by Lauren Layne
“I think it would work a hell of a lot better if we weren’t roommates. What’s he going to think, that I forgot to put on my clothes, put on my coat, but then also forgot to go outside?”
“You’re being too practical,” Daisy said, waving her chopsticks. “He’s going to think, ‘Oh, Taylor Carr is naked, and I’d be an idiot not to hit that.’ ”
“A romantic way to phrase it, dear,” Brit said, patting Daisy’s hand. “But yeah, Tay, she has the right idea. Somehow this guy’s still using his brain around you. We need him to use his other brain. Unless, of course, you’re fine waiting another half a month.”
“I think I can survive a couple of weeks without sex,” Taylor grumbled. “Why are you two pushing this so hard? Doesn’t standard gal-pal code dictate that you tell me I should embrace the single life for a while? That I shouldn’t get back on the horse so soon after a breakup?”
“Here’s the thing, Carr,” Brit said, dragging a piece of California roll through soy sauce. “I think you underestimate just how badly you and Nick Ballantine have been giving the rest of us who have to be in your orbit blue balls.”
“It’s been two weeks.”
“Nuh-uh,” Brit said around the sushi. “Way longer than that.”
“What’s your excuse?” Taylor asked, turning to Daisy. “You hardly ever see me and Nick together, and no way are you getting blue balls with Lincoln Mathis in your bed.”
“Too true.” Daisy smirked. “But as for why I’m sticking my nose into this business with you and Nick…curiosity, mostly.”
“Meaning?”
“Well…okay, but remember you asked.”
“Oh boy,” Taylor muttered into her water glass. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“Nope.” Daisy grinned. “The thing is, Nick told you no sex for a month, and you actually agreed. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never let a single other person call the shots. I just find it…interesting. That’s all.”
Taylor sat back in her chair as her friend’s words sank in. “Oh God.”
“Here we go,” Brit muttered.
“Oh my God,” Taylor repeated, the words more heartfelt this time. “You’re right.”
Daisy nodded. “I often am.”
“That bastardly little hypocrite.”
“I don’t think that’s an adjective, hon.”
Taylor ignored this as she waved her chopsticks at her friend. “I sat there and listened to his lecture about how I always get what I want, and I need to learn patience, and be taught a lesson or whatever. But in me not getting my way, he’s getting his! He’s getting exactly what he wants.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think he’s really getting what he wants,” Brit said. “I’ve seen him lately. He’s got blue balls worst of all.”
“Well, then, let’s give him what he does want, shall we?”
Brit grinned. “Ooh. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking…” Taylor wiped her mouth with her napkin, then folded both hands on the table. “That we need to figure out which shoes are going to work best with this trench coat plan.”
Chapter 18
Over the past couple of weeks Nick had gotten so accustomed to surprise visits from the Oxford guys or Taylor on his slow days at the hotel that he found himself a little disappointed when at three on a rainy afternoon there was nobody familiar sitting at the bar.
And not only that—there was nobody at all.
Nick normally frowned at bartenders who used their cellphone on the job, but after thirty straight minutes of not seeing a single patron, he followed the lead of the lone cocktail waitress working alongside him and pulled out his iPhone.
He’d recently updated his writing process for exactly this reason, switching his writing program to one that was mobile friendly and allowed him to access his work in progress, even without his laptop.
Typing on the phone was slow going, but it beat doing nothing at all.
Leaning against the bar, Nick was just getting up some good momentum on a fight scene where his hero hadn’t yet figured out that his opponent was an android when Colette said his name.
He turned to see the cocktail waitress nodding to direct his attention toward the entrance.
Nick glanced up and did a double take when he saw Taylor approaching. His body began thrumming at the sight of her the way it always did lately. Hell, lately? Always.
No doubt about it—he’d wanted this woman from the second he’d seen her. Most men did. But it was different now, because he knew her.
Or at least he was getting there.
And alluring didn’t even begin to cover Taylor Carr’s relentless appeal.
“Hey,” he said, frowning a little as she marched toward him with a determined look on her face. It was unlike her to be out of the office before six. “Everything okay?”
She rested both elbows on the bar but didn’t take a seat, her gaze intense as it locked on his. “Do you have a second to talk?”
Nick was already sliding his phone back in his pocket. “Sure. What’s up?”
She cut her eyes sideways toward Colette and lowered her voice. “Maybe not here?”
The cocktail waitress was the only other person in the room, and her attention was already back on her phone. He doubted she cared one way or the other about whatever Taylor had to say, but he shrugged. “Sure. Colette, can you take the bar for a few? I’ll be right back.”
“Not sure I’ll be able to keep up with the rush,” she said, not bothering to glance up. “But I’ll do my best.”
He smiled his thanks to the redhead as he ducked out from under the bar.
Nick nodded toward a side door that led to restrooms and a small employee break room. Taylor preceded him in the direction he’d indicated. Her trench coat didn’t give him much of a view of her ass, so he satisfied himself with the trimness of her waist and the long, shapely bare calves that led down to sexy red heels.
