by Mia Carson
“He knows,” she told him firmly. “I’m sure he understands.”
He shifted on his feet but didn’t speak again. Belle smiled, though, and glanced back down at her laptop. He wasn’t as tough as he thought he was. She liked him a lot more than she’d first thought.
“And I’m finished,” she said happily, saved her project, and sent it. “Damn, thanks for this. I would’ve been screwed if you hadn’t helped.”
“And now you don’t have to come back here tomorrow night, right?”
“Right,” she said and yawned. As she stretched her arms up over her head, her sweater rose, revealing her midriff, and Greyson grunted quietly, his eyes flickering to her exposed skin before he turned to walk away. Nervous as hell, not even sure what made her do it, Belle reached out and stopped him.
She faced him and, letting her emotions guide her, stepped up onto his toes and tilted her head slightly just before he leaned down. Their lips met in a sweet kiss. The kiss was meant to be simple, but her lips stayed pressed against his and his hands went up to fist in her sweater, pulling her even closer until she was trapped in his arms. His mouth moved languidly against hers, and when his tongue danced out to caress her lips, she parted them on a sigh.
Her emotions swirled around her like a tornado, and Greyson was the raging storm that caused it. The gallery fell away, and all she felt were his arms holding her steady as she let herself be swept along. Panting, she broke away to catch her breath, and the raw desire in his eyes turned the storm into a force much more dangerous than she was ready for. Carefully, she drew back and he let her go, but his hands held on reluctantly for a moment longer.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m not sure what came over me.”
He tilted her chin up with his fingers. “Don’t ever apologize, not to me.” The sincerity in his voice threw her off and the words stuck in her throat. “If you don’t have to be here tomorrow night, then you’ll come to dinner with me instead.”
“Was that a request or an order?” she teased.
He chuckled quietly. “I meant it as a request. You can think on it while I drive you back to the dorm. You’re not sleeping here another night, and I’m going to give you a set of keys for a car tomorrow.”
“No, you’re not,” she said as she packed up her laptop. “You’re not giving me a car! Are you crazy?”
“I never said I was giving it to you,” he corrected. “But I don’t like you taking the bus.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the bus. It runs just fine.”
“No,” he said sternly. “I don’t care, and I don’t like it. You’re out too late at night on it, and if I’m not around and something happens to you…” He trailed off, and Belle frowned, watching the panic and worry dance across his normally stoic, unbreakable face. “Please, just take the car. It’s my older Mustang. Just for a while.”
“You’re not going to let me say no, are you?”
“Not really,” he said. “It’s either that or I start driving you to and from work and anywhere else you need to go.”
Her first instinct was to argue and tell him she didn’t need to be taken care of, but after that kiss and how he held her without judging her as she broke down, she told herself it might be nice to have someone care for her for once. As long as he didn’t take it too far.
“Thank you for letting me borrow your car.”
He grinned, causing his eyes to shimmer in the light. “Good, I’ll have it dropped off at campus tomorrow morning. The keys will be waiting for you.”
Belle bit back her annoyance, packed up her bag, made sure the gallery was locked up tight for the night, and followed him to his Mustang. The ride to campus was filled with talk about her life in college and bits and pieces from before. It was easy to talk to him, and she had him laughing about her temper tantrums as a kid while she was in foster care.
“You tore up the therapist’s office?” he asked through his laughter as they pulled into the parking lot near the dorms.
“He pissed me off. He kept telling me to breathe slower, and I’d learn to control my temper,” she shrugged. “It wasn’t working, and he was obnoxious with a really high-pitched voice and a double chin that kept jiggling when he talked. It made me laugh and then he’d lose his temper.”
“You sound just like me when I was little,” he said and wiped a tear of mirth from his eye. “This looks like your stop.”
She glanced out the window and nodded. His hand slipped into hers and she smiled, but the old worries echoed in her mind and she withdrew her hand. “I’m not sure about this,” she admitted. “I’m not really good at relationships.”
“I’ve never had one that lasted,” he told her honestly. “For now, let’s just see what happens.”
“Like a fling?” she asked and hoped her voice didn’t sound too high with hurt. She did not want to be involved in a fling.
“I don’t know,” he told her, “but we’ll start with dinner and see where the night goes.”
Red alert, captain, you are a virgin! Big capital V! Might want to tell him before things get too out of hand!
“Great, sounds perfect,” she said instead. “Night!” She hopped out of the car, closing the door before he could say anything else or draw her in for another toe-curling kiss that left her desiring more. All night, she would dream of him, she knew it, and there was no stopping it.
Greyson Taylor was trouble, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to weather the storm.
Chapter 6
Sleep that night was impossible for Greyson after the kiss he’d shared with Belle. All he wanted to do was drive back to her dorm, whisk her away, and disappear for the weekend. She was unlike any woman he’d met, and since she’d started working in his office, he’d taken himself off the market. Several of his usual hookups continued to text him, wondering where he was, and he ignored them all.
Unable to sleep, he gave in and got up early, beating everyone into the office. He paced around his office, thinking about where to take Belle for dinner that night when he heard the familiar revving of an old Mustang.
