Bad for Business

by Ace Gray

  “I only want to be with you too. I don’t want to leave the city or sell this house. I want to go to bed with you right now.” My voice was unexpectedly breathy.

  “You mean that?” His eyes brightened as his hands squeezed.

  “Yes.”

  Nick didn’t need more convincing. He knew me well enough to see my body bending toward his. His arm snaked around me and grabbed my hips, pulling me firmly to him. I felt every single rippling muscle through his shirt as he lifted me off the counter top.

  He strode powerfully through the house, carrying me until we flopped down on to the master bed. His lips slowly kissed my ear, and jaw, and neck, purposely skipping my lips. Each one felt like a spark, burning against my skin. My hands moved through his hair and down his back. He let his hands wander over my pants and up my shirt.

  His skin against mine jump started my dormant heart and sent it stuttering. He pulled off my shirt and I hastily returned the favor, unbuttoning every one of his buttons. His skin goose bumped exactly like mine when his chest lay down across mine. Every sensation was heightened by the fact we’d almost lost each other, and for good this time.

  It wasn’t until I was completely naked, and his perfect naked body draped across mine, that he kissed me. His lips explored mine leisurely, tugging and licking. I nibbled his and relished his affection returning to me as he quite literally breathed me back to life. I pulled my nails down his back before he pinned my hands to the bed. His body stayed pressed to mine as he pushed inside of me.

  Oh good God, he’s better than I remembered.

  The feel of him inside me made me cry out. He trembled as he moved in and out but his lips never left my skin. I was building faster than ever before. His body kept trying to move closer to mine, his shoulders collapsing around me, enveloping me, his fingers digging into mine. I couldn’t help but bite into his shoulder. His breathing hitched and my urgent, “I love you,” mixed right in.

  “I love you, Kate.”

  When he said it, all raspy and filled with need, I came loudly, bending into his body and balling my fists tightly. He followed me immediately, almost violently. Each slight second seemed to last forever: the small movements, the body twitches, the gasping, the delicious feeling filtering through us and between us. Then my body melted, his followed suit and we were reduced to a pile of panting flesh.

  There were no words for this feeling. The feeling of his muscular frame draped over mine as our breathing slowed. The feeling of him draped over me.

  “What changed from yesterday?” He looked directly into my eyes and I was treated to perfectly crystalline pools.

  “I realized that you didn’t choose her over me.” I all but purred into his bite mark covered chest.

  “You really thought I picked her over you?”

  “Yes. And when I needed you most no less.”

  “I would never…I am so sorry. I hate that I made you feel that way.” He buried his face into my neck.

  “I know that now.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. You really do love me.” I smiled, a broad Cheshire cat smile.

  “I always have. I just couldn’t find the words until you left.” He sighed and rolled off me, pulling me into his chest as he flopped. “I realized later that it was the kind of love I should’ve been screaming about. To you, to the press, to anyone that would listen, consequences be damned. Then you never would’ve questioned me.”

  “You didn’t need to shout about it.” I nuzzled into him. “You just needed to say it to me and I would’ve known. Believe me, I wish I didn’t need to hear it, I know what that says about me. And I know it was hard for you, but now that I have…” I kissed the skin below my lips. “It means all the more because it’s not something you throw around.” I started tracing small circles on his chest.

  “I’m sorry I unloaded my past on you.” His voice was tinged with embarrassment.

  “Don’t be. I hate that any of it happened to you or your family.” My temper flared momentarily but I took a deep breath, not wanting him to misunderstand. “But I love understanding you better. There isn’t a piece of you I don’t want to know.”

  He kissed my forehead and I tried to pull myself closer.

  Nick chuckled. “I’m not going anywhere. Nor am I letting you go. Ever again.”

  I still wanted to squeeze him. It was a Tuesday morning and I had one of the most powerful CEOs in the country wrapped up in my sheets. The best part was that the title and the business didn’t matter. What made my heart sing was that I had the other half of me tangled up in my sheets. I was about to ask him about Vesper when there was a buzz at the front gate.

  “Shit. The realtor. I forgot.” I scrambled out of the covers to search for clothes.

  “It’s okay. We had more important things to deal with.” Nick was laughing again. “Are you going to sell the house?”

  “Umm, I don’t know. I don’t really want to…”

  “I’d really rather you didn’t. At least not before we get a chance to drive.”

  I smiled at him, feeling infinitely lighter as happiness filtered into my veins. I grabbed my sweater and a blanket from the foot of the bed and hurried to the front door to explain. I got rid of the realtor as quickly as possible. A broad smile spread across my face as I shut the door, dropped the blanket, and ran back to him. The joy pounding through me launched me onto the bed. He smiled as he pulled me back down to him.

  Nick’s lips mashed down to mine but then he relaxed and kissed me slowly, leisurely, relishing in the taste of me. My heart pounded against my thin sweater and I was sure he could feel it. He always read my body as well, if not better, than I did. His tongue kept finding new ways to tangle with mine. When he finally pulled away, I couldn’t breathe.

