He was an arm’s length from her. He studied the smoothness of her legs covered in tights. Her legs were perfect. Narrow, yet muscular, they disappeared under her skirt, tempting him to start at her calves and work his way upward.
One lean forward, one hand out and he could be touching that thigh. He could be sliding up that skirt, not stopping until he hit pay dirt. There was nothing to stop him from pushing whatever scrap of lace she was wearing aside and touch deep inside Candy.
“This is a fun question,” she chirped on cheerfully, unaware he was battling with the forces of good and evil.
Evil was pulling ahead by a nose, that was quickly lengthening into a mile.
“I like a lot of things about you, Jared. You’re a hard worker, you don’t gossip, you dress really well, and you’re intelligent.”
He barely heard her. He was moving. Leaning forward, edging closer and closer to her, until he could smell her scent.
She was wearing a light floral perfume, mixed with something berry, probably a lotion she’d rubbed on after her shower. It pulled him closer, drawing him in, his breath hitching in anticipation. He was there, just behind her, straining to control himself.
He was not going to touch. He wasn’t. He was just taking a better look.
Candy’s knee bent a little. Her skirt lifted. And he saw it. The edge of her stocking, and the little hook that connected it to the garter. Above the hook was a strap of lace, contrasting against the flash of golden peach skin next to it. He’d never known a woman to wear real honest-to-God garters if they weren’t intent on driving a man crazy with lust.
His breath caught and he tilted his head. His own legs were spread, and he was resting his hands between his knees as he bent down a little lower until he found what he was looking for.
A narrow, dark view up her skirt. His eyes trailed past the garter, past the creamy thigh above it to her panties. They were black lace, of course, and shifted a little to the right so that he had a clear shot of her curls covering her soft mound on one side.
“Jared?”
“Hmmm?” He licked his lips. His hands itched and jerked restlessly. There was no possible way he could stop looking. She was so beautiful and lushly feminine, and he wanted her the way he had never wanted another woman.
Candy twisted a little. “Where are you? What are you doing?”
He couldn’t see her face as she wiggled around. Swallowing hard, he kept his eyes trained right on her inner thighs. Unable to force a lie past his aching lips, he said in a low voice, “I’m looking up your skirt.”
“What?” Candy jerked forward, robbing him of his view. She hit the desk, then whirled around, half leaning, bending her legs in at the knees.
He didn’t say anything. There was really nothing good to say in a moment like this. An apology would probably be in order.
But hell, he could not truthfully regret one second. And she would know he was lying. The drool at the corner of his mouth would give him away.
Candy clutched her hand to her chest. She gaped at him. Then slowly, the tension eased out of her. Her hand fell back to her side and her eyes went wide.
The knees unbent. Her voice was fascinated. “Did… did you like what you saw?”
He sat back in his chair so hard it wobbled. “Oh, yeah.”
A delighted smile crossed her face. “What else do you like about me? You never did answer.”
Candy didn’t look angry with him. She looked intrigued. It made him even harder, if that were possible.
As he watched her, all blond and gorgeous, leaning against the desk with a speculative and pleased gleam in her eye, Jared found himself saying things he had never imagined he would ever say to a woman.
“I like your smile, and your laugh. And I like how you talk, like your sentences don’t know when to stop. You’re smart, sweet, and funny.”
To him, it sounded like the biggest load of crap he’d ever uttered in his life, even if it was all true. But Candy seemed to like it, if the softening expression on her face and the fluttering hand at her breast were any indication.
A little embarrassed, he added gruffly, “Anything else you want to know?”
“Yeah. Why hasn’t some woman snapped you up and run off with you?”
“I haven’t met a woman yet who thought she wanted to live with me.”
It had never bothered him either, not until now. The thought of his overpriced roomy condo didn’t please him for the first time since he had bought it.
“Where do you live?” she asked, crossing her legs and leaning back against the desk.
“I bought a place in the South Loop area.” If the chair had wheels he could shift it back away from Candy, but it was heavy and firmly in place. “What question are we on?”
The desire to get out of the room was back, tenfold. Another half an hour of this and he was going to be on his knees begging her to put him out of his misery.
“Oh.” She shook her head. “I don’t remember.”
She turned back around and he promised God he would call his mother every Sunday now until she died if Candy just wouldn’t bend over.
Candy stayed standing, but her backside was still tempting him, so he sat on his hands to keep them in place. He thrust his legs out to try and adjust the growing problem in his pants.
“Oh, we have to skip this next question.”
“Why?” Not that he cared or even needed to know.
Candy half turned and her hip jutted out towards him. His hands broke free and went screaming in her direction. He stopped them as they were seconds away from landing on her thighs just above the knees.
“It asks when was the first time we had sex and where.” She smiled at him, a naughty knowing smile that sent his blood pressure to dangerous levels.
He knew the answer to that question.
They were going to have sex. Now. In the boss’s office.
Candy watched strange things happen to Jared’s face. His eyes darkened, his breathing went shallow, and he looked like he was in pain.
One glance below his waist told her why. His erection was more than obvious. It had popped up like a Star Wars light saber.
