I mean, he didn’t invite me to stay.
“If you’d rather do this, just the two of you, I totally understand, and I’ll just leave—”
Before I can finish my thought, Reed shocks me by pulling me in for a kiss. Long and slow and thorough, and when I come up for air, I glance down at Piper, who’s watching us with interest.
“Your daughter—”
“Will get used to seeing me kiss you,” he finishes for me. “Now, let’s get started on this tree. And dinner. I’m starved. Are you hungry, honey?”
“Yes. But I wanna decorate first.”
“We can do both,” I say, recovering my wits. “I made appetizers, so it’s easy to eat and work at the same time.”
“Perfect.” Reed follows me to the kitchen. “Thank you. For all of this. You killed it.”
“I know.” I grin and pass him a bottle of wine. “And you’re welcome. Will you please open that?”
“I’m happy to. By the way, I have a holiday party for my firm on Friday. I’d like you to be my date.”
I stop and stare at him. “That’s in two days.”
“Yep.”
I nod, mentally combing through my closet. I think I have several things that will work for a holiday party. “Okay. I’m in.”
“Excellent.”
Chapter Six
~Noel~
“Noel, I’d like you to meet Nate McKenna, and his wife—”
“Jules!” I wrap my arms around my friend and grin at her ridiculously hot husband. I no longer feel guilty for thinking that Nate McKenna is hot. It’s just common knowledge among the family that the Montgomerys, and their spouses, are stupidly attractive.
“You know each other?” Reed asks.
“Yes,” Jules says and nods. “It’s all by marriage, and confusing, but we know Noel well. How are you?”
“I’m great, thank you. How are you guys? How’s Stella?”
“Our daughter is growing up too fast,” Nate says. His hand rests protectively on Jules’ waist. At well over six and a half feet tall, with broad shoulders and muscles for days, no one ever messes with Nate.
“She’s getting big,” Jules says and then turns her attention to Reed. “And I hear congratulations are in order for you. How is your little one?”
“Piper’s great. She’s with an overnight sitter for the first time since she came to live with me, and so far, I haven’t received any SOS calls, so I consider that a win.”
We all chuckle, and then Reed and Nate step aside to talk about business, and Jules leans in. I know this is going to be fun girl-talk.
“Tell me what’s happening,” she says.
I’ve quickly learned that Jules doesn’t pull punches. She’s also incredibly fun, sweet, and someone you want for a friend.
“It’s brand new,” I reply. “He hired me to decorate his house for Christmas since this is his first year with Piper, and now we’re suddenly dating. I don’t usually date clients, so I’m hesitant, but…the chemistry’s there, you know?”
“Oh, I know all too well,” she says, flashing a smile. “Nate and I used to work at the same firm. That’s how we met. We had a no-fraternization policy, and we fought it for a long time, but you can’t choose who you’re meant for, you know? I was fired from the job, and then Nate quit, and we started our own company. We work with Reed and Elijah quite a bit, so when they invited us to come tonight, we were happy to be here. And now I’m extra happy we came because I got to see you, and I don’t think I know you well enough yet.”
“Well, we’re not technically related at all, even by marriage,” I remind her. “My sister’s married to your cousin’s brother.”
“Family’s family,” she says, shrugging one shoulder. “That’s just how it is. It’s not always blood. Also, there will probably be a Christmas girls’ night out happening soon. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks.”
“Ladies,” Reed says as he passes me a fresh glass of champagne, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to steal my date away.”
“Have fun,” Jules says, a smile on her face as she turns to Nate. “I think you should dance with me.”
“My pleasure,” Nate says.
“We have friends in common,” I say with a smile as Reed leads me to a table. “I like that.”
“I do, too,” he says and kisses my hand, then holds out a chair for me at the table marked reserved. “I’d like to introduce you to Elijah, my partner.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” I say as I reach over to shake Elijah’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” he says and then shifts his gaze to Reed. “I, on the other hand, know very little about you.”
“I hired Noel to decorate my house for the holidays,” Reed says. “And the rest is none of your business.”
“I’m Becca.” A pretty blonde woman holds out her hand for mine. “I’m Reed’s assistant. And this is my boyfriend, Lon.”
“Nice to meet you both.”
“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” Reed says brightly and shakes Lon’s hand.
“Now you do.” Becca grins in return. “Reed’s a slave-driver, but he’s fair, and I love working for him. So he’s stuck with me.”
“I wouldn’t remember much without Becca,” Reed admits.
“I totally get it, I’m the same way with my assistant. And finding a good one isn’t easy, so I’m glad you found a good fit with each other.”
The conversation swirls around us, and I soak it all in. Elijah’s here alone because he doesn’t date much, and his assistant isn’t here at all, which doesn’t please him.
Clients dance and mingle.
The food is amazing.
The atmosphere is joyful.
I like Reed’s colleagues and friends very much.
I wonder what would happen if I didn’t? Would I decide not to see him anymore? Maybe.
“You’re thinking way too hard,” Reed says, for my ears only. His arm rests on the back of my chair, and he leans in to whisper in my ear. “In twenty minutes, we can leave.”
“That will only be an hour that we’ve been here.”
