Crescendo

by Kaitlin Maitland

  “Again, sweetheart. Come for me again.” He pushed hard, his hips thrusting powerfully as he anchored her beneath him.

  As if on command, her body climaxed again, and the thrill of orgasm contracted in waves that milked his shaft until she felt the pulsing heat of his release thrum throughout her body.

  His groan reverberated throughout the room and shook her bones. His body went stiff, hips thrusting once, twice, before she felt him relax against her back. He pressed kisses to her shoulder and neck and lowered himself to the floor, taking her with him.

  * * *

  The couch was bare of cushions. They were scattered around the floor to make a nest on the thick area rug. Joshua had unceremoniously shoved the glass coffee table out of the way to make enough room for the two of them to snuggle into a bed of cushions and blankets. Leslie yawned and burrowed closer to his side. “Are we staying here all night?”

  He suppressed the self-satisfied smile that threatened to overtake his face. For a woman who disdained the idea of long-term relationships, she was looking awfully comfortable there beside him. “Do you want to move?”

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  “Don"t think I have the energy.” She wrinkled her nose. “Besides, I"d rather stay here with you than sleep alone.”

  He thought of the last week"s worth of nights he"d forced himself to do just that and felt like the world"s biggest idiot. “I won"t let you sleep alone, sweetheart.”

  She pulled back far enough to look up into his face. “Even with Seth in the bed, it doesn"t feel right.”

  “Because it"s not.”

  “Then why did you keep leaving?”

  Why was it so hard to explain the truth? He"d told her so much more than he"d ever told another person, outside of Seth. Why not explain his stupidity? “I guess I was trying to keep my distance.”

  She seemed to mull that over. “Was this part of the plan to protect Seth from me?”

  He adjusted his legs and braced his shoulders against the loveseat so he could pull her onto his lap. “At some point, we"re all going to have to stop protecting each other and ourselves. It"s counterproductive.”

  There was a brief pause. He wondered if his analytical statement had hurt her feelings. Then a soft smile tilted her lips, and he fought the urge to take her again then and there.

  “Seth makes it seem so easy,” Leslie said.

  “I think Seth fell for you on day one.” He chuckled. “I"m the skeptical one in our partnership.”

  “I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for him to be less than he was. It never did, and that scared me.”

  “So you ran.” He couldn"t fault her logic. Self-protection was a strong motivation.

  She brushed her cheek against his chest. The touch sent chills racing down his spine.

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  “Do that again, and I"ll have to reciprocate.”

  Her smile was impish. “Promise?”

  Pulling the blanket down until her bare breast was exposed, he wet his index finger and lightly traced the sensitive skin where rosy areola met pale flesh. The nipple puckered, and her breath grew ragged.

  He continued to trace a circular pattern, closing it by fractions until he touched her diamond-hard nipple. She jerked against him, her naked backside rubbing against his cock. The contact grated against his swollen sex. Her eager responses made him long for more.

  She grabbed his chin and forced him to focus on her face. “Is that supposed to be punishment?”

  “I"ve got no desire to punish you, sweetheart. Although I might spank you someday, if you ask nicely.”

  She giggled, nuzzling his nipple before taking it in her mouth and suckling until he was almost mindless with the desire to sink into her hot cunt. “You are such a softie. How anyone can possibly think you"re a badass is beyond me.”

  He wondered if she realized how true that was. “Other than Seth, you"re the only one who gets me, Leslie.”

  She stopped teasing him and rested her cheek against his pectoral. “I think I"m okay with that.”

  Moments passed in quiet solitude. Joshua couldn"t remember the last time he"d felt so at ease. Outside, the signal lights topping the spires of surrounding buildings flashed intermittently. The blinking colors created a rhythmic symphony that rose and fell in perfect cadence. His heartbeat fell in sync, and he wondered if the whole world were tuned to the same beat.

  Leslie stirred in his arms, and he shifted her, cuddling her closer to his chest.

