Naked (27 page)

She snorted. “You think you’re that great?”

“I know I am.” He winked. “You’ve said so yourself.”

Things settled between them, the tension lessening. He finally took the opportunity to look around and he was surprised when he found a cot in the corner.

“You have a bed in your office?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“Get your mind out of the gutter.” His innuendo put a smile on her face. “I just got it out of storage. I’m too busy to even waste ten minutes commuting.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s pathetic.”

“This from the man who commutes over an hour each way every day?
You
should be using the damn cot.”

“Now that you’ve offered.” He pushed off the desk and stalked over, dropping his body down with a bounce. The springs squeaked under him.

“Get off there.” She followed him, reaching out, most likely to pull him up, but he beat her to the punch. He grabbed her hand and twirled her around so she fell on his lap.

She squealed, but he held her close, wrapping his arms around her body to hold her in place.

Immediately he hardened. Just the feel of her in his arms and all of the sexy memories he’d been trying to suppress came flooding back.

“We can’t do this here.” Her words said one thing, but her body softened in his arms with the touch of his finger down her cheek. “This is inappropriate.”

“Then why does it feel right?”

He nuzzled her neck, the familiar fabric of her scarf caressing his face. She shivered, and a hard gulp sounded from her throat. “We made a deal. Only four weeks.” She whimpered and grabbed at the fabric of his pants when he licked at her earlobe. “Four weeks is up.”

“What if I want more than four weeks?”

She shook her head. He had the feeling it wasn’t for his benefit, but for her own. To remind herself to stay strong and keep him at bay.

“We’re not supposed to know about each other. I did things with you…” She gasped when his hand grazed her breast. “I did those things with you because I thought I’d never see you again.”

“This is fate, Violet.”

“There’s no such thing. Your decisions determine your future.”

There was something cryptic in her words. Something about more than their relationship. Had the accident somehow skewed her outlook on the world?

“This is not fate, Noah.” She turned to look him in the eye. “This is a nightmare.”

Maybe he’d read too much into their encounters. Although he was willing to let it go, give up at the end of the four weeks as he’d agreed, a part of him wanted to see where this might lead.

She sighed, finally relaxing in his arms. “You really had no idea who I was? Violet isn’t a common name.”

“Honestly, the guys on the site don’t call you Violet.”

He wasn’t going to repeat the names he’d heard on-site. She’d just finished telling him about the double standard she’d experienced while working in this business. He wasn’t going to add to it.

“This is insane.” She managed to break away from his grip and walked back to her desk. She slumped in her seat, her long legs and super-high heels taunting him from the other side of the room.

He’d never been able to resist her taunting. He stood and went to join her at the desk, but she held out her hand to stop him. “Don’t get close.”

Maybe she was just as helpless as he was when it came to resisting the sexual pull between them.

“Because you know you won’t be able to stop yourself if I touch you? Just like I can’t stop myself. It’s good between us, Violet.”

It was better than good. It was erotic. Sexy. Satisfying. And she was fun.

“I do want you. Of course I want you. God, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I left the tattoo shop, but I have to stop. I promised myself I’d stop.”

She was genuinely terrified of her feelings. It was written all over her face and in her shaky voice. But her deer-caught-in-headlights look wasn’t going to force him into giving up.

“Who has to know?”

She sighed, her shoulders finally easing away from her ears. She lifted her hand, pointing at him as she said, “All you have to do is look at me like that and
everyone
will know.”

He laughed. “And how am I looking at you?”

“Like you want to bend me over this desk.”

He cocked his head, taking a few steps closer. “Partly right.”

Her hands gripped the sides of her chair and she squeezed her thighs together.

“I’m also thinking about fucking you up against that window.”

He pointed to the view. The sun was getting closer to the horizon with every minute, but there were still a couple of hours of daylight left.

He continued his walk across the room. “I’ve also been thinking about crawling under that desk and spreading your legs with my shoulders so I can—”

Her head fell back and she arched, her breasts jutting out, just out of reach.

