by Nina Lane
Love and hope bubbled up inside her. “What’s that?”
“You’re my Darling.”
She smiled. He moved his hand around to the back of her neck and their lips met in a warm, lovely kiss that felt like they’d kissed a thousand times before. Like they’d already experienced a lifetime of kisses together.
Kate moved away from him and went to the door. Without looking at him, she closed the door and locked it with a flick of her wrist. Her heart rate ratcheted up as she returned to the desk. Tyler was sitting by the computer again, eyeing her with both heat and a touch of wariness.
“We’re at work,” he reminded her, even as his gaze drifted to her breasts.
“I know. We’re also off hours.” She pushed his chair away from the desk and straddled his lap, pressing their groins together.
Tyler muttered something under his breath and settled his hands on her waist. “Really not a good idea.”
“I’ve thought the same thing a few times since we made our little deal.” Kate slipped her hands under his T-shirt and pressed a kiss against his neck. “Turns out being with you is one of the best ideas I’ve ever had.”
His breathing increased. “And what if someone actually needs to use the library?”
“They’ll come back.” She pressed a line of kisses up his jaw to his lips. “Besides, the door is locked.”
She wiggled on his lap, rubbing her ass against his thighs. She felt his capitulation in instant before his arms slid around her. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers. Kate couldn’t suppress a moan at the contact, loving the full pressure of him—his chest pressing against her breasts, his mouth on hers, his hands gripping her hips with firm possession.
He guided her backward, his lips still locked to hers, until her bottom hit the desk. Then he lifted her onto it and edged between her thighs, pushing her skirt up, the warm friction of his palms sending tingles through her blood.
Kate lifted her legs, wrapping them around his hips as his groin rubbed against the juncture of her thighs. She sighed with pleasure, shifting to get closer, feeling his heat even more powerfully through her thin silk panties.
Tyler gave a muffled grunt and trailed his fingers up the tender skin of her inner thigh. Before she realized what he was about to do, he grabbed the material of her sheer nylons and pulled, ripping a hole in her stockings.
Kate gasped. “Tyler!”
He grinned, pushing his fingers into the hole to find her panties. “Easier access. Ah shit, I knew you’d be wet already.”
Kate groaned, her concern over her nylons slipping away when Tyler yanked them over her legs and tossed them onto the floor. He eased the elastic of her panties aside, delving his fingers into her pussy. Her nerves sizzled. She spread her legs wider, thrusting toward him to encourage him to go deeper. He obliged, sliding his finger up and down her folds before circling her opening. Then he pressed her back to lie on the desk and moved his face between her legs.
Oh my God.
Kate almost shot off the desk at the touch of his tongue on her clit. She grabbed the edge, arching her body upward as heat flamed through her. She lifted her head, shocked and thrilled by the sight of his dark head buried between her thighs, his hands keeping her legs open. He licked and sucked her with leisurely expertise, as if he had all the time in the world to pleasure her.
And oh lord, was she pleasured. Sensations sparked and burst in her veins, urgent arousal coiling through her body. Her clothes suddenly felt too heavy, weighing her down, and she quickly worked the buttons of her shirt and cast it and her bra aside. She felt Tyler’s hot gaze as she rubbed and squeezed her breasts, rolling her nipples between her fingers.
He drove his tongue into her, working it back and forth like it was a prelude to what he was going to do with his cock. Kate fisted his hair, unable to believe what he was able to do to her.
With a cry, she bucked upward, an orgasm exploding through her, her breath stopping in her throat. Tyler worked the sensations from her before sliding his hands around her waist to unzip her skirt and toss it aside. His eyes burned hot with lust and need.
“Darling,” he whispered, unfastening the fly of his jeans. “I need to fuck you.”
“Oh, yes, please.”
She stared hungrily at the thick ridge of his erection as he retrieved a condom from his wallet and rolled it on. He positioned himself between her legs, and she bowed her body upward to accept the heavy, immediate thrust of his cock.
