Chapter 34
Brody
“Holy hell.” I grit my teeth against the pleasure shooting up my spine. I love her pussy. But the hot wetness of her mouth almost undoes me. I hold onto the counter like I’m drawing strength from it. The way she slurps on my dick tightens the knot of desire behind my balls.
My thighs have turned to stone.
The tension building under my skin is a living, breathing thing threatening to seize up every muscle in my body.
I draw in a deep breath, fight for calm, but when she drags her teeth over the sensitive skin of the head, fire ignites in my blood.
I tighten my hold on her head and pull her back gently.
Enough to stay balanced at the rim of her mouth.
"Breathe through your nose." I wait for her to widen her eyes, acknowledging that she’s heard me. Then I move her forward, enough to slide down her throat.
Spit drools down her chin. Her throat is snug enough that I feel the walls press down on my shaft. My balls harden until it feels like I’m carrying a shit ton of weights between my legs. Fucking fuck. I’m going to come.
I pull back, giving myself a little time to recover, and search her features. She draws in a few breaths, then I ease her forward. Farther down than earlier.
I close my fingers around her throat, feeling myself ensconced. And that’s so damn intimate. Makes me feel so much closer to her. It leaves me reeling. It’s erotic in a way that wrecks me.
It’s not only the heat of it. It’s the closeness. The connection. Deeper than touch. More personal than breath. It’s that overwhelming sense of our souls fusing together which tells me I’m fucked. The realization sinks in. Warning bells clang in my head. But I’m too far gone.
“I’m going to come,” I manage to warn her, when my balls draw up tight. I lock eyes with her—and that’s when I see it. A single tear slips from the corner of her eye. That’s all it takes. I let out a muted cry as I spill my release down her throat.
I don’t stop. I keep coming, long and hard, until it overflows her mouth and spills from her lips. Only then do I pull out. I scoop up the mess with my fingers, sliding it back into her mouth.
She swallows.
Her swollen lips are testimony to how intensely she sucked me off.
A crackling sensation seems to break through my rib cage.
The walls I’ve built for most of my adult life seem to shake.
With my hold around the nape of her neck, I haul her to her feet, lower my chin, and kiss her deeply. I taste my cum in her mouth.
Sweet desire, need, tenderness. A miasma of emotions tightens my throat.
I release her and stare deeply into her eyes. Wanting to tell her how much I love what she did to me. I open my mouth, when she glances at the range and her eyes widen.
"My orzo."
She pulls out of my grasp, races over to the stove and shuts off the flame. Then takes the pan off the hob and sets it on the counter. She pulls off the lid, and her shoulders sag with relief.
"Thank God, it hasn’t burned."
She plates out the food, adds a twist of lime to the orzo, along with the fresh tomato and rocket leaf salad she whipped up first.
Then she walks over to slide the plates onto the counter in front of me.
I put myself to rights and drag her stool back beside me, by which time, she’s added cutlery next to the plates.
She takes her seat, glances at my plate, then at my face. The anxiety on her features tells me she wants to know what I think of the food.
I scoop up some of it and place it on my tongue. The rich crispy taste of the chicken combined with the earthy taste of the orzo and the sweet-sharp taste of the garlic seeps into my tongue.
I lick the food off the tines of my fork and am rewarded by the flare of her eyes.
I allow a small smile to curve my lips, then go back for another mouthful. This time, I also spear a portion of the salad. The burst of sweetness and acidity from the tomatoes cuts through the creamy starchiness of the orzo.
"Mmm, where did you learn to cook like this?" I chew and swallow.
She blinks as if coming out of a trance, then glances down at her plate.
"I moved to this country to study on a scholarship. I didn’t have the money to go out shopping or to the night clubs.
I learned to look up recipes and buy marked down food at the supermarkets.
If you go late enough in the day, they mark down the stuff that’s about to expire.
I found bargains on the good stuff. Then cooked for myself.
It was a great way to unwind after a hard day. It also meant I ate healthy."
I scoop up more of the food, chew and swallow. When I catch her watching again, I smirk.
"Yes, you look sexy when you eat." She tosses her head. "Don’t have to look so pleased about it."
"I love you watching me. Love it more that you get turned on when you do."
