He captured her lips in a possessive kiss. A kiss to brand her as his. And she was his. No other man was going to have this woman. He wouldn’t let them.
Boneless lethargy consumed Pam. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to. Nick’s body rested over hers and she never wanted to let him go. What they’d shared could only be described as out of this world, as cheesy as it sounded. Never had she imagined that making love would feel like she’d left her body and had been transported to a higher plane. Would it always be like this? Or was because it was her first time it held a special quality that could never be repeated?
‘Are you okay, sweetheart? Did I hurt you?’ The brush of his lips against her ear had her whole body shivering in reaction.
With those simple questions, Pam knew Nick had worked out this had been her first time. ‘Yes, and no you didn’t hurt me.’
‘Good, I’ll be right back.’ He pulled out from her body and, as he walked away, Pam used the time to really look at the man who now owned her, body and heart. She couldn’t deny Nick had become important to her. His butt was nice and tight and his back muscles rippled as he moved. She couldn’t believe she had been enough to attract a man like Nick Rhodes.
She pulled the blankets tighter around herself as her body began cooling after being so warm for so long. What happened now? Should she go back to her bedroom? Should she stay here and wait for Nick to return? Having never been in bed with a man before, she had no idea what the correct protocol was. Would Nick expect her to go back to her room? Maybe it would be better if she did.
She tossed back the covers she’d recently pulled around herself and swung her legs so they dangled over the side. Her toes met the cool wood of Nick’s bedroom floor. At least in her room she had carpet. She took a few moments to look around the room. Like most of the other rooms in the apartment, there was a decided lack of personal touches. She supposed with him renting it out it made sense not to make the space personal, but it seemed so cold to her. So sterile, as though the thought of getting close to someone was a foreign concept to Nick.
A shiver traversed the length of her spine at the thought of locking yourself away from the intimacy being with another person could bring.
An inelegant snort erupted from her — like she could talk. She’d been doing the exact same thing until this job offer came up. Going through life without noticing all the treasures it could bring. Not that she was an expert in relationships. One foray into a man’s bed didn’t make her knowledgeable on the ways of life with a person of the opposite sex.
Perhaps Nick had the right idea after all. Keep moving, never put down ties and it will keep the hurt at bay.
Pam buried the troubling thoughts, unsure where they’d come from in the first place. She stood and, before she could even take a step, warm arms wrapped themselves around her.
‘You’re not thinking of leaving me, are you?’ Nick nuzzled her neck before taking her lips with his again, making conversation between them impossible.
It didn’t take much effort from Nick’s lips to have her melting at his feet. They were wickedly soft against hers. With a simple touch, her body melted against him like butter in a hot skillet.
Her back hit the soft mattress of the bed. Nick increased his onslaught and she ran her fingers through his short hair. Short, spikey damp strands floated through her spread fingers. He must have wet his hair when he’d been in the bathroom.
Her body ached to know his possession again. To have the power and strength of Nick inside of her, moving until she couldn’t even remember her name. How could she want this so badly again?
As Nick dragged his lips away from hers, she gasped in some much needed air. With her fingers still in his hair, she dug them in a little, moving his head to her left breast. His chuckle resonated around her aroused flesh and his tongue traced her engorged peak. A sigh whispered out from between her kiss-swollen lips.
Pam was never going to tire of the sensations Nick’s touch generated in her body. She gave herself up to his touch, not worrying about what tomorrow would bring. All she needed was Nick worshipping her. Never had she felt so cherished or so wanted. She never wanted it to end.
Chapter 12
The words on the computer screen stared back at Pam. Reading the email from her real estate agent for the third time still didn’t make it seem real. How was it possible that a caveat could be put on her house without her knowing?
She fired the question back to the agent, knowing that with the time difference she wouldn’t get an answer until the next day.
The urge to pick up the stapler and throw it at the computer screen threatened to overwhelm her. Helplessness leached into her bones and she slumped in her chair. She had no idea what to do now. It looked like she might have to go back to her original plan of renting out her house. It would take her too many years to think about to pay off her mother’s medical expenses, and the mortgage.
When she and Nick had arrived at the office this morning, she’d been walking on air. Nick had given her a kiss before he disappeared into his own office. The weekend they’d just spent together was something dreams were made of. After spending all of the day yesterday in bed, Nick had decided to take her out to dinner at a wonderful little restaurant tucked away in a side street. The food was amazing, and the hours spent in his arms afterwards had her believing in a happy ever after. Now an email had shattered the bubble she’d been living in for the past forty-eight hours.
For the first time in her life she wished she had the disposable income Nick had. Now she understood why some people married for money and love became a low priority. Knowing you had the means to pay for anything you needed at any time created a security she craved at this moment.
The buzzing of the intercom pulled her from her dilemma and pushed her mind back on to her job — a job she couldn’t afford to lose now.
‘Pam, have we received anything from Ethan yet? He’s supposed to be getting final documents to us.’
