Chapter 21
Miles
The second Penny got into that asshole’s car, I lost my damn mind.
Every instinct in me screamed to follow them, drag her out of that fancy piece of shit Maserati, and tell that douchebag she was off-limits.
But she followed him willingly.
And at the end of the day, Penny and I are… nothing.
Biggest fucking lie I’ve ever told myself.
Because if we’re nothing, why does the thought of another man touching her make me feel borderline homicidal? Why do I suddenly want to stand in the middle of town and announce that she’s mine?
I pace the length of my office for what feels like the hundredth time. By the time I notice the trail of melted snow and ice covering the floor, I decide I either need to start working or punch a wall.
Whichever comes first.
“Miles.”
Her soft voice cuts straight through my murderous thoughts.
I turn slowly, keeping my eyes fixed on the floor because if I look at her too fast, I might say something stupid and territorial.
“Eyes on me,” she says quietly while walking toward me.
My gaze lifts to hers before I can stop it.
Her eyes look glassy.
Every protective instinct inside me detonates at once.
I close the distance in two strides and wrap my arms around her before I can even think twice about it. “Are you okay?” I ask softly, brushing my bare hand against her cold cheek.
At this point, I don’t give a single fuck if the crew talks. All I care about right now is making sure Penny’s okay.
“Yes, of course.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
Bullshit.
I want to push harder. Want to demand she tell me exactly what happened with that jackass.
But something tells me whatever happened already took enough out of her.
“Can you at least tell me why that man came all the way here to see you?” I ask quietly before brushing my mouth against her ear, earning a tiny shiver from her.
“We’re friends. He wanted to catch up.” She shrugs.
I narrow my eyes. “Did you parade him around here to make me jealous?”
Before I can nip at her chin, she leans back enough to look up at me.
“Jealous?” Her eyes sparkle with amusement for the first time since she walked in.
I glare at her, which only makes her laugh.
Truth is, I don’t care if she laughs at me so long as she keeps looking lighter like this.
“How the mighty have fallen,” she teases with a dramatic tsk.
“Yes,” I admit shamelessly. “I’m jealous. And now I’m gonna make you pay for making me feel this way for the first time in my life.”
Before she can react, I hook an arm beneath her legs and throw her over my shoulder.
“Miles MacAllister,” she shrieks between laughs. “I’m your fucking boss. Put me down.”
“This is what happens when the boss doesn’t behave,” I tell her as soon as we make it to the parking lot.
After glancing around and finding nobody nearby, I give her ass a quick smack.
“Miles,” she yelps between laughs as she swats at me over her shoulder. “Stop that.”
“No, sugar. I’m past the point of playing nice.” The words come out rougher than I intended, every possessive thought I’ve been fighting all afternoon still simmering beneath my skin.
“Then punish me in the most delicious way possible,” she says as we reach her office.
“Happy to oblige.”
I shut the door behind us with my boot before slowly lowering her back onto her feet.
“Do you know the kind of hell I was in while you were off with Richie Rich?” I ask while pulling off my belt and tossing it onto the nearby chair.
“Hmm.” She shrugs out of her coat slowly, pure mischief dancing in her eyes. “No clue.”
“It took every ounce of self-control I had not to call Granny and activate the town gossip vine.”
A laugh threatens to break free, but I manage to hold it back.
Her eyes go ridiculously wide. “Oh wow. So I’m really in deep shit then. Because the local grape vine is serious business.”
“You have no idea, sugar.” I step closer until my hands settle on her waist. “You’re in deep, deep trouble.”
Her arms relax, dropping at her sides.
My thumbs drift beneath the hem of her sweater, brushing lightly against warm skin.
Her head tips back automatically, exposing her throat to me.
“All I could think about was him making you laugh,” I murmur before pressing a kiss beneath her jaw.
Another kiss.
“Him feeding you.”
Another kiss.
“Him taking care of you.”
Another.
“It damn near killed me thinking he might make you feel even a fraction of what I do.”
I press one last kiss to the top of her breast before her hands fist in my jeans, trying to drag me closer.
But this time, I hold my ground.
“Nah, sugar. I told you I was going to make you suffer.”
She lets out an exaggerated whine.
“I’ve been waiting for you to wear the boots I bought you, and out of all the damn days you decide to show up looking like a complete smoke show in them, it had to be the day that privileged asshat showed up and took you away from me.”
“You like how I look today?” she asks, sounding genuinely surprised.
I let my gaze drag slowly over her. “You look like a million bucks. But you already knew that because I’m pretty sure I told you the second I saw you this morning.”
I brush my mouth against her neck, biting down lightly enough that I know I’ll probably leave a mark.
Good.
Maybe she’ll think about me every time she sees it.
“I’m going to remove all these offensive pieces of clothing,” I mutter while tugging her sweater up.
“Offensive?” she repeats between soft laughs.
“Yes. Offensive. Irritating. Personally insulting.” I toss the sweater aside. “They’re covering the hottest body I’ve ever had the privilege of feasting on.”
The second her expression changes, heat floods straight through me.
I know that look.
“Did that make you wet?” I ask, my cock jerking inside my jeans.
“You’ll have to find out for yourself.” She lifts a challenging brow.
“Gladly.”
I drop to my knees in front of her, taking my sweet time undoing the button on her jeans. Mostly because I enjoy watching her squirm.
The second I start dragging the denim down her legs, she presses her thighs together instinctively, searching for friction.
