Bind (Manhattan Lux Book 1): Manhattan Lux (24 page)

A
iko lifted her head up
, and peered around her monitor again. He was
still
staring at her. Fingers steepled under his chin, his gaze direct and thoughtful, with an unmistakable undercurrent of
heat
.

“Malcolm,” she snapped. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

“I was just thinking,” he said in that crisp British accent that never failed to inspire a little puddle in her panties. “I was wondering about the other apartment. The one that was intended for Wyatt when he moved into the building. The one that wasn’t ready for him and as consequence he had to move in with you and your sister. It’s the same one you moved into later.”

“Yeah?”

“We never did fire anyone over that debacle. The fact that the heating was broken. Etcetera.”

“Oh right. Well, with everything that was going on, there was no time—”

“No that’s not why.” Malcolm lowered his hands to his desk and smiled. “There was no need because there was no debacle. You didn’t want the apartment to be free for Wyatt, because you wanted him staying with your sister.”

“Alright!” Aiko threw up her hands. “You got me! After she Tasered him during the break-in fake-out he was mooning around here, looking at pictures of her on my phone whenever I left it on my desk. He thought I didn’t know. As if.”

“So you played matchmaker.”

“Of course. They’re perfect for each other. But I knew she’d never give it a chance unless I totally tricked her into it. So I headed to the condo and turned off the heat, then pretended it was broken when we walked in.”

“Clever.”

“Not really.”

“It was kind. In your own strange, misguided way, it was kind of you to, as you say ‘trick’ your sister into falling in love,” said Malcolm.

“You’re so fucking weird,” Aiko said. “Seriously. Don’t you have work to do? You just going to sit there staring at me all day?”

“I like the view.” Malcolm smiled, and Aiko felt her insides clench up.

“What the fuck is this?” she said gesturing between them. “What’s going on here. Is this flirting? Foreplay? What? Because it’s driving me crazy.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah, it really really is.”

“Well that’s delightful.”

Aiko squinted at him. “Like, do you want to fuck me or what? Because the suspense is killing me, so if the answer’s yes, can we please, for the love of all that is awesome, just fuck already, and get it over with?”

She didn’t even see him move. He was at her desk in a flash, sitting on the edge, leaning towards her with an air so casual and yet so magnetic, so primally sexual, she felt like she was watching a predator on a nature documentary.

“Oh we will,” Malcolm said lightly.

“Will what?” Aiko asked, her head buzzing, trying to clear the cobwebs of arousal so she could just think clearly for one damn second.

Malcolm leaned a little closer. “We. Will. Fuck,” he said, the words gliding from his lips with such gravity it was like the act of saying them aloud was an unbreakable magical incantation.

She shivered, his words sending icy hot bolts of lightning firing in every nerve ending, straight up her spine, down her fingertips, tightening her nipples so hard she bit her lip to keep from reacting, and clenched her thighs together to ease the throb in her center.

“I’ve great plans for us Aiko,” he said. “Great plans for
you
. Unspeakable, filthy, utterly debauched are my plans. Wicked.”

“Wicked?”

“Yes, darling bird. I know you think you’ll never find your match. I promise. You have. I’ll use you up, wring you out, and leave you writhing in a puddle of your own sweat, still begging me for more.

Aiko gulped.

“I—” she began, but Malcolm’s phone rang and he fished it from his pocket.

“Yes?” Malcolm, paused, listened, thanked the caller, and hung up, putting the phone back in his pocket.

“No fucking today I’m afraid,” he said, walking to the office door. “Come, we’ve got to go see Bryce.”

“What?” Aiko said, rising on embarrassingly shaky legs. “Why?”

“Because,” said Malcolm. “He’ll want to know. His sister Daisy’s been spotted in Michigan.”

“Oh that’s great news,” Aiko said, following Malcolm out the door.

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. It seems she might be pregnant.”

“Shit.”

“Indeed.”

O
livia Devon lives
in the American Southwest with her lovely husband, cheeky teenager and entirely too many animals. When not writing, she can be found reading, gaming, or watching the latest thrilling episode of whatever HBO series is currently dominating her fancy. She drinks 
a lot
 of tea.

I
write books
. Some of them are naughty. Others are more well behaved. ;)

Email:  [email protected]

Website: www.oliviadevon.com/

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A
Little Bit
Broken (Serial)

Book One

Book Two

Book Three

Book Four

Book Five (coming soon)

M
anhattan Lux (Series
)

Bind

And lots more coming soon…

T
hanks to my readers
! You are the reason I do this!

H
UGE thanks
to my editor Dayna. This book is better because of you!

T
hanks to dear
friend Sidney Bristol for her constant enthusiasm for this book. Your kind words cheered me on.

T
hanks to Mary
—friend, critique partner, sounding board, and beta listener. Love ya. *mwah*

T
hanks
to my husband who lets me steal his jokes. Wyatt and you have quite a bit in common, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. ;)