Chapter 25
JUNO
He reached for my glass, setting it on the railing without looking. In the next breath, his mouth was on mine. I kissed him back immediately, my hands sliding up his arms and into his hair, pulling him closer.
Fuck professional boundaries.
The kiss deepened fast, his tongue sliding against mine, one hand cupping the back of my neck while the other settled at my waist. I pressed into him, feeling all six feet of hard muscle against my softness. It was too much and not enough. His teeth grazed my lower lip.
When he finally broke away, both of us breathing hard, his eyes were dark with the same need I felt.
He took my hand without a word and led me through his house, down the hallway to his bedroom.
I followed because I didn’t want to stop.
The door clicked shut behind us, and then we were kissing again, slower this time but no less intense.
I kicked off my shoes and his hands slid down my sides, pausing to massage every curve.
I heard him moan into my mouth. I shivered, my back arching.
He pressed me against the closed door, his mouth leaving mine to trail hot kisses along my jaw and down the column of my throat.
The silk of my blouse felt suddenly too thin, every brush of his fingers sending sparks across my skin.
“Still professional?” he murmured against my collarbone, voice husky.
I laughed, breathless, and shoved at his shoulders. “Shut up.”
“I’m just saying, I want you but I don’t want you regretting this the moment it’s over.”
I met his burning gaze. “Then you better impress me.”
He obeyed, dropping to his knees in one fluid motion that made my stomach flip.
His hands found the button of my black pants.
I watched, transfixed, as he worked them open and down my hips, taking my panties with them.
The cool air hit my bare skin, but his palms were warm as they gripped my thighs.
I kicked free of the fabric, toes curling against the floor. I felt completely exposed. He looked up at me with those striking blue eyes. The sight of him kneeling sent a fresh wave of heat pooling low in my belly. My breath hitched.
Hollis leaned in and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the inside of my thigh, then higher, and higher still.
His breath ghosted over my sensitive skin.
My head dropped against the door. I reached out in search of something to hold on to.
All I had was the wall. I pressed my fingertips against it and held on.
When his tongue finally slid against me, I gasped.
My hips jerked and my knees threatened to buckle.
He took his time, exploring my body and what made me hum.
His tongue circled and stroked, finding exactly what made my knees weaken.
One hand anchored my hip while the other stroked upward, fingers splaying across my stomach before cupping a breast through the silk.
I moaned, the sound embarrassing in its rawness.
My hips rocked against his mouth a second time.
“Fuck,” I breathed, one hand threading into his dark hair, holding him close. “Hollis, that feels amazing.”
He hummed in response, the vibration shooting straight through me, and doubled down. His tongue moved relentlessly until the tension coiled tight and broke all at once. Pleasure crashed over me in a rush, my thighs trembling. A low cry escaped my throat.
He didn’t stop until I was spent, boneless, sliding down the door as he rose to catch me.
I pulled him up, kissing him hard and already craving more.
My hands reached between us, fumbling with his belt and zipper until I freed him.
He was hard in my hand. The low groan he let out when I stroked him sent a fresh thrill through me.
I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to think.
I just wanted him, consequences be damned.
He kissed me again, deeper, walking us backward until the backs of my knees hit the edge of the bed.
We tumbled onto the mattress together, him bracing his weight above me, his mouth never leaving mine.
My blouse was already half open from where his hands had explored.
He finished the job, sliding it off my shoulders and tossing it aside.
My bra followed. He looked at me like I was exactly what he’d been starving for. That gaze burned every insecurity away.
I helped him shove his shirt over his head, running my hands over the hard planes of his chest and down the ridges of his abs.
He kicked off his jeans and boxers, and then there was nothing between us but heat and need.
He reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a condom.
I watched him roll it on, the sight making my mouth go dry.
He settled between my thighs, one hand guiding himself to my entrance. “Juno,” he murmured, voice rough, checking in one last time.
I answered by lifting my hips, pulling him closer with my legs around his waist. “Now.”
He slid inside with one slow, deliberate thrust. I gasped at the perfect fullness.
My hands flew to his back, gripping him as he began to move.
He started slowly, giving me time to adjust, but the tension between us had been building all day.
The rhythm turned urgent, his hips snapping against mine, and the sound of skin slapping skin filled the room.
