by L. M. Carr
He clutches at his chest, feigning injury. “Ouch.”
“And not for nothing, I guess I was under the impression when I met her at the beach party that you weren’t interested in her.”
“I’m only interested when she’s got something to offer,” he replies.
I nod and twist my lips. “Nice. I’m sure you’re good together.”
A grin flashes on his face. “You know who would be really good together?”
“Who?”
“Us. Me and you.”
I purse my lips and roll my eyes. “You and I would not be good together.”
“Wanna bet?” He caresses me face.
“Andrew, we have chemistry, I’ll admit,” I manage to say nonchalantly.
“Chemistry?” He chuckles. “It’s more nuclear than that. You’ll see. I bet when I fuck you again, people in Timbuktu are going to hear you scream.”
“I love your modesty.”
“Just keepin’ it real, baby. Just keepin’ it real.”
I stiffen, remembering Sean’s term of endearment that he used whenever he apologized.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why don’t you like ‘baby’?”
“My ex used to call me that. I hate it. I think he used it so he wouldn’t call me the wrong name.” I mumble a string of profanities.
Andrew nods and his lips tighten into a hard line.
“What should I call you then?”
“Morgan. How about Morgan.”
After the Hummer is parked back in its section of the large garage, I retrieve my bag and purse then exit through the side door.
“Wanna grab dinner?”
I shake my head but keep my legs moving. “No, thanks. I need to get some things done around here before work. I need to concentrate on making more capital for the company.”
My fingers shove the key into the lock and turn to the left as I release a deep, shaky breath. I can feel Andrew’s eyes on me as he walks to the main house. Part of me wants to turn around and confront him, asking him to clarify the situation between us. I can’t keep up with his constant mood swings and fluctuating temperatures. Hot like fire, one minute he’s into me and then next, he’s a gigantic iceberg in the middle of the Atlantic in winter.
“Morgan,” he calls my name. I close my eyes for a brief moment before I turn my head and look over my shoulder.
“Yeah?”
A timid smile stretches across his face. “Thanks for inviting me to come along this weekend. I had a really good time.”
“No pun intended?” I challenge with a smirk.
The light laughter that emerges from his belly causes me to laugh as well. I detect amusement in his baby blues.
“None at all...unless you want there to be...” he says, turning to unlock the door.
My lips tighten into a hard line. “Have a good night, Andrew. Hope you sleep well.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Thick sausage links. Sticky maple syrup. My soft bed. Andrew’s hard body.
“Oh my God,” I whisper in the dark when I feel my body struggling to regulate its breathing after the erotic dream woke me from a sound sleep. I swipe a hand across my forehead and dry the moisture. Afraid someone might hear me admit the truth that I slid my fingers into my pajama bottoms and made myself come, I speak hushed words. “Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me?”
“You said something about pouring syrup on me,” a raspy voice on the far side of my bed states with amusement. “And licking it off.”
I dart up in bed and pull the covers up to my neck. “Andrew! What the hell?! Why are you in my bed?” Leaning over, I scramble to turn on the small tableside lamp and then return my scowl to his long form, resting on his side as he faces me. “How did you get in here?”
Without so much as opening one eye, Andrew confides, “I have a key and I already told you I don’t like sleeping in that house. Now turn off the light, I’m trying to sleep.”
“What?” I bellow incredulously. “You can’t sleep here! Go back to your own house.”
His long eyelashes flutter then open slowly to reveal tired, sad eyes. A sudden wave of empathy washes over me. I don’t know what it’s like for him. I haven’t walked a day in his shoes. I have my family to support me regardless of what I’m going through. Him...he has no one.
The forlorn expression he wears shreds my heart and, feeling as though I have no other option, I allow him to stay, but turn away so he can’t see my pebbled nipples through my cotton shirt.
Andrew slides over closer to spoon the length of my body, his breath tickling my ear. “Tell me more about this syrup,” he whispers in my hair.
“Don’t make me regret saying yes to you, mister,” I hiss in return and close my eyes, trying desperately to ignore the bulge pressing against my ass.
“You lied to me today,” he utters softly.
I twist my neck. “I didn’t lie to you.”
“You did.”
I rack my brain, trying to think of when I was deceitful in any way, shape or form and come up empty. “About what?”
“You said we wouldn’t be good together.”
“Oh” falls from my lips.
His right hand snakes around and cages me in by the waist. “This right here...this is really good.” He inhales and releases a slow exhale as if he’s letting go of the weight of the world.
“Good night,” I murmur softly. “Sleep well.”
“I will now.”
♦♦♦
I startle awake and glance at my phone, thinking I’ve over slept my alarm but quickly realize the sun is just making her appearance as she casts a ray of warm sunlight on the hardwood floor. Rolling onto my back, I stretch my arms over my head and freeze. Disappointment fills me because once again Andrew has made an early exit. I twist my lips, roll my eyes and shake my head in frustration. I don’t know whether to grab an ice pack or a parka when he’s around.
