by M. Malone
Kay looked down at Hope, who was regarding the new surroundings with interest. “I should have brought her car seat after all. I guess I’ll have to hold her on my lap.”
“She can come with me. What do you say, princess? You want to take a ride?” He held out his arms and Hope immediately leaned forward.
“How quickly she deserts me for a handsome face.” Kay winked at him.
Eli held Hope protectively against his shoulder. “She knows I’m a sucker for that smile and she can get away with anything.”
Kay’s heart flipped over when he looked down at Hope so affectionately. Hope had been up late again the prior night but amazingly, Eli didn’t look as though he’d stayed up rocking a cranky baby. He looked like he belonged in a fashion magazine. She’d never seen him in a suit before and the result was shockingly arousing. Eli looked up and caught her staring, so she covered it with a cough.
“So, you need me to look for incident reports and set those aside. Then I can file the rest. Anything else?”
“No, that’s it.”
Kay pushed up her sleeves. “I can do that. Don’t worry about me. Just go do… boss stuff.”
Eli watched her with amused eyes as she plopped down in his chair and opened the first file folder.
“Okay. I won’t be gone long.” He kissed her lightly on the cheek and then he was gone. She could hear him talking to Hope all the way down the hall.
She let out a breath before turning her attention to the mountain of folders. It shouldn’t be that difficult to scan through each file and see if there was anything Eli needed to sign. It was the type of work that wasn’t difficult, just tedious. She scanned through the first stack and then filed them. By the time she got to the next stack, she was actually enjoying herself. Some of these case files read almost like fiction.
“What is going on in here?”
Kay looked up from the file she was reading. Carly stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips.
“Eli asked me to help him get his desk in order.”
Carly marched over to the desk and snatched the pile of papers from her hand. “That’s my job. I’m his assistant. I keep his desk in perfect order, thank you.”
Kay snatched the file back. “I’m sure you do, but he’s the one who asked me to help him with this stuff. Maybe he thought you were too busy working on something else.”
“I’m never too busy for him. For anything he needs me to do.” Carly crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
Kay shook her head. “Really? You don’t think I already know that? I figured that out about ten seconds after we met.”
Carly’s eyes narrowed. Before she could respond, Kay held up a hand. “Whatever. I couldn’t care any less about your past with Eli. Based on your behavior, I’m going to take a wild guess that he was the one who broke it off? Which means he made his decision before I came along. So, like I said, if you have a problem take it up with him.”
Eli entered the room then and stopped short when he saw Carly. “Hey, what are you two doing?”
Carly whirled around. “Nothing. I was just welcoming Kay to headquarters.”
Kay looked at her in disbelief. Her voice had switched from furious to saccharine. Carly sashayed across the room toward Eli. “I’ll just go back to my desk. Let me know if you need anything.”
Kay blew out a breath and told herself to let it go. It wasn’t even worth mentioning to Eli. He’d probably assume she was taking it out of proportion or just being a typical jealous female. Men were so clueless about that kind of thing. She definitely wasn’t going to give the other woman the satisfaction of driving a wedge between them with her antics.
His past interactions with his assistant were clearly not being repeated, otherwise Carly wouldn’t feel so threatened by her. So there was that.
Tank appeared in the doorway. “Boss, can I talk to you?” His eyes landed on Kay briefly before they skittered away.
Right.
“I’ll just wait outside.” She took Hope and then left, pulling the door shut behind her. Eli smiled at her gratefully right before the door closed.
“Kicked out already?” Carly sneered.
She let out a long breath and hugged Hope closer to her side. She was way too tired for this nonsense. Of course, Carly looked perfect, slim and beautiful and she didn’t have bloodshot eyes from exhaustion. The world really wasn’t a fair place most of the time.
“Why do you stay? Working for your ex has to suck.”
Carly seemed shocked at her statement. “I don’t know. It’s a good job. I like my job. Or I used to anyway.”
“You could always get another job somewhere else.”
