Whispered Secrets (Rose Garden Apartments Book 2)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  “Think you’re in control?” he asked, his hands sliding underneath her jeans, his big hands palming her butt.

  “Yeah,” she whispered, kissing his stomach as her fingers fiddled with the button on his jeans. Slowly, watching his face as her fingers lowered the zipper, making sure that her knuckles brushed against the straining erection, she pushed the denim out of the way. A second later, she was lifted off of him and Maggie opened her mouth to protest. But Oliver merely stood up, shucked off his jeans and boxers, then laid back down on his back, pulling her back into position.

  “Nice,” she laughed softly, then proceeded to kiss her way lower and lower.

  “Maggie, I can’t…”

  “Let me,” she urged, glancing up at him. “Please?”

  He made some sort of sound, but Maggie was too turned on to interpret what he was trying to tell her. So instead, she wrapped her fingers around his erection, her tongue flicking against the tip. Oliver might have said something, or perhaps it was just another sound. Maggie wasn’t sure as she licked and kissed and explored with her tongue, her fingers and her mouth. When she finally wrapped her mouth around his shaft, Oliver hissed as if she’d just burned him. Maggie ignored those sounds and continued to taste and explore and…well, generally see how far she could push him.

  Not very far, it turns out. Oliver’s hands lifted her up, pulling her so that she was once again straddling his waist. His hands gripped her hips, then slid up to cup her breasts. “Payback, Maggie,” he warned her as his thumbs flicked against her nipples.

  A second later, he slid lower. Maggie was so startled by his movement, she looked down. She had barely a brief glance at the mischievous look in his eyes before his hands gripped her hips and his mouth…his mouth! Dear heaven, his mouth latched onto that swollen nub and Maggie almost cried. Losing her balance, she reached out to grip the wall, her hips rolling so that his mouth was hitting the right spot. Vaguely, she felt Oliver’s hands on her hips again, holding her in place, but Maggie was lost to conscious thought as Oliver’s magical mouth did that thing…and his tongue!

  The climax crept up on her this time. It was slow and lazy, Oliver’s tongue darting out at exactly the right pace to bring her higher and higher, but not over the edge. Maggie whimpered, her fingers curling into fist. She wanted to hit him! She wanted to…do something! She wasn’t sure what!

  With a cry of outrage, she tried to move away from him. She was so close! So frustratingly close! But Oliver wasn’t…he wasn’t doing it right! And that just…!

  “Stay here,” Oliver ordered.

  The tone! Oh, the tone! It was so full of command and power and she wanted to hit him and love him and kiss him and…! “Yes!” she whimpered, reaching down to grab a hunk of his hair. “Yes!” she screamed now as he applied his tongue to that nub, his mouth closing over it and sucking until the climax was rushing through her, causing her whole body to shiver and shake and tumble!

  Oliver wanted to roar with satisfaction as he grabbed hold of Maggie, shifting their positions so that he was over her now. He grabbed a condom and, while he rolled the protection down over himself, looked at her smile of amazement. He’d done that to her! He wanted to beat his chest and howl. Instead, he took one of her legs, pulled her knee up over his shoulder, then thrust into her heat. The smile was gone, replaced by a stunned expression. Her eyes widened, but her hips shifted to accommodate him.

  “You’re mine!” he growled, needing to banish that bastard from Maggie’s mind. He never wanted her to think of that prick again. Only him. He wanted to imprint himself on her, both her body and her soul, until she couldn’t think of anything or anyone but him! Because god knew that she was about all he could think about lately! It was only fair that she was in the same state of torment that he was in all the time.

  Thrusting slowly at first, then picking up speed as she lifted her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust until he felt the sharp prickles of her fingernails against his skin. That’s when he knew she was close! So beautifully close! Her eyes had been closed, but when she was this close, her eyes opened and she looked up at him. He understood that look. She wasn’t sure what to do. Maggie, his beautiful Maggie, wasn’t sure how to bring herself over that edge. And it made Oliver want to howl with righteous perfection as he shifted his hips, his finger sliding down over her stomach to tease that too-sensitive nub until….! Damn, she was so beautiful as she thrust against him as another climax hit her, causing those inner muscles to clench around his shaft so tightly, Oliver couldn’t hold back another second. Everything went blank as the pleasure hit him and he poured himself into her body.