  “Everything I ever wanted, everything I ever wished for came true today.” He sighed as he traced my nose with his. “All I could think of was you while you were gone. Of how to get you back. I refused to accept a couriered signature for that precise reason.”

  “I should be angry you pulled that shit.” I nuzzled against his face.

  “You aren’t though?” He questioned, so unsure of himself. “I mean yesterday you just seemed so angry with me, so hurt by me.”

  I pulled back to look at him. I needed to see his eyes, they were bright and shimmering. “Angry, no.” I sighed. “Hurt, of course. I thought I’d lost the one thing that ever made me feel whole, the one thing that made me feel alive. I didn’t think I could recover from that.”

  “You really thought you lost Vesper?”

  I wasn’t sure if he was joking or if he really was that dense or self-deprecating.

  “No, you. Of course you.” I scoffed at him.

  “Can you ever forgive me?” His voice was low and filled with tension.

  “Can you ever forgive me?” This was entirely my fault anyways.

  “There is nothing to forgive, Kate. This was all me. I will learn from it though. I will be better, I swear to God. Just please forgive me.”

  We were still fixed on each other.

  “Last night I watched you sleep. I finally understand why you used to do it. It clears your mind and steadies you, watching someone you love at peace like that. I decided I understood why you did everything. Sharing your past made all the difference. I could understand and accept, even if I didn’t like it. And when I understood, I automatically forgave. You didn’t even have to ask. Tell me you can forgive me for walking out.” I was getting choked up talking about it, about how close I’d come to pushing him away for good.

  “If you swear never to leave me again, I’ll forgive you.” He was only half joking, I could tell by the set of his jaw.

  “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. It would break me completely.”

  “Do you swear?” he asked again earnestly.

  “I swear.�
�

  My tears started to fall again—somewhere along the line I’d become a rushing garden fountain. But I had him and I had no reason to lose him again except my own pride. He kissed each tear track tenderly, cradling my face in his hands.

  “Don’t cry,” he whispered against my skin.

  Then his kisses turned passionate as he worked his way from my wet cheeks to my waiting lips. Only a moment later, I wrapped my arms and legs around him and pulled him back on top of me.

  “Have you ever noticed how perfectly we fit together?” I asked while Nick traced circles on my back.

  “I notice all the time. I get more certain every day that you were put on the earth for the sole purpose of being with me.” He chuckled.

  “Sole purpose?” I tried to sound insulted but didn’t pull it off. Then again, I hadn’t been trying very hard.

  “All the things that make you who you are contribute. The temper. The challenge.” He caught my hand as I went to smack him but then he continued. “The business savvy, the sexy, the beauty, the strength.” The smile that had been tugging non-stop on my cheeks did what it could to spread even farther.

  “I feel the same about you, ya know. Speaking of business savvy…”

  “No, not yet,” Nick interrupted. “We can talk about that on the car ride home. This is too perfect, just us, no bullshit.”

  “Speaking of home, shouldn’t we start moving in that direction?” My limbs protested at the very thought of unwinding, let alone leaving the Hamptons, but we both had things to do in the city.

  I looked up and the same reluctance was plain on his face. As I studied him, something dawned on him and excitement lit up his features.

  “You owe me an afternoon on the track. I paid good money for it.”

  Nick tried to pull his face into the hard mask he was so comfortable with and failed. Miserably. I laughed lightly and rolled away from him toward the bathroom.

  Gladly, baby.

  We showered and brushed our teeth leaving me feeling more human than I had in days. I smiled as I pulled on thick leather leggings, these designed specifically for racing motorcycles or cars. I added a plain white tee, a leather driving jacket, and flat driving shoes. “Coming?” I found my gloves and Nick smiled as he rolled up the sleeves of his day old suit.

  He looked me up and down in my leathers and the gleam in his eyes made my knees weak. Driving with Nick would be difficult, he was distracting to say the least. He gathered me in his arms and I shrieked happily.

  Nick kept me pinned to his chest as he carried me to the garage before gently returning me to my feet in front of the pin-pad. I went to punch numbers in but he pressed me back against the wooden door before I could.

  His hand dug into my backside, oozing power and dominance as he thumped me up against the wood. The energy charging between us was just plain hot. I couldn’t help but whimper as my head rolled back against the door. His hands dropped from my body, then moved to make an incredibly sexy cage on either side of my shoulders. His face lowered to mine and he ran his nose along my jawline. The rest of his chiseled form slowly pressed against mine, including his growing erection.

  This was that pivotal moment. If his lips locked on mine I’d have to have him, if we had any prayer of playing with the toys behind my bowing body, I had to push him away. As it was, I could barely focus on anything but the wetness spreading between my thighs.

  “Nick.” I gasped. “Stop.”

  He leaned back and smiled as he dropped one hand. I let out a relieved sigh.

  But then he wove around me and yanked my hips into his. I cried out, agonized, into his open mouth just before his lips came crashing down to mine. This kiss was ravenous and my heart started a ragged pitter-patter when he pulled on my lip with his teeth. His free hand scrambled over my leather-clad body.

