I snorted a laugh. “But you thought it would be fine in front of my boss? You really are a crazy ol’ lady, Eddy. You know that?”
She put one finger to her lips. “You’ve figured me out, but don’t go spreading that around.”
I didn’t think it was as much of a secret as Eddy thought, but I locked my lips and tossed away the key just to ease her mind. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Perfect. Now tell me what you really think of my—” She held up a finger as a phone rang in the distance, with a classical song that played. And played. “That’s me. Be right back.” Eddy took off at a pace far too fast for her age and I shook my head with a smile, hoping I’d have as much energy when I was her age.
Dinner had gone well, at least as far as I was concerned. It was a little strange to be invited to the boss’s family home for dinner, but I was learning very quickly that Tulip was unlike any other place I’d ever lived. My thoughts went in a variety of directions while I cleaned the dishes, steadfastly avoiding all six-foot-tall, green-eyed distractions.
“Need some help?” I knew that voice well. Better than anyone else’s in town, and I froze at his question.
“I’ve got it, thanks.” My gaze remained on the soapy water until Scott was gone. Or until I thought he was.
“You can’t do all the dishes by yourself.”
“Why not? I’m the one who offered.”
Scott took the plate from my hand and picked up the towel. “And now, I’m offering to replace my grandma.”
“Whether I want you to or not?” I tried to take a step back but there was no place to go, unless I wanted to jump into the oversized roasting pan to hide. Which I kind of did.
“Didn’t realize my help was such a burden,” he said, a smile curling his lips despite the fake outrage in his tone.
“Did I say that? Because I’m pretty sure I said, ‘I’ve got it,’ as in I don’t need any help. I’m not a doctor, but I have done dishes before. Have you?”
One blonde brow arched in surprise. “Does Eddy seem like the kind of woman who’d let me reach this age without doing dishes?”
“Maybe not, but that was ages ago, when you were a kid.” Why was this so much fun and why on earth was my heart racing like I was doing CrossFit? I was exhilarated, I realized. Verbally sparring with Scott was fun and exciting. Thrilling, even. Which spelled trouble.
He plucked another plate from my hand. “Like riding a bike. See?” Scott made a big show out of drying the plate and putting it away. “Hit me with another.”
“Don’t tempt me,” I grumbled and looked up at him, which was a big mistake because his deep green gaze ensnared my own and I was transfixed. Unable to move, because his gaze held me so steadily. The moment was charged, as electricity arced back and forth between us. This was one of those moments people always talked about, but that I had dismissed because I’d never experienced them before. But this was a whole new beast that I didn’t understand, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to.
“You wouldn’t dare.” His grin teased and I felt it all the way down to my knees, leaning against the sink to keep myself upright.
“I might,” I told him with a cheeky grin that slowly faded as the look in his eyes darkened with heat that could have been desire. He looked like he wanted to kiss me, which was bad news because in that moment I was pretty sure I would let him. Then, the sound of a camera drew my attention.
Scott groaned. “Janey, what the hell?”
“What?” The question came out far too innocent, and I’d only known Janey for a few days. “You’re a Hometown Hero and I don’t have nearly enough pictures of you.”
“Janey,” he growled.
“Ugh, fine.” She rolled her eyes at Scott, treating him more like an annoying sibling than a man she was crushing on, which was even more interesting than his growl. “Damn, that’s a good shot, though. Really hot, too.” She looked up and winked at me before she waved and left us alone. Again.
“What was that about?”
He shook his head. “You don’t want to know. Believe me.”
“Now I feel like I need to know, and since we have all the pots and pans to wash, get to talking, Scotty.”
He glared at my use of his dreaded nickname but when I handed him another dish, he dried it. And got to talking, the almost-kiss nothing but a memory.
Scott
I wasn’t normally much of a drinker. Sure, I enjoyed a few beers during trivia night at Black Thumb or just hanging out with the guys, but I wasn’t one to sit around and drink by myself. Until today, apparently. After a dinner that felt far too long for my liking, I made my way home and realized I had nothing to do.
