by Donina Lynn
Blake sat back and resumed his smug attitude. “I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to play some type of game with me, aren’t you? Pretending you won’t budge, thinking I’ll get scared and give in. Sorry, not going to work. It’s about the money. They’re giving me more and I want more. Either come up with it or I’m out.” Blake turned and eyed Cassie up. “However, I could be persuaded to take the difference in other types of payments.”
Before Cassie could get offended, Myles shot out of his chair and slammed his fist on to the table. “She is not for sale, you arrogant, spoiled son-of-a—”
“Gentlemen.” Cassie stood up and interrupted before Myles could finish that sentence. “I think now would be a good time to take a break. Please help yourself to any of the refreshments in the kitchen and let’s reconvene in about thirty minutes.” Cassie gave the two of them a fake smile before turning to Myles. “Mr. Dayton, I would like to speak with you in private.”
Myles stiffly nodded and spoke to the lawyer as he continued to glare at Blake. “Mr. Brown, I suggest you take the opportunity while we’re gone to speak to your client about conducting himself in an appropriate manner.”
Cassie spun on her heels and stomped out of the room. If Myles knew what was good for him, he’d be right behind her.
Chapter Eight
“What the hell are you thinking?”
The door barely clicked shut before Cassie let loose on Myles. By the time she’d walked down the steps and made it to the furthest room of the lower level—where hopefully neither Blake nor his lawyer could hear what most assuredly was going to be shouting—she’d mentally worked herself up to the boiling point. She was beyond pissed, and he was damn well going to know it, too.
“For a man who likes to proclaim he needs to be in control of everything, you sure as hell don’t show it.” Cassie couldn’t stand still. Her nerves and temper were prompting her to pace back and forth as she flung her hands around in the air, emphasizing her rant. “Did you happen to notice his lawyer? I could see the dollar signs light up in his eyes when you lost it up there. He was just waiting for you to make a move. Ever hear of a lawsuit? You were about an inch away from getting one slapped on your ass. And over what? Because you thought my honor needed protecting? I neither want nor need any protection or help from you.”
Cassie stopped, planted her hands on her hips, and tapped out her annoyance with her foot while she stared at him. Waiting. For anything. Any type of reaction…at all. Of course, there was nothing from him other than the stoic, stern look on his face. The man was insufferable and she’d probably have better luck trying to beat an answer out of a rock.
“For Christ’s sake, Myles, say something.”
“He will treat you with respect. No one talks to what’s mine like that.”
“Mine?” Cassie shouted at him. “Now all of a sudden I’m yours? A few hours ago, you made it clear you didn’t want me and now I’m yours? I’m nobody’s but my own person. Let me make myself clear so there will be no misunderstandings between us. I can speak for myself, fight my own battles, and handle someone like Blake. And who says I don’t want to go with him? If I want to fuck him, the lawyer, or every man in the whole state of Colorado, I damn well will. You gave up the right to have your opinion heard the minute you pushed me away.” Tears stung the back of her eyes, and Cassie headed for the door before all the anger, frustration, and hurt threatening to pour out ran down her cheeks like a river. Grasping the handle, she threw over her shoulder, “You have no say in what I do or don’t do.”
“The hell I don’t.”
“The hell you do.”
Cassie opened the door a fraction of an inch before Myles came up behind her and slammed it back shut. He unforgivingly pushed her against the door, pressing his body into her and rendering her immobile. Lowering his head, he nearly growled out into her ear. “The only person that is going to fuck you is me. Do you understand? You are mine.” Myles ground his erection into her ass, causing an involuntary whimper to escape. “This is what you do to me. This is the reason I pushed you away. I fucking lose control whenever I’m near you.” Myles raked his fingernails up the outside of her thigh while the other hand twisted in her hair and pulled, making her cheek come flush with the door. He moved his face closer, his mouth brushing against her skin when he spoke. “Are you scared now, Cassie? Because you damn well should be.”
