panties and I lift my mouth from hers. I think I'm actually drooling a little at the thought of dipping my fingers into her tight, wet pussy, when my phone rings.

It's the ringtone I've set for my sister. I rest my forehead on Juliette's bare breast and swear. I'd made Zoe promise to call only if she had news about the molly situation at the concert.

A jolt of fear goes through me. If it was my drugs that made those people sick—that made a guy die—it's going to be a massive buzzkill on this perfect night.

"I need to get that."

I sit up and groan when I lift myself off the sofa. My dick's so hard that it practically hurts, and I scowl as I reach for one of the two phones on the coffee table. I glance over and Juliette's studying me.

I'm momentarily left mute because she's so fucking gorgeous. Like a painting, reclining with her dark hair and red lips, her breasts high, her nipples hard. Her eyes are half-lidded and her legs parted a little, the flimsy dress only covering her stomach and hips.

Even though I'm about to probably get bad news from my sister, I can only think one thing.

She's mine.

I inhale, realizing I need to brace myself for this call. If that was our molly that made those kids sick, I'll be fucked.

"Hey." My voice is sharp.

"Sorry to interrupt your date, lover boy. But I think you'll want to hear this."

____