Sleeping With The Enemy

by Parker, Ali

“I don’t need to lean on you or anyone else. I’m fine.”

  I sighed, understanding it was her way. “Okay.”

  “Anyway, what did you want? What is so important?”

  “I wanted to explain why I stayed behind,” I started.

  Her gaze narrowed. “I get it. It’s a big deal. You made your decision then?”

  “I did. I wanted to tell Gino in person after I heard what he had to say. I wanted to make sure there was no room for miscommunication. I told him no.”

  Her eyes rounded. “You did what?”

  “I told him I couldn’t give it up. It is far too important to me.”

  “Of course, it is. You are never going to give it up. I wouldn’t expect you to.”

  I was going about it all wrong. She was getting more pissed by the second. “Wait,” I said and held up a hand. “The last couple of days have given me a lot of time to think. I have had time to think about past mistakes and how I can avoid doing them all over again.”

  “By holding on to your museum?”

  “Yes, because it wasn’t ever going to be okay for someone else to have it. I’ve been a selfish prick for too long.”

  She scoffed. “Gee, really?”

  “I deserve that. When I left you all those years ago, I did it for myself. I was selfish. I didn’t think about the hurt I would cause you. I didn’t think about how you would feel. I told myself it was for the best but now I’m not so sure it was.”

  Her gaze softened. “I think it was right. I was too young. I was not ready for that relationship. It was fast and furious and all consuming. It almost scared me a little to be that invested in someone. When you walked away, I was devastated. That’s when I knew I was in too deep. I told myself to never give anyone that kind of power again. It took a long time, but I eventually realized it was for the best. I would have given up my whole life for you. I would have given up everything just to make you love me. That isn’t healthy.”

  Hearing her say the words hurt a little. It also made me feel worse for what had been done. “I really screwed it up. I felt the same way. I was crazy about you. I thought about you every minute of the day and it scared the hell out of me. I listened to my friends. I bought into their idea of what happiness was.”

  “Which was?” she asked.

  “Going out, partying, dating different women. For some really stupid reason, I let myself believe I was missing out by devoting myself to you. I know now how wrong that was. I was lucky to have you.”

  She shrugged. “It’s all over now. None of it matters. We are just not meant to be together. We get hot and heavy and it is just too much for any normal two people. We have passion but that is not enough to build a healthy relationship on.”

  “No!” I immediately protested. “It is enough. It’s everything.”

  “What are you saying? I will not be treated as an afterthought. I’m not going to be the runner-up to whatever else is going on in your life. I cannot take being thrown to the side when something shinier grabs your attention. I’m done with it, Tyson. Absolutely over it.”

  Panic welled inside me at the thought of losing her for good. “That’s what I am telling you. You are not the runner-up. You are the only thing I want in this world.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Me and your business. I won’t be second fiddle to money.”

  “And you never will be. Not with me. Not ever again.”

  I got up and walked to the small table against the wall and picked up the stack of paperwork. I carried it back and handed it to her.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “Read it.” I watched her expression as she flipped through the contract her lawyer had presented me with. She was slowly shaking her head. “What is this? What does this mean?”

  “I signed the papers. You officially own fifty-one percent of my company. Your company. Our company.”

  “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “I don’t know the exact dollar amount, but I know they offered you a lot of money. Why would you give it all up? Why would you give me half of what you have?”

  I grinned. “Not half, fifty-one percent. More than half. I did it because having forty-nine percent of my company is better than having zero percent of you. I would give you ninety percent if you asked. This is real. Nothing and no one will ever come above you. You are the single most important thing in my life, and I need you to know that. I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” she said as she looked at the papers.

  “Say you believe me. Say you will give me a chance to prove to you I am serious about making this work.”

  “I can’t accept this,” she said and handed me the papers.

  “Yes, you can. You are the one that presented the offer. You can’t back out now.”

  “I can too.”

  “Dammit, Mae, I love you. I love you more than anything else. I want to prove that to you. I don’t know any other way to do that. When you gave me that paperwork, you gave me an ultimatum. I’m showing you that it’s you that I want. I don’t give a shit about the money. I love you and I trust you with my life and my life’s work. I trust you with my heart.”

  Tears flashed in her eyes. “Dammit,” she muttered.

  Not the reaction I was hoping for after I poured out my heart. I felt a small fracture start in my heart. What had I done? I gave it all up and she didn’t want me. I turned away. I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t let her see the devastation I felt.

  “Tyson, I love you.”

  I turned back to look at her. “You do?”

  “Yes. I always have. You are like a bad rash. I can’t get rid of you, no matter how hard I try.”

  I grinned. “You can call me whatever you want. You love me?”

  “I do. I swear, if you do anything to hurt me like that again, I will make you sorry.”

  “I promise to never do anything that will hurt you. At least, I will try. You have my permission to make me pay dearly. You hold all the cards.”

  “I don’t want your company,” she said. “I want you.”

  “You have both. I willingly give you both.”

