He removed his shirt, slacks, and his red briefs. He couldn't help himself that morning. The red underwear beckoned to him. He pulled on his dark-grey shorts and tied the drawstring at his waist.
He grabbed two chairs and put them in front of heating vents on the second floor. He laid his pants over the top of one chair and he hugged the other with his tailored shirt. He threw his red briefs on the seat and hoped they would dry quickly.
He wanted to get back down to check on Regina. He also wanted to take an inventory of what kind of supplies they might have in the office. He made a mental list of things they always tell you to have on hand. Water, check. There were large jugs of water for the water cooler, no problem there. Flashlights and batteries, maybe in the kitchen or basement. Candles were good too, but what was the chance there would be any in an office? He knew they had their salads in the fridge so they had enough to eat for the night, but he wanted to see what else was there and turn the temperature down in the refrigerator.
A light bulb went off. There was a fireplace behind Alita’s desk. He never thought much of it. They certainly never used it. Hopefully the flue was working in case they needed to start a fire. Serena kept a rack of firewood on the front porch for decoration. Maybe it was dry enough to use if they needed it. The odds were in his favor since the porch was covered.
That meant he was going to need to run back outside. He looked out the window and noticed the rain had eased up quite a bit. He considered putting his wet pants back on, but thought if he moved fast enough grabbing the wood, his shorts would dry fast. That is what they were designed to do.
Reddick started to head back downstairs. He was going to ask Regina to give Serena or Alita a call to see about the flashlight situation. This time he took the steps one at a time. He always thought it was strange that the steps were carpeted, but beneath his bare feet, he enjoyed the softness. They also kept the steps from creaking as he walked down.
As he started to turn the corner from the staircase, he saw that the door to the conference room was open and the light was on in Serena’s office. The doors were closed slightly, but he could see Regina standing there through the glass panes.
Her hair was down. The rain had caused her hair to curl and it was still wet, but he was surprised at how long it actually was. He thought back for a minute, trying to remember if he’d ever seen her hair down. He decided not. She always came to work with her hair up or back. The waves now cascaded over her shoulders and obstructed his view of her dark-pink nipples.
It mattered not because she was unbuttoning the front of her blouse. She looked down and took care sliding each button through its hole. As she made her way down the front of the dress, her cleavage became more prominent.
After Regina relinquished the last button, she tossed her hair back over her shoulder to expose the front of her dress. She used opposing hands to slide the top of her dress off of each shoulder.
Reddick knew it was wrong to stand there and watch her, but he couldn't help himself. He liked what he saw, and in that moment he realized he knew what he wanted. He never took what wasn’t offered to him, but Reddick was a man who knew how to get what he desired.
Regina slipped off her dress and let it hit the floor. She stood there for a split second, and he admired the soft curves of her body. He wanted to go to her and tear the white lace from her breasts.
She lowered herself behind Serena’s desk to pick up her dress. Reddick took this opportunity to head out the front door to the porch.
Regina heard the door open and realized she was standing there in the open, almost naked. She wasn’t sure if Reddick had seen her, but she decided to grab the lingerie and head back into the conference room.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Stuck Together
REGINA FINISHED CHANGING out of her wet panties and put on the lingerie she gathered from Serena’s stash. The towel had warmed some from the blasting heat. She wrapped it around herself just as there was a knock at the door.
“You can come in. I’m decent,” she called out.
“You are more than decent,” he mumbled to himself before he opened the door.
Regina wasn’t prepared for him to come in there looking like he stepped out of the locker room.
She knew he took good care of himself. She knew he worked hard at keeping his body in good shape. What she didn’t know was how her body would react at the sight of his hard work.
He entered the room in his basketball shorts, which were covered with what looked like flecks of wood. The tie in his drawstring had come undone. His shorts hung just low enough on his hips that she almost drooled at the cuts along his waist that were like two arrows pointing down to what she really wanted to see.
His chest was glistening from the rain. It helped to accentuate the stacks of muscles from his belly button all the way up to those bunched on top of his wide shoulders. It was official that there was no extra shoulder padding in his suit jacket. It was all man and muscle.
Regina stood nearly naked, gazing at Reddick’s perfectly sculpted chest fantasizing about having the chance to rip the remaining layers of his clothes away. The only problem was she knew she shouldn’t feel that for him, he certainly didn’t feel the same way.
Regina always thought Reddick could be a pig and would probably sleep with her if he had the chance, but at that moment, she decided she wanted him to want her. She wanted him to feel what she was feeling for him. The intensity of her sentiments burned between her legs. She was glad he couldn’t see how he was making her feel.
Reddick cleared his throat and extended his arm to her. He brought his blazer down for her to keep warm and, unfortunately, cover herself.
“What happened to you? Why are you all wet again?” Regina broke the silence.
“I went out to the porch to grab some firewood.” He reached over and grabbed a wad of paper towels.
“For what?” she asked.