  When it was all over, Oliver collapsed against her, pulling her into his arms as he tried to bring enough oxygen into his lungs. Maggie! His Maggie! Damn, she was so perfect!

  Maggie sighed and opened her eyes, staring at the clean, white ceiling. “Wow!” she sighed.

  He laughed and the vibrations tickled her stomach where his mouth rested against the soft curve of her belly. “Is that because of the ceiling that used to be yellow and mysteriously stained? Or was your response due to my superior skills as a lover?”

  Maggie bit her lip and pretended to think about his question for a moment, then giggled when he swatted her playfully on her bottom. “Well, the ceiling is very impressive!”

  With a growl, he scooped her up and carried her off to the bedroom. “You’ll pay for that my dear,” he warned her. Then set her down on the new bathroom vanity and moved over to turn on the shower.

  “Good grief, Oliver!” Maggie breathed, looking around at the sparkling new white tiles and the pristine black and white tile flooring. “How in the world did you get all this done so fast?” she asked.

  He explained while he tested the water temperature. “I told you, I was frustrated watching you wiggle that cute butt around in those jeans. I needed an outlet, something to focus on instead of wondering how to get in your panties.”

  She laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he picked her up again. “Crude, and yet, somehow flattering.”

  “You are beautiful,” he replied, kissing her lips. “You are sexy, smart, and beyond lovely.”

  She giggled. “Better.” She kissed him as he put her down in the shower. “And you are handsome, sexy, and,” she leaned up to press a kiss to his lips, “I love exploring every inch of this magnificent body of yours.”

  Oliver shook his head as he grabbed the soap. “You’re just trying to distract me, woman,” he growled and spun her around so that her back was to his chest so that he could soap her up. “But it won’t work! I have chores for you. I need your help, if you’ll recall.”

  Maggie cracked up. “I wasn’t the one who put me on the counter!” She snatched the soap before he could get too friendly with it and spun around, rubbing the bar of soap over his massive chest and shoulders and biceps and…well, everywhere. “You’re the one who started the distractions.” Although, Maggie was intensely distracted at the moment.

  Chapter 13

  Desiree tapped her pen against her notebook impatiently as she watched Oliver walk out of the conference room. But ‘walk’ was the wrong term. He rushed out of the conference room. He’d been doing that a lot lately and it irritated the hell out of her!

  How was she supposed to corner him to convince him to take her back into that huge, lovely penthouse if she couldn’t even get two words out before he was through the door? Months ago, the first time she’d gotten to him, she’d simply sauntered into his office after hours. He’d been working so hard and she’d convinced him to take a break and grab a drink with her. After that, it had been easy enough to get him to drive her home, since he was such a damn gentleman. Inviting him into her apartment had been the next step, even though it had taken her about a month of drinks and boring chitchat to get him through the door.

  Damn him, what the hell was going on? He didn’t work late anymore, so she couldn’t sneak into his office after hours. These days, he didn’t come i
n early either. She’d even gotten up at the ungodly hour of five o’clock so she could be at her beautiful best when he walked in at seven, which is when he used to get in to work when she’d lived with him.

  But lately, the man had been sauntering in around eight o’clock like a normal person! And that really scared her. Because Oliver wasn’t normal. He was brilliant and handsome and…good grief, did he ever know what to do with that body. And hers, she thought with a smile.

  So, why was he coming in “late” and leaving “early”?

  Desiree stalked out of the conference room, furious with herself for letting this situation get away from her, as well as disgusted that she hadn’t fixed it already. That smug, pain in the ass of an assistant didn’t even let her sneak into his office during the workday. He guarded Oliver’s office like a dragon guards its hoard!

  Taking a deep breath, she put her hands on her hips and looked out the window. Damn, she loved this town. Washington, D.C. was the powerhouse of the country! She loved rubbing elbows with the rich and powerful. The senators and congress members wanted to court Oliver, get him to build something in their states to increase jobs and employment, which would bring in more tax dollars.