The only thing that scared her was him stopping. She was wet, panting, and his harsh words and hot breath scorching her face made her even hotter. Her mind formed her answer, but her mouth couldn’t relay the message.
“Tell. Me.” Myles emphasized each word by unmercifully thrusting his pelvis into her backside. “Are you scared?”
“No,” Cassie blurted out, finally finding the ability to speak. “I want it. I want you, Myles. Please.”
A shudder ran through him as he muttered under his breath. “Jesus.”
Before she could take another breath, he pulled on her hair, angling her head up, and claimed her mouth in a kiss that was anything but gentle. The way he moved against her was rough, punishing, and even painful when he bit down on her lip. Cassie knew she wasn’t supposed to like it. She wasn’t supposed to want more, but she did. Moaning into his mouth, she let him know she was ready and willing for whatever he wanted to do to her.
Myles abruptly stopped, released his hold, and reached down between them. Her lips felt swollen and she desperately tried to catch her breath as he hiked her skirt up and what was left of her thong fell to floor after he ripped it in two. The sound of a zipper being yanked down brought with it a moment of sensibility.
“Myles. What if they hear us?”
“I hope they can. I’m going to fuck you until you’re screaming my name. Then that arrogant shit will know exactly who you belong to.”
Chills cascaded through her at his promise and, admittedly, at the idea of being caught. She was being damn near shameless, and she so didn’t care. She wanted Myles in a way where her body ached and her clit throbbed. He did own her, every damn inch of her.
He pulled her arms above her head, placed his hand over hers, and pinned them flat against the cool wood of the door. Slipping his other arm around to her abdomen, he tugged her back, making her legs spread automatically. Desire and anticipation raced through her as she felt him position the tip of his cock at her slick entrance.
Myles leaned flush against her, his breathing ragged and voice strained when he asked her, “Are you on birth control?”
“Yes.”
“I’m clean.”
“Me, too.”
She barely got the words out before he thrust forward and buried his full length inside of her. Her breath caught at the sudden invasion, her walls instantly stretching to accommodate him. Myles was big and hard and filled her like no other. When she released the air she’d been holding, it came out as a deep moan. He was perfect.
Myles laced his fingers through hers while the other snaked under her blouse and bra to firmly grasp her breast. He pulled his cock back, pinched and twisted her nipple, and slammed himself back into her. A gasp escaped her lips as the erotic mix of pleasure and pain that only he could give rippled through her. He knew exactly what to do and how hard to do it. Myles manipulated her body in ways she never thought imaginable and, before she knew it, she was crying out and begging for more.
Never hesitating, he gave her what she wanted and unforgivingly pounded into her. Every stroke, each thrust so powerful that she could feel the strain of his muscles and hear him grunt from the exertion. Cassie herself would be lifted off the ground by the momentum alone if he wasn’t holding her tight against him.
His hand left hers and tightly wrapped around her thigh. Lifting her leg up, he opened her to him and moved his hips where the new angle had him hitting areas deep within her that she didn’t think were possible.
“Oh my God. Myles, yes.”
“That’s it, baby. Yell out my name. Tell the world who’s go
ing to make you come.” Myles sped up, moving so fast she couldn’t tell if he pulling or thrusting. All she could feel was him and the pressure building so quick and intense that it is was almost painful. She cried out again, not sure if it was too much or not enough. The orgasm was right there, simmering below the surface, threatening to rip her apart into a million pieces. She hovered, holding her breath, waiting for it to come. The sting of her clit suddenly being slapped was all she needed. Cassie exploded, screaming his name with Myles following right behind and calling out hers.
Cassie rode the waves of orgasmic bliss, letting herself drift away. She didn’t care where they were taking her. That was the best quickie she’d ever had and she was going to enjoy it for all it’s worth. Her mind cleared, her muscles relaxed, and the world melted away as she basked in the afterglow and the warmth of the man pressed up against her.
