Resignation (7 page)

“Darina? Darina, is that guard bothering you?” Both Sol and
Darina turned to scowl at Marc. He was walking toward them, despite Heather
holding on to his arm in an attempt to pull him away. “You there, what’s your
name? You had no business on that elevator. I want to know your and your
supervisor’s name right now.”

Darina’s eyes widened and she reflexively put her hand on
Sol’s arm. The look on Marc’s face instantly told her the move was a mistake.
Jealousy and anger flashed in his gaze and it completely threw her off guard.

“Sol, perhaps you should go back behind the desk—”

“No, Darina. It’s all right. I did nothing wrong.”

“What the hell is going on? You two seem awfully familiar
with each other,” Marc said angrily.

Darina looked from him to Sol then finally at Heather. The
absurdity of his statement almost made her laugh, but suddenly she was too
pissed off.

Hypocritical asshole.

“What the hell does is matter, Marc? It’s not as if you can
say a damn thing about office relationships,” she blurted.

Marc and Heather gaped at her sudden outburst, but she also
noted Sol’s look of pride. It warmed her and gave her the courage to lift her
chin and give Marc the most defiant look she could muster. He stopped walking
toward them and suddenly seemed to notice Heather hanging on his arm.

“Um, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. This man
hasn’t worked here very long.”

Heather dropped her hand from his arm and huffed out
angrily.

“I’ve been here nearly eleven months, Mr. Powell,” Sol
answered.

He appeared more relaxed and Darina breathed easier.

“Yes, Marc. He’s proven to be a trustworthy security guard.
What’s the issue?” Heather asked.

The ire in her voice seemed to get Marc’s attention better
than anything else and he visibly paled.

“Nothing, sweetheart. Nothing at all. Ready to go?”

Darina watched carelessly as he wrapped an arm around
Heather’s shoulders and guided her to the front door.

Was it only a week ago that same sight turned me into a
weeping mess of self-pity?

Now she only felt relief as Heather pulled him out the door,
and hopefully out of her life for good. Marc obviously hadn’t been meant for
her. She was suddenly grateful for discovering that before it was too late.

Sol moved away from her and she turned to watch him step
behind the security desk. He shuffled through some paperwork without saying a
word. It was after five and he was supposed to accompany her home. The plan was
for him to stay at her house tonight since he had to work for a few hours the
next morning. She watched as he slowly finished up his tasks for the day,
almost seeming reluctant to leave with her. A surge of panic and overwhelming
dread threatened to burst her calm.

Everything’s fine. He just has some things to finish.

“Sol? Are you almost done?”

Her quiet voice held a hint of uncertainty that twisted his
guts. He didn’t want her to be upset because of him. Bad enough that asshole
Marc was playing around with her emotions, he sure as hell wouldn’t stoop so
low. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning to face her.

“Yeah. Just give me a second to brief Andy and I’ll walk you
out.”

They’d spent the past three days acting as if he only walked
her to her car on his way out. He then led her to his house, each in their own
vehicle. Office gossip was terrible at the firm, and Darina worried about Sol
losing his job. He’d assured her it wouldn’t be a problem. His supervisor liked
him and Sol took his job very seriously. He felt confident an office fling
wouldn’t mar his perfect record.

He finished up with Andy quickly and headed to the front
doors where she stood looking out the glass with her back to him. He slowed
down to admire the perfect view as long as possible before reaching her.

How did I get so damn lucky?

Placing a hand at her lower back, he nudged her forward,
ignoring the glance she shot over her shoulder. He was afraid if he looked into
her cocoa eyes he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from pulling her into a
kiss. His supervisor would overlook a lot of things, but kissing in the foyer
wasn’t one of them.