She scrolled through her emails, having forgotten her inbox after she opened the real estate’s email. She saw an email from Ethan.
‘Yes, I’ll print it out and bring it in.’
‘Thank you.’
In minutes she had the relevant papers and, from what she’d read in the email, Nick wasn’t going to be happy. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door between her workspace and Nick’s office. Nick had his back to her and was talking on his cell. She took the opportunity to admire him as she walked towards him. She knew every inch of those broad shoulders, which filled out his suit jacket perfectly. She spied the surface of his desk. If anything could take away her financial troubles would be to lose herself in Nick’s arms. Let the emotions only Nick could draw out of her carry her far, far away from all her troubles.
‘If I didn’t need to get a look at those papers you have in your hand, I’d be extremely willing to take you up on your offer.’
Nick’s words startled her from her fantasies. A blush bloomed from her neck to her cheeks and she couldn’t look up, too afraid of what she might see in Nick’s face.
He wasn’t having any of her shyness. He hooked a finger under chin and gently raised it so their eyes collided. She was familiar with the look she saw shining in their gorgeous depths. She’d seen it many times over the weekend.
Nick leaned forward and her breath hitched in her throat. Spellbound, she waited to see what his next step would be. Sighing as his lips tenderly touched hers. A soft mating of their lips, over before it truly began.
Pam took a tiny step back, his heat still enveloped her. How she wished they were standing in the living room of Nick’s apartment, where his bed was only a few steps away.
‘Don’t tempt me, Pam.’ All lightness gone from his voice, replaced by a harshness she’d only ever heard directed at Ethan when Nick had been warning the other man off her.
She took two steps back, the distance enough for her to get her wayward thoughts under control. How could she lose sight o
f the fact they were at work? She’d never lost her concentration before. Then again, she’d never spent the weekend with her boss before.
She couldn’t believe she’d done what every previous assistant Nick had employed had done. How could she forget he wanted an assistant who wouldn’t throw herself at him? She’d done everything he disliked in his employees.
‘I’m sorry, Nick. I’ve been totally unprofessional, it won’t happen again.’ Keep her mind fully focused on what she was there to do. Her job. ‘Here are the papers you wanted. I don’t think you’re going to be too happy with what Ethan has to say.’
As Nick reviewed the papers, anger etched into his face. For a moment Pam thought it might have been better if she’d left the room the moment she’d handed the papers over. However, her role was to assist him and staying right where she stood was her only option.
‘This is ridiculous, he can’t do this.’ Nick slammed the papers on his desk. ‘Get him on the phone, now!’
‘I’m on it.’
Pam backed out of the room, and once she sat she sucked in some deep breaths before reaching out to pick up the phone and dial the lawyer’s number. This was her role. During working hours she needed to remember what her role was. After working hours, well, after today, she wasn’t entirely too sure what her role would be. She only hoped Nick wouldn’t hold her lapse in attention from assistant to lover against her and send her back home. She couldn’t forget how much she needed this job.
Nick swivelled his chair and looked out his floor to ceiling windows at the view. New York was drifting from dusk into evening. The vibrant city lights were getting brighter with every passing second. Even sitting fifty-two floors above the city, the vibrancy that was essentially New York reached out to him.
It had been a bitch of a day and he knew it was going to be a long night. He’d gone over the contract with a fine toothcomb before sending it to Ethan. Still it wasn’t enough for the lawyer, and his requests were getting more and more ridiculous with every passing day. He wasn’t going to be forced into making stupid compromises just to appease a lawyer’s ego.
A knock shattered the stillness that had permeated his office. He thought he was the only one who hadn’t gone home. He’d buzzed Pam and told her to leave when the clock had hit five. Maybe it was the janitor coming to clean, but they’d never bothered him before.
A knock sounded again. This time the door opened and Pam stood in the doorway, looking more like a siren than a competent assistant. Her hair was down and curled sexily over one shoulder. Silhouetted in his doorframe wearing, from what he could tell, skinny jeans and a tight-fitting sweater, his body flared to life and all thoughts of contracts and amendments flew out of his mind.
‘Can I come in?’ her voice wafted towards him, like a soft summer breeze, tempting him to take her in his arms and lose himself in her sweet body. He couldn’t deny his attraction to Pam was getting stronger and stronger, especially after the weekend they’d spent together. Is this how his father had felt when he embarked on an affair with his assistant? Had he tried to suppress the longing, to remember he was married, or had he succumbed the first time she’d smiled at him?
His thoughts cooled the desire burning through him. He was not his father. He wasn’t going to let anything or anyone make him lose track of what was his only goal in life.
He couldn’t let himself fall further under her spell. She’d cast it when he’d seen her walking down the aisle towards him at Luciano’s wedding.
‘I suppose.’ He clipped out as he picked up a piece of paper.
Nick could sense her hesitation, and when she walked into his office with a toss of her hair, he tried hard to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She had fire and he admired that about her. She stalked towards his desk. His resolve of not touching her was tested with every step she took towards him. He dropped the paper he had in his hand and sat back in his chair, waiting and wondering just what his spitfire Pam was planning to do next, acknowledging his attraction towards her couldn’t be brushed aside so easily.
