“The party’s tonight?” she asked as she began to gather her belongings. He could all but see her brain working, looking for a polite way to say no. “I’m not sure. I’ve only got one week left and I have a lot of work to finish. I want to make sure everything is up to date when Amber takes over my role. I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it.”
“Oh, come on,” Derek replied with a dismissive hand. “It’s Friday. Blow off work. I have it on good authority your bosses won’t mind.”
She glanced at Scott as she gave a half-hearted laugh, but he was busy using his smart phone to book their final meeting into his calendar. Derek wondered if it would be too obvious if he kicked his partner under the table. A plan was being hatched here. The least the other man could do was pay attention.
“Celebrating the success of the company is important to us and you’ve been a big part of that success this past year. We’d both like you to be there,” he added a little louder. “Wouldn’t we, Scott?”
Scott looked up from his phone with a start. “Yes,” he said in a gruff voice. That steely gaze of his locked with Julia’s for a lingering moment. “Of course we want you.” Derek saw Scott’s jaw clench, watched his throat work as he swallowed hard, right before his gaze returned to the phone in his hand.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Derek turned his own attention back to Julia. She was still staring at Scott. Her brows were drawn into a deep frown, even as she took a shuddery breath through parted lips. Derek reached across the table with one hand to regain her attention, his fingertips brushing against hers. “Please,” he said with a quiet insistence. “Say you’ll come.”
One corner of her mouth lifted in a shy grin that went straight to his gut, and a few other places. She nodded. “All right. I’ll be there.”
“Excellent. We’ll be looking forward to it.” He rose from his chair and walked her to the door with a broad smile. “Scott and I are in desperate need of a night out before we turn into a boring old couple.”
Her wide-eyed gaze snapped up to his, before flicking to the stiff back Scott still presented. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she finally blurted, “See you tonight.” Then she disappeared out the door.
Derek almost laughed out loud a few seconds later as he watched her office door slam closed. Expected though it was, the utter shock on her face had been priceless.
When Julia had begun working for them a year ago, Derek had taken an instant liking to her. She was smart and funny and ridiculously sexy under all those layers of propriety and decorum. Before long they’d started chatting in the lunchroom about a whole range of subjects. They’d enjoyed each other’s company and become friends of a sort. But not once had he ever made reference to himself and Scott as a couple. It was an unspoken rule of his relationship with Scott. They kept their private life and their business life strictly separate. Derek didn’t like it. To him it had always felt like hiding. Scott preferred it that way, though, and Derek did his best to understand his partner’s needs. One day he hoped they could be more open with the people they spent so much time with. Until Scott was on board with the idea, however, they would continue to present themselves to the world at large as business partners, friends, and nothing more.
He’d never made an exception to the rule—until today. He’d done it because that’s exactly what he hoped Julia would become. An exception.
“A word, Derek?” Scott brushed past him on his way out of the conference room and into his own office down the hall.
Derek followed him in before closing the door. He leaned back against it, arms crossed over his chest, and watched Scott pace in front of his desk. That jaw of his was clenched tighter than an iron maiden. His fists balled at his sides. In fact, every inch of his delectable body was coiled with tension. Just as it always was after they’d spent time alone in a room with Julia. Only this time he used it to fuel his anger.
“What the hell are you doing?” Scott demanded.
“She’s leaving. After next week she won’t work for us anymore. It changes everything.” He knew, left to his own devices, Scott would continue to choke on his own lust until Julia disappeared from their lives forever. Derek had no intention of being that selfless. There were only a few days separating her from the end of her contract and he’d decided to take action.
“What are you talking about, Derek?”
“I’m talking about the way you look at her.” Derek waited for it. The stare. Scott didn’t disappoint.
“And how exactly do I look at her?” he asked, eyes sparking.
“Like you want to put a kink in her bun.”
Scott barked out a laugh. “You’ve got some way with words, man. A kink in her bun. I’ll have to remember that one.”
“Deny it all you want.” Derek pushed away from the door and crossed the few metres separating them. “I know you too well.”
Scott shot forward and wrapped one strong hand around the back of Derek’s neck, pulling him into a deep, mind-numbing kiss. Caught off guard, Derek groaned as the blunt edge of Scott’s teeth bit down into his lower lip, just hard enough to hurt, before his tongue ran over the sore spot. By the time Scott drew away, Derek was breathing hard, wanting more.
“You do know me,” Scott growled, his breath hot on Derek’s face. “You know you’re mine.”
Derek allowed a grin to spread across his mouth, his tongue curling up behind his teeth in wicked delight. “And she could be ours.”
Releasing his hold, Scott leaned back on the edge of his desk with a heavy sigh, long legs stretched out in front of him. “Don’t be ridiculous. She looks like a librarian. How do you think she’s going to react if we do this?”
“Do what? Show an interest? She’s a beautiful woman. I’m sure she’s used to having two men hit on her at the same time.”
“Yeah.” Scott snorted in amusement. “But I doubt they’re normally fucking each other as well.”
