She was so screwed. Or was she?
Independence didn’t have to mean being alone forever, did it? Couldn’t she find a way to be at work with Bran and then be at home with Bran afterward?
Of course you can.
She wasn’t about to miss out on being with the man she was already half in love with. She was going to carpe diem. He’d teased her about being too practical and arguably, he was right. Every fun thing she’d experienced this long weekend had been a result of her following her heart, not heeding the warnings offered up by her brain.
“Wait’ll you have their lava cake,” she told Bran as he pulled into the P&P parking lot. “You may have had lava cake before, but trust me, you haven’t had Pestle & Pepper’s lava cake.”
“I trust you.” He shut off the engine and climbed from the car. “With a lot of things bigger than lava cake.”
She took his hand and they walked toward the entrance. Though she tried to stop it, her next thought was like with your heart?
* * *
She wasn’t kidding about the lava cake.
It was damn good. The satisfying moment where the chocolate ganache oozed onto the plate was almost as good as watching Addi lick her spoon.
He’d had a hard time not thinking about her tongue elsewhere during the car ride back to his house.
“So this is my place,” he told her from his front door. Before she could leave the foyer, he shut the door behind him and pressed her against it. “And this is you in my place.”
She laughed, but he covered her mouth with his, tasting the chocolate on her tongue.
“But your luggage,” she said as he kissed a trail down her neck.
“I don’t need any clothes right now.” He reached for the hem of her short dress and lifted it over her beautiful hips. “And neither do you.”
He wasn’t over how well this weekend had gone—and hell, it was Monday and they were still going.
He’d spent most of the car ride home thinking about Addi and work. He loathed the idea of boxing them in with more rules, or guidelines as she liked to call them, but Tuesday would come regardless. And he could admit they needed at least a loose plan.
He was as confident in her professionalism as he was in his own. No matter what the future held for him—or how far into the future they ventured—he was certain they could survive.
She unbuttoned his jeans and stuffed her hand inside, humming her approval. “Can I say again how much I like that you are not a fan of underwear?”
“I’m a big fan of underwear,” he argued, his thumbs hooking the sides of her cute, lacy pink pair. “On you.” Then he thought of what he’d said and quickly amended, “No, you’re right. I don’t like you wearing them, either.”
He worked those panties down her legs and she lifted one foot, then the other to step out of them. While he had her here, he decided to have a taste of her, too.
Ten minutes later, one knee over his shoulder, Addi cried out, her shout echoing off the walls of his house. He liked her voice echoing off the walls of his house.
“I’m really glad we agreed not to stop,” he told her as he kissed his way up her body. He tucked his tongue into the cups of her bra to tease each nipple while she gripped his hair.
“Where is your bedroom? Knees are weak,” she mumbled.
He lifted her into his arms and started for the stairs. “I’ll give you the full tour later.”
“Much later.”
“Much later,” he agreed.
She held onto his neck, her blue eyes at half-mast, her smile his reward. A warning bell sounded in the depths of his mind but he ignored it. He was no longer the guy who was going to talk himself into a proposal or go running after a goal that had nothing to do with what he really wanted. He was smarter now, and he refused to plague himself with future plans and arrangements.
Addi was here with him now, and now was what mattered. Now was all that existed.
And right now, he was going to blow her mind in the bedroom and follow that with a long, lazy Monday off.
Seventeen
“Are you...whistling?” His sister, Gia, hovered in his office doorway, one eyebrow so high on her head she resembled a cartoon character.
“Can’t I have a good day?”
Or a good week? A good couple of weeks?
He and Addison had fallen into a great rhythm since they’d returned to the office. They worked together, flirted with each other, and yesterday she’d come into his office and shared her Pestle & Pepper takeout.
She’d spent a few nights at his house when the evening went too late. No arguments from him. He liked her in his bed. Even if she was grouchy in the morning before coffee.
“You can have a good day—” Gia dropped a file folder on his desk “—but when you smile like the Joker, it makes me suspicious.”
Addi sailed by the doorway but evidently didn’t notice Gia until she blurted, “Hey, handsome... Oh, uh, I meant to say Bran. Wow. So unprofessional. Hi, Gia. I didn’t know you were here.”
Nice recovery, Ad. No way was Gia going to let that go.
“Hi, Addi. How are you?” Gia folded her arms, her smirk evident.
“Fantastic.” Addison straightened her shoulders and pasted on a smile that was a little Joker-y as well. “I was coming in to update Bran on his schedule.”
“Do you mean ‘handsome’ here?” Gia jutted a thumb at her brother.
“Leave her alone.” He stood and crossed the room, both females’ eyes on him. He kissed Addi’s forehead and faced his sister. “You caught us. We’ve been...dating. Try not to run and tell everyone within earshot so that we can have some peace, will you?”
“Well, well. Will office romances never die?” His sister’s eyelids narrowed.
“You’re one to talk.”
“Jayson and I don’t count.”
“Uh-huh.” He leaned forward to murmur into Addi’s ear. “We’ll talk later.”
