Now that they were in the privacy of his home, all bets were off. His formerly gentle kiss was now rough and demanding. In response, she pulled him closer even as she pushed his jacket over his shoulders and the expensive material crumpled to the floor.
She moaned as her hands roamed over his back, and her head fell back as Michael’s lips traced down the column of her throat. Her breaths came quicker, and she closed her eyes to revel in the sensations as his hands roamed over her body, skimming over her back, cupping her ass, and then traveling back up and catching in the hem of her blouse. He pulled away from her just long enough to pull the shirt up and over her head.
Before she could kiss him again, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her until her toes were off the ground. She grabbed onto his shoulders to steady herself as he carried her through the entryway and into the kitchen, where he set her on the island and spread her jean-clad thighs so he could fit between them.
Before she could become overwhelmed with how real it all was now, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. She let him sweep her away even as her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. To give her more room to work, he dropped his arms and rested his palms on her hips above the waist of her jeans. She moaned against him as his tongue teased her and she finally got the last button on his shirt undone. Without needing any encouragement, he shrugged it off and came right back to her.
He went to kiss her again, but she held up a hand to stop him. “Hold on,” she murmured. “I’ve been waiting for this...” She took a moment to appreciate his beauty. The same dark hair from his head barely dusted his chest, and a more defined trail led straight toward the button of his slacks. She ran a finger over the ridges of his abdomen, reveling in finally getting to touch his beautiful physique.
While she was distracted, he leaned forward and ran his lips up the side of her neck. His fingers wrapped in her ponytail and angled her neck to give him better access as he nibbled on her ear, nipping a bit too hard and then using his tongue to take away the sting.
She moved against him and pulled his hips closer until the bulge of his cock was up against her core. As she rubbed against his erection, his hands frantically roamed over her sides and back before they rested on her shoulders and slipped off the straps of her black bra one at a time. He slid the straps farther and farther down until her breasts were free to his gaze. Her nipples were already hard from arousal, and another wave of heat shot through her as he stared so intently at her bared breasts.
“Fuck, Lori,” he murmured as he reached up to cup each one, softly rolling the pebbled tips between his thumb and forefinger. Her head fell back right as his mouth closed over a tip and she felt like a bolt of lightning struck her head on. She jerked against him as he alternated between using his tongue and teeth on the sensitive buds.
Her fingers tangled in his hair and she urged him closer as her hips rocked against his, eager to get more of him. But instead of giving her more, he gripped her waist and picked her up until her arms were around his neck and legs around his waist. He started to move, but she couldn’t look to see where they were going.
“What are you doing?” she breathed.
“Bed. Now.”
Her entire body tingled at the realization he could only form one-word sentences. But soon enough, her own mind was just as cloudy as Michael nudged the door to his room open with a foot and tossed her on the bed.
Before she even had a chance to recover, he was undoing the button of her fly, and in one swift motion, he pulled her pants and panties off her body, only pausing to remove her shoes. She took the last step and undid her bra, leaving her completely bared to his gaze.
She sat up to kiss him, but he pressed a palm on her chest, between her breasts, and he pushed her down until her back met the silky smooth comforter beneath her.
Her breaths came deeper as he dragged his hand down her body, over her ribcage and stomach until his palm pressed against her aching clit.
Lori gasped at the shocks that raced through her body, and while she was distracted, he bent forward and replaced his palm with his tongue. Her hands fisted in the sheets as he licked and nibbled and teased her. The sensations only became more intoxicating when he pushed two fingers inside.
“Michael,” she moaned. The heat hit her hard and fast as he expertly worked her body. She thrashed and bucked beneath him, desperate for the release he pushed her toward.
And then he pushed one more finger inside her and she fell apart beneath him. She tried to catch her breath as the waves washed over her, and suddenly Michael was gone. She creaked her eyes open, only to see him standing at the foot of the bed, rolling a condom over his jutting erection.
Her mouth went dry at the raw power of the naked man above her. Good grief, he was handsome normally, but seeing him like this, seeing him looking at her as if he was thinking the exact same thing...she didn’t think she’d ever been so turned on in her life.
And then he knelt on the bed and crawled over her. His golden eyes met hers as he gently wrapped his fingers around her ankle and spread her legs for him. She held her breath as he settled between her thighs and slid his palm from her ankle to her calf and then higher to her inner thigh until it settled on the curve of her waist. He pulled her tightly to him until he was braced at her entrance.
Leaning in, he captured her mouth in a devastating kiss as he slid all the way inside. He swallowed her moan with his kiss as he ran his hands up her sides and along her arms until they were pinned above her head. He kept kissing her but didn’t move. At first, it was nice to get a chance to adjust to his size within her, but soon, she pushed her hips up against his, urging him to move.
He intertwined his fingers with hers, effectively holding her down, and started to thrust. He moved at a frantic and primal pace, his thrusts slammed into her, and each one took her higher and higher. She couldn’t move her arms, so all she could do was wrap her legs around his waist and hold on as another climax crashed hard and fast over her.
