Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
ETHAN
I jogged up the stairs in Zoe’s office building.
She’d left Coach a message about an update.
I was peeved she hadn’t called me directly, but I could guess why.
It had been a full week since I’d last seen her and kissed her senseless.
Or maybe she kissed me senseless. I didn’t give a damn.
I’d gotten my head screwed on straight and wasn’t wobbling over her anymore.
I figured it was perfect. She’d never had sex, so it’d be ideal for me to take care of that for her.
Tristan was probably right. Work was her thing, so I didn’t need to worry she’d read too much into anything with me.
With my groove firmly back, I blew through the door into the reception area of her office to find her receptionist finishing a call.
Under usual circumstances, I’d think her receptionist was hot.
She had dark hair streaked with bright colors and a body of juicy curves.
Odd thing was, I could only appreciate her in the abstract.
A tiny worry nudged me in the back of my mind.
It was rare for me not to settle in and appreciate the hell out of a woman like her.
The fact I didn’t reminded me I hadn’t looked at any woman that way since Zoe had shown up in the middle of the night to help me out with my annoying legal problem.
I kicked that worry to the curb and waited while the receptionist finished her call.
All I could think about was when I could get myself behind the door to Zoe’s office and kiss her again.
When she did, she looked up at me with a wide smile, her blue eyes bright against her fair skin.
She seemed amused by something, but I was too focused on seeing Zoe to wonder what.
“Hello, Mr. Walsh. I don’t think you’re on Zoe’s schedule. Would you like me to see if she’s available?” she asked.
That told me Zoe was available, otherwise she’d be letting me know Zoe was with a client. “I’d like that. Thank you.”
She tapped something in her keyboard and then glanced to me again. “I don’t think I had a chance to introduce myself. I’m Jana. I’m Zoe’s receptionist and paralegal. If she’s not available, you can let me know if there’s anything I can help with.”
“Oh no. I’ll wait as long as I need to.”
Because I bloody would. I wasn’t leaving without seeing Zoe.
Jana arched a brow and a subtle gleam entered her eyes. “Okay then.”
Her eyes flicked from me to her computer screen. She stood quickly and held a finger up. “Just a minute.”
She stepped from behind the curved desk and around the corner where the door to Zoe’s office was.
As soon as I heard the door open and close, I leaned over the desk and looked at her computer screen.
My guess was she’d messaged Zoe, and I figured Zoe was stalling.
The exchange I read in the screen Jana had conveniently left open promptly put her on my list of favorite people.
Jana: Mr. Sexy is here to see you!
Zoe: I’m busy.
Jana: No you’re not. You have no appointments for two hours. I’m working on the draft order for the SA case. Nothing else is a rush. Get that man in your office and do him. Now!
Zoe: OMG. I’m not ‘doing’ anyone in my office.
Oh, this was too perfect. She’d be doing me in her office. If not today, soon.
Jana: Stop being so uptight. You need to let your hair down in more ways than one.
Zoe: Tell him I’m busy.
Jana: Absolutely not. Even if I did, he’s not leaving. I can tell.
Zoe: Jana, how many times do I have to tell you my virginity isn’t your concern?
Jana: Yes, it is. You’re moody and you need to get it on with someone.
Me. She’d get it on with me. This little exchange only hammered home how ideal it was I happened to be around.
The office door opened and I quickly took a step back.
Jana didn’t need to find me craning my neck to be nosy.
I couldn’t fucking believe I’d just done that.
It was safe to say I’d never even considered snooping to find out anything about a woman.
That’s how much I wanted Zoe. I shied away from pondering what that meant.
All I knew was I wanted Zoe, and I’d have her.
Jana came around the corner and gestured to me. “Zoe had a cancellation. She’ll see you now.”
I don’t know what Jana-my-favorite-person-today said but she’d obviously persuaded Zoe to see me.
I happened to agree with Zoe that shagging her in her office probably wasn’t the best plan.
Once we took care of her pesky virginity, I’d be all over it.
That said, I wasn’t leaving today without another kiss and then some.
The door closed with a click behind me. For a flash, I considered locking the door, but I knew I had two hours, and I knew Jana wouldn’t interrupt. Not after seeing what she just wrote.