A thrill raced through her that she had caused that. Jared was turned on by her. And whew, was she turned on by him.
“There’s another bonus romance tip after that question,” she told him, not bothering to wait for an answer since Jared looked beyond speech.
“Skip it,” he said, his voice harsh and raw.
“No, it could be fun.” She clicked on the screen. “It’s actually a video.”
Still a little giddy from the realization that Jared liked her smile, she stepped back away from the desk as the video clip loaded.
Her heel landed on Jared’s ankle, and she stumbled, fighting for balance. Shoot, she was going to fall down in an ungracious heap right in front of him.
Flailing her arms about like a misguided chicken, she felt Jared’s big hands land on her waist. Then down she went, landing on his lap with a solid thump. Right on his erection.
Lord, that thing was big. It was poking her square in the behind.
“Thanks,” she said breathlessly, knowing full well it wasn’t her graceless stumble that had her gasping for air.
An indistinguishable sound came from Jared’s mouth right behind her ear. Candy wiggled forward, intent on standing up, when the video caught her attention.
It was a couple naked in the bathtub, industriously lathering each other up. “Oh!” she said, as desire kicked her in the gut.
She went still on Jared’s lap, afraid to move, unsure what he wanted her to do. She knew what she wanted, and Jared’s lower half clearly wanted the same thing, but given the tension in his body, she wasn’t sure his brain agreed.
Her legs dangled between his, and she crossed her arms across her chest with painstakingly slow movements, determined not to wiggle. She could smell him, that heavy masculine scent of aftershave. She could hear him breathing. Feel the tight hardness of his muscles
beneath her.
His chest brushed against her back.
“What the hell?” Jared said, his hands on her waist tightening.
Those fingers of his were right at her waistband. One shift and he would be touching her skin where her blouse had pulled out of her skirt.
Leaning forward a little, Candy read the caption alongside the image. “A great way to relax and rediscover romance is with a long sensual bubble bath. Take the time to explore each other’s bodies with the added aphrodisiac of warm water and satiny bath gels.”
The pair onscreen did look relaxed. The woman was facing the man, sitting on his lap, and they were kissing, tongues entwined, and her wet breasts pushed up against his chest. The bubbles of the bath covered the major body parts, but it still served its purpose.
Making her crazy, wishing she could be wet and slippery with Jared.
The woman rocked up and down, making bubbly waves around them while Harold’s office filled with the sound of their panting.
“They seem to be enjoying themselves,” she said, unable to drag her eyes away.
Jared’s hands convulsed on her waist. She could swear that his erection was actually throbbing against her, making her want to turn around and beg that he push inside her. She wanted what that woman was getting.
“Candy, stand up.”
“What?” Disappointment rushed through her, and her mouth was wet and heavy with desire. “Why?”
“Because this isn’t right.” He gave her a not-so-gentle shove. “It’s wrong. We’re in Harold’s office.”
Despite her disappointment, the panic in his voice amused her. And his words thrilled her. She had known Jared would be different. Instead of just taking what he could get, he was holding back for the sake of decency.
Office propriety.
Which she had been about to toss out the window.
Candy suspected that Jared was waiting for someone too, just the way that she was. He was waiting for the one woman who would see beyond the body and the clothes and show interest in the man.
That woman was her, she decided. Whether it was for one day, one night, or something more, she didn’t know. But she wanted Jared, needed to feel him inside her. If not today, then soon. Very soon.
With great reluctance, she let him shove her forward until she was back on her feet. She turned and rested her knees against his, pushing her hair back off her face.
She had to ask. Wanted him to say it. “Do you want me, Jared?”
He nodded without hesitation. “Yes. I do. Since the day I met you.”
She shuddered, her body pulsing with need. “That’s something else I like about you, you know. I like that you like me, but haven’t done anything about it.”
Pressing forward, she spread her legs until one was on either side of his. “I want you to do something about it. Now.”
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t do anything. He just sat there, clenching his hands tightly on the arm of the chair, his jaw taut, his eyes tortured.
“Unless you want to hear question eleven instead.”
Candy wanted another kiss from him, and plans for a date. Until she got one of the two, she’d stand here in front of him all day and read the random and vague questions on Harold’s couples counseling.
Glancing over her shoulder, she said, “Question eleven. What’s your favorite smell?”
She was about to go into the scent of freshly cut grass, baking apple pies, and the ocean, when Jared spoke first.
“Sex and Candy. That’s what I want to smell.”
Have mercy.
Shocked, she whirled around to face him again, sure she’d heard him wrong. She clearly hadn’t. The expression of lust raging on his face showed her that he knew exactly what he had said. And meant it.
She went wet, wishing she weren’t standing with her legs so far apart. The hot, thrilling ache was unbearable.
She took back that very wish a split second later when Jared reached forward and placed a wide warm hand on each of her knees. Then he shoved the skirt all the way up to her waist, leaving her naked but for her panties a foot in front of his face.
His breath tickled her, and she arched her back, gripping the desk so she wouldn’t fall down. Her legs shook a little, and the only sound in the room was their combined ragged breathing.
