Between the Lines

by Lauren Hawkeye

  She growled when he pulled out, wanting him back in. Propping herself up on her elbows, she watched, fascinated, as he fumbled with his wallet, pulling out a condom and tearing into it with his teeth. Within moments he was sheathed, his wallet was on the floor and he was pushing back inside her with renewed urgency.

  “How is it possible for you to feel so fucking good?” He worked in and out of her at a slow, steady pace, and she watched with fascination as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. She was hot, too, aroused to a fever pitch as she felt the pleasure begin to gather in her core like it had the night before.

  “You feel good to me, too,” she admitted as she watched his cock slide in and out of her parted lips. She’d never thought about watching, but it was just about the hottest thing she’d ever seen. “I feel so much, and I don’t know what to do with it.”

  “You don’t have to do anything with it except what I tell you to.” He slid back into his role, and Jo eagerly followed. It was so easy to let go when she pretended that she had no other choice. There was no point in worrying about getting hurt if the decision was being made for her.

  “And what are you telling me to do?” She couldn’t resist taunting him. Reaching down between them, she grabbed his waist, holding him tightly to her as he thrust deep.

  “Mouthy brat.” He grinned down at her, but his eyes were starting to glaze over with what she realized meant he was edging close to his own release. Knowing that she was the one to bring him there was heady, a kind of power she could get drunk on.

  “That’s not an answer.” Her hand slid from his waist to dig into the hard planes of his rear, and she wished she could have that view, too—what he looked like from behind as he thrust inside her, the muscles of that truly spectacular ass flexing as he moved.

  “You’re going to come on my cock, is what you’re going to do.” He increased his pace, his head falling back. Her vision started to blur as the pressure inside her coiled tighter and tighter, a spring about to snap. “And you’re going to do it now.”

  His hand slid to the place where they were joined, and the first touch of his fingers on her clit sent her flying over the edge. She swallowed her cries as she contracted around him, senses dulled to everything but the bliss that was riding her.

  He grunted as he emptied himself in her, and she found herself fascinated by watching as he was lost. Stilling himself above her, he remained as he was, fully inside her, fully connected.

  Fully hers. Without thinking, she reached up to brush a lock of his inky hair back from where it stuck to the sweat on his forehead. He opened his eyes, and when he looked down at her, she felt a jolt as she wondered what he was trying to say without actually saying it.

  “I still want to read what you wrote.” He broke the strange tension of the moment by nodding toward where her laptop lay, discarded on the floor. “I also feel that this is a good time to remind you about respecting company property.”

  “Jackass.” She smacked his chest lightly, struggling to sit up. “And you can read it when it’s ready, which it might be if someone hadn’t decided to hunt me down in my own damn office.”

  “Much as I’d love to spend the rest of the day inside you, I should get back to my own office.” He pulled out of her slowly, holding on to the condom as he did. “I’m very busy and important, you know.”

  She rolled her eyes, but inside felt lightness buoying her up. She’d missed this, too, so much it had hurt—this friendship that they’d shared before everything had gone to hell. Because when he’d left, she hadn’t just lost her boyfriend and her love, she’d lost the best friend she’d ever had.

  “I missed this.” There. She’d said it. And though a flicker of surprise crossed his face as he tied off the condom and tossed it in the trash, he nodded in agreement.

  “I missed it, too.” Stepping back, he slowly zipped himself back into his slacks, straightening his shirt and tightening his tie. Catching her watching, he cast her a cocky grin. “How do I look?”

  “Put your jacket on, and no one will know you’ve spent the last half an hour abusing every human resource code you put in the contract in the first place.” Sliding from the desk, she struggled to pull the snug jeans back up over her hips, then looked down at her chest in dismay. “What the hell am I supposed to do about this?”

  “You wore a sweater into work this morning. I saw you.” He gestured to the back of the door, where a thin cardigan hung. “Just wear it buttoned up.”

  “With no bra?” But she was already reaching for it. It wasn’t like she had much choice.

  “Never used to stop you.” He smirked at her, then stared avidly as she tucked her now braless breasts beneath the thin sweater. “Just don’t get too close to anyone else. Not that you’d want to after having a taste of this.”

  “Go!” She rolled her eyes, then pointed to the door. “My boss is a bit of a tyrant. If you’re not careful, he’ll literally hunt you down just to check on your work.”

  “Sounds like my kind of guy.” Opening the door, he cast a look back over his shoulder at her. She couldn’t stop the swelling of her heart as he winked at her like this had all been their dirty little secret. “Dinner tonight?”

  “All right,” she replied softly, thrilling to the question even as she knew she was diving off a very high, very dangerous cliff.

  But oh, how she was enjoying the fall.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  THEO FELT LIKE he’d just completed a champion workout. He was riding high on endorphins, body loose, mind sated as he all but staggered back into his office.

  Hell. He’d had some good sex before. He’d had some great sex. But what had just happened with Jo was so astronomically amazing that it couldn’t even be described.

  They’d connected on a physical level when they were younger, for sure. He’d thought he just might die from insisting they wait until she was eighteen.

