“Yeah, you’re right.” Noah laughed.
Elaine Wolfe was Noah’s partner at Wolfe and Conley Law Offices. Although Noah had a huge financial stake in the company and wasn’t that bad of a lawyer either, Elaine started the firm and was clearly in charge. It didn’t bother Noah much, though. He and Elaine got along well and worked together seamlessly in running their firm, which had grown into one of the most successful firms in the D.C. area.
Wolfe and Conley employed almost a hundred lawyers and twice as many support staff. They took on all sorts of cases and were very financially stable in a very unstable market. Noah couldn’t have asked for a better business to run, and Rose was lucky to have a job offer from his firm.
Wolfe and Conley had monthly retainers with some of the biggest names on the east coast, including the current President of the United States, Matthew Storm and his wife. Other big name clients throughout the country included Theodore Stern from New York and LeBlanc Industries out of California. Noah had been pivotal in landing most of those clients, and he knew Elaine was appreciative of his friendly approach and ability to get retainers.
“I better get back to my friends and gather my winnings,” Rose said with a witty smile.
“You bet them I’d kiss you didn’t you?”
“Of course, I’m not turning down a free twenty bucks.”
“What if I wouldn’t have kissed you?” he protested.
“Well, we both know that would never have happened.” Rose stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Noah on the cheek before turning to head back to her friends. “I’ll see you tomorrow, boss.”
He just shook his head as Rose walked away. Admittedly, Noah hadn’t thought about the ramifications of being Rose’s boss when he helped her get the first year lawyer position at his office. He had been excited that she would be working with him, and he would get to see her every day. He hadn’t thought about what it would be like to have the woman you lusted after walking around in your office every single day.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Ava exclaimed as Rose returned to her group of friends.
“He’s her new boss,” Elsa said.
“Shit, that’s one smoking new boss. And how’d you get him to kiss you?” Ava asked.
“Long story; let’s get some dancing done.” Rose grabbed her friends and pulled them out onto the dance floor.
She couldn’t help looking over at Noah as she started to move to the music. Noah Conley was a very kind man, and in any other circumstance, Rose would have loved to have been with him, but she wasn’t in any sort of mind to have a boyfriend. Rose liked her fun boy toys but wasn’t interested in anything more. At least she would get to work with Noah though; she would know one person at her new office, and that would help her transition to the new world of working.
But Rose wasn’t sure she was really ready yet for work. She wanted to be ready. Rose wanted something to keep her busy during the days and certainly needed a job and some consistent money coming in, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for the stress of being a first-year lawyer at such a big law firm.
The way Noah looked at her gave Rose the chills as she continued to dance. Not in a weird way, but he had a powerful stare, and she knew he wanted her. If it were any other man, she would have offered to take him home, but not Noah. Nothing would ever happen between her and Noah; it just couldn’t happen. He was a friend and now her boss—Noah Conley could never be more than that.
The alcohol had taken effect, and Rose was ready to dance the rest of the night away. At least on the dance floor she didn’t have to talk to her friends, and she was moving, using up as much energy as she could so she didn’t have to think about her life. She always liked to stay moving to keep her mind from slowing down enough to reflect on her life. Rose hated to think about her own existence, it depressed her.
She had the perfect life before the tragedy hit. She had married her college sweetheart and followed him to Washington D.C. as he started working at a local law firm. Life was good for them. Derek and Rose had been the life of the party throughout the town. Always getting invited to the top parties, never turning down a chance to have fun and travel, Derek was a daredevil and loved to do things that got his adrenaline going. Rose never tried to stop him, but she certainly was nervous to see his great escapades. She hadn’t loved the adrenaline as much as Derek had, but she was starting to understand the appeal of it now that he was gone.
Rose and Derek had traveled to faraway places, jumped out of airplanes, and did other crazy life-defying things. But it wasn’t one of those things that ended Derek’s life; no, it was much more horrible. Derek had simply died from walking across the street and being struck by a driver who wasn’t paying attention. Rose hated the lack of meaning in his death. He hadn’t even been doing something he loved. She couldn’t understand why something so random would happen and take her whole life away from her. That single car had ruined the seventy years she had planned ahead of her.
With Derek gone, Rose couldn’t plan to be a mother. She couldn’t think about growing old with the man of her dreams. Everything she had thought that her life would be was taken away in that single moment of time.
Even five years later, she still couldn’t wrap her brain around the randomness of Derek’s accident. Rose needed explanations, she needed reasons, and she didn’t have any for the death of her husband. There was no rhyme or reason to why Derek died, and that haunted Rose more than him even being gone. If he had died doing something she loved, Rose told herself she would have been okay with it. But by dying in an accident, Derek’s life seemed very unfinished.
Hours and hours went by as the four women took turns dancing and then drinking. This was their norm for a Saturday afternoon, except Rose usually found herself a nice guy to take home with her. She glanced at her watch and noticed it was already after 10 o’clock, and she needed to get home. Bronx should be there waiting for her, and she was eager to play with him.
“Sorry girls, I need to get going,” Rose said as she hugged Elsa.