“Plenty of time,” he insists. “Piper’s staying with Elijah’s mom tonight, and I finally get you all to myself. I’d like to sling you over my shoulder and go right now, but that might be frowned upon.”
“You’re such a caveman.” I laugh and sip my champagne. This is only glass number two, but I’m starting to feel a happy buzz.
Which means I need to slow down because I want all my wits about me tonight. I have a feeling I’m not going to want to forget anything that Reed does to me this evening.
So I set my glass aside, finish my dinner of steak and salad, and before I know it, we’re saying goodbye.
“You just ditched your work party early,” I say in surprise. “Reed, you own the company. Shouldn’t you be there until the end?”
“Elijah will cover for me,” he says with confidence. “Besides, people will start leaving now that dinner’s over anyway. It’s not really a rager of a party.”
“I like them.”
“Who?”
“All of them. They’re nice, and smart. And I can tell that they respect you very much.”
“Thank you,” Reed says and helps me into his car. “Do you mind if I take you to my house tonight? I know the condos are both closer, but I prefer the house, what with all of the beautiful lights and touches that you worked so hard on. Piper’s at the sitter’s until tomorrow morning.”
Before he shuts the door, he leans in and presses his lips to my ear.
“And I want to watch the lights reflect off of your body as I make you quiver with desire.”
I swallow hard. “I didn’t exactly pack a bag,” I say, but then shrug my shoulder. “But if you don’t mind that I wear this dress again tomorrow, then I don’t either.”
He laughs and pulls out of the parking garage, headed toward the freeway. “I’m sure I have something yo
u can lounge in tomorrow morning. Besides, for what I have planned tonight, you don’t need any clothes.”
“Am I that much of a sure thing?” I ask, teasing him, but he frowns and glances at me as he merges onto the freeway. “Nothing about you is a sure thing, and I’m sorry if I sounded crass. Frankly, if you simply want to watch Hallmark movies all night and snuggle, I’m fine with that, too. I mean, it’ll kill me to keep my hands to myself, but I’ll be okay. I mean that.”
“I was teasing you.”
“But you bring up a good point. I just assumed we were on the same page, but I need to make sure you feel the same way.”
Rather than say anything, I simply tug my skirt up around my waist and shimmy out of my panties. I toss the lace into the backseat of Reed’s Mercedes, hitch one stiletto-tipped foot onto the dash and reach down to touch myself.
“Don’t wreck.”
His hand tightens on the wheel. He hasn’t even glanced my way.
So I keep playing with myself, settling back into the leather seat, enjoying the moment.
“After you kissed me on the couch the other night, and your finger almost made it here”—I gently brush my fingertip over my clit and suck in a quick breath—“I went home and did this, imagining it was you. I don’t know if I’ve ever been as turned on as I was that night. You know how to kiss a girl, and more than that, you’re good with your hands—”
“If you keep talking,” he says, his jaw tight, “I will run us off the road.”
I glance at the speedometer. He’s going eighty.
“You’re speeding.”
“Fuck, yes, I’m speeding. I need to get you home so I can bury myself inside you for hours.” He glances my way now, his eyes moving from my face to my hands, and then when he watches the road again, he reaches over and covers my hand with his. “Slower. I don’t want you to make yourself come. That’s my job.”
Maybe this was a bad idea. I thought it sounded like harmless, sexy flirting when I started, but now the sound of his voice, so full of lust and wanting as he shows me how he wants me to touch myself, has me worked into a frenzy.
And he’s barely touched me.
So I breathe. I close my eyes and breathe and let myself feel all of the sensations washing through me.
I also pray with everything in me that we’re almost there. Because, good God, a girl can only take so much.
Finally, I feel him slow down and take the exit. A few seconds later, we pull into the garage.
Before I can blink, he says, “Wait for me.”
I know what that means now. He’s going to open the door and help me out. He’s nothing if not chivalrous.
He opens the door and lifts me, his arms under my legs and behind my back, out of the car. He nudges the door closed with his foot and carries me into the house after fumbling with the doorknob.
I shove my hands into his hair and bury my nose in his neck, kissing and gently biting him there as he maneuvers us through the house.
“I’m going to drop you if you don’t stop that,” he warns, but I just smile and carry on, too lost in the scent of him, in the feel of his warm skin against my lips to stop now. He climbs the stairs, and finally, finally, he lowers me to his bed. “I had half a mind to take you in my car. I should have. But I want the first time to be sweeter, so I held back.”
“I don’t want you to ever hold back with me.” I can’t believe the words coming out of my mouth are so bold, brazen. Why am I so comfortable with this man? So at ease that being wanton in front of him comes so easily?
My skirt is still bunched up around my waist, and he wastes no time settling between my legs, nudging them apart with his broad shoulders as he stares down at me. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you’re beautiful, Noel.”
And with that, he leans in to take his first taste. He laps at me, skimming over my lips and my clit. Touching me so gently, I feel as if I might explode from it.
The lights on the Christmas tree are the only illumination in the room as he works me over, holding my hands hostage at my waist. He’s strong, so much stronger than I am, but I feel totally safe with him.