“What’s up?” he asked as they stepped into the deserted hallway.
Taylor gave him a slow smile over her shoulder and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the women’s room.
“Taylor, what are you—”
“Anyone in here?” she called, pushing the door open.
Nobody answered, but she ducked down to check beneath the doors of the two stalls, just in case, before turning and locking the door to the bathroom.
“What the—”
Taylor’s hands went to his shoulders. With surprise on her side, she was able to knock him back a step until his back hit the bathroom door.
“Ladies’ room is cleaner,” she said with a little smile before stepping closer and running a hand down the front of his shirt.
He set his palm over her hand, slowing its downward motion. Being this close to her was torturous enough without the damned woman touching him.
“What are you up to, Carr?” he asked with narrowed eyes.
“Well.” Her other hand lifted to trace the line of the bow tie he always wore to work. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Always dangerous.”
“Right?” She smiled up at him. “Anyway, I was thinking that you were right about me being a little too close to getting what I want. But then my girls pointed out that us waiting a month simply because you snap your fingers…well, that’s just doing what you want, isn’t it?”
“You have no idea what I want,” he growled as her fingernail caressed his jaw.
She laughed. “The girls said that too.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Which girls? Brit? Daisy? I’m going to strangle both of them.”
“I don’t think so,” she said, moving even closer, her spicy perfume making him crazy. “I think you’re going to thank them for what’s about to happen.”
He meant to laugh, meant to tell her that he wasn’t going to sleep with her before the month was up, until she had really moved on from Bradley. And that when he slept with her, it wasn’t going to be in the wome
n’s restroom at his workplace.
But the only sound that came out was a strangled growl as her firm breasts pressed against his chest, her free hand continuing its teasing stroke along his jaw.
“Here’s what I’m proposing,” she whispered, tugging his head down so her lips could flirt with his ear. “You don’t want to have sex with me for another couple of weeks. I don’t want to wait.”
At the moment Nick was thinking that the one-month pause before they hooked up was the dumbest idea he’d ever had, but instinct told him that giving in to her was exactly what this complex woman didn’t need.
They’d started a battle of wills, and damn it, he was going to win, even if he died trying. And with her soft body pressed against his, he was pretty sure he would die.
Her teeth nipped at his earlobe, and his erection surged. His arm came around her, his palm against her back. “Taylor—”
He meant to get back in control of the situation, but her next words stilled him.
“How about a compromise?” she asked.
Nick lifted his head. “Meaning?”
“Sex can stay on your timeline. But other stuff…that can be on mine.”
“Other stuff?” he repeated.
Taylor gave a wicked smile and slipped her hand behind his neck, pulling his ear down to her lips once more. “I’m not wearing anything under this coat.”
It took Nick’s brain a full second to comprehend what she was telling him. It took his body half that to respond.
His fingers closed around her wrist, and he whipped her around so that their positions were reversed—her with her back against the door, his body pinning her there.
He expected to see triumph on her face, but there was only lust. The same sort of life-altering want that was rocketing through his own body.
It wouldn’t have mattered. He’d have kissed her regardless.
His mouth dropped to hers at the exact moment hers lifted to his, and they met each other in a hungry kiss that had been months in the making, even if neither had realized it.
She was sweeter than he expected. Or maybe he had been expecting it, and that’s why he’d held himself back this long, terrified by how irresistible she’d be to him. How one taste, one kiss would never be enough.
Her tongue met his, a little shyly at first, and then bolder. Her hands lifted to his shoulders, stroking him there as though needing to learn the shape of him, before her arms wound around his neck.
She pulled him closer and he let her, his mouth learning every corner of hers. Nick slid one hand around the back of her neck, holding her face to his as the fingers of his other hand reached for the knotted belt at her waist. He ordered his fingers to stay where they were. To satisfy himself with the taste of her.
I’m not wearing anything under this coat.
He groaned against her mouth, and felt her smile. He tugged at the knot until it loosened. They both went still, and he pulled back, watching her face flush as he pulled the knot all the way free.
She hadn’t buttoned any of the buttons. Of course she wouldn’t. Taylor preferred to live on the edge, and right now he wholeheartedly approved.
Nick held her gaze as he slowly pulled the sides of her coat apart. She gasped as the cool air touched her warm skin, her eyes slamming shut.
Only then did he let his eyes drift downward. Nick thought he couldn’t get any harder, but at the sight of Taylor Carr’s perfect body, his erection swelled under his pants.
He slid his palms along her sides, her flesh hot and soft beneath his hands.
Her eyes were open now, watching him as his fingers traced her flat belly, along the lines of her ribs. She was slimmer than he’d thought, almost frail in a way that belied her feisty personality.
Nick let his thumbs caress the lower curve of her breasts. Not small here, though, he thought, learning the weight of her. Here she was soft and heavy—the most perfect thing he’d ever seen. Touched.
“Please,” she whispered, her eyes gray and smoky and pleading.
He brushed his thumbs over the pebbled tips of her breasts and caught her cry with his lips, kissing her deeply as he molded her beneath his hands, alternating between teasing flicks and possessive strokes.
