“What could I possibly have to lie about? You were a moment of weakness—we all have them. I just had enough sense to walk away afterward.”
He barked out a laugh, moving closer again until there was only the desk—a suddenly very thin, small desk—between us. I could practically feel him, like he was sending vibrations my way. Sexy vibrations. I didn’t know if I bought into the whole pheromone crap, but right now it sure as hell seemed feasible. I was drawn to him, whether I liked it or not. It didn’t matter that we were fighting or even what we were fighting over. All that mattered was that there was the equivalent of a foot and a half of space in the form of hard wood between us.
“You might be sensible, but you’re kidding yourself if you think that you’ve walked away from anything.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I demanded.
“It means that you want me. Every time you see me, you think about what we did that night—and how you want to repeat it.”
I shuddered. I wanted to tell myself that he was fishing for things that weren’t there, but it wasn’t the truth. I remembered my legs slung over his shoulders. I remembered the way he fondled my breasts and slipped his fingers inside me first, only to demolish me with his cock a second later.
And yes, I fucking wanted to repeat it.
But I know better. This is dangerous. I can’t lose control like this, not a second time.
Even as I told myself that, my body was reacting to him. I found myself leaning over my desk at the same time that he was. I was aware of the way my blouse fell open enough to show the tops of my breasts. I knew that my skirt was skintight and that it emphasized my hips. This was a stupid, risky game to play, but damn if I didn’t want to play it.
“You think so?” I purred.
He smirked at me, his full mouth making promises to my body that I desperately wanted him to keep. “I know so.”
“Prove it, then.”
He reached across the desk in an instant, his hand going to the back of my neck and cupping it as he yanked me forward. Our mouths crashed together as I felt his other hand go to my waist. Suddenly I was being hauled over the desk, finding myself on my knees as he pulled my body to his. My breasts slammed against his chest, the nipples tightening as I reacted to the feel of him.
His mouth was hot, and his tongue was determined, demanding. It slipped into my mouth, tasting me. I groaned as his hands slid down the length of my body to my hips. He squeezed and jerked me closer still.
My legs automatically started to part so that he could slide between them, but my skirt was in the way. It was a pencil skirt and way too tight to allow me to open up. My hands reached down to the hem, jerking it up until the fabric was settled high on my thighs just below where Callum’s hands sat.
He practically growled low in his throat as I opened my legs, putting my knees on either side of his waist.
My hands moved to his body, feeling his taut stomach and the hard muscles there. He broke the kiss only to trail small, hot ones against my neck, traveling lower toward my chest. I sat up a little on my knees to give him better access. In response, he buried his mouth down the front of my blouse, popping another button open as his tongue slid along the line of my cleavage.
I shuddered.
My hands continued up his body, moving from his hard abs to his chest. I clutched at his shirt as his tongue slipped over the tops of my breasts, trailing along the line of my lacy bra.
I felt wanton and desperate. I clawed at his shirt until I managed to find the line of buttons on the center. I jerked them open impatiently, several popping off and scattering atop my desk beside me. I didn’t care and judging by the way his hands were pulling my shirt free from the waistband of my skirt, I was willing to bet he didn’t care, either.
I felt his hands slide beneath my shirt, finding bare skin there. His fingers were hot as they grazed along the small of my waist, then trailed up higher along my back. His mouth remained fixated with my breasts, his tongue slipping beneath the lace of my bra slightly, indicating that he wanted what was held tightly in place.
Opening his shirt, I exposed the hot, hard skin there. I had figured he worked out, kept in shape, but now I was positive. He was built like a fucking god, and damn if I didn’t like that. My hands caressed his muscles, making them tighten beneath my touch.
His hands made it to the back of my bra. I felt the snap come undone and the bra loosen. His teeth found purchase along the lace edge of the left cup and jerked it down. I felt cool air touch my nipple, caressing the already hardened tip.