“You want it, too.”

Her eyes flared and her nipples hardened. He saw the tight pebbles against her satin blouse. He knew without a doubt that if he shoved his hand between her legs, she’d be soaked.

He moved with slow strides until he was right in front of her. With one knee, he coaxed her legs open, and she let her thighs fall away.

“Before you came to the site, did you have a good day?”

She thought about it, and smiled. “I had a great day.” Pride washed over her face and she sat up straighter.

He reached out and circled one tight nipple with his index finger. He saw the gooseflesh break out across her arms from under the sleeve of her blouse.

She was still tense, still stiff in her chair, but she allowed him to explore. When he touched the other nipple, her legs widened, and he saw it, the tiniest pump of her hips.

He was getting to her.

He fingered the line of her skirt across her stomach, tracing the shiny fabric of her blouse until she arched her back and whimpered.

He reached out, gripped the edge of her skirt in his hand, and pulled up. Without having to ask, she shimmied her body in the chair so that it slipped under her bottom, exposing pink satin panties.

“Good girl.”

“What are you doing to me?” she whispered. Her head moved from side to side against the headrest as he traced circles against her inner thigh.

“Exactly what you want.”

She’d still not moved her hands, as if she was afraid to touch him. And she should be. He was treading on thin ice as it was. He wanted to make this good for her. His erection pressed against his pants, but he had to ignore it for now.

“Take them off,” he commanded.

“You want them off, you take them off,” she countered, a defiant look on her face.

He grinned. “That’s not how this works, Violet.” He grazed the apex of her thighs with the tip of one finger. “You want an orgasm, you do as I say.”

“What if I don’t want an orgasm?”

“Sweet Violet.” He reached out, tracing the line of her jaw. “We both know that’s a lie. You want an orgasm so badly, I can see you shaking.” She was. Her entire body shook with every swipe of his finger on her face.

“Now, take. Them. Off.”

She whimpered, and let her head fall to the side away from him. She bit her bottom lip, her hands still gripping the armrests.

“Have you ever had an orgasm in here before?”

She shook her head.

“You never touched yourself in here thinking about a man?” He squeezed between her legs and slipped his hand inside the satin panties. She shivered and straightened in the seat, but only to give him greater access. “You’ve never touched this pussy thinking about someone’s face between your legs?”

“Fuck…Noah.”

She swiveled in her chair. Grabbing his shoulders, she pushed him down to his knees, pressing his head between her legs.

“How do you want it, baby? My cock. My lips. My fingers.” He slipped the satin down her legs. “Anything as long as you’re shuddering in my arms.”

She guided his face to her pussy and she rubbed her slit against his mouth, up and down until he stuck out his tongue and licked a line between her folds.

“That’s it, baby. Take it.”

She moaned, her head falling back and her hands gripping his head harder, pressing his mouth closer to her sex.

“Noah…”

He sucked her clit into his mouth and lapped his tongue in steady strokes. She released her grip, but he reached out and returned her hands to his head.

Her fingers curled, her nails biting into his skin. Without hair to grab on to, she pressed the pads of her fingers to his head and moved his face up and down her folds.

“Yes, yes, yes…” Her eyes were focused on what he was doing between her legs. Locking onto those eyes, those sweet, fiery eyes, was enough to make him come in his pants. He knew one slight swipe of her hand against him would make him explode. But this wasn’t about him.

He let her ride his mouth, his tongue and lips doing their best to bring her over the edge. But he was really following her lead. She took control, clamping her legs to both sides of his face and grinding her body against him. Taking. Using. Seeking pleasure and sating the desperate need to break apart from the inside out.

Her orgasm didn’t take long. One minute she was riding his face, the next she went rigid. The only indication she was still coherent were the convulsions of her legs beside his head and the muffled curses she spoke into her shoulder.

