“What about you? Were you the big man on campus when you were in school?” she asked, turning slightly in his arms. She seemed genuinely interested in his reply.
“We went to a smaller school. I was always really focused. I had plans for when I graduated.” That had her breaking the hold he had so she could turn completely around.
“What kind of plans?” Her pretty face was upturned and held curiosity.
“I wanted to make something of myself. The day I turned eighteen, I got this small inheritance. Not more than a few thousand dollars. I bought my first property that day and flipped it seven days later. That was it for me. I was hooked. I’ve been doing about that same thing since then,” he said truthfully. He’d never shared that story with anyone.
“That’s exciting! You never wanted to go to college?” she asked.
“No college. I’m not real good taking direction. It’s a flaw of mine.” She laughed at that one.
“What about girlfriends? I bet you had a lot,” she said, and he laughed at her expression. She kind of glazed over. Women did that all the time when they thought of romance.
“Well, this is difficult to say, but until my eyes landed on you, I never went for the girlfriend type.” Turning around, she went back to staring out the window.
“Yeah right. I totally believe that.” Her tone made it clear she didn’t believe him at all.
“What? I thought I’d done pretty good with you.” He tried to bend his head enough to gauge her expression.
“I haven’t wanted to tell you, but dating doesn’t necessarily mean girlfriend. It just means dating—going out with one another on a regular basis,” she said teasingly.
He laughed at her and leaned back against the sofa, resisting the urge to congratulate himself. He’d succeeded in making her comfortable enough to talk openly with him.
“Okay, well then, what do I have to do to get you to be my girlfriend?” he asked. He reached for the belt of her robe, tugging to loosen the careless knot she’d tied. He liked this game she was playing. His bold, drop-down-on-her-knees-in-the-elevator almost-girlfriend now played coy. “I’m willing to do whatever needs to be done.”
“Not being an expert myself, I’m not sure, but I think it’s usually after we’ve dated awhile, then you ask very sweetly. I would then have to say yes…” That stopped his movement of unwrapping her. She was serious. He truly expected a different answer to that question. He thought she was actually asking for sex.
“How many dates?” he shot out. Wait. Like he needed to wine and dine her and manipulate her into accepting him. He’d been doing that for days. His brow furrowed further as he tried to understand.
“I don’t know. I didn’t write the rule book. Several, I guess. I haven’t had a boyfriend before.” She turned more fully toward him. The robe gave way where he’d untied the belt, exposing just a hint of her body. He became erect again. He liked his idea of more sex way better than hers of playing the dating game.
“Probably because of those ugly little suits you wore,” he teased.
“The suits are business professional!” she declared, lifting a palm to knock him in the shoulder. The front of her robe opened, exposing those two perfect handfuls. Reed slid his fingers inside as she began to wrap the sides back together. They gave a playful struggle until he won by pulling her across his lap and reaching inside, clamping a hand around one breast.
“I’m not sure I told you. The first time I saw you naked, I pretty much decided that my place should be considered a nudist colony for you. I think I should implement that rule now.” Reed was happy to find her completely naked underneath. There was a small struggle until he won that too. He pushed the robe off her shoulders and down her arms. He lifted one mound, fastening on the nipple and sucking the tip deep inside his mouth. He laved the bud with his tongue, letting it go with a pop. He got the desired results. Her nipple was hard and protruding, sticking straight out to him. With a grin, he lowered his head to give the other side the same attention.
~~~
The mixture of pleasure and pain Reed’s mouth induced was a glorious thing. Her eyes were locked on Reed’s lips as he suckled one nipple completely inside his mouth, then switched to the other. His palms mashed and kneaded, shoving both breasts together until he reached for her hand, bringing her palm up with his to cover the mound again. He worked her fingers until she squeezed and lifted the entire breast to his waiting mouth. That might have been one of the most erotic sensations she’d ever experienced.
Reed became a man possessed.