With no visible sign of his midnight visit of comfort, I rise and shower. As I wash my hair, I mentally prepare for the day and review my pitch for the appointment with a potential new client. Dressing casually in a pair of olive green twill pants with a cream-colored button down shirt and cute booties, I saunter into the kitchen, grab a Cliff bar then fire up my laptop to check my email. I consider texting Andrew to see if he wants to ride to work together, but the sound of the Hummer backing down the driveway provides the answer.
Toni and I arrive at work within minutes of each other and we chat about our weekends as we walk to the elevator.
“So,” Toni drags out slowly, “how was the weekend meeting the fam?”
I toss her a dirty look. “It wasn’t like that. He just came with me because he had nothing else to do.”
Toni chuckles. “Yeah, okay...you keep telling yourself that.”
We step into the elevator and I proceed to tell her about the weekend.
“Wow! That’s great,” Toni says, adding how Andrew might be a good guy after all.
“How are the felines?”
Ding. The elevator stops.
“They’re the sweetest things. Poor Romeo though, he’s surrounded by puss—”
The door opens and my jaw nearly hits the floor when I come face to face with Andrew and Paige.
“You know there’s plenty more where that came from,” she coos as she tiptoes to kiss the side of his mouth. Andrew’s eyes flash to mine. In a split second, I silently search for some explanation as to why his lover is here at work, but he reveals nothing.
“Uh oh,” Toni mumbles.
I gulp and offer a curt “Mornin’” as I pull my eyes away. Quickly sidestepping them, I head for my office, completely bypassing the breakroom for coffee and walk to the window.
Air. I need air. The window latch is stuck so I grab my stapler and tap the hinge until it loosens. With each bang, my anger builds and I mutter profanities that would make a sailor blush. Finally with one last crack of the office supply, the latch gives and crisp
air fills my lungs.
My body boils with anger and my heart hurts. I close my eyes and shake my head, wondering why the sight of them together drives me to the point of insanity. I have no claim to Andrew Darling. None whatsoever.
Fifteen minutes later, Andrew enters my office without so much as a knock.
“Would it be too much to ask you to knock?” I huff.
Ignoring me, he says he needs me to look at something.
I cut my eyes to his sharply and glare at him.
Dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a button down shirt rolled at the sleeves, Andrew looks very much like his father when he takes a seat in front of me.
“No coffee or breakfast today?” he remarks, motioning with his chin to my empty mug sitting beside the broken stapler.
“I had coffee at home.” I glare at him, hoping he understands the implication that I woke up alone as I throw the stapler in the trash bin.
“I got an early start to the day. I needed to get something special.”
“I bet you did,” I reply dryly, wondering what special thing Paige gave him.
“Wanna grab lunch later?”
“No. I’m leaving early.”
“You are? Where’re you going?” he asks as if he has a right to know my business. I almost want to laugh when I notice his jaw ticking and his eyes bore into mine.
“That’s personal,” I sneer.
Tipping his head slightly, Andrew asks, “Are you mad at me?”
I release a sarcastic chuckle. “Narcissistic much?”
“You just seem really tense. I could help you with that.”
I release a dramatic sigh and respond with a massive eye roll. “What did you come in here for? What do you need me to look at?”
“Eh,” he says with a shrug. “It can wait until later.”
“What?” I demand. “I don’t have time for games, Andrew.”
He rises quickly and exits my office.
Frustrated does not begin to define how this man makes me feel. One moment, he’s baring his inner most secrets and the next he’s acting like he didn’t creep into my bed. Why can’t I find a normal guy? I yank the elastic from my low ponytail and run my hands through my long locks, letting them fall naturally over my shoulders. Reaching for my coffee mug, I groan when I realize it is bone dry.
“What’s all this?” I ask in surprise when I finally enter the breakroom after several minutes of pacing back and forth in my office. Aluminum foil covers the small rectangular pans in chafing dishes. I lift the first lid to find scrambled eggs. The second houses fluffy buttermilk pancakes and the third scrumptious sausage links. Set to the side is a bottle of maple syrup.
“Took you long enough.”
I grab a sausage link and turn to face the voice behind me. “You did this?”
Closing the gap, Andrew strides over and stands beside me, his forearm brushing against mine. “I thought you might be hungry this morning after all the talking you did last night about,” his eyes move over the breakfast buffet and he smiles. “And it’s my way of apologizing to everyone. Someone said I was an ogre. I’m trying to be better.”
Warmth replaces the chill in my bones and I return a smile. “That was really thoughtful of you.”
I’m not foolish enough however to think that Paige’s appearance this morning was in vain.
“Why was Paige here?” I ask, pulling my jealous eyes.
“Good question. I ordered food from the hotel she manages early this morning and had it delivered then she showed up to make sure it all arrived.”
“Oh.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ignoring the inquiry, I reach for a thick paper plate and scoop out a serving of each then top the pancakes with sweet liquid.
“It’s obvious you two have a thing although you seemed kind of annoyed when she threw herself at you at the beach party.”
Andrew moves and stands behind me, pressing his erection into the small of my back. I feel his voice at my ear as he sets his hands on the countertop, essentially holding me captive.
