by Lauren Dane
She put her head in her hands a moment, striving for calm. 'As you put it so succinctly, it is important to me to be professional. And I wasn't.' Taking a risk, she looked up to find him narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously. 'Look, this thing between us has gone too far. I've broken rules and it's gotten me in a bad place. Something like this erodes respect for me, even from you.' She didn't want to eat, what she'd already eaten lay in her gut like lead. Her words fell from her mouth and even she didn't believe most of what she'd said.
He leaned forwards quickly and took her hands. 'Fuck that. I know what you're doing, Kate, and I'm not playing. We can keep our hands off each other while at work, I agree. I'm sorry. I really am. You know I never meant for you to suffer any negative consequences from our involvement. The thing in the garage was risky. Hot, but risky. I get that. We'll be careful from this point on. But this bit about me not respecting you? What the hell is that all about?'
'You dismissed me downstairs in front of the Allied people. You dismissed me with your bitch-faced skanky assistant. You can't fuck me and dismiss me. People don't dismiss me, Charles.'
Admittedly, it filled her with glee to watch him flinch when she called him Charles. Petty though it was.
'Well, well, well. There she is. The real woman beneath the polish.'
'Don't you fucking condescend to me. I'm a real woman all the time. Just because I don't shove my tits in my boss's face while at work doesn't mean I'm not a woman.'
'You're right. Of course you are. But you know what I meant, darling.' He slowly raised a brow at her.
Before he could dig himself in any deeper, room service knocked, announcing the arrival of his food.
24
God help him, Dix had never wanted to shove his cock into a woman as badly as he did right then. Katherine Edwards was magnificent in her fury and, when she got all remote and nasty, it only made her hotter. He probably needed therapy to uncover the roots of that particular attraction, but he preferred to revel in it.
Not that he'd ever compare her to his ex out loud or anything Ðhe preferred his balls intact Ðbut Eve had been so passive, so needy and without passion. Dix knew without a doubt why Katherine Edwards had interested him from day one. She was fiery, intelligent, independent and the total opposite of passive. She challenged him in a way he'd never been challenged by a woman before.
He settled in next to her instead of across from her like he'd been before. She was putting up a less than enthusiastic battle to push him away and he had no intention of letting her.
'So, revisiting the dismissal thing. When did I dismiss you exactly?'
'First in the garage with psycho blonde. I blew it off then as you needing to deal with how insane she was at the time. And then you did it again with the higher-ups. Oh, thank you for your valuable input.' She imitated his accent perfectly, right down to the mix of Boston and Central Pennsylvania.
He exhaled. Put that way, he had. 'I can see how you took it that way. It certainly sounds that way. But, Kate, I've told you before, I respect you. I was mediating, trying to keep things even because in the garage I knew you were upset and, frankly, I hadn't seen the crazy side to Carlina before and I was concerned at how quickly the situation was deteriorating. And with Roger and his idiot posse, it was about keeping things moving. Like we'd accepted the proposals you'd made and were moving on. If not, Bob wanders around and gets off task. I apologise if I made you feel dismissed.'
He turned to her and drew a fingertip down the line of her jaw.
'You're so full of shit. It's bad for me. I need a nice, uncomplicated man I can manage.' Her voice was quiet.
'Now who's full of shit? The last thing you need is a man you can manage, Kate. You need a man who's your equal.
You'd be bored in ten minutes with a man you could push around. That's why you had no one regular until I came along and don't try to deny it. I'm going to stop playing anything other than sex games with you. Speaking the truth, Katherine, my love? I want you. You want me. You may wish you wanted some pushover, but you don't. You like it that I push back. I'm not going away. We're not over. In fact, I'm telling you right now, we're on. We're together and that's that.'
Her eyes widened even as he marvelled at the softness of her skin.
'You're insufferable.' But she didn't pull away from his touch. Her pulse beat steady against his thumb as he stroked over it.
'I'm good in bed, it helps you over look my flaws.'
Ah, the corner of her mouth twitched. He loved that she didn't flip out and thrive on drama. She took responsibility for their little thing in the garage, didn't accuse him of being her seducer. She didn't cry or throw a tantrum either.
'Christ, I'm so fucking hot for you it's not funny.' He cupped her chin and brushed his lips across hers.
'Why?' she asked, frustration clear in her voice.
He moved to his knees in front of her. 'Because, Katherine, you're everything I never knew I'd want in a woman but find myself unable to live without.'
She blinked quickly, clearly befuddled by his declaration. For some reason, he found it endearing.
'We have to get back downstairs.' She slid the pad of her thumb over his bottom lip.
'There's still much left to be said. Namely we need to speak in detail about what's between us. About our relationship.' He smiled when she snorted softly. 'Tonight after the session is over. Right now I need to get to the office to be sure Carlina hasn't absconded with anything else. Don't run on me, Kate.'
