This side of Thea made his head explode. She didn’t hide her attraction or play the role of submissive. She met him touch for touch. And her taking charge was just the hottest damn thing ever.
“Take my pants off.” He wanted his erection free and her hands all over him.
Up on her knees, she sat back, giving him a stunning view of her breasts. Her hands never stop working. She tugged on his belt and gently pulled the zipper down. When her hands slipped under the waistband to his ass, he lifted his hips to help. He wanted to kick the confining pants off but refrained, loving the feel of her slow striptease.
After a squeeze of his ass cheeks, she peeled the jeans off. The boxer briefs stayed on, and he was surprised the heat flushing through him didn’t burn them off.
“Nice.” She cupped his erection, smoothing her hand over him, rubbing.
Control shredded inside him. And when she pressed a kiss against the center of the material, he almost lost it. Through the cotton, directly on skin, it didn’t matter. She touched him and his brain fried.
“Thea, now.” One more second and she’d be on her back.
“Tell me what you want.”
“Inside you.” Her fingernails scraped against his thighs and pleasure shot to his head. Much more of this and his brain would turn to mush.
She hooked her fingers on the band to the boxer briefs and pulled them down, slow and steady, dragging the elastic over his erection and across his balls. The touch sent his head slamming back into the pillows. “Damn, Thea.”
“Tell me what you really want.” She licked her tongue up his length. “Say the words.”
He knew what she wanted, remembered how her body tightened around him when he said it before. “To fuck you.”
“Yes.” Her mouth covered his tip, sucking and licking.
No way was he going to make it another minute in her mouth without spilling. And he wanted to be inside her this first time. After that, he’d take her any way she wanted.
“Let me…” He couldn’t find the right words, so he went with action.
He reached down and guided her up his body, rubbing skin against skin. By the time her mouth fused with his again, he was at a near pant. His movements turned jerky as need thundered through him. Rolling her, he pushed her to her back and loomed over her with his mouth on her neck.
A thought weaseled into his brain. He lifted his head and looked around for his bag. “Condom.”
With a chuckle, she put her hand on his cheek and brought his face back until their gazes met. “I think we’re a bit late for that.”
The baby. Damn, in that moment he focused solely on her. “I didn’t think.”
“That’s fine since I want you concentrating on me.”
No problem there. “I am.”
“Then fuck me.”
It was even sexier when she said it. “One thing I need to do first.”
He didn’t wait for permission or an answer. He shimmied down her body, tasting and kissing as he went. When he reached her legs and those slim black leggings he had to fight the urge to rip them off.
After a brief countdown to grab for his control, he skimmed his fingers up her legs. With shaky hands he found the band and stripped them down, taking her underwear with them. They rolled into a ball and he didn’t bother to straighten them out.
He threw the material against the floor and opened her legs. He dropped between them and inhaled her essence. The scent danced in his head. He closed his eyes thinking about the good parts ahead. No need to wait. His finger slid inside her and his tongue followed.
He licked her, taking turns plunging his finger and tongue inside, until she grabbed for the sheets and balled them into her fists. Her hips lifted off the bed next.
“Linc, please.”
He couldn’t wait one more second. She was wet and ready and begging. He was ten seconds away from losing it like an untested teen.
Before he could crawl up her body, he spied her stomach. Still so flat. He pressed a hand to her and felt the thickening underneath, a hardness he didn’t remember.
In the silence he looked up the length of her naked body and saw her watching him. Their baby. They’d created that.
The knowledge made him even hotter. “This time is going to be fast.” He made the promise as his chest covered hers.
Her slim arms wound around his neck and pulled his face closer to hers. “Yes.”
He reached down, fitting his length to her. With one long push, he filled her. Her eyes closed and his breath hiccupped inside him. The feel of her, bare and tugging against him, had everything inside him tightening to the point of snapping.
He wanted to savor, to make every second last, but his body had other ideas. His hips started moving, drawing into her then out. The beat was steady, slower than he thought he could manage.
Then she dug her nails into his shoulders and the last of his control ripped apart. The pace quickened and her body clenched against his.
Her breathing ticked up, faster and faster, as her head dipped back into the pillow. She kept clamping down on his dick, and he knew she was on the edge. With his finger, he pressed against her. Found that tiny spot and rubbed.
Air whooshed out of her as her body went wild. He wanted to watch her, draw it out, but watching her come touched off his orgasm. His body bucked and his length pressed even deeper inside her. When he finally let go, releasing into her, just him and her without anything blocking their intimate touch, he wondered how the hell he’d waited nine weeks.
Thea didn’t know how her legs carried her. After a night of lovemaking and hours sleeping twisted in Linc’s arms, she made it to the kitchen. A glance out the window told her the snow was coming down hard and steady. She could tell from the old measuring stick in the yard they were already up for five inches.