  She"d fallen asleep. In the muted light, she looked ethereal. Tangled hair framed her peaceful face. Long eyelashes rested against her pale cheeks, the delicate bone 114

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  structure of her face creating a perfect frame for her full, kissable lips and stubborn chin. He longed to lean down and press his mouth to hers, slipping his tongue past her lips to stoke the fire that he knew burned inside her. Instead, he gently caressed her cheek with a fingertip, letting her rest and closing his eyes to savor the contentment that seeped into his soul.

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  Chapter Thirteen

  “Can I see you for a few minutes in my office, Leslie?”

  Any remainder of Leslie"s happy daze from that morning froze solid at the headmistress"s words. Trying to seem nonchalant, she followed Ms. Warren into her office.

  A young man from her fifth-hour music theory class lounged against the receptionist"s desk. “Hey Ms. Hampstead, I might be late to class. I"ve got an audition.”

  “Congratulations, Tyler, and good luck,” Leslie murmured. She tried to keep calm, but she would have rather headed back to her own classroom. Nowadays, she was a teacher instead of a student, but being summoned to the headmistress"s office still had the same effect.

  The pale yellow walls were papered with posters for concerto competitions and auditions. Several framed photographs sat on the corner of the scarred wood desk, and a pile of empty instrument cases were stacked precariously in the corner.

  Ms. Warren took her place behind her desk and gestured toward a hard plastic chair usually reserved for students. “Have a seat.”

  The terse words didn"t inspire confidence. Something about the woman"s impeccably cut business suits and gray bun always felt intimidating. As if Leslie could ever hope to be that put together.

  Setting her violin case on the floor, she perched on the hard edge of the chair and pressed her knees together. The fruit salad and muffins she"d eaten for breakfast rolled uncomfortably in her belly, and she wondered why she felt as if she were about to be dropped off a cliff.

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  Ms. Warren rested her elbows on the desktop and pressed her long fingers together. “I had an interesting visit yesterday with Professor Williamson.”

  Apprehension sent Leslie spiraling backward in time, to the moment she"d sat in this same chair and begged Ms. Warren for a chance to attend the Boston School for the Arts. The application deadline had passed, and the scholarship money had already been allotted. She"d been uninvited and unexpected, with no money and no letter of recommendation. In spite of all those things, Ms. Warren had set up an impromptu audition and given her a chance. Since then, Leslie had felt as though the headmistress was waiting for her to be worth all the trouble.

  Leslie searched her brain for a safe comment. “I don"t remember him teaching here when I was student.”

  “That"s because he"s never been on staff here in Boston. Professor Williamson has been at Juilliard for nearly thirty years. But, as he repeatedly told me yesterday, he has an excellent memory. And he was very close to your grandfather, Leslie.”

  A sense of inevitability dropped like an axe. “I remember him.”

  “He and some of his colleagues are sponsoring a benefit concert this Friday night. He"s requested that you go to New York to participate.” Ms. Warren hadn"t lost the ability to look right through Leslie with those pale blue eyes. “
And no matter how you feel about it, I must insist that you go.”

  “I"m sorry?”

  Ms. Warren"s lips pressed together to form a shape that resembled a flatlining heart monitor. “Less than a year ago, you were here in my office, convincing your best friend Talia to take a chance and audition with the Jupiter Symphony Orchestra in New York. It galled me that day, and has every day since, that you seem to be determined to hide here as a simple music teacher.”

  Leslie scored her nails against her palms until they burned. Her heart thumped erratically, and she wondered if it wasn"t about to burst and save her all this heartache.

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  “You"ve been hustling us, Leslie Hampstead.” Ms. Warren"s face took on a steely, determined look that had put many a student back on the straight and narrow. “I expected such great things from you after your audition, but you"ve only done just enough to get by. However, I do have ears, young lady. And when you think no one is listening, you do amazing things with that violin of yours.”

