Chapter Fifteen
Raina
This was insane.
The thought circled through my mind on a loop as Simon walked beside me toward my apartment building, his hand warm and secure around mine.
Despite the way he’d just ravaged me in his car, kissing me until I couldn’t remember my own name, he was the perfect gentleman now.
Calm. Composed. Like we were simply two people returning from a pleasant evening out.
We stepped into the elevator, and I pressed the button for my floor. The doors slid closed, sealing us inside the small space.
I glanced at him and caught my breath. There. The heat in his eyes hadn’t dimmed. It was banked, controlled, but unmistakably present—a promise of everything that was about to happen between us. My stomach flipped, desire curling low in my belly.
I’m going to sleep with my boss.
The rational part of my brain screamed that this was a terrible idea. That we’d already complicated things beyond repair with our fake dating arrangement, and this would only make everything worse. That mixing business with pleasure was a recipe for disaster on so many levels.
But another part of me—the part that had been aching for Simon since that first kiss at the gala—didn’t care about any of that. I wanted him. More than I’d wanted anyone in a long time. And tonight, I was going to have him.
The consequences could wait until morning.
The elevator opened, and we walked down the hall in charged silence. My hands trembled slightly as I unlocked my door, and I wondered if he noticed. Probably. Simon noticed everything.
We stepped inside, and I set my purse and keys on the small table by the entrance. The apartment was dark except for the glow of the city lights filtering through the windows, casting everything in soft shadows.
I turned to face him, and that’s when Simon stopped being a gentleman.
He backed me into the nearest wall so fast I gasped, his mouth claiming mine in a kiss that was hard and hungry and utterly demanding.
His hands were everywhere—sliding up my sides, tugging at the hem of my jersey, then pulling it over my head and tossing it aside before I could even catch my breath.
I returned the favor with equal urgency, my fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine. The fabric parted and I pushed it off his shoulders, my palms finally connecting with the hard planes of his chest.
God. He was even more beautiful than I’d imagined. All lean muscle and warm skin, his abs tensing beneath my exploring fingers. I traced every ridge, every contour, while he continued to kiss me until my lips felt swollen and bruised in the best possible way.
His hands found the clasp of my bra, and within seconds it joined my shirt on the floor. His fingers quickly went to my jeans, working the button and zipper and impatiently shoving the denim down my hips and legs until I could kick it away.
I stood before him in nothing but my panties, breathing hard, my entire body thrumming with need as Simon’s gaze raked over me.
Slow, appreciative, hungry. His hands followed suit, fondling my full breasts and lightly pinching my nipples before reverently trailing his fingers along the dip of my waist and the curve of my hips.
Then his hands were on my ass, gripping firmly as he lifted me off my feet.
I wrapped my legs around his waist instinctively, loving the feel of his solid, bare chest against my sensitive nipples, and shivering as his hard length pressed against my aching pussy through the thin barriers of our remaining clothes.
“Bedroom?” His voice was a husky, demanding rasp.
“End of the hall,” I managed, then lost the ability to speak as I buried my face in his neck, kissing and lightly biting the sensitive skin there. A deep growl erupted from his chest, his fingers digging into my thighs as he carried me through the apartment.
We made it to my bedroom, and Simon lowered me onto the mattress with surprising gentleness.
I settled back against the pillows, watching as he stripped off his jeans, then his black boxer briefs.
I felt my nipples tighten at the sight of him, and a fresh wave of arousal flooded through me as I took in the thick, mouth-watering length of his jutting cock.
Simon crawled onto the bed, his movements slow—a little predatory, and deliberate. His fingers hooked into the sides of my panties and dragged them down my legs, discarding them somewhere on the floor.
Then he pushed my legs wide apart and I shamelessly let them fall open.
A low, tortured groan escaped him when he saw how wet I already was. “Christ, Raina.”
He leaned down and pressed a kiss just above my knee. Soft. Almost reverent. Then his mouth began to trail higher, creating a path of fire along the inside of my thigh. My breath came faster with every inch he traveled, anticipation coiling tight in my belly.
When he finally reached my pussy, I was vibrating with need.
His tongue swept through my folds in one long, devastating stroke, and I cried out, my hips bucking involuntarily. He responded by gripping my thighs and holding me open, spreading me wider for his mouth.
There was nothing tentative about the way he pleasured me.
He devoured me like a man starving, his tongue circling my clit before dipping lower.
Two thick fingers pushed inside me, stroking and curling against that perfect spot.
I was shameless in my response—writhing beneath him, my hips rising to meet every movement of his mouth.
One of my hands fisted in the comforter. The other found his hair, my fingers tangling in the dark strands as I held on for dear life.
“Simon—” His name tore from my throat, half plea, half prayer.
He hummed against me, the vibration sending shockwaves through my entire body. Those two fingers pumped inside me while his tongue worked my clit with ruthless precision, and I felt the orgasm building, a wave cresting higher and higher until there was nowhere left to go but over.
I shattered. Pleasure exploded through me, rolling in waves that seemed to go on forever.
I heard myself crying out, felt my body arching off the bed, but everything had narrowed to the blinding sensation of release.
Simon worked me through it, gentling his touch as the aftershocks rippled through me, until I lay boneless and panting for breath on the sheets.
But I wasn’t sated. Not even close. I wanted Simon inside me.
He seemed to understand, because he was already kissing his way up my body, his mouth warm and damp against my trembling skin.