When his tongue slid over the tip, I threw my head back and groaned. His lips engulfed my flesh, suckling my tit. His teeth worried over the nipple, then his tongue went back over it to soothe what little sting he’d caused.
His hands, satisfied that they’d freed my breasts, came around to the front this time. I felt them gently stroke along my ribs, just beneath my breasts, but they didn’t stop. He stopped only when he’d gotten to the very front of my shirt, then he jerked. Buttons went flying again and I knew that my entire shirt was ruined, but it was also open, and fuck if that wasn’t more important at that moment.
My hands were working to get his shirt off. I’d gotten it down his shoulders, but because he was still playing with my body, I couldn’t get it down any farther. But I lucked out. He was so determined to get my shirt off, that I got the chance to get his off, too.
We did each other a favor and each took half a second to slip our shirts off. His was thrown off to the side, and mine was left on the desk. His hands went to my bra again and he jerked it off, exposing me completely.
“I fucking love those tits,” he growled at me, then attacked them again, giving the right breast the same treatment as the left.
I felt alive, electric, beneath his touch. It made my insides feel as though they were building up for a launch, fire growing low between my legs. I knew I was wet, and I knew what I wanted.
While he continued to suck and nip at my breasts, my hands went lower. I found the waistband of his slacks. My fingers worked to free the button, then undid the zipper.
He groaned against my breasts as I reached into his pants and found his member. He was rock hard and as long and thick as I remembered. I wrapped my small hand around him and gave him several quick strokes.
He began to pant against my chest, his hips twitching automatically into my hand. “Damn it, woman.”
Normally, I might have teased him a little longer, but I was feeling desperate myself. I wanted to get this show on the road, damn it. My body was aching with need, and I just didn’t have the patience to wait while I teased him.
He actually shucked his pants off this time, showing off muscular legs that looked like they belonged to a runner. I had a quick urge to see his butt, because I had a feeling it was going to look good, but I told myself another time.
He grabbed my hips and jerked me forward until I was sitting on the edge of the desk. Reaching beneath my skirt, he found my panties and yanked them off. I felt them tear but couldn’t make myself mind. I felt cool air against my pussy and shuddered. His hands shoved my skirt up a little farther until he could see me. His eyes flashed with dark desire as he devoured me with his eyes.
“Touch me,” I shamelessly begged him, my core pulsing with need.
He obliged me eagerly, his hand diving between my legs to push three fingers in this time. I let my head fall back as I let out a cry.
“Fuck, you’re wet, baby,” he told me, his voice thick with need.
His fingers curled inside me, sliding against my walls. I cried out and shuddered. His fingers were fucking wonderful, but they weren’t all I wanted. I wanted more. I wanted his cock, and I wasn’t feeling particularly patient.
“More,” I managed to bite out.
He did as I asked by adding another finger. I moaned, even though it wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind. I was about to tell him he was an ass and that he knew what I meant when I felt his thumb press just above
my opening. I let out a loud cry that was not at all appropriate for an office space. Heat and electricity raced through my body, throwing me into near immediate convulsions.
Jesus fucking Christ!
I found my release around his fingers, because I couldn’t resist against the flood his thumb freed within me. I slumped forward, my forehead landing against Callum’s shoulder, and I still felt waves of pleasure roll through me as his fingers slipped out. I was too lost in my orgasm to protest, but I didn’t need to worry about it.
A second later, I felt the head of his cock poised at my entrance.
Pressing forward, he plunged himself inside me, and we both groaned. I clung to his shoulders for support, and he held my thighs so that he could begin thrusting within me. I was still riding the coattails of my orgasm, and each long, fluid thrust made the pleasure intensify. His mouth found mine, pressing hot, sloppy kisses against my mouth as he continued to move within me.
We could have been doing that for hours or minutes. I couldn’t tell and couldn’t make myself care. His thrusts were urgent and slowly grew erratic until he finally found his own release. I felt him pulse within me, and then he slumped, his heart pounding against his chest, and it was only the fact that the desk was sturdy beneath us that we didn’t crumble right there to the floor.