A shriek tore from her throat, fresh heat sparking through her. She gripped his arms. He planted his hands on either side of her head, his shaft gliding with slick ease in and out of her. She was enthralled by the sight of Tyler above her, his T-shirt dampening with sweat, his eyes lit with fire and his hair tousled from the desperate grip of her fingers. She pulled her legs upward, his cock hitting a spot inside her that sent her careening again toward the edge of bliss.
She convulsed again, her pussy clenching around his cock, her hands clutching his T-shirt. He groaned and plunged into her, his jaw tightening as his own body shuddered with release.
“Christ, you’re amazing.” Tyler rested his forehead against hers, his hot breath brushing her lips, his chest heaving. “I’m not letting you go.”
“Good. Because I don’t want to be let go.”
She pressed a kiss to his lips and wiggled to indicate she needed to get up. He moved away from her, pulling a hand through his hair. Kate eased off the desk and reached for her bra, tugging it on over her swollen breasts, the skin reddened from whisker burn and the greedy clutch of Tyler’s hands.
She loved the way he marked her during lovemaking, as if he wanted to imprint himself on her body. He’d already done that to her mind and heart.
She fastened the front clasp of the bra and stepped into her now-abominably wrinkled pencil skirt. As she was zipping it up, the doorknob to the library turned and rattled.
Alarm shot through her. Tyler grabbed her shirt from the floor and tossed it to her. Kate hurried to turn the sleeves right-side out. At least she’d had had foresight to lock the door. Still fumbling with the shirt, she started for the alcove.
The lock clicked. The knob turned. The door opened.
Luke stood in the doorway, his big frame almost filling the space. Kate’s breath stopped. Tyler darted in front of her, shielding her from his brother’s view, but it was too late.
With one sweeping glance, Luke assessed the scene—Kate in her bra and skirt, Tyler in unfastened jeans. The papers and books strewn on the floor, the empty surface of the desk.
A burn of humiliation crawled up Kate’s neck. She wanted to die.
Luke’s inscrutable expression registered nothing. Then he left, closing the door behind him.
A heavy silence fell. Tyler turned. Kate half expected him to make some flippant remark, or to flash his cocky grin and try to make light of the horrid situation. He didn’t. Instead he touched her hot cheek in a gesture that was painfully tender.
Instinctively, Kate jerked away. His expression darkened. An ache filled her chest, cracking through her bones. She pulled on her shirt and skirt, buttoning them with shaking fingers.
“Kate…”
“No, don’t. Please.”
She shoved her feet into her shoes, grabbed her briefcase, and hurried out the door without looking back.
Chapter
TWENTY-THREE
Tyler had walked the road of shame numerous times in his life, usually a path right to his father’s office door. But he’d never thrown himself on his oldest brother’s mercy for the sake of a woman.
For Kate, he would. Hell, he’d wear a hair shirt and walk around flagellating himself, if that was what it took. He’d do anything for her.
The realization didn’t surprise him. She’d gotten under his skin the minute he’d first locked his arms around her. What did surprise him was that his need to do anything for her—anything—wasn’t based on his inability to say no to a pretty girl. Jus
t the opposite, in fact.
There was no negativity where Kate was concerned, no battles with his conscience or struggles about doing the right thing. He didn’t want to follow her around catering to her every whim—well, okay, sometimes he did—but more than that, he just wanted to be with her.
He wanted to hang out with her all the time—having sex, watching Monty Python, working on the Mustang, eating pizza. He wanted to show her his favorite hiking trails in Big Sur, to take her to clubs in the city, to travel. He wanted to dance all his dances with her.
A few times in the past, he thought he’d been in love. He’d been an idiot. Because love was all the things he’d heard about but never felt until Kate—a crazy, spinning happiness, the knowledge that he was a better person with her than alone, that she’d made him a better person.