He paused at my breasts, lavishing attention on each one in turn.
His tongue circled my nipple before his lips closed around it, sucking gently, then harder.
His teeth grazed the sensitive peak, and I gasped, my back arching into him.
“Simon.”
He switched to the other breast, giving it the same thorough treatment while I squirmed beneath him, need building all over again. By the time he finally moved higher, I was desperate—aching and empty and craving the feeling of him filling me up.
He dragged his cock through my drenched, sensitive folds, coating himself in my arousal, and we both groaned at the sensation. Then he positioned himself over me, notching the head of his shaft against my entrance and nudging in an inch.
And stopped.
“Fuck.” His curse was barely audible, ground out through clenched teeth. His eyes met mine, and I saw frustration warring with desire. “I don’t have a condom.”
My teeth dragged across my lower lip, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I’m on birth control.”
“It’s been a while for me,” he said, his voice strained. “I haven’t been with anyone since my last physical which was months ago. I’m clean.”
“Same,” I breathed, trusting him completely. Then, before I could second-guess myself, I said, “Fuck me bare, Simon. I want to feel you inside me.”
Something primal flashed in his eyes at my demand. Without hesitating a second longer, he thrust forward and buried himself to the hilt and we both groaned and went still.
The feel of him—hot and hard and so deep—stole the breath from my lungs. He filled me completely, stretched me perfectly, and for a long moment, neither of us moved. Just… savored the sensation.
Simon’s hand tangled in my hair, tipping my head back to expose my throat. His tongue traced a hot path from my collarbone to my jaw, and I felt pinned down by him in the most delicious way—claimed, possessed, his.
I loved it.
He kissed me again, slow and deep, and began to move. Long, deliberate strokes that drew out every ounce of pleasure. He pulled almost all the way out before sinking back in, setting a rhythm that was maddeningly slow—controlled in a way that made me want to scream.
“More,” I gasped against his mouth. “Simon, please—”
He gave me what I asked for. His pace quickened, each thrust harder than the last. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room, punctuated by my moans and his ragged breathing.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, and he groaned—a raw, desperate sound that made me clench around him.
“Fuck, you feel incredible.” His forehead pressed against mine, his eyes locked on my face like he wanted to memorize every expression I made. “So tight. So wet. So goddamn perfect.”
The words sent a fresh wave of heat coursing through me. I was climbing again, that familiar tension building low in my belly, and Simon seemed to sense it. His hand slid between us, his thumb finding my clit and circling with expert pressure.
“Come for me, Raina,” he commanded, his voice rough and low. “I want to feel you come on my cock.”
The combination of his words and his touch and the relentless drive of his hips pushed me over the edge.
I came with a soft cry, my inner walls clenching around him as pleasure crashed through me in devastating waves.
Simon’s rhythm faltered, his breath hitching, and then he was following me over, burying himself deep and groaning my name as he spilled inside me.
For a long moment, neither of us moved. We lay tangled together, hearts pounding, bodies slick with sweat, trying to remember how to breathe. Simon’s weight pressed me into the mattress, and I couldn’t bring myself to mind. I felt… safe. Satisfied in a way that went beyond the physical.
Eventually, he shifted, withdrawing carefully before rolling onto his back beside me. His arm curled around my waist, pulling me against his side, and I let myself be drawn in, my head finding the hollow of his shoulder like it belonged there.
Silence settled over us, warm and comfortable, but my mind was already churning. That was incredible. Simon is incredible. But where do we go from here?
I didn’t voice the question. Part of me was afraid of the answer. We’d crossed a line tonight that couldn’t be uncrossed, complicated an already impossible situation beyond repair. He was still my boss. We were still fake dating for Alexander. And now we’d slept together.
What did that make us?
I stared at the ceiling, lost in thought, trying to sort through the tangle of emotions knotted in my chest. The warmth of Simon’s body beside me was reassuring, but it couldn’t quiet the doubts circling in my head.
“I’d like to stay,” Simon said softly, breaking the silence. “If that’s okay with you?”
I looked up at him, searching his face in the dim light.
Who is this man? He wasn’t the same person I’d met that first day in his office—cold and demanding and impossible to please.
There was something softer in his expression now, something almost vulnerable in the way he watched me, waiting for my answer.
I didn’t know what to make of it.
I didn’t want him to go. That much was certain. But I also knew I needed to be careful. Simon hadn’t made me any promises. For all I knew, this was just a hookup to him—a convenient release of the tension that had been building between us for weeks.
I’d given my heart away before. To Eli. And I remembered all too well how it felt when that had fallen apart. I couldn’t let that happen again, and certainly not with my boss.
We’d already complicated things by sleeping together. That was something we’d have to address eventually—the messy intersection of our working relationship and whatever this was becoming. But not tonight. Tonight, I wanted to enjoy this. Enjoy him. And just… be smart about it.
Could I separate the emotional from the physical? Keep my heart protected while still allowing myself this pleasure? I wasn’t sure. My feelings for Simon had already evolved past anything simple or casual. But I could try. I could guard myself while still seeing where this led.
“Yes,” I said quietly, giving him a soft smile. “I’d like you to stay.”
His arm tightened around me, and he pressed a kiss to my forehead—it felt both tender and meaningful. I closed my eyes and let myself drift, wrapped in his warmth, refusing to think about tomorrow.
Tonight, this was enough.