“It’s that guy from the zip lining isn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?” Rose answered.
“You’re meeting him for drinks or something, aren’t you?”
“Not for drinks.” Rose flashed a wicked grin.
Elsa knew exactly what Rose meant and didn’t push the conversation further. As much as she hated that Rose never talked to her, Elsa didn’t feel like it was her place to judge Rose for the men she brought home. Her friend was hurting, and if being with a man for the night helped with the hurt, Elsa wasn’t going to raise any big objections.
“Well, then you better get going,” Elsa said as she squeezed her friend in an embrace. “You can always come over tomorrow, you know. We are having a picnic with the family.”
“Oh, you know me. I’ll be busy getting ready for the new job.”
“Take care, darling.”
Rose gave the other girls each a hug and made her way out to the front of the club to grab a cab. She felt the energy building as she got in the cab and drove away toward her home. As she got closer to her house, Rose could feel her heart pounding with anticipation. There was no doubt in her mind that Bronx would still be waiting for her, even though it was well past 10 o’clock. When she finally arrived at her apartment, he would be waiting for her; she knew it.
The elevator opened up onto the seventh floor, and Rose saw Bronx sitting in a chair outside of her apartment. He was texting on his cell phone and instantly stopped as Rose walked out of the elevator. His eyes lit up with desire, and he scanned her body from her feet all the way up to her face.
“I thought you forgot about me?” Bronx said with a grin.
“Oh, no. I’ve been thinking about you all night.”
Rose didn’t waste any time. She slid her key into the door and pulled Bronx into her apartment. She grabbed at his shirt and pulled it up and over his head before pausing to admire his firmly built chest. He obviously took th
e time to work out, but he didn’t look like the kind of guy who worked out at the gym. Perhaps his friends at the zip lining facility let him use the ropes as his workout? But it didn’t matter to Rose—she only had one thing in mind, and his body would do absolutely fine for what she needed him for.
Her hands moved to the button of his pants again, but this time, Bronx let her continue. There was no way he was going to stop what was about to happen with one of the sexiest women he had ever met. He let her unbutton his pants.
Chapter 3
“You are so damn sexy,” Bronx whispered as he kissed Rose.
They made their way slowly to the bedroom as Rose threw off his clothes, and he started to take off hers. His hands lingered on her skin, and he slid them up her back and unhooked her bra. Soon, his lips started to move down her neck, and he grabbed her hands and held them down to her side. He was trying to exercise a little control over her, and Rose let him.
Rose knew that even younger men wanted to feel like they were in control in the bedroom. She had worked her magic to get him to her door; she was willing to let go of her domination over Bronx and allow him to be in charge for a little bit. But only for a little bit—she was more than ready to take charge again as soon as things weren’t going her way.
Bronx was not the kind of guy who let the woman be in charge in the bedroom, Rose could tell that. He was the player; he was the one who found girls at clubs and brought them home, but this woman was different. She was dangerous and sexy, and he hadn’t stopped thinking about her since she left the zip lining facility.
There was something about Rose that had driven Bronx mad while he thought about her. He normally wouldn’t have bothered to meet a woman at some random location just because she asked him. But he had arrived at Rose’s house early and waited for her. He hadn’t even thought about leaving; he had been prepared to wait for her.
“What’s your name?” Bronx asked.
Rose couldn’t help laughing. He had shown up at her apartment and didn’t even know her name. Damn she loved the power she had over men when she wanted them. The desire was purely evident in the throbbing of Bronx’s cock, and she couldn’t wait to feel his hands on every inch of her naked body. It was going to be one hell of a fun night. She decided to humor him and give Bronx her name.
“Rose,” she whispered as her mouth moved to his ear and she bit lightly on his earlobe. “Now, show me what those muscles of yours can do.”
Bronx didn’t hesitate and lifted Rose up against the wall as he took one of her nipples into his mouth. She let out a moan of ecstasy at the touch of his lips. They were warm and firm, and the desire flowed through her body quickly. She began to think that she wasn’t going to mind letting Bronx take a little control over their evening.
Rose felt Bronx move his fingers up the inside of her thigh as he held her against the wall. She was spread open for him and at least four inches in the air, so there was no stopping his fingers as they made their way to her center. She closed her eyes as the anticipation of his touch rushed through her body.
His lips latched onto her nipple and pulled it in harder as he slid his fingers inside of her. Again, she moaned out in bliss at his touch. This was how she liked to spend her time; nothing about the past mattered at all. Only the pleasure that she and Bronx were going to give each other. Rose only wished she could fill every moment of every day so she never had to think about what her life used to be like.
His fingers moved with her body expertly, and she found herself building up with each curl of movement. Bronx was definitely skilled at maneuvering a woman’s body, and that was a welcome surprise. Rose closed her eyes and let the wave move over her body as she gave in to the physical joy that it craved so desperately. It was odd to her how much she craved physical closeness with men, yet she hated the idea of any sort of real relationship at all.
Bronx didn’t waste any time, though, and he quickly carried her over to the bed and threw her roughly down onto her thousand thread count black sheets. His hands grabbed firmly onto her inner thighs and thrust them apart as he stared down at her. The mischievous smile that spread across his face was delightful, and Rose couldn’t wait to enjoy more of him.