She allows herself a small smile then eats a few mouthfuls.
When we’ve both finished what’s on our plates she reaches for her glass of wine and takes a sip. "Did you mean it?"
"You mean, you being the CEO?" Without waiting for her nod of acknowledgment, I add, "I wouldn’t have said it otherwise."
"I’m not saying I’m not up for the job.”
“That’s good.” Damn, her self-confidence turns me on.
She narrows her gaze. "But I have to ask, why me?"
"Why not you?"
"Because I’m your wife?" Her gaze darts to the rings on her left hand.
"Yes.”
She jerks her chin up with something like shock in her eyes. "But that’s—"
"And because you’re the most qualified for the job. And you have shown that you can take over the running of the company."
"Hmm.” Her eyes light up.
She’s pleased with my praise.
"You handled the board meeting without much of a briefing. You put in the hours. Studied the issues involved. And had the mettle to hold your own against senior members who have years of experience over me."
"All of that is true. But I have to ask why you chose me over those who have been with the company far longer than me, and who could do the job."
I set down my fork. "They may be more seasoned, but what they lack is the firepower, the freshness, the ability to look at situations and come up with out-of-the-box thinking, which you can."
She rubs at her forehead. "Not that I care particularly, and of course, it’s not anything I’m not used to, but there are going to be some very upset people if I take that role."
It pisses me off to think of all the misogyny and ill will she’s faced to get this far in her career. And yes, I’ll be giving her a leg up when I make her CEO. But she’ll bring a fresh perspective to the role. One it will benefit from.
She gives me a look. "You’ll be off finalizing funding for startups while I’ll be putting out the day-to-day fires."
"And closing deals, and overseeing expansions like the one in Asia. You enjoy the adrenaline.” I lower my chin. “People who want to be critical will be, no matter what. You’ve shown you have the courage to hold your own. That will take you far."
Her features soften. But the dip between her eyebrows tells me that she’s not completely on board.
I take her hand in mine, wanting to maintain the connection. And missing the feel of her skin, the taste of her mouth, the sweet scent of her body, which is etched into every cell of my body.
"What if I told you that Arthur is supportive of your taking over as CEO?"
She reels back. "You’re kidding, right?"
When she tries to pull her hand from mine, I hold on. Then place my other hand over hers, so her palm is caught between mine.
"It’s true.”
"Oh." Her eyes widen in surprise. "Your grandfather thinks I should be CEO?"
I smile. "News of how well you handled the sharks in the boardroom meeting travelled up to him. He has enough eyes and ears in the organization that stories of your capabilities and astute decision-making reached him almost instantly."
"Oh." Some of the tension goes out of her. "That’s huge praise, coming from him. And frankly, a lot to take in.”
"I understand." I rub my thumb over her knuckles and am rewarded by her shiver.
Damn, I feel triumphant that she’s so responsive to my touch.
"When we spoke before we left on our honeymoon, he told me he’d throw his weight behind my decision.
He’ll make it clear to the entire Davenport Group how much he respects your astuteness and values your judgment.
And if Arthur vouches for you, there’ll be no doubt in anyone’s mind that you're the right choice for the position. "
Her features turn pensive. "Is he doing this because—"
"—because you’re my wife?" I laugh. "Can you see Arthur risking his reputation for anyone else, even if they’re family?"
Her expression lightens. "No. He’s someone who knows himself and who can’t be swayed."
"Exactly." I pull her into my arms and am relieved when she comes willingly. "I wasn’t surprised he supported me in making you CEO. It first crossed my mind when I saw you at the head of the table handling those men like a badass."
She smiles. "Badass, huh?"
"It was a real turn on." I pull her into my lap.
Her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink. Her expression is pleased, then she tosses her head like she’s trying to hide it.
"I was so proud of you then. I’m even more proud of you now. You’re talented, baby. You’re good at what you do. We make a good team. And honestly, I’m bored with the CEO role. I want to focus on what excites me, something I'll lead for not only Davenport Capital, but for the entire group."
"So, your role would expand?"
He nods. "It would be a promotion, of sorts. One I can’t take on, unless you agreed to be CEO. So, you’d be doing me a favor." I rub my nose against hers. "What do you say?"