  She smiled and leaned toward me. I met her halfway, accepting the kiss that sealed our new beginning. Our second or third new beginning. I was losing count. The woman was a saint. She gave me chance after chance. I was done needing chances to redeem myself. I was going to fly right from that moment forward. I had no doubt there would be arguments and disagreements. That was okay because as long as we loved each other, we would get through.

  “I am going to take you up on that offer. I want it all.”

  I got to my feet and pulled her up as well. I wanted to show her she was my queen. I lifted her up, my arm going behind her knees as I carried her out of the living room. She put her arms around my neck and smiled up at me. “I love you,” I said again. “I’m going to tell you that a lot. I never want you to forget.”

  “I can walk.”

  I shook my head. “Nope. I’m going to carry you all the way to my bed.”

  She grinned. “You’ve been working out.”

  “For you.”

  Chapter 67

  Mae

  He pushed open his bedroom door before using his foot to close it behind him. It seemed a little silly that he would want the door closed after what we had done in his kitchen. I wasn’t going to complain though. It was more intimate and made it more private, like we were the only two in the room.

  “Stay there,” he ordered as he deposited me on the bed. “Don’t move.”

  I nervously laughed. “Where would I go?”

  “I don’t know, but don’t.”

  He rushed to the huge windows and pushed a button. Blinds automatically closed, plunging the room into darkness. In the muted light, I watched him move, lighting a few candles and casting the room in a warm glow. He picked up a remote and pushed a button, and the room immediately filled with some sultry jazz music.

  “
Wow,” I said, feeling the heat in the room rise. “You were prepared.”

  “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. It’s just never worked out that way. I get near you and I can’t control my need. I’m always worried it’s going to be our last time. Now, I can take my time. I plan on enjoying every glorious inch of your body, bite by bite.”

  I was enveloped in a wave of heat that was followed by goosebumps spreading over my skin. “You always know just what to say.”

  He grinned as he reached for the buttons on my blouse. “I only wish I could be as smooth when I talked to other people. With you, I feel comfortable, natural. I can say whatever I want, and it just comes out so easy.”

  “You can say anything,” I whispered and touched his cheek.

  He removed my blouse and dropped it to the floor before undoing the button on my slacks and slowly sliding the zipper down. He truly was taking his time. “You don’t have to be anywhere, do you?” he asked.

  I smiled. “No. Hayden is at school until three.”

  He looked over my shoulder and stared at the clock. “Hours. We have hours.”

  I stepped out of my pants and waited for his next move. “Your turn.”

  He undressed much quicker than he had undressed me. My hands immediately went to his chest. I pressed my palms against the hot skin, feeling the muscles ripple beneath. His mouth dropped to my neck, nuzzling my ear before beginning a slow glide over my collarbone.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered. “And mine. You are mine.”

  The possessive tone had me shivering once again. I had never been one for the alpha-male thing, but I liked it. I liked it when he called me his.

  “I’m yours,” I answered as I tilted my head to make room for his roving mouth. “I’ve always been yours.”

  The words were like adding fuel to a fire. His kisses intensified. He sucked my flesh between his teeth. The tugging triggered a response between my legs that caught me off guard. I nearly exploded with just his mouth on my neck.

  “I need you,” he rasped. “I want to go slow, but my god, I need you.”

  “Me too,” I said, feeling very frantic. “Please. Me too.”

  In a flurry of movement, we stripped down completely nude. I wrapped my arms around him, hugging his naked body against mine. His arms held me close, his chin resting on top of my head. I liked being close to him with nothing between us. No barriers, invisible or otherwise. It was me and him and nothing else. A sense of calm washed over me. It was a moment of serenity and pure bliss.

  The moment passed and passion edged its way in. There was a slow burn deep inside my belly. He moved, brushing his hard chest over my nipples as he reached down to grab my ass. He squeezed hard, jerking my pelvis against his thick hardness. His mouth closed over mine in a wet, passionate kiss. I gasped, sucking his tongue into my mouth. My hands dropped to his ass and held on as I ground my hips against him. His cock rubbed against my sensitive flesh, sending shockwaves rolling through my body.

  “So good,” I murmured. “I want more. I need more.”

  “Shh, wait for it,” he whispered against my ear.

  I whimpered. “I’m so close.”

  He reached between my legs, cupping his hand over my core. My head dropped back. I moaned as he held me close before sliding one finger over my folds. With a little pressure, his finger slid through the folds and pushed inside me.

  I cried out, my hips bucking forward as my body erupted into fireworks. His arm was around my waist, holding me up against him as his finger slid in and out of me. I felt as if I would collapse into a heap on the floor.

  “God damn, you are so fucking hot,” he hissed. “I could fuck you all day long. I love to feel your wetness. I love to feel how your body reacts to mine. I want to make you orgasm over and over. I want to leave you sated and unable to move.”

  A strained laugh escaped my throat. “I’m not sure I would survive.”

  “You would absolutely survive. I would make damn sure of it.”