Thanks to Stevie, there was no longer after-hours work required. There were no invoices to send off, no files to catch up on, and no bills to pay, because she took care of it. All of it. Having Stevie in the office made my job and my life easier, which I appreciated. But her words from dinner kept playing in my head. He doesn’t want or need an assistant. Did she still really believe that?
I guess I hadn’t done much to make her feel welcome after officially hiring her. Except kissing the hell out of her on the side of the road and almost kissing her in my grandma’s kitchen. I especially couldn’t stop thinking about that moment in Eddy’s kitchen. That almost moment, where I’d been thinking about kissing her and she was seriously considering letting me. Stevie was too tough, too independent to ever admit it, but those violet eyes didn’t lie. Even now, I regretted that I hadn’t leaned in and brushed my lips against hers to see if they were as soft and plump as I remembered.
But I couldn’t. Not because I didn’t want to, because every passing day made me want to kiss her more and more, but it was all wrong. The timing was wrong. The woman was wrong. Everything was just… wrong. If I started anything with Stevie, she and Eddy might get the wrong idea, and I was in no place to enter into a romantic relationship right now. Something casual and fun? Absolutely. But my clinic was still fairly new, and I needed to build up my business and my reputation with the farmers and ranchers in the area who hadn’t known me since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. The mortgage on the office and the property, which I hoped to turn into a rescue or sanctuary in the future, was in its infancy, and all of that was my priority at the moment, not a woman. Not even Stevie.
And even if I was in the market for a relationship, it couldn’t be with an employee. No matter how enticing she was. No matter how well she filled out a pair of jeans.
Thankfully, Hershey chose that moment to scratch at the back door, our agreed-upon signal when he needed a visit to the tree out back. “I’m comin’, boy.” He was just the distraction I needed before my thoughts and my drinking grew out of control. Instead, I focused on the unusually warm night, the clear midnight-blue sky, and the warm air that rustled the trees. It was a beautiful night and I was drinking.
Alone.
“Hershey boy, come on!” I let out a low whistle and looked around at his favorite spots, starting with the big oak behind the house. “Where are you, Hershey?” I whistled again and there was nothing, no sounds of his puppy panting or whining, no overturned flowerpots or any other indication of a boisterous puppy. About halfway between my house and the guest cottage, I heard feminine giggling. “Hershey?”
The dog was in an enviable position on Stevie’s lap with his belly exposed as a soft hand gave him all the rubs he could handle. The puppy was in heaven and I couldn’t say I blamed him one bit. “You’re just a little slut for the belly rubs, aren’t you, boy?”
“Pretty sure you can’t call a puppy a slut. Can you?”
The sound of my voice startled Stevie, but only for a moment. She recovered quickly and sent a shy smile my way. “He doesn’t care what I call him as long as the rubs don’t stop. Isn’t that right, Hersh?”
The pup barked and turned so he could put his front paws on her shoulders, almost like he was giving her a hug. And then he did exactly what I’d wanted to do earlier—ki
ss the hell out of that lush pink mouth. “I guess you made an impression.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around Hershey’s little body that appeared much bigger beside her before she stood and wiped away the dirt and grass stuck to her. “The way to a man’s heart is apparently belly rubs.”
I barely registered her words—the sight of Stevie in sexy, lightweight cotton shorts that showed off miles of legs, and another tattoo, was about all my brain had the capacity to focus on. The lavender shorts and tank looked like pajamas, which only made me want to peek even closer, to see if the dark outline of her nipples was pink or brown. The tank top was just short enough to reveal an inch-wide swath of pale skin and belly button at her waist, and everything fitted so perfectly I could see every dip and curve of her body. And, just like that, all my good intentions flew out the window.
I wanted Stevie. Bad.
“This has been scintillating conversation, Scott. Really.” She patted my shoulder and moved to walk around me, but I grabbed her wrist and pulled her flush against me. “Uh, what are you doing?”
“Something really stupid that I guarantee we’ll both enjoy.” My mouth crashed down on hers in a storm of lips and tongue and teeth. I was like a man possessed, tasting every inch of her mouth until my blood boiled and my whole body was tense. Hard. Throbbing.