And when I arch my back and succumb to the strongest orgasm of my life, it’s Reed that catches me when I fall back to Earth.
“I need you.” His voice is a rasp as he tears at his clothes, then mine, leaving us bare. “I wanted to take my time, to go slow, but—”
“We have time,” I assure him. “We’re making time, remember?”
His lips tip into a smile as he links his fingers with mine, and with his gaze intense, he slowly eases inside of me, leaving me speechless.
“Fucking hell,” he whispers and tips his forehead to mine. “Like a damn glove.”
My hips move of their own accord, needing to feel the push and pull of him, the sweet slide of pleasure as it works its way from my core and through all of my extremities until the pressure builds again and, with a cry of delight, we both fall over the edge together.
Some minutes later, after we’ve caught our breath and I can finally see again, I look into Reed’s eyes and see not just affection there, but love.
And if that won’t make a girl’s heart catch, I don’t know what will. It’s scary, and not a little overwhelming.
But it’s also incredible.
He doesn’t have to say the words, I can see them.
“Do you feel like we’re moving too fast?” I ask him.
“No.” He frowns and tugs me closer, kisses my nose. “Do you?”
“It doesn’t feel too fast,” I admit. “It just is fast, and I know that people will say—”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what they say,” he replies calmly. “Why does love have to work on any certain timeline? Why can’t it just be? I took one look at Piper, and I knew that I loved her, that I’d never be the same after meeting her.”
“That’s sweet.”
“Why should it be okay with her, my daughter, and not okay regarding a woman that I care about very much? We’re not hurting anyone, including my daughter.”
“No, you’re right.”
“So I’m going to say don’t worry about the timeline. We’re going at our pace, Noel, and no one else’s.”
“You’re right about that, too.” I sigh and lean in to him, enjoying him.
“Spend the weekend with us,” Reed says, kissing my head. “Piper and I would enjoy that. And I’ll talk to her, answer any questions she might have. I don’t want any awkwardness to happen for anyone.”
“I’ll stay tomorrow, but I can’t on Sunday. I have a family dinner to go to.” I frown and look up at him. “Actually, why don’t you and Piper come with me? It’ll just be my sister, Joy, her husband, and my dad.”
“Do you think it’ll be okay with everyone?” he asks.
“I mean, I think they’ll be surprised since I haven’t told them that I’m dating anyone. But, yes, they’ll be happy to meet you. My dad might ask some tough questions, though.”
“He’s a dad. That’s his job.” Reed smiles at me. “If you’re okay with it, we are, too.”
“Cool. I’ll text them in the morning.”
“In the meantime,” Reed says as he rolls me onto my tummy and covers my back with kisses, “I still have nine hours alone with you, and I plan to make use of every single one of them.”
“We’ll be tired tomorrow,” I warn him.
“I’ve been tired before, and never for such a good reason.” He bites my ass, and it makes me squeal. “Did you know you have a birthmark, right here?”
“Yes.” I giggle when he brushes his nose over it. “That tickles.”
“I think I’ll explore every inch of you now. With my tongue.”
“Holy shit.”
Chapter Seven
~Reed~
“Hey, Shannon,” Noel says to the barista at Cherry Street Coffee House. It’s the morning after the most incredible, mind-blowing sex of my life, and Noel was adamant that we stop for her favorite coffee before I took he
r home.
“Hey yourself,” Shannon says and winks, then looks at me with curiosity. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Reed. Reed, Shannon. She owns the place, and she’s an artist when it comes to coffee.”
“Trust me, Noel has sung the praises of your café pretty much since I met her.” I smile at the woman as her cheeks flush with pleasure.
“Noel’s just addicted,” Shannon says. “Now, what can I get you, Reed? I already know what Noel wants.”
“I might come here a lot,” Noel says as she laughs.
“I’ll have what she’s having,” I reply. “And a cinnamon roll.”
“Oh, me too,” Noel says, nodding happily.
After paying our tab, I slip my hand into Noel’s as we wait for our drinks to be made. Shannon loads two plates up with the sweet rolls, warms them up, and before long, we’re carrying our breakfast to a small table in the corner.
Before diving into the pastry, I take a sip of my coffee and then look at Noel in surprise.
“Okay, now I know what I’ve been missing.”
“Told you,” she says, a smug smile tugging at her lips. “Best coffee in town. And we’re in Seattle, so that’s saying something. Also, I’m sure each of these drinks is about six hundred calories, but I don’t care.”
“Totally worth it,” I agree and dig into my cinnamon roll, then groan louder than I’m proud of. “Jesus, I’ll gain sixty pounds if I keep this up.”
“Totally worth it, remember?” She winks, takes a bite of her roll, and licks her lips, and I’m immediately reminded of how those lips feel on my body.
On my dick, thanks to a fun session in the shower this morning.
And just like that, I want her again. I’ll never get enough of her. I could have sex with this woman for the next sixty years, and it wouldn’t be enough.
But it wasn’t just the sex, which was mind-numbing. We talked. For hours. We discussed more about our families, and I talked about Piper. She explained why her new design firm means so much to her. It was the most physically and emotionally fulfilling night of my life.
Wonder With Me Page 6