Leaning in to hover in front of her panties, Jared closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. “Mmmm. I can smell it already.”
Candy knew she should be mortified, blushing eight shades of purple and leaping away from him. But the only thing she felt was desire, rushing hot and strong through every inch of her. She felt intensely feminine, in control, and powerful in a way she’d never experienced before.
As his nose brushed across her panties, Candy’s fingers found their way to his shoulders. She gripped his shirt, digging in with greedy and desperate need, tossing her head back on a soft moan. Jared took his time, languidly studying her, his thumbs tracing patterns above her knees on her stockings. Once or twice his breath hitched, but otherwise he was perfectly in control.
She was about to lose hers and whimper. Or beg. Or press forward so that his mouth would bump her right where she wanted him the most.
Then he spoke again, eyes still roving over her, fingers light and in no hurry. “Can I taste you, too?”
Are there bears in the woods?
“Oh, yes. Please.”
Candy’s eagerness came close to undoing him. Instead, he took a deep breath and moved his hands up Candy’s thighs, past the line of her stocking onto her smooth bare flesh. She was hot to the touch, the way his own body felt, and he couldn’t muzzle a groan from jerking out.
Damn, she was beautiful. Curvy and pink and his for the taking. Right now. The peek up her skirt he’d had earlier hadn’t done her justice. Now, laid all out before him, she looked and smelled delicious.
The floral of her perfume had melted with the musky scent of her desire, leaving him dry-mouthed and hornier than hell.
With one finger, he dragged the loose black lace away from her and over to the side, holding it in place there against her inner thigh muscle. Little sounds of encouragement rained down on his head, and her fingers dug into his shoulders, pinching his skin.
With another finger and thumb, Jared gently spread her folds apart, brushing her blond curls aside.
This time, he was the one who moaned. Damn, she looked so good. And wet. She was more than ready.
He brushed the tip of his tongue across her, closing his eyes against the heat and tangy taste. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he had been imagining this for weeks. It was better than he could ever have dreamed.
As was the lurch Candy gave, and the high-pitched cry that flew out of her mouth. He didn’t look up, just gave another long slow lick. This time her pleasure was muffled, and he guessed she’d remembered exactly where they were, and how thin Harold’s wood door was.
He moved again, faster, rhythmically crossing over her, sliding his tongue inside her, and pulling back again. He felt surrounded by her, enclosed by her thighs and her breasts hovering over his head. Her fingers pulled his shirt so hard it had jerked out of his pants as he tasted her, smelled her, loved her.
His tongue went deeper, his fingers pulled her panties harder to the side and with his other hand he cupped her ass. Her panties had slid into the crevice between her cheeks, and he tugged them back out slowly. He allowed his finger to explore along the path where the underwear had been, sliding along from behind until his finger had met up with his tongue, both pressing into her.
Candy bucked and writhed, way too close to ripping off an orgasm without him.
Wrenching his mouth and hand away, he took a deep breath and laughed softly at her startled curse. Getting to his feet, he licked the moisture of Candy’s body off his lips and smiled at her.
“I just remembered something.”
“What?” She panted, her eyes glazed. Candy was holding onto the desk for support now that he had stoo
d and taken his shoulders up out of her immediate reach.
“You said you like to be touched on your breasts. I should be doing that instead.”
Frustration was evident in the way she shook her head and said, “I liked what you were doing just fine.”
Jared put a hand on each breast and caressed her nipples through her blouse.
Candy’s eyes fluttered shut. “Or this is good too.”
He had to agree. Faster than he would have thought possible, he had the buttons on her white blouse undone and was reaching inside to cup her breasts.
She was wearing white lace, a startling contrast to the black panties. As he rolled her nipple beneath his finger, he said, “You rebel. Your bra and panties don’t match.”
Eyes half closed, she muttered, “I put the panties on first. Then realized I couldn’t wear a black bra with a white blouse.”
“So you’re not a rebel?” he teased, kicking her legs further apart so he could wedge his thigh in between hers.
“Doesn’t sex in my boss’s office make me a rebel?”
Jared pressed against Candy, annoyed to find her skirt had fallen back down to cover her. Her words fascinated him. It seemed obvious that’s where they were heading, but to hear her say it out loud was a huge turn-on.
“Is that what we’re doing? Having sex?”
“Sort of.”
Dragging her bra down to expose her full breast, Jared pulled the pink nipple into his mouth and sucked softly. “Nice and sweet.”
Candy’s hands landed on his head and she tugged on his hair.
He pulled back half an inch. “What should we do to make it more than sort-of sex?”
Then he trailed his tongue along the side of her breast as it popped over the edge of the lace bra. He forced himself to go slow, to stay in control, to not just rip every inch of her clothing off like he wanted to and sink into her softness.
A hand slithered down and caressed him through his pants, sending a jolt reverberating through every cell in his body. “Candy?”
“This is where you wanted to be touched, right?”
He nodded dumbly.
“Then I’ll touch you. And when I’m finished we can make it full sex by having you inside me.”
Hard Line Page 4
