Chapter 28
NATE
It was late. I was hungry, and Becca had been sitting in front of her laptop for hours.
The past few days have been frustrating.
I really hoped that we were close to getting at least one person to confirm the rumors about Brian on the record.
Anything to make that son of a bitch go away.
We’ve all been making calls and talking to different people.
So far, we haven’t gotten anything to stick.
To make matters worse, somewhere between trying to find dirt on Brian and the stress of everything, Becca and I hadn’t had a lot of real time together.
We’d been so distracted that we hadn’t had a chance to slow down and hang out.
We’d settled on passing moments and brief text messages.
The only time we were really together was when we were lying in bed at night, half asleep.
It wasn’t nearly enough. Not even close.
I missed her.
I knocked on my office door, which was now hers. Well, not really, but it felt that way.
I poked my head inside, leaned against the frame, and crossed my feet at the ankles. She had on a pair of black reading glasses, sitting halfway down her nose, while her fingers flew across the keyboard. Her brows were bunched together, and her lips were pressed tight in concentration.
“I ordered Chinese,” I said, getting her attention.
She looked up from her computer. “Okay. I’ll be done soon.”
“Why don’t you call it a night? I’ll pour you a glass of wine, and we can binge-watch one of those reality dating shows you find entertaining.”
She shook her head. “Eat, yes, but no TV. I have too much to do.”
I shook my head, pushed off the doorframe, and walked over to my desk.
I peered over her shoulder to see what she was so fixated on.
She had ten tabs open on her laptop and sticky notes scattered all over.
I placed my hands on her shoulders, which were tense, and started rubbing my fingers along her tight muscles.
“You haven’t moved or eaten all day. You need a break.”
She dragged a hand down her face. “I ate.”
That was a lie. A banana and a handful of nuts didn’t count.
I reached down, pushed her computer away, and pulled her out of my chair. “You are done working tonight.”
“Nate, what the heck?” She gasped.
“I’m going to load you up on sesame chicken and fried rice, and we are going to watch some ridiculous reality shows together.”
She took her glasses off and set them on the desk. “If you are going to bribe me with Chinese, you better have remembered my fried dumplings.”
“Of course I did.”
She stretched her neck from side to side, looking like she was ready to argue with me, but hesitated. “Maybe I should take a break and rest my brain. I’m trying too hard and finding it hard to focus.”
“Atta, girl.” I smacked her ass and led her out to the living room.
I grabbed all the containers from the kitchen and laid them out on the coffee table.
“So, what did you find?” I handed her a pair of chopsticks, dropped down next to her, and started digging into my chicken and broccoli.
She grabbed a container of rice. “Nothing solid yet, but I have a few colleagues who have agreed to talk to me. So, that’s a start.”
I leaned back into the couch. “I’ll be glad when this is all over. I’m sick of this hanging over our heads.”
She pulled her right leg up. “It feels like we’re drowning in quicksand, which is frustrating because I know there are stories out there.”
I wiped my hands on my napkin. “I met with my attorney today. He thinks I should hold off for a few more days before I approach management. It will give us time to gather whatever we can, so I don’t walk in unprepared.”
She nodded in understanding.
I shifted forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “I’m totally prepared to own up to what I did and face the consequences. But I don’t want to go in there and give him an opportunity to drag your name into this.”
I was doing everything in my power to protect her. That was why we needed to confirm these rumors and take away Brian’s leverage. If this went sideways, it could all blow up in our faces.
She ran a hand through her hair, rougher than necessary. “I talked to Daphene and HR earlier. I didn’t want them blindsided. I need to be prepared.”
“How did that go over?”
“Good.” She smiled. “They said I did everything by the book, and I have their full support.”
I blew out a breath. “Thank God.”
She glanced at me. “They suggested we control how this gets presented before Brian has a chance to twist it around.”
I tilted my head. “Control it how?”
“This isn’t exactly a cheating scandal or some secret affair that compromised my work.
If anyone wants to go back and pull up every article I wrote, then let them.
I did nothing wrong.” She reached for her water, taking a small sip as she continued.
“Ember is already helping me come up with a plan. She is drafting up talking points, focusing on my public reputation, and suggested your team do the same.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Becca thought of everything. “My people are already working on a press release. They want us to draft something ourselves too. Maybe post a few pictures for social media, but everything has to be lined up and timed perfectly.”
