He licked a trail down her neck, and any question she had in her mind dissolved.
“After I kissed you,” Mack said, taking her nipple into his mouth casually, as if they were just chatting and he wasn’t driving her crazy with passion, “I stripped you naked, right there on the balcony, leaned you over the edge, and you let me screw you senseless with everyone milling about down below, completely unaware of what we were doing above them.”
She gasped and lifted her head from the pillow. “That did not happen!”
“I thought you said you didn’t remember?” he laughed.
“You are such a—”
“You were drunk, but I never believed for a second that you were so drunk that night that you blacked out.” He flicked her taut peak with his finger as if to punctuate his point.
“All right, you caught me,” she sighed. He kissed her lips again, running his hands over her body.
Her navel still held a drop of water from the shower and he bent his head down, lapping the water off her belly like a thirsty animal. She giggled in surprise as he swirled his tongue deep into her belly-button.
“That feels weird,” she gasped.
“Weird like how?” he asked, but he kept doing it, making circles in her navel with his tongue.
“It feels like you’re…licking me somewhere else.”
“Somewhere else,” he asked, running his hand down her belly, stroking her thighs until she opened them beneath him. “Like here?”
She moaned as he dipped one long finger into her damp heat, making her body clamp down onto him. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Why’d you pretend our kiss never happened?” he asked, slowly torturing her tender nub with his fingers.
“I don’t…I can’t…” she couldn’t think straight, not with him touching her in that way.
“Tell me or I’ll stop,” he warned.
“No! Don’t stop.”
He ran his hand faster over her slick folds. “Were you afraid of me? Of what would happen if you acknowledged the attraction between us?”
A climax built within her, every muscle in her body tensing with pleasure as he kept up his merciless rhythm.
“I don’t know,” she said, panting. “Please, don’t stop, don’t stop.”
Suddenly a rush of sensation overtook her, and every cell in her body tingled with pleasure. She came, hard, her orgasm riding out wave after wave.
“Take me,” she begged. “I need you in me, now.”
Mack covered her body with his, hovering above her. “Damn it,” he said, stopping himself just before he sunk into her. “Let me get a condom.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “We’re being monogamous and I’m infertile, so just go ahead.”
He hesitated, his cock poised at the junction of her thighs, so tantalizingly close, but still so far. “I can’t remember the last time I had unprotected sex.”
“Even better,” she said. “But if you don’t take me now I swear I’m going to die.”
With a low groan he sank into her core, filling her completely. “Lauren,” he whispered.
She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him even deeper into her. This felt so right. Better than she ever could have imagined. Why had she wasted all this time, avoiding this exquisite pleasure?
Slowly, he moved within her, wrapping his arms around her waist, his hands cupping her buttocks, pulling her tighter to his thrusts. His muscles flexed in his back and thighs as he rocked with her, bringing his thick length almost completely out, stroking it along her tender flesh before impaling her once more.
“I’ve been dreaming about this moment for so long,” he said softly. “You’ve got me so worked up. I’m not sure how long I can be gentle.”
“Don’t be gentle,” she gasped. “Take me any way you want.” She wanted it hard, too…needed it the way she needed him.
No! Don’t think that way. You don’t need anyone. It’s just the sex talking.
He growled and pounded into her, riding her body, giving her unspeakable pleasure. Every stroke hit exactly the right spot deep inside, and she knew if he kept it up she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from coming again.
“Come with me,” he said.
She ground her pelvis against him, matching him thrust for thrust. Every movement resonated within her body. Clenching her muscles around him, she gasped, melting into the soft bed as her climax overtook her.
Mack let out a groan, pulsing inside her as he came, filling her with his seed. Not that she had to worry about that seed taking root. Long ago she’d replaced the dream of a family with her career. She hadn’t even dated since the daycare had taken off.
But Mack made her feel incredibly sexy and desirable, even when she reminded him of her infertility. For that, she’d always be grateful.
He rolled off of her, a sheen of perspiration covering his skin. “That was incredible.”
“It was,” she agreed.
“Don’t even think about pretending you don’t remember this happened tomorrow morning,” he joked.
“There’s pretty much no way I could forget that. I’ll be walking bowlegged for a week.”
“Good,” he teased. “Then my job here is done.” He pulled her in close, her back resting against his chest as he spooned her.
His muscular torso felt so nice against her back. She wiggled her bottom against his groin, snuggling into him.
“Wow,” he said. “You really need to stop that.”
“Or what?” she asked.
And he showed her. Again and again. All night.
…
The following morning Mack woke early. Lauren slept soundly beside him in their bed. He liked the sound of that—their bed. It had ceased being his bed when he married her, and it had ceased being her bed when she had invited him into it.
Thank God she had. Keeping up the charade of platonic affection and celibacy would have been torture for him. And, judging by the way she had responded to him last night, she was happier sleeping with him than not.
