Chapter 7 #2
He was still pissed, but he pulled her close again. Fuck, he liked the feel of her. She fit against him perfectly.
Her hands clutched his shirt, twisting. “Thanks for tackling him.”
“Be quiet.”
She was for a beat. He drew in the scent of her shampoo. Coconuts. Made him think of a tropical island, and Haven in a bikini.
He’d just watched her risk her life for two kids. He tightened his hold.
“Rhys? I…I wanted to say sorry for what I said yesterday. I have no right to judge you and twist things about you to keep myself safe.”
His heart thudded. He pulled back to look at her face. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, instead staring at the buttons on his shirt.
“I, um, well, you know I had a bad ex. That still colors a lot of stuff. I don’t—”
“Shh.” He tipped her chin up. “I know about Becker.”
She grimaced.
“He sounds like an asshole.”
“He is. Grade-A.”
“He played you.”
“He cheated on me. It’s not nice to catch your boyfriend getting a blow job in his office.”
“Shit.” The guy was clearly an idiot to have Haven and cheat.
“Anyway, that spilled over, I took it out on you. So, I’m sorry.” She fiddled with a strand of her hair.
“Okay,” he said.
She managed a tremulous smile. “Great. I’m glad we cleared the air.”
He circled her narrow waist with his hands and lifted her onto the desk. She gasped, and her mouth dropped open.
He pushed closer, and traced his fingers along her cheekbones, the shell of her ear.
“Rhys,” she breathed.
He ran his fingers over her lips. Damn, so soft, and gave him so many ideas.
Then her tongue darted out and brushed his fingers. He felt it all the way to his cock and groaned. “I’ve got to kiss you.”
“ Yes ,” she breathed.
He took her mouth—hot and hard. The taste of her exploded in his mouth.
She wrapped her arms around him, sexy moans coming from her throat. She tried to get her legs around his hips, but her skirt was too tight. She made a frustrated sound.
Rhys reached down, gripped the hem, and jerked it up.
“You like me kissing you on your desk?” he growled.
“Yes.” With more freedom, her legs clamped onto his hips and she undulated against him.
“Got a naughty side, Haven?” He leaned over her and ground his cock against her. She cried out.
She was a hot little thing. All class on the outside, with sexy hidden underneath.
“Um, just with you,” she said.
That confession made his cock throb. He was damn glad to see the fear and shock bleed from her face. Now her features were flushed, her eyes bright with desire.
He cupped her breast and she bit her lip.
“We can’t do this here,” she panted.
“Probably shouldn’t.”
“Easton and Vander will probably be up here soon.”
“Yeah.” God, he could smell her arousal. He slid a hand between her thighs.
She bucked. “ Oh .”
All she had on was a tiny thong, and she was soaked. “This wet for me, baby?”
She made an incoherent sound.
Screw it. Rhys needed a taste of her. He dropped to his knees.
Her eyes widened. “Rhys?”
He nudged her thighs apart, shoved the scrap of cloth aside, and then his mouth was on her. Haven moaned and her thighs clamped on his head.
He slid his hands under her skirt and cupped her ass. He licked her. She tasted like heaven. He explored her pretty pink folds, then sucked on her clit.
Soon, she was riding his face, her hands tugging in his hair. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
He licked her again. “I’m not going to stop, baby. I want you to come.”
Her husky cries were driving him crazy. His cock felt like steel.
“ Rhys !”
He felt her release coming. He gave another hard suck of her clit, and she shattered for him. Her body convulsed and she cried out his name.
Oh, yeah, he planned to hear that again, soon. When he had his cock lodged deep inside her.
He held her as she came down. Her hands released from his hair and she blinked at him.
He pushed to his feet and kissed her. He knew she tasted herself on his lips, but she didn’t hesitate. She kissed him back with hungry need.
Then she yanked her head away. “Rhys, we shouldn’t have done that.”
In her eyes, he saw the walls he’d shattered slowly rebuilding. He cursed Leo Becker to hell and back.
Straightening, he pulled her skirt back into place. He saw her trying to avoid looking at the bulge in his pants.
“We won’t talk about this now.” But later, for sure. “We need to discuss what happened downstairs.”
He watched her pull herself together. “The man was the leader of the thieves who took the Water Lilies .”
Rhys’ pulse leaped. “You’re sure?”
She nodded. “Same eyes. I’ll never forget them. And he has freckles on his hand that I recognized.”
Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
“Why did he attack me?” she asked.
“Maybe he was worried you could ID him.” Rhys slid his hand into his pockets. “Haven, there’s a link to the theft and the mafia.”
Her eyes went huge. “Mafia? Like wise guys and gangsters?”
Rhys fought back a laugh. “Like dangerous organized criminals. These ones are of the Russian variety.”
“Rhys, I don’t know anything about the mafia.”
“I know, baby. Another member of the robbery crew has a Russian mafia tattoo on his neck. The guy who tried to snatch you off the street also has links to a local Russian mafia contact.”
She rubbed her face. “This makes no sense.”
But Rhys knew it would as he kept putting the pieces together. “When you get home, you make sure your door and windows are locked, and your alarm is on. Me, or someone else from Norcross, will take you to and from work from now on.”
“Rhys—”
“At work, you’ll have a security guard with you at all times.”
She bit her lip. “Rhys, are you sure—?”
He held up a hand. “It’s the way it needs to be for now.” He put his hands on either side of her hips on the desk, and leaned forward so their noses brushed. “I will keep you safe, Haven.”
“Why?” she whispered.
“You know why.”
There was a flash of fear in her eyes. “I can’t be with you. I’ve sworn off men, remember?”
They’d see. He didn’t bother arguing with her now, especially when he had the taste of her on his lips.
“We’ll work it all out. Haven, don’t worry.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “It’ll be okay.”