A Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles seemed to be just as busy as a Monday morning. After I'd lost count of the number of traffic jams we'd battled, I was thinking that New York had been wrongly nicknamed The City That Never Sleeps. The people of Los Angeles seemed to be busier than any New Yorker I'd yet come to know. Meanwhile, Jesse was finding amusement in pointing out every single Prius we saw – which was practically every third vehicle by that time. Having come from the Midwest, I was still getting used to all the "big city vehicles" and found it a bit funny, myself.

Five hours into our weekend adventure, we'd already visited a park with a stellar view of the Hollywood Sign; walked a few blocks of the Walk of Fame; selfied at the intersection of Sunset and Vine; and grabbed a to-go lunch down the street from Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Our final stop was the observatory and SkySlide at the top of the U.S. Bank Tower. Initially, Jesse had taken me up there for the view from the observation decks, not to ride the Slide – a literal glass slide hanging off the side of the skyscraper, seventy stories in the air. I thought the idea was pretty fucking awesome, but Jesse was a little less enthusiastic about sliding down forty-five feet of glass, nearly a thousand feet up. After a visit to the observatory's bar, however, I was able to convince him to brave his height discomfort and give it a shot with me.

After our touristy binge came to a close and we were headed back to the hotel, I started to think about when and how I should tell Jesse about my past with Brad. It was out in the far reaches of my comfort zone, making me scrunch up my face in a cringe just thinking about it. And it seemed like there was no good time to dump all that dirty laundry out. Jesse was in a good mood, having a fun time. I didn't want to throw cold water on that.

"What are you thinking about so intently?" he asked from beside me as he attempted to maneuver our rent car in between other vehicles on the 405.

I brushed it off, not wanting to crap on our fun day. "I was just remembering the look on your face when you went down the Slide."

Jesse grimaced and shook his head. "Yeah... There's a slight chance I may have pissed myself a little bit."

I snorted a laugh and teased him. "That's alright. I won't tell too many people."

He didn't respond, but I caught a glimpse of his smile as he leaned forward, trying to get a better view of the lane beside us.

Back at the hotel, we stumbled off the elevator in a laughing mess, holding onto each other as we made our way to Jesse's room. He was happy, his smile so infectious, and I was living for the humor dancing through his eyes as we joked and teased each other and talked about how fun our day had been. I couldn't remember ever having carried on with Brad the way Jesse and I were. Brad had had his fun moments, but he wasn't a goof around type of person. That had always been a pet peeve of mine in regards to our relationship. I'd wanted more laughter and enjoyment, and Brad had always found an excuse for why we couldn't go to the fair or dip our fries in milkshakes or whatever the hell sounded fun to me at the time. With him, it had always been about our – mostly his - image. He couldn't be seen having an amusing time with his girlfriend in public because it might taint his professional image. Some potential future business partner somewhere might think less of him if he didn't keep up his polished, hard ass businessman demeanor twenty-four-seven. At least, that's what he'd always told me.

I never had bought that excuse. Having a good time didn't mean he would be doing anything outrageous, but he'd always acted as if that's what it would entail. Like a fool blinded by what I'd thought was love, I'd gone along with Brad's stupid, uptight idea of how we were supposed to act.

This was yet another topic that Jesse was different about. It was so refreshing to me that he hadn't objected to doing touristy things and taking dorky pictures together at popular locations where anyone could observe the way we were acting and what we were doing. Brad never would've done those things with me. Had Brad been in Jesse's position, this trip would have been one-hundred-percent about business and he would've eaten, slept, and breathed the meeting with Integrity. With Jesse, there was room for plenty other things besides work. Jesse knew how to balance everything in a perfect way where we were getting our work done and taking care of what we'd come to L.A. to do, but we were enjoying the time in between and not letting the reason for the trip stress us out too much. That's what a good leader does, and Jesse was definitely a good leader.

"Where do you feel like having dinner?" Jesse asked me with a cheesy grin, pecking my lips as we entered his room.

Not being familiar with restaurants in L.A., I didn't have an answer for him. I was sure he had several places in mind, though.

"How 'bout you surprise me?" I suggested and flopped down on my back on top of his bed.

My blouse inadvertently rode up with the motion, exposing a couple inches of my midriff, and I didn't miss the way Jesse's eyes shamelessly skimmed over my frame.

He showed off his usual sexy smirk and came over to rest his body on top of mine, holding himself up with his forearms as he looked down into my eyes.

"How 'bout I kiss you?" he smiled devilishly and pressed his lips to mine.

I smiled into the kiss and nipped at his bottom lip when he pulled back to look at me again.

"I would be perfectly content with you never stopping doing that," I mumbled, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "I don't think I could ever get enough of how good this feels with you."

Jesse managed a breathy chuckle, but didn't say anything. It seemed like we had both fallen into some sort of a love struck daze, lost in each other's eyes and the feeling of being so close. We laid there in that position, slowly making out for several minutes. It wasn't until my legs slunk around his waist and I crossed my ankles behind his ass that the mood started to shift from sweet romance to fiery desire. Our kisses became deeper and the way our bodies moved against each other became rougher. His lips moved from my mouth down my neck and I let out a long, drawn out moan when his teeth dragged over my collarbone.

"If we don't stop this soon, I don't think we'll be able to stop at all," Jesse groaned into my ear, nipping softly at my earlobe and causing me to shiver.

I didn't want to stop, and I was certain he didn't either, but this wasn't the right time for our first time. I felt like I owed it to our relationship to be transparent with him about my past with Brad before we took any further steps together.

