The Boss's Nine-Month Negotiation. Maya Blake

photographic mementos of a childhood spent in foster care, no matter how wretched. Emiliano had insisted she seize the moment to make a memory. And, even though he’d refused to look into the camera, his years of avoiding the glare of the paparazzi’s lens deeply ingrained, he’d posed for the picture. The end result was Emiliano staring at her while she looked into the camera, flushed and self-conscious from his brazenly hungry scrutiny.

      He’d taken a look at the photo, pronounced himself satisfied and promptly printed and framed it for the mantel.

      Sienna stared at the profile of the man who commanded her days and nights, the boss who’d changed his own company’s rules, despite her many blithely ignored protests, in order to date her. Her heart skipped another beat, and with it the secret wish lurking in her heart.

      Emiliano Castillo had done more than amend his company’s rules. He’d gone on to trigger a few more firsts, as she’d found out in the months following the start of their relationship. For a start, he hadn’t been one for relationships. Certainly not one with a vice-president of his venture capitalist firm. Most of his liaisons only lasted a couple of months. He’d also never lived with a lover. And he’d certainly never lived with one for going on six months!

      Which was why Sienna was daring to believe that theirs was more than a supercharged physical affair. It was why she’d found herself hoping for more. They had never talked about a family, largely because the subject had been strictly off-limits for both of them, save for unavoidable instances that filtered through their lives.

      As far as she knew, his relationship with his parents was strained at best, but she’d seen his devastation when his brother had been seriously injured in a car accident four months ago. And, with each trip she’d accompanied him on to the state-of-the-art medical facility in Switzerland where Matias was being cared for after his brain surgery had left him in a coma, she’d witnessed Emiliano’s distress and sadness.

      Hers was a different story. She had no past to discuss, so she never did.

      The desolation she’d learned to live with overpowered her for a single moment before she pushed it back into its designated box. Today was her birthday. She was lucky she had a date to celebrate. But she’d also worked hard to make a life for herself, and she was determined it wouldn’t fall victim to rejection and heartache.

      So celebrate she would.

      She returned the picture to the mantel in time to hear the penthouse door’s electronic lock disengage.

      Expecting it to be Alfie, taking delivery of their food, her heart leapt into her throat when Emiliano walked in.

      He was supposed to have been gone for two days. He’d been gone for six. She hadn’t comprehended just how much she’d missed him until he handed over the food boxes to Alfie and walked tall and proud into the living room. A rush of longing and happiness overtook her as her gaze met his.

      At six foot three, with a powerful but streamlined physique, Emiliano Castillo gave the term ‘tall, dark and handsome’ full, visceral meaning. But he also carried an extra edge that ensured that heads, and hearts, turned whenever he graced humanity with his presence. His wasn’t a flawless face, to start with. A scar sustained along his right jawline from a horse-riding accident as a teenager evoked a sense of illicit danger, if you just looked at him. Bold slants of jet eyebrows over brooding, dark, coppery eyes and a full and sensual mouth sculpted for long, steamy lovemaking nights made him very difficult to look away from.

      So she stared, transfixed, heart slamming against her ribs, as he walked slowly towards her. He stopped several feet from where she stood. Electricity crackled through the air as they stared at one another. Then slowly, his eyes traced her body from head to toe, lingering, possessing, and back again.

      Expecting him to stride forward and sweep her into his arms in that overwhelmingly possessive and blatantly male way he employed, she braced herself, her every sense leaping with excitement.

      But he remained where he stood.

      ‘Happy birthday, querida. You look exquisite.’ His voice was deep, laced with the Spanish intonation he carried proudly. But the words, despite being felicitous and complimentary, were a touch grave. As were the hands he shoved deep into his pockets instead of using them to reach for her as he normally did when they’d been apart this long.

      Her heart skittered, but Sienna pushed away the fizzle of anxiety. ‘Thank you. It’s great to have you back,’ she replied, with her tongue lightly slicking lips gone nervous and dry.

      His eyelids descended for a moment, then his head tilted slightly, dark eyes resting on her, seeming to absorb her every expression. ‘Have you had a good day?’ he asked.

      The reminder of how her day had gone brought a smile. His breath seemed to catch as her smile widened. ‘It was wonderful, Emiliano. I’m not sure how you planned everything without my knowledge but I loved every second of it. Thank you so much for these...’ She caressed her necklace and earrings. ‘I should be angry with you for forcing me to field questions, though.’ She deliberately infused lightness into her tone, but her reluctance to incite another row didn’t mean she was damping down what was important to her.

      ‘No doubt you found your usual diplomatic way to deny my existence despite it being an open secret,’ he returned with a distinct edge to his tone.

      Sienna’s breath snagged in her lungs. Yes, the subject was definitely still a sore one. But one she intended to tackle soon. Maybe tonight...

      ‘I’ve never denied your existence. Merely not fuelled workplace gossip. There’s a difference.’

      His upper lip curled slightly, his jaw flexing a touch. ‘If you say so.’

      She floundered for a moment, the ground beneath her feet shaking a little. Was her continued denial of their relationship outside the privacy of their penthouse causing more damage than she realised?

      Inhaling deeply, she widened her smile.

      ‘I do say so. And it would’ve been perfect if you’d been here, regardless of who knows about us.’ Sienna knew she was offering a tentative olive branch, while subtly digging for answers to questions she wasn’t completely certain were wise to pursue, but the worry that had taken root between her ribs was growing by the second.

      ‘I’m sorry. The situation couldn’t be helped.’

      She wasn’t surprised at the slightly cryptic answer. The enigma that was Emiliano Castillo operated at optimum capacity, always. She’d learned the hard way that to gain his attention she had to meet her lover and boss toe to toe. It was what had brought her to his attention in the boardroom. It was why their chemistry remained sizzling hot in the bedroom. A chemistry that had stunned and bewildered her in the beginning and continued to overawe her even now. It was the reason she checked herself now from leaving the safety of the mantel to close the seemingly yawning distance between them, even though every muscle strained to be in his arms.

      Denying herself the pleasure, she remained where she was, sensing the deep, puzzling tension within him as a muscle jumped in his shadowed cheek. But even from a distance she experienced the jolt of electricity that lanced through her when his eyes remained fixed on hers. ‘You didn’t elaborate on what was going on. Is it Matias?’ she asked.

      A shadow drifted over his face. ‘In a way, yes.’

      ‘Is he okay? Has there been any improve—’

      ‘His condition remains unchanged,’ he interrupted.

      Her gaze dropped, drifting over his lower lip. He inhaled sharply, gratifying her with his reaction. But his hands remained in his pockets.

      ‘So you spent all six days with your parents?’

      Another clench of his jaw. ‘Sí.’ The word was chillingly grave.

      Her heart dropped. ‘Emiliano... I... Is everything okay?’

      He finally breached the gap between them and grasped her hand in his. Lowering their linked hands, he stared