“You went to see my mom?” Kelsey asked Micah.
“I checked in on her when I was looking for you. I thought you’d want to know how she was.”
Anger bubbled up to mix with her happiness at seeing him again and for the second time that day, she had moisture welling in her eyes and blurring her vision. The highs and the lows of her emotional rollercoaster made her a little crazy. “Damn you, Micah Holmes,” she yelled.
She grabbed a bunch of condoms from a bowl on the counter and threw them at him. She’d never been compelled to hurl something at someone’s head before, but these past few days had been full of her doing things she’d never done before.
The rubbers hit his tux-covered chest and shoulder and slid to the ground, some of them getting snagged by the edge of his lapel pocket, a button or his waistband and hung out there like multicolored square-shaped confetti. He just stood there, poised to duck, as if he was waiting for her to latch onto the bowl and chuck that at him too.
“I told you he was Micah Holmes!” The blond-haired woman squealed and nudged her boyfriend in the ribs. She walked over to Micah and shoved the ball gag package into his hands. “Here’s a pen. Can you sign this for me? I’m a huge fan.”
Micah, his expression now completely confused, took the pen and scribbled his signature over the photo depicting a guy wearing the gag and full submissive leather gear while seated at the feet of an Amazonian-looking woman. He shoved it back into the fan’s hands but never took his eyes off of Kelsey.
“Oh my God. Can I get a photo?” The woman squealed even louder than before, and that broke Micah out of his trance. He looked down at Blondie, an apologetic but exasperated smile on his lips.
“I’m in the middle of something. Can you wait?”
She shrugged, looking over at Kelsey before taking two or three steps away from Micah. He walked toward Kelsey, the condoms dropping to the ground and joining the one he stepped on as he made his way to her.
“Kelsey, I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Yeah, she’d been wrong but he was an asshat too, and she needed to know exactly what they were both going to apologize for before they wiped the slate clean and started over.
“For not listening to you. For not letting you explain.” He took a deep breath and stopped right in front of her, close enough for her to see the couple spots on his chin he’d missed with his razor and the fluttery throb of his pulse underneath his skin. His words dragged her gaze back to his eyes. “Perry told me the whole story, and I’m so sorry. I understand why you agreed to do it…”
“It was awful.”
He nodded once, acknowledging her mistake. “But you didn’t do it, even when you had a chance to save your job and the management program.” He stepped even closer, and now she could feel the warmth of his breath on her lips, smell the soap he used. She wanted to kiss him, desperately, but she wanted to hear what he had to say more. “You didn’t do it.”
“I couldn’t.” She licked her lips and tried to steady her heartbeat. Right now it was so fast she felt lightheadedor that could have been Micah. “You were mine. I couldn’t share you with her or ask you to do something I knew you wouldn’t do.”
“I was yours?” His voice was husky, ragged as his own chest rose and fell rapidly with his accelerated heartbeat. “Past tense?”
“You tell me.” Kelsey knew it was cowardly to lob the ball back on his side of the court, but she needed to hear him say it. “You’re the wizard of the words.”
He laughed, his hands rising to cup her face as he leaned, a breath away from a kiss. She slipped her arms around his waist, her skin tingling all over from the contact.
“I probably suck at this way more than I should considering the books I write, but I’ll give you the words you deserve to hear. I want to be yours, Kelsey Kyle. I am yours for as long as you want me, which I hope is a very long time.” Micah closed the gap with a kiss so soft that she would have missed it if her entire being wasn’t focused on him. It lasted less than a minute, but when they pulled apart, her heart was racing again, in a good way. “I was an idiot, and I’m sure I will be an idiot again, but I promise I will always grovel as soon as you tell me I’m wrong.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, taking his mouth in a kiss that burned hot enough to erase the stupidity of the last few hours. Kelsey knew she was missing out on prime ass kissing from a man who wrote the best in the business, but she didn’t care. She always liked the happily ever after part anyway.
“I’ve fallen in love with you, Kelsey,” Micah said.
“Oh, good. I thought I was the only one.”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “I’m crazy about you, and I want to make this work. I don’t want to get on that plane tomorrow, I want time with you. Time for us. Can I have it?”
“It just so happens that I’m unemployed for the moment, and I have lots of time,” she kissed away the frown that took over his smile for a moment. “And I would love spend it with you. I want that too…us…you.”