A low laugh rumbles out of me. “Nuh-uh. Only I get to decide when you feel better, sugar.”
I cup her pussy, and she moans at the contact. Then, she starts grinding against my palm.
“I said, I’ll make you wait,” I warn as I remove my hand and pull ever so slowly her jeans and panties down.
“Miles,” she whines, adding a pout this time.
“Fuck, Penny. Seeing you act like a brat shouldn’t turn me on this much.”
I spread her thighs, getting an eyeful of her glistening cunt. It’s a pink, perfectly-shaved slice of heaven.
My mouth waters, but I told her I’d make her wait.
I just don’t think I’ll be able to deny myself much longer.
“I want to feel you now,” she says softly, her voice rough with need.
I close my eyes for half a second because resisting her is impossible.
“Is this what you want, sugar?” I ask against her mound, then proceed to pass my tongue from entrance to clit.
“Miles…” she breathes, gripping the desk behind her for support.
“Fuck, boss. You’re soaked." I slip my tongue inside her, relishing in her sweet taste. “Is all this for me?”
I flick my tongue against her clit, and she lets out a long, needy sound that turns into a whine when she tries to spread her legs wider but can’t with her jeans tangled around her ankles.
“Answer me,” I warn as I unzip my jeans, needing to free my cock.
“Take off my shoes and jeans first,” she volleys.
“Nu-uh. You’re not the one calling the shots, sugar.” I cross my arms, letting her know I won’t touch her until she answers me.
“Hmm.” A teasing smile curves her lips. “It could be because of…”
“Don’t.” The word comes out sharp enough to surprise both of us. “Don’t say that asshole’s name when you’re naked in front of me.”
Heat flashes across her face, followed quickly by amusement.
“I never thought I’d like a jealous man,” she murmurs. “But somehow you make it work.”
I shake my head, stepping into her space again. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing to me, Penny Levine, but I swear to God there’s no version of my life anymore where you don’t matter.”
I grip her waist and turn her around in one quick move.
She yelps softly, then twists her head to look at me over her shoulder. That wicked smile spreads across her lips again.
Whatever restraint I had left snaps.
“I’m going to remind you who owns your pleasure,” I say against the back of her neck. “Who’s the only one who makes you scream?”
I tease her entrance with the tip of my cock before suddenly groaning.
“Fuck.”
“What’s wrong?” Penny asks breathlessly as she pushes her ass back against me, chasing the contact.
“Condom,” I mutter while reaching for my wallet.
“Phew.” A nervous laugh escapes her. “Good catch.”
“I’ve been on the pill forever, but it’s best to be safe than sorry,” she says as she wiggles her hips again.
“Hurry up, Miles. I’m dripping.”
A long streak of her juices slides down her thigh, and I have to close my eyes for a second just to focus on rolling the damn condom on properly.
As soon as I’m done, I press my hips flush against her again and guide myself inside her in one deep thrust.
Penny throws her head back with a broken sound, her lips parting silently.
“Does this remind you who owns your orgasms?”
I pull out slowly before driving back in.
She arches against me with a moan, giving me better access to her tits.
“Answer me, sugar.” I breathe against her neck.
“You,” gasps. “You do.”
Then she ruins me completely.
“But only for a little while. We’re not forever.”
The words should cool me down. Instead, they hit like gasoline straight onto fire.
Because suddenly the idea of temporary feels unbearable.
I want her to be mine—no expiration date.
“Maybe not forever,” I mutter roughly, thrusting deeper, “but for as long as you’re mine, you’ll come with my name on your lips and my cock so deep inside you, you won’t be able to think about anyone else.”
My hands slide over her body, gripping her tighter as I lose myself in the feeling of her.
“Who are you thinking about, Penny?”
“You.”
“Who am I?”
She lets out an exasperated little sound. “Miles, my ridiculously hot housemate.”
I smile. “Hot, huh?”
“Shut up,” she pants. “You know you’re hot.”
“And what else?”
She huffs in frustration even as another moan slips out of her.
“The man who gives me the best orgasms of my life.”
My entire chest puffs up at her admission.
I sink deeper into her, and the sound she makes nearly sends me over the edge.
“You like that, sugar?”
My hand drifts lower, circling her clit while I keep thrusting into her slow and deep.
Penny starts trembling almost right away, her breathing turning ragged.
“That’s it,” I murmur against her skin. “Come for me.”
A broken cry tears from her throat as pleasure crashes through her body.
The moment her walls start pulsing around my cock, I let myself go and go over the edge right with her.
A rough sound tears out of me, low and helpless, straight from the center of my chest.
I’m sure anyone within a five-mile radius heard us.
Good thing, I don’t give a fuck. The only person I care about is right here. With me.
“Miles, she breathes, letting her chest hit the desk. “I’m speechless.”
“Damn. I bet that’s a first.”
She glares at me, and a satisfied huff leaves me.
“Thank you for trusting me,” I say, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.
“Always,” she says, even though she doesn’t look at me.
“You think you can keep working after this? Or you wanna play hooky and keep the party going at home?”
I know my dick is doing the talking. A bunch of materials was just delivered, and I have work to catch up on. But if she says yes, I’ll deal with the consequences later.
This was a reminder that we have an expiration date.
Plus, I don’t know who that man is to her, but if he came all the way to Azalea Creek, he must be someone important in her life.
I need to enjoy what we have for as long as I can.