Chapter Four
Mia
I haven’t forgotten that kiss. Not for a second, and at the reminder, heat washes over me, tightening my skin. Austin’s nearness doesn’t help.
He reaches out and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, a gentle gesture that affects me like a sensual caress.
“I’m waiting for an answer.”
I run my tongue over my bottom lip. “No, I can’t get it out of my head, either,” I admit.
“I thought so.” He lifts my chin with his hand. “What are we going to do about this mutual wanting?”
“Nothing smart,” I murmur.
He grazes my lip with the pad of his thumb, causing me to lean into him on a soft moan.
I know better than to give in. I spent the train ride home convincing myself to maintain the status quo, to steer clear.
But how am I supposed to resist a man who worries about my welfare, who waits up for me to return, who looks at me as if he wants to consume me?
“To hell with smart when it feels so good,” he says.
I agree. For the moment, I am finished fighting with myself, the devil on my shoulder winning. I’ll deal with the repercussions later, and slide my tongue out to lick his finger, where it lingers on my mouth.
His gorgeous brown eyes darken, and need pulses through my veins, my sex damp with desire.
“Now let me taste that sweet mouth.” He slips a hand around the back of my neck and pulls me in. This time, he doesn’t wait for my acquiescence. He dips his head and covers my mouth with his.
The kiss is hot, his mouth branding me with the intensity of his need. He pulls me against him, and I melt into his hard body. My breasts crush against his hard chest and my heart beats a mile a minute as he devours my mouth, his tongue taking possession of mine.
He backs me up to the nearest wall, his lips never leaving mine. He grasps my waist, gliding his hand up my shirt, beneath the jacket, until he encounters my silk bra that he releases in the front with a flick of his hand.
He tilts his head back, meeting my gaze, his irises dark with desire. “Take off the jacket,” he says in a gruff voice. He backs up so I can do as he asks, and I lean forward, shrugging off the leather and letting it fall to the floor.
He lifts my shirt up and over my head.
“Bra next.”
I swallow hard, and, emboldened by his need, I shrug my shoulders, shimmying the opened garment down my arms so it falls on the floor. The cool air and his heated stare cause my nipples to pucker tightly.
“I wondered what these pretty tits looked like.” He cups my breasts in his hand, rubbing his thumbs over my distended nipples, the sensation causing a clenching of my core, an emptiness that needs to be filled.
I lift my hands, intending to pull his shirt up so I can feel his skin. Turnabout is fair play, after all, but he shakes his head.
“Don’t. Not yet. Let me fulfill at least one of my personal fantasies first. I want to know what they taste like, too.”
Before I can process his words, he dips his head and covers one breast with his hot mouth, licking my flesh and teasing my nipples, grazing them, before he shocks me, sinking his teeth into my tender flesh.
I gasp at the bite of erotic pain that he quickly soothes with gentle laps of his tongue. Pleasure swamps me, my legs trembling, my sex damp. I grasp my head, holding him tight as he continues to focus on my breasts, moving to the other side, giving my left breast the same sensual treatment.
By the time he is finished, my hips are shifting back and forth of their own accord, my body seeking fulfillment. He slides one strong thigh between my legs, and soon I am writhing against him, waves of pleasure accosting my body. My sex throbs with desire, and I whimper aloud.
“I’ve got you,” he says, wrapping an arm around my waist as his free hand unbuttons my jeans and slides down my panties, his strong fingers gliding over my clit.
I moan at the first touch of my most sensitive spot, falling back against his arm and the wall behind me.
“Let me make you feel good. Let me make you come.”
I’m not about to argue. Not when his fingers dance over my slick folds and his seductive words have me trembling, shaking, and on the verge of an explosive orgasm.
He picks up speed, his fingertip rubbing circles over my clit.
He strokes me in just the right spot, in the most perfect way, and stars sparkle behind my eyes, warmth and pleasure sizzling along my nerve endings, the ultimate peak within reach.
A tweak, a pinch, and I am calling his name, coming hard on and around his fingers.
The waves ripple around me, and I ride out the storm, pleasure consuming me.
He doesn’t let up, caressing me through my climax and as I come down from the high, and only when I am too sensitive to take his touch anymore does he slide his fingers out of my pants.
At the sudden loss, I force my eyelids open and look into his lust-filled gaze.