  Now, though? That innocent girl he remembered was kinky as fuck, and he knew he’d never in a million years find someone who inspired the same filthy urges in him. Never find another woman who challenged him, who called him on his shit. Who got excited when he took her to a graveyard on a date, and who really could not have cared less about the number of zeroes in his bank balance.

  He was in love with her. Again? Still? It didn’t really matter, because the truth was there, written in the way he could still feel her hands on his skin.

  He wanted to tell her. Wanted to give her that certainty that he wasn’t going anywhere. That he couldn’t, not without her.

  Loosening his tie that had just been straightened, he sat forward in his desk chair, tapping his keyboard to wake up his computer. He’d take her out for dinner, not someplace fancy, because she wouldn’t care about that. Someplace that had meaning for them.

  What was the name of that little Brazilian dive they’d frequented when they were in high school? His mom had taken him there when he was little, whenever she’d been craving food from home, since she was the type to burn toast. He’d never gone there with anyone else, not even his dad—not until he’d decided to share it with Jo.

  It would be the perfect place to tell her what he felt. He knew she’d catch the significance. Now if only he could remember what the hell it was called, so he could look it up and make sure it was still open.

  As he typed Brazilian food restaurant Boston into his web browser, his cell phone vibrated against his hip. John’s name flashed across the screen, and Theo put it on speaker.

  “What’s up?” When Theo had hired the consultant to help ensure a smooth official launch of Crossing Lines, he’d somehow pictured a rich old white dude. John Brooke was rich, certainly, but he wasn’t old and he wasn’t white, or anything else that Theo had expected. He was, however, everything that he’d promised, and Theo knew he’d miss him when he’d finished out their contract and moved on to another business. The
other man had really thrown his heart and soul into Crossing Lines and was the nearest thing that Theo had to a real friend.

  “Ass into my office, Lawrence.” There was barely concealed glee in the other man’s voice. “I’m about to make all of your fantasies come true.”

  “In your dreams, Brooke.” Theo started walking as he spoke. Ava looked up from her desk, arching an eyebrow at him since he was talking so loudly. He shrugged, striding down the hall to John’s office, which would be empty soon enough. “You don’t have the right equipment.”

  “I could have you if I wanted you.” John held out a paper cup of coffee as Theo entered the room, grinning mockingly. He leaned back in his chair, smugness written in every line of his body.

  “We’ll see how I feel about you after you tell me whatever has you grinning like a freaky-ass clown.” Settling himself in the chair across the desk, Theo sipped at the coffee, gagging as soon as it touched his tongue. “What the hell is this garbage?”

  “I made it myself.” John frowned, gesturing at the coffee machine in his office, one that looked like it belonged in Starbucks. “It’s an Americano.”

  “It’s swamp water, man.” Shuddering, Theo set it down on the desk. “But it’s reassuring to know that you’re human, after all. Now what’s up?”

  John took a cautious sip of his own coffee, and Theo watched with amusement as his eyes widened. He swallowed gamely. “It’s not that bad.”

  Theo rolled his eyes; John set the cup on the edge of his desk.

  “When you hired me, you told me that your goal was to grow Crossing Lines from a highly valued start-up to a company that could sell for a minimum of fifty million, correct?” Theo nodded. “We estimated three to five years for that growth.”

  “I know all this, Brooke.” Theo waved a hand in his air. “What’s the news that makes you look like you’re going to come in your pants?”

  “I have far too much self-control to ever come in my pants,” the other man replied archly. “Now. What if I told you that I’ve found a buyer for Crossing Lines already? One willing to pay seventy-five million, not fifty, with the caveat that she take over the company now. Now, not in three to five years! I’ve never come across this kind of deal, man. You must shit gold.”

  “Every morning,” Theo responded automatically, but his eyes widened as the news sank in. “Seventy-five million? Are you for real?”

  “Real as rain, brother.” John drummed his fingers on the desk. “She’s the sister of some European prince. I guess she met her now-fiancé on Crossing Lines and fell in love with the premise. She’s excited to take it in a new direction.”

  “A new direction?” Theo frowned, rubbing a hand over his chest. “We’ve barely started going in this direction.”

  John shrugged, his smile wide. “For seventy-five million, I’d say she can take it in whatever direction she wants. And here’s the thing. She wants to hire you as the business head of her corporation. Interview other people with start-ups like yours, develop them under her banner.”

  “Really?” That was what he’d vaguely thought that he’d wind up doing eventually, but years down the line—and for his own corporation, of course. Still, excitement buzzed along his skin. It felt like validation—this was the kind of opportunity that most people only dreamed of, and it was being offered to him because he’d earned it himself. It sounded too good to be true. “I can’t even wrap my head around that.”

  “It’s the dream.” John cocked his head, studying Theo’s expression. “Of course, you’d probably have to leave Boston.”

  “What?” The airy excitement crashed to the ground, weighed down by reality. It was too good to be true. Because leaving Boston was the one thing he couldn’t do.

  His fingers reached out to grip the edge of the desk, steadying him as his world tilted.

