“Everything’s going to work out,” I assure him.
“You can’t blame a guy for trying, right?”
I laugh and kiss his cheek.
“What the fuck is this?”
I pull away from Alex and scowl at a very angry Reed, who’s currently lurking in my doorway. His hands are fisted at his sides, and he’s glaring daggers at both Alex and me.
“I’m Alex, and I’m just leaving.”
Without an apology, Alex kisses my cheek, walks past Reed, and saunters out of my office.
Reed steps inside and closes the door behind him.
“Who the hell is that?”
“A childhood friend.” I cross my arms over my chest. “And a client.”
“He had his hands on you.”
“He was hugging me. Or, rather, I was hugging him. Because he recently broke up with his girlfriend, and he’s sad.”
“Did he come on to you?”
I tip my head to the side, watching as Reed’s jaw tics. “Half-heartedly. I shut him down. What the hell? Are you jealous, Reed?”
“You bet your ass I’m jealous.”
I laugh and shake my head, then return to my spot behind my desk.
“I don’t find this funny.”
“I think it’s hilarious. If you can walk into this room and think that I was about to get it on with Alex, you’re blind. And if you can’t see what I feel for you every time I look at you, well, then you’re blind and dumb.”
He runs his hand through his hair in agitation.
“I wasn’t expecting you today,” I say.
“I haven’t seen you in days.” He walks to me, but I hold a hand up.
“You don’t get to touch me right now. I’m pissed. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You kissed him.”
“On the cheek.”
“I didn’t like it.” He sighs, and I can see the fatigue on his face. I don’t say no when he crosses to me and lifts me out of the chair, then sits and cradles me. “I haven’t touched you. I missed you.”
“Okay, that’s sweet.” I brush my fingers through his disheveled hair. “I missed you, too. Even if you act like a caveman.”
“Caveman?” He lifts a brow and presses his lips to my ear. “I’m about to fuck you on your desk, Noel. How do you feel about that?”
My nipples immediately pucker. My core tightens.
“Apparently, I feel pretty good about it. But Ali’s on the other side of that door.”
“We’ll be quiet.”
He lifts me again and plants my ass on my desk. He nudges my legs apart, cradles my face, and kisses me. Deeply, as if he’s starving for me.
As if he can’t get enough of me.
One hand drifts down my chest, my thigh, and moves under my skirt. He nudges the edge of my panties aside and easily slips that magical finger into my wetness.
“Jesus, you’re slick,” he whispers.
“Even though you pissed me off, that whole jealous thing kind of turned me on.”
His brown eyes are on fire. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. Honestly, if I was the one to walk in on you with a woman, I would have ripped her hair out.”
He laughs and then slips that wet finger into his own mouth to suck it clean.
Good God, he’s sexy.
He surprises me by pulling me off the desk, turning me away from him, and pushing me again, face-down this time. He gathers my skirt up around my waist, and when my ass is bare, he gives it a light slap.
I moan. I can hear the zipper of his pants give way, and the next thing I know, he’s dragging the tip of his cock up and down over my wet folds.
I want him so badly, I can’t think straight.
“Don’t make any noise,” he warns me before sliding inside me, one amazing inch at a time until he’s seated balls-deep.
He leans down, his front pressed to my back, and kisses my neck. “I’ve been thinking of this, and little else, for days. Do you have any idea how badly I want you? It’s constant, Noel.”
He’s whispering, making as little noise as possible while he moves in small motions, rubbing the root of his dick against my core.
“This, all of this, is mine, do you understand?”
“Hell, yes,” I mutter. “Faster, Reed.”
“You want more?”
I nod, not caring in the least that I’m wrinkling all the papers I’ve worked hard on today. Or that I’m sprawled out, ass up, over my desk, practically begging Reed to fuck the hell out of me.
I wasn’t lying, I did miss him.
Missed this.
He doesn’t disappoint. He moves faster, pushes harder. I have to cover my mouth with my hand to keep from crying out, it feels so damn amazing.
With another slap on my ass, Reed grips my hips tightly and pulses against me, buried deeply as he falls over the edge, taking me with him.
My legs have never shaken like this before.
Good God, Reed’s ruined me for all other men.
He slips out of me, tugs my skirt back down, and when I turn around, he’s smiling down at me like the cat that ate the canary.
“You look awfully pleased with yourself.”
“I’m pleased with both of us.” He kisses me softly. “Did I hurt you?”
“Nope, you can do that pretty much any time.”
There’s a knock on my door, but Ali doesn’t open it.
“Yes?” I call.
“I’m leaving for the night,” she calls back. “See you tomorrow!”
“Thanks, Ali.”
My eyes are still pinned to Reed’s.
“She totally heard us,” I inform him. His lips twitch.
“How do you know?”
“I’ve worked with Ali for five years. I could hear the smile in her voice, and she didn’t open the door. She always opens the door.”
“Well. She’s an adult woman. She’ll recover.”
“I’ll have to add counseling to her benefits package.”
Reed chuckles and kisses my forehead. “Come home with me tonight.”