That was nothing for this part of New York, where the plows worked without stop and people knew how to drive in bad weather. In DC the city would crash to a halt. People would literally abandon their cars on highways. The whole thing made her chuckle.
She looked at the counter and spied the file with her name on the tab. That killed her amusement.
“You okay?” Linc stood at the doorway wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist.
She snuggled tighter into her oversized sweater and asked the question she now thought she knew the answer to. “Did you come here because you found out who really stole the bid?”
“No.”
She wanted the truth but the word still clunked in her head. “So, I’m not off the hook.”
“Not formally.”
“Informally?”
He pushed off the doorframe and joined her in kitchen. Grabbing a water bottle out of the refrigerator, he offered her one. “Despite everything, I don’t believe you did it.”
She took it because she needed something to hold on to. Something to do with her hands. Her fingers immediately went to work on the label, peeling it back and listening to the rip of the paper. “Because we slept together?”
“Because it doesn’t match anything else I know about you and the last two days have proven that.”
She inhaled, forcing her body to stay still. “Why did you really come here?”
“I missed you.”
The words, so simple and clear, spoken without looking away, had a flicker of hope dancing inside her. “That’s it?”
“It’s everything.”
She swallowed a sigh. “Why did you fire me?”
He nodded in the direction of the thick file. “Because of what’s in there.”
Lowering the bottle to the counter, she traced her finger around the edge of the file. “An investigator compiled it.”
“Yes.”
“You thought I did it before you saw the report.”
He started shaking his head before she finished the sentence. “There were two investigations. The first one put you on a list of suspects then presented evidence and a report. The second one I hired. I don
’t want to believe any of the accusations.”
“The second investigation backed up the first.”
“Yes. The first one targeted you without my knowledge. The second was specifically about you and to check on the findings of the first.”
So, the sting wasn’t meant for her. Well, that was at least something. Not much, but something. “What do the reports say?”
He frowned. “You don’t want to read them?”
Last thing in the world she wanted to do was read line after line of lies. He’d believed the contents, if even for a second, so he should spill it. “Tell me.”
He stared at her, quiet and still. When he started to talk, his voice came out as little more than a grumble. After clearing his throat, he tried again. “There was a large deposit into your bank account right after the draft bid report ended up in Tanner’s hands.”
A white-hot rage spilled through her, burning every inch. “You looked at my banking.”
The thought repelled her. It was such a violation, so awful. She couldn’t imagine Linc stepping that far over the line. Being that desperate.
“Everyone in the company was a suspect. We gave the first investigator a lot of leeway and told them to push ahead. Our bonding company insisted and we didn’t fight it. Apparently Nick and I were investigated too.” Linc continued his explanation in a flat voice, one devoid of emotion. “Because of your access to the information, the investigator checked your finances. Yours and Nick’s and a few others.”
She picked up the water bottle and slammed it down again. The only reason she dug her fingers into the counter was to keep from strangling him. “You didn’t ask, Linc. Is that even legal?”
He wiped his hand through his hair and fell back against the fridge. Glass clanked and the whole thing shook, but Linc didn’t seem to notice. “I didn’t know it was happening. That investigator got its direction from the bonding company. But I’m the boss, so I take responsibility.”
That didn’t give her much comfort. Something in her stomach jumped and churned.
“The money came from the insurance proceeds for my parents.” The words ripped out of her. They sounded desperate and awful in her head and even worse out in the open.
“I know.” Pain pulled at the corner of his eyes and mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
She held up a hand, warding off his sympathy. He wanted to hear it, fine. He could hear it all.
“I waited until the last day the check was good to cash it. Debated every day until I heard my father’s voice in my head telling me they had the insurance for a reason and I needed to use it.” She choked out a harsh laugh. “Good thing I have it now since I’m unemployed.”
Linc closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the blue was dull. “I would do anything to take that day back.”
When he took a step toward her, she kept that hand out until he stepped out again. “What else is there?”
His chest fell on a hard exhale. “You had access to the information, as I said. You were one of very few people. We also had you on video.”
Nick had said something like that. She had no idea what either of them was talking about. “Doing what?”
“Coming in after-hours and going into my computer and my personal safe.”
The words smacked into her and it was her turn to close her eyes. Those days replayed in her head and a weight pounded down on her. “Oh my God.”
“That’s the part I can’t make sense of. It was the night before the bid got leaked.”
No no no. She pressed a hand to her forehead. “My timing can’t be that terrible.”
“What does that even mean?”
Here she was blaming him and judging his actions, but this one was on her. She did this. She had to own it. “Linc, you have to believe me. It had nothing to do with work.”
He didn’t balk. “Okay.”
She took a deep breath and admitted her sin in all of this. The one thing she actually did wrong and should pay for. “Gwendolyn.”
His eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“Your girlfriend.”
“What are you talking about?”
Thea hated talking about this. Hated thinking about those days and her desperation.
