Chapter Two Relish My Light
Relish My Light
Joseph
THE AROMA OF DINNER ENTICES ME from my home office. “Damn, woman, something smells incredible.” I stride into the kitchen, grab her from behind, and bury my nose in her hair, taking a deep whiff. Christ, she smells even better. I latch on to her neck.
She giggles and squirms, pressing her ass into me. “Joseph,” she moans as I tweak a nipple.
I’m hard. Instantly.
I had her three times at the office this afternoon. Three fucking times, and I’m rock hard again like a sex junkie on Viagra.
I groan and slip my hand between her thighs, cradling the gift that has been bestowed on me. The greatest gift I’ve ever received, besides that of her heart. Her moist heat permeates the thin fabric of her barely-there panties. “You’re killing me, baby.”
She squeezes her legs together, locking me in place. “I think you’re the one trying to kill me, Caveman.” Her hand caresses my arm. “You’re the one who insisted I wear your shirt and only my panties after we showered.”
On a sigh, I slowly disengage. “You’re right. I’ll try to behave, but you can’t blame a man for admiring his woman.”
Her sweet smile nearly has me throwing her over my shoulder and heading for the bedroom or couch. Shit. This counter right here would do just fine.
She cocks a hip, swinging her hair off her shoulder as she swivels to face me.
Stunning. Standing there in my shirt, hanging off her shoulder, and bare legs, looking like the siren she is. My siren.
“What’s the deal with your new assistant?”
Visions of Samantha riding me on the couch in my office are derailed by the mention of my heinous ex-assistant.
I swipe a hand across my mouth and down my neck as I think of the best way to approach this topic.
Honesty. That’s what we’ve promised each other.
No more secrets that needle their way between us, filling in any gaps with doubt and darkness.
Honesty lets the light in, keeping the darkness at bay.
“Lydia is no longer my assistant. She’s been reassigned.”
Samantha’s arched brow, smirk, and twinkling eyes have me grinning back at her. “What? Didn’t she start recently?” She grabs the oven mitt, preparing to open the oven.
“Here, let me do that.” I quickly maneuver around her to take over. We’ll never eat if I see her ass peeking out from my dress shirt.
She giggles, knowing full well the effect she has on me.
I fill her in as discreetly as possible as we plate dinner and make our way to the dining room.
She listens intently, not commenting, barely showing any reaction at all.
It’s making me a little nervous. My baby is usually so easy to read, but at the moment, she’s playing it close to her chest. I’m worried this whole thing will upset her—allow old doubts to seep in.
“You…what? Had her replaced”—she snaps her fingers—“just like that?” She smiles, finding this humorous, surprisingly.
“Yeah, pretty much. I asked Michael to take care of it. Fin was in my office when I spoke to him about it. Fin followed up to ensure Lydia was moved to another department, far away from me.”
Chuckling, she takes a bite, shaking her head, looking amused and disbelieving. “Poor girl. She thought she was gonna snag her a VP, and she ends up getting shipped off to Siberia.”
“Marketing is not Siberia.”
She laughs again. “It is if that’s not where you want to be.
” She continues before I can protest. “I’m not questioning your tactics or motives.
I’m thankful a shark like that won’t be around you every day, causing you undue stress and putting ideas in my head.
” She slips onto my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck.
Instinctively, I kiss her warm lips and pull her closer.
“I forget sometimes how powerful you and your brothers are. You say ‘jump’ and your employees ask ‘how high?’ You each wear your power so effortlessly, it’s easy to forget you run a multi-billion-dollar company. ”
Christ. She makes it sound like I leap tall buildings in a single bound.
It’s nowhere that glamorous nor fun, but I’ll take her compliments any day.
I live for her adoration, and right now the light shining in her eyes is nearly my undoing.
I couldn’t stand it if Lydia caused any further problems for Samantha.
I’d endure heaven and hell for this woman. My. Woman.
“I’m glad you’re not upset.” I keep checking her eyes to be sure we’re on the same page.
She pats my chest and returns to her chair. “I’m not that easily undone, Joseph; I can take a little flirting. But she was downright rude, and I worry who else was subjected to her wrath. I’m glad she’s gone, but I do feel a tiny bit bad for her.”
“That’s because you have the heart of a saint.”
She scoffs. “A saint would have forgiven her brother by now and worked harder to make amends with her mother.” She glances out the penthouse windows into the lit-up downtown around us. “I’m no saint.”