Mine.
Her fingers went to his tie, but he wasn’t done touching her yet. Didn’t want to be distracted from her body.
He dropped his mouth to her neck, and her head fell back against the door with a soft moan.
Nick’s hands slid down over her rib cage, moving outward to her hips, fingers digging into that perfect ass that he couldn’t wait to see up close. But that would have to wait until later, when they had all the time in the world.
“This other stuff you mentioned,” Nick said against her shoulder. “How far were you thinking it would go?”
“Um…” Taylor lifted her head as though trying to gather her thoughts.
His hand moved between her legs, one knuckle pressing lightly into the wet seam of her. She cried out, and his cock strained painfully against his pants.
He repeated the motion, pressing further this time, his knuckle brushing her clit so that her hips bucked against his hand.
Nick swore softly, his eyes dropping down to where his fingers touched her, each stroke making her wetter until she coated his fingertips.
“Nick.” Her voice was panicked, her nails digging into his shoulders. “This isn’t what I…too much…stop.”
“Like hell,” he growled, capturing her mouth. She might have started this, but he’d be the one to finish it.
He slid his middle finger deep inside her, his thumb moving faster over her clit.
Nick would have pegged Taylor Carr as a screamer, and he was ready to muffle her cries with a kiss. Instead she came silently but explosively, her slim body bucking violently against him, tightening around his finger again and again.
It was all he could to do to stay with her, to hold her up as she shuddered.
It was one of the most gratifying moments in his sexual life, making Taylor Carr come with his hand.
Her forehead dropped to his shoulder, and he resisted the urge to press his lips to her temple. The gesture felt too tender considering what had just happened in a public restroom, but it also felt…right.
It was because it felt right that he stopped himself. He wasn’t sure that either one of them would know what to do with that sort of instinctual affection.
Instead he wrapped an arm around her, letting her catch her breath.
Then he felt fingers at his belt and snatched her hand away. “I don’t think so, Carr.”
She looked up at him in surprise. “But—”
He brushed a quick kiss over her lips. “I need to get back to work.”
Taylor scowled. “I didn’t mean for it to happen like this.”
He arched an eyebrow as he went to the sink to wash his hands and neaten the hair her fingers had messed up.
“I meant for both of us to…you know.”
He dried his hands and walked toward the still-sulking Taylor, pulling her close. Her eyes lit, only to frown once again when she realized he was merely pulling the coat closed, belting it at her waist.
He smiled. “Is this how it’s going to be with you? Always hungry for more?”
“Is this how it’s going to be with you? Running off, leaving unfinished business?”
“Now, Taylor. Don’t be greedy,” he said, checking to make sure his shirt was tucked in.
“That’s just the problem,” she muttered, her eyes on his crotch. “I am feeling a little greedy.”
Nick nudged her aside and unlocked the bathroom door, giving her butt a playful swat as he did so.
He walked into the hallway, which he was thankful was still empty, but before removing his hand to let the door close, he turned back to her.
“Carr.”
“What?” she asked, still a little moody.
“The way I see it, I was the greedy one. Haven’t experienced anything that gratif
ying in a hell of a long time.”
He winked, but it wasn’t until he’d walked away to return to work that he realized a rather alarming truth.
He’d meant every word.
Chapter 19
It had been more than twenty-four hours since her bathroom encounter with Nick, and Taylor’s embarrassment about the whole thing had faded…slightly.
She’d never been a woman to be embarrassed by her own pleasure, but coming apart within seconds of him touching her? Not in the plan.
Taylor smiled a little as she let herself in the front door and dropped her keys on the table. Maybe he’d had a point when he’d suggested skipping the plan sometimes—the result could be very pleasurable indeed.
“Nick, you here?” she called.
He didn’t respond, but that didn’t mean much. It was one of his writing days, which meant he could be holed up in his room with the noise-cancelling headphones, or working from the coffee shop.
Either way, she knew from experience not to bug him if he was in the zone. He’d come out when he was ready.
And she had big plans for him when he did.
Taylor was in the process of removing her earrings and heading to the bedroom to change when her phone rang. She backpedaled to her purse by the front foyer and pulled out her cellphone.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Carr, this is Ken from downstairs. There’s a Ms. Young here to see Mr. Ballantine, but he’s not answering his phone. The young lady says it’s an emergency.”
“Oh!” Taylor glanced at Nick’s closed door. She didn’t know any Ms. Youngs in Nick’s life, but now that she thought about it, she didn’t know much about his life at all. And the guys downstairs were bouncers of sorts. They wouldn’t let someone up if it seemed like a weird situation.
“Sure, send her up,” Taylor said on instinct. As soon as she hung up she went to bang on Nick’s door.
“Nick. Nick, you in there? It’s important.”
Still nothing.
She knocked again, then opened the door.
“Damn it,” she muttered. He wasn’t here.
Her phone still in hand, she immediately called him, but like the guy said downstairs, he wasn’t answering. He usually put his phone out of sight when he was working, to avoid distractions.