I looked over to see Zoe standing by the windows.
Her office looked out over downtown Seattle with Puget Sound visible past the skyline of buildings.
Her back was to me, and I could see the tension in her spine.
She stood straight with her arms crossed.
She wore a fitted black skirt that fell just above her knees and another cropped jacket.
This was a variation on what she’d been wearing every time I’d seen her.
Always professional, always demure, and most definitely appropriate.
I couldn’t wait to shove that skirt up again.
My mind instantly flashed to the way she looked the last time with her generous breasts spilling out of her blouse and her dusky pink nipples taut and damp.
Fuck me. The second I recalled that, blood shot straight to my groin. I gave my head a shake and walked to stand beside her.
“Hello luv. Were you going to ignore me much longer?”
Her cheeks turned pink, and she bit her lip. Oh hell. I needed to be in control if I wanted to play this right. Seeing her white teeth denting her plump bottom lip made me want to forget taking anything slow.
Her breath was audible. It came out in a ragged sigh. I could see her pulse beating wildly in her neck and wanted to dip my head and drag my tongue along the soft skin there.
She turned to face me, her arms still tightly crossed.
What she didn’t realize was doing that only served to push the plump curves of her breasts up.
She was wearing a fitted camisole under her jacket.
Dear God. Did she really think men didn’t notice her?
She walked around dressed like this all the time, and it was a temptation straight from hell because she somehow looked proper and insanely sexy all at once.
“I wasn’t ignoring you. I was enjoying the view,” she said crossly.
“Of me?” I couldn’t keep from teasing because she made it all but impossible.
Her cheeks flushed deeper. Her mouth opened and closed and then she glared at me.
“No, Ethan. I wasn’t enjoying the view of you,” she said tightly, her voice carefully controlled.
I grinned. I bloody loved ruffling her composure. It kept me from feeling crazy about the effect she had on me.
I’d meant to come in here and start with asking her for an update since she had one for Coach.
I also meant to take things slow with her.
I might be a player, and I might like a good shag as much as the next guy, but I was bound and determined to make sure she had the best sex of her life since she was a virgin.
As usual with Zoe, what I meant to do and what I did didn’t line up.
I looked over at her—with her hair pulled back in another tidy knot without a single lock of that wild glorious auburn hair escaping, with her proper clothes, and with her mouth made for sin—and took one step, coming flush against her body.
I startled her, and her arms fell apart when she gasped.
I wasn’t thinking. At all. I slid a palm up her spine and into her hair, promptly flicking the pins out and nearly groaning when her hair came loose.
Long, wild waves of rich auburn fell around her shoulders.
“Ethan, what are you doing?”
Her voice came out raspy. About now, it occurred to me she might shove me away.
But she didn’t. She tensed, but she stayed right there.
I was starting to get the idea she meant to hold her ground when she didn’t back away like this.
I’d seen her in action when she was in her working element—all confidence and no backing down.
I figured it worked to my advantage just now.
I could feel the beat of her heart against my chest and her rapid pants.
I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but I knew this—I would have her. All of her. Maybe not today, but soon.
“This,” was my reply before I fit my mouth over hers.
She tensed against me, but when I swept my tongue in her mouth, she moaned and softened against me.
Kissing her was like a fucking drug. I couldn’t get enough.
Once she let go, she kissed with abandon.
Her tongue tangled with mine while her hands mapped my body.
My cock was rock hard, and I couldn’t get enough of her.
I poured days of frustration into our kiss—hours and hours of replaying what it felt like to kiss her was nothing like actually kissing her.
She flexed and arched against me as I kissed, licked and nipped my way down her neck.
Lust poured through my veins. I shoved her jacket out of the way, sending one button pinging against the window before it bounced to the floor.
I couldn’t say if her camisole was better or worse than her being bared to me.
When I tore my lips from her skin—skin that tasted sweet and tangy at once—and glanced down to see her nipples straining against the silk, I groaned.
I flicked my eyes up to her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her hazel eyes dark with need, and her lips parted as her breath came in these sexy little pants.