I break the kiss, breathless. “Griffin,” I whisper.
He leans back only slightly, “Yes, El?”
“We have to stop,” I nearly pant out.
“Is that what you want?” he asks, moving his mouth back to my jaw, trailing kisses down my neck and only making me want him more.
“No,” I push against him until he places me on my feet. “But we have to.”
He takes a step back, his chest rising and falling quickly as he looks a little dejected.
“This,” I motion between the two of us, “is too sudden. I need to think about this. You’re my boss!” My eyes stretch wide with that last part as I lean against the wall he just had me pressed against.
“I know,” he whispers, “but I won’t be for long.” When he says the last word, his lips turn up into a sexy grin that makes my body stiffen with anticipation.
Even though I’ve stopped things between us from happening in this moment, it feels like something is just getting started, and I’m torn. Am I ready for this?
Chapter Ten
Griffin
Pulling away from her takes every bit of restraint I have. I thought I knew how badly I wanted her, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Now my body is craving her touch—it’s begging me to reach out and take her, to put myself out of this misery.
“Let me take you out to dinner, El,” I beg. “I’ve done everything I can to make sure nobody knows the real me. Let me show you…” I whisper, stepping toward her. “Let me show you who I am before you make a decision.”
Her big green eyes look up and lock on mine. Her plump red lips part as a long breath leaves her lungs. “Okay,” she agrees with a nod of her head.
She accepts my offer and I don’t push for more. We sit back down and finish our lunch, then I take her back to her apartment with a promise of returning later.
After our lunch date, going back to work was not an option. There’s no way I could lock myself in a quiet building alone with her. I know for sure I’d take advantage of our alone time and we’d never make it to dinner.
After dropping her off, I head back home and shower, needing to wash off the memory of lunch. I have to clear my head or I know I’ll do something stupid. I’ll seduce her into getting what I want.
I shave, shower, and dress in another pair of jeans, but can’t bring myself to pull on another t-shirt. Instead, I opt for one of my casual button-up shirts. I even roll the sleeves to my elbows to make myself seem more laid back.
It’s not long before we’re walking into the club that Cameron and I frequent. We take a seat in the back and wait for someone to take our order.
“Griffin?” Misty asks, surprised to see me in casual clothes instead of my normal suit.
I laugh. “Yes, it’s me.” I look at El. “El, this is Misty. She waits on me often.” I look at Misty. “Misty, this is El, my date.”
Her eyes stretch wide. “Date?” She holds out her hand. “You must be very special if he’s calling you his date.”
El laughs and shakes her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
We place our orders and Misty walks away to retrieve them.
“I’m a little confused,” El says, leaning toward me.
“I come to this place with my best friend, Cameron. He’s always here, picking up a different woman, but it’s not really my thing.”
“What? Clubbing or picking up women?” She shoots me a flirty smile as she pushes a strand of blonde hair away from her face.
I laugh. “Both.”
“Have you ever been in a relationship, Griffin?” Her eyes narrow, studying me.
Our drinks are placed on the table and I nod as I pick up mine and take a sip. “Her name was Candice. We were together for three years.”
“Wow. What happened?”
I take a deep breath and straighten my back. “Candice was hired at the hotel to be my replacement assistant while mine was healing from surgery. I noticed right away how beautiful she was, but I refused to do anything about it because we were working together. I was worried that things could go bad and get awkward. So, finally, it was Candice’s last day. My assistant was due to come back, and I decided to ask Candice out. I figured there wouldn’t be a problem since we’d no longer be working together.”
“What happened? Obviously, it didn’t work out.” She finishes off her drink the second Misty sets two more down.