Not that they got much actual sleeping done. He grinned. Damn, she was hot. When he’d told her he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had unprotected sex, he’d been fibbing a bit. He’d never had unprotected sex.
Using a condom had always been an expected part of his dalliances and dating experience. So to slide inside of Lauren’s wet heat without any barrier between his shaft and her…he thickened at the memory.
It had been unbelievable. With a morning erection tenting his Egyptian cotton sheets, he turned to Lauren to see if he could convince her to start the day off right. But she looked really comfortable, and she would have to wake up soon to get ready for work. Better to let her get some shut-eye while she could.
Mack stretched and headed off to the shower. Looking down at his…problem, he turned the faucet to cold.
Now that he’d slept with her, how was he going to pretend he’d gotten her out of his system and leave her be from now on? If anything, having sex with Lauren had just whet his appetite for more. A lot more. Possibly more right now.
No, they both had to go to work. Damn it.
Lauren would be expecting him to be more relaxed around her now that he’d allegedly “gotten it out of his system.” But that was going to be really difficult…because now he knew she was not only beautiful and smart and caring and an amazing business woman, she was also a total tigress in the bedroom.
Stop thinking like that. She’ll be gone as soon as Joe and Marisol come back.
There was no trusting her to stick around. She’d leave him just like his mom had left his dad. Being with her was like being with a time bomb, ready to go off and be gone forever. Well, that analogy didn’t work. But the point remained—Lauren wasn’t his real wife. Not at all.
And he had to stop thinking of her that way. Better to think of her as a business partner of sorts, someone to help him keep his goddaughter with family until Joe and Marisol were able to come back.
Yeah
. Business.
He turned the water colder.
…
Lauren bolted out of bed. She’d slept late. Not too late, she realized with relief. Callie must have been so tired from day care that she had let them all sleep in.
She padded into the nursery and smiled down at the little girl, who was actually quite awake, mesmerized by the hanging shapes and mirror on the mobile attached to her crib.
“How nice of you to let Auntie Lauren sleep,” Lauren cooed, picking her up and pressing her face to hers. Callie’s skin was so soft under her cheek.
Mack walked into the nursery room, one of the sage green plush bath towels tied evocatively around his hips.
“I’ll change her so you can get ready,” he said, taking Callie from her arms and giving the baby a kiss on the forehead. “She’s wide awake now, huh?” He paused. “Your flowers are still on the counter, by the way.”
“Thanks. I’ll go put them on the balcony to get some sun. Can you feed her, too? I’m running late.”
“Sure thing.” Mack grinned at Callie, who smiled gummily back at him. “I love feeding this messy little girl,” he cooed. “Yes I do!”
Callie giggled as he nuzzled her.
So, business as usual, it seemed. He was acting like nothing important had happened between them last night. He left the nursery without so much as kissing Lauren good morning.
She shook her head. Why should he kiss her good morning? That was an affection thing, like how he’d casually kissed the baby. They didn’t have a relationship like that.
They didn’t have a relationship at all, really. Other than roommates. Having sex last night was supposed to purge all the sexual tension between them so they could move forward, and apparently it had worked—for him.
As for her, she was feeling more attached to him than ever. She groaned. Why was she surprised? She knew she wouldn’t be able to separate sex and emotion. She’d never been able to. But she’d jumped into bed with him because she’d wanted to…wanted him. God, how she wanted him. Every part of him.
Now she’d made being in this so-called marriage even harder for herself. Awesome.
Chapter Seven
The daycare center buzzed with activity. Lauren made her rounds, talking to each of the staff and attempting to solve any issues as they arose. The children were bundles of energy, whirring around her, darting from toy to toy.
Outside, the sun shone brightly through the windows, giving the rooms a cheery glow. It was a shame the kids couldn’t be outside playing, especially on a gorgeous day like today.
“I wish this building had space for an outdoor playground,” she murmured to herself.
Iris looked up from feeding Callie her bottle. “What?”
“Oh nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “Just thinking out loud.”
So far, Callie had taken wonderfully to daycare, which gave Lauren the time she needed to get some actual work done.
Maybe she could make this whole “working mother” thing work out, after all. Tons of moms did it successfully, right? If it weren’t for them, she wouldn’t have a business in the first place. And her own mom had always been an incredible example of how it was quality time with her children that made up for the lack of quantity time.
But then how had Joe grown up feeling so resentful of the fact that their mother wasn’t married? Somehow, Lauren had grown up feeling happy, safe, and secure in their home, while Joe had been raised in the same household, but was so concerned about not having his own child raised by a single parent that he’d married Marisol just because he’d impregnated her.
And look how well that had turned out for them.
What if they hadn’t gone into hiding after all? What if they truly had somehow gone missing on that yacht, and they were still floating around the vast ocean somewhere, struggling to survive, with no hope of being found?