I thought Stevie might put up a token protest if for no other reason than to maintain her tough-girl image; instead, she shocked me by melting into my embrace and wrapping her arms around my neck. When her capable fingertips brushed the hair at the nape of my neck, a shiver shot through me. The kiss went on and on, right there on the small patch of grass outside of Stevie’s cottage with nothing but the moon and Hershey watching us.
My hands roamed, touching every bit of her they’d longed to since she’d landed in my office. Uninvited. Now, though, that seemed so long ago and I couldn’t seem to remember why I had objected so much, especially with the soft dip of her hips nestled perfectly in the cup of my hand and the way her ass was made exactly for these hands. Up and down her petite frame, my hands glided and explored until it was all memorized.
Stevie pulled back with a gasp, wide eyed and panting. “What… what was that?”
My heart thundered as rapidly as the pulse at the base of her neck, which I found fascinating. A wide smile lit my face, and Stevie’s lit in response. “That was a damn fine start, Stevie.” And because I couldn’t help myself, my lips found hers again, this time plundering until her hands tightened around my shoulder and her soft breasts were smashed up against my chest, the sound of her heartbeat merged with my own.
Then, Stevie was airborne, flying through the air until we were face to face and her legs wrapped around my waist. “Much better,” she said on a breathless smile and then dove in for another kiss that was hotter and more out of control than the previous two.
My feet began to move toward the open entry to the cottage, my body already decided on the outcome. I hesitated at the door, giving Stevie a chance to tell me to get lost in her own special way and when her fingers wrapped around my hair, I had my answer. With her petite frame in my arms, I was no longer able to control my need for her. As soon as the door slammed shut behind us, she slid down my body and I removed her clothes and stared. “Shit, Stevie.”
She grinned at me even as a pleased blush stained her cheeks, and wiggled her hips. “Thanks, but I think one of us is now a tad overdressed.” Her gaze slid over my body as if she was already imagining me naked, and that heated look in her violet eyes turned my blood to fire and my cock to stone. Stevie closed the small space between us and let her hands slide up my chest and over my shoulders before they went down my back, squeezing my ass.
“Stevie,” I groaned but she only laughed as her hands made quick work of my clothes, undressing me until I stood before her in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs.
“I approve, Scotty. I definitely approve.” The teasing smile on her lush lips, or maybe her cheeky use of my nickname, was what finally sapped the last of my willpower because I had her in my arms, my mouth searing her flesh with fiery kisses and soothing them with my tongue. “Yes!”
That was exactly the level of enthusiasm I was hoping for and I kept it up, letting the sounds of her pleasure guide me as I lowered us to the bed and devoured her mouth. It was like someone cranked up the heat in the cottage—suddenly, we were slicked with sweat, limbs moving frantically like it was some kind of race. “Slow down.”
Stevie froze and looked down at me, licking her lips slowly. “Why, when fast is so much more fun?”
I couldn’t deny that, but still, if she kept moving her hands the way she was and grinding against me, this would be over before it even got going. My hands went to her hips to slow them and she let out a sexy little pout that only made harder, made me want her more. “I agree,” I told her and flipped us so I was on top of her, my weight pressing her into the mattress, my cock nestled in the cradle of her thighs. “Yeah, that’s better.”
“Much,” she groaned and wiggled her hips, bucking up into me. “Feel free to get moving.”
My lips twitched in amusement, but there was nothing funny about the way she tempted me beyond all reason. I teased her for several long minutes, kissing her neck while my fingers tested the sweet damp heat between her thighs. Stevie was ready, and knowing she wanted this so badly made me want her even more. “I will.” Eventually.
Watching Stevie squirm with unsated desire was like watching live erotica, the way her tits jiggled every time she tried to urge me to move, the way her scent wafted between us as I stroked her. “Scott, please.”
The sound of that particular word coming from her mouth was what finally pushed me over the edge. I shifted back, cock in my hand, and stroked it while I looked down at her and inhaled the scent of her arousal. “Please?”