“I can’t. I want to, trust me, but I just can’t tonight. I’ve been out of my office too much lately, and I have to catch up because I’d like to take weekends off to be with you and Piper.”
He sighs, but he doesn’t give me a guilt trip or try to talk me into it. He just kisses my forehead again and pulls me in for a big, strong hug.
“Okay. I brought my laptop. Do you mind if I work for a bit with you?”
I lean back and frown. “Where’s Piper?”
“One of her classmates asked if she could have a play date tonight. I have a couple hours until I pick her up.”
“In that case, absolutely. You’re welcome to work with me.”
I didn’t even notice that he had a briefcase in his hand when he arrived. I just saw him.
When we settle in to work, Reed looks at me over his laptop. “I apologize for earlier, Noel. For jumping to conclusions when I saw you hug that other guy. It was uncalled for.”
“Thank you for that. You don’t have anything to worry about, Reed. I’m not interested in Alex or anyone else, for that matter.”
We order in dinner and sit in companionable silence as we both work on projects and chew on our Chinese food.
I’ve never been as comfortable with anyone as I am with Reed.
I’ve never loved anyone the way I love him.
Chapter Nine
~Noel~
It’s been a fast week. I can’t believe it’s Friday. I’m exhausted, but if all goes well today, I’ll be all caught up and free to take the weekend off with my two favorite people.
I haven’t seen Reed since Wednesday when he surprised me at the office. And I haven’t seen Piper since Sunday. We’ve been FaceTiming every evening, but it’s not the same.
Reed told me last night that Piper’s been fussier than normal, and when he asked her why, she said she misses me.
Yes, that melted my heart.
; If you’d asked me a month ago if I’d ever consider dating a single dad, I would have said absolutely not. I’m not convinced I want to be a parent, or I wasn’t anyway. And not because I don’t like kids, but because my lifestyle is very…adult. I live in a condo in the city. I work long hours. I barely see my sister and dad. I don’t know how I’d find time for children.
And that’s still a concern for me. But I know that I’m in love with Reed and Piper, and I miss them every day that I don’t see them.
So I’m ready to get through this day and get to Reed’s house this evening.
With a spring in my step, I walk around the corner to Cherry Street Coffee House and stop short when I walk inside and see who’s at the counter.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as I approach.
“Making time,” Reed says with a smile. He passes me my coffee and leans in to kiss my lips. “I wanted to see you this morning.”
“Thank you.” I have butterflies. Not little ones, but huge, gigantic butterflies. He made it into the city early, came to my favorite spot where he knew he’d catch me, and bought my coffee.
Is it any wonder I’m in love with him?
He leads me to our table in the corner, but before I can follow him, Shannon waves to catch my attention and then mouths I REALLY LIKE HIM.
I respond with ME TOO! And follow my man to our seats.
“How are you this morning?” I ask before taking a sip.
“Tired. Ready for the weekend. How are you?”
“The same.” I grin as he reaches over to link his fingers with mine. “But as of this afternoon, I’ll be all caught up and can enjoy the weekend. Do we have plans?”
“I thought it would be fun to take Piper to look at Christmas lights. Not that there are many homes as beautiful as mine, thanks to you, but it might be a good time.”
“I’m game. I love doing that. We used to do it all the time when we were kids.”
“We did, too.”
“Did you know the botanical gardens in Bellevue have a fantastic holiday lights display?”
“I think I heard that,” he says. “Let’s do that, too.”
“Sounds good.”
Reed’s phone rings, and he pulls it out of his jacket to answer. He frowns when he looks at the caller ID.
“Hello? Yes. That’s good news.” His face relaxes but then tightens again as the person keeps talking. “You’re kidding. When? I’ll be there.”
He hangs up, tosses the phone onto the table, and runs his hand down his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“That was Piper’s social worker. The one who brought her to me in the first place. She has news.”
I reach over to take his hand. “What’s the news?”
“It seems Piper’s maternal grandparents have surfaced. And they want to meet her.”
“I’m confused.”
“That makes two of us.” He drinks his coffee. “I was told that Vanessa had no immediate family, but it turns out they were just estranged. So the grandparents want Piper.”
His brown eyes hold mine.
“What if they want to take her away from me?”
“Not gonna happen.”
He licks his lips. The confident man I know is nervous.
“It’s literally not going to happen, Reed.”
“You’re right,” he says, nodding as he forces a smile. “It’s just a formality. I guess we’ll find out Monday, won’t we? I’ll call my attorney as soon as I get to the office.”
“I can take off work today and—”
“No, don’t be ridiculous,” he interrupts. “You’re right, this is nothing. I’ll see you this evening. Just come over after you’re finished at work.”
“Okay. If you need me before then, just call.”
We stand and toss our empty cups into the recycling.
“I’m fine.” He kisses my temple. “Thank you. See you soon.”
He hurries out, and I’m left to frown after him. He says everything’s fine, but it’s not. He shut down, went a little cold on me. I know this new development has him unsettled.
And we both have to get to work.
But I’m worried about him.
I’ll do my best to wrap things up early so I can get over to Reed’s as soon as possible.
* * * *
“Hello?”
