Merger (23 page)

“Touché,” I replied and squeezed him tighter.

“I tell ya what we’ll do
. You can move to L.A. and we’ll send Jake to help run the New York office. Beth gets Jake and I get you. Win, win.” I looked astonished into his serious eyes. How simple it sounded and how quickly he’d put that idea together.

“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out
,” I said.

He put his forehead to mine, his breath warm against my face. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make you mine.” My chest started to swell and my heart felt full
. I put my hand to the nape of his neck and gently drew his bottom lip into my mouth. I needed to feel his mouth on mine. I wanted him to know I loved him, even though I’d tiptoed around directly saying it for days. He picked me up and pulled me close to his chest, my legs dangling and my body pressed against his as we kissed passionately.
Please never let this end.

Chapter 20

Joshua

I stared at her sleeping next to me
. The heat of her body felt warm next to mine, her hair messily lying across the pillow and her hands gently curled under her cheek. She looked peaceful and I felt my heart grow looking at her. I leaned closer to her and could smell her shampoo and the last remnants of her perfume. I’d spent the night making love to her, but could feel my cock start to thicken as I took in the scent of her. Today I’d be taking her home with me. I knew it was just two weeks and after that, I didn’t know what we’d do. I had planned to get a place in New York, but that was for the occasions I’d be in town. I hadn’t planned to make it a permanent situation. I loved my house in Malibu and I liked the feel and smell of the ocean just outside my door. I knew it would be hard to convince her to move, but I knew I didn’t want to spend another day without her.

I slid closer to her, nestling into her back, and sculpting my body to hers
. I placed my arm over her waist and pulled her body into mine. She stirred next to me and laced her fingers with mine. She moved her feet over mine and I was trying to figure out if there was any way to get her closer. I was falling in love with everything about her. Who was I fooling? I was in love with her
.
At what point had it happened? If I was honest, it was right from the start. The minute I laid eyes on her, I knew something was different. Was this what it was really all about to be in love? I was lost in K.K. and I never wanted to be found.

She rolled over, her face close to mine and she wrapped her arms around my chest and under my arms
.

“Good morning
,” she said, kissing my chin, and moving her head to nestle it into my neck.

“Good morning
,” I replied and kissed the top of her forehead. “So you ready to meet Daisy?”

“Daisy your dog
? Or is this another hot personal assistant I’m going to have to fire?” I could feel her cheeks rise on my neck so I knew she was smiling. I slapped her ass and she reared her head back. “Don’t you spank me? I’m still hiring the hottest male assistant in the city. As a matter of fact, I’m going to put an ad in the paper today,” she said.

“Ha. Ha.” I said
with sarcasm and pulled her back to me. “I spanked you because of that smart mouth of yours. Daisy’s my baby dog. I’m excited for you to meet her. If she likes you, you’re in.” She reached around and spanked me.

“You are kidding, right
? If your dog doesn’t like me, I’m out? Lucky for you, animals and children love me.”

I rolled onto my back pulling her across my chest
. “I bet. Now, let’s get up and get packed before I spread those sweet thighs of yours and have my way with you.” She slapped at my chest and I grabbed onto her, using my thigh to spread her legs, pushing my hardness against her. I rolled her over onto her back and settled between her legs. She swiped her tongue across her lips and I thought I was going to come on the spot.

“You are so
fucking hot. I swear to God.” I grunted into her mouth and pushed myself harder against her. She reached down and stroked her hand over my briefs and I could feel myself grow tight. “Oh baby, you’ve got to stop or we’ll never make that plane.” I leaned down, grabbed her lower lip gently with my teeth, and playfully pulled her mouth to mine.

“Wait a minute
,” she laughed. “Don’t we own that plane?”

“Yes we do, but if you want to call my
Dad and tell him we’re not going to be ready at eleven that’s cool,” I said.

“Point taken
,” she sighed.

I pulled the covers back and let her up, missing the warmth of her body instantly
. “You start getting yourself packed up and I’ve got to run downstairs and get my bags packed. I’ll be back in about thirty minutes. I need to shut Brian’s place up.”