'I'm not running. I'm just not convinced we have room for anything more than fun in bed every once in a while in our lives.'
He waved a hand dismissively. 'We are going to eat, I'm going to fill you in on the Carlina situation and then I'm heading out to the office. You want to come with me? Get a tour?'
'I need to check on Leah and then I have a session to run downstairs for the various department heads. I thought you had to be there as well.'
'You can give me a private session later. I'm sure the people downstairs will understand why I need to go put out this fire.' Sitting back on the couch next to her, he tore into his lunch and watched as she ate, making notes to herself.
'You have to be sure Leah doesn't take the fall for this bullshit with psycho girl. Got me? This is so not her fault it's not even funny and, if I hear she's being sacrificed because those bloated assholes at the top can't be caught out, I'll make everyone's life a living hell. With fire and brimstone and stuff. It won't be pretty.'
The prim way she'd levelled such a threat amused him.
Still, he had no doubt she'd follow through if necessary. 'You and Leah go way back?'
'Since middle school. But it's more than that. Look, if she were culpable I'd be less concerned but she's not.'
'You want to give me background?'
She made a sour face. 'On what? Leah is the HR person. She's limited to whatever your internal processes are. Since you and I both have been arguing with corporate for months now to put one in place I don't think it's smart to make her liable for something she couldn't have prevented. Even with the processes in place it couldn't have stopped what happened today. Your assistant has wet panties for you and she's sort of nuts too. More than that, it's pretty clear she had an escape plan to run with the docs. A non-compete stops her from using the info but, hell, you can't stop access to all employees because she's crazy.'
'I get that and I agree. I've never done anything to lead Carlina on, Kate. I need you to know that. What's between you and me, that's different.'
She cocked her head at him. 'I don't think you're a predatory slime ball, Charles.'
'Stop it with the Charles.' He nearly growled.
She laughed and he realised she enjoyed needling him as much as he loved to do the same to her.
'I could call you Dick.'
'That's Richard. So clearly something is up with Leah to make you concerned. You want to share it with me?'
'No. There's nothing up with Leah. She's a friend
and I'm protective of her, especially when I can see she feels bad for something that's not her fault. Just don't make me get medieval on your ass so to speak.'
'Fine, fine. Since we're together and all, why don't you tell me more about yourself?' He said it to needle her for his amusement but there was no denying he wanted to know more about her.
'Together as in the same room?'
'If you like. But we both know exactly what I meant.'
'We don't have time for this right now. I have to get moving soon and, if you go poking around, God knows what you might find.'
'Like what? Come on, Kate, shock me.'
'I don't want to play twenty personal questions with you. I already know you've got a line of broken-hearted secretaries in your wake.'
Dix snorted a laugh. 'Is that the best you've got? Oh I know! Do you want children?' He raised his eyebrows at her, proud of himself.
'In general or right now? And what about you? Do you want more kids? I mean you're still young. I imagine you'll find yourself another wife sometime. She'll be young and her skin will be firm and her breasts will be high and perky. Shame to mar them with breastfeeding.'
Kate needed to stop herself. This was heading into a place too raw for the both of them.
'I know your game, you know. You get nasty when you're backed into a corner. But what you don't know is how fucking hot I find it when you get nasty.'
'You find everything hot.' She crossed her arms across her chest.
'No I don't. But where you're concerned, probably ninety eight per cent, yes. So, do you want to have children? My two are very good kids, I'm fortunate. Eve has done most of it. I've worked a lot.'
She didn't want to be charmed by the way he'd just lit up when he discussed his daughters but she was.
'In the future I imagine I will want children, yes.'
She did but she knew herself well enough by this point to know she wasn't ready just yet. Apart from the basic you'll-neverbe-ready stuff, she was old school about it. Anyway, she didn't even have a husband so kids were a ways off.
'In the future I can imagine marrying again and having more kids. I wouldn't want my girls to feel like I've moved on, I see a lot of that at work with the older kids from the first marriage feeling abandoned.' He looked her up and down slowly, his gaze like a physical thing.
She stood, annoyed with him but unfairly so. She didn't want to be that oversensitive woman who barked at her boyfriend over every little thing. Boyfriend? Lover. Yes, he was her lover. Women her age didn't have boyfriends and, if they did, she was pretty sure what they were didn't classify him as a boyfriend. Right?
'Why are you angry?' He moved to stand before her, leaning in to kiss her.
'I'm not angry. I don't want to talk about it now. I have to get downstairs.'
'I have meetings of my own in addition to the sessions here. Why don't you come to my house for dinner tonight? Seven? It's far enough away no one will notice. Take a cab over. I'll bring you back here or you can take a cab back, whatever you like. I won't expect you to stay over tonight.
We need to talk and it's hard here.'