“Right. So, our main objective right now is getting something concrete on Brian.”
“Exactly.” I stood up and pointed at the food. “Are you done?”
“Yes, I’m stuffed. Thank you.” She adjusted her ponytail and picked up her phone.
I rolled my eyes and got up to put the food away.
When I walked back into the living room, she was curled up on the couch, her hair pulled back in a messy knot, while she stared at her phone.
I don’t think she knew how beautiful she was or how much I appreciated what she was doing for me.
She could have walked away, but she didn’t. Most people in my world only looked out for themselves, but not Becca. She was willing to risk her career and go to bat for me. I wasn’t sure how I would ever repay her.
I walked across the room and reached out without thinking. I brushed my thumb along her jaw, letting it linger. “Thank you.”
Her brows knitted slightly. “You don’t have to thank me.”
“I do, because nobody has shown up for me like this before.”
Not like this. Not without conditions or expectations.
She shifted closer. “You’ve been carrying all this around by yourself.” Her soft fingers brushed against my arm. The touch was comforting in ways I didn’t know I needed. “Maybe I can help you take the edge off.”
I tilted my head, studying her carefully. There was a spark in her eyes and a little wicked smile on her lips. “Oh, yeah. What do you have in mind?”
Her hands drifted lower, tracing a path down my stomach. My muscles tensed from her touch. “This.”
She slid my pants down my legs, tugging them all the way down until they hit the floor.
Her lips parted as she stared at my cock. One look was all it took for every ounce of worry and frustration to fade into the background.
I pushed her hair back. “You really don’t have to do this. I was trying to be a good guy. Feed you dinner and take care of you.”
“I’m doing it because I want to, and I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“You’re killing me, Becca.” I kept my eyes on her as she sank fully to the floor.
She reached for my erection. My pulse picked up just like it did right before kickoff. Except there were no screaming fans in the background. Just Becca looking like she was about to ruin me or wreck me in the best possible way.
I brought my thumb to her bottom lip and pushed it down. “You’re going to have to open that mouth wider if you want me to fit.”
She peered up at me with a smirk. “I don’t remember you having any complaints last time.”
I huffed out a laugh and instinctively moved my hands to the back of her hair, allowing her to set the pace.
She took me slow and deep, licking around the head and stopping every few seconds to peek at me for my approval. My hand tightened around her scalp while she licked me from base to tip. I was trying to be careful and not choke her. But my God, I don’t recall a blow job ever feeling quite like this.
Her hand moved up and down while her tongue circled around my head. A sweet moan slipped past her lips.
Fuck! That face did something to me. I wanted to fill every inch of her, not just her mouth.
My cock thickened, and my balls grew heavy. The pleasure was so damn perfect, it was almost unbearable.
I moaned, guiding myself between her lips.
“I’m going to come.”
She pulled back and peeked up at me. “Good.” She reached down between us and cupped my balls. My entire body shuttered as my orgasm ripped through me. I wrapped her hair around my fist and continued to thrust against her face until there was nothing left.
Becca swallowed every last drop of hot liquid that spilled into her throat. I leaned back against the cushions, giving myself a minute to catch my breath.
Damn. I needed that.
When I opened my eyes, she was watching me. I cupped her face, bringing her lips to mine in a searing kiss.
I wanted to stay here in this moment. Forget about all the bullshit that we’d been dealing with and hold on to her and never let her go.
This wasn’t just a fling for me, not even close. I tried not to let my mind wander and get too far ahead, but she was turning into someone I couldn’t see myself living without.
I moved my hand to the back of her neck and down to her breast. I squeezed through the fabric of her shirt. I could see the want and the need in her eyes. One look from her was all it took. I was completely done for.
Instead of taking my time, as I had planned, I ripped her shirt open and watched the buttons scatter across the floor.
“You’re impatient tonight?” She moaned against my mouth.
“Only for you.” I kissed her harder and unclasped her bra until her breasts popped free. “Besides, I owe you an orgasm.” I pinched her nipples and moved my mouth down her neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark.
Her fingers went to my hair. “God, Nate. That feels so good.”