“Sure.” She
bounced from the bed and walking to her closet.

I got up from the bed and slipped on my slack
s from the previous night, pulling my shirt over my head and grabbing my shoes in my hand. The marble floor was cold on my feet, but I didn’t feel like slipping on my shoes for a short elevator ride down. I kissed K.K. on the back of the head and walked downstairs to find my phone. I heard it ringing on the counter and walked over to answer it. Jake’s face lit up the phone. I slid my thumb across the screen to answer it.

“Hey, what’s up?” I said
, walking to the elevator.

“We’re leaving at eleven right?”
he asked.

“Yes
. You at the hotel?”

“Yes
. Don’t tell K.K., but Beth just left. We had a drink in the hotel bar and one thing lead to another and let’s just say, redheads have red pubic hair as well.” He laughed into the phone.

“T.M.I., Jake
. Whatever you do, don’t fuck around with K.K.’s best friend. She’ll have your balls for sure.”

I walked into Brian’s and
headed to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

“That’s why I don’t want you to mention it to her
. Let Beth do that if she wants. But I’ll let you know this…I like her. I think I’m going to try to come back in a couple of weeks. She’s super cool.”

“I agree
, just don’t be yourself if you know what I mean,” I said.

“I am not always the womanizer you make me out to be
, Josh. Hell, give me a chance man.” His voice was a bit tenser at my accusation.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t want Beth to get hurt
. I’ll never hear the end of it.” I felt like a dick, but Jake was known to have an insatiable appetite for women and none of them lasted too long.

“What about me
, man? What about me getting hurt? You’re a dick sometimes,” Jake said.

“Ya, well I’m sorry but you don’t have the best track record
. I’m not trying to be a dick. Honestly, Jake, you have the potential to be a great guy. You just need to quit thinking with your dick all the time.”

I walked up the stairs
and grabbed my garment bag, laying it across the bed. “I love you Jake, just don’t fuck us both up and that’s all I’ll say about it. We’re supposed to leave at eleven, and I’ve gotta get packed, so I’ll see you at the airport.”

“I get it about Beth, but really I like her, so don’t worry that pretty little head of yours
. See you at the airport.”

I went to put the phone on the nightstand when it rang again
. “Damn,” I said out loud, thinking I’d never get packed. I saw it was my Dad and answered, “Hey Dad. What’s up?”

“Nothing. I was just making sure you were going back with Jake and me
. I know that you and K.K. are trying to date and I didn’t know if you’d stay here for a few more days or head back to L.A.”

“I’m coming home and she’s coming with me
. She can work from the L.A. office for a couple of weeks and then we’ll see what we want to do from there.” I trailed off, hoping for his approval, and anxious to hear his reply.

“Wow son
. You really like her don’t you?”

“I’m crazy about her
. She could be
the
one,” I replied. It felt like such weird thing to say, but if I was honest about my feelings, I could absolutely see my future when I looked at her.

“Well in that case I’m happy for you…both of you
. I couldn’t have handpicked someone better. She’s an incredible woman. You’re a lucky man, son. I’ll see you both at the airport then. Flight leaves at eleven. Have you talked to your brother?”

“Yeah, he called right before you
. He’s good. He knows when we’re supposed take off. Listen Dad, I hate to cut you off, but I’ve got to get packed up and get back upstairs to help K.K. get her place shut up and get her things. We’ll see you at the airport.”

“Sure
, son. See you there.”

I’d laid everything out while I was talking and needed to put everything in my bags
. I laid a pair of jeans out on the chair beside the bed, my blue Polo shirt, my converse tennis shoes, and a pair of clean boxers. I finished packing my suitcase and grabbed my garment bag and toiletries. I put my bags by the door and went to make sure there wasn’t any food that would go bad in the fridge. I hadn’t been home much over the last several days and found that there wasn’t actually that much in the fridge. I grabbed a pen and pad from the drawer under the counter and wrote Brian a short note thanking him for letting me stay and that I’d be back in New York soon and we’d have to make time to catch up. I did one more run through and then when I felt that everything was in place and I hadn’t forgotten anything, I grabbed my bags and got on the elevator. I’d probably been more than thirty minutes, but I was sure like most women, I’d find her still milling about her closet deciding on what to actually bring. Honestly, I’d buy here an entirely new wardrobe just to have her come home with me. I was thrilled thinking of her in my home, in my bed.

