by Ramona Gray
“Yes,” he said before trailing a path of wet kisses down her throat.
He moved with short, hard thrusts as they kissed with frantic need. He sucked at her lower lip, worrying it with his teeth, as her soft gasps grew louder.
“Quiet, Katie,” he growled against her mouth.
“I’m trying,” she muttered.
He gave her a cocky grin before thrusting harder. Each stroke sent a delicious wave of pleasure through her body and she clung helplessly to him as he moved in and out of her.
“Fuck, you feel so good, Katie,” he whispered into her ear. He thrust repeatedly as she made low whimpers of pleasure.
“I’m going to come,” she gasped into his ear.
“Yes,” he groaned. “Fuck, yes. Come all over my cock, Katie.”
His hot words, his hard cock ramming into her, sent her over the edge and she buried her face in his neck to muffle her loud cry of pleasure. He groaned and plunged twice more before stiffening and pinning her against the wall as his big body trembled. His groan of pleasure was very loud in the small space and she slapped her hand over his mouth in a frantic bid to stifle it.
He kissed her palm and she dropped her hand before giving him a look of disapproval. “You weren’t quiet, Edward.”
“Your fault,” he said cheerfully. “Do you have any idea how tight your pussy gets when you’re coming?”
She blushed and he laughed before easing out of her and setting her on her feet. They hurriedly pulled on their discarded clothing and she smoothed her hair before giving him a self-conscious look.
“How do I look?”
“Like you’ve just been fucked.”
“Edward!”
He grinned at her and pressed a kiss against her mouth. “Your lips are red and swollen, you have marks on your neck from my stubble and your cheeks are adorably flushed. Sorry, Katie-did, but it’s the truth. You should probably stay in your office for a little while.”
“I need to use the ladies room,” she protested.
“Keep your head down and don’t stop to chat to anyone,” he suggested with a wicked grin as he opened the door to her office.
“Very helpful, Edward,” she grumbled as she slid by him. He grabbed her ass and squeezed it and she jumped and slapped him lightly on the chest before marching out of the office.
“Hands to yourself from this moment on, Mr. Turner. We’re very lucky we didn’t get caught by…”
She trailed off and Edward touched her back lightly as he followed her into his office. “Kate, what’s wrong?”
“Hello, Edward!”
Beside him, Kate made a small gasp of dismay and he took a step away from her as he forced a smile to his face.
“Tory, what – what are you doing here?”
“Your mom told me you were in the city and I had an appointment a few blocks away. I thought I would stop in and see if you wanted to have lunch. Alison sent me back to your office. I didn’t mean to,” she paused and he could feel his cheeks turning red, “interrupt your meeting.”
“Oh, um…”
Tory grinned like a maniac at him before holding out her hand to Kate. “Hi, you’re Kate right?”
“Yes,” Kate said faintly. “It’s nice to see you again, Tory.”
“It’s lovely to see you too.”
“We’re short-staffed here in New York so I flew Kate in to help me with some, um, work stuff,” Edward said.
“How nice,” Tory said. She was still grinning at him and he knew without a doubt that she had heard them in Kate’s office. His cheeks flushed again and Tory’s grin widened before she turned back to Kate.
“Have you been to New York before, Kate?”
“Uh, no, first time.” Kate was studying the carpet in the office with great interest and Edward silently applauded her when she raised her head and smiled at Tory.
“How nice. I only come to the city for business or to visit Edward when he’s in town, I kind of hate how crowded and noisy it is, but I know a lot of people love the crazy vibe here.”
She paused before giving Edward a look of disapproval. “Jason had to find out from mom that you were here, why didn’t you call us?”
“It’s been busy,” Edward said apologetically. “I’m only here until tomorrow so I figured I’d catch up with you the next time I’m here.”
“Well, lucky for you, your mom has arranged for us to all have dinner tonight. You’re supposed to be there promptly at six.”
