Chapter 6
Brennan Diamond
My cock aches. Her soft ass will forever star in my fantasies. I long to tilt my hips and grind my throbbing half-hard dick against her, but the tension emanating from her and the ice chilling my hand stop me.
Having her in my arms is enough. For now.
At the wedding, I thought the worst of her, but all it took was a few minutes with her to reveal the truth.
The way she flinches is too telling. Someone hurt her. A man.
I won’t hurt her. I can’t. I need her.
I don’t regret cutting ties with my father when I was nineteen—it was the only way to keep her safe—but I took too long to find her.
By the time I was strong enough to support and protect her, my father had already divorced her mother and hidden them both away.
With his political power growing and his influence still greater than mine, he thwarted my every attempt to find them.
So I became more. And more. And still, I couldn’t find her.
Yet here she is, sitting on my lap in the corner office of my freshly bought million-dollar company.
She was hiding right under my nose. I even turned down buying this company before I knew she worked here.
Now she’s mine. There’s no escape for her.
I adjust the ice pack and smooth a strand of red hair off her temple. She swats my hand away.
“Fine, then. Let’s negotiate,” she says.
I resist the urge to hide my smirk against her nape and instead trail the back of my fingers down her arm. I know I should stop touching her, but she’s too perfect. I’ve missed her too much.
She crosses her arms over her chest and glares at me over her shoulder. I chuckle and pull her tighter to me using my hand holding the ice pack.
“Go ahead, love. What part of your contract are we changing?”
“It’s not the contract that needs work. It’s you. This. Us,” she says with aggravated gestures of her hand between her shoulder and mine.
I lean closer and whisper near her temple.
“Mmmm, I like that. Us. Say it again.”
She nudges me with her elbow and shakes her head.
“No. This is precisely what I mean. We can’t do this here. Or anywhere. Not while the company is in chaos. Not while my job is on the line.”
I lean back against the couch, tugging her with me, and skim a fingertip along her collar.
“I already told you, Audrey; you don’t have to worry about losing your job. We’re negotiating upgrades not—”
She grabs my hand and digs her nails into my fist. The fire in her emerald orbs as she cranes her neck to look me in the eyes scorches me all the way to the black depths of my soul.
“I got here with my own blood, sweat, and tears. I worked my ass off for this position. I don’t need your charity. I’m not some damsel in distress and you’re definitely not a knight in shining armor.”
I sigh and rest my chin on the top of her head.
“Only because you won’t let me be.”
“Excuse me? Do you really want to start playing the blame game? I thought billionaires were smart enough to avoid things they have no chance of winning.”
“You’re right, lil stepsis. I shouldn’t have made it sound like I think you’re at fault,” I concede.
“Don’t call me that. You’re not listening at all, are you?”
“You haven’t said anything worth hearing.”
Her deep breath shifts her on my lap. I bite back a groan as her ass presses harder against my trapped cock.
“Fine, I’ll say it now in terms even blockheads like you can understand,” she grumbles.
She twists her torso, pushing her knees against the couch and digging her hip into my stomach to face me more fully. Her breast brushes against my arm and scrambles my brain until she sinks her nails deeper into my hand.
“Until I sign my new employment contract, our relationship will remain purely professional. No lap sitting. No nicknames. No touching. Nothing beyond a boss and employee relationship,” she demands.
I quirk a brow, shift my grip on the ice, and rub my thumb over her side, highlighting how easily I can thwart her attempts to evade me.
“Why should I deny myself when you’re right here? What do I get from this?” I ask.
“If you can prove you’re trustworthy, I’ll consider accepting you back into my life as my brother. Maybe even my friend,” she says.
“That’s not enough, Audrey. I don’t want to be just your friend, and I’ve never been your brother by blood,” I counter.
“And I told you I don’t want—”
I brush my thumb along the bottom swell of her breast and enjoy her sharp inhale and flushed, freckled cheeks.
“We’re negotiating, baby doll. Give and take. If I’m going to keep my hands off you, I need some incentive,” I murmur.
“Fine. If you can prove yourself over the next three months, I’ll consider dating you,” she concedes.
I note her choice of words and bite back a smile. She believes she can remain unaffected by me. She thinks a few rote dates and her rejection will deter me.
They won’t. I’ll win her trust, heart, and soul, no matter what it takes.
Even if it means using dirty, underhanded tactics.
I clear my throat and don the mask I use while facing old White men in the boardroom despite the tasty morsel perched on my lap.