“Things were great…for a while. Our date was a hit, and we started seeing each other exclusively. She moved into my house and we were planning a wedding. But then I discovered that she wasn’t who she said she was. She was hired by a rival hotel chain to come to Castille Hotels and steal what information she could. She made off with high-profile clients, future advertising campaigns, and confidential files. She put the whole company in jeopardy. She used me. She lied to me. And while I was falling in love, she was busy stealing from me and making money. Luckily, I didn’t lose my job, but I did lose a large piece of myself. I haven’t been able to trust anyone since.”
“What about me?” she asks, picking up her drink and taking a sip.
“What about you?” I ask, confused.
“Do you trust me?”
I smile around my glass as I take another drink. “I want to,” I finally answer.
She holds out her hand and I place mine inside, even though I’m unsure of what she’s going to do. She offers up a smile as she pulls me to my feet and walks me to the dance floor. I laugh as I spin her around.
“I’m not much of a dancer,” I warn.
She rolls her eyes. “Looks like you’re doing okay!” she yells above the music as she presses her body against mine and moves to the beat of the music.
I hold her close and enjoy the way my body comes to life when she touches me. Her hips move back and forth, softly grazing my dick, which is becoming harder and harder with her every move. When she turns her back to me and wiggles her ass against me, my hands grab ahold of her hips and stop them. She looks at me from over her shoulder, giving me a sexy grin.
“What’s the matter?” she asks, spinning around, but she knows exactly what’s wrong with me.
“You keep teasing me like this and I’ll be dragging this sexy ass to the restroom,” I say, grabbing two handfuls of her ass as I pull her chest against mine.
Her grin turns into a smile as she reaches up and laces her fingers around my neck. “A dirty bathroom fuck? That doesn’t seem like your style, Mr. Karlsson.”
I chuckle. “You have no idea what my style is, Ms. Ryder,” I whisper against her lips, and notice when her eyes drift closed in preparation for the kiss that doesn’t come.
Finally, her eyes pop open. “Are you trying to tease me?” Her mouth drops open with surprise, but the corners turn slightly upward as if she’s holding back a grin.
I have to admit, it’s fun seeing this laid-back side of her. “I want you to work for it, Ms. Ryder. Didn’t you say you didn’t want any special treatment?” I’m toying with her. And believe it or not, I think I’m teasing myself more than her.
“Work for it, huh?” she says, leaning in and pressing her soft lips against mine.
Her sweet tongue demands entrance, and I’m in no condition to deny her. Her kiss is hard and firm—full of certainty. When her hand comes up and brushes against my dick through my jeans, a jolt of electricity shoots through me and I growl as I nip her bottom lip. “You’re playing with fire, Ms. Ryder.”
Something flashes in her green eyes and she bites her bottom lip. “Care to teach me a lesson, Mr. Karlsson?”
I take her wrist in my hand and pull her from the dance floor, down the long, dark hallway, and into the private men’s room. I spin her around and push her back to the door as I step up to her. “Care to rethink that?” I ask, running my thumb across her bottom lip.
Her eyes move from mine, down my body, and back as she thinks it over. She bites her lower lip and grins. “Show me what you got, boss.”
Something inside
of me breaks and my mouth smashes against hers. Her hands come up to fist in my hair, pulling me closer.
I twist the lock on the door behind her, then pick her up against me and move to set her down on the edge of the counter. Her hands work on freeing me from my jeans while I work her skirt up her thighs. My finger slides into her panties, running up her wet slit as her hand locks around my dick.
Suddenly, I’m hit with regret. This isn’t how I want our first time to go. I want to take her home and spend the rest of the night inside her. I want her screaming my name. I want her in my bed, leaving the smell of her shampoo on my pillows.
I jerk her hand away and her eyes jump up to mine. I shake my head. “I’m punishing you, remember?”
Her brow furrows as she tries to figure out exactly what that means.
“What kind of punishment would it be if you got what you wanted, El?” I slide two fingers inside her hot sheath.