I still have the codes to Reed’s house, so I walk inside and frown when I don’t see or hear anyone. It’s just past two in the afternoon. I was a maniac at my desk today.
I think I scared Alison.
The thought of that makes me laugh. Actually, nothing scares Alison.
Okay, maybe the thought of her boss getting it on behind a closed door startled her.
I’m still smiling at the thought when I hear the garage door open. Reed and Piper must just be getting home.
“Noel!” Piper calls as she hurries into the house. She drops her unicorn backpack and runs to me, arms outstretched for a hug. “You’re here!”
“I’m here,” I agree and kneel so I can wrap my arms around her and smooch her cheek. “I get to spend the whole weekend with you. How are you, baby girl?”
“Good. My friend Abby got a new puppy, and she got to bring it to class for us to see. It’s so cute!”
“I bet it is.”
“She’s been begging me for a puppy since I picked her up,” Reed says as I stand and offer him a hug as well. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me, too. I finished up early and came right over.”
“Are we gonna watch movies this weekend?” Piper asks.
“I think we will,” Reed replies. “But after dinner, we’re going to take a drive to see some pretty lights. What do you think about that?”
“I like Christmas lights,” Piper says. “Can I have chicken stwips for dinner?”
“I picked some up,” I confirm, earning a surprised look from Reed. “I grabbed a few groceries on my way. I’m going to cook tonight, if that’s okay.”
“That’s perfect,” he says. He looks tired, and his eyes still look strained. “You’re my hero today.”
“I’m just a hungry girl,” I reply with a laugh and walk out to my car to retrieve the bags of groceries. Reed and Piper follow, and I pass Piper a bag of bread but pretend it’s really heavy. “Be careful with this one. You need lots of muscles to carry it.”
Piper giggles. “It’s not heavy.”
“Maybe you’re just strong.”
Piper helps me unpack the groceries, and I make us a snack of cheese and crackers with a sliced apple and some grapes as I get to work on getting dinner in the oven. We sing songs and dance around the kitchen, having our own little party while I work.
“Can I have the iPad?” Piper asks. This is the usual time of day that the little girl gets to have some screen time, so I set it up for her and then go in search of Reed.
But he’s not in the house.
I look again in his bedroom, his office, but he’s nowhere to be found.
“He would have told me if he was leaving the house,” I murmur as I glance outside and see Reed sitting on a chair, watching the Sound below.
I check on Piper real quick. “Honey, I’m going to step outside for just a minute, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She doesn’t even look up when she says, “Okay.”
I walk outside, pulling my cardigan around me against the cold air. Reed sits, one ankle balanced on the other knee, his fingers steepled under his chin.
He’s clearly deep in thought.
“Penny for your thoughts,” I say as I nudge his leg down so I can climb into his lap.
“I’m just zoning out.”
I kiss his jaw, his neck, and then whisper in his ear, “Bullshit.”
His arms tighten around me. “Work was busy today. I need to hire a nanny. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Okay.” I don’t like that he’s pulled back a bit, but I understand stress, and sometimes you just need someone to liste
n. To hug you and be there with you.
So I don’t push.
“What’s Piper up to?”
“She’s watching the iPad. Dinner’s in the oven. When I went to look for you, I worried when I couldn’t find you.”
“Sorry. I just wanted some fresh air.”
“It’s cold out here.”
“I’m not so cold with you on my lap. You’re a nice blanket.”
I laugh and bury my face in his neck. “I’m happy to help.”
Chapter Ten
~Reed~
“Which lights did you like best?” I ask my daughter. We went to the botanical gardens today, and stayed past dark so we could see all of the pretty light displays. Piper couldn’t get enough of it.
“I liked the frogs.” She yawns and nestles her bunny under her chin. I’m tucking her in for the night. We already read through three holiday books, and I should kiss her and go, but I’m feeling extra clingy when it comes to my daughter this weekend.
It’s been a rough few days.
That phone call on Friday fucked me up, big time.
“The frogs had Santa hats on,” I say, smiling. “Do you want me to turn your tree off tonight?”
“No, I like the lights.” She yawns again. “I can see better when I have to tinkle.”
I make a mental note to add a couple nightlights to her bedroom and bathroom after we take down the Christmas decorations.
“Okay, baby. I love you. You know that, right?”
Her eyes are closed as she nods her head.
God, I love her so much, my heart aches with it.
I kiss her forehead and then walk across the hall to where Noel is packing her overnight bag.
“It’s only Saturday night.”
“I know,” she says and shrugs. “I’m not leaving, I’m just organizing. These are dirty clothes.”
“You can wash them here. Hell, I’ll wash them tomorrow when I do mine and Piper’s laundry.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
I cover her hand with mine, stopping her movements. “Look at me.”
She complies, but her eyes are full of tears.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
“I’ve been asking you the same thing for two days,” she says and wipes a tear away in frustration. “I get that you’re under stress, and I’m guessing your meeting on Monday has messed with your head, but you’ve withdrawn from me, and I don’t know what to do. I’ve been understanding, attentive, all of the things I know to do. But you won’t talk to me, and I feel like you’re pushing me away, and I hate it.”
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