His arm looped around her back, slinging her to the side until she was spread across the sofa. He moved, bending on one knee between her parted thighs to crawl on top of her. He angled his body to better feast on each breast. The throw pillow at her back gave her the best vantage point to watch his skilled mouth bathe her breast, licking the underside before moving back around to the nipple, creating a gentle suction that shot pleasure straight through her body. The extraordinary visual stimulation had her threading her fingers in his hair and concentrating on breathing. He had her pinned against the cushions, her legs tangled with his. The only barrier separating them from being fully skin on skin were the few clothes Reed wore. If he hadn’t put those on, he could so easily slide forward to ease the intense ache forming at her core.
She was becoming wanton. All she could do was think about making love to this man. She lived moment to moment waiting for Reed to do this very thing to her. He played her like an instrument. She moved a hand from his hair and slid the palm down her body, moving her fingers to her wet center. She closed her eyes; the images of Reed loving her breasts etched inside her mind. Abundantly wet, she ran two fingers over her clit, searching lower. She bent her knee, widened her legs, and was better able to ease her fingers inside. She let a deep heavy moan slip free and angled her head backward against the armrest, reeling in the reassuring warmth.
Reed’s rough hand covered hers. It was a sexy move, but then he had lots of those. With hooded eyes, she lifted her head to see him resting back on his heels. One palm was still massaging her breast while the other worked with her fingers, thrusting forward and then back again, in and out of her heat. He was better able to reach that spot she tried to touch. “I like watching you touch yourself.”
“Oh God.” Her eyes closed, and her head dropped down. Reed was such a turn-on.
“I love how you get so wet.”
Her hips pitched forward when his tongue flicked across her clit. She lost her mind. She couldn’t stop the roll of her hips as his mouth fastened on the little bundle of nerves, sucking sweetly in the rhythm he created with his finger. She was left completely undone when the violent orgasm overtook her. Unintelligent babble spilled free as darkness descended. Her body was a trembling mass of nothing.
“Fuck, you’re sexy,” Reed whispered from right above her face. She opened her eyes to see him there, watching her closely. She lifted a palm to his cheek and closed her eyes again; it took too much effort to form thought and move all at the same time. He kissed her parted, panting lips. “Stay wet.”
The words made no sense. Reed lifted her from the sofa, cradled her in his arms. He placed her head on his shoulder and almost jogged back to his bedroom. He gently laid her out on his bed, slid his thumbs inside the waistband of his shorts to shove them and his underwear to the floor before he climbed on top of her. His tongue sank inside her mouth. The kiss was tender, sweet, and conveyed something to her heart that she didn’t understand. She wrapped him in her arms and opened wider, allowing him access to the farthest reaches. She sensed his movement and felt denied when he rose between her thighs, rocking back on his heels. She smiled as she watched him add a condom this time. Finally, they were doing this the right way. He immediately filled her in one swift thrust.
She gasped out a breath, wrapping her legs and arms around his body. Reed’s forehead dropped to her shoulder, his breath coming in shallow bursts. He kissed the bare skin where he
r shoulder and neck met and pushed up on his hands to rise above her. His hips canted until he used powerful, quick thrusts to slide in and out of her body. “You’re incredible, I’ll never get enough.”
She was completely lost, barely able to hang on as Reed bucked wildly into her body, driving her forward as he pistoned his hips. Fierceness filled his face as he clamped his eyes shut and a shudder vibrated through his frame. He was the most remarkable man she’d ever seen.
“Come with me, Lara.” The powerful thrust of his hips shoved her entire body forward, sending her over the edge. She tumbled into the darkness, barely registering his body falling on top of her as the world shattered around her. An unknown amount of time passed before she settled back to earth. He jostled her, drawing her with him as he rolled to his back. With an ear to his chest, she heard his heart pounding. His breath still ragged.
“You’re mine, okay?” he whispered.
She smiled against his chest, her eyes closed.
“Say it, Lara. Say you’re mine. You’re my girlfriend. Mine. Say it.” He had more conviction now.