I put my bags by the door and announced I was back
. She yelled from upstairs and I grabbed my clothes and made my way up the marble stairs that led me to the master bedroom. I walked in the room and saw two pieces of luggage and garment bag and at the end of her bed. She was already packed and stood naked in the doorway of the bathroom with a towel in her hand about to get in the shower.

“You’re packed?” I said with an astonished look on my face
.

“Why are you so surprised
? Wasn’t that what I was supposed to do?” she asked proudly, beaming with efficiency.

“Yes, but I thought you’d still be doing it
. I guess I’m just impressed, as always, by how incredibly efficient you are.” I walked to the edge of the bed, put my clothes down, and placed my tennis shoes on the floor.

I felt her hand on mine and turned to look at her in all her nakedness
. My eyes fell from her face to her bare breasts. I pulled her into me, taking her lips with a demanding kiss.

“Take a shower with me
,” she purred.

She led me from the side of the bed to the bathroom
. I couldn’t keep my eyes from traveling over her bare skin, her breasts bouncing slightly with each step. She released my hand and reached into the shower, turning the shower nozzle to the left and releasing the hot water. I’d started to unbutton my pants when she put her hands on mine, stopping them, and taking over the process of undressing me. She unzipped my pants and they fell around my ankles. I stepped out and kicked them to the side. Her soft cool hands moved under my shirt and trailed up my hot skin, as she pulled my shirt over my head. She folded it and laid it on the counter. I smiled at her and without a word, she’d guessed my reaction to her folding my shirt and me merely kicking my slacks to the side. She shook her head playfully at me. I reached to touch her and she stood on her toes to get closer to my face and mouth.

“I love your body
,” she said, kissing my chin and then my mouth. My body was hyperaware as she continued moving her hand across my sensitive skin.

She ran her fingers along the elastic waistband of my underwear
.

“I’ve noticed you wear boxers and briefs
. What’s that all about?” She continued pulling my underwear down, bending, then crouching to my ankles to get them off. When she came back up, she brushed her warm hand over my now, very erect, length. I shook my head, because my body was tense with desire.

“Sometime I let it hang loose, and other times I need to package it up tight
. It’s more about what I’m wearing. I always usually wear boxers with jeans and briefs with slacks,” I said.

“Very well thought out
,” she replied.

I pulled her into me, her nipples hard against my chest
. I kissed down her neck and lowered my head further, taking her nipple into my mouth and sucking into a tight peak. I moved over to the other one and could feel her head tip back and a soft moan escaped her mouth. I moved up her body, kissing her neck seeking her mouth. I cupped my hand to her right cheek and rubbed my thumb against her lips. I pulled her mouth to mine and our tongues glided together in a tangled dance.

My will breaking and my need for her consuming me, I picked her up and straddled her legs around my hips. I opened the door to the shower and walked us in
. Her arms were around my neck and as I breathed heavily into her ear. The water hit her back and she tilted her head back, letting it flow down her hair and slightly over her face. I held her firmly as she moved back against my chest licking at the opening of my mouth. I moaned into her kiss and plunged deep into her, filling her fully.

The water and steam engulfed us in a cloud of warmth and added to our already labored breathing
.

“Josh.” Her breath
was labored and low, and the only word that came out of her mouth as I steadied my rhythm into her. She drew my nipple into her fingers, working it into its own hard peak.

“I love the way you feel inside me
. You’re so big, it takes my breath away and stunts my senses.” I grinned and laughed at her words, while still inside the warmth of her body. She pulled at my neck, bringing my face to hers and kissed me hard. “Don’t you laugh at me? That’s the absolute last time I compliment your penis, mister.” I laughed again.