“The fireplace in the other room.”
“There’s a fireplace here? I never even noticed.” She shrugged and realized that was why his shorts were so dirty.
“Yes, Regina. You really do work too hard. It’s right behind your bestie’s desk.”
Regina turned her back to him and dropped her towel to put on his blazer. He kept his head facing down and away from her but stretched his eye muscles to see where her long legs stretched up to a very short sheer dress. He loved the way her waist pinched in just above her round, heart-shaped bottom.
“She's not my bestie,” Regina said as she turned back toward him.
He smiled at the sight of her swimming in his blazer. Her hands were nowhere to be found, but they were in there somewhere, holding the front closed. He looked down and noticed the length of the jacket came a few inches above her knees, longer than the little dress she was wearing underneath.
It was cute and sexy the way her knees knocked together. He knew she’d dated enough, but loved how once her professional guard was let down, there was a sexy innocence to her. He wanted to get to know the soft side she hid so well.
“Well, the two of you were laughing it up yesterday at the meeting,” he pointed out.
“She's so crazy. She was drawing pictures of penises with faces and mustaches. She’s a wild one.” Regina laughed.
“I'm sure if you weren't a little wild inside, you wouldn't get along so well.” Reddick hoped to plant the seed in her mind.
“She and I are very different, but we do know how to have fun, on the rare occasion I give in.” Regina sat down and sipped on her tea.
“I think we need to make some new tea. Mine is cold and you didn't even touch yours.” She stood back up to clean up the cups.
“We can do that, but first, do you know if we have any flashlights or candles in the office?”
Reddick finished wiping away the rain from his chest. He imagined Regina reaching over and helping him with the task. He wanted her to see him dripping like that again, but next time from the exertion of them ple
asuring one another.
“I have a small flashlight in my purse. There is one on our phones. There’s one under the sink in the bathroom upstairs, and there might be one down in the basement by the furnace. We have a whole shelf of candles in the kitchen. Most of them are small scented votive candles. Serena bought a few cases, as she likes to light them to make the office smell good,” Regina informed him.
“That sounds like a good stash.” The lights flickered again as he spoke. He tossed the wad of damp paper towels in the trash by the door.
“I know you love those shoes, but do you think you might be more comfortable taking them off? We’re going to be here all night.” He looked down her long legs at her feet and bit his bottom lip.
“I guess, but I don't want to walk around barefoot, and the other option is those pink marabou slippers. You really think we’ll be here all night?”
“We don't have a choice. I think the storm is going to get worse in a few hours. We have no idea how bad the damage is in the area. We know how bad it is here in the parking lot from that tree falling down. We’re going to have to wait until the sun comes up to make sure it’s safe for us to get out of here.
“You should probably send out that email telling everyone that we’ll be closed, at least in the morning. Tell our sales teams they should do what they can to work from home tomorrow. I’ll shoot Michelangelo and Serena an email letting them know what happened so they can try to make arrangements for a tree service to come out here.” Reddick started to walk out the door before Regina could say anything, so she just followed him upstairs.
REGINA AND REDDICK were at their desks, finishing up their emails, when the lights flickered on and off several times. They looked over at each other. Then they flickered off.
The office went dark. The only light came from the glow of their laptop screens. They looked over at each other again.
“Close your laptop and grab your phone.” Reddick left his laptop open and turned on his phone and pointed the light in her direction.
Regina did as he said. She put her phone in the pocket of his blazer and stood up. She kept her hand in the other pocket to help keep the front of the coat closed. She carefully followed the light over to his desk.
“Did you get the email out to the staff?” Reddick asked her.
“Yes, I was just checking my email. Did you get the message off to Serena and Michelangelo? If not, I can text them.” Regina stopped in front of his desk.
“Yeah, I got it off to them.”
“Now what?” she asked him.
“I’m going to close my laptop. I want to make sure we use our devices sparingly in case we need them. We should turn our phones off to keep the charge. We can turn them on if we need them. I just saw that there are several power outages in every county along the coast. They said not to expect it to come back on tonight.”
“Oh, great.” She huffed and sat on the edge of his desk and crossed her legs. Her right red heel dangled very close to his crotch.
He sucked in a deep breath and tried to blow it out nice and slow. The glow of his phone cast a flattering light, illuminating her legs. Her legs were so close to him, and too close together. He wanted to push all the items from his desk and spread them so he could bury his face where her legs met in the middle.
He cautiously placed a hand on her lower thigh. He wasn't sure what scared him more—that she would push off his hand or that he couldn’t keep himself from pulling her onto his lap.
Regina shivered at his touch. He wanted to do more than rest his hand on her knee. She rubbed her legs together a little, teasing him more than she could possibly know. He wondered if she made sure that her foot brushed against the inside of his thigh or if she had no clue.
Reddick turned off his phone so she couldn’t see the strain in his eyes or how hard of a time he was having controlling the sparks that were shooting off in his heart, mind, and groin.