  Then his hands suddenly dropped. His teeth were the last thing touching me, keeping ahold of my lip until the very last second. When he let go I flopped back against the door with a thud and it creaked and protested. I was glad I caught him breathing as hard as me. He even doubled over, his hands coming to his knees, as my eyes fluttered closed.

  Nick reached for me and I playfully batted his hand away. He smiled, reached again, and pulled me up away from the door.

  “No,” I chastised.

  He stayed quiet except for shallow breaths as he twisted me toward the pin-pad. My skin sizzled through the leather where he touched me. I punched in the code as he kissed the back of my head.

  “Nicholas Bryant,” I warned.

  When the doors sprung to life beside us, he gently pulled me away. All three of the garage doors opened in sequence in front of us, putting all six of my beauties on display. Nick whistled a long, low whistle and dropped his hands from my body. He stepped out from behind me, drawn to the garage like a moth to a flame.

  I laughed knowing damn well it was an exceptional collection. The Porsche Spyder had been first, in honor of my dad. The Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Veneno, Aston Martin ONE 77, Koenigsegg Agera R and vintage Shelby Cobra had trickled in over the past six years. Driving represented freedom and family to me so I made no apologies about the excessive nature of the cars.

  Besides they were sexy as hell.

  “You have got to be kidding me.” Nick looked like a kid in a candy store.

  “Nope.” I wore a smug smile.

  With the flip of a switch the interior spotlights flooded the room, making each paint job sparkle. I snatched Jenkins’ jacket and gloves from their hanger and took them over to Nick. It was the first time I’d ever seen his attention divided between me and something else in the room.

  I smirked to myself and walked away from his side as he slung the jacket over his shoulders. I forced my low, sultry purr to start rattling off facts about each car. I purposely drug one long finger across each hood as I did.

  Nick froze in front of the Bugatti, crouching down to study the lines of the hood. The color his eyes turned could only mean one thing; he’d picked that one. He didn’t even notice when I walked away to pull the keys. He was still deep in concentration when I leaned over and dangled them in front of his face.

  “I know you want to.” I shook them inches from his nose. He reached for them without a second glance and I rolled my eyes.

  Boys.

  He slid gracefully into the driver’s seat and my stomach flipped. I grabbed both mine and Jenkins’s helmet off the hooks. I brought them over to the car and tossed him his before pulling on mine. He looked at me quizzically until I tapped mine and flipped a switch. I knew the slight buzz filled his ears as I slid into the passenger seat.

  “The track is out back.” I hit the button to open the rear garage door. “Back out when you’re ready.” Nick crept out of the garage and onto the pristine pavement.

  From the house, you couldn’t see much of the weaving track but from here, you could see a winding roll of road. I’d designed it to be a complicated track rather than purely for speed. The complexities were why I’d given him a helmet. I needed to be able to tell him about the twists, turns and downshifting over the roar of the engine.

  “I recommend going slow the first lap or two. The straightaways end abruptly and the corners are tight. It’s about precision driving.” My voice crackled into the headset. “I should’ve asked earlier but you can drive right?”

  I arched an eyebrow he probably couldn’t see. He turned and purposely growled into the headset.

  “Well I don’t know.” I forced my shoulders to reach up for my ears. “You grew up being chauffeured and you live in the city. At least I had a good reason to ask.”

  I shrugged and returned my eyes to the road before us. It made me nervous to hand the keys over to someone and be a passenger, my feet were already reaching for nonexistent pedals. But I took a deep breath and tried to let my control issues go. Of all the people I tr
usted, I trusted Nick.

  His first circle around the track was modest. He was taking my advice and checking it out at about 90 miles per hour. I knew first hand it was hard to drive the Veyron slower than that. As it was, the performance of the vehicle made it feel like we were creeping around the three and a half mile course.

  I gave him instructions as we covered certain parts of the track, pointing out the difference in techniques and explaining what would need to change at higher speeds. At 175-200mph degrees and rated turns would come in handy. Even through the helmet, he smiled so genuinely it overwhelmed me. I had to clear my throat before speaking.

  “When you’re ready,” my voice echoed in the speaker. He revved the engine playfully before shooting off.

  He drove well, just as Nicholas Bryant did everything else. I stayed calm and cool in the headset even though my heart was hammering at the lust boiling beneath my skin. But rather than reaching for imaginary pedals, I found myself checking the speedometer every few moments, wondering why he continued going so damned slow.

  “You can open her up on the next lap,” I encouraged but the Veyron slowed in front of the garage.

  “No I can’t.” Even through the headset his gravelly voice sent shivers down my spine.

  “Sure you can. You’re driving really well. I would think you can average 160-175 at least first time out. I go about 212 in the Bugatti.”

  “As sexy as that is, I just can’t bring myself to go much faster with you in the car.” I thought I caught his shy smile through the helmet but I could have been mistaken. “I’m worried about taking a corner too fast and wrecking the car with you in it.”

  “If you wreck my car we have bigger problems than whether I’m in it or not,” I scoffed.

  “I can’t imagine a bigger problem,” he snarled and I rolled my eyes.

  “Are you asking me to get out?”