Her eyes roll backward and a soft moan escapes her lips. I want her. God knows I want her, and those soft little moans aren’t helping matters. But I want to do this right. I don’t want a quick fuck in a club restroom. I want to show her that she means more than this to me. Already, I’m confused as to why she’s letting me take so much when she pushed me away earlier. Maybe it has something to do with the alcohol we’ve both consumed.
I pull her hips until her ass rests on the edge of the counter, then drop to my knees. She opens her eyes, surprised to find that I’m not standing in front of her.
I pull her panties to the side as my mouth lowers to her clit. Her hips jump upward as my tongue runs back and forth, spreading her wetness. Her muscles clamp down around my fingers while my mouth works her to the edge. Her breathing picks up, and just before her release washes over her, I pull away.
Her eyes pop open and lock on mine. I smile. “Did you enjoy your punishment?” I ask, wiping her juices off my face and standing up before her.
Her chest is rising and falling quickly, eyes wide.
I step closer to her as I fix my jeans. “Next time, heed my warning.” I step back and hold out my hand to help her down. She quickly straightens her skirt and I open the door, motioning for her to go ahead of me.
We both sit at the table and throw our drinks back before I wave Misty over for another round.
El is surprisingly quiet beside me. “Don’t tell me you’re sulking,” I say with a grin.
She doesn’t say anything, but I see her lift herself up, move her arms briefly, then slip something into my pocket.
“What are you doing?” I ask, sitting back to see a bit of white lace sticking out of my pocket.
“You tease me, you’re going to have to watch me for the rest of the night knowing that I’m not wearing any panties—knowing that you could slide inside me at any given moment.” She picks up her fresh drink and throws it back with a grin.
Fuck me. Maybe I should’ve thought this through a little better. Not only do I have a raging hard-on right now, but I can still taste her on my tongue, and now, her soaked panties are in my pocket while she’s completely bare and waiting for me under that skirt of hers.
I grit my teeth together and pick up my glass, trying to figure out how I can win this tug-of-war we’re playing.
Chapter Eleven
Janelle
A part of me feels like we’ve gone too far. But another part, a part that’s deep inside me, wants to push further, to dive in head first and see what I come up with. He’s my boss, he’s much older than me, and he’s connected to my sister through the hotel—it’s wrong on every level. I shouldn’t want him. I shouldn’t have volunteered to go back to his house for lunch today. And I shouldn’t be here with him now. But I am, and a piece of me likes it.
I’m torn between stopping this now or moving forward. I feel like we’ve crossed a line that can’t be uncrossed. Even if I did stop things now, we’d never be how we were this morning. This morning, there was a spark between us that we both felt. But that’s all it was—a possibility. Now, that possibility is a sure thing. I know he wants me, and he knows I want him, even if a little voice is telling me not to go there.
We’re both sitting at this small table in the back of a noisy club, throwing back drink after drink. Neither of us is talking. It’s almost like he’s going through the same mental battle I am. Is he worried about what could happen if we go through with this? Is he worried that it won’t work out in the end? Maybe. But I’m sure he’s not thinking about how much this could screw up my future—not his—mine. I’m the one with everything to lose here.
“Do you always drink this much?” I ask, nodding toward what must be his fifth drink.
He’s been staring at his glass, but finally, he looks up at me with blue eyes filled with a fire I know is burning for me. “Not usually. I mean, I have a drink or two every so often, but I don’t ever sit and toss back drink after drink.”
“Why are you now?” I finish off what’s left in my glass and set it on the table, directing all my attention at him.
“Because of you,” he answers without a pause.
I feel my eyebrows pinch together in confusion.
“I want you, El, and I know you want me. But there’s this nagging feeling in my gut that’s telling me to keep my distance. I didn’t listen to it earlier and I feel like things will never be the same between us. But deep down, down past everything that makes me human, I don’t care. I don’t care about the consequences. I don’t care that this could cost me my job. I don’t care that it could ruin your future. I’m a greedy man, El. And I’m used to getting what I want. Everything else be damned.” He throws back what’s left of his drink and sets the glass on the table with a smack.