“Yes, um, sir. Bran. Thanks.” Addi left the office, shutting the door behind her.
“You should be nicer,” he told his sister.
“How in love with you is that girl?” Gia shook her head.
“She’s not in love with me.” He scoffed. “Who needs love?”
“Everyone on the planet?”
Ignoring that, he opted for a cavalier response. “Don’t worry about me, sis. I get plenty of lovin’.”
Gia groaned.
“Addi and I have compatibility. Companionship. We like spending time together.”
Gia chuckled. “So you feel the same about her as you did Rusty.”
“Best dog over.” He gripped his chest. “I can’t talk about him. It’s too soon.”
“You were eleven.”
“Don’t put a bunch of labels on Addi and me. It’s not healthy. As far as you’re concerned, we’re just—”
“Dating?”
“Yeah.”
What was wrong with that? No way was Addi in love with him. She wasn’t clingy. Even the nights she stayed, she mentioned how she should be going home. He’d told her she was welcome to do whatever she liked, but if she chose to stay, that was fine with him. He’d grown accustomed to her rental car sitting in his driveway.
“It’s working fine the way it is,” he said. “We both know the deal. She’s cool, by the way. You’d like her if you came out of your dwelling every so often to see what we do up here.”
“I know what you do up here. My dwelling is only one floor down from this one, and tech is the command center of this entire operation.” She spread her arms. “I see all.”
“Now who sounds like a cartoon villain?” He didn’t want to break Gia’s heart and remind her that she couldn’t have seen much if she’d only just now noticed he and Addi were seeing each other. They’d been discreet, but Gia was suppo
sed to be the genius of the family. Though she was the first person to notice, so that counted for something.
“Mom’s having a big cookout for the Fourth of July at the summer home.”
“Already? I thought she was redoing the kitchen.”
“She is, but she wants to ‘encourage progress.’” Gia used air quotes around the words he’d heard his mother say multiple times. “She figures with a tighter deadline, the contractors will hustle harder.”
Their parents’ summer home was a huge estate in wine country perched on top of a hill overlooking a vineyard. It had been in the family since ThomKnox became a household name. It was also where Gia and Jayson spent their honeymoon. Which was, Bran guessed, the reason for her deep frown.
“Been a while since we’ve been up there,” he said.
“Yeah.” She sighed. “Jayson’s invited.”
“You’re the one who made him family.” Once a Knox, always a Knox. She’d been adamant about Jayson not being treated differently after the divorce.
“I know that.” Her eyebrows crashed over her cute nose. “I just... How will I bring a date if he’s everywhere I am?”
“Do you have a date?” His sister had been as single as a slice of Kraft cheese for as long as he could remember.
“I don’t, but what if I did?”
“You would show up with your date. And then Jayson and Royce and I would talk behind your back about what a dope he was.”
“Shut up!” That brought forth her smile. “I am perfectly capable of meeting a nice guy.”
“I know you are.” He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. She was syrupy sweet underneath her Naugahyde exterior.
“Are you going to bring your adorable blond date?”
He slipped his arm from his sister’s shoulders, dread settling on his back. Being at work and taking a little ribbing from Gia was one thing. At an event where they’d be clearly coupled off invited a lot of opinions and expectations. He didn’t want to be under a microscope—not again. “I don’t know...”
“You can’t hide her forever.” She pretended to zip her lips. “I won’t say anything to Royce or Taylor—or Mom and Dad—but if you’re really dating Addi, you can’t exclude her from basic family gatherings.”
She blew him a kiss and left his office, leaving him with a live grenade.
Addison at his family’s cookout crossed a lot of boundaries he hadn’t known were there. It opened them both up to everyone’s assumptions. He wasn’t eager to subject either of them to that. What they were doing was working. He saw no reason to complicate it.
This was, however, a great opportunity to tease her.
He popped open the door and affected his sternest expression. “Ms. Abrams. Come in here for a moment.”
Addi smoothed her pink dress as she stood and walked to his office. With her blond hair swept up at the back of her neck, she looked like a dessert. One he wanted to taste. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned on the edge of his desk.
Worry crimped her forehead and he almost felt bad. He’d make it up to her soon enough. “Close the door.”
She did as he asked, her hand resting on the doorknob like she was ready to make a swift escape. “I know what you’re going to say. I’m so sorry. I had no idea your sister was in here. Obviously. I should have looked. That’s no excuse. We’re at work and I know better than—”
He crooked a finger, beckoning her forward. When she was within reach, he put both hands on her hips and pulled her to stand between his legs. “Kiss me like you mean it.”
“Wha—”
Closer now, his lips brushed hers. He repeated, “Kiss me. Like you mean it.”
She placed her soft lips on his and the brief worry he’d had about boundaries and who knew and who didn’t dissipated. Addi went pliant beneath him, draping her arms around his neck while her tongue danced with his.
She lowered to her heels, her eyes opening slowly. “So, you’re not upset?”
“Have you met me? When am I upset?”
Why should he care what anyone said about who he was with? He was an adult. No one could tell him not to date Addison Abrams except for Addison Abrams.