He kissed her again, deep and wet, and she hopped up, climbing him like a tree until her legs wrapped around his waist. Micah groaned into her mouth, his large hands cupping her ass as he worked to keep his balance from her assault. The room around them burst into catcalls and whistles and clapping. It was ridiculous and she was happy and they broke apart laughing, her arms still wrapped tight around his neck. Micah’s grin turned wicked and cunning.
“What?” she asked, wondering what he was planning.
“I was thinking about the fact that you’re looking for a job.”
“I don’t want to think about that right now.”
“But what if I told you that I have a proposition for you?”
“Better than the one you just made me?” she asked.
He cocked his head to the side and pretended to think about it. “I wouldn’t say that, but you would get to work closely with an incredibly talented, sexy, and brilliant guy every day.”
Kelsey narrowed her eyes, “Is there health care and an expense account?”
“Everything is on the table.” She could tell by his eyes that he was offering more than a paycheck, and she wanted it all. She wanted…everything.
“Tell me more.”
Epilogue
One month later
“What is that?” Kelsey pointed to the large object he’d just unpacked from the crates delivered to the condo earlier that day.
Shortly after the convention they’d both traveled to Bridger Gap to pack up his stuff and for Kelsey to meet his family. The family was as expected: wonderful, all loud and obnoxious and overwhelming and very excited to meet the woman who’d tempted him to actually feel all the things he wrote in his books. He was content to sit in the background with his father and watch the antics of the seven women in their lives.
Of course, she’d hit it off with the girls right away. His mother and sisters were like Kelsey, outgoing, driven, and determined to get everything organized and done with an efficiency that would impress the USMC. He’d stood by and followed orders when given, excited to pack up a life that had never felt like his own.
That life, the one where he actually lived and didn’t sit on the sidelines, was now in Las Vegas in the Melrose Place condo that was currently in the middle of a major renovation. He’d purchased the unit next door, and the wall between the two was gone, the opening covered with heavy plastic. They needed more space if this was going to be their home and the office for his publishing company.
After several long talks with Kelsey and Allen, he’d decided to self-publish his military thrillers and write one romance novel a year for his publisher. So, now he was a CEO of a company with one sexy, smart, and talented employee. She was watching him, her expression reminding him that he’d never answered her question. “Are you asking as my girlfriend or as the Operations Manager for Bridger Gap Publishing?
She looked at him and then back at the model long-range missile standing in the
middle of the floor. It stood almost to her full height and opened on a hinge so that you could see the components inside. In his opinion it was fucking badass, and more importantly, it was the weapon of mass destruction in his newest novel. Research…it was research.
Kelsey considered his question, crossing her arms on her chest and biting her bottom lip in concentration. It reminded him of last night on the kitchen floor when he fucked into her slowly, drawing out the pleasure as they christened another room in the condo. She’d insisted on it when he’d agreed to move in with her, explaining that it would give them good luck for the future.
He’d told her that they didn’t need luck, they had a winning hand no matter the odds, but he would never pass up on sex with the woman he loved. But now she looked like she wanted him to drag his precious memorabilia to the curb instead of strip off her panties.
“Well?”
“My answer depends on whether you want to put it in the living room or your office,” she said.
“Okay.” He laughed, liking how her mind worked. “I’m answering my girlfriend.”
“Then I say hell no you are not leaving a mock weapon in the living room.” She held up her hand and scooted away when he stood up and started tracking her around the room. “And that answer won’t change no matter how many orgasms you promise me.”
“Do I get a different answer if I ask my most valuable employee?”
“Nope. No weapons in the living room or the bedroom or the kitchen. Just no.” She tried to dodge his grasp, but he was faster, using his longer leg span to catch her near the front door.
Micah pressed her back to the foyer wall, capturing her lips in a kiss he hoped would lead to something more fun than unpacking all these boxes. Kelsey seemed to be very open to the unspoken suggestion, her mouth opening to his pressure on a sigh, her fingers sinking into his hair to pull him closer. He was hard already, the constant state of his body anytime his gorgeous girlfriend was in the same room with him. The total package of beauty, brains, and bravado, she excited his body, made his heart pump with life, and gave him the courage to take a leap of faith in his life and his career.
It was fast. They were fast. Many people thought it was crazy, but they knew. Both he and Kelsey knew that what they’d been holding out for was living and breathing between them, and all they had to do is keep it alive. It was the easiest and the hardest thing he’d ever done, and it was worth it. He woke up every morning knowing that it was worth everything.