He was his father’s son after all. He was bound by his desire for her. The only saving grace was he didn’t have a wife and child at home waiting for him. A wife whose jealousy ate away at her like acid on metal until all that was left was nothing but a hole in place of the love that once was shared.
As she leaned over his desk, her eyes flashing green fire, he fought the urge to jump out of his chair and haul her over the desk and kiss her until she was moaning out his name.
‘I thought perhaps you might be hungry and I brought you some dinner. But,’ she paused, moving her eyes over him, re-enforcing the idea of taking her in his arms, ‘I see you’ve had your fill of grumpy pie so I’ll just leave.’
Before he could say anything, she turned on her heel and headed towards his door. This time he followed his instincts and jumped out of his chair, his only goal to have her in his arms.
‘And another thi — ,’ she started as she whirled back around to face him. He reached her at the same time she turned. His arms stretched out to steady her, revelling in having her close to him again.
‘Yes.’
‘I was going to say,’ she again stopped mid-sentence. His groin tightened as her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. He lowered his head towards her shining lips.
‘Yes, what were you going to say?’ he teased the corner of her mouth, her body melting underneath his touch.
‘I don’t remember.’ The words whispered against his cheek before she moved the fraction of a millimetre so their lips fused together.
He pulled her closer, and the tension that had encased his body since he’d read Ethan’s email swept out from him, like a wave rushing back out on the ocean tide. He let himself get lost in the sensation of her lips meshing with his. When he was with Pam he felt grounded, like he could take on the world and know that everything would be all right, because he had her by his side.
His fingers found the hem of her sweater, the fabric as soft as the skin he knew was underneath. As her fingers curled in his shirt, he waited for her to start unbuttoning it. He wouldn’t stop her. He planned to have her and he couldn’t wait to experience her again. Instead of unbuttoning his shirt, she pushed her palms against his chest. Her action surprised him, considering the way she’d relaxed into him. But he was never one to force a woman into something she didn’t want to do.
He released her and took two steps back, giving her the space she so clearly desired. He tried to ignore the feelings of loss, which were swamping the desire so recently burning through his soul.
The clashing emotions were new to him, unnerving him like he’d never been before. He didn’t know how to deal with them. He’d never had these sorts of emotions when he’d been involved with women before. Why was Pam so different? Why was he yearning to have her so much?
Pam wanted to throw herself back into his arms, to push away a disappointing day where her dreams of financial freedom had been snatched from her. The need to grasp back the feelings of wonder they’d shared over the weekend was strong inside her. The only thing stopping her from doing that was the man standing in front of her and how he blew so hot and cold with her. Her mind was telling her to walk away, finish the job, get a good reference and then find a position in another company.
Her heart had different ideas. Her heart was yelling at her that Nick was her man. Her one and only and she needed to do whatever it took to make him realise the same thing. Only she had no idea how to achieve her goal.
‘I don’t get you, Nick.’ The words burst out of her in frustration from everything going on in her life.
‘What do you mean?’
A scream of annoyance at his obstinate attitude threatened to erupt out of her. She was pretty confident he knew what she was getting at.
‘This backwards and forwards game you seem to be playing with me. All day you’ve done it to me. I thought aft — ’
‘You thought what? Because we had
sex on the weekend, when we’re in the office I would be all over you? Treat you differently?’
‘I never took you for cruel, Nick. Especially since you had your lips all over me just two minutes ago. You were the one who initiated it, too. I simply came here tonight to bring you something to eat. I thought you could use some food. More fool me.’
He couldn’t have hurt her more if he’d physically hit her. Tears were collecting behind her eyes; she had to get out of there before he saw them. No way would she let Nick see how his words hurt. Somehow gaining her composure, she straightened her shoulders and flipped her hair over her shoulder, hoping her actions were convincing enough to show Nick he had no power to hurt her.
‘I’ll see you back at ho — the apartment.’
She made her way to the door, straining to hear a soft footfall on the lush carpet of his office stopping her departure. The only sound filling her ears was the sound of a crack forming in her heart.
Chapter 13
Finally the sound Pam had been waiting for all night came, the snick of the front door of the apartment closing. She huddled down further on the couch so Nick wouldn’t see her. She knew she should be in her room. Why she wasn’t was something she couldn’t answer. Or didn’t want to examine too closely.
After she’d gotten home from the disaster of trying to bring dinner to Nick, she’d cried on the couch before falling into an exhausted, emotional slumber, waking to find the apartment still glowing with the lights she’d left on. She’d gotten up and turned them off, intending to go to her room. Instead, she’d made her way back to the couch and had stared out at the twinkling city lights.
A muttered curse resounded around the quiet, stillness of the room. Pam wished she’d gone to her room. She certainly didn’t want Nick to think she’d waited up for him. What would be the point of her staying up? It’s not like he would expect to see her.
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