Satisfaction

by Lexi Blake

  She cracked the eggs. Either way, they had a little time together.

  “The jelly is good,” he said, sitting back in his chair.

  “I’m glad.” Maybe she could show him it was okay to talk about it, to open himself up because she was the right woman.

  At least she prayed she was. She intended to take the time to find out.

  “What bothered you about Patricia? Specifically yesterday.” She tiptoed around the subject, keeping her voice calm as though they were doing nothing more important than talking about the weather.

  “She made it plain that I was welcome to spend some private time with her,” he said, his voice tight.

  Carly felt her whole body stiffen. Anger flared through her, but she fought to tamp it down. “I will make it very plain to the creepy bitch that she should keep her damn hands off you.”

  Yeah, she might not try hard. She walked toward her cellphone, ready to get Patricia on the phone and explain exactly how an Alabama redneck defended her man.

  She found herself being pulled down onto Bran’s lap as he chuckled.

  “Whoa, there. You don’t need to defend my honor. It’s all right. I can handle her.” For the first time since the incident the day before, he sounded like her Bran.

  “Or I could punch her in her surgically perfected nose and take care of it.”

  He hugged her tight. “I think you would get fired and then I would be alone with her. Let’s not do that.”

  She sighed and ran her hand through his hair. “She won’t force you, not physically.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “It reminds me of something that happened in foster care. I wasn’t molested or anything. One of the women made it plain I was welcome in her bed. I felt helpless and I don’t like feeling helpless.”

  “You didn’t . . .” She wasn’t sure how to ask.

  “I didn’t, but it led to something worse. Can we have breakfast? I just want to have a nice morning with you.”

  She kissed his forehead and got up to finish the eggs.

  It was a start.

  Chapter Fifteen

  One week later, Carly looked over at Bran and wished they were alone on the jet. They were almost alone, but the flight attendant smiled and asked if they would like a drink now that they’d reached their cruising altitude.

  Bran smiled. “I wouldn’t turn down a beer.”

  The flight attendant gave him a radiant smile, as though she knew Bran was one of those men who would always take care of a woman. That’s what women tended to do around Bran. It was something she’d noticed in the last week since he’d become such a regular sight at Cain Corp. All women blushed around Bran. They smiled and then whispered to each other behind their hands as they watched him walk away.

  She hated them all. And she definitely hated not having Bran to herself.

  For a solid week Patricia had done everything she could to keep them apart. She would send Carly in one direction while she took Bran in another. Typically, Carly would be with the boss for much of her day, but Patricia now seemed to only need Bran around her.

  She would send Carly home and keep Bran at the office until late at night, despite the fact that she had a nightshift guard.

  Carly and Bran hadn’t made love since that first day. She would wake up with his arms around her, but then he would get a call and they would be forced to head to the office.

  She really hated her boss. They’d made absolutely no progress in the week since the incident and now it was almost over.

  They were almost over.

  “I’m fine,” she told the flight attendant. Somehow the occasion didn’t call for champagne.

  “Bring her a glass of brandy, the good stuff,” Bran instructed before turning back to Carly. “You’re too tense. It’s going to be all right.”

  She nodded and glanced out the window. They would be over Alabama soon. She wouldn’t be able to see the small town she’d fled but she’d flown over it a hundred times in the last few years.

  When he said it would be all right, he was talking about the plans for California. He wasn’t talking about them. He’d seemed oddly calm the last week, as though he hadn’t minded the distance between them. Maybe it was true. Maybe he’d been happy she hadn’t been able to poke him and dissect him in the last week. He would kiss her from time to time, but she didn’t feel the passion coming from him anymore.

  It was like they were going through the motions until the inevitable end.

  Somehow she’d thought he would try harder.

  “Here you go,” the flight attendant said, placing the drinks on the table in between them.

  She left it there. She knew she should smile and play along, but she couldn’t. It was easier to focus on work. As the flight attendant smiled brightly Bran’s way before retreating, Carly popped open her laptop and started going through the menus again. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen a million times already, but it gave her something to focus on.

  And seating charts. There were three dinners planned in the next week alone, and that didn’t include the big party to celebrate the new season. Seating charts had become the bane of her existence. It was always difficult to figure out how to seat people with grudges against almost everyone in existence. If there was a nastier group of human beings than Patricia’s LA crowd, Carly had yet to meet them.

  So many egos. So many grudges.

  “Hey, can’t you do that later?” Bran asked.

  “Is there something you need?” She didn’t look up. It hurt too much to look at him these days.

  “Yes, but I think I’m going to need some privacy to get it,” he muttered before unbuckling his seat belt and standing up. “I’ll be right back.”

  She wondered briefly what he was talking about and then went back to her dinner menus. Thursday night required a vegan option. One of Patricia’s guests this season was an up-and-coming young actress who expounded on the health benefits of veganism, though she mostly drank her calories. Still, she would be angry if there wasn’t an attempt made at gourmet veggies despite the fact that she would eat so little of it.