“Look, I’m not just being bitchy here. You seem nice enough and I’m trying to warn you. Don’t get too comfortable. As soon as he gets bored with the good-girl routine, he’ll come back where he can get what he really needs.”
“What does that mean?”
Carly’s eyes narrowed. “Have you slept in his room yet?”
Heat rose to Kay’s face as the other woman’s lips curled up in a satisfied smile. “I didn’t think so. Because you don’t look like the freaky type and there’s no way he’s getting what he needs from you.”
The door opened behind her and Kay whirled around. Tank and Eli emerged, still talking quietly. Kay looked back at Carly, who simply shrugged.
“Are you ready to go?” Eli asked.
“I’m not sure.”
Eli looked at her strangely but didn’t comment. “Well, let’s go then. There’s time for me to give you a quick tour.”
Kay followed and was extremely proud of herself for not looking back even once.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
AS SOON AS they pulled into the garage, Kay unhooked her seatbelt. She could feel Eli’s eyes on her as she fumbled with the door, but he didn’t comment. He waited for her to get Hope out of the car and then held the door open for her.
Once they made it into the house, Eli entered first and disabled the alarm. As Kay got Hope settled in her play area, her mind swam with questions that had no answers. She should be thinking about what to make for dinner or enjoying a few stolen moments with Eli while the baby was distracted, except all she could think about was Carly’s words.
Have you slept in his room yet?
What was so special about his room? And how had Carly known that he hadn’t let her back there? As determined as she was not to let some bitter, jealous ex-girlfriend get to her, she couldn’t deny that her curiosity was now at a peak.
She had to get in that room.
“Would you mind keeping an eye on Hope? Just for a second while I use the bathroom.”
Eli nodded and stepped over the gate into the play area. “Of course. We’ll spend a little time building a tower with these ABC blocks. It’s never too early to start teaching her to read.”
Hope toddled over to him and he picked her up. She squealed as he swung her around and then sat with her settled in his lap. Once they were absorbed in what they were doing, Eli reciting the alphabet while Hope knocked over the blocks with destructive glee, Kay slipped down the hallway to the bedrooms.
Eli’s room was directly across from hers, but she rarely saw him in it. He got up so early that the door was always closed by the time she woke up. He’d been sleeping in her room every night lately so she could only assume he was going in there to get clean clothes every day.
She hesitated, her hand hovering over the knob. What was she doing? This was his personal space and she was about to sneak in and trample all over his privacy.
Because you don’t look like the freaky type and there’s no way he’s getting what he needs from you.
The memory of Carly’s taunt made her turn the knob. It held fast under her hands. She looked down in shock. It was locked.
What in the world was so important that he felt the need to keep it under lock and key? Before he could get suspicious, she whirled around and ducked into the bathroom, flushed the toilet,
and then came back out.
“Okay, thanks for watching her. Does pasta sound okay for dinner?”
He looked up from where he was sitting and smiled at her. “It sounds great.”
The locked door was on her mind as she made a quick dinner of fettuccine Alfredo, while they ate, and while she got Hope ready for bed. When she emerged from the third bedroom, Eli was sitting on the couch. A bottle of wine sat in an ice bucket on the floor next to him. He poured two glasses and held one out to her.
“I figured we could use a little relaxation.”
Kay sank down next to him and accepted the glass gratefully. She took a big swallow and then another. Eli watched, bewildered, as she set her near-empty glass down on the side table.
“I’m guessing you really needed some relaxation. Was Hope cranky again? You know I don’t mind walking her around.”
Kay instantly felt guilty. He was trying to reassure her while she was thinking of ways to break into his bedroom. “No, she was fine. I’m just on edge. I think this whole situation is finally catching up with me.”
Eli nodded. “That usually happens after a few weeks. Your whole life has been disrupted. It’s okay to be pissed off about it. You have every right to be.”
“Yeah, I’m feeling a little down. That’s all.”