“I have my own terms to add,” I say.
She swallows, releases my fist, and pushes my thumb off her breast before lifting a haughty brow in demand. I fight the urge to devour her mouth but can’t resist cupping the side of her face.
“Your safety comes first. Our agreement will continue even if I take ‘unprofessional’ actions to protect your wellbeing,” I say.
She quirks a brow and glances down at the ice pack.
“Not if you overreact like this,” she says.
“No, not like this,” I agree. “But if I find you bent over a conference table—”
She covers my mouth with her palm. My cheek throbs as she grazes my bruised flesh. The reminder of her slap centers us both.
“Stop! Just stop. Okay, fine, whatever,” she concedes.
Silly little baby doll agrees too easily.
She doesn’t realize just how much leeway she gave me.
I smile and nuzzle her palm. She stiffens and tries to pull away, but I cover her hand with mine and slide them to frame the side of my face.
As I lean into her palm, I tighten my arm around her waist and dip my head closer to hers.
“Kiss me,” I murmur.
She swallows and tries to lean away, but I hold her in my lap.
“No. This isn’t—”
“Incentive, Audrey. Give me a taste to last me the next three months, unless you’d rather I continue touching you every time we’re alone?”
Her huff ghosts over my lips.
“You’re a monster,” she growls.
“I am. I’m your monster, baby doll. Now kiss me and seal the deal. Or don’t. Either way, I win,” I murmur in anticipation.
She grinds her teeth and glares straight into my eyes for several heartbeats before dropping her gaze to my lips.
It takes every ounce of my control to not pull her the last few inches toward me.
I wait for what feels like a century as she captures her bottom lip between her teeth and studies my mouth.
When she closes her eyes and leans forward, my pulse leaps in both my throat and my cock. My senses sharpen. Her light, lemony scent invades my nostrils. The soft, delicate length of her digits trapped between my hand and my face tease my hair. Goosebumps pepper my nape. My lips tingle.
She presses her closed mouth to mine, hesitates, then tilts her head and flicks the tip of her tongue along my bottom lip.
When she leans back, I abandon the ice pack and wrap my chilled hand around her throat. She jerks and squeaks, but my grip prevents her from going too far.
“A real kiss, baby doll. Hot and deep and raw enough to last me three fucking miserable months,” I growl against her cheek.
“You’re asking too much. I… I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t? Don’t stiff me, baby doll. I’m hard enough already.”
“I can’t. I’ve never…”
Every cell in my body roars to life. My thoughts splinter. All the oxygen leaves the room. I pull back just far enough to study her shimmering eyes and trembling lips. The urge to plunder and conquer pounds through me.
“You’ve never made out before? Your past lovers were lousy, selfish men, doll, but don’t worry. I’ll make up for all their shortcomings,” I vow.
She pushes against my face and digs her nails into my hairline.
“Wait, I… you promise you’ll stop? Only one kiss.”
Her bravery astounds me. Despite the fear in her eyes, the tension in her coiled muscles, and her declaration of never wanting a man ever again, she studies my face and demands I swear my intent with words.
If I don’t stop, she’ll have the proof she needs to never trust me again.
The realization helps me put my raging boner in perspective. My current discomfort is inconsequential. Her trust is most important.
“I promise, Audrey. Just kissing,” I vow.
“That’s not—”
I close the distance between our mouths and sweep my tongue over the seam of her lips. Her gasp parts her teeth, but I tease her soft, plump lower lip, denying myself the sweet recesses of her mouth, and slip her hand into my hair as I splay my fingers around her throat, forcing her chin higher.
I lick the corner of her mouth and brush my lips side to side over hers.
Her low whimper swirls in my aching balls.
I nip her sensitive flesh.
She closes her fist in my hair and flicks her tongue between my teeth. I groan and flex my fingers around her throat as she explores my mouth with tentative licks. When I return her attention with teasing pressure, she shudders and wiggles closer.
I nearly disgrace myself as she tugs my hair and grows bolder, sweeping her tongue along the roof of my mouth and tracing the back of my teeth. She swallows. Her throat shifts in my grip.
I pull away with a snarl.
“Get up, baby doll, before I break my word,” I growl.
She launches herself off my lap, fixes her suit, grabs the ice pack, and rushes out into the hall.
I let her retreat solely because any amount of friction—even just from walking—will tip me over the edge. After dropping my head back on the couch and taking a few calming breaths, I rise, adjust myself, and settle into my office chair.