  It seemed like feeding him was all Bran let her do these days. Oh, he was solicitous enough. He drove her to work every day, and then if he had to stay late, he made sure she had a ride or took a break and drove her himself. He held her hand. He acted like a boyfriend at the office and was kind to her at home.

  But he didn’t throw her down on the bed and find a way to get inside her.

  Maybe he was bored. She didn’t have a lot of experience. She’d tried to give him what he needed. It had seemed incredible to her, but what if it had been so-so for him? He had a ton of experience. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to do it again. Maybe he was satisfied that they were going to do the job and then they would shake hands and say good-bye.

  She’d thought he’d been genuinely relieved that she hadn’t pushed him that morning a week before. She’d thought it was so they could continue their relationship, but apparently it was so they could continue the mission.

  That was okay. It was fine. It had been foolish to think he would want her long-term anyway. He was all . . . well, he was Bran, and every female eye focused on him when he entered a room. She was her and that was that.

  She felt him sit back down in his seat. She had to wonder if he was miffed that he’d had to come with her instead of flying out with the rest of the team. He seemed to have made friends with a couple of the guys. When she saw him he was always talking to someone, always joking around. He’d probably made more friends in the short time he’d been with the company than she had in all her years there. Patricia was flying out in the big, even more luxurious Jones Unlimited jet. It would have had even more pretty flight attendants for Bran to flirt with.

  “Hey, you want to put away that computer?”

  She didn’t look up. She was fairly ce
rtain she was flushed and probably looked emotional. “I have a ton of work to do before we get to LA. If you like, I think there’s a media system with movies. I’m sure they’ll set you up.”

  “I don’t want to watch a movie. I want to watch you. I’m going to watch you whether you like it or not, so you should decide if I’m watching the G-rated version of Carly or if I’m going to get some porn in. I personally vote for the pornographic Carly.”

  She looked up at him. “What?”

  He was giving her that crazy, sexy smile of his. “Take off your clothes.”

  Now she was flushed for an entirely different reason. “Bran, I’m not doing that here, and why exactly are you asking me?”

  His eyes narrowed slightly. “First, I didn’t ask. And I want you to take your clothes off because it’s difficult to fuck you while you’re dressed. So take your clothes off.”

  She slammed the laptop shut. “You haven’t touched me all week.”

  “What are you talking about? I kiss you all the time.”

  “That’s nothing but cover.”

  He frowned. “Cover?”

  “Yes, our cover story. You’ve kissed me when it was necessary. You’ve held my hand when other people were watching.”

  A long huff came out of his mouth, his frustration apparent. “I didn’t think about the fact that people were watching.” He shook his head. “Or maybe I did. I don’t know. I took advantage where I could.”

  He hadn’t taken advantage at all. “You don’t have to pretend, Bran. I’m going through with it.”

  “Pretend?”

  Was he obtuse? “Yes, pretend. We don’t have to fake being lovers here. It’s all right. You haven’t touched me in a week. I get it. The physical part isn’t something you want anymore. Maybe you never did.”

  “I wasn’t sure you wanted me to. You’ve treated me like I’m fragile ever since that night. Or like you’re scared of me. I was hoping it was mostly because you thought I needed time. I don’t, by the way. My dick has been hard all fucking week, but she kept me at the office late enough that you were already in bed by the time I came home.” He studied her for a moment. “I’ve been careful because I know I scared you that night. I don’t want you to be scared of me.”

  Should she believe him? Or had he gotten a little horny? She was so confused. She wanted to believe him. He’d told her once that he wouldn’t lie to her and he hadn’t. He’d been honest about pretty much everything so far. With the singular exception of the night they’d fought, they got along spectacularly well.

  The trouble was she didn’t want to simply get along with the man.

  He leaned forward. “Carly, you can’t think I don’t want you. This week has been hell on me. Do you think I wanted to be kept away from you? Do you think I wanted to stay close to her?”

  His expression didn’t change but there was something about the way he said it that made her soften. They’d lost a week to work and circumstance. Was she going to give up more time because she was stubborn?

  “I missed you.”

  His hand came out, covering hers. “I missed you. You have no idea how much.”

  He tugged on her hand, drawing her out of her chair and into his lap. His arms went around her, his head on her shoulder.

  For the first time in a week, she felt safe. She knew she shouldn’t, but just being close to him felt so damn right. She leaned into him, giving up the fight. The truth was she didn’t care why he hadn’t touched her. It didn’t matter as long as he did it now.

  Her whole body had come to vibrant life the minute he touched her. She could feel her skin start to hum as though it knew soon it would be touched, caressed, and loved.

  “I thought you didn’t want me anymore.” Somehow it didn’t seem right to lie to him when she was in his lap, so close to him. It was easier to open up and let down the mask she wore. She didn’t want to wear it with him. Not ever.