“Austin,” I whisper, my voice hoarse, in awe of what I just experienced at his hands.
“I like hearing my name on your lips when you come.” A satisfied smile tugs at his lips.
“I like when you make me come.” The admission causes me to blush.
Not breaking eye contact, he raises his fingers to his mouth and licks the taste of me off his fingers, causing a tug of renewed desire to flicker to life inside me.
But my brain is just beginning to function again, and though I can’t say I regret what just happened, I am pretty sure it wasn’t my smartest move.
All the reasons I laid out to Amber return, running through my brain on a never-ending loop.
He is my boss, I love my job, and ultimately we want very different things out of life and relationships.
I let out an unwitting sigh, wishing I could take it back the second the sound escapes my lips.
He meets my gaze, eyeing me warily. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say, and despite my reservations, I reach for the waistband of his pants, wanting to give him the same pleasure he bestowed on me.
He grabs my wrist, gently pulling away, my hand grazing his hard erection, which strains against the taut fabric.
“Fuck,” he mutters, his voice sounding like rough gravel, his need obvious.
“Why are you stopping me?” I ask.
“Because it’s clear I lost you.”
I nod because I can’t deny the truth. “All the reasons this is a bad idea are shooting through my brain.” I reach down and close my jeans, feeling totally awkward, especially since I just came and he… didn’t.
“I get it,” he says in an understanding tone. “I came on pretty strong when you walked in the door, and I didn’t give you time to think.”
I sink my teeth into my lower lip and shake my head. “I can make my own decisions, and I own what happened between us. It wasn’t you pushing me into anything. I just think since I work for you, we shouldn’t get involved.” I settle on the easiest explanation even though it hurts me to say it.
No reason for him to be privy to the fact that the future I envision for myself—a family and a man who loves me—are the things that will fill the emptiness I grew up with inside me.
I always sugarcoat my time in foster care because I had it better than most, but deep inside me, I yearn for more.
I don’t do casual relationships well, and Austin is the whole package.
He could break my heart.
“I should go.” I pick up my shirt, put it on, then turn and head for my room, feeling his hot gaze on my back as I walk away.
* * *
Austin
I watch Mia leave before shutting the lights and heading upstairs to my room.
Alone.
I have to admit this wasn’t the outcome I envisioned when I had my hand down her pants, my fingers spreading her slick need over her clit as I made her come.
Her sigh was my first clue something was wrong, and though she was willing to give me my turn, I didn’t want her that way.
I want her breathless and eager, no hesitation between us.
Besides, I have the feeling she isn’t giving me the full reason for her reservations.
Yes, she is my employee. Yes, it could be awkward and bothers me, too, but I’ve come to realize we have no one to answer to but ourselves, and she wants me as much as I desire her.
Something more is at play behind those expressive eyes of hers.
But unless I want something more than easy sex, I have no right to ask.
So instead of her sexy lips wrapped around my dick or taking her upstairs to my bedroom, I am suffering from a painful case of blue balls I am going to have to deal with in the shower.
And as I wrap my soap-slickened hand around my cock, water streaming over me, it is Mia’s mouth sucking me dry that takes me over the edge and to completion.
I wake up the next morning and drive to pick up Bailey, bringing her home and going about my business as if the night didn’t occur.
* * *
Austin
I drive into work, pulling into the parking lot, early for the normal weekly meeting.
A week passed since that night I felt Mia’s slick sex beneath my fingers and brought her to climax, my name on her lips, and I find the trip to the office a welcome reprieve from being alone in the house with Mia and pretending I don’t desire her with every breath I take.
I pause in the kitchen area and pour myself a cup of coffee when Jared Wilson joins me, leaning against the doorframe.
“Hey, man. How’s it going?” Jared asks.
“Good. Keeping busy.” I take a sip of the coffee, made in the Keurig machine that Dan splurged on for the team. “What about you?” I ask my friend.
“Same. Busy.” He shrugs. “We miss you around the office, though I don’t blame you for wanting more time at home with your daughter.”
“It was the right choice.”
“You don’t miss the field work?” Jared asks.
I shake my head. “Surprisingly, no.” My new work-from-home situation suits me fine.
“Austin?” Lara, the longtime receptionist at Alpha Security, looks past Jared, who moves aside to let her into the room. “You have a visitor,” she says.
I narrow my gaze. “I’m not expecting anyone. Who is it? An old client?”