At Kate’s look of confusion, Tory raised her eyebrows at Edward. “Didn’t you tell Kate I was engaged to your brother?”
Edward shook his head as Kate said, “Oh, uh, congratulations.”
“Thank you, Kate,” Tory said. “So, we’ll see you at six, Edward?”
“I have plans already,” Edward said. “I told mom I wouldn’t have a chance to see her on this visit.”
Tory laughed. “You know your mom - she won’t take no for an answer. Jason and I had plans this evening too and we had to change them. What plans do you have for tonight? Maybe your mom can work around it.”
“Well,” Edward glanced quickly at Kate, “today is Kate’s birthday and since it’s my fault she’s away from family and friends on her birthday, I’m taking her out for supper.”
“Not a problem,” Tory said. “Kate can come for dinner with us.”
“Oh no,” Kate said, “I can’t intrude on a family dinner. Edward, go for dinner with your family – I can grab a bite at the restaurant at the hotel.”
Edward shook his head stubbornly. “No, I’m not leaving you alone on your birthday.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I don’t mind.”
“No,” Edward repeated.
Tory, an impish grin on her face, said, “This is easily solved by having Kate join us for dinner, Edward.”
“Kate does not want to hang out with my entire family on her birthday. It’s one thing to subject us to Mom’s grilling about our personal lives but why would we force that on her?”
“It’ll be fine,” Tory said airily. “Kate, you must come for dinner. Mom’s motto is ‘the more the merrier’, and I know she’d love to meet Edward’s,” she paused, “assistant. And Edward, you know that mom will never forgive you if you don’t come for dinner tonight. If you don’t bring Kate with you, I’ll tell her how you left her alone on her birthday in a strange city. What do you think she’ll say to you then?”
Edward visibly shuddered and Tory laughed again. “We’ll see you both at six. Edward, we’ll have lunch the next time you’re in town. Take Kate out – it’s her birthday.”
She squeezed Kate’s arm. “Happy Birthday, Kate. And don’t worry – our family isn’t nearly as bad as Edward is making it sound.”
She kissed Edward on the cheek and left the office as Edward and Kate stared blankly at each other.
“I’m sorry, Kate.” Edward grimaced and rubbed his hand across his face.
“She heard us, Edward,” Kate said miserably. “You know she did.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine! She – she’s Tabitha’s sister and she’s engaged to your brother! What if she says something to your family?”
“She won’t say anything.”
Kate rubbed at her forehead. “I can’t go to your family dinner. Just tell them I had a headache or something, okay?”
He shook his head. “No. I already told you – I’m not leaving you alone on your birthday. Either we both go tonight or neither of us do.”
“Edward…”
“It’ll be fine. Well, other than my mom asking way too many personal questions and my grandfather,” he hesitated, “I don’t even know how to explain my grandfather.”
He checked his watch. “It’s almost lunch. I just need to talk to Phil for a minute but grab your coat and I’ll meet you at reception.”
Chapter 14
“Did you get enough to eat, Kate?” Edward asked as they left the restaurant.
“More than e
nough,” Kate replied before rubbing her flat abdomen. “In fact, I may never eat again.”
Edward laughed. “My mom’s a great cook. Trust me, you won’t be able to resist eating again.”
Kate groaned. “Can we stop talking about food and eating? I should never have let you talk me into sharing a dessert.”
Edward took her hand and squeezed it. “Sounds to me like you need to walk off that meal. Some exercise will have you ready to eat by dinner.”
“Is that your way of telling me I’m walking back to the office?” She said. “Are you taking the car and leaving for a meeting or something?”
He shook his head as the driver opened the door and they climbed into the back seat.
“No, there aren’t any meetings this afternoon. In fact, we’ve done a great job getting caught up this week. You really were a big help, Kate, so thank you for coming out here. Phil was impressed at how many of the files we got cleaned up.”
“Does this mean you’re done in New York now?” Kate asked.