Wrapped up in each other, we stayed like that for several minutes. Eventually, he softened and slipped from me, and he staggered back. He half fell into one of the chairs in front of my desk, still panting. He looked exhausted and sated.
I remained on my desk, not trusting my jelly legs to stand much less carry me anywhere.
What the hell am I doing? my mind finally asked.
I was still high from my orgasm, but my mind was starting to clear—and I was starting to realize how badly I’d fudged this. For the second time, I’d let Callum Reid in. Mostly literally, but I was starting to worry it was a little metaphorical, too.
Was I… getting attached to him?
Don’t be an idiot. It’s only sex, I tried to tell myself silently, but as I stared at him—still naked and sitting in my chair, which was endlessly amusing at that moment—I found myself thinking that he wasn’t just sexy. He was cute. And clever. And determined. The kind of guy who never gave up and went the extra mile.
Wasn’t that what all women wanted?
I tried to swallow that down, because my mind was being an idiot. He was Callum Reid. Owner of Tarvish Press. The asshole who was going to cost me my damn partnership if he didn’t give me a chance to work things out with Parker.
And yet…
“That was… excellent,” he said finally. He offered a sloppy grin, then forced himself up out of the chair. He winked at me, then reached down to grab his pants. I watched as he put them on. “I mean, hell of a time.”
Hell of a time.
I frowned a little, because this was what I’d been waiting for, right? Him to tell me that that was all this was. Nothing but a good time.
I cleared my throat. “You’re not so bad yourself.” I stood up then and shoved my skirt—the only article of clothing I was still wearing—back down my legs. When I grabbed my shirt, I frowned. It was ruined. Maybe I could sew the buttons back on, but it wasn’t going to do me much good today.
He was working on the buttons of his own shirt and laughed when he found a few of them missing. “You’re impatient, you know it?”
I didn’t say anything. I just put on my bra and slipped on my blouse like a coat. Maybe I can tuck it in and no one will notice?
I doubted it. Sighing, I accepted that I’d just have to go home and find a new one.
“Listen, thanks for today, but we’re still clear that this is just about tension, right? No long-term plans, not looking to break anyone’s heart. We’re just caught up in intensity. It happens.”
Forcing a small smile, I nodded. “Of course. What else would this be?” I tried to play it cool, but my heart clenched like I was upset. Which was stupid. Why should I be upset? There wasn’t a damn bit of reason for it.
“Good. Then I’ll go. And we’ll see who Parker chooses in the end. May the best man win.”
He winked at me, and I nodded once, then went around to the other side of my desk. I waved him off without looking at him again. “Best woman. I have things to do, if you don’t mind.”
There was a pause, and then the door opened and he left. I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me, but I was starting to worry that maybe I had some legitimate feelings for Callum Reid. And that was a serious problem.
Chapter Sixteen
Marnie
After Callum left, I found that I wasn’t having much luck working, and honestly, I didn’t much care right then. Parker was my last shot at partner, and he was all I was really worried about. Since the meeting with him had been swapped out for an impromptu affair with Callum, I found myself a little bereft of work despite what I’d told him when he left.
About an hour after he’d gone—I had pinned my shirt closed for the most part, though my cleavage was a little deeper than usual—I heard a knock on my door.
For one irrational second, I thought it was Callum and that he’d come back to talk about what had happened again. Then the door pushed open and Courtney poked her head in. I realized what a fucking idiot I was and scolded myself for even wanting it to be Callum at the door.
“Yes?” I asked, looking back down at my desk—which I’d had to straighten up—so that I could pretend to be shuffling around important papers I was looking at.
When Courtney didn’t immediately answer, I forced myself to look up. She closed the door behind her and walked into the room, but I was more interested in the sympathetic expression on her pretty face.
“What?” I demanded, feeling my face flush.