  His lips found her jawline, kissing along the way. “Never. I want you every second of the day, baby. I’ve held back because I’m the one who fucked up. I wanted you to come to me, but you didn’t, and then we weren’t alone unless you were so tired you could barely keep your eyes open. Do you think I didn’t want to wake you and roll you over and slide inside you? It’s all I think about all day long. I’m supposed to be watching and observing the target and all I think about is how good it feels to fuck you.”

  His hand slid along her thigh, pushing her skirt up and finding naked flesh. Everywhere he touched turned aching hot and wanting. She could feel herself starting to get slick for him.

  This was what she’d missed, the deep connection she felt the minute he laid a hand on her. She wasn’t sure she could resist him even if he said all those horrible things again. He might be the weakness she couldn’t overcome.

  “I want it to be more than a fuck.” If she was being honest she was going all the way.

  He sighed against her. “It’s more. Baby, that’s just a word. I’ll call it making love if you want. I can call it anything you want.”

  She didn’t want to hear the word love out of his mouth unless he meant it. “Kiss me.”

  His hand moved up her thigh, inching closer to her core. “I used to hate going to sleep because I would have bad dreams. Do you know what I dream about now? I dream about you. I dream about you underneath me, you on top of me, you beside me. No one but you. All those dreams are filled with you. I hated the last week. I hated walking by your desk and not being able to haul you into an empty office somewhere and flip your skirt up and pound out all my frustration on your pretty ass. Every time you would look my way, my dick would get hard.”

  How did he do this to her? Two minutes before she was feeling sorry for herself and ready to declare their relationship dead, and now all she could think about was that hand cupping her over her undies. He slid a finger over her, brushing against her clit and making her shiver. She could feel the hard line of his erection underneath her backside and it made her mouth water.

  His finger slipped over her clit again, a bit more pressure this time. She let her head fall back against his broad shoulder as he used his powerful legs to spread her wide, giving him complete access to her pussy.

  Alarm bells rang but they were in the distance. Her mind came up with a million and one reasons why this was a bad idea, but she stuck on the only one she could validate.

  “Bran, we’re not alone.”

  His tongue traced the shell of her ear. “We’re as alone as we need to be. Our nice flight attendant is currently flirting with the captain, and then she’ll be in the kitchen for an hour. I let her know we wouldn’t be needing anything from her for a good long while.”

  “Do you think she knows what we’re doing?” She should get off his lap, but every time she thought to give it a try, his finger rubbed her again and her eyes unfocused.

  His free hand moved up to cup a breast. “Does she know we’re going to fuck? Yes, I think she’s got a pretty good idea.”

  “But you didn’t say anything, right? Just that we wanted some privacy. She could think we’re having a business meeting.”

  “Sure. Except I told her we were going to fuck.”

  She gasped and tried to wiggle her way out of his arms, but they tightened and he pressed on the button of her clit. “Bran, you can’t tell her that. It could get back to everyone.”

  “They know,” he whispered. “They know we’re practically living together and I bet they’ve figured out that I like to get my dick inside you as often as I can. I explained to the flight attendant that our boss is an evil bitch who’s kept us apart for a week and that I couldn’t go another second without getting my hands on you. See, that was discreet, right?”

  He didn’t understand the meaning of the word, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. “It doesn’t matter. I missed this so much. How can I miss something
I never really had?”

  He held her tight, working her clit in a rhythm guaranteed to send her flying. “We did have it and then I fucked it up. I won’t do it again. You won’t ever see that part of me again, Carly. I promise. I can handle it.”

  She doubted that. She knew it would come up again. He needed to handle it, but he seemed unwilling to do so and they had so little time left. She would have to decide soon what she was going to do. He would return to Austin and she would be left to figure out what she wanted.

  She wanted Bran, but she wasn’t sure it could work. She couldn’t do what Drew did and ignore the fact that someday Bran’s problems would land him dead or in jail.

  She couldn’t go through that again, but she also couldn’t imagine life without him, without this.

  “Let me show you.” His dark voice whispered in her ear, erasing all the doubt and leaving nothing but desire in its place. “Do you know what this does to me?” His thumb kept up the pressure on her clit while his talented fingers slipped lower. “You respond so beautifully to me, like you were made for me. Tell me you didn’t do this for him.”

  Him? Her arousal-muddled brain could barely process the words. “Are you talking about my ex? No. No one else, Bran. No one ever made me feel like this.”

  “No one else ever got you hot and wet and ready to fuck?”

  “Not like you. Never so fast. All you have to do is touch me.” She wanted to press up against him, to force him to work faster, but his arm caged her, his legs holding hers open. She was completely in his grip and she got the feeling that was exactly how he liked her.

  “All I have to do is think about you and I’m ready to go,” he murmured against her ear. “I want to make this last. Last a long time.”

  She wasn’t sure whether he was talking about the sex or them, but it didn’t matter because his fingers curled up inside her. She forgot about everything but what he was doing to her, how high he could take her. His long fingers fucked deep while his thumb circled and circled her clit until her body bowed. She shouted out as she came, forgetting that they could be heard.