He set his glass on the side table next to hers. “Maybe I can help with that.” A soft kiss on her cheek. Then another on the curve of her earlobe.
“Hmm, that’s definitely not helping me relax. I think that’s having the opposite effect.” She climbed in his lap and looked down at him. In that moment, she wanted to hear him moan with abandon. She wanted to be the one to put a smile on those delicious lips and know she held his complete fulfillment in her power. Shifting, she pulled his shirt up until she could run her fingers down his muscled chest.
“I will never get tired of this,” she whispered.
He chuckled and tugged the shirt over his head. “Glad you approve.”
She waited as he lifted the hem of her T-shirt, helping her draw it over her head. His eyes fixed on her cleavage spilling out of her bra. She shivered at the frank and open possession in his gaze. His obvious approval gave her the courage to stand up and take off the rest of her clothes. If anyone had told her she’d be undressing in the middle of the living room with the lights on, she’d never have believed it. But with Eli, it gave her a sense of power to see how her body affected him. He tugged her closer and took a playful nip at her stomach.
“I was trying to do the romance thing, but then you distracted me.” Eli surveyed her nude body with a gleam in his eye that Kay had come to recognize as his “caveman” look.
“Oh my God!” She clutched at his neck as he lifted her into his arms. “What is your obsession with lifting me all the time?” She scolded him, but truthfully she was thrilled. It wasn’t often that a man was strong enough to make her feel dainty.
“Because I can. And because it’s so much fun.” He leered down at where her full breasts were pressed up against his chest.
Kay laughed. “Such a guy.”
“Through and through, angel.”
Seeing his reaction gave Kay courage to be more aggressive. Once he lowered her to the rug in front of the fireplace, she ran her fingers down his chest to tentatively touch the bulge at the front of his pants. He stilled and she raised her eyes to his and found herself caught in his tortured gaze. A groan escaped his clamped lips and she delighted in the sound. He covered her lips in a quick, hard kiss. Then he stood to remove his own clothes.
Every inch of him was a visual delight. Had she ever wanted to just stare at a guy before? It was impossible not to marvel at how utterly masculine he was, from his incredible physique to the deep voice that sent shivers down her spine. Then there was the obviously male part of him currently trying to escape the confinement of his boxers.
She licked her lips and his eyes narrowed. Scooting closer on her knees, she nuzzled his lower belly. He’d left the boxers on more for her benefit than his, she was sure, but she wanted them gone. All it took was a gentle tug and he popped free, huge and hard and ready. For her.
Wrapping her hand around his hardness, she licked up the length, enjoying the feel and scent of him. It was so intimate, to have him in her mouth, to have his scent in her nostrils and his rough moans in her ears. She’d never thought she could enjoy doing this, but it was such a turn-on to look up at him and see his head thrown back, eyes squeezed closed, teeth bared in a grimace.
His barely restrained moans told her he was close to the edge. She sucked him deeper and his hands clenched against his thigh. What a rush to give him the same abandon that he had given her.
“Kay, I can’t wait. I need to be inside you now,” he growled.
Nodding her head, she gave a final suckle to his hot tip, smiling when he clamped his lips against a groan. Stretching out her hand, she found the packet he had removed from his pants a few moments ago and handed it to him.
Eli stroked the condom on quickly and then lay back, folding his arms behind his head to allow her free rein over his body. Heady with the power she wielded, she straddled him. His breathing roughened and she could feel the moisture between her legs signaling her readiness.
Crawling up his body, she laced her arms behind his head and sank into his kiss. His arms grasped the fullness of her hips, caressing them, and she didn’t miss his sigh of appreciation. He made her feel womanly and luscious, and she wanted to show her appreciation the only way she knew how. Settling herself over his erection, she slowly sank down, taking each inch of him in. She wanted to go slowly, but the unbearable ache between her thighs had her bearing down with all her weight, crying out with relief when they were finally joined.
