Chapter Twenty-One
He awoke to find Savannah, perched on an elbow, smiling at him.
“Have you been awake long?” he asked.
“Long enough to figure things out.”
“And what’s that?”
“I didn’t change my mind about wanting to kiss you.”
He hadn’t changed his mind either—not about wanting her or all the reasons why it would be a bad idea.
A kiss wouldn’t end with a kiss, and they would no longer be just boss and employee.
But then again, hadn’t those roles been a pretense anyway?
Their attraction had simmered from the start, and the truth was, he could no longer hide his affection or his desire.
Seeing her injured had shattered his illusion she was just his employee, nothing more.
She turned her head and pressed a kiss to his palm.
“That’s not what I had in mind.”
“No?” Her eyes smiled.
“No.” He tugged her close and kissed her for real. Memory of the first electrifying kiss washed over him, but this was so much better. Not stolen. Not illicit, just driven by pure, mutual desire.
Their tongues glided in a sensual dance, and her sweet breath whispered over his face, further stirring his arousal.
She caressed his head. “Your markings are beautiful.” She drew her finger over the design, tracing the pattern. “It pulses. I noticed at the convention and at the office.”
“You could see it?”
“Uh-huh.”
He silently swore and then laughed. “And here I thought I only needed to worry you’d notice my hard-on.” Most men’s markings didn’t react to sexual arousal; it was a recessive genetic trait. He’d known he had the gene but didn’t realize what he’d thought was an internal sensation was visible.
She kissed him, her tongue teasing, her teeth gently nipping. Her hand strayed from his shoulder, over his abs, and lower to palm the bulge. “I see the problem.” She giggled. “I don’t know how I could have missed it.”
He slid his hand under her shirt and smoothed it over her back before slipping around to the front to cup her breast. The nipple pebbled as he stroked it with his thumb, and she let out a breathy moan.
Desire coursed through him, fast, hot, and hard, but he tempered his lust, unwilling to rush the moment.
He’d waited so long for this, he wished to savor it.
He tugged at her spotted white shirt, noticing for the first time that the blotches appeared to be some sort of pink animal. “What are you wearing?”
“Jammies. Nightclothes.”
“What is that on your shirt?”
She glanced down at herself. “Oh! These are poodles. The dogs aren’t really pink though.” She grinned. “Do you think it’s sexy?”
“It would be sexier on the floor,” he said.
She whipped it off with a flourish. “Done!”
His gaze riveted on her upturned, rose-tipped breasts, but he managed to maintain focus enough to yank off his shirt and pants. Her bottoms—also dotted with poodles—puddled on the floor.
Then they were naked and embracing, skin to marvelous skin.
Sultry, throbbing music began to play.
“What the hell?” Savannah jerked.
“Aaia! We don’t need help here!” He tried not to laugh.
“Are you sure?” the AI said.
“Quite sure,” he said. “Give us privacy. And turn down the music.” He looked at Savannah. “Or do you want it off?”
“Low is good.”
“Low music. Privacy,” he ordered.
The volume lowered.
“Is she gone?” Savannah whispered.
“She should be.”
“I told you she took liberties.” She wound her arms around his neck.
Lips met in a slow, sensual slide that deepened into a craving that couldn’t be satisfied with mere kisses. He rolled them onto their sides, the better to explore.
He reveled in the soft weight of her breasts, the tautness of her nipples. Ducking his head, he captured a tip in his mouth and laved the bud with his tongue. She arched against him, holding his head. His markings thrummed under her palms.
As he released her breast to return to her mouth, she gripped his shaft, sliding her hand along his length. “I’m pleased to discover your anatomy is…I’m trying to think of the right word.”
“Impressive?” he offered.
“Compatible.”
“But still impressive.”
“You’re such a man.” She grinned.
“So…you’ve been fantasizing about my anatomy.”
“You think a lot of yourself, don’t you?” she quipped.
Instead of joking, he told the truth. “I think a lot about you.” She was simply…
unforgettable. From the moment she showed up for the interview, she’d gotten under his skin, occupied his thoughts, taunted his dreams. He’d resented the intrusion, the distraction from what was important—his designs, the bottom line, getting control of the company.
After the attack, it hit him he had had it backward all along.
She mattered, not designing, not the company.
If something had happened to her, everything else would become meaningless.
Before she crashed into his world, he’d been living a two-dimensional gray life, not a life at all.
Now, he existed in 3D and saw everything in brilliant, saturated color.
He’d never bothered to enjoy the sunrises and sunsets until she came along.
He sought her gaze, ready to pour out his feelings, but the depth of emotion left him speechless, so he kissed her to convey with passion what words could not.
Cupping her breasts, he anointed her nipples, sucking the tips to greater hardness, then trailed his lips over her rib cage to her tummy and lower. The erotic aroma of her nectar enticed him to taste, and he dipped his tongue into her wet heat.
“Oh, my god,” she moaned.
He positioned himself between her thighs and covered her pussy with his mouth, licking and kissing. When he flicked a tiny nub at the apex, she arched. “Oh god, yes…just keep doing that…”
Encouraged, he teased the swollen bud and then slipped a finger into her channel.
The wet readiness and the way her muscles contracted around his digit threatened to undermine his self-control.
He could erupt at any moment, but her moans beseeched him not to stop, so he continued to flick his tongue over the nub while flekking her with his fingers.
“I’m going to come.” Her hips came off the bed as her pussy contracted. He continued to lick her until the shuddering stopped, and then he scooted upward to nuzzle her neck.
“My turn,” she whispered. Her hands were on him, but he didn’t come close to losing it until she took his cock in her mouth and sucked. Her eyes held a devious smile as her mouth slid up and down his erection, and she squeezed his balls with just the right amount of erotic pressure.
“Apparently you can use your mouth for more than smart remarks,” he groaned.
She made a sound that could have been laughter.
He was rushing toward inevitability. “I’m going to—”
“Not yet!” She stopped abruptly. “I need you inside me.”
“I can come twice—more than twice.”
“That would have been good to tell me before we started.” She straddled him. “I’m here, now.”
“No, you’re here.” He flipped her over and wedged himself between her thighs.
“Bossy much?” She snorted but wrapped her legs around his hips. Much as he’d enjoy watching her breasts bounce as she rode him, he’d been fantasizing about having his sexy assistant under him.
Burying himself in her hot, wet sheath, he shuddered with pleasure. She rocked her hips, and he began to thrust, a slow slide and retreat, trying to hold out, bring her the ultimate pleasure one more time. When she cried out in ecstasy, stars burst behind his eyes, and he climaxed.
* * * *
He stroked her tangled hair. Oberian females had hair, too, but hers was a marvelous silky skein.
They lay, limbs entwined, her head on his chest, her toned, feminine form cuddled against him.
She was soft and giving in all the right ways, and snappy and sharp in the ways he needed.
He hadn’t realized what he’d been missing in his life until she arrived.
Her contented sigh echoed his feelings. “Now that we got that out of the way, do you think you’ll be less grouchy around the office?” she asked.
“Who says we got it out of the way?” he fired back and rolled on top of her.