Only after she was coming down from her orgasm did he finally release her as he set one palm next to her head on the bed to brace himself as the other hand grasped her waist and held her still for him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as the thrusts came harder and faster until his entire body tensed over hers. His jaw clenched and the cords in his neck stood out as his own orgasm hit.
All Lori could do was stare breathlessly up at the power and beauty of Michael. He finally opened his eyes and looked down at her.
“I’m just enjoying the show.” She grinned.
“Oh, I enjoyed it too.” He shifted his weight off her. “Trust me.”
As he rolled off her, she pulled the blanket up and over her naked body, suddenly self-conscious. Now that they’d...done the deed, would he expect her to go home? She had no idea how one-night stands worked. One-evening stand?
Michael rolled off the bed and padded to the bathroom. Lori sat up and had a moment to look around at his bedroom. She’d been a bit too distracted when he’d carried her in here to pay much attention. The large room was very masculine. The black furniture was all modern and had hard angles. The hardwood floor was the only thing in the room that wasn’t black or gray except for the books that lined his shelves. Unlike his office, these books were mostly fiction. Mostly thrillers, but a few horrors mixed in. It made her wonder exactly how much she didn’t know about him yet. Things she probably should’ve known before sleeping with him.
Oh well. Her body still hummed too much with pleasure from her multiple orgasms for her to have any regrets about being with Michael. “It’s getting late,” she called as she sat up, belatedly remembering that her shirt was somewhere in the entryway to his apartment. “Maybe I should head out.”
Michael came out of the bathroom, still completely naked. Lori’s mouth went dry as she drank him in with her eyes. “You can’t leave yet. I promised you dinner.”
She blinked as she forced herself to tear her gaze
away and focus on his words. Dinner? Her stomach growled and she remembered that he’d originally asked her to dinner. And the longer she stayed, the more chance that they’d be able to do it again...
She smiled at him. “Dinner sounds great.”
Michael looked up from his computer as Luke strode into his office. Ten thirty. This was downright early for his brother to be making an appearance. “Welcome back.”
Luke took a seat in the chair on the other side of Michael’s desk and rubbed his eyes. “I need a vacation.”
“You just had a three-day weekend,” reminded Michael.
“Working weekend,” clarified Luke. “You have no idea the lengths I go through to keep our clients happy.”
“I have an idea.” Michael narrowed his eyes as he looked Luke over. “You have lipstick on your shirt, by the way.”
Luke jumped to attention, maneuvered his neck to the side, and pulled out the shirt to get a better view. “Damn it. They’re all wearing that bright stuff these days. I think Cali might have some extra shirts for me. Do I have time to run home if I need to?”
“We don’t have anything together until later in the afternoon, but you’d have to check with Cali about the rest of your schedule. Speaking of, have you heard from our friend Ken?”
Luke licked his thumb and rubbed at the stain on his collar. “Not a peep. Should I have?”
Michael debated telling Luke that all his rubbing was just going to make the spot worse, but decided against it. If he couldn’t be bothered to put on a clean shirt, let him deal with the consequences. “Evelyn said we’d probably be contacted soon. Asked to attend a few events. Get to know people.”
“Good. That’s the whole point of all this, right? The sooner we find out who’s in charge, the sooner we can get out and maybe get our money back.”
Michael knew that Luke wasn’t concerned about the money, but he wanted to be done with the Thirteen Stars as soon as possible. “That’s the plan.”
Luke finally gave up on trying to clean his shirt via saliva. “Did you hear that Jace is still down there with Emma?”
Michael raised a brow. That was...interesting. “No. I knew he helped her home from the hospital.”
“And the son of a bitch never left. He’s sleeping in our family home right now.”
“It’s her home.”
“And she’s family. I don’t want this guy weaseling his way into her life. She’s young, she’s rich, she just went through a life-threatening experience.”
“Technically they slept together before Thirteen Stars tried to kill her.”
Luke groaned. “Please don’t remind me, okay? The guy is a stalker. He followed her from here to Georgia. That has to set off a few alarm bells.”
“Except his stalking her saved her life. So until she gives me reason to think otherwise, I trust her judgment.”
Luke considered Michael and tilted his head. “You’re being surprisingly calm about this whole thing.”
Michael kept his expression blank. Cali wouldn’t have told Luke about him and Lori, would she? “What do you want me to do, Luke? Take the next plane down to Georgia and evict Jace from a house I don’t even own?”
“No. That definitely falls into the camp of what I would do. But still... Something is off about you. Did you go to a different barber?”
Great. Now Luke could sense when Michael got laid. “Does my hair look different?”
Before Luke could answer, a soft rapping came from the door, and Cali stood at the entrance to the office, holding up two cups of coffee. It really wasn’t in her job description to bring them drinks, but she made a point of going above and beyond whenever necessary. “I heard trouble was back and thought you might need a pick-me-up.”
Michael took the coffee and set it aside. Sometimes he’d prefer it if Cali didn’t go so far above and beyond. Mainly because he knew she’d be calling in all these favors eventually, and he didn’t know whether they’d be able to afford her when that happened.
