by Lexy Timms
I frowned. “I feel like the press would be all over that, though. You step out of the office for two days and suddenly you’re back in the courtroom, this time as the prosecution?”
“True, true,” Daniel said, nodding at me. “We’ll talk about it before I do anything, I promise you. But I still want to talk to Erin and some of the other women first, just to get their side of the story and all of the specifics.”
A couple days ago, I might have been offended, but now I knew he wasn’t saying that because he didn’t believe my account. He was the CEO of the business, and he had to know everything that had happened on Friday. So I simply nodded at him.
I looked back at my brother and my best friend. “I guess that means I should be leaving as well. Can’t let this guy beat me to the office in the morning,” I joked.
“After the work you put in last week, you’re welcome to take the day off,” Daniel said, but I could tell from his tone that he was reluctant not to see me the next day. I appreciated his offer, but I shook my head.
“Nah, I’ll be there. No one better to get you all caught up on what you missed.”
“True,” Daniel said, nodding at me.
We both stood up and, after the goodbyes were said, headed for the door.
Chapter 17
Daniel
AS WE WALKED OUTSIDE, I couldn’t resist the urge to put an arm around Abby’s lower back, drawing her in closer to me. I was so glad that everything seemed to be resolved between the two of us. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. But it sounded like she appreciated my apology and was ready to look forward.
I knew I was going to see her at work the next morning, but I found myself hating the moment I had to pull away from her tonight. I’d missed her over this long weekend of not talking. Not only that, but we had both admitted that we loved the other tonight. It felt like leaving now was leaving things unsaid.
I wanted her to know how grateful I really was to have her in my life.
I spun her around toward me and kissed her gently. Abby leaned into me, her fingers twisting in the front of my shirt as she fought to keep her balance.
“Why don’t you let me drive you home?” I asked her, my lips still close to hers, close enough that I could feel her breath against my skin. It woke a fire in my groin, my body automatically pressing closer to hers.
Abby grinned against my lips. “Thought we needed to get home so that we could get to work early tomorrow morning,” she said. “Or are you telling me that you dragged me away from my brother and friend so that we could have sex?”
“As long as we’re in bed, it counts as resting, doesn’t it?” I joked.
Abby laughed and pulled away, regret in her eyes. “But I actually drove here this time, rather than taking an Uber,” she said, gesturing toward her vehicle.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure Matt and Leanne won’t mind if you leave it here overnight. I’ll send someone to pick it up tomorrow and have it brought to your home. Or to work, whichever you’d prefer.”
Abby grinned at me. “The perks of having a billionaire boyfriend,” she teased.
“Guess so,” I said, grinning right back at her. “Does that mean yes?”
“Yes,” Abby said, nodding her head and following me to my car.
We got in, and I pulled out of the driveway. “Listen, Abby,” I began, but Abby held up one hand.
“We’ve apologized enough,” she said. “Let’s not worry about it anymore.”
I smiled at her. “Sounds like a plan,” I said. “But tomorrow, I do want you to come in to work with me. If the media have already talked to Duncan and want to ask you anything, I want to be there to fend them off.”
“Agreed,” Abby said, nodding.
I reached over and put a hand on her inner thigh, rubbing small circles there with my thumb. “I missed you,” I told her.
Abby rolled her eyes comically. “You’re such a girl,” she joked. “I can’t believe that hasn’t been in the tabloids yet, that Daniel McGregor is such a romantic.”
I snorted. “I’m different with you than I’ve ever been with anyone before,” I told her, thinking about the relationship I’d had with Ivy. “Even with my ex, I don’t know. She didn’t inspire protectiveness or romantic gestures. I guess that’s partly because she just liked being the center of attention. She wanted the media’s eyes on her all the time.”
Abby made a face. “Yeah, I can’t even imagine,” she said. “The less the media knows about me, the better.”
We fell silent for a bit. I still couldn’t stop thinking about how different this relationship with Abby was from my relationship with Ivy. I had thought that I loved Ivy, but now I had to wonder. Maybe I had just loved the idea of being in love with Ivy. Maybe I had just loved the future we would have been able to build together.
That whole relationship, it had felt like I was trying so hard. Like there was thought involved in loving her. But with Abby, I didn’t have to think at all. I just knew I loved her. The words had slipped out so easily tonight, and I could tell as soon as I’d said them that Abby loved me as well. I just knew that, too.
It didn’t mean that we were destined to be together forever. I knew that I would have to work to keep my promises. Prove to her what a good man I could be, keep her out of the media’s eyes as much as I could. It was always possible that it wouldn’t be enough, that things would be too difficult and that we would need to step back from each other again.
But I also knew that if we were both willing to put in the work, we could have an amazing future together. Move in together, build a home, maybe start a family. I wanted that more than I could believe.
When I glanced over at Abby, I saw that her eyes were closed. I had to smile at that. She had looked tired when I’d seen her in the light at Matt’s place. Maybe this weekend had been just as difficult for her as it had been for me. I didn’t like the idea that I had caused her any sort of pain, but at the same time, it was nice to have that realization that she cared about me just as much as I cared about her.