  The atmosphere changed in a flash from the light and airy to very serious and hot. He slowly backed me up toward the bed before releasing me. I slid onto the blanket and laid back against the pillows piled high across the head of his bed. He crawled onto the bed, his knees sinking into the mattress. He rose over me, his mouth covering mine in a kiss so hot and passionate I worried I would burst into flames.

  My hands stroked up and down his back, encouraging him to keep going. I opened my mouth wider before opening my legs and inviting him inside me. We were well practiced in the art of making love. His body glided inside mine. He settled inside me. Both of us released a long, contented sigh. He looked into my eyes, reaching up to brush back hair from my brow.

  “I will never get tired of this view,” he said.

  I smiled up at him. “Ditto.”

  “I want to be like this with you always. I always want to be inside you. I love to feel your body tightening around me. The little spasms that pull at me.”

  “I think it could be a little difficult for us to get anything done with you buried inside me.”

  He kissed me again. “I don’t care. I want you. I want you all the time.”

  “Me too,” I answered. My eyes slid closed as my body reacted to his words and the feeling of being filled by him.

  He began to move in slow, powerful thrusts. Once and then again. Shockwaves ripped through me. He must have felt them. He thrust and rode out the wave before thrusting again. I heard my own soft whimpers as he continued to move. He kept up the steady tempo, dragging out every inch before slowly pushing back inside.

  I was enraptured. I could think of nothing else except what it was to have him between my legs. His kiss intensified before he moved to my earlobe and sucked it between his teeth. It was a slow spiral of ecstasy that engulfed me. When the moment hit me, it swallowed me up. I heard nothing else, felt nothing else except him.

  “Oh god,” he groaned.

  His chest collapsed against mine as he rocked again and again, pushing through the orgasm that had us both in a tight grip. I dug my nails into his back, pulling his heavy weight against me. My body sank into the mattress with his body over mine. I felt a tear slide down my cheek. It was a tear of joy and happiness. I was so happy to be in his arms. I never wanted to be anywhere else.

  He shifted his weight a few inches with his hip resting against the mattress and one leg still over me. I stroked my hand up and down his arm. He kissed away the single tear before simply holding me. We didn’t need words just then. We just needed each other.

  “What comes next?” I asked him.

  “I’m not sure. I would like to say we just go with the flow.”

  “I guess that’s really all we can do.”

  “How is Hayden doing?” he asked.

  I smiled. “She’s doing very well. She’s a strong girl. She has to be. She is going to come through this just fine.”

  “It sucks that she has to go through it at all.”

  “Yes, it does. If there was a way to make it all go away, I would.”

  He cleared his throat. “What about Patrick? How is he handling it all?”

  I blew out a breath. “Honestly, he seems completely unaffected, which is a little worrisome.”

  “I’m sure he is trying to be strong for you two.”

  I smiled, kissing his cheek. “He is. He took care of all the arrangements. We decided Hayden didn’t need to be a part of that. We want to preserve her innocence. She has seen too much already.”

  “I’m so glad you got to her when you did.”

  “Me too. I don’t want to think about what could have happened. I don’t want to think about her in that house with that kind of mess. I find myself comparing myself to her at that age. I realize my innocence was stolen early on.”

  He kissed me. “Sorry about that.”

  I giggled, slapping at his shoulder. “Not that innocence.”

  “I know. I get it. I’m sorry you had to live through
that, but in a way, it’s a good thing you did.”

  “How is it a good thing?”

  “Because you have the experience to pass along to Hayden. You can guide her through this. You can empathize.”

  He was right. I was relying on my own experiences and the way I felt to try and do my best for her. “I hope you and Patrick can work things out,” I told him.

  “Me too. He’s pretty pissed at me.”

  “He’s not exactly thrilled with me either.”

  “I’ll do my best to make him understand that this is real for me. I want him to understand I won’t do anything to hurt you. I’m not the dickhead kid I was back then. I’m going to do right by you.”

  I knew he was speaking the truth. “I will do my best to do right by you as well. I want to do this the right way. I don’t want to hide it. I don’t want to sneak around.”

  “I agree. We’ll do this together. We have a lot to look forward to. Right now, I think I would like to take advantage of the couple of hours I have left with you.”

  I grinned and touched his face. “I was wondering if you were going to be a one-hit wonder.”

  “Not a chance, woman. Not a chance.”

  His mouth slammed against mine. The easy conversation turned into an explosion of passion.

  I was so in love with him. There was no coming back from this kind of love. It was the kind of thing that only happened once in a lifetime. I wasn’t going to squander it.

  Chapter 68

  Tyson

  I jogged downstairs, checking the time on my watch. We were running late. I never realized how much extra time it took to get two women out the door on time. Well, one woman and one young lady. I walked into the kitchen to see if they were in there. They weren’t. I walked down the hall, popped my head into the living room, and discovered it was empty as well.

  “Mae!” I hollered. “Hayden!”

  “I’m in my room!” Hayden called back.

  I rolled my eyes. “We need to go!”

  Mae came out of the office we both shared. “We’re fine.”