Chapter Nine
Something—whether it was the sound of the air-conditioning suddenly pushing air through the vents, Cassie’s hair tickling the side of his neck, or the fact his heart finally stopped pounding like it was going to come right out of his chest—something brought Myles out of his post-orgasm fog, snapping him back into reality and making him acutely aware of what he’d just done, how he’d done it, and that his hand was possessively holding the breast of the woman he’d done it to.
Dammit. What did he think he was doing? He shouldn’t be standing behind Cassie with his arms wrapped around her like a contented lover. His actions didn’t give him the right to be enjoying how her soft curves molded perfectly against him. And he sure as hell had no business loving the way her walls cradled his cock like a warm cocoon, because he shouldn’t be fucking inside of her in the first place.
Myles straightened, slowly withdrew from her wet heat, and took a few steps back. His gut immediately twisted as he took in the scene before him. Silent and unmoving, Cassie remained pressed into the door with her legs spread, skirt pushed high up on her waist, fresh marks marring her flesh from his grip, and the shredded remains of her thong lying at her feet. Disgust flowed threw him and he closed his eyes against the ugly truth that was right in front of him. His ex was right. He was nothing more than an animal.
All it had taken was Cassie threatening to be with another man and the resolve he’d been struggling with throughout the day had snapped in two. There was no way he was letting her walk out the door without proving to her and the rest of the damn world she belonged to him. To hell with being in the middle of a business meeting. To hell with trying to do the right thing. To hell with it all. Nothing was going to stop him. He was going to have her and he tore into her, taking exactly what he felt was his and staking his claim.
Christ, he hadn’t even given Cassie a chance to object to him not using a condom. Now that was a joke, wasn’t it? For her to object, he would’ve had to have enough decency to actually ask her. He might be a lot of things—a domineering prick instantly came to mind—but he never once imagined he could be as disrespectful or act with such little regard to her wishes as he just had. Myles wasn’t gentle by any stretch of the imagination, but at the very least, he considered himself to be a gentleman. If he couldn’t even say that, what the hell could he say?
The longer he was around her, the more he felt like he was literally unraveling and spiraling out of control. Cassie was the first woman to come along since his ex who captured his interest for anything other than casual and what did he do? Not once, but twice, crossed every line he’d drawn for himself. Forgotten every promise. Broken every rule.
Remain detached, be honest, always ask before taking, and stay within the limits by keeping the rein tight, not only physically but emotionally. That had been his way, his insurance policy to ensure he never pushed too hard, got too rough, or went too far. As long as he didn’t slip, he was comfortable—even happy—with the man he was.
His obvious lack of restraint when it came to Cassie had him forgetting all of it. The boundaries were gone, the walls were down and his old buddies, contempt and self-loathing, settled themselves right back in, leaving him in the same exact place where he’d started. Hating himself.
Even more disturbing was how while he stood there, knowing what he’d done, and feeling the weight of his actions, there was still a part of him that couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop wanting her or giving up on the idea of being with her. No matter how hard he’d tried not to.
And Myles had tried. He’d locked himself in his damn room all in the effort of trying. All that had gotten him was a spike in his blood pressure as he paced back and forth cursing at the walls for his own inability to stop thinking about the softness of her skin and the taste of her lips. How right it felt to wake up with her cradled in his arms. And how he wanted to see her beautiful face as the first thing he saw every morning, to have her in his life for more than a few short days.
He argued with himself, trying to purge her from his system, his thoughts, and even his heart. It hadn’t worked. None of it had, and when it was finally time for the meeting, he left the room more frustrated than when he’d walked in. Cassie had lodged herself deep inside of him, and whether it was because he never truly had gotten over falling for her in the past or his own hope that she could love him in the future, Myles simply wasn’t willing to let go.