  Damn, she missed those lovely parties that Oliver was always invited to. He’d scorned so many of those invitations before she’d met him. But Desiree knew how to whine and wheedle with the best of them. Eventually, she’d convinced Oliver to attend, telling him that it was good for business.

  Good for her business, she thought with a malicious chuckle.

  “Desiree, do you have those reports for the next marketing campaign?” Mark, her boss, asked from the doorway.

  She smiled over her shoulder. “Yep. I have them right here,” she told him and reached for the file folder she’d prepared yesterday. The campaign was great and she was proud of her work, but boy, she really needed a spa day! This working-every-single-day crap was irritating as hell!

  “That’s great!” Mark replied, visibly relieved as he took the file and hurried off.

  As soon as he was gone, Desiree’s smile dropped. She was really starting to hate this job. She wasn’t made for the daily grind. She wanted so much more for herself than working a nine to five job!

  Of course, she didn’t actually work from nine to five. It was more like…well, ten to two. Sometimes less than that. None of her tasks were particularly challenging, so she could get her work done in just a few hours.

  Still, what was she going to do about Oliver? She wanted back into his life and his bed!

  Deciding that it was time to find out, she collected her purse and marched out the door. She didn’t care if Mark saw her leave. She was on a mission to get her man and her credit cards back!

  Chapter 14

  “Get in front of it!” Maggie called out, racing along the white line of the soccer field. “You can do it, Angela!”

  The twelve year old Angela glanced around, controlling the ball exactly how Oliver had taught her, dribbling down the soccer field, pulling away from her opponent when she tried to steal the ball. Total control, Maggie thought, almost bursting with pride.

  “Behind you!” Oliver yelled.

  Maggie didn’t bother to look over her shoulder, she knew he was there. Somehow, she always knew where Oliver was. It was as if her mind and her body was aware of him at all times.

  “You’re open! Go for it!” Maggie urged.

  Wendy raced up alongside Angela, guarding her and blocking the opponent. Angela used Wendy’s protection to sprint forward. She feinted right, and the goalie shifted right as well. Maggie knew exactly what Angela was going to do even as she did it. She moved further to the right, stopped, then kicked the ball to the far left where Mindy had raced up the field. Mindy took the ball and shot it right into the net! The goalie didn’t stand a chance; she was still protecting the right side of the goal. Seconds later, the referee blasted her whistle three times, indicating the end of the game.

  Maggie threw her hands in the air and jumped around, clapping until her hands hurt!

  “We won!” she yelled. Immediately, victorious twelve and thirteen year old girls surrounded Maggie and Oliver. They’d just beaten the best team in the league and had won the season! They’d actually won! The score was three to two and they’d won!

  Oliver high fived each ecstatic player. After a few minutes of celebration, Maggie clapped her hands and pointed towards the center of the field. “Be good sports,” she reminded her team.

  The girls, still grinning from ear to ear, lined up and walked to the center of the field, hand slapping the other team and congratulating them on a good game. Maggie and Oliver followed behind and even went to the other team coaches, telling them what a great team they had. After thanking the referees, the girls returned to the sidelines, still euphoric as they gathered up their bags, stuffed their reusable water bottles back into their packs, and collected the soccer balls. Meanwhile, Oliver had gone to his truck and lugged a huge cooler back towards the team, but out of the way of the next two teams who were getting ready to play.

  “Congratulations, ladies,” he said, putting the cooler down and opening it with a flourish to reveal ice cream bars. He handed out ice cream to each player, as well as their siblings that had come to watch the game. There were even enough left over for all of the parents to have one.

  Maggie stood back from the crowd, beaming at Oliver’s generosity. She had no idea how much money he earned each week, but those ice cream bars had made the girls smile. He was so incredibly thoughtful!