She shuddered at the terrifying thought. It would almost be preferable to drown instantly than slowly die of dehydration and starvation, or heaven forbid, become shark food—like in that movie where the couple was stranded in the ocean with no dry land in sight, surrounded by hungry sharks.
Lauren gulped, goose bumps rising on her skin. If she didn’t stop obsessing over this she’d have nightmares. Besides, Joe had discussed with Mack his plans for laying low. Just because he had left sooner than he intended—and before he could fix his stupid will—didn’t mean he wasn’t safe. No point in obsessing, anyway. Better to immerse herself in her work, like she always did.
An hour later, her assistant knocked on her open office door. “Lauren?”
She glanced up from her computer screen, grateful for the distraction.
“Your husband’s here.”
Her husband. That still didn’t sound right. “I’ll be right down.”
Swiping a brush through her hair, pulling it back into its clip and patting a bit more powder on her nose, Lauren took a deep breath and went down the hall to the main entrance of the daycare. A vision of Mack as he looked when she last saw him that morning—half naked and wearing only a towel and a smile—flitted through her mind.
The sex had been amazing. So amazing, apparently, that now he seemed to be thoroughly satisfied, with no need to do it again.
“Lauren,” Mack said, grinning at her. “I brought sandwiches.”
“Thank you,” she said. “But I don’t have time to take a lunch break right now. I really wish you’d called.”
Actually, she did have time. She just didn’t want to spend it trying to not accidentally have sex with him. Not when he was so nonchalant about the whole thing.
Men really were better at separating emotions from sex, weren’t they?
“Come on,” he coaxed. “You have to eat. Fifteen minutes and then I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Aren’t you busy yourself? Don’t you have a building to buy or something?”
He laughed. “You caught me. I do have a building to buy.”
She took the sandwich bag from him and peered in. “How’d you know what I like?”
“Your assistant told me.”
Lauren glared at the other woman from across the room. “She could have warned me you were coming.”
“I insisted she keep the surprise. Don’t blame her.”
“But she doesn’t work for you, Mack, she works for me.”
The strong jawline on his handsome face jutted out slightly. “I know. We’re both the boss at our respective jobs. I’ll have to remember that when I come here.”
His words softened her a bit. “Thank you.” Looking at the clock, she shrugged. “Okay, I guess I do have to eat. Let’s go up on the roof and get some fresh air.”
Mack smiled and held his arm out for her. “Good. I was starting to think you were trying to avoid being alone with me.”
God help me, I am.
…
Mack couldn’t help but be impressed by Lauren’s daycare center. It had the perfect location, right near Grand Central. The place was thriving—and seeing the business Lauren had built from the ground up said a lot about her. This was important to her, and anything important to her had somehow become important to him.
Even those pitiful tiny roses.
They climbed the narrow stairs to a door that said Roof Access. Lauren walked in front of him, leading the way through the exit and out into the bright sunshine.
“Wow, what a view,” he said appreciatively, his shoes crunching the gravel on the roof.
“Stay away from the edge,” she warned. “But yes. It’s a nice view from up here.”
He looked at her long dark hair, pulled back in a low clip, her makeup freshly touched up. Had she done that after her assistant announced him, or was she always this put-together at work?
“Very nice view,” he said again. But this time he was looking at her.
She blushed under his gaze and averted her eyes. “There’s no place to sit. Sorry.”
“I can stand.” He itched to stand cl
oser to her, in fact. To feel their bodies touch again. But that was not a good idea, and now was neither the time nor the place to recapture last night’s passion. Now was the time…for sandwiches.
Her smile lit up her face when she took her first bite of the turkey and mayo on crusty white bread. “Yum.”
“This is a great building,” he said.
“It is, and I love being able to live in the apartment above the day care center. Shortest commute ever,” she joked. “But it has no outdoor playground.”
“I wonder why the landlord doesn’t do anything about that. You’d be able to increase your enrollment if you had a playground, I bet. She could charge more rent, and you could easily afford it.”
“I wish,” she said, swallowing around a mouthful of food. “But I wasn’t thinking big enough when I first rented the place. I never imagined the day care would grow so quickly…and now that everyone’s comfortable with the location I fear it would hurt my business to move.”
“You need a landlord who thinks bigger. Or…you could buy the building yourself.”
“I can’t buy a building in Midtown,” she said, laughing. “Do you have any idea how many millions of dollars that would cost?”
“Yes,” he said pointedly.
She raised her eyebrows as if suddenly remembering that buying commercial properties and leasing them out was how he’d gotten so rich in the first place.
“I feel guilty sometimes about being able to come up here for my lunch break while the kids are stuck inside all day,” she said.
“It’s not like you’ve got them locked up in a dungeon,” he pointed out. “You’ve got every toy imaginable and indoor climbing structures and those mats and that ball pit…they’re not exactly sitting around playing video games with the blinds closed.”
“True,” she said, smiling up at him. “Thank you.”
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