What just happened proved without a doubt he had to, though. Myles was no good for her, or for anyone for that matter. Most men showed their feelings by being caring and sensitive. They embraced the ones they loved in protective arms and shielded them from pain. They didn’t cause it. They also didn’t push them against the nearest surface and fuck them like a possessive, selfish bastard either. He didn’t deserve happiness and love, or having someone like Cassie in his life, and she sure as hell didn’t deserve to be with someone like him. What she did deserve, however, was for Myles to start thinking with his head instead of his dick, get control of himself, and find the strength to end this. For good, this time.
Knowing what he had to do and actually doing it were two entirely different things, though, weren’t they? Because, in all honesty, the only thing he wanted to do was to pull her into his arms, ask for her forgiveness, and beg her to stay with him. He knew it was wrong, but there it was…nothing more than his own selfishness showing itself yet again.
“Myles.”
The sound of her voice brought him out of his thoughts. Cassie wasn’t going to like what was going to happen next. Hell, he didn’t like it. But, if he’d learned anything from all of this was that, when it came to Cassie, she was a temptation Myles couldn’t resist. He couldn’t trust himself around her no matter how good his intentions were, and it was about time he stopped intending to do the right thing and finally did it. No matter what she was going to think of him when she walked out the door, and no matter how much it was going to kill him to watch her go.
Chapter Ten
“Myles.” Cassie said his name again wondering what had him so lost in own thoughts that he hadn’t opened his eyes and was still standing there, pants down and everything hanging out. She was all for looking at him or even going for round two, but at some point, they really should finish the meeting.
Not that she wanted to. She was perfectly content foregoing the crap waiting for them upstairs and staying right where she was gazing upon his glorious man parts. Myles had everything and more going on in the lower regions of his anatomy, and she had nothing but admiration for his genetic coding. Although, you could give a man the most amazing tool, but if he didn’t know how to use it properly…no issues or complaints there.
Myles more than knew what he was doing in that area and did it in the most spectacular ways. She was still pleasantly tingling in the all right spots and was thoroughly looking forward to when they could get rid of the men waiting and get back to it. Perhaps the next time, he could take her on the conference room table. Or in the kitchen. Or maybe, she could convince him to let her do the punishing. Use that incessant need of his to be in control against him, take cha
rge and torture him until he was the one begging for more. Cassie absently ran her tongue along her bottom lip as wicked ideas started forming in her head. None of it was going to happen, though, if they didn’t get moving.
“Myles.” She said his name a little more forceful this time, hoping it would do the trick. If it didn’t, she was going to get down on her knees in front of him and get him to acknowledge her one way or the other. Not entirely a bad idea, now that she thought about it. She could work with it. Give him a little tease before heading back to the meeting, something for him to think about while they dealt with Blake and his lawyer. Liking the direction of her thoughts were going more and more, Cassie took a step forward.
The sound of her heel tapping against the hardwood floor caused his eyes to shoot open. His body tensed, and he took a step back. Okay, not the reaction she would have expected. But when it came to Myles, Cassie was quickly learning the unexpected was much more the norm. Not to mention his perpetual moodiness. Which, by the way he was looking at her, something had put his boxer briefs in a twist…again. No matter. Whatever had that muscle ticking along his jaw wasn’t going to bring her down from the outstanding-up-against-the-door sex high she was currently enjoying. If he wanted to be crabby, so be it. Really, though, would it be so bad if the man learned how to relax and lighten up? Even a little?
Cassie crossed her arms, glanced briefly at his exposed crotch, then back up, and winked. “Is that for me? Or are you trying out a new company dress code?”
Myles looked down and gave a low, “Son-of-a…” before turning his back to her.
What? He’d suddenly gone shy on her? It was almost endearing and cute in an absurd sort of way. She’d seen and experienced every exquisite inch of him. Did he honestly think she didn’t have the sight of his dick happily branded into her memory? If she had any say in it, she’d be able to recall that picture when she was old, senile, and living in a retirement home. What would be even better was if he was right there next to her still trying to put her over his knee to spank her.