“Come on, hold on to me. We can go downstairs and grab the candles.” He helped her down and they locked arms to walk together. “Are you cold? Do you want me to start a fire?”
“I’m actually pretty hot right now. You did blast the heat, right?” She held his arm tight.
He was beyond hot—hot for her. His better judgment was going to get the best of him if he kept finding her half naked and brushing up against him.
“I did, but the temperature could drop pretty quickly without the power. We can go down and light some candles. I will get the fireplace at least set up and ready to go if you get cold. I’m hoping the wood is dry enough to catch fire.”
“Well, if it doesn't, you’re going to have to keep me warm. We never even got to make our tea.”
If she only knew… He could do more than keep her warm. He wanted to get her hot. He felt a fire starting between them that was soon about to blaze out of control.
Reddick put his arm around her and held her tight. “I’ll do what I can.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Foreplay
THEY WERE CAREFUL as they approached the stairs. They had both spent many late nights working there, but even with all the lights off, there was always a glow from the streetlights and the moon. This was a dark and stormy night, and those options weren’t offering them any assistance.
“Are you hungry, Regina?”
“Not really. I could maybe do a snack.”
“Okay, I just don’t want us to open the fridge more than we have to. Let’s see what we can find in the cabinets when we grab the candles.”
“Sounds good, but I’m not letting go of you.” He couldn't see it, but he knew her smile was stretched across her face.
Reddick liked the sound of that. He knew he would make sure she wouldn't want to. Reddick had never found a female worth the time and attention he gave to other aspects of his life. All this time, he’d been working with the one woman worth giving it all to. She had many of the same goals in life and they shared a mutual work ethic. How did he not see it sooner?
He realized they were the answer. They were the key to their PowerPoint presentation. If they were a united force, nothing could stop them, not in business and not in love. He would find a way to show her they belong together. His new goal in life would be to prove his worth to her.
Reddick stopped halfway to the steps. He bent his knees and tucked his left arm behind her legs and scooped her up.
Regina yelped and held on to his neck. “What are you doing?”
“I don't want you to trip and fall in those sexy shoes you continue to insist on wearing. I don't need you falling down the stairs again.”
At first Regina felt stiff in his arms, but by the time they made it halfway down she’d laid her head on his shoulder, snuggling into him.
He could feel her breath tickling the fine hairs on his neck. Regina's nose tapped gently on the bottom of his ear lobe with each step he took. He could hear her breathing him in. With every exhalation she made, he felt more and more sparks igniting throughout his body.
Regina wasn't sure what possessed Reddick to carry her down the stairs, but she had no complaints about it. She’d never had anyone carry her like that, at least not as an adult. She was impressed with how effortlessly he moved with her weight in his arms. He was as strong, if not stronger, than he looked.
She wanted to stay in his arms for an eternity. She held on a little tighter, hoping he wouldn’t put her down just yet. The skin on his shoulders was soft and she wanted an excuse to run her hands all over him to see if he felt that good everywhere else.
“Please don't drop me,” she whispered against his skin, making sure she let her lips touch his neck. Her heartbeat got stronger and louder as the butterflies in her stomach made her feel weightless. She was glad he was holding her because she was having trouble feeling her legs.
“Never.” Reddick turned his face toward her.
Their noses glided against each other. Regina could almost taste him. She wanted to taste him. She wondered what she would do if he c
losed the distance and covered her mouth with his.
Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Reddick took extra care not to trip or bump into anything. He lifted her a little higher and closer so he could control better where her head and feet went. Slamming her head into a doorjamb would really ruin the moment.
They got to the kitchen without any accidents. Reddick slowly lowered Regina onto her feet. She was thankful he made sure she was stable and held her small but firm upper arms.
“You good?” he asked.
He put her down so her back was to the cabinets. She put her hands behind her for a point of reference in the dark.
“Yeah, thanks. I’m just really hot. And you want to start a fire?” She really wanted to take off his jacket. She was nervous about what he would think if he saw her with almost no clothes on. Lucky for her, they were in complete darkness. “I know you said you think it’s going to get cold, but I think you can hold off.”
“Whatever you want. I don't mind the cold, and yes, it’s very hot in here.”
Mostly because of the heat between us.
“Okay, so where are the candles? I maybe should have brought my phone so we had some light. I think that was my plan.” Reddick huffed.
Regina reached in her pocket to grab her phone. She slipped her hand in and felt around—no phone. It must have gone into the other pocket. She switched hands—nothing.
“I put my phone in my—your pocket. I don't know what happened. I swear I put it in the pocket and now it’s not there.”
“Maybe you missed the pocket?” he asked. “Are you sure?”
She considered offering him the opportunity to search the pockets himself, but instead she took the jacket off and shoved it on the counter. She put a hand out in front of her to make sure he was still there. He was less than a foot in front of her.
Dark and Stormy: Sacred Hearts Coven Page 8
