Chapter 15 #2
She released a soft breath. “You’re welcome, but then you know you sort of saved me too.
I went from being engaged to Brandon and prepared to start a new job to shattered and directionless, all because I came home earlier than expected and found a party going on in my bed.
” Her bitter chuckle practically lowered the temperature.
“I needed a job that didn’t involve me talking to invisible viewers through a camera.
I guess I wanted to prove to myself that I’m not this flash-in-the-pan phenomenon with nothing more to offer.
You’ve given me the chance to try new things and gain steady experience in a professional kitchen rather than jumping from one appearance to another.
So thank you too,” she concluded. I had to admire her simple honesty in the moments before we reached our destination.
It did my heart good, seeing that only the final touches needed to be made to the landscaping as I pulled into what would be the parking lot of Home Again.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, pulling in beside me before I ended the call and stepped out of the car.
That gave me the pleasure of watching her follow suit, looking skeptical but curious by the time she joined me.
Sweeping an arm outward, I announced, “Here we are. The last of the equipment was loaded in today, tested, and deemed ready for use. But I wanted you to give it your stamp of approval.”
Her mouth fell open, her eyes became wide, and then she squealed and bounced on the balls of her feet like a joyful little girl. “Oh my God! Hurry, hurry, I want to see!” The effect her excitement had on my heart was damn painful. It took so little to make her that happy. How could I do it again?
For now, it was enough to watch her almost skip excitedly up to the front door of the building, which I unlocked with a flourish.
“I think you can find the kitchen on your own,” I suggested after turning on the lights to guide her way.
She took her time, though, admiring the work the crew had put in over the last few days since she had last visited here.
While the original Home was conceived as a trip to Nonna’s house, complete with black-and-white family photos on the walls, this was meant to bring to mind a trip to Tuscany.
There was a more earthy feel to the décor, and the artwork on the walls depicted vineyards and rolling hills, the sort of vistas my grandfather had admired when he was a boy before he made the trip to the States.
I was right behind Claudia when she entered the kitchen and immediately stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh, that is so fucking sexy,” she whispered, walking as if in a trance toward the gleaming row of burners which preceded a trio of ovens whose glass doors revealed their pristine interiors.
“Impressed?” I asked, watching her inspect the equipment gently, gingerly, like she was afraid of hurting it.
“Impressed is not the word. Do you understand this is, like, virgin,” she explained, and she was dead serious. “We’ll be the first people to ever use it. What a treat.”
Pure happiness radiated from her face when she turned to me all at once and threw her arms around my waist, squeezing tight. “I love it. I can’t wait to get started.”
I didn’t have time to return her embrace before she pulled her head back, gasping.
“Oh, can I try a couple of recipes here? Oh, please, I won’t ruin anything.
But I would like to get a feel for the equipment before it’s time to welcome guests, you know?
” She was doing her damnedest to legitimize her request, and I couldn’t help but laugh indulgently.
“If it means keeping the guests happy.” The light in her eyes damn near took my breath away.
What else could I do to make that light always burn?
I was willing to find out. I could hardly believe it, but it was true.
Somewhere along the line, her happiness had come to matter a lot to me.
And as I stared down at her, I realized she mattered a lot to me.
“What about keeping the boss happy?” she asked, a smile playing over her lips. “What would make you happy right now?”
Interesting. I noted the change in energy between us, the shift in her tone.
I would have been the world’s biggest jackass if I didn’t go with it.
There was something fresh and new about being with her.
She was unpredictable, which added a layer of excitement and kept me on my toes.
It made moments like this so much more rewarding.
As rewarding as the sight of her sinking to her knees. “What about this?” she asked, gazing up at me while running her hands over my thighs. “Would it make you happy if I unzipped these pants and took out what’s inside? It’s already getting so big.”
It was pressing against my zipper, demanding attention. But it was the look in her eyes—wild, sensual, seductive—that made it necessary to lean against the prep table while she worked my belt and unbuttoned my waistband.
“This will be the first time you do this here too,” she pointed out, flashing a grin and turning her attention to what awaited her.
With my hands gripping the table’s edge, I watched, holding my breath while she lowered the zipper.
The woman held my life in her hands as she dipped one inside my boxer briefs and slowly withdrew my throbbing dick.
There was nothing like getting head from someone who loved giving it, and it was clear as Claudia extended her tongue and ran it from my base to my tip that she was one of those people.
There was no hurrying through it, no forcing herself.
She savored my helpless grunts, licking my length again and again until I was sure it would snap if it got much harder.
“Put it in your mouth,” I had to demand, aching, dripping, and needing the warmth of her around me. There was nothing I wanted more.
“Whatever you say,” she whispered, making me surge again before she guided my head between her waiting lips and made my world explode.
“Fuck…” I sighed, my eyes closing and my knees going weak because she took me deep, not stopping until I hit the back of her throat.
Her low, sensual moan left me groaning helplessly in return, the vibrations adding to the heat of the friction from her tongue.
It was heaven, nothing less, and I wished it would never end even as my balls ached for release.
I opened my eyes and watched her work, watched my glistening shaft disappear before reappearing, her lips moving up and down my length in a steady rhythm. “That’s right,” I whispered, stroking her hair and burying my hands in it to guide her progress. “Nice and slow. Take all of it, Granger.”
Her deep, throaty moans made my head spin and left me fighting to hold on, to savor every second. This beautiful, talented, infuriating woman was on her knees in front of me, so eager and expertly sucking my cock. If I’m dreaming, back the fuck up and let me be.
But it wasn’t a dream. Not even the most vivid dream was this good, filled with her moans, the vibrations they caused, the almost unbearable pleasure that ran through me with every stroke of her tongue. There was only so much I could take before desire obliterated everything else.
“Just like that,” I grunted, letting instinct take over. I thrust into her greedy mouth, her tongue pressed against my underside and swirling around my head until I plunged deep again. Soft, thick silky hair slid between my fingers as I worked my way in and out, fucking her face.
Our eyes met, and the look I found there was all it took.
The familiar tingle began at the base of my spine and quickly spread, making me grip her head tighter, working my hips faster.
“Close… so close…” I whispered, feeding myself to her faster, deeper, realizing in the back of my mind she was fighting to keep up in the final seconds before the thrill of release overtook me and threatened to tear my soul from my body.
“Oh my God!” I filled her mouth, emptying down her throat, sighing in satisfaction when it was finished, and she slowly let me drop from her lips.
“What the hell was that about?” I asked with a breathless chuckle, my head spinning as I leaned against the table for support. “Not that I’m complaining. Send me to the doctor if I ever complain about that.”
“My way of saying thank you,” she told me with a grin, winking as she stood.
“Well, you’ve sort of created a problem,” I explained, zipping my fly with trembling hands. Her face fell until I explained, “Now, I’m going to have to thank you back. And before you know it, we’re just going to be thanking each other back and forth forever.”
Had I used the word forever?
Would she take it the wrong way?
She didn’t seem to notice, too busy eyeing me. “What can we do about that?” she asked before sinking her teeth into her lip. How was that simple gesture so damn captivating?
“I really think we need to go back to my place and think it over,” I decided.
With a sigh, she shrugged. “You’re the boss. Whatever you think is best.”
“Word to the wise.” Taking her hand, I pulled her along with me out of the kitchen. “Be careful saying shit like that because I’ll hold you to it.” Her playful grin left me wondering if she would mind very much if I did.