It was the desire to be her hero because she deserved nothing less, not because she’d coerced him. She was everything he wasn’t, and at the same time, everything he was.
For the first time in his life, he got it.
He punched the code into the gate control of Luke’s driveway, then drove up to the massive Nordic mansion on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Polly’s red hybrid—the only car she’d let Luke buy for her—sat next to his Porsche.
Tyler parked and approached the door. He’d never much liked the custom-made house with all its glass and straight lines, but he could appreciate how hard Luke had worked for it. He’d developed a whole new appreciation for hard work in recent days.
“Hi, Tyler.” Polly opened the door and smiled, but worry shadowed her eyes. “Luke’s in the kitchen. I was just heading over to Evan and Hannah’s.”
Tyler nodded. Polly squeezed his arm and slipped past him to walk to the driveway. How much had Luke told her? His stomach knotted as he entered the kitchen. His brother sat at the black granite counter, his head bent over his tablet. The smell of something hot and floral filled the air.
“Hey.” Tyler stopped, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Luke glanced up, his expression grave. For an instant, he looked so much like a younger version of their father that Tyler almost faltered.
Almost. Because he’d never falter when Kate was involved. Ever.
“You want some chamomile tea?” Luke indicated the teapot sitting on the counter beside two mugs. “Polly just made it. She says it’s very soothing.”
“Uh, sure.” Tyler hitched himself onto a stool at the counter while his brother poured the tea.
Luke pushed a mug across the counter to him. Tyler sipped the fragrant tea, which tasted like dirt.
“Kate,” Luke said, “is my most valuable employee.”
“I know.”
“I guessed something was going on between you two when you lost it at the bakery,” Luke continued. “I hoped you’d have enough sense to keep it private, but that was obviously hoping for too much. Sex in the workplace is a total violation of Sugar Rush’s code of contact.”
Old shame rose in Tyler’s chest. He hadn’t felt it in such a long time that it was almost a surprise.
“When did you start up with her?” Luke asked.
“Day one.”
His brother’s mouth twisted with derision. Tyler’s shame intensified. He dragged a hand through his hair “She offered to help with the software and stuff, and we…got together.”
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you mean you hit on her?”
Irritation prickled Tyler’s spine, even though the answer to that question was yes. At first. Then she’d turned the tables on him, and his entire world went up in flames.
“Kate is an adult,” he said. “She doesn’t need you protecting her from me.”
“I know she’s an adult,” Luke said, anger threading his voice. “She’s also smart, dedicated, and organized. We just asked her to consider a position as Vice President of the CSR division.”
“She told me.”
Luke shoved away from the counter in annoyance. “She told you, and still you messed with her at work? Come on, man. You can’t fuck with her career potential just because you can’t keep it in your pants.”
Goddammit.
Tyler shouldn’t have been surprised by the accusation. His reputation preceded him. It was his own damned fault. But it still hurt that his brother would never think better of him. Never believe he was capable of better.
“She hasn’t slacked off on the job, has she?” he asked.
“Of course not,” Luke said. “But she’s been distracted these past few weeks, and now I know why. I can’t have you messing with my employees.”
Tyler’s hands tightened on the mug. “I’m not messing with her, man. I care about her.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
“So you’re telling me it’s wrong? There’s no law against us being together.”
“Tyler, with all the shit this family has been through, didn’t you stop to think it might be a bad idea to hook up with my assistant?” Luke snapped. “I know your relationships never last long, and that Kate isn’t your usual type of woman. What happens when you end it?”
Tyler’s blood fired with anger. “What makes you think I want to end it?”
Luke regarded him with that implacable calm that made him such a great CEO but not such a great confidante.
“Considering your past string of relationships, I don’t want Kate to either get hurt personally or be caught in a situation that could be detrimental to her career.”
Tyler looked at the mug. He knew exactly what his brother was saying and why he was saying it. Tyler had skirted the line for too long, and the crashed speedboat hadn’t just been the final straw for him—it had been the culmination of years of irresponsible behavior.
