If You Give a CEO a Chance (Aspen Grove #3)

Chapter 24

S eeing Harrison in his element last night, skating across the ice, intensified the draw I felt toward him. Once we were alone in his office, and he dropped to his knees with his face buried between my legs, I was a goner. It was the hottest sexual experience I’ve had thus far, with our weekend together coming in a close second.

What happened was like striking a match in a tinderbox, instantly burning away any pretense that our sexual chemistry didn’t exist. The notion that a thin glass wall was the only thing that separated us from the cleaning crew or anyone else left in the building made last night even hotter. Leave it to Harrison to bring out my inner exhibitionist. Just thinking about it is enough to make my pulse race.

It doesn’t help matters that I haven’t stopped thinking about kissing him again since the night on the rink. And once his mouth was on mine again, I couldn’t resist letting him go further. Images of him gazing at me with those chocolate-brown eyes as he traces my jawline torment me. His scent lingers on his jersey that I wore that night—a reminder of what we shared.

It’s Saturday morning, and I should be preparing breakfast, but Harrison suggested I sleep in today. I’m about to throw the covers over my head and pretend that I don’t have any responsibilities when I hear the sound of a drill whining, followed by a loud clunk.

What is going on?

I scramble out of bed, tug a hoodie over my head, and go to investigate.

When I get to the living room, I’m shocked to find Harrison surrounded by wooden planks, a mess of screws and a manual tossed to the side. Walter kneels beside him, shaking his head.

“Why are there so many pieces?” Harrison grumbles.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Walter points out. “You’ve got the base upside down. Did you read the instructions?”

Harrison frowns at the half-assembled cat tower that looks more like an abstract piece of art. “I don’t need them.”

“Are you hearing this, Cat?” Walter asks, gesturing toward the mess. “He’s putting the climbing post where the perch is supposed to go, unbelievable.”

Cat glares from his spot on the couch, clearly offended by the disruption.

“Does it matter?” Harrison mutters.

Walter arches a brow. “Only if you want Cat to survive his first climb.”

Harrison’s eyes light up with mischief. “Well, in that case—”

“You better end that sentence with ‘we better get it right,’” I interject as I step into the room.

The little demon has wormed his way into my heart, and I can’t help but feel protective of him.

“Good morning, Miss Fallon.” Walter grins.

“Good morning,” I say with a smile. “What are you doing?” I ask Harrison.

“I did some research, and based on what I found, I ordered a climbing tree to give Cat a dedicated scraping post. It was supposed to come assembled, but they mixed up the orders and it arrived like this.” He gestures to the jumbled mess. “Assembling furniture isn’t my forte,” he begrudgingly admits.

“I can tell,” I tease. “Please tell me you didn’t force Walter to come up and help you.”

“He didn’t,” Walter chimes in. “Another delivery came shortly after this one, and when I brought it to the penthouse, I saw Mr. Stafford struggling.” He covers his mouth to stifle a laugh. “I’m training a new doorman who’ll be working the night shift, so I was available to stay and assist, but someone is being stubborn and not following the instructions.”

Harrison sighs, tossing Walter a playful glare before reluctantly sliding the unrecognizable cat tree his way.

“Let’s see you have a go of it,” he challenges.

“Certainly,” Walter says, not hesitating to take over assembling.

“I’m going to the kitchen to whip up some breakfast,” I tell them. “I’ll make something for you to take with you when you’re finished, Walter. We really appreciate your help.”

He nods, keeping his focus on the task at hand. “Always, Miss Fallon.”

I turn away, not wanting Harrison or Walter to be alarmed at the tears in my eyes. It’s hard to hold back the emotion when someone shows me kindness, especially after years of learning to fend for myself. Even something simple like setting up a climbing tree for a mischievous cat I’ve grown to care for, even though he causes more trouble than anything, means a lot to me.

My circle has always been small, and I’m closest to Theo and Lila. But with one living far away and the other being my boss until recently, I’ve had to learn to handle things like assembling furniture on my own.