They stepped into the night air and walked to their cars in
silence. Sol tried to fight the possessive jealousy still lingering from the
episode on the elevator. Unfortunately he couldn’t get the image of Darina
backed into a corner of the elevator, Marc standing angrily in front of her,
from his mind. He’d known she was on that elevator when he watched Marc step
onto it from the third floor. Before he could even think about it, he was
walking around the desk and heading for the door. He knew exactly how long it
would take to reach the ground floor. The moment the doors opened he searched
for her, almost afraid of what he would find.

Seeing Marc angry had been a relief. He knew the man wasn’t
the violent type and Darina would never goad him into actually hitting her.
What his overactive imagination kept telling him, as the seconds ticked by and
the elevator doors remained closed, was quite different. Sol’s fear had been of
finding them in an embrace. Every time he looked at her beautiful lips he
barely restrained himself from stealing a taste. He didn’t know what he
would’ve done if Marc felt the same way. One thing was for certain, he wouldn’t
have given a damn about his job.

I would’ve beaten the hell out of him without a second
thought. Damn, I’m getting way too attached here.

Darina had sensed the shift in Sol’s mood from the moment
she had turned her attention away from him to Marc. She wished she could undo
whatever action had upset him, but she had no clue which it had been.

Does he know I was trying to protect him?

Marc could easily cost Sol his job and there wouldn’t be a
damn thing either of them could do about it. Sol didn’t seem angry exactly, but
he certainly wasn’t happy either. She would’ve given up chocolate for a year to
be able to hear his thoughts as they walked out to the parking lot.
Unfortunately no one was offering that deal and Sol seemed so lost in thought
she was surprised he remembered to open her door for her.

She mumbled her thanks and moved to slip into her car when
he gently grabbed her arm and stopped her. She turned to look at him and found
herself pulled into his embrace, his warm lips capturing hers in a hungry kiss.
He moaned and she echoed it as his tongue slid against hers and his arms
tightened around her. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers,
panting slightly.

“Darina, I’m sorry if I upset you back there.”

His apology confused her, but before she could question him
he turned her around and gently pushed her into the car. She went willingly,
tucking herself in so he could close her door. He smiled at her through the
window and mouthed “see you soon” before heading to his truck. She watched him
walk away before putting on her seat belt and turning the key in the ignition.
She had no clue why he’d apologized but relief filled her at seeing him smile.

We have all night to straighten it out.

Chapter Five

Sol closed the front door and locked it, then turned to find
Darina facing him with a wary look on her face.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked quietly, stepping toward her
slowly with his hands stretched out as if she were a frightened animal.

He almost expected her to scurry away like one, or to yell
at him for his behavior in the foyer. She bit her bottom lip and it took all of
his control to keep from pulling her close enough for him to do the same. He
stopped a breath away, leaving the final millimeter up to her. If she wasn’t
angry and wanted to be in his arms, he had them ready to receive her. Somehow
he feared they were about to have their first official fight.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?”

There was something in her voice he couldn’t quite place. He
widened his stance and clasped his hands behind his back to keep from grabbing
her. They needed to have this discussion without the distraction of sex.

“You seem upset. Did I make you mad when I interfered on the
elevator?”

Surprise lit her face, but he didn’t know if it was a good
sign or not.

“Um, no, not exactly. I mean, I wasn’t angry with you for
interfering between me and Marc. I’m just worried about you losing your job.
Remember, I have something else lined up if I go off the deep end with him. You
don’t…do you?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No, I don’t.”

“Well, see? You need to keep your temper with him, even if
he is a complete dumbass.”

He chuckled and finally gave in to the urge to pull her into
his arms. He breathed in the scent of her hair and closed his eyes as she
wrapped her slender arms around him. He squeezed her for a second just to show
her how much he enjoyed holding her, then pulled back to look in her eyes.

“I promise to keep my temper so I don’t lose my job. Okay?”

Her smile lit up her face, stealing his breath. He leaned
down and kissed her, the last of his control finally slipping away.

So beautiful. So perfect.

“Why did you do it?” she asked as he drifted from her mouth
down to the side of her neck.

He rubbed his lips against her skin and he tried to think of
what she was talking about.