“That’s my girl,” he whispered. He smirked when he saw the old black 1975 Mustang. “Thank God she can drive a stick.” He hadn’t even thought to ask.
He pictured her hand on the stick shift of the car as she drove and grunted when his jeans tightened around his sudden growing erection. Last night had been the same, wondering what would’ve happened if the kiss had continued. He’d wanted it to, wanted to take her sweater off slowly and see what sweetness lay underneath, to hold her breasts, and hear her whisper his name in the dark. One night with her was all he wanted, but after the moment in the car last night, he realized she was not a one-night type of woman.
It had been years since his longest relationship to date, and his mind told him he wasn’t ready for another one. His heart, though, told him to shut up and go after her. Dinner first. He promised they’d take it slow and see where the night went. If they wound up in his four-poster bed, he would not complain, and if not, well, he’d just have to be patient with her and amp up the charm.
“Morning, boss,” Belle called as she reached her desk. “Thanks again for the car, by the way. It’s incredible! Are you sure you don’t mind me driving it?”
Greyson turned. He hadn’t heard her come in—nor anyone else, for that matter. “Morning, and no, I don’t mind. Not one bit,” he replied as she sauntered in. Her snug jeans clung to her like a second skin, and her black leather, knee-high boots made his jaw clench. If he could peel those off her, watch her squirm beneath his touch…
“You look like you need some coffee,” she said. “I’ll go grab some.”
“Yeah, coffee, thanks,” he said and sat down hurriedly before she noticed his growing problem. “We’ll go over the plans for today after you’ve gone through e-mails and I make these horrible calls you left me notes about.”
She winked and closed the door behind her to give him some quiet.
He
picked up the phone and dialed the first number, a call to the warehouse about shipping on some new gaming equipment. They were getting ready to do some in-house beta testing and the shipment was late again. Belle strolled in quietly while he was on the phone and set down his coffee. When she turned to go, he reached out and snatched her hand, holding it warmly in his. He brought it to his lips and loved the way her cheeks flushed before he let her leave. She twirled a ring on her finger as she smiled crookedly and left. She picked up her laptop and moved across the office to sit with Tim and the others for her shadowing.
“No, Mark, I said we needed them this week,” he snapped and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just get it done, alright? I don’t have time to mess around, not now. We’re pushing too close to our deadline.” The man said he’d do his best to get everything there by Monday, and Greyson sighed. “Thanks. That’s all I needed, man.”
He hung up and spun around in his chair, facing the windows. The door swooshed open smoothly, and he smiled, happy to see Belle again, but when he turned around, it was not her glowing face studying him hungrily.
“Hello lover,” Aiden crooned and sauntered close, swaying her hips in her tight dress that barely reached mid-thigh. “Long time no see.”
“What are you doing here?” he snapped as she walked around his office and slowly closed the blinds he always left open. “You can’t be here.”
“You said you’d call, but you didn’t,” she pouted. “I’ve been so lonely for you—aching, really. Haven’t you missed me, too? I know you do. Your desire was always so easy to see.” She let another blind fall to the floor, dimming his office. Finally, she went to the door, closed the blinds, and locked it.
Greyson swallowed hard as she strolled to his desk. “I’m not in the mood for this, and we never do this in my office,” he argued. “Really you should just… just go.” His eyes darted to her fingers tracing the top of her breasts, but surprisingly, his body remained calm. The raging erection he had earlier for Belle didn’t come back at the sight of the half-naked Aiden.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you enjoy our time together?” Aiden asked with a voice of silk. “I know you do, so why lie to me?”
“Really, you need to leave,” he stated, his voice dropping in tone as his anger rose, but she gripped the arms of his chair and rolled him away from his desk.
She straddled his lap, and he turned away as she kissed his cheek and his neck, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. “Oh, come on, just a little bit of fun. I know you want me,” she whispered and captured his lips with hers.
Greyson kissed her back out of habit, but as her hand slipped between them, reaching for his groin, he glowered at her as she glared daggers at him.
“What’s this?”
“I said I wasn’t in the mood,” he growled and stood, setting her on her feet. “Not now, and not ever again. I’m done, Aiden. Leave, or I’ll call security.”
“You’re always aroused for me,” she argued. “Are you… are you seeing someone else?”
“I’m always seeing someone else, you know that,” he said and steered her towards the door. “Now leave and don’t come back. Don’t call me either.”
“You don’t have relationships. You said so yourself!”
Greyson shrugged and crossed his arms stiffly over his chest. “Things change. Now, get out.”
“You’ll want me again,” she leered and kissed him hotly, but Greyson didn’t react. “You’ll come to me when this doesn’t last. You always do.”
He reached around her, unlocked the door, and gave her a gentle shove out. The second she was clear, he closed it and leaned against the door. His body trembled with want, but Aiden’s face wasn’t the one that came to mind. Belle. That woman tore him up inside, and a horrible realization hit him. No other woman would ever arouse him as she did.
His hand clenched into a fist. He needed to make Belle understand what she did to him and give her a chance to open up more. At dinner, he’d charm her and let her see she could trust him.
She wants a relationship, a voice warned. She won’t just want one night.
