Chapter 22
Kian
“All I’m saying is that you’re reckless around her,” Amir protested, sitting across from me with his ankle resting on his knee. “You can’t ignore security and protocol because—”
“I can and I will,” I cut him off. “The windows to the car were bulletproof, and rest assured, I can protect myself and Sophie.”
He huffed. “I’ve never seen you act like this, boss.”
“Amir, I really wish you’d stop playing babysitter.” I raised my head and met his eyes. “Maybe you’re too focused on me because you’re avoiding a certain female.”
“Ridiculous.” He huffed, puffed, and finally exhaled like the weight of the world had personally offended him. “I should have known there would be problems the moment she lost her sandal.”
I rolled my eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn’t stick. “You’re getting melodramatic in your old age.”
Thank fuck he didn’t know I still had that sandal tucked away.
“I’m younger than you,” he shot back, indignant.
“Two years younger isn’t much,” I muttered, eyes still on the screen. “And don’t you have something better to do than talk my ear off?”
“If Sophie walked in here and talked nonstop for hours, you wouldn’t say a word.” He pushed himself up from the chair and headed for the door, shaking his head as he went. “Next thing you know, we’re going to have little redheads running around.”
“If we do, you’ll be contractually obligated to babysit. You know, since you’ve become so good at that.”
That did it. He practically fled, muttering darkly under his breath until the door slammed shut behind him and silence reclaimed the room.
I exhaled, smirking faintly.
Outside, the distant chatter of the staff going about their day intermingled with the cries of seagulls. But inside my head, none of it registered.
My eyes were glued to the same goddamn spreadsheets, the numbers blurring as my thoughts drifted elsewhere. I blamed the distraction on the woman under my roof—her presence had a way of making focusing impossible.
That, along with the fact that I’d reviewed the security footage of her movements more times than I cared to admit, lingering on the way she smiled with ease when she spoke to my staff. The gentle curve of her lips when she laughed. It was enough to make me consider an all-female roster.
A sharp knock snapped me out of my daze.
I sighed.
My right-hand man would be the death of me today.
“Come in,” I called.
The door creaked on its hinges, the sound oddly loud in the quiet room.
“You busy?”
My head jerked up, heart skipping a beat.
Sophie stood in the doorway, the early afternoon light beaming off her soft features. She wore an off-white dress that fell just below her knees, straps slipping slightly off her shoulders, revealing a hint of skin that somehow made the room feel warmer.
“You’ve changed,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
Her delicate brow furrowed. “And how would you know that?”
It wouldn’t be smart to admit that I knew more than just her wardrobe changes. That I’d checked my surveillance cameras almost compulsively as she wandered the property. That I watched when she’d stopped by the orange tree and closed her eyes when the breeze whipped up her hair.
Yeah, not smart at all.
“I saw you from the window when you took your morning walk,” I said, which was half true.
I left out the part where I could barely breathe seeing her full breasts push against the thin material of the dress. Good God, she couldn’t wear that around my men. I’d have to shoot them all.
She tilted her head, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Ah, yeah,” she said casually. “I should probably wear shorts on my walks, but dresses are more my thing.”
Her smile was easy and effortless, but I noticed the small crease between her eyebrows, the way she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, as if waiting for something. And suddenly, the spreadsheets in front of me seemed even more irrelevant.
“You want to come in or just hang by the door?” I asked, painfully aware of my rock-hard cock.
Jesus H. Christ.
I was too old to react to a woman like this, especially one who had only barely turned thirty.
“Is that… okay?” she replied, a hint of hesitation in her voice.
“I wouldn’t ask you in if it weren’t,” I said, forcing casualness into my tone, though every fiber of my being seemed to be in overdrive now that she was within my sight.
I knew my admission yesterday might have been premature, but I had a tendency not to waste time beating around the bush that had only heightened with age.
“Okay, then.” She let out a small, relieved laugh and shut the door behind her, then sauntered over, each step radiating confidence.
But instead of sitting across from me like I expected, she circled the desk. She leaned against it, facing me and obscuring the laptop from view.
“I didn’t know you wore glasses,” she said, eyes glinting with amusement. “Very sexy.”
I shook my head, rolling my lips to trap my grin.
“Forgot about these damn things,” I muttered, tugging them off and tossing them onto the desk. They clattered against the wood, sounding far too loud.
She tilted her head, studying me as if she were cataloging a new curiosity.
“I kinda like them on you,” she murmured. “Makes you look intellectual in a dangerous way.”
I raised an eyebrow, caught somewhere between irritation and intrigue. “Really? Or are you just saying that because you want something?”
Her grin widened. “Maybe a little of both.”
“Okay, tell me what you want.” If it was in my power, I’d give it to her, although she didn’t need to know how eager I was to please her.
She chewed on her lip nervously.
“I want… company. I’m bored out of my mind,” she admitted, her shoulders slumping. I shot her a surprised look and she continued. “It’s silly, but after years of working crazy hours at the hospital, I feel out of sorts without a purpose.”
“Do you want me to find a pregnant woman so you can… deliver a baby?”
Unaware I was dead serious, she threw her head back and laughed.
“That’s tempting, but not necessary,” she said, her voice dropping just a notch. Her eyes sparkled as she tilted her head, one corner of her lips curling in a sultry, teasing way. She wedged herself between my legs, spreading them wide. “I was just looking for… a distraction.”
I blinked, caught off guard by the heat in her tone, unsure whether she had guessed the very thought racing through my mind or whether she was deliberately toying with me.
“Maybe you should elaborate, so we’re both on the same page,” I said slowly, reaching around for the laptop and putting it away in the drawer.
“You said you wanted me,” she started slowly. “Remember?”
“Yes, I remember.” As if I could forget. “However, you said you wouldn’t sleep with me.”
She smiled sheepishly. “I can’t get the image of you in the shower out of my mind.”
“Well, I’d give my life to see you use that vibrator.”
She gulped, a blush creeping up her neck. “We’re both single.”
“We are,” I confirmed, waiting. Always waiting for her next move. It was pathetic really.
“And maybe… we could give this a try.”
“A try?”
“Yes, have some fun,” she murmured. “I mean, you’re a super attractive DILF.”
“I’m going to regret asking this, but what’s a DILF?”
She flashed me a smile. “A dad I’d like to fuck.”
I didn’t waste any time; I shot forward and gripped her hips, propping her ass on my desk, its contents scattered to the floor.
“Open those legs wide for me,” I growled.
She complied eagerly, showing me the flesh between her thighs, and I could already smell her arousal.
“I’m going to make a meal out of you,” I growled, sliding her panties down her legs. “I’m going to make you come at least twice and then…”
Her body must have liked my words even though shock entered her expression, because the evidence of her arousal was plain to see. I hooked her leg over my shoulder, clamped my arms around her thighs, and held her up to my mouth.
“You’re mine now, zemer. Yes?”