Why would Luke believe that two weeks of working at the Sugar Rush library and an affair with Kate could change him? Hell. Tyler hardly believed it himself. Waxing poetic to his older brother about being in love wouldn’t change anything either.
“What business is this of yours anyway?” he muttered.
“It became my business when you and she started screwing around on company time in the company library.” Luke took his mug to the sink, his shoulders tight with anger. “I’ve fired people for infractions a lot less severe than that. So give me one damned good reason why I shouldn’t fire you for putting my assistant in a compromising position during work hours.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
A panicky feeling spread in Tyler’s blood. What if his brother said the exact same thing to Kate? What if he not only rescinded the VP offer, but flat out fired her for violating the company’s code of conduct?
He swallowed a mouthful of tea to give himself a second to think.
“What’s going to happen to Kate?” he asked.
“You don’t need to concern yourself with Kate right now,” Luke said. “You’re in enough trouble as it is. And I haven’t even talked to Dad yet.”
Oh fuck.
The past twenty-six years crashed over Tyler like a steamroller, flattening him to the ground. Pretty soon everyone in the whole damned family would know that Tyler had “messed with” Luke’s assistant. He could almost see them rolling their eyes and nodding their heads, because of course they’d known all along that he’d somehow manage to fuck up his job at the library.
He pushed his mug aside and got to his feet.
“You don’t have to fire me,” he told Luke. “And you don’t need to hash this out with Dad or anyone else. The only thing I’m asking is that you let Kate keep her job. She loves working at Sugar Rush. And you know you won’t find anyone better than her. Just…don’t hurt her, please. It was all my fault. You know me…can’t say no to a pretty girl, right?”
Luke’s expression darkened. “What do you want me to do then, man?”
“Nothing you haven’t done already.” Tyler held up his hands and backed toward the front door. “Let Kate do her job. Hire a new librarian. Because I quit.”
Luke frowned. “What about your paym
ents?”
Tyler shrugged. The deal had been that if he missed his payments to Sam Corrigan, he’d press charges. At first, that had been enough to get Tyler’s ass in gear. Now he didn’t much care.
“Guess I have to face the consequences,” he said. “About time, huh?”
Before his brother could respond, Tyler turned and left the house.
Kate was pretty sure that in all of history, no one had ever actually died of shame. But after spending the evening curled up in a ball on her sofa, she was getting close.
At least a million times, she reached for the phone to call Luke, but then the thought of talking to him and knowing what he knew had her throwing the phone against the sofa pillows.
Then there were the relentless questions burning through her mind. Should she quit? Would he fire her? Would he fire Tyler? Was her promotion in jeopardy? Would Luke tell Evan and his father what had happened? Would she be reported to HR?
Not to mention—what the hell had she been thinking?
She ignored a dozen calls from Tyler, but close to midnight, knowing the incident hadn’t been his fault, she texted him. I’ll talk to you later. Just need to be alone right now.
The next morning she hauled herself up and started to dress in one of her boxy old suits. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror—ratty hair, bags under her eyes, pale as a sheet—and frowned.
Was this what Tyler had done after he’d crashed the speedboat? No. He’d felt like an ass and he’d stumbled around before finding his footing, but in the end he’d buckled down to work. To fix his mistake.
“Grow the fuck up, Kate,” she snapped at her reflection. “You made a mistake. Own up to it. Don’t hide. You wanted to be noticed, right? Well, there you go. People will notice your successes as well as your failures, and you need to deal with it.”
After that little come-to-Jesus, she put on her tweed, wool Chanel suit and leather pumps. She pulled her hair into a smooth chignon, carefully applied makeup, and headed to the Sugar Rush campus with her head high and her heart beating like a drum.
She approached the reception desk. The receptionist looked up with her usual smile. For an instant, Kate was startled before remembering that no one else knew what had happened. Yet.