Derek shrugged. “A valid point, but that only makes us more appealing. We’re double the fun.” Moving closer, he slid one leg between the other man’s knees and curved a hand around the back of his neck before leaning down to murmur in his ear. “You feel it as much as I do. The need for soft skin and curves. Sinking into her hot, wet body.” He leaned closer, until his thigh nudged Scott’s groin. “I know you want her as much as I do.”
Scott didn’t reply, refused to so much as move a muscle, but Derek wasn’t fooled. He could see the way Scott’s hands gripped the edge of the desk beneath him until his knuckles were white. That wasn’t the only response to betray Scott’s desires. He could deny it if he wanted to, but his aroused cock said he was ready for the challenge winning Julia presented.
Satisfied, Derek pulled back to look into his lover’s eyes. “We’ve always known we were meant to have a third. After all these years, I think we may have finally found her. Just give it a chance.”
It was there in Scott’s eyes. Behind the gruff, brooding exterior. The uncertainty and wariness. “Don’t get your hopes up. She obviously likes you, but me?” He shook his head. “I’m not so sure she’ll want the package deal.”
Derek grinned and dropped a quick kiss on Scott’s lips before moving away. “Stop glaring at her,” he suggested in a bright tone as he headed for the door. “That should help.”
Our Little Secret (Finding Forever, Book 1) is available now on Amazon
Also by Rebecca Raine: Lost in Amber (Finding Forever, Book 2)
True love should always come with a convenient expiry date.
Amber O’Hara loves her life as a single woman. She does what she wants, when she wants and never answers to anyone. And when she wants someone to do? As far as Amber is concerned, that’s what friends are for.
After a childhood marred by casual neglect, Lincoln Zane craves a deeper connection—in life and relationships. He’s not about to settle for Amber’s offer of a friendship with benefits, but he will counter with an offer of his own. He’ll give her the freedom from commitment
she desires, but in return he’ll demand she not shy away from the intensity of their passion for the short time they’ll be together. After all, love doesn’t have to last forever to be real.
In Lincoln’s proposal, Amber sees her chance to experience the depth of a ‘real’ relationship, without compromising her future. It’s a temptation too great to resist. But as the bond between them grows, they discover love doesn’t always play by the rules.
Now they’re lost in each other, will they ever find their way back to freedom?
Available Now on Amazon
Also by Rebecca Raine: This Time Forever (Finding Forever, Book 3)
She wants him to want her—desperately—but without the inconvenience of wanting him back.
When Jake Caine walked out on Kelly Rawlins ten years ago, after taking her virginity and her faith in love, she put the whole affair behind her and went on with her life—or so she thought. Now Jake is back and he seems determined to turn Kelly’s carefully ordered life upside down all over again.
Recently single, after being dumped by a man she intended to marry, Kelly begins to see all sorts of interesting possibilities in Jake’s unexpected return. Perhaps he is exactly what she needs to regain her sense of feminine power. She makes the bold decision to seduce him, and she plans to make him beg.
Jake Caine wants a second chance at love. Convinced Kelly is the perfect woman for him, he is thrilled when she reignites their passionate affair, until she makes it clear their relationship ends at the bedroom door. Committed to showing Kelly he wants more from her than sex, he begins to rebuff her advances. But when Kelly responds by launching a no holds barred sensual ambush, will he be able to resist her? Will he break before he can convince her that, this time, he wants to love her forever?
Available Now on Amazon
Also by Rebecca Raine: Splinter
Ignite the magick within, or be hunted in the dark.
Rachel Fallon has inherited the estate of her grandmother, Maddie, and believes she’s finally found a place to call home. That is, until a terrifying experience convinces her Maddie’s death was no accident, but murder. Now, her search for answers will uncover a world brimming with magick, where vampires are real and thirsty for blood.
Nick Hunter has left behind his own splinter of reality to follow Maddie’s killer to this place of disbelievers, where people have not learnt to fear nightfall. Despite his difficulty accessing the magick here, Nick is determined to find the vampire and put an end to his madness.
Rachel’s presence is both a complication and an all too tempting distraction, even with the force of the magick she unknowingly possesses. When she becomes the focus of the vampire’s attention, Nick and Rachel must work together to stop him. But as the flames of desire burn hot between them, the truth about the night Maddie died threatens to destroy them both.
Available Now on Amazon
About the Author
Rebecca is a long-time lover of all things romance. Whether it’s a book, movie, or real-life, she will always have more fun if there’s a love interest thrown into the mix. She lives in Queensland, Australia with her very own hero husband, two adorable children and one big, black dog. Other than reading and writing books, her favourite things include loud music, enjoying a glass of wine on the patio, organising everything in existence, and spending too much time on the Internet.
Acknowledgements
I always have to thank my husband and children first, because they put up with me while I’m writing and that’s not always an easy feat. I love you to the moon and back.
To Georgia Henry, thank you for all you’ve done throughout the writing of this series. I couldn’t have done it without you. Also, a big thank you to Kathleen for proofreading the final manuscript.
Syneca Featherstone, thank you for the amazing cover. It turned out just the way I wanted.
My final thanks will always be for my lovely readers. Thank you for purchasing a copy of this book, and an extra big thank you to those who chose to review. Your support allows me to continue writing and for me, that is the greatest gift I could ever receive.
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