“Okay.” Movement jarred her back awake. Reed shifted, doing something until he grabbed the side of the blanket and wrapped it around them. He pulled her close, holding her as tightly as she held him. Sleep took her over.
Chapter 18
The closet door gave a small hint of a squeak and Reed stopped the movement as he quickly glanced over at the bed. Who knew the hinges made that noise when he opened the door? When Lara didn’t budge, he worked his body between the door and the frame, angling inside the closet to grab shoes. He edged out and quietly walked through the bedroom. At the bedroom door, he gave one last look at his sleeping beauty. He smiled as he noticed she hadn’t moved from the spot he’d laid her in almost two hours ago. Through his shower, dressing, and now, she slept soundly. He closed the door behind him.
He heard housekeeping in the kitchen. As a rule, he usually made it out before they arrived. Even with that excuse, he should have known her name and racked his brain for something to jar the memory. Nothing came to mind. She was bent over, wiping out the refrigerator, and he was awkward in trying to gain her attention until he finally just blurted out some words.
“I have someone sleeping in there.” She looked up, startled.
“Yes, sir,” she stuttered a bit. She looked kind of familiar, but he hadn’t been prepared for the Irish accent. Had he never spoken to her before? Instead of finding the answer to that question, he nodded once and turned to leave. “Should I make her breakfast?”
He swiveled around on his heels in the middle of the living room. “No… Well, maybe. She’d like that. Yes. She seems to like just about anything food-wise.”
“Have a good day, sir.” He felt more than awkward now and turned away, knowing he should respond to the goodbye. After a second, he lifted a hand and nodded, deciding he was pretty certain she might be new. He walked out the door, only to come back inside a moment later as a thought occurred to him.
“She’ll be here quite a bit. You might see what she likes to eat and start making a second plate.” He left again and went straight for his office. Flipping on the lights as he went, Reed left his office door open and put his cell phone on his desk, pushing the side to turn up the volume on the ringer. He’d left a note for Lara to head over once she woke. He wasn’t entirely sure how the morning after worked since he always bailed, but his need to make her comfortable required some sort of routine to begin between them because he enjoyed their time together immensely.
Reed pushed the button on his Keurig, starting a cup of coffee. He dropped his shoes on the floor next to a side chair and sat, working his laces undone until they slid easily on his feet. He’d chosen to wear the white undershirt from the night before. It was a pussy move and his actions held connotations, but Lara’s scent lingered, which was exactly what he needed while working this morning. He wasn’t yet mentally prepared to put a label on his feelings, no matter how obvious the answer. All he would let himself consider was that he was really into that woman sleeping in his bed.
Reed rose and lifted his arm to his nose, breathing her in as he went for his coffee. He took a solid gulp of the bitter brew before walking the distance to the windows. He wanted them open when Lara came in. She liked to look out over the city. He pulled the chain to open the blinds, letting the early morning light filter inside. He stood there a minute, trying to see what Lara saw when she looked out this window. Apparently he wasn’t there yet, for as far as the eye could see, he watched smog lay across the high-rises, traffic clogging the streets even on a Saturday morning, and lots of opulent greed. He shook his head, smiling. He needed to get better at looking past those things.
He took a seat at his desk, booted up his computer, and went to email. He couldn’t even think where to start today. He was behind, no question there. His rolling mental calendar seemed to have a glitch, only updating with times he planned to spend with Lara.
Everything had a place, and he needed to get better about putting his time with Lara in its place.
On that thought, before he got too far, he pulled up his contacts and called to get Lara set up for the day. They’d only spoken briefly about the opera, a few words said in the middle of the night. She needed a day of pampering to get ready. He picked up the landline and began typing Margaret’s phone number into the keypad. He paused mid-dial. With as extraordinary as Lara Hunter was, she deserved a lifetime of spoiling. A challenge he was pretty certain he could meet.