“For the most part. I may have to go back another couple of times but most of the files are finished and I can concentrate solely on the Harper, Thompson clients.”
“Harper, Thompson and Turner clients,” she reminded him.
She stared out the window for a few minutes before frowning at Edward. “Isn’t this the direction of the hotel, not the office?”
He nodded. “It is.”
“Why aren’t we going to the office?”
“Well, I thought since it’s your birthday and I’m taking up your last free evening in New York, we should do some tourist stuff this afternoon. We’re stopping at the hotel to change clothes and put on comfortable shoes and then I’ll take you to Times Square and we’ll go from there.”
Kate gaped at him. “But what about work?”
He shrugged. “I told you - Phil was really happy with what we accomplished this week and since technically I’m doing him a huge favour by helping clean up these files, he didn’t have a problem with it when I told him I was taking the afternoon off.”
“Edward, I don’t – I mean, I feel really guilty playing hooky when you flew me out here to work.”
He laughed. “We’ll finish up the rest of it tomorrow morning before we leave for the airport. Relax, Kate, and let me show you the city. Okay? Think of it as another birthday gift.”
“Are you sure?” She asked. “I can do some tourist stuff on my own, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“I want to go with you,” he said. “Unless you don’t want me to?”
“No, I do,” she said.
“Then it’s settled,” he said happily.
* * *
“Tired, Katie?” Edward asked as he put his arm around her and pulled her close.
“Hmm, a little,” she said.
“Maybe we should cancel dinner with my family and just go back to the hotel instead,” he said.
She laughed. “Nice try.”
“What was your favourite place this afternoon?” He asked.
She thought briefly. Edward had taken her to Times Square and the Empire States Building before they made a quick tour of the Museum of Modern Art. They had finished with a short walk in Central Park – it had started snowing again and Kate was freezing by the time they were done – before the car service had picked them up.
“Times Square, I think,” she said. “Although I think I would have enjoyed Central Park more if it wasn’t so cold.”
“You’ll have to go back in the summer,” he said.
“Maybe,” she replied.
“I’m sorry we didn’t get to see very many spots,” Edward said.
“Don’t be. I really enjoyed what we did and it was nice to have company,” she said. “Thank you. It’s been a great birthday.”
Edward stroked her arm as they stared out the window. They had left the city and she stared delightedly at the small town they were driving through. “Is this where your parents live?”
Edward nodded. “Yes, it’s called Scarsdale.”
“It’s very pretty,” she said. “Did you grow up here?”
He nodded again. “My parents have been in the same house since I was a baby. I moved to the city when I was in my early twenties and going to school. I had planned to move back to Scarsdale, it’s only about half an hour or so by the Metro-North to get to Manhattan and I like the small town feel, but then I met Tabitha in law school and she loved the city so we rented a place in Manhattan. Expensive as hell but it made her happy.”
“Why did you leave New York, Edward?” Kate asked. “Was it because…”
She trailed off and Edward gave her an uncomfortable smile. “If I’m honest, it was partly because Tabitha died and there were too many painful memories and partly because I wanted to be a partner and was too impatient to wait for a position to open at Lenkman. I’m already thirty-four and didn’t want to wait until I was in my forties to make partner.”
She wanted to say how glad she was that he had moved to California but it seemed like a terrible thing to say when the man had just finished telling her he’d moved because he missed his dead wife.
Sudden guilt flooded through her. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t meet Edward’s family when he was still in love with his wife. No doubt they knew how much Edward missed her and what would they think when she showed up with him. What kind of woman tried to date a man who wasn’t over the loss of his wife?
You’re not dating. You’re fucking.
That was true and it made the whole damn thing that much worse. If Edward’s family found out that they were just having a fling, they’d really think she was horrible.
She shifted in the seat, trying to move away from Edward, and he clutched her tighter against him. “Kate, what’s wrong?”
“Um, nothing,” she said. “But I think this was a mist – “
The car stopped and Edward smiled hesitantly at her. “We’re here.”