I was still a little worried about how much I did care for her. I couldn’t remember what the point of my life had been before her. Now, it seemed like all my energy was turned toward building a better relationship with her. I still went to work, did everything I needed to do. I wasn’t shirking my responsibilities. But work didn’t seem to have the meaning that it had once had.
That was frightening, honestly. If I did lose Abby, I didn’t know what I would do. Go on a bender, probably. Destroy everything I had ever worked for? I doubted it, but it definitely did feel like I was in over my head.
It was exhilarating in some ways, this risk. But terrifying as well.
I’d just have to make sure I didn’t do anything that would make her hate me.
I thought about taking her back home to her place. When things had been going well between the two of us, she had stayed over at my place pretty much every night. She even had some of her things there. But with the way that things had been lately, I didn’t want to presume, and we hadn’t really clarified when I had asked if I could take her home.
But if I was going to be bringing her in to work in the morning, which wasn’t too far away even now, then it made more sense just to bring her back to my place. If she didn’t want to share a bed with me, she could stay in one of the guest rooms. She’d still have that choice. And I didn’t like the idea of going home alone right now.
Besides, I didn’t want her to think that I didn’t want to sleep with her, that I didn’t want to bring her back to my place. That wasn’t it at all. I just wanted her to be comfortable.
I made a split-second decision and turned the car toward my place on the far end of town. Abby was still sleeping when I got there, and I spared a moment to smile over at her after I shut off the car. I slipped quietly out of the car and came around to her side. She slumbered on as I opened the door, so I lifted her carefully out of the car, kicking the door shut and carrying her to the hous
e.
Her eyes flickered open as I jostled her slightly in the process of getting the door open. She looked bemused for a second, and then she smiled beatifically at me. “Hey,” she said.
I grinned at her. “Hey, sleepyhead,” I said, carrying her inside. “Sorry to wake you.”
“You can put me down,” Abby said. “I can walk.”
I shrugged as much as I could with her in my arms, carrying her carefully upstairs. “My room or guest room?” I asked.
Abby stared at me for a moment and then nuzzled against my chest, her fingers twisting in my shirt again. “Yours,” she said softly, peeking up at me through her lashes. “If that’s okay?”
I smiled down at her. “Of course it is,” I told her, carrying her to my room. I set her down on the edge of the bed and knelt to remove her shoes.
She laughingly pushed me away, wakefulness coming back into her eyes. “Don’t be silly,” she said.
“Taking care of you is silly?” I asked.
“No, but stripping me down is, when you could be stripping yourself,” Abby said, eyeing me meaningfully. “And the sooner we’re both naked, the sooner we can get in bed and...rest.” I didn’t miss the pause before the final word, and I knew she had more in mind than just resting.
I grinned at her and starting unbuttoning my shirt, not missing the way that her eyes darkened with lust. She watched as I stripped out of my clothes, letting them fall to the floor, and I groaned, giving my member a few quick strokes just to take the edge off, unable to help myself. I was fully hard already, no doubt partly because my body had become so used to having her naked body pressed against mine every night.
Abby raised an eyebrow at me. “Did you miss me?” she asked teasingly, accurately guessing my thoughts.
“Course I did,” I said, coming over to the bed and covering her body with mine. I kissed her tenderly. “I really am sorry about the fight, and about putting you in a situation you were uncomfortable with,” I murmured as we broke apart. “I know you said that we should stop apologizing, but I just want to make sure you really know just how sorry I am.”
“Show me,” Abby challenged, her eyes glinting with excitement.
“Show you?” I asked. I grinned at her and slowly trailed kisses along her skin, until she was shivering beneath me. I trailed my fingers through the slick, velvety cleft between her legs, thumbing at her clit even as my mouth found its way to her left breast, licking and sucking at the nipple until it stood out from her dusky areola.
I pushed two fingers inside of her, eyes never leaving her face. Her fingers twisted in the sheets, and she arched her back, trying to get me deeper inside of her. Slowly, I started to work my fingers, surprised at how slick she already was. Like her body had been waiting just as restlessly to come back to me, same as I’d been feeling.
I kissed lower, lightly tugging at the skin of her navel with my teeth. I could see the trail of goose bumps on her skin, could feel them against my lips as I moved ever lower, trailing kisses on the inside of her thigh while her legs fell helplessly open to me.
Even as I moved my lips and tongue down her body, I continued to press my fingers in and out of her warm hole, feeling her walls contracting against me already, trying to draw me further into her. I could tell the exact moment when my fingers alone ceased to be enough, could hear it in the soft moan she made, could tell she was one breath away from begging.
I moved before she could, tonguing at her slit as my fingers moved to play with her clit. She shuddered, her knees fluttering in and out, and I knew that I had her already, before I had even entered her with my throbbing cock. I grinned against her soft and sensitive skin, still plunging my tongue in and out of her quivering hole.
As she fell back against the bed, I moved back up her body, palming myself with a few quick strokes. That was all that it took for me to be ready against her entrance. “This okay?” I asked quietly.
Abby’s eyes flew open, her hips squirming. “Please,” she said breathlessly.