Her lightness of heart from a moment ago is gone. Her damn family and the heartache they bring her. I hate to even broach the next topic, but I can’t keep it from her. Honesty—our motto—the string that ties our souls together, forever tethered, forever forged, forever one.
“Matt brought up the Jace thing again. He feels the time is right to bring him on. He believes Jace is ready.”
Her focus returns to me. “What do you think?”
“I think I don’t want to do anything that will bring you a single moment of unhappiness.” Shit, I should have talked to her before I gave Matt my answer.
“Joseph.” She cants a brow. “That’s not realistic, and you know it.
I saw the news report about Solengers. They’re saying their latest product campaign could triple their profit margin by first quarter next year.
That would be an impressive feat for a three-year plan, much less a target that’s not even seven months away.
If Jace had even one percent of impact on those numbers, you’d be silly to pass him up. ”
I pull her out of her chair and into the living room as I command the house computer to play our song. “Dance with me.”
She slides into my embrace, the yin to my yang, fitting me with such precision it’s hard to believe we are not one and the same.
“So, it wouldn’t upset you?”
Her blue eyes meet my green ones with open vulnerability.
“I would never ask you to make a business decision based on my personal preference.” She lifts on her toes, leaning into my ear.
I pull her tighter, supporting her. “Jace has caused both of us pain, and if you can look beyond it, then so can I.” She kisses my cheek and gives me a squeeze before lowering to her normal stance.
“I’m not saying it will be easy seeing him more often, or that we’re best buds again.
But I made a promise to him and myself: that I would stop purposely avoiding him.
He can’t make amends if I never give him the chance.
” She shrugs. “I guess this is life’s way of telling me the time is now. ”
“Are you sure? Nothing’s been confirmed. I told Matt I wouldn’t stop him from hiring Jace, but that I still have my reservations.”
“Are your reservations about his work ethics or his abilities?”
“No.”
She smirks. “I didn’t think so. You’re a VP, Joseph. You have to lead with your head, not your heart.”
“I prefer to believe there’s a place for both. I will never let my head lead me where my heart is not willing to go. I nearly lost you by trying to use only logic. I won’t let that happen again with you or MCI.”
She nods and wipes away a tear. “That’s why you’re the man I love. You’re not just one thing. You’re so many wonderful things wrapped up in this amazing man I’m lucky enough to call mine.”
My heart swells, and as our song starts again, I pull her close. “Enough talking, Sweets.”
Our song and everything else is drowned out by my pounding pulse and her sweet gasps as I consume her mouth and ravish her body.
Mine.
Samantha
I climb into bed after having showered for the third time today. Thank god, I do so love our shower. It’s the only competition Joseph will ever have to worry about.
“What’s that smirk for?” Joseph asks over my shoulder.
My smile grows. “I was thinking how much I love our shower, which is a good thing considering your libido has me using it more and more.”
He snuggles in close. “My libido?” He sounds incredulous as he wraps himself around me from behind. “I do believe your sex drive is as strong as mine.”
I burrow back into him on a sigh. “You bring it out in me, my caveman. I can’t resist your gentle heart and Neanderthal ways.”
“Caveman is one thing. Neanderthal is quite another. I am a well-educated man, with couth and manners, who happens to enjoy his wife’s mind, body, and soul.”
I chuckle at his mock indignation.
He squeezes my breast. “Did I mention rockin’ body?”
“Yes, Caveman, you did.”
His lips grace my shoulder, paying special attention to my scar. The scar is all that remains of the hole made when the bullet that killed my father exited my body. I shudder at the memory.
“Are you sure about this school thing?” He presses into me. “I don’t want to live apart, but I’m willing to do it. I don’t want you to regret giving up that dream.”
I roll to my back and touch his cheek. “Life has a way of putting things in perspective. Things that used to seem so important-—like graduating from the same school my parents did—aren’t really important at all.
If my father were here, he’d tell me to do what makes me happy and not to fear the unknown. ”
Joseph kisses my palm and holds it over his heart. “And what makes you happy, Sweetness?”
Joseph is not a man short on confidence nor conviction, but sometimes—when it comes to me—he needs reassurance.
Not so much in how I feel about him. He knows I love him.
It’s more about him giving me what I need.
Loving me the way I need to be loved. I pull him to me and kiss him soundly before I answer. “You.”