She wavered. Really she knew she'd already taken that step and admitted they were, well, something to each other.
Just what remained to be seen. And what they could do and be to each other while she still maintained her professional distance. And stuff. Maybe.
'All right. I'll either borrow Leah's car or cab over.'
He grinned in a way that told her he'd never doubted she'd accept.
25
As Leah looked at Brandon, something broke open inside her.
She did want him. On his knees, on top of her, behind her, beneath her. Inside her. Leah's breath rasped as Brandon's mouth lingered on her fingertips. She was no longer clenching her fists.
He was bigger and stronger, and his hands locked on her wrists would have been difficult to break from had he intended to keep her prisoner. He let her break his grasp though, without flinching, though he couldn't have known if she meant to hit him again. She slid her hands up his broad, muscled chest and into the hair at the back of his neck.
He bent easily enough when she pulled him down, his hands going around her. Cradling, not caging. Leah brought Brandon's mouth to hers. She wanted to feel his mouth on her mouth. She wanted to taste him.
He stepped her back against the wall. The rough swirls of plaster poked her shoulder blades through her shirt, but Leah didn't care. Those big hands slid down to cup her ass. Then the left slid further, along the back of her thigh, to hook under her knee and raise her leg. Her skirt caught and Brandon used his other hand to push it higher.
His tongue stroked hers gently, but firmly. He was as skilled kissing her mouth as he'd been making her come with that tongue. He slanted his head to kiss her from a different angle, and the shift urged a small moan from her. He stopped at the sound and pulled back a little to look into her eyes.
'Take off my panties,' Leah whispered in a hoarse voice.
Without looking away from her, Brandon shifted his hands to slide beneath her skirt. His fingers hooked into the sides of the lace, but instead of pulling them down slowly, or even fast the way he'd done before, he yanked the flimsy material. Her entire body moved as the fabric held, then tore with a loud purr, drowned out by Leah's gasp.
The cool air on her hot skin urged out another breath from her. He was still staring down into her eyes, his expression dead serious. Lace fluttered against her legs as her panties fell to the floor in scraps she didn't look at. Now his bare palms skated up her bare thighs and around to her bare ass. At the feeling of his trousers against her bare cunt, Leah bit her lower lip.
'Touch me.'
His hand slid between them and she arched into the touch. Her hair snagged on the same rough plaster swirls and Leah reached up to yank it out of the twist she'd secured with hairpins. It tumbled down over her shoulders and face.
With her hair down, she always felt more sensual. The way the strands tickled her cheeks or the back of her neck or, if she was naked, her bare back, enhanced her desire. Pulling her hair down was a trigger for her, one she shamelessly used now though the way he was touching her meant she didn't need to trick her body into arousal.
His thumb unerringly found her clitoris and circled a moment before sliding lower. She was already slick, knew it without having to touch herself. Knew it by the way his eyes went a little wider when he touched her there, and how his mouth parted. Leah pushed herself against his hand, firm and urgent.
'Put your fingers inside me,' she told him. He did. 'Tell me how that feels.'
'Hot. Wet.'
She watched his throat work as he swallowed.
'Imagine it's your cock inside me.'
He groaned.
'Would you like that?' The question had only one right answer.
'Yes.' He leaned forwards but she turned her face so his mouth didn't reach hers, and he got it right away. He stopped his lips from touching her skin, just barely.
Power, sweet and heady, thrilled through her. He was picking up on all her cues. He could choose not to answer her. He could choose to walk away. He could even choose to ignore the unspoken rules she was laying out, but he wasn't, and knowing that whatever was happening between them was his choice, not something she was forcing on him, was so incredibly hot she was ready to come right then.
He shuddered against her. His hands moved under her ass and he lifted her, not so fast she couldn't react but without hesitation. He kissed her, hard, as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
'Bed,' she ordered between scorching kisses and tapped his shoulder to point him in the right direction.
She thought for sure he'd stumble or have to put her down before they got across the suite's living area and into the bedroom, but he was strong. His arms corded with effort and she had to do her share of clinging to him, but they made it. They had to stop kissing when he lowered her to the bed though.
'Sorry,' he murmured as th
e landing was a little harder than he probably assumed she wanted.
Leah grabbed the knot of his tie and held him in place until he looked into her eyes. He put a hand on either side of her to keep himself from crushing her. 'All I ask is your best effort,' she said, her voice rough but calm and straightforward.
Honest. 'I'm asking you to fuck me, not choreograph a ballet. There are going to be missteps. I hope we get a little messy.'
His smile lit his face. 'Messy, I can do.'
This was going to be so much more fun than she'd even thought. Leah scooted back on to the bed, but when he made to follow, she put her foot, still in its black pump, on to his chest. His hand came up automatically to her ankle, but she didn't press her heel into his skin and he didn't try to knock her away.