  “Well, she’s from some little country I’ve never even heard of,” John said slowly, watching Theo closely. “But she did mention something about San Francisco.”

  San Francisco was a million miles away.

  His unease must have shown on Theo’s face, because John cocked his head, looking at him with concern. “What’s wrong? I thought this was what you wanted. You should be thrilled.”

  “It’s amazing.” Theo heard the hollowness in his own words. “I think I just need to let it sink in.”

  John smiled with relief before rising to his feet. Pitching both his coffee cup and Theo’s into the trash, he leaned across the desk to clap Theo on the shoulder. “To hell with this swill. I’m going to go send Ava out for a bottle of scotch. No, I’ll go myself, to that place next door. This calls for a celebration.”

  Theo opened his mouth to tell his colleague that he didn’t drink, but the words caught in his throat. He nodded numbly as John rounded the desk and opened the door.

  Jo was on the other side.

  “Jo!” John was flying so high on the offer that he reached out and caught Jo in a one-arm hug. “Come on in! We’ll be celebrating in a minute. Join us.”

  Jo arched an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic buoyancy in John before casting a vaguely amused smile Theo’s way. “What are we celebrating? Must be good. He was bouncing like Tigger.”

  Theo blinked up at her mechanically. He should have been thrilled. This was everything he’d worked for, everything he’d dreamed of, years ahead of schedule. He’d prove to everyone, and finally to himself, that he was no longer just a trust-fund baby. He was a self-made man.

  The only person he cared about proving that to was standing right in front of him.

  “There’s been an offer to buy the company.” His words sounded like they were coming from a great distance, somewhere outside his own body. “A great offer, actually.”

  Jo’s face lit up, and it was like she’d taken a pair of tweezers and started pinching at his heart. “That’s amazing! So amazing, Theo. I’m so happy for you.”

  Theo’s arm felt like it weighed as much as an elephant as he lifted it to rub a hand over his face. “Yeah. Plus, it came with a new job offer. One that’s hard to turn down.”

  Jo flew at him, wrapping him in an enthusiastic hug that was completely devoid of any of the shadows of their past. He caught her around the waist, urging her back to her feet instead of hauling her into his lap like he wanted to.

  She blinked, clearly startled. Wariness flickered through her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  There was no good way to tell her, but he knew that she’d never tolerate him keeping something so monumental from her.

  “I wouldn’t be able to stay in Boston.”

  Jo froze. Literally just froze in place, eyes wide, an empty smile pasted on her face. She stared at him for a long moment, and he knew that she could see every ounce of the angst that he was feeling, pouring off him in waves.

  “Well, of course you have to go.” She clapped her hands together, as if in glee, but her voice was hollow. “This is what you wanted, even if it’s a little ahead of schedule!”

  “Jo.” He couldn’t handle it. Her voice was positively perky. The girl he’d known, the woman he knew were many things, but perky wasn’t one of them. “What about us?”

  “Theo.” Her almost manic smile dimmed a few watts but remained pasted on her face. “We’ve been back together...or whatever this is...for less than a week. I’m glad we got to move past some of that old hurt, and I’m grateful for it. But there’s no question that you have to take this!”

  “Jo,” he said again, this time more urgently. Her eyes widened, but the mask of fake happiness stayed plastered to her face. “Talk to me.”

  “I actually have to get back to work.” She dusted her hands on the thighs of her jeans. “I just had to ask John a question about the article I’m working on, but I can ask him later. I promised him I’d have it in this afternoon, so I really do have to get back to work.”

  H
er movements were choppy, robotic, as if controlled by someone else. And as if he didn’t already feel like absolute shit, Theo realized that if he sold the company, there was no guarantee that Jo’s job would still exist once the new owner had taken over.

  Closing his eyes for a second, he fisted his hands at his sides as he tried to get ahold of his options. When he opened them again, Jo was halfway through the door, her own hands balled into tight fists, too.

  “Jojo.” He used her old nickname without thinking. She stiffened, her shoulders hunching up around her ears. “Tell me not to go.”

  She didn’t turn around. Theo held his breath, and he knew that he wanted her to tell him to stay more than he wanted to sell his company.

  “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to you.” She didn’t even bother to turn around, instead directing her words back over her shoulder. “And you know what, I’m really not feeling well. I promise I’ll get the article in on time, but I think I need to work from home for the afternoon.”

  “Jo.” Rising to his feet, he strode across the office after her, but she sliced a hand through the air, letting him know without a word that she wouldn’t tolerate being touched.

  “’Bye, Theo.” And then she was gone, down the hall and into the elevator. Ava stood as Jo hurried by, clearly picking up on the waves of emotion emanating from the other woman. His assistant looked back down the hall toward him, and the pity on her face told her that she’d intuited what happened.

  He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to do. He started down the hall after Jo, but Ava shook her head, halting him in his tracks.

  “If you go tearing after her, you’ll argue and one or both of you will say something that you regret.” Shaking her head, she sat back down at her desk. “But honestly, Theo, I don’t know what you thought you were doing with her. You’re on your way up. You’re a star. And she’s just the girl from where you started.”