When her body eased, she slumped against the leather, her eyes still closed. “That was great,” she said between heavy pants, shaking her head in disbelief. He loved that he had the ability to make her come undone. “And so fucking inappropriate.”

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, loving how she tasted on his lips. “That brain of yours is always thinking.”

Although she was right. But what could really happen if people found out about their relationship? Whatever kind of relationship this was. They’d met outside of work with no knowledge of their real identities. He would never start a fling with the woman he worked for. Would he?

At this point, he just didn’t know. Because there was something about Violet that made him want to break all his rules. And even if he’d known she was his boss, he didn’t think he’d have been able to stop himself from pursuing her.

“This brain of mine is now in charge of my family legacy and I’m terrified.”

That was the most honest she’d ever been with him.

She sighed, absentmindedly running her fingers over his jaw. “Now every time I spend the night here all I’ll be able to think about is you.”

“Then my plan worked.”

He wished she’d be more open. Trust him with whatever she was hiding. Although he knew it had something to do with the accident, there had to be more to the story, more than what the gossip mill had conjured.

He might not be close to getting her to open up, but for right now, he’d settle for being able to put a smile on her face. And as selfish as it sounded, there was something settling, comforting, about her smile. Something that pulled at his heartstrings and tethered him to her even tighter.

Tonight he’d proven that her willpower was just as weak as his. But if putting that smile on her face was the result of giving in to temptation, he’d settle for being the weakest man in the world.

Chapter 22

Violet knocked twice on the door and opened it when Harper’s larger-than-life voice begged her entry, but she stopped short when she caught sight of her, almost half-naked, with Ari taking her picture.

“I’m sorry. Luke said I could—”

“Ya.” Harper waved her to enter. “I told him to let you back here.”

Violet looked between Harper and Ari, unsure of what was going on. Harper may not have had a client in the room, but it was no less intimate.

“We’re just shooting some pictures for a new advertisement for the shop.”

Harper was straddling a chair backward. Her pink hair was styled in a retro look, like a 1940s pinup girl. Her eyes were heavily lined with black liner, her lips were blood red, and she wore the cutest sailoresque outfit Violet had ever seen.

Ari placed the camera on the table. “I’ll get out of your hair.” When he passed Violet, he leaned down and whispered, “Hello again.” His eyes were the most interesting mix of green and blue. In this light, they looked purple.

“Hi…Ari.” He didn’t hide his languid perusal of her body, but it wasn’t desire. It felt like he was trying to figure out her secrets.

“What can I do for you?”

Violet startled at Harper’s words.

“I just…” That intense moment with Ari had her head foggy. “Things are getting way out of hand.”

“Have a seat.” Harper patted the spot on the chaise lounge next to where she was sitting. “What happened?”

She made her way to the lounger, slowly lowering her butt to the red velvet. “Have you heard from Noah lately?”

Harper shook her head. “Not since Sunday.” Confusion settled on her face. “Why?”

She grunted. “Then you haven’t heard the good news.” There was no mistaking the sarcasm in her voice, but Harper didn’t bite.

“Remember how you told me that I could trust Noah to show him my…stuff.” Violet strummed her fingers on her thigh while Harper acknowledged her with a nod of her head. “Well, I chickened out and I couldn’t do it.”

Harper rubbed Violet’s back in a compassionate gesture. “It’s all right.”

Violet straightened, pushing Harper’s hand off her body. “It
is
all right that I didn’t show Noah. Young.” She stressed his last name. “For the record, I just learned his last name yesterday when I visited my construction site and there he was…hard hat and steel-toed boots and…”

The first man on a construction site you actually wanted to jump.

Just the memory of him made her skin warm and her heart flutter.

“What do you mean your construction site? Do you…” Her eyes widened. “Holy shit.”

Violet leaned forward, cradling her head in her hands. “My last name is Walker. As in Walker Industries. As in the company that signs Noah’s paychecks.” The breakfast she’d eaten on the way down here threatened to make an appearance. “As in I had sex with my employee and he wants to continue to have sex.”