His hands grasped her waist firmly and pulled her into a rocking motion that made the friction almost unbearable. Digging her nails into his shoulders, Kay struggled to keep up with his frantic pace, delighting in every groan and cry she wrenched from his lips. She had never known how empowering it could be to take control, but she found herself savoring the ability to drive Eli over the edge.
She began varying her speed, luxuriating in the powerful feel of him inside her, around her. The tension grew to unbearable proportions until she finally succumbed to the flood of desire and allowed climax to overtake her. She heard Eli’s shout of abandon a few moments later.
“I am never getting rid of this rug.”
Kay snorted out a surprised laugh. “Sentimental value, huh?”
“You bet.”
Her heart rate finally slowed and she propped her head up on her fist. “Let’s sleep in your room tonight. Isn’t your bed bigger?”
He tensed beneath her and Kay wished she could call the words back. Hadn’t she just decided to leave it alone? Apparently her subconscious had its own plans.
“It’s kind of a mess in there. I’d rather stay in the guest room. There’s more space, and I won’t have to be embarrassed by how sloppy I am.”
“I wouldn’t care about that. Besides, are you telling me you normally slept in the guest room with your prior…” She stopped, at a loss as to what to call herself. Lover? Girlfriend? They hadn’t really progressed to the labeling phase of the relationship yet. “With other women,” she finally finished.
“I never stayed overnight with them,” Eli replied. He shifted and Kay moved over so he could sit up.
“Never? Why?”
He looked uncomfortable. “I don’t usually like sleeping in the same bed as anyone, but with you it’s different. You’re different.”
She wanted to ask him more but stopped when she saw the look on his face. He looked so trapped and uncomfortable. He was hiding something else, but what could be worse than what he’d already told her?
He’d once been considered a domestic terrorist by the FBI. If she could handle hearing that, what in the world was he worried about?
ELI SWALLOWED, FEELING like a total ass for lying to her. He needed to turn the conversation
to something else. Anything else. “Are we ever going to make it to a real bed, I wonder?”
She shrugged, but there was a shadow of hurt in her eyes. “I didn’t mind. Although I’m sure I won’t mind in a bed either.”
“You have something of a dirty mind, angel. I would have never guessed.”
She laughed softly, and the crease in her forehead and the tension lines around her eyes eased a bit. “I’m full of surprises, lately.”
He extended a hand and pulled her to her feet. They gathered up their discarded clothing, and he set the alarm for the night before they walked down the hall and into the guest room. He waited until she switched on the bedside lamp.
“I’m not sleepy.” Kay’s eyes fixed on his nude body and he instantly got hard.
Eli leaned down to kiss the flush in her cheeks. It touched him that she was still so bashful about his response to her. “Neither of us will be sleeping for a while yet.”
He walked closer. Kay met him halfway and when their skin met, she gasped.
“Just let me take care of you, angel. Lie down on the bed.”
She scrambled to obey him. A bottle of lotion on her nightstand gave him an idea. “Turn over. I’m going to give you a massage.”
She rolled to her stomach, resting her head on her bent arms. He reached over and grabbed the bottle of lotion and pumped a small amount in his hands. Starting with her back, he smoothed the lotion on in broad strokes. She let out a little sigh and her eyes fluttered closed.
“That feels wonderful.”
He took his time massaging the dips and curves of her shape. The lotion he’d smoothed on eased the way as he trailed his fingers over the muscles of her back, in the indentation of her spine, and then down, down, down to the enticing curve where her lower back flared out to her hips.
He took his time, tracing gently over the sensitive skin on the sides of her rib cage and on her bottom, then—
Kaylee reared forward, turning to look at him over her shoulder. “Eli, you accidentally… I mean you almost touched…”
He stared at her, not speaking, then brushed his thumb between the cheeks of her ass in a deliberately slow, dragging caress. Her breath left her lungs in a sudden whoosh. “Oh my.” She collapsed down on her arms, her head hanging loose on her neck.