Luke, on the other hand, had no qualms about drinking her offer. “Have I mentioned how much I missed you?” he asked before he took another drink.
“You always miss me.” She turned to leave.
“Wait,” called Luke. “Help me out here. What did I miss while I was gone?”
“Well, you messaged me yesterday that you weren’t making it in, so I already rescheduled all those appointments.”
He shook his head. “Not that. With Michael. Something is different and he’s not telling me what it is.”
A huge grin covered her face. “The brothers keeping secrets from each other? I’m shocked!”
“For the love of God, Luke. There’s nothing different about me.” He just needed to keep his cool and remain calm. There was no reason for Luke to have to know about Lori. At least not until Michael figured out what the hell he was doing with her. He might not sleep around as much as Luke, and he sure as hell had more of a connection with the women he took to his bed than his brother, but he was no monk. He knew he had no time for relationships, and the women he slept with were all okay with that.
But would Michael be okay with Lori and him going back to being casual acquaintances? Passing her in the hall and knowing he couldn’t pull her into the nearest dark corner and press her against the wall...
“Come on, Cali. You know everything that happens around here. What has the good one been keeping from me?”
She sighed. “If I spill all Michael’s secrets to you, then I’ll have to tell him all your secrets, and then no one will be happy. Except me, of course.” She gave Michael a quick wink before she strutted out of the office.
Michael ran a hand through his hair. That had been too close. Another reason to not have a prolonged office affair. Too much drama. Too unprofessional.
He thought back to confronting her downstairs and ordering her to go out with him. She was right. He’d been rude and pushy and completely unlike himself. But it was really hard to regret his actions when he knew the result was getting Lori naked and in his apartment.
Luke stood and took another sip of coffee. “I don’t like you two keeping secrets from me.”
“That’s because you like being the only one with secrets.”
“Knowledge is power, Michael. You can talk to me if you need to.”
“I don’t need to.”
Just then, an instant message popped up on his screen through the office messaging program. Michael had to bite back a smile when he saw it was from Lori.
You’re the worst type of work friend to have.
How is that? “Are we done here?” he asked. “I have to get the Penskilli report approved before our lunch meeting.”
I can’t complain about work to you...
“You really need to get out more,” said Luke. “You know what they say about all work and no play...”
Tell me who is bothering you and he’ll be gone by the end of the day. Michael considered sending one of those stupid smiley faces, but decided against it. It didn’t seem...natural. “I’ll make sure Cali schedules some time on my calendar for play,” he said dryly, even as he stared at the screen and waited for Lori’s response.
“You’re a lost cause,” muttered Luke as he crossed to the door. “You let me know what’s going on with you sooner rather than later,” he said as he exited.
Now that Michael was alone in his office, he hunched forward and willed the message box to populate again.
See? Worst. Work. Friend. Ever.
Then we’ll have to find something else to talk about. So much for keeping his distance from her.
The update I was waiting on finished. Back to work. If the boss catches me slacking, I’ll be in trouble...
He should end the message. Let her get back to work and leave it as is. Instead, he typed again. Dinner tonight?
That depends...
Depends on what? He held his breath as he waited for her response.
Only if we get takeout again.
Lor
i shuffled the bags over her shoulder as she pulled her door shut. If she maneuvered it just right, she might be able to get her door locked without setting anything on the ground...
“Ms. Briggs.”
Lori jumped as her duffel, purse, and laptop bag all clattered to the floor. “Hunter! What the hell are you doing here?” She leaned back against the door as she tried to catch her breath.
Hunter stepped out farther from the shadows he’d been in. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Lori set a hand on her hip and tried to not look nearly as freaked out as she felt. “Well, try not lurking outside my place at all hours of the day, okay? Now give me one good reason I shouldn’t call the police.” She hadn’t seen him since that Saturday Michael had dropped her off and had hoped she’d never see him again.
“No need to call anyone.” He raised his hands in a non-threatening manner. “I just wanted to check up one last time on that job offer.”
Lori bent down to pick up her stuff, keeping a careful eye on him the entire time. “I have to say, desperation isn’t an attractive quality in the employer. I’d think Ken would know that my silence was my answer.”
He bent down as well and handed her the duffel bag. “I suppose I was asking more for my own benefit.”
“Because you want to go on a date or something? Well, I hate to break it to you, but I’m not interested.”
“I figured. I heard that you and Michael Devereaux have become quite the item.”
Her jaw dropped before she remembered that she was supposed to be playing it cool. But how did he know about her and Michael? They’d been together for only two nights, Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week, Michael had been working late and she’d been trying to keep her distance. Until she’d run into him in the elevator. They hadn’t been alone at first. There had been three others with them, keeping Lori from breaking her control.
But then all three of the others got off on the same floor and Michael had been alone with her. All it had taken was one smile from him and she was practically falling over herself when he’d asked whether she wanted to come over Friday...and stay.
Devereaux Billionaires Complete Series: Books 1-4 Page 26