She was exposed. More exposed than she liked to be, but his muscular hands were no match for her as she lay there looking at him. The desire practically dripped off of his cock as it pulsed up and down, and Rose prepared herself to have him thrusting on top of her. She wanted Bronx inside of her. Every muscle in her body tensed up with anticipation, and she could hardly lay still as she watched him stand over her.
“Nightstand,” she said breathlessly as she motioned with her eyes.
Bronx reached in with one hand, pulled out a long strip of condoms and threw them on the bed next to Rose. She couldn’t help laughing at his cheeky grin. He obviously thought he was staying much longer than Rose planned for him to be in her bed, but she wasn’t going to ruin his anticipation.
“That should be enough,” he joked.
She rolled her eyes at his humor. It was so fun to have a guy with confidence in bed with her. She liked that she could hold such power over a man who undoubtedly got every woman he went after. It was empowering to her when she realized how much control she could hold over a man who normally held the control.
“I should hope so.”
He continued to hold her thighs apart, and Rose started to get uncomfortable. He was making her feel vulnerable, and she absolutely wasn’t going to have any more of it. She licked her lips as she looked at his pulsing member and then slowly let her eyes run up to meet his. Rose wanted to taste him; she wanted to feel in control again, and at that moment, Bronx had all the control.
He kneeled onto the bed and then started to kiss her toes. Rose couldn’t help rolling her eyes at the move. Didn’t he know she was a sure thing? He didn’t have to try and seduce her with all the kissing. He just needed to bring her some orgasms.
Slowly, oh so painfully slowly, Bronx made his way up her legs and to her center. She gave into his touch and wrapped her fingers in the sheets as the sweet feeling of his tongue moved on her. He was insistent on making her cum again, and Rose wasn’t going to argue. She let herself be in the moment, feeling every flick and move he made until her muscles started to tighten and she felt the rising of her orgasm take over her body.
As she released, Rose used her feet and pressed Bronx away from her and back onto the bed. She reached over, ripped open a condom and slid it over him as her green eyes looked up at his smiling face.
The way he looked at her with a cocky grin that filled his face, it was cute as hell. She smiled up at him as she straddled his member and let him slide inside of her. Their bodies worked well together—his hands holding her hips as she moved, and his pelvis thrusting up inside of her.
Within a few minutes, they were both covered in sweat. Bronx grabbed her and turned her over onto the bed so he could be in control again. She could tell that was where he liked to be, which was alright with Rose as long as he continued to keep the pleasure coming.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as his body descended closely on top of hers.
He let his hand play with her hair as he held himself up on the other arm. Rose grabbed his biceps and wrapped her fingers around them. Bronx was a well-built man, and handsome as hell; it was too bad she would never see him again.
“Thank you,” Rose softly answered him.
“Why me? Out of all the guys in this city, why’d you choose me?”
“You rescued me. I’m a sucker for a hero.”
Rose pulled Bronx toward her and kissed him roughly as she thrust her pelvis toward him. She was done talking, and it was time for him to get back to work.
Bronx moved firmly into her, each thrust bringing pleasure that Rose needed. She had become so use to having a boy toy around on the weekends, it was her favorite way to unwind. His movements came harder and harder, and he stopped kissing her so he could concentrate on his own pleasur
e.
Rose smiled as she watched his face change from pleasure to that familiar look of pain. A man’s body always went through a little pain as the buildup of explosion tortured them. Rose enjoyed that look so much. She enjoyed a lot of things about men in her bed, but the tortured look before an orgasm was one of her favorites.
Harder and harder his thrusts pulsed through her body, and she urged him on with her hips. More. Faster. She wanted to feel his final thrust as his body gave in to the seductive powers she had over him.
“Oh, fuck!” Bronx screamed out as he released his body.
Rose latched onto him and gave him a few more thrusts of her hips before pulling his body down on top of hers.
One, two, three …
She counted in her head up to one hundred before gently sliding him off of her and climbing out of the bed. She grabbed a silk robe that was hanging off the edge of the bed and wrapped it around her slim body before she turned back to look at Bronx.
His deliciously tan body was spread out on her bed in exhaustion from his efforts. Damn, he was fun to play with, but Rose had rules. They were rules she had put into place to ensure nothing got messy or out of hand for her. They were rules she had to make to ensure she didn’t become attached to one of her delicious play toys. But they were rules she sometimes wanted to break.
“Feel free to grab yourself a drink from the fridge if you’d like before you leave,” Rose said as she climbed back into the bed and gave Bronx a soft kiss. “I’m hopping in the shower. It was fun.
The look of total shock on Bronx’s face was another of the things she had come to really enjoy seeing. The men she invited to her house never expected that she was going to kick them out after making love to them. Most of the men were hot enough that they probably had never been kicked out of a woman’s bed in their entire life. But it gave Rose power to control when they came to her and when they left. If she had the power, then she didn’t have to worry about things getting out of control.
Mine to Protect Page 43