“Do what?”

“Grab Marc like that on the elevator. How long had the doors
been open?”

He ran both hands down her back to squeeze her ass. He loved
filling each hand with one delectable cheek as he gently ground his erection
against her.

“Only a second or two. But I couldn’t stand the thought of
you on that elevator with him…alone.”

He let her digest his declaration as he kissed along her
collarbone, bringing one hand forward to unbutton her blouse. She was holding
on to his shoulders, not helping in any way, but not stopping him either. He
tried not to worry.

“H-how did you know we were on the elevator together? Were
you watching me on the monitors?”

“Yes. Every day for the past ten months I’ve watched you
round the corner to wait for the elevators at just a few minutes past five.
Then I wait for what feels like an eternity to see you walk out of that metal
box and come past my desk. I love it when you lose your name badge. That’s when
I know I’ll get to speak to you both in the morning and the afternoon.”

She shivered as he pushed her blouse off her shoulders and
pulled down a bra strap. One perfect nipple popped into view and he immediately
devoured it, making her moan.

“Sol…I… Oh, I can’t think when you’re doing that.”

“Don’t think. Just feel what I’m doing to you.”

She shivered again as he released the clasp on her bra in
one swift move. He suckled the other nipple with the same rapt attention he’d
given the first.

“Sol, you don’t have to worry about Marc. I don’t want him
anymore, even if he decided he didn’t want Heather.”

“I don’t want to talk about Marc.”

“I…oh my God…I d-don’t either, but—”

“But nothing. Darina, just relax and let me love you.”

She gasped but he kept going. He hadn’t meant to use that
particular word but this felt like so much more than just sex, and he’d be
damned if he’d use any of the other crude analogies to name the magic between
them.

This is love, or will be soon. I’d be a fool to deny it.

The groping reached another level and he finally gave in to
the urge to lift her into his arms. He carried her up the stairs to her bed and
gently placed her in the center. As he crawled over her, she ran her hands
through his thick hair, pulling ever so slightly and sending a shiver down his
spine. He loved it when she played with his hair. Hell, he loved it when she
played with his anything. Just having her hands on him was a pleasure he’d
never expected in his lifetime.

I’m so damn lucky.

He ran his lips softly over her skin, causing the flesh to
ripple in small bumps as he whispered endearments. He wanted to say all he felt
out loud. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, acknowledging to himself he
was falling in love with her. He paused over her bellybutton and let a smile
spread across his face at the thought. Yup, he was definitely falling in love
with her. Would he be able to hide it?

Do I truly want to?

He mentally shook his head at the thought and finished
licking his way south. Her moans grew louder, making his cock harder by the
heartbeat. He slipped a hand between her thighs and felt the moisture pooled
between her lips, all for him. He smiled as he raised himself up to slip on a
condom before aligning his rock-hard erection with her soft, glistening
entrance.

“Ready, kitten?”

“Yes. Oh, yes, Sol. Please, please, please.”

Warmth filled his chest at her words and the desire he heard
in them. He slid into her in one solid thrust, closing his eyes as his balls
pressed against her ass. He groaned and opened his eyes as he rested his elbows
on either side of her head.

“You don’t have to beg me, ever. Just tell me what you want
and I’ll always give it to you, I promise.”

She smiled up at him and his heart sped up in time with his
thrusting hips. He pumped into her heat while he devoured her lips. He loved
the mewling noises escaping unbidden from her as he nipped at her jaw. She was
so beautiful, his emotions welled up. Shaking his head at the unexpected
moisture in his eyes, he grabbed her thighs and pulled them over his hips for a
better angle. She thrashed her head back and forth, her brown curls cascading around
the pillow. He groaned as his climax approached, trying to hold off as long as
possible. He continued thrusting as he placed his thumb on her clit. She moaned
and bucked her hips harder. He moved his finger slowly and steadily, somehow in
a calmer rhythm than his hips. Within heartbeats she screamed his name.