When he’d decided to self-publish his military thriller books, he knew he needed help. A right-hand person who could help him stay organized and be his rock when he had to tackle the fan stuff that still made him want to cut and run. He couldn’t imagine doing it without her anymore…Kelsey had spoiled him for anyone else. She’d agreed on one condition: that he’d write one romance with his publisher every year for his loyal fan base.
He’d agreed to write the book, but it would be for her, his most important fan. Best. Hiring. Decision. Ever. And as soon as the time was right, he was going to give her the small velvet box he had hidden in his sock drawer and change their status one more time. The last time.
They broke apart and Kelsey murmured against his lips, “Is this part of the enhanced benefits program you mentioned when you recruited me to work for you?”
“Are you kidding? This is the enhanced benefit,” he laughed and dove back in for another kiss just as a loud knock on the doorframe interrupted them.
They didn’t jump apart, merely turned to see which one of their friends was visiting. Aiden, Liliah, and Sarina were in and out of here all the time. Micah had quickly realized that it wasn’t a condo complex; it was a commune with a pool.
“At least you guys aren’t naked in the pool again,” Sarina grumbled from the doorway, holding out a gift bag from her store, the Sizzle and Pop logo emblazoned on the side. “This is a congratulations-on-getting-laid-on-a-regular-basis gift from Aiden, Lilah, and me. Since we all love the story of how you guys met, we figured this could be a fun reminder of that moment. It’s waterproof, so you could use it in the shower or…” She flicked a humor-tinged glance over shoulder toward the pool and slid her cool, green gaze back to them. “Well, you’ll figure it out, I’m sure.”
Micah released Kelsey just enough for her to reach for the bag and press a kiss to Sarina’s cheek in thanks.
He kept his arms loosely wrapped around her waist, smiling at the redhead who played it cool all the time. She never broke a sweat or got flustered, and he wondered whether she was really that together or if she pushed it all down. Still waters and all that…usually ran deep with pain or loss in his experience.
“Thank you, Sarina. I’m sure we’ll enjoy it,” he said, jerking his head toward the living room. “You want to come in?”
“Nope. I have to get to the shop and I’m sure you’ll want to break in the new bed you had delivered this morning.” She smiled and waggled her eyebrows as she backed out of the doorway to leave. “Don’t forget to do everything I would do!”
They watched her leave, and Micah tried to peek in the bag, but Kelsey pulled it out of his reach. “What is it?”
She opened the bag and looked at the gift, her eyes flaring wide as a huge grin spread across her face. He leaned forward to take his own turn but she snapped it shut, shaking her head slowly as a naughty grin spread across her lips.
“You’re not going to let me see what’s in the bag?” he asked, allowing her to duck around him and start to back down the hallway toward their bedroom.
“Nope,” she said, reaching up to pull the scrunchie from her hair and tossing it to the floor. She shook her hair out in the way she knew made him itch to hold it tight in his fist as he fucked her.
Kelsey was deliberately teasing him.
He liked it. No. He loved it.
“I love you, Kelsey Kyle,” he said, never tiring of the fact that he could.
“I love you, too.” She didn’t stop her achingly slow, sexy backward progress down the hall. “But that won’t get you a peek into this bag.”
He shut the door, twisting the lock and taking two steps forward when she cranked up the pout and got all of his attention with her sexy, seductive purr.
“In fact, you won’t get to see what’s in here until you’re naked and on the bed,” she said, her voice teasing but firm. She smiled wickedly at him and his cock got harder at the naughty promise in her gaze. “Just leave your clothes by the door, you won’t be needing them tonight.”
“You know,” he drawled, slipping his T-shirt up and over his head and then tossing it to the ground at his feet. His jeans joined them and he sped up his pursuit of Kelsey, spurring her to turn and dash down the remainder of the hallway. “I remember you telling me the same thing one time before.”
“And look how well that turned out for us.”
And as Micah followed her into their room, he couldn’t have agreed more.
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About the Author
Robin Covington loves to explore the theme of fooling around and falling in love in her bestselling books. Her stories burn up the sheets...one page at a time. When she’s not writing she’s collecting tasty man candy, indulging in a little comic book geek love, and stalking Chris Evans. Don’t send chocolate...send eye candy!
Robin’s bestselling books have won the Golden Leaf Award and finaled in the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, the Book Seller’s Best and the National Reader’s Choice Awards.
She lives in Maryland with her handsome husband, her two brilliant children (they get it from her, of course!), and her beloved furbabies.
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