  She turned away, afraid that Oliver might notice her expression if he caught her eye. That’s when she noticed the woman leaning against a navy blue BMW. It wasn’t just the expensive car that was out of place. The woman was beautiful, elegant and…expensive. Her jeans were fitted, and obviously of good quality. She had on a short leather jacket to ward off the autumn chill and she wore sunglasses that must have cost more than Maggie earned in a week.

  It was obvious that the woman was watching her, but Maggie had no idea why or even who she was.

  “A friend of yours?” Molly asked, moving beside Maggie.

  Lilly bounced her new baby as she moved to the other side of Maggie. “She looks angry,” she commented as she patted her son’s bottom, trying to keep him asleep.

  Maggie didn’t look away from the woman until her car disappeared out of the parking lot. “I’ve never seen her in my life,” Maggie reported. “But I’m sure I don’t like her.”

  “I don’t either,” Lilly muttered.

  “She looks out of place,” Molly replied, tilting her head slightly, mirroring Maggie’s thought of just a moment ago. “And I don’t think she likes you at all!”

  “I got that impression,” Maggie said, then shrugged as the woman’s tail lights faded off down the road. “Whatever. Whoever she is, I’ve never met her and I have no idea why she was here.” She turned around and smiled at her friends. “But I’m not letting her ruin this day. These girls have practiced long and hard. This is a great day for them!”

  Lilly and Molly both agreed. “Drako ordered pizzas for everyone. It’s all set up back at the apartments.”

  Maggie turned to her friend, her mouth falling open. “Are you kidding me?” she asked, staring at her friend with stunned excitement.

  “Yep. I mentioned that this was the end of the season and he wanted to do something nice for the girls. So pizza party it is!”

  “Excellent!” she said, then turned and made the announcement that there was a surprise back home.

  The girls laughed and jumped up, more high fives were smacked around and Oliver lifted his hands in the air. “Everyone look around and pick up three pieces of trash!”

  The girls moaned good naturedly, but they followed his order. They collected trash, bickering cheerfully about what constituted a proper piece of trash, and tossing their finds into either the recycling bin or the trashcan. They then set off for Rose Gardens Apartments, talking among themselves, eager
for pizza.

  Oliver held back, lugging the cooler over to his truck. He’d brought all of the equipment, so he’d driven himself and Maggie over instead of walking. “Who were you looking at a moment ago?” he asked, walking beside the three ladies.

  Maggie squinted at the sunshine. “There was a woman. She seemed to be watching the game.”

  Lilly walked alongside them, still absently patting her son’s bottom. “She was watching Maggie, Oliver. Not the game.”

  “She didn’t look very nice,” Molly mentioned.

  “I agree,” Maggie replied. “Have you heard anything from your friends down in Texas? Could that woman have anything to do with Jerry and the land? I haven’t heard from him lately. So, I don’t know what’s going on.”

  “Jerry is a bit preoccupied just now,” Oliver said, shoving the cooler back into his truck. Molly tossed the mesh bag filled with soccer balls in too, then stepped back. “He has a few legal issues to deal with.”

  “Legal issues?” Molly asked, surprised. “Is this…are you in trouble, Maggie?”

  Maggie shook her head. “Not at all. Just…someone from my past came back, trying to intimidate me into doing something I don’t want to do.”

  Lilly’s hackles rose at that news. “Is this something that Drako could help with?” she asked, anger simmering in her blue eyes.

  Maggie patted the newborn’s back and shook her head. “Actually, Oliver made a few calls and, well, I haven’t heard from him since. I thought he’d cause some trouble,” she admitted, then felt Oliver’s hands resting on her shoulders and smiled up at him. “But you did it. You got rid of that jerk.”

  “He was a putz, not a jerk,” Oliver corrected. “Come on ladies. Let’s go get some pizza.”

  By the time they arrived, the party was in full swing, with more pizzas being delivered even as they stepped out of their vehicles. “Looks like Drako went all out,” Molly laughed, nudging Lilly’s shoulder as they entered the courtyard where about sixty people were milling around, laughing and talking while eating pizza, drinking sodas, and there was even ice cold beer in a cooler off to one side, with Drako standing sentry, just in case one of the girls decided to be brave and try to sneak one.