He froze. His entire body tightened. The blood rushed to his head. The phone dropped back in the cradle and Reed closed his eyes. His mind had finally gone there. He’d confirmed his emotional state and officially labeled them. The idea of taking this woman into his life on the hope of forever somehow didn’t scare the shit out of him. He took a deep breath and scrubbed his palms down his face. Her scent wafted up and made him smile. She eased his heart and comforted his soul even when she wasn’t around. He hadn’t had a headache in twenty-four hours.
It was all that good-lovin’ she’d been giving him. He barked out a laugh at his dumb thought. Yet, Lara never turned him away, and he’d been as randy as a schoolboy all night long. After their initial coupling in bed, he’d woken twice more throughout the night and reached for her. She’d always been ready. He fucked her on their sides, then from behind, and she always participated. Passionate and intense, she grew soaking wet each time he touched her. She turned him on like no one ever had before. He was hard right now thinking about it.
“Stop, dickhead. Get your shit done. You’re acting like a love-sick fool,” he said out loud since his inner monologue could only focus on Lara. He reached for his phone and dialed Margaret again, completing the call this time.
“Yes, sir?” she answered on the third ring.
“I need you to arrange for Lara this evening. She needs clothing and pampering. You know, all that stuff women do,” Reed tried to explain.
“All right. Is this for opening night opera?” she asked.
“Yes.” Thankful she got it.
“She’ll need the works,” Margaret added. “We responded you weren’t attending tonight. Should I change that?”
“No, it’ll be easier to fly under the radar if I’m not expected.” Maybe he could shield her from some of the office backlash by keeping her out of the limelight as much as possible.
“I’ll email you the details. Give me a few minutes. Have you looked at email this morning? Cincinnati steel mill board of directors needs your attention,” she advised.
“I’ll look.” He disconnected the call and opened his email program. Margaret regularly answered messages for him and left behind in his inbox the ones he needed to see. Reed sifted through those, responded to a few until he found the mill’s problem. He read through the wordy message, rolled his eyes—he was growing to hate unions in America—and sent a reply that he’d be calling them within the hour. Once done, Reed went back to the inbox to see his las
t message was from Linda Bryant. He almost bypassed her note and then thought better of it. He opened the email to find a two sentence message: We want to meet her. Bring her to the reunion.
He typed back an equally short message. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
He was already having massive boundary issues where Lara was concerned. No way did he intend to move her toward a Meet the Bryants episode. Even if he truly decided to keep her around long-term, he didn’t see spending more than a dinner with his family or friends. The guys were okay. They didn’t break the guy-code, ever. But the women, especially Linda, would lay his heartbreaking story—as she called it—at Lara’s feet. He’d dodged that bullet last night; he certainly wouldn’t willingly stand in the line of fire again. Thinking along those lines, he sent Candace a quick message asking her to make sure she kept her mouth closed about his heritage.
Before he minimized email, Linda had messaged him back. He opened to find a selfie of Candace and Lara getting their feet done with a note from Linda.
I’ve paid her entrance fee to the reunion. I also entered her and me in the apple pie contest. This is Mother’s Day weekend. Please don’t disappoint. Love, Mom.
Ahh, man, she was good. He sighed. Guilt was an effective weapon. Reed knew Margaret scheduled flowers and a gift for Linda this weekend, but just on the outside chance she hadn’t, he sent her a message to make sure. He didn’t answer Linda, instead, ignoring the message.
He dialed Ben Long, his rep in Cincinnati. He placed a hand over his eyes and began to rub his temples as he remembered the guy’s nickname. Ben Long-story lived up to his name and started the call from what Reed could only assume was the beginning of time and slowly made his way to current day. The tension-free morning faded. It was going to be a long day.
~~~
Slowly, Lara blinked herself awake, listening for any other noise in the room. She heard nothing and slowly turned over, stretching her legs across the bed, letting the silky satin sheets drape across her skin. She burrowed farther into the plush, soft pillows, closing her eyes while drawing the duvet up to her neck. This bed was awesome. The best she’d ever slept in. Reed’s scent covered everything and put her senses in Reed-overload. Her lips curled into a smile.
Chasing Happy (Texas Desires #1) Page 24