She nodded. “Please. Now, please.” Stevie flashed a cheeky grin and reached between us to wrap her fingers around my cock. “Please.” I let her guide me in, because I was powerless to do anything else with her hand on me, sliding me slowly into her body.
“Oh, fuck!”
“Yeah, that’s better,” she growled and arched into me, digging her heels into my ass.
I smiled—Stevie was a talker, but very few words were said after that point. We came together in a firestorm of grunts and moans, arms and legs, bodies smacking together as we chased down pleasure, hard and fast, until we were both sated and happy, maybe a little delirious from our encounter. “Wow.” I looked over at Stevie, surprise and maybe even a little bit of wonder on my face. “That was… incredible.”
“No kidding,” she agreed with a breathless laugh. “It was definitely a ‘wow.’”
She was wrong. It wasn’t just a ‘wow’ kind of thing, it was more than that. So much more than that. It wasn’t just good or erotic or hot as fuck, it was something else, something I couldn’t quite name, almost as if the word or emotion was just out of my reach. It was a scary feeling and I didn’t want to ruin the moment, the afterglow, by thinking about it.
So I turned to Stevie with a wicked smile on my face. “Maybe we ought to do that again, just to make sure it was wow.”
Stevie looked at me seriously and then a husky laugh erupted from her, making her tits jiggle beautifully. I leaned forward and pulled a hard, raspberry-tipped nipple into my mouth, getting her revved up for round two.
Stevie
Waking up the morning after you’ve had the most reinvigorating sex of your life feels like waking up… reborn. I know how it sounds, all sappy and cheesy and over-the-top poetic, but it was true. Maybe it was because I hadn’t had sex in more than a year, maybe longer, but after a while you kind of just stop counting. Or, maybe, it was the man. Scott was an incredible lover, the kind who went out of his way to make sure you were completely satisfied before he looked after his own pleasure. And last night, he’d done a damn good job of looking after my pleasure, so I returned the favor. Happily.
But it was
time to push all thoughts of sexy time out of my mind and get to work, so I unfolded my sore muscles from the rumpled bed sheets and took a quick shower, as hot as I could stand it until the scent of Scott was no longer on my skin. Then I got dressed, put on a cup of coffee courtesy of the one-cup pot that was in the cottage when I arrived, and was out the door with fifteen minutes to spare.
The office was quiet, which meant Scott hadn’t left my bed to get into the office early. That meant he’d just left. And that was just fine with me. I wasn’t well-versed in morning-after etiquette, and I’d rather not embarrass myself in front of him. Or anyone. That made things easier for me, actually, because now I didn’t have to worry about what last night meant. Was it the start of something, or just a one-time thing? The answer was clear.
And that clarity put a pep in my step—or maybe it was the four orgasms from last night. Either way, I moved about the office with purpose, full of energy and efficiency. When the first appointments began to arrive, I slapped on a professional smile and played the role of dutiful assistant to a tee.
“All set, Elka?” The strawberry blonde was about twenty months pregnant, with a small brown bunny tucked under her arm.
“Yep. Scott says he’s all clear. Just a small case of getting more than he bargained for, when he went snooping in the woods behind the house.” Her laugh was pretty and feminine, just like the woman—a stark contrast to the tall, dark, and brooding man waiting for her by the door.
“Awesome. I’ll put the bill in the mail. Enjoy the rest of your day.” She gave me a short wave and waddled out of the office to greet her man with a kiss hot enough to make me blush, even through the thick window.
Lunch came and went, but both Scott and I were too swamped to even stop for food, so when Eddy showed up with two greasy bags from Big Mama’s, I was happy to see her. Mostly. “Hello, Stevie. How are you today, dear?”
I smiled and looked up at her as if nothing at all was wrong, because nothing was wrong, despite the gorgeous blonde standing beside her with a chihuahua pup in her arms. Actually, it was in a small leather cage. Or maybe it was a purse. “I’m good, Eddy. What brings you by?”
Hero Boss: An Alpha Male Office Romance Page 8