"Raincheck?" I asked in a joking voice, pecking his lips again as he climbed off of me.

Jesse nodded with a grin and extended his hand to me, helping me get up. He told me he'd thought of the perfect place to take me out and then we separated for a couple hours until it would be time to head out. During that time, I took a long shower and went to the trouble of curling my hair for our date. I wasn't sure what Jesse was doing, but I was having a pretty good time enjoying the mental image dancing through my head of him in the shower, and then getting dressed. He'd looked so fantastic in his suit earlier that morning...

A knock came at my door around eight o'clock and I rushed to apply some lip gloss and grab a clutch, trying to stuff my phone inside it as I opened the door.

Jesse stood in the hallway in black slacks and a gray button-up that wasn't quite buttoned all the way, much to my approval. He had a black blazer slung over his forearm and his hair was combed, yet still a bit unruly in a sexy way. It reminded me of the first time we'd met on the plane. In my mind, I referred to it as the C.E.O. version of sex hair. I loved it.

"You look incredible," he smiled genuinely, his gaze slowly raking over my body like he was taking in every aspect of my ensemble, studying every way that my fitted blue dress clung to my curves.

I didn't mind the way Jesse was looking at me. It made me feel special, beautiful. I loved knowing that I was the reason for the pinkish tone to his cheeks and the awe in his eyes. And he had the same effect on me, which I was sure he was well aware of.

"You're not so bad, yourself," I teased as I closed the door behind me and leaned in to kiss him. "Where are we going, Mr. Reese?"

He smirked and snaked his arm around my waist, guiding us toward the elevators. "That, Miss Hamilton, is a surprise, remember? But I promise you will love it."

"Mmm... I'm going to hold you to that," I grinned.

Something a little darker flashed in his eyes and he gave my ass a light squeeze as we stepped onto the elevator. "You can hold me to anything you want."

I cocked a brow. "I thought that was your job."

Jesse chuckled, shaking his head, but as soon as the doors shut, he had me pinned up against the wall and his mouth on my neck was driving me wild, setting my skin ablaze. His hands slid down my sides and cupped my ass, pulling my body tighter against his as he ground himself against me.

"You're not wearing underwear," he said in the most favorable voice against my collarbone before giving it a sharp nip.

Breathlessly, I tried to give an explanation. "I kind of can't with this dress. It'll show panty lines."

"I'm not complaining," he mumbled with a very noticeable smirk, his lips moving against my feverish skin.

The ding of the elevator reaching the ground floor sent us flying apart, the sound of our heavy breaths echoing through the small space. I had no doubt that the people filtering onto the elevator knew exactly what we'd been up to when I caught a glimpse of an older woman's face. She wore a knowing look, almost judgmental, as she passed us.

A car was waiting for us when we walked outside. Jesse walked me to the vehicle and opened the door for me – a gentlemanly gesture I'd rarely experienced with Brad – before walking around to the other side and climbing in beside me. He'd apparently already informed the driver of our destination because the man didn't ask and Jesse didn't say anything to him.

The drive wasn't too long taking city streets rather than the cluttered highway, and I noticed we were headed back into downtown L.A. When we pulled up at the entrance to the U.S. Bank Tower again, I looked at Jesse a little perplexed.

"Weren't we literally just here?" I asked with a confused laugh.

He seemed amused by my confusion and slid out of the car with a confident smile on his face, coming around the back to open my door and help me out.

"You'll understand when you see where we're going," he told me, sliding his arm around my waist again and leading me to the doors.

I was convinced he was bringing me back to the observatory bar for dinner until we passed the floor it was on. We got off on the seventy-first floor and I took note of a very beautifully designed welcome sign which read "71Above Restaurant and SkyLounge." Unbeknownst to me, there was an entire restaurant above the observatory with ten times better views and a much fancier menu than the bar had. I was in awe from the moment we stepped off the elevator.

The host greeted us with a big smile and lead us to a more private area of the restaurant, away from the hustle and noise of the other guests. It was intimate with stunning views overlooking the rest of Los Angeles. I was floored. Jesse had outdone himself.

"Have you been here before?" I asked him after the host walked away.

Jesse shook his head. "No. I saw an ad for it on the wall when we went to the observatory and it looked like the perfect place."

I looked around the restaurant again with wide eyes. I'd been used to fancy restaurants when Brad and I had dated, so I wasn't quite sure why I was so in awe of Jesse's choice in eatery, but something about it just felt a thousand times more right than any upscale cuisine I'd ever enjoyed with my ex.

Speaking of my ex... the dreaded thought infiltrated again and I started wondering when would be the appropriate time to have that crappy conversation.

"This is gorgeous, Jesse," I said sincerely as I admired that twinkle I loved so much in his blue eyes. "Thank you for finding this place."

About that time, our waitress came over with a bottle of ridiculously high dollar red wine, pouring us both glasses and handing us our menus.

"Did you order red wine when I wasn't looking?" I raised an eyebrow to Jesse.

A smile stretched across his face as he took a sip. "I put in an advance order when I made the reservation."

"Why red wine?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I overheard you tell Aly at work that you hated champagne and you always ordered red wine at fancy restaurants. I thought you'd enjoy this."

He'd heard that? Wait... He'd not only heard that, but he'd remembered it? Such a minute detail about me?

His explanation made my heart flutter with happiness, and for a moment, I felt like I was back in high school, crushing hard on the cute boy in math class and nearly having a heart attack every time he smiled at me. I loved that Jesse had that effect on me.