“She meant something to you. You gave her your private cell number and she wrote you notes.” Thea looked all over the house then forced her gaze back to his. He deserved eye contact as she gave him the truth. “I went into your safe and email because of her.”
“Why did you care about Gwendolyn?” The man looked genuinely confused. “You and I weren’t together yet.”
And here Thea thought she’d been so obvious. She’d watched him, spent time with him. The first chance she got, she slept with him. Did he really not get it? “You can’t be this clueless.”
He threw up his hands. “Looks like I can.”
He was going to make her say it. She had to stand in front of him and bare it all. Forget being naked, this was the ultimate in vulnerability.
She debated giving him the words. She’d barely come to terms with them herself. But there were so many secrets and they’d taken so many wrong turns. And now they had a baby that would bind them together forever.
The least she could do was take the first step. “Because I was in love with you. I was sick with jealousy and thinking I had to quit because the idea of seeing you date her and bring her around the office made me heave.”
“Was?” The blank expression didn’t change but his voice held new life.
That didn’t make any sense. “What?”
A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “You were in love with me?”
“You wouldn’t be standing here if it was past tense.” When he put his hands on her waist she tried to slap them away. “No, don’t touch me.”
He pulled her in until their bodies touched. “I am definitely going to touch you.”
She shook her head. “Linc.”
“Gwendolyn was a stalker.”
Thea froze. Stuck right to the spot. “You said…wait, what?”
“She got my private phone number during a date. I think she took it while off my cell while I was in the bathroom or something because I didn’t give it to her or call her on it. She also got Nick’s number and called him incessantly asking for information about me.”
That little… “Are you kidding?”
“The main reception desk had specific orders to block her calls. That’s why you didn’t get any at work. Gwendolyn called all manic and out of control. I kept the notes in case I needed them for the police.”
Thea shoved at his hold. She wanted to get her phone and track this woman down. “Where is this psycho now?”
“Not near me. Nick talked to her brother. It was all handled quietly.”
Not good enough. Thea wanted to know where this woman was and warn her way from Linc.
She also wanted to shake Linc. One more secret led to one more misunderstanding. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to talk with you about other women.”
“Why?”
He closed both eyes. Just stood there holding her in the quiet. She thought he’d ignore the question until his eyes popped open again.
His hand pressed against her low back. “Because I love you too.”
A spinning started in her stomach and took over her whole body. “Don’t say that unless—”
“Thea, look at me.” He held her chin and traced his thumb over her bottom lip. “Why do you think I decided I didn’t care about the bid or if you stole it?”
“Linc, we need to—”
He kissed her. Long and deep and full of promise. When he lifted his head again, his eyes lit with life and more than a little mischief. “Go back to bed.”
Chapter Fifteen
Thea woke the next morning with the distinct feeling they hadn’t settled anything. She now understood why Linc believed the charges, even for a second. The evidence piled up and looked damning. It could all be exp
lained away and would have been if he’d given her a second. Even with the admissions of love, the part where he’d refused to listen still hurt her.
But she wasn’t giving up. He loved her and she loved him. They had a mess but they also had a family on the way. They needed time together, talking and relaxing, and she decided to give it to them. She’d even enlisted Nick’s help to keep Tim and Becky away all day yesterday, but Becky kept texting. At some point, Thea knew the outside world would intrude and she’d have to face it.
She turned over and threw an arm across Linc’s chest. “We’re trapped.”
He almost jackknifed awake. “What?”
“We have about a foot of snow.”
He slipped his arm from behind his head and wrapped it around her, bringing her in tighter to his side. “Are you kidding?”
The number was close enough and a foot sounded like a lot, enough to keep them stranded while they worked this all out. “Nope.”
“Good thing we have food, heat and a bed right here.” He kissed her forehead. “And with a hot woman at my side, what else do I need?”
Honesty and trust, but she wasn’t about to go into that now. “I think I need something.”
His eyebrow inched up. “Like what?”
Excitement rumbled inside her. She felt the now familiar stirring as her body whipped into a frenzy. “Do you really not know?”
He pushed up on an elbow and hovered over her. “We’ll let’s see what I can figure out.” He folded the sheet and blanket down, exposing her breasts and dipping his head to kiss them.
Her fingers slipped into his hair. “That’s a good start.”
His body moved down, taking the covers with him. By the time he reached her stomach, he’d shoved them past her knees. When he rubbed his cheeks against her belly, the stubble tickled her skin and tears pushed against her eyelids.
“Linc.”
“I love you.” He pressed one last kiss then he traveled lower.
Her shoulders pressed back into the mattress as a warm breath blew across the tops of her thighs. She wanted his mouth and his hands. Being with him made her wanton. For him, just for him. And he didn’t fight it. If anything, he reveled in the way she touched him and tried to keep him in bed.
Baby, It's Cold Outside: Men at Work, Book 1 Page 13