  Pressure built behind Leslie"s eyes, and she fought back tears. She knew she was a disappointment. She"d shamed her professors and shamed this woman who"d given her a chance when no one else would. Leslie could hardly imagine what her grandfather would"ve thought of how she"d turned out.

  “I don"t know what you"re afraid of, but you cannot continue to keep your talents locked inside you forever.” Ms. Warren handed her a neat folder, the same kind Talia received just before she had seized the opportunity to play for the Jupiter Symphony in New York.

  Talia"s decision had eventually pushed the love of her life into meeting her on her own terms. She and her husband, Erik, now lived full time in New York. Talia"s tempestuous history was nothing like Leslie"s. Talia had come from nothing, using her talents and her wits to conquer the odds. Leslie had come from everything and had lost it all to her father"s betrayal.

  Inhaling a ragged breath, she stood and gathered La Bella Ragazza’s case beneath her arm.

  “A life spent hiding from yourself isn"t a real life at all. I"ve arranged to have another teacher cover your classes until further notice.” Ms Warren offered a soft smile. “You"ve come so far from the frightened eighteen-year-old who faced me across this desk all those years ago. It"s time to let her go.”

  * * *

  Joshua cursed beneath his breath as his office door swung open to admit Mikayla Stevens with Evie hot on her trail. “I"m terribly sorry, Mr. Breckenridge.” Evie was breathless from her run across the thick carpet in six-inch heels. “She insisted you had a meeting scheduled.”

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  Overton & Breckenridge was a law office, not a bar. Up until this moment, they"d never had to use the building"s security service. Now, Joshua was considering the possibility of hiring bouncers. If they were good-looking enough, Mikayla might even follow them out of her own accord.

  “I told your silly little assistant that I was almost sure I had scheduled a meeting with you and Seth today.” Mikayla"s purr was like nails on a blackboard.

  “Where is Mr. Overton?”

  Joshua crossed his fingers and prayed for a stay of execution. “He"s in New York, actually. He won"t be back for several days. Shall we go ahead and reschedule this for after he returns?”

  Mikayla swung around and shot Evie a look that sent the assistant scurrying for the door. Once it had clicked closed, she turned back to Joshua. “Maybe we can talk some pleasure and leave the business for later.”

  He crossed his arms and tried to look as forbidding as he possibly could. “Ms.

  Stevens, as I told you before, any romantic entanglements between the two of us are a gross conflict of interest violation, as we are both representing clients on opposite sides of a custody case.”

  She sauntered closer, and he shifted to put his desk between them. After their disturbing dinner, he"d stuck her at the top of his mental list titled “Armed and Psycho.”

  “If you want to play cat and mouse, I"m all for it.”

  “Seriously, Ms. Stevens, I don"t know how to make it any clearer that Seth and I are not interested in pursuing any type of relationship with you outside the professional arena.”

  He thought his eyes might pop out of his skull when she climbed onto his desk.

  Files, pens, and other clutter went flying as she crawled over and grabbed him by the tie. Her face was contorted into something she must"ve considered a sexy come-hither look, and he wondered how her expression would change if he took a step back and she hit the floor face-first.

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  A light knock on the door drew their attention. He could not have said who was more horrified when Leslie walked into the office.

  “Joshua?” Leslie"s dark gaze lingered over Mikayla"s suggestive pose before coming to rest on him.

  His mind spun wildly through the last few days, Leslie"s fears about long-term relationships and fidelity, and the sight of her sleeping in his arms. Before he could say anything, he watched her shoulders shake with something that looked suspiciously like suppressed laughter.

  “Am I interrupting something important? Evie wasn"t at her desk, so I just came on back.”

  Mikayla let go of his tie.

  Taking advantage of her distraction, Joshua stepped quickly away. “Not at all.

  Ms. Stevens was just leaving.”

  Mikayla managed to get off the desk without losing her balance. Once on her feet, she adjusted her short skirt and gave Leslie a calculating once-over. “Who"s this?”