He frowned and wandered around his office, slowly opening the blinds. They’d cross that bridge when they came to it. He wasn’t about to turn his whole life around for a woman.
Isn’t that what you just did? Aiden’s been your go-to girl for months, but you’re pushing her aside. You’re pushing all of them aside for her.
He growled at his thoughts and hurried out of his office. Aiden had left lipstick all over his neck, and it burned him to have it there.
***
All morning, Belle flew on cloud nine, especially after she saw the car Greyson left her. She loved it and thanked Carrie for teaching her how to drive a stick her freshman year. The car was beautiful. The second she slipped behind the wheel, a strange sense of freedom washed over her and she let her worries about the night before go. The kiss stayed with her throughout her dreams and turned into so much more. As she sat watching Tim and the others work, she felt the shadowy caress of his hands on her back and other places she’d dreamt about.
“Looks like boss man has company,” Davis said, his brow drawn with a worried glance towards Belle.
His look caught her off-guard, and she shifted in her chair. No one could know about the kiss last night, but she did show up driving the boss’s other car that morning. Her neck on fire, her face ducked, she worked on her assignment from Tim after seeing the woman disappear into Greyson’s office. Probably just a client.
“That didn’t last long,” Tim said a few minutes later. “Huh, well then.”
Belle couldn’t help it and looked around at the very attractive woman storming out of Greyson’s office. Her heart sank when she saw him reopening blinds in his office and duck out after her, lipstick stains on his cheek and neck. His shirt was partly unbuttoned, and when she caught his eye, his face paled and his feet paused.
Belle fumed but lowered her face again to her work, biting her tongue as her hand gripped the mouse hard enough to make Tim tell her to be careful. “You’re going to break that thing if you squeeze it any harder.”
“Sorry,” she mumbled and stretched out her fingers, trying not to think about the two of them lip-locked together in his office. Her stomach roiled and her hopes of the kiss being anything more than just a kiss for him dried up. “Gonna run to the restroom. I'll be right back.” Tim eyed her funnily but didn’t question her.
Belle reached the bathroom quickly and ducked into a stall, latching the door, and sat down on the toilet. She held her face in her hands as her anger boiled over. How could she be so stupid? She thought they had something growing between them… more than just carnal attraction. She was blinded by his nice side, by the car, his invitation to dinner. All the walls she’d constructed carefully over the years were pulled down brick by brick as Greyson let her into his life, but now, she knew he’d never change.
“It’s fine,” she whispered to herself. “You’ve been through worse disappointments. Just keep a smile on your face and do your job. You’re a real employee now. Just let it go.”
After a few deep breaths in and out, and telling herself denting the stall door would not be a good idea, she left the bathroom, ready to return to Tim and the team. She was about to sit down when Greyson’s growling voice called out to her.
“Belle, can I see you in my office?”
Reminding herself to stay calm and count to ten in her head—or thirty—she walked quickly to his office to find him pacing angrily back and forth like a caged animal. “Yeah, boss?” she said lightly.
“Where do you want to go for dinner?” he asked without stopping.
“I think I’m going to pass on dinner,” she said politely. “I remembered I have plans when we finish up here tonight.”
That stopped his steps, and he faced her, his hands clenched at his sides. “No, you don’t. You’re lying.”
“So what if I am?” she snapped, startling them both. “I don’t want to
go to dinner, not anymore.” She turned to leave, but he reached her first and pulled her back around. “What?”
“I know what you saw, but it’s not what you think,” he growled.
“Really? I didn’t see a thing. I certainly didn’t see a much prettier woman than me leave your office or see you come out covered in her lipstick,” she jeered and yanked her hand free of his grip. “Nope, I didn’t see a thing, boss.”
He gritted his teeth, and when she stormed for the door, he blocked her path. “Wait, listen…please.”
“Why should I?” Her toe tapped angrily on the floor. “I’m an idiot to think you were actually being truthful with me about anything.” She walked forward, but he didn’t move. “I need to get back to work, boss.”
“Stop that,” he growled and closed the door, leaning against it. “You’re not leaving.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she glowered at him. “You can’t keep me in here and convince me to do anything after what I saw!”
“Nothing happened,” he insisted, but she eyed the lipstick he’d missed on his neck.
“Really? That’s nothing? Why are you doing this? I’m clearly not as attractive as her, so what do you want from me?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted and his words grated against her already raw emotions. “I don’t know, but nothing happened with her.”
“Sure it didn’t,” she argued, but he gripped her shoulders and forced her to meet his gaze.
“Nothing happened because no other woman gets me aroused, not anymore. Not since I met you, damn it.” His chest heaving, he let her go and ran a hand through his short hair, his eyes wild. “I don’t understand what you did to me, but you can’t act like nothing happened between us.”
“Says who?” she muttered darkly. “I can’t do this. I’m sorry. Finish the damn proposal yourself.”
She pushed around him and out the door before he could catch her again. Her eyes blurred with tears. She didn’t want to cry, and her chest ached as she hit the elevator button. When it took too long, she rushed for the stairs and down to the garage. The car keys she kept clipped to her belt were still there, and she jumped behind the wheel of the Mustang. His Mustang.