Getting a glimpse of what it means to have a reliable support system is making me emotional, and the fear that it could all be gone tomorrow has me fleeing to the kitchen to pull myself together.

After preparing breakfast, I’m whipping up a batch of red velvet cookies to thank Walter. He left a few minutes ago, but I plan to bring them down to him later.

I glance down to find Cat rubbing against my legs, meowing.

That’s new.

It’s the first time he’s shown me any affection since he got here, and I’m not going to lie, I’m thrilled. It’s a welcome change from being hissed at or given the cold shoulder.

“Hungry?” I coo. “Must have been exhausting supervising this morning.”

“Seriously?” Harrison says from the doorway. “I put blood, sweat, and tears into building his climbing tree, and he rewards you instead?”

I maneuver around Cat to get a container of homemade salmon delight from the fridge and scoop some into a bowl.

“If you want to be his favorite, you’ll have to learn to make his favorite meals.” I set the food in the corner where Cat prefers to eat. “I’m sure Cat will appreciate his climbing post when he tries it though. It was a nice gesture.”

Harrison follows me over to the counter. “I didn’t do it for him.” Heat rushes my cheeks, as he closes the distance between us. “I did it for you.”

“Why?”

“Cat means a lot to you, so he’s staying. Which means he and I have to find a way to coexist, and part of that is keeping him away from the new couch we’re getting. I’ve instructed Cabrina to send you options on Monday.”

“This is your apartment. You should choose.”

Harrison reaches out to stroke my cheek. “You live here too, so your opinion matters just as much as mine. I want this place to feel like your home.”

I’m caught off guard by his sentiment. “The first month I was here, you were hell-bent on resisting any changes I made to the place.”

It’s a complete shift from how he’s now going out of his way to make me comfortable. I could be bitter about the change, but the truth is his effort hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Have you forgotten that during that time, you transformed my living room into a jungle and buried my bed under a mountain of pillows?”

“Yep, and you wouldn’t have it any other way,” I say playfully.

“You’re right about that,” he remarks with a smile.

I scoop a generous dollop of frosting with a spoon and bring it to my mouth. I close my eyes and slowly swirl my tongue around the sweet cream, a soft groan passing my lips.

“Wow, that’s good,” I note quietly.

I experimented with a new recipe, adding a touch of lemon juice to brighten the flavor without overpowering it. This addition is a keeper.

I open my eyes to find Harrison’s heated gaze on my mouth.

“Want to try some?”

He nods obediently.

I swipe another dab of frosting with my finger and hold it out to him.

Harrison takes hold of my wrist, leaning forward to suck my finger into his mouth, his gaze never leaving mine. Heat rushes through me when I feel the warmth of his mouth, and his affectionate words send a shiver down my spine. Damn, this man has me at his mercy, and it’s hard to find a reason not to give in. Especially when I know he’ll worship me in bed and give me countless orgasms.

Which might explain why I don’t pull away when he gently grips the base of my neck and moves forward to brush his nose against mine. His touch is soft, almost reverent, as if he’s imprinting this moment in his memory.

“This is so damn sweet, but I’ve tasted sweeter,” he murmurs.

A whimper escapes me when he tilts my head to nip at my bottom lip, trailing his tongue along the seam before sealing his mouth to mine. The kiss triggers an inferno within me, and I grip his shoulder with one hand, and my other trails down his chest, landing against his sweats. A guttural groan passes his lips when I move my fingers in a circular motion, tracing the outline of his cock in teasing strokes. My teeth graze my lower lip as I look up at Harrison, my eyes wide.

“I forgot just how big you are,” I say, my tone sultry.

“If you keepsaying things like that, I’m half liable to throw you over my shoulder and remind you whatI can do with it.”

“I’m not so sure, hotshot. You’re constantly working, so you might be a little rusty.”

He flashes me a cheeky smile before bending down, and before I can react, he lifts me over his shoulder, striding toward my bedroom.

“What’s gotten into you?”

“It’s about damn time I make you mine.”