His nose dives into my hair and he inhales deeply. “I like my new thing better and I love the feeling I get when she gets possessive and jealous,” he moans. “That’s new for me.”
I freeze as the goosebumps line my skin. Looking over my shoulder, my face is inches away from his. “Possessive and jealous? What are you talking about?”
Andrew pulls away, returning in less than five seconds after having kicked the breakroom door shut. Strong hands cup my face and my lips are smashed. My mouth is filled with the sweet taste of his tongue as he licks and laps forcefully. Arching my back, I mold my body with his as my hands skate around to the nape of his neck. My fingers grip the strands of hair to angle his head, allowing better access for the deep kiss.
His hands move from my face and slide down my back until my ass is firmly in his grasp. His teeth graze and nip at my neck. “Do you have any idea how much I want you?”
My free hand spreads across his wide back and I moan at the heat I feel radiating from it. “What does that mean?” I mumble. “Is this just about sex? Because over the past few months and particularly this weekend, all I’ve heard you say is how much you want to fuck me. I,” I stammer, “As much as the idea of having sex with you is so tempting, I don’t think I can do that and not start to feel something for you. That’s not how I’m wired.”
Pulling back, Andrew searches my face with heavy hooded eyes as his chest rises and falls with bated breath. “You obviously haven’t been listening. I want—”
“Oh! Sorry!” Cara squeals, entering the breakroom, forcing us to separate immediately. “I didn’t know anyone was in here,” she stutters.
“It’s fine, Cara. Really,” I say with a forced smile as I adjust my shirt to its original position.
Cara makes a hurried exit and closes the door.
“Well, that was embarrassing. I’m sure she’s out there telling everyone what she just saw,” I groan with annoyance.
“Who cares?”
“I care! This place, this job. This is important to me. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m fucking the boss’s son to get ahead. I need this job.”
Andrew’s body stiffens. “Well, technically, we’re the bosses now so we can do whatever we want. We own the company, remember?”
“I know we do.” I look up and smile. “But I want to be professional here. What happens at home, away from here, is our business.”
“So no lunch hour rendezvous in either one of our offices?”
I close my eyes and blush.
“What? Why not?” he asks, probably hoping I’d retract my statement.
I don’t think Andrew would appreciate hearing about the one time I walked in and found his mother on her knees in front of her husband. The love shared between Mark and Diana was one I’d always envied, but knowing the truth behind the façade makes me wonder what was real or part of their delusion.
“Let’s just say you have a solid door in your office for a reason.”
Andrew’s eyebrows crinkle and he shakes his head in confusion.
“Finish what you were going to say.”
“About?”
A playful scowl forms on my face. “Andrew!”
Sliding his hands around my waist, Andrew pulls me close. “I want you.”
“What exactly does that mean?”
“I want to fuck you.”
An ache throbs in my heart as it plummets to my toes and my eyes drop.
“But I also want to kiss you.”
My head snaps up.
“I want to fall asleep and wake up next to you.”
My eyes fill with tears.
“I want to eat pizza and watch shitty horror movies on Netflix with you.”
My chin quivers and I swallow the lump in my throat. “Really?”
He smiles and nods. “And after seeing how important your family is to you, I want to spend more time in Lake George.”
I fling myself at Andrew and throw my arms around his neck, squeezing hard as Lust whispers “Atta girl” but Logic warns “Slow down, sister.”
“Are you sure about this?” I ask when he returns the embrace. “I’m kind of stubborn.” I chuckle.
“I think so.”
My smile falls and I loosen my hold on his neck, causing him to quickly backpedal.
“What I meant to say was yes, I’m sure,” he clarifies.
“Can I ask one thing?”
“What’s that?”
“If at any point this thing,” I motion to the space between us, “isn’t enough or isn’t working for you, please be honest with me. I don’t want to waste time like I did before. Life is too short to be unhappy.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I’ve spent too many years trying to fix something I couldn’t and I can’t live that way anymore. I need to let the past go and look ahead to my future.”
“Future? Um,” I pause. “Aren’t you jumping the gun a bit here?”
A genuine smile slides on his face. “Did you like seeing Paige kiss me?”
My face snarls.
“Just as I didn’t like to see Mason all over you.”
“He wasn—”
Andrew challenges me with a raised brow.
I slide my fingers across my closed lips.
“The point is that in a short amount of time, you’ve become important to me. I want to make you feel special like you deserve. Your ex-husband was an asshole of epic proportions to put you second in his life. I hope to do better.”
A shockwave moves through me when the words I love you almost fall from my lips.
“Now I have something to ask you. The other day you said I was nothing to you. Did you mean that?”
Solemnly I shake my head. “No, but I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t even know if I’m truly ready to start a relationship. I just got out of a marriage.”
“Whoa, girl. Slow down. That’s not what I’m proposing here.” His light laughter teases me.
“I know that!” I slap his arm. “It’s just that when I fall, I fall hard and I get greedy.” A huge grin sets on my face. “I’m an “all or nothing” kind of girl. Consider yourself warned.”