Her stomach churning, she followed him out of the car and stared at his childhood home. It was on the small side with dark green siding. A short chain-link fence enclosed the front yard and the sidewalk leading to the front porch had been cleared of snow.
Edward opened the small metal gate and ushered her down the sidewalk. Her hands were freezing from a combination of the cold and her nerves and she shoved them into her pockets, jumping when a loud, rough voice barked, “About time you got here, Eddie. Supper’s getting cold because of your tardiness.”
An old man, wearing a thick jacket and a wool cap, heaved his body up from the wicker chair on the porch. He was tall with large bushy eyebrows, dark brown eyes and broad cheekbones. He leaned heavily on his cane as they climbed the stairs.
“Sorry, Grandpa Joe. Traffic was bad,” Edward said as they joined him on the porch.
“Ayuh,” the old man muttered grumpily as he stared suspiciously at Kate. “Who’s this then? You bringing some tart home to meet your mother, are you?”
“Grandpa Joe!” Edward snapped. “Be polite! This is Kate Jones. She’s a work colleague.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Kate said and held out her hand.
Grandpa Joe shook her hand and gave her a cool and appraising look. As the seconds ticked by, she grew more and more apprehensive but she kept her back straight and refused to look away.
“You can call me Grandpa Joe,” he said gruffly.
“Only if you call me Kate,” she said.
“Well don’t just stand there with your mouth open, I told you supper was waiting for you,” he growled in his raspy old man voice before opening the door. Kate’s nerves were slightly overshadowed by her amusement when she realized that Edward was indeed, standing there with his mouth slightly ajar. She nudged him, giving him a quizzical look, and he stared blankly at her as Grandpa Joe waved his arm irritably.
“After you, Kate.”
“Thank you, Grandpa Joe,” Kate replied politely and entered the warm front hallway. She could feel Edward’s reas
suring bulk behind her as he helped her out of her jacket and hung it on the hook. Grandpa Joe let the door slam shut behind him and squeezed his way past them, his cane making a hollow thumping sound against the linoleum-covered floor.
As Grandpa Joe turned the corner and disappeared from view, a large silver-haired man popped his head around the corner.
“Hello, Edward.” He had a loud, booming voice and as he strode towards them, the pictures hanging in the hallway shook minutely. He gave Edward a brief hug before turning to Kate.
His resemblance to Edward was so strong that Kate was not surprised when Edward said “Kate, this is my father, Jacob. Dad, this is Kate Jones, a work colleague.”
“Nice to meet you, Kate,” Jacob said, his large, rough hand swallowing her small one. “I hope you’re hungry, Barb’s cooked up a huge feast for us.”
She gave him a nervous and shaky smile before following him down the hall and into the living room where Tory and a blond-haired man were sitting on a small love seat. Grandpa Joe sat next to them in an ancient rocking chair, talking loudly about how hungry he was.
“Yes, dad.” Jacob brushed off his grumbling with a small shake of his head. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
The blond man stood and hugged Edward before smiling at her. “Hi, I’m Jason.”
“Hi, Jason. I’m Kate,” she said.
She shook his hand as Tory gave Edward a quick peck on the cheek. The two brothers were so different looking it would have been impossible to tell they were related. Where Edward was tall and dark with broad shoulders and a lean waist, Jason was short, fair-skinned and stocky. Only their eyes were the same - that brilliant shade of dark blue that made Kate think of the lake at her parents’ home.
A tiny, blonde woman came hurtling into the room, her eyes as blue as her sons.
“Soup’s on!” She hollered cheerfully as she zoomed across the room to where Kate was standing.
“You must be Edward’s Kate.” She beamed happily at Kate. “Don’t you have the prettiest coloured hair. You’re as beautiful as Tory said you were.”
“Oh, I um…”
Kate turned a bright shade of red as Edward groaned and Tory had the good grace to blush a little as well.
