Nova smiled at the memory of her and Kaiden dancing in a crowd of envious strangers. Woman had wished his arms were gently caressing their bare backs whilst men greedily wondered what it would be like to have her naked body beneath theirs.

It had been a few days since the charity gala where Kaiden publically made his interest in Nova known - I mean why else would he spend a fortune just to take her out when she was already the woman occupying his bed? Despite this she hadn't heard a word from him since. Not a knock on the door at midnight, expecting an invitation to stay, nor a message or call.

"Where can I get a millionaire who will bring me flowers in the middle of the day?" Kioko, one of the models in Nova's agency whimpers.

"What?" Nova asks in confusion.

"See for yourself." Kioko smiles, gesturing towards the front office.

"I believe I'm owed a date Miss Stratford." Kaiden stood in the middle of the room exuding confidence, ignoring the affections of those who surrounded him as he held forward a bouquet of white and yellow. Instead of his well-tailored suit and golden cufflinks, Kaiden's attire was casual yet still managed to capture the attention of those around him.

"You know, the colour white exudes purity while yellow symbolises friendship." Nova teases, taking the flowers and breathing in their sweet scent.

"After spending a few nights in my bed you're everything but pure and as for friendship, well I've fucked you beyond that. Now get your ass into my car before I make you moan my name in front of all your little model friends." Kaiden whispered, his lips gently grazing her ear.

"I didn't think we'd actually be going out."

"Well I paid a small fortune for a date with Nova Stratford and I intend to get my money's worth." Kaiden removed his hand from Nova's thigh in order to shift gears before resting it on her smooth skin once more.

"Well then, where are we going?" Nova leaned into her seat, making herself more comfortable for the journey ahead.

"A plot of land that caught my eye recently went up for sale, so we are going to sign a few papers and finalise ownership."

"How romantic." Nova mocked sarcastically.

"You'll be surprised."

After what should have been a tedious journey, the two arrive outside a small cottage, surrounded by acres of vineyard.

"This is the place you want to buy?" Nova asked in suspicion.

"Don't be ridiculous, this is just the groundkeepers cottage, I'm buying the whole vineyard."

Nova stood in the background, sampling the wine last year's crop had yielded whilst Kaiden took care of business.

"Delicious, isn't it?"

"I can taste every undertone, from the sour cherry to chocolate infusion and..."

Kaiden stops Nova mid-sentence by placing his lips against hers.

"I was right, the wine does taste better off your lips."

"Kaiden Romano, you're just a big softie underneath all that man."

"You should know by now, I'm never soft around you star."

Nova gulps as a pulsation of heat travels through her.

"Come along now, there's somewhere I want to take you."

Kaiden firmly lead Nova through what only can be described as a maze of vines. Hand in hand the two enjoyed the crisp wind and warm afternoon sun against their skin.

"If you don't kill me, this walk certainly will." Nova complained.

"Stop your whining, we're almost there."

"Easy for you to say, I'm not exactly dressed for the outdoors."

Kaiden realised Nova's growing agony and did the only gentlemanly thing he could think off.

"Get on my back and I'll carry you the rest of the way."

"Usually when you're telling me to get on something, it's your ..."

"Don't worry, there will be plenty of time for that later." Kaiden laughed, squeezing Nova's thighs as he marched on.

The two reached a clearing where blankets laid, fresh bread basked and champagne fizzled.

"Lay with me?" Kaiden offered his hand to Nova, hoping she would take the invitation.

"So what do people usually do on these type of things?" He asked, handing her a glass of bubbly.

"Have you never been on a date before?" Nova murmured in disbelief.

"I've never needed to put in any effort when it came to a woman, my routine was pick them up at a bar, spend the night in some hotel room and never see them again."

"But I'm the exception."

"You're the exception."

"Well, how about we start by getting to know each other better?"

"I know how to make you moan and your favourite milkshake flavour, I know you well enough."

"Kaiden."

"Fine, I'll go first. Why did you start using?"

"Wow straight into it." Nova nervously gulped down her champagne.

"I want to know the things that will help me understand and take care of you better."

"Growing up I always idolised the lifestyle models led. Gorgeous clothes, flying to amazing destinations, the endless amount of people who looked at them in desire - for a child raised by a single father who didn't have much time to spend with her because he was working two jobs just to keep a shelter over our heads, that lifestyle was a dream."

"What happened to your mother?"

"She died when I was 3, car accident."

"Go on."

"When my father eventually passed on, I sold the little we had, packed a bag and moved to Manchester, hoping to make my dream a reality. I struggled for a while, working at a few crappy jobs until I met my ex manager Trent - he was my ticket in.

Soon I was on local television and becoming a hot topic - that's when Trent convinced me to go big or go home, I was a naïve 18 year old in an industry where beauty wasn't enough, the right connections would be the only way to get to the top. I spent endless nights at parties, sitting on old men's laps hearing how sexy I looked, flirting with strangers - being paraded around like a trophy."

"Fuck, did any of them ever hurt you."

Kaiden couldn't look Nova in her eyes, not out of disgust but anger.

"Thankfully not, Trent did protect me."

"Eventually I couldn't keep up with the lifestyle, only once I was within its walls did I realise what a toxic environment it was compared to how glamourous it looked on the outside. First I started taking weight loss pills to try and stay in shape, next it was Xanax for anxiety and lastly ecstasy just so I could feel alive again."

"How do you feel now?"

"Ever since you came into my life, I've felt a natural kind of high - now your touch is the only thing I crave. I won't lie to you, some days are harder than others - but I can't keep throwing my life away."

Kaiden grabs Nova by the hips and lifts her onto his lap, in response she drapes her arms over his shoulders.

"My turn, have you ever been in love?"

"Once and never again." Kaiden's grip on Nova's hips tightens almost to the point of hurting her as he answers.

"I can tell there's more on your mind."

"You know those stories where best friends fall in love and live happily ever after, well I thought that was going to be my life - turns out she had other ideas.

I had loved Haley Stevens since we were 5 years old, maybe not romantically then but I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life making her smile - I even made her a paper ring and proposed on the playground, all I knew it meant she wouldn't leave me if she said yes."

"That's kind of adorable."

"Eventually, in high school we got the chance to be together and I was overjoyed. Things seemed ethereal, it felt natural in a way - neither of us really had to put in any effort, looking back I see how that was our biggest sign of impending doom. A year into our relationship I found out she was cheating on me with some senior, when I confronted her about it all she could say was she never wanted to be with me, she felt so pressured and so she took pity on me instead. Haley threw that paper ring straight in my face."

"She still had the ring that must have meant something."

"Trust me, it meant nothing. So I'm warning you now Nova, don't think I'll ever love you. I'm ready to go, come on."