I brushed her hair back, fingers lingering tenderly on her cheek before I leaned in to kiss her. Our tongues met as I thrust my rod inside of her waiting cavern, seating myself fully inside of her. She turned her head to the side and gasped for air, hips already moving against mine, fingers seeking purchase against my back.
We moved together, a slow and even rocking motion. She whimpered, her head falling back against the pillows, inviting me to kiss my way back down the long column of her neck. I ran my fingers down her sides, bringing up more goose bumps on her soft skin. I could feel my orgasm building and could tell that she was nearing another as well, but I didn’t want to cum just yet. I wanted this to last. Forever, if we could have that.
So I slowed my thrusts further, making her really work to get me fully inside of her, then pulling out nearly all the way before I pushed back in again. She sobbed with need, and I panted for breath, overcome by how perfect this was.
It couldn’t last forever, though, as it turned out. My hips began to pick up speed, moving on their own without conscious direction from my brain. I was so far gone already, caught up in the scent of her, in the feeling of her beautiful body against mine. There was nothing in this world except for us, except for me showing her how sorry I was, showing her how much I cared about her, how much I loved her.
I loved her. So simple, so easy, no thinking required. I loved her. I knew it in my bones.
I groaned as I climaxed, balls tight and dick twitching as I buried myself in her one final time. She came at the same time, practically screaming as pleasure poured through her body. She clung to me, and I fell against her, mindful not to crush her but barely able to support myself as my strength poured out of me and into her.
I sucked in a deep breath and pulled out, rolling to the side and falling on my back. Then, grinning, I reached out a hand to trail my fingers down Abby’s side. She shivered, body still overcome with the force of her orgasm, and then rolled toward me, putting her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her.
We were both asleep before I could think another thought.
Chapter 18
Abby
EVEN WITHOUT AN ALARM, I woke up early on Monday morning, feeling refreshed. It made sense: I hadn’t slept well over the weekend, too worried about work and things with Daniel. Now that all of that was resolved, I could catch up on the sleep I’d been missing.
Plus, there was something to be said for having Daniel’s arms wrapped comfortably around my body.
I smiled as I came into full awareness, rubbing my palm down Daniel’s arm. He kissed the back of my neck, his body pressing closer against mine. “You awake?” he murmured.
I hummed in response and turned around to face him, giving him a kiss. But Daniel pulled away before things could get too heated. He sighed. “Work.”
“Work,” I agreed, just as unenthusiastic about the prospect. I felt foolish now for wasting the weekend when we could have been spending time together, wrapped up in bed for lazy hours between the sheets, or else curled up together on the couch, talking about anything and everything.
But there would be more weekends in our future, I was sure.
“Can I shower?” I asked Daniel.
“Only if I can join you,” he said, his eyes gleaming wickedly.
“Work,” I reminded him, but I grinned at the thought of showering together with him. I could already picture him in my mind’s eye, the water running down his firm body, his hair slicked back and wet. I would be able to trail my fingers so easily down his body, tangling them in the soft, curly hairs at the base of his cock, the water easing my movements as I wrapped my fingers around him and pulled my grip along his length.
I blushed at the very thought of it. We had just had sex the night before, long and slow, and I had gotten off a couple of times. There was no reason why my body should already be this desperate for him, why my craving for him should already be this strong. With the way my body was reacting to the closeness of him, it fe
lt as though we had gone weeks since the last time we had coupled.
But then again, I loved him. I guess maybe that was the difference between sex with him and sex with any other guy I had ever been with. The very thought of him could excite me.
I loved him.
We rolled out of bed, and Daniel chased me into the shower. He had his hands all over my body as we waited for the water to warm up. He kissed me until I was breathless, then moved me back beneath the spray. He continued to touch me, though, soaping up his hands and rubbing them along my skin, taking care not to miss a single spot.
I shivered, leaning into his ministrations, even though I knew that it couldn’t go any further than this, these simple touches. We had to get to work. We had a lot to get done that day, even if I hadn’t needed the extra time to catch Daniel up on everything that had happened at the end of the previous week. But it was nice, his naked appreciation of my body.
It didn’t stop once we were cleaned up either. He held out a towel for me as I stepped out of the shower, and he rubbed me down with the soft material, using just the right amount of pressure to dry me off without rubbing too hard. “Why don’t I get coffee and breakfast started while you get dressed and do your hair and makeup?” he suggested, hugging me close for one more moment.
“Sounds like a plan,” I said, but I couldn’t keep the wistfulness out of my voice. Another day.
Daniel smiled at me. “The trouble with dating the one person who can take my place while I’m gone is that there’s really no way for both of us to play hooky without massively screwing up the schedule for later in the week,” he lamented.
I laughed and gave him a nudge toward the door. “Get out of here before I drag you back to bed, then,” I told him.
“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” he joked.
We headed into work like we had been every day prior to the trial: together, in Daniel’s car, holding hands as we walked into the building. The press were out in droves that day, but it didn’t sound like they had caught wind of anything that Duncan might have told them. Instead, the bulk of the attention seemed to be on Daniel. Everyone wanted to know more about the trial, as though they hadn’t already grilled him on his way out of the courthouse on Friday.