His eyes seem to darken as they lock on mine. He swallows, causing his Adam’s apple to bob in his throat, then he takes my hand and pulls me toward the door. The moment we step out into the cool night air, I feel like I’ve been rejuvenated—like I can finally breathe and think clearly, but even that doesn’t stop the endless trail of thoughts about him.
He leads me down the sidewalk to an awaiting limo.
I motion toward it. “What’s this?”
“I called my driver earlier. I knew I’d drink too much to drive.” He opens the door. “Get in,” he demands, and I listen, all too happy with the way that made me feel.
He slides into the back seat with me, and tells the driver my address before closing the divider.
I look at him with surprise.
“I think this is bigger than the both of us. We both have things on the line here, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly, El,” he says, staring straight ahead instead of at me.
“So you’re taking me home?”
He nods once, then turns to look at me. “If I don’t take you home, we’ll be so far past the line we crossed tonight that it won’t even be visible anymore.”
“You don’t want me?” I ask, turning my body so I can face him fully.
I see his eyes drop down to my legs and slowly move up. “I want you,” he says, picking up his hand and trailing his fingers slowly up my leg. “But we both need to think about what we’re doing before we get lost. Is it worth losing everything you’ve worked for?”
I can’t focus on anything but the way he’s touching me. It’s slow and teasing, but it also tickles in a delicious way—a way that makes me want more of him: his touches, his kisses, him.
My head is fuzzy from all the alcohol I’ve consumed tonight. My vision is slightly blurry, and everything feels too good. I don’t even think about what I’m doing as I slide onto his lap, putting me nose-to-nose with him. “I want you, Griffin,” I whisper, locking my eyes with his as I lean in for a kiss.
Our lips meet, and to my surprise, he doesn’t push me away. Instead, he pulls me closer as his tongue tangles with mine. His hands land firmly on my hips, pushing me down as he lifts his hips until I can feel his excitement. The feeling of his hardness right where I need it causes a soft moan to escape my mouth. And th
at seems to be the key to his undoing.
The next thing I know, I’m on my back on the narrow seat with him between my legs. Our kiss has turned hard and rough, and his hand slides up my skirt to find my wet sex. His fingers slide into me while his thumb applies pressure to my hard nub.
I give myself over completely to the way he’s manipulating my body. I can do nothing but kiss him and cling to him for dear life as my release builds inside of me. Suddenly, he breaks the kiss and removes his hand. I’m about to fight him, but I’m silenced when his mouth closes around my clit. It’s the final blow I need to push me over the edge.
My thighs tighten around his head and my nails dig into his arm as I pant and moan and cry his name.
The car stops and I hear the driver tapping on the divider, but Griffin doesn’t stop until my muscles ease and my moans quiet. He pulls away, leaving me breathless and shaking.
“At least now you’ll know what you have to choose between,” he whispers as his hand pulls me upward, into his kiss.
I can taste myself on him, and it only makes me want him more. I want to take him up to my room, or ask him to take me back to his place, but he breaks the kiss. “Good night, El,” he breathes out.
I swallow down the yearning and passion that’s drowning me, and nod. “Good night, Griffin,” I whisper, forcing myself to turn away and exit the car while I still have control over myself.
I spend all of Sunday a little hung over and thinking about what it is I want. While I’m not needing this internship to turn into a job, I also don’t want anyone to find out what it is we’re doing. I don’t want to be labeled as the girl who fucks her boss. When I excel in work or school, I want people to know that it was because of all of my hard work, not because I fucked someone to get where I wanted to be. But Griffin isn’t someone I can ignore anymore. Just a look from him can cause shivers to take over my body. His touch makes me melt. I’ve never had this all-consuming feeling about anyone before. And I’m not sure I can walk away from it, no matter what’s at stake.
Baby Mistake: An Accidental Pregnancy Romance Page 7