  As if drawn by sheer magnetism, Joshua and Leslie moved toward each another until she was tucked beneath his arm, one hand resting on his chest.

  “Seth and I told you that we were in a relationship. This is Leslie.” He wasn"t sure what etiquette called for in this situation, but finishing the introduction seemed like the better idea. “Leslie, this is Mikayla Stevens.”

  Mikayla"s gaze narrowed before settling on Leslie"s face. “Have we met? You"re very familiar to me.”

  Something in Joshua"s midsection lurched. It was very possible that Mikayla could draw lines between Leslie and Niles. If that happened, Mikayla could find a way to make trouble for them all. It was too late to backpedal now. He didn"t know why Leslie would seek him out at work. She wasn"t the type to come knocking without a good reason.

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  “I think I"d have remembered meeting you,” Leslie said in a distinctly chilly voice. “In fact, I don"t recall either Seth or Joshua mentioning you before.”

  Mikayla stiffened. “I work for another law firm here in Boston. We"re colleagues.”

  Joshua bit his lip to keep from laughing as Leslie sent him a smoldering look from beneath her lashes. “That must be the explanation. The three of us rarely bother discussing work when we"re at home.”

  Zing! He could practically see Mikayla"s head rock back from the verbal slap in the face Leslie had delivered like a neat little package.

  “I"ll be in touch, Joshua.” Mikayla turned on her heel and stalked out of the office. The door snicked shut behind her.

  “Do I even want to know?” Leslie asked.

  He wrapped both arms around the beautiful woman who"d just rescued him from the psycho opposing council and sighed. “That"s up to you.”

  She twisted in his embrace until she could link her arms around his waist.

  “Has this happened before?”

  He and Seth had agreed not to tell her about that terrible dinner meeting, but at this point, full disclosure seemed necessary. “Not exactly.”

  She poked him in the belly.

  Joshua wondered if there was any good way to explain that bizarre evening.

  “We had an honest-to-God business meeting with her that night we came and crashed your wedding gig. Before we"d even managed to order our food, she"d totally gone off on how much she wanted to watch me and Seth have sex.”

  Leslie dissolved into giggle
s. Her laughter dispelled some of the apprehension in his gut. “Did either of you bother telling her you weren"t gay?”

  “Multiple times.” He wavered for a moment, wondering if he should explain what had actually started the whole ball rolling. “Actually, Mikayla was the woman I met for drinks that night you moved into our apartment.”

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  She sank into introspection and moved her fingers restlessly against the fabric of his shirt. Her light touch was driving him insane. His nerves prickled with sensations that ricocheted down to his cock and caused it to grow at an alarming rate.

  Quick as a wink, she tweaked his right nipple through his shirt. “No wonder you had trouble sleeping that night. You"re lucky you didn"t have nightmares for weeks.”

  He felt two tons lighter. He"d never considered the madness with Mikayla to be something they"d actively kept from Leslie. Coming clean was like shedding a heavy burden he hadn"t realized he was carrying.

  Sweeping her up into his arms, he deposited her on his desk and leaned down to give her a long, slow kiss. She melted into him, reaching up to lock her arms behind his neck and twine her fingers into the hair at his nape. He slid his tongue inside her mouth and deepened the kiss until she was whimpering with pleasure.

  He pulled away reluctantly and pressed a line of light kisses down her jaw.

  She threw her head back, her hair shimmering in waves down her spine.

  “So why did you come to see me?” He nipped her earlobe. “Not that I can"t find something to do while you"re here.”

  “I have to go to New York.”

  He was momentarily taken aback. Not just by her sudden desire to take a trip but by the obvious apprehension in her dark eyes. He had two choices. One, send her to New York and let her become Seth"s immediate problem. Two, go with her so they could both get a handle on exactly what was going on. Really, it was a no-brainer. “When do you want to leave?”