I met every thrust, the pressure building low and tight again.
His mouth found my breast, tongue circling my nipple before he sucked.
I arched beneath him with a moan. He shifted, angling deeper, and sparks shot through me.
I had every intention of making the moment last longer, but he was just too damn good.
His mouth switched to the other breast. I reached down and grabbed his tight ass and pulled him closer. He got the message and gave me exactly what I needed.
It was too much. Pleasure crashed over me in waves, my inner walls clenching around him as I cried out his name.
He followed seconds later, burying his face in my neck, his body shuddering against mine with a loud groan.
We stayed like that, tangled and breathless, his weight a comforting anchor as the aftershocks faded.
Eventually he eased out, disposing of the condom before pulling me against his chest. I rested my head over his heart, listening to it race, my own still hammering. No words came. Just the slow realization that we’d crossed another line we couldn’t uncross.
I didn’t regret a single second of it. Not this time.
“So,” I said, breaking the silence. “What are we doing here?”
He exhaled slowly. “That’s a good question.”
“I know.” I propped myself up on one elbow to look at him. “But we need to talk about it. This is the second time we’ve… you know.”
“Fucked each other’s brains out?” He grinned, but I could see the wariness in his eyes. “Yeah, I noticed.”
“I’m serious, Hollis.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his already messed-up hair. “Look, I like you. A lot. More than I probably should, given the whole business partnership thing.”
“But?” I prompted, because there was definitely a “but” coming.
“But I have a terrible track record with relationships.” He looked away, focusing on the ceiling instead of me. “I always get restless and mess things up. I stopped pursuing relationships because I end up hurting people who didn’t deserve it.”
“So you stopped trying?”
“Pretty much. I’ve been keeping things casual. No expectations, no commitments, no one getting hurt when I inevitably fuck it up.” He finally looked at me again. “I’m not saying that to be an asshole. I’m just being honest about who I am.”
“I appreciate the honesty.” It was hard to hear, but I wasn’t looking for a wedding ring. “For what it’s worth, I’m not exactly winning any awards in the dating department either.”
“Yeah?” He rolled onto his side to face me, seeming relieved that I wasn’t running for the door. “What’s your excuse?”
“Too many duds in a row.” I laughed, but it came out a little bitter. “I tried the whole dating app thing for a while. Met some guys who seemed decent on their profiles, but in person? Complete disasters.”
“So what about me? Am I a dud?”
I looked at him in all his naked glory. As if he could ever be a dud.
“Absolutely not,” I said. “You’re different.”
“Different good or different bad?”
“Good. Infuriating, but good.” I traced a line down his chest with one finger. “You make me laugh, even when I’m trying to be mad at you. You’re passionate about your work, which is really sexy. And you’re way smarter than you let people think.”
“Keep going,” he said with that cocky grin. “My ego can take more.”
I smacked his chest lightly. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late.” But his expression turned serious again. “So what do we do about this? About us?”
“I don’t know.” I bit my lip, trying to think it through logically even though logic had clearly left the building the moment we’d started kissing. “We could pretend it never happened and go back to being strictly professional.”
“Could you actually do that?”
“No,” I admitted. “Not really.”
“Me neither.”
We lay there in silence for a moment, both of us thinking.
“What if we just tried?” I said finally. “Like actually dating. Seeing where this goes.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that? After I just told you I’m terrible at relationships?”
“You were terrible at relationships,” I corrected. “Maybe you just hadn’t met the right person yet.”
“Or maybe I’m setting you up for disappointment.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But I’m a big girl. I can handle disappointment. What I can’t handle is spending the next however many months working together with random hookups and I think it’s pretty clear there will be more moments like this.”
He grinned. “You’re hooked.”
“Stop it.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure I want to try. I can’t promise it’ll work out, and you can’t promise you won’t fuck things up, but we could at least give it a shot, right? Try dating like normal people. See what happens. No harm, no foul. We’re both going in with our eyes wide open.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Yeah. We could do that.”
“Good.” I leaned over and kissed him. “Now, I have to get dressed and make an appearance at the office.”
“Or you could call in sick and just stay in bed with me for the rest of the day.”
I looked at him. “Tempting, but I can’t. But maybe I can see you later.”
“I’m holding you to it.”