He kissed her again and she pressed against him, breasts to thighs. This time when the kiss ended, he didn’t loosen his hold on her.
“You really shouldn’t encourage me.” He was fighting a full-on erection at work. He was going to have to hide behind his desk until it went away, which at this rate might be tomorrow.
“And you shouldn’t go to your next meeting wearing Think Pink lip gloss.” She swiped his lips with her thumb.
“You are such a tigress. Had I known...”
“You’d have called me in here sooner?” She gave him a grin.
She wasn’t wrong. If he’d known how much fun they could have together, he’d have called her in here a hell of a lot sooner.
An entire year sooner.
* * *
“It’s been too long,” Addi told her friend Carey as she sat down across from her at Pestle & Pepper. Typically, she met her best friend once a month for a girls’ night, but this month had flown by. Must have been because Addi was so damned happy.
“It has! The last text I had from you was that your car blew up on the highway on your way to Lake Tahoe.” Carey flipped her sleek, black hair over her shoulder, showing off envious cheekbones. They’d worked together a few jobs ago and had kept in touch. She was now an ad executive in Palo Alto.
They chatted about Carey’s latest overseas trip, but Addi hadn’t filled her in on any of the bigger changes in her life.
Carey glanced over her menu. “Is the car in the car graveyard yet?”
“Ugh. Yes. I have a rental while I shop.” Despite Bran insisting she use a company car, she couldn’t allow herself to do it. See? She was plenty independent! “It takes time to find a good used car. And I’ve been...busy.”
“Aw, hon.” Carey looked up from her menu. “Has work been hard?”
Addi swallowed her laughter. Their server dropped off their appetizer—fried avocado slices with jalapeño ranch dip.
“These are evil.”
“Calories don’t count on girls’ night,” Addi reminded her friend. They both dipped a wedge into the ranch before sipping their chardonnays. “Work’s been great. I’ve been busy...elsewhere.” She let the comment hang.
Her friend accurately gleaned there was more to that statement. “Oh?”
“I haven’t had a chance to tell you... Well, I have but I didn’t want to jinx it.” Addi couldn’t hide her smile. When she’d busted in to find Bran’s sister in his office, she was sure he wasn’t happy with her. Instead, he’d pulled her against his amazing body and commanded she kiss him. Uh, no problem there. Since then she’d on Cloud 999.
She’d been treading lightly since they’d been sleeping together, making sure not to crowd him. Making sure she didn’t presume too much too soon. Bran showed no signs of slowing down. And before she left work today, he’d asked her if she had plans for the Fourth of July. Granted, not the most momentous of holidays, but it was a holiday. She’d told him she was free and he hadn’t said more, only sent her a sly smile.
“There’s this guy...” she started.
Carey’s sharp, high-pitched cheer turned the heads of the patrons at three neighboring tables. “Oh my God, tell me everything! Is he hot, rich, great in bed?”
“Yes to all of the above. He’s also my boss...”
But he was so much more than that. They’d spent many nights in bed talking after having amazing sex. They’d spent as many days ironing out work issues—working together as seamlessly as they always had.
She shared the highlights of her recent trip to Tahoe. From Bran driving her to staying next door to her hotel room to extending their trip one more night and then extendin
g their affair.
“Is affair the right word?” Addi wrinkled her nose. “Sounds so scandalous.”
“Agree. Let’s call it a hot billionaire hookup,” Carey said it so matter-of-factly that Addi burst out laughing.
It felt good to laugh. It felt good to be with Bran. Part of her worried she was in way over her head—with her heart dragging her further and further out—but for some reason that felt good, too.
As loathe as she was to admit it, she was enjoying living in the now.
Eighteen
Bran’s calendar alert chimed on his phone and he tapped the screen without looking. Today had been hectic as hell, and the very last thing he wanted to do was walk to the other side of their floor and into a conference room to meet with Bernie Belfry, an old golfing buddy of his dad’s who also happened to be a premium investor in ThomKnox.
Thank God Addi had arranged the necessary paperwork. He grabbed the bundle, neatly stapled in one corner, from the inbox on her desk.
His mood lightened some as his thoughts turned to Addi. It was hard to be upset about anything when they had a date tonight at her place. Sex made for a great release valve after work, which he’d always known. But sex with her was also completely hassle-free. That was a nice perk.
He passed Royce’s office, intending to flip him off for sticking Bran with Bernie, but his brother didn’t look up from his computer screen.
In the corridor, Bran came to the last conference room on the right and stopped, considering. They rarely used this one unless the others were full.
He was surprised to find the door shut, and even more surprised to find it locked. Before he could wonder what Bernie was doing in there, the lock disengaged and the handle turned easily under his grip.
“Catching a nap before the meeting?” Bran asked as he stepped in. He opened his mouth to continue the how’s-the-weather and how’s-the-wife small talk, but when he laid eyes on the person in the room, every thought shot out of his head.
Addi eased onto the conference table, her legs crossed. He took her in by snatches, his eyes moving too fast to focus. There were simply too many good parts to look at all at once.
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