“Are you okay?”
I swallowed thickly, then raised my eyebrows. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“The whole thing with Callum Reid.”
I froze. Jesus fucking Christ. Did she hear us? Oh God, she heard us! I thought the room was soundproof, but we’d been loud. Maybe the door had been ajar. Or maybe she’d seen the shit-eating grin on his face when he left. Jesus, what if she just put it together because of my damn shirt?
“I can totally explain,” I told her, the need to have her still think highly of me so intense that I felt like I was going to lose my damn mind.
Her eyebrows jumped up high on her forehead. “What do you mean? There’s nothing to explain. Reid’s a jerk and Parker’s an asshole for not making it clear that it’s not okay for him to interrupt meetings like that. I know you’ve got a deadline to sign him, but there’s still some time, right?”
I blinked.
She wasn’t talking about me and Callum’s affair. She thought I was upset about Parker.
The tension left me in a rush, though I admitted it would be nice to talk to her about what was going on. I didn’t have a lot of time for romance, and while she tended to be a little more cynical about the whole thing than I was—which was saying something, because I wasn’t exactly all unicorns and rainbows—she was also a little better versed in the language of love. I just didn’t have the time for it.
Not that this is love, I thought instantly. Just a crush. Attraction. Desperation, maybe.
“I… there’s really not much time left,” I admitted. “Parker’s going to make his decision in the next couple of days, and honestly, there’s not much more I can offer him. If I haven’t convinced him yet, that’s it. Game over.”
Her red lips pushed together thoughtfully. “That really blows. What an ass.”
I couldn’t tell if she meant Parker or Callum, but it didn’t much matter. I was pretty sure that it applied to both of them. I sighed, slumping back in my chair. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
Courtney eyed me, her brows pinched, her head tilted slightly to the side. After a moment of scrutiny, she said, “So, can we talk about whatever else is going on with you?”
I blinked. “What?
”
She gestured with her hand toward me and my desk and my office in general. “You’ve been a little weird lately—and Callum was in here a long time. Did he say something to you?”
No, we didn’t say much of anything really, I thought but didn’t say.
I felt a blush trying to crawl its way up my face, but I didn’t say anything immediately. I wasn’t sure what to say. I could lie, but Courtney had been friends with me too long not to catch it. And… I kind of needed to talk about this.
I didn’t want her to know I’d been sleeping with Callum, but…
Leaning forward across my desk, I paused half a second, then said, “Okay, so I’ve had an epic dry spell, right?”
Her eyebrows shot up again. “Um, yes? You mean sex, right?”
I nodded. “Yes. Sex.”
“Okay, yeah, sure. So?”
Taking a deep breath, I said, “Well, the other night I maybe broke it.”
“Jesus, and you didn’t tell me! Good for you!” she squealed in delight, her eyes sparkling. “Why didn’t you tell me? Was he hot?”
I nodded immediately. “Yeah, really hot.”
“Damn. ’Bout time, lady. I was starting to think you just weren’t into guys anymore.” She paused a beat, considering, then added, “Not that that would be a problem. You just never seemed like a lesbian before.”
I waved her off. “I’m not. I’m still into guys and he was really sexy and the sex was seriously good.”
“So what’s the problem?”
I hesitated. “I think maybe it’s, um, starting to interfere with my job.”
She blinked. I watched as her expression slowly went from confusion to one of dawning realization. “Holy shit. You slept with Callum Reid! He’s your sexy, new lover!” Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was left hanging slightly open.
I thought briefly about denying it, but I didn’t see the point. Slumping back in my chair, I sighed and nodded. “Yeah, he is.”
“Well, holy hell, honey! I didn’t think you’d get back on the horse with him, but… Jesus.”
I nodded again. “I know, I know, okay? The man’s a total ass! And he happens to own the one company that Dorian would like to see burned to the fucking ground. I can’t be attracted to him, right?”
Touch Me Page 23
