Chapter 16 #2
I stroked my hand lower, finding the hem of her skirt. Slipping beneath. Moving up between her thighs. She lifted her hips and wrenched up her skirt, exposing the skimpiest panties I’d seen in my life.
I caressed the smooth skin of her inner thigh, feeling her shiver under my touch.
“I see you,” I said against her mouth, pulling back enough to meet her eyes. “Every part of you. The analyst who catches patterns nobody else notices and the woman who bakes at midnight. You stood outside my door because you wanted to come in.”
When I stroked my thumb down the wet seam of her panties, she gasped.
“I see all of it,” I said. “And I want all of you. Not stolen moments or the parts we can hide. I want everything.”
“Yes.” The word came out broken.
I eased her panties to the side and slid my thumb through her wetness, finding her clit. Stroking. She whimpered.
“Tell me you want this,” I said.
“I do.” Her voice came out steady. “I want you.”
The touch of my fingers against her bare skin made her arch, her head falling back. I caught her with my other hand, supporting the back of her neck, keeping her steady while I explored.
So damn slick against my fingers. It nearly undid me.
“You feel fantastic,” I said. “You’re fucking beautiful.”
I slid one finger inside her, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. She moaned, rolling her hips to take me deeper.
“More,” she gasped.
I added a second finger, the stretch making her cry out. She gripped my arm, her nails digging in even through my shirt.
“I have you,” I said.
I pumped my fingers inside her while my thumb rode her clit.
“Tolrek—” My name came out desperate.
“Fall apart for me, Haley.”
Her breathing came faster, short gasps that told me she was close. I could feel it in the way her body tightened, the way her thighs trembled against my hips.
“I want you at my apartment tonight,” I said against her ear. “Not just for this. I want to fall asleep with you there and wake up with you in the morning. I want to know what it feels like to have you in my space without having to hide it.”
“Yes.” The word was barely audible.
“I want to cook you dinner. Walk Beau with you.”
“Yes, yes.” She thrust her hips up to meet my hand as I moved faster, driving her closer to the edge.
Her phone buzzed on the desk.
We both froze.
It buzzed again, the vibration loud in the small space.
She reached for it with shaking hands, her body still wrapped around mine, my fingers buried deep inside her.
“My father,” she groaned, her body trembling with need. “He…has a question. He asked me to come to his office.”
The timing would be funny if my cock wasn’t hard enough to hurt.
Haley stared at the screen, her chest heaving.
“You have to go,” I said.
“Probably.”
Neither of us moved. I kept my fingers buried in her wetness, and I ached to start moving them again.
“I was so close.” The frustration in her voice made me want to finish what we’d started, no matter the consequences. Instead, I slowly withdrew my fingers, watching her face as I did. Then I licked them, groaning at her sweet flavor.
“Tonight,” I said. “Come to my apartment. We’ll finish this properly.”
“What if someone sees?”
“They won’t. We’ll be careful.” I helped her down from the desk, steadying her when her legs didn’t want to support her weight, and straightened her skirt around her thighs. “We’ll figure out how to tell your father.”
Her expression went from frustrated arousal to serious. “We’ll tell him together?”
“We will.”
“When?”
“Within a week. We’ll give ourselves seven days to be together privately. To figure out what this is without the team watching. Then we sit down with him and explain.”
She nodded. “Not hiding. Just taking time.”
“Exactly.”
Her phone buzzed again. Another text from Jim lit up the screen. Are you free now?
She straightened her blouse, and she ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to look less like someone who’d almost come on my fingers.
“How do I look?” she asked.
“Like the woman I’m falling in love with.”
A smile broke across her face. “That’s not helpful.”
“You look professional enough that he won’t suspect anything.”
“Promise?”
I kissed her forehead. “Promise.”
She grabbed her phone and laptop, taking a deep breath before opening the door. The hallway was empty when she stepped out. She paused, looking back at me.
“Tonight,” she said.
“Tonight.”
She left, her footsteps echoing down the corridor.
I stayed in her office for a few minutes, letting my body calm down enough that I could walk through the building without broadcasting what had almost happened.
After gathering my things, I made it to the parking lot without seeing anyone I’d have to talk to.
Beau met me at my apartment door. I fed him and stood in my living room, staring at the sketch on the wall while he ate.
In a few hours, Haley would knock on my door.
I pulled out my phone and sent her a text. I’ll leave the door unlocked.
Her response came through. See you soon.
I sat on the couch with Beau in my lap and waited.