Sleeping With the Boss (11 page)

Claire’s arms tightened around his body and she let out an excited squeal when they passed a large bush in front of the house two doors down from his. “Whoa! Did you see that bunny? There was a bunny! Like the hoppy, cute, white-tailed kind.”

“There are lots of them.” He turned into his driveway and parked the bike under the overhang in front of the garage. “Off you go.”

His body felt cool where her arms and thighs had been. He got off and flipped down the kickstand as she walked out to the middle of the yard to check out his house. He held his breath, waiting for her verdict. The last time he’d brought a woman here, it hadn’t gone well. Beth was less than impressed.

“Wow. This is perfect. It’s your family’s?”

He almost laughed. The Anderson Foundation would never invest in a small, restored, historic home. Islands, high rises, Riviera condos? Yes. Long Island bungalow? No. “It’s all mine.”

Claire made no attempt to hide her enthusiasm over the house and it made him want to kiss her right there under the porch lights in view of the neighbors. But he didn’t. He planned to take it slow this time.

“I love this, Will. No wonder you don’t like coming into the office.”

“Want to see the inside?”

She bounced on her toes and nodded. Claire was excited, and it made him feel alive for the first time in years.

She ran her fingers over everything she passed as if committing it to memory—counters, furniture, cabinets—as he gave her a tour of the house including the kitchen, dining area, living room, office, guest room, and his bedroom. Only, she didn’t run her fingers over anything in his bedroom. She clasped her hands in front of her as if resisting the urge, but her eyes kept straying to his big king-size bed. So did his. Time to change the unspoken subject screaming at them through libido-powered speakers.

“There are swans in the pond out back,” he said.

“Swans?” she squealed.

That broke the bedroom spell
, he thought with a smile, pleased by her enthusiasm. “My lot backs up to a big neighborhood pond, and a family of swans has set up camp in my yard. A grown pair and three cygnets.”

“Can I see?” She charged out of the bedroom and headed straight for the back porch door.

He caught up with her before she opened it. “Not at night. It upsets them, but you can see them sometime in the daytime.”

She turned to face him and stood very still. “Maybe I can see them in the morning…”

There was nothing in the world he wanted more than to have her spend the night. Nothing. The problem was that he had decided to take it slow this time. “I didn’t bring you here to have sex. I’m interested in more than that. I want us to be friends. To get to know each other better. We’ve been given a do-over. I want to play it differently this time.”

“You can’t be serious,” she said, arms crossed over her ribs.

Part of him wanted to deny it. To carry her straight to his bed, rip off her clothes, warm her up until she screamed, then bury himself inside her until the world went away. But he couldn’t. She needed time. “I’m dead serious. If you feel the same tomorrow, we’ll renegotiate.”

“Well, negotiations are my forte, Mr. Anderson. You’ve met your match. Come tomorrow, I’ll show no mercy.”

He grinned. “I’m counting on it, Miss Maddox. I’ll take you home now.” He pulled the motorcycle key out and gestured for her to lead the way, but she didn’t budge.

“Oh, come on. It’s late and we’re tired. I’d really like to stay.”

It was a long drive, and the round trip would be miserable. Still, he wanted to prove his sincerity in taking it slow, and having her here all night would make that close to impossible. Maybe he’d drop her off and then sleep at the office. “You staying is a terrible idea.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Why? Do you think you can’t control yourself?”

Pretty much, yeah.
“Of course I can. It’s
your
self-control I worry about,” he teased.

She walked past him to the bedroom, wandered over to his bed, sat on the edge, and slipped off her shoes. “I have an iron resolve. Do your best.”

He sat next to her. “Really, Claire. It’s a bad idea.”

“Going home is a bad idea. Even if it were only a block away, I wouldn’t want to go back there tonight. I want to stay here with you, surrounded by your arms rather than my grandparents’ stuff and the memories of their suffering. I’m leaving soon.” She took a deep breath and gave a helpless shrug. “We don’t have to mess around, I just don’t want to be alone.”

Neither did he. He’d been alone way too long. “Deal.”

Her grin was worth the self-restraint he was going to have to summon to make it through this.

After digging up an extra toothbrush from his cabinet for her, checking into the security status of the other Anderson properties, and rolling his bike into the garage, Will changed into gym shorts in the bathroom as a layer of insurance. Sleeping in the nude like he usually did would not help at all. Hell, the shorts wouldn’t really help either, he realized, staring down at the woman he’d dreamed about sharing this bed with since he’d met her. Only in his dreams, she wasn’t wearing warm-up pants and a T-shirt. And she wasn’t sound asleep, like she was now.

Part of him was glad she’d drifted off before he joined her. It made her easier to resist, which was getting harder to do; the reasons to resist made less sense every minute.

In the blue moonlight coming through his window, he studied her beautiful face. She’d curled up on her side near the far edge of the bed, facing out. Her hand was tucked under her chin and her gold hair was fanned out on her pillow, spilling onto the mattress. He quelled the urge to run his fingers through it.

Calm, easy breaths came through her parted lips, which he wanted to kiss as much as anything he’d ever wanted in his life. But he didn’t. He needed to earn her trust back. And going back on his word wasn’t the way to do that.

He slid under the covers on the opposite side of the bed, focusing on her even, relaxed breathing. “You’re a rainbow, Claire,” he whispered right before he drifted off to sleep himself.

Chapter Twelve

Will remained perfectly still until he got his bearings—a habit left over from his days in the Marines. At some time during the night, Claire had snuggled against him, and at that moment, the feel of her was setting off alarm bells and waking every part of him.

More than one alarm was going off, he realized, as a shrill chime sounded from her side of the bed. She murmured something under her breath and grabbed her phone from the nightstand, silencing it. “Freaking Heather won’t leave me alone,” she said, shoving the phone under her pillow and rolling back against him again, filling him with a red-hot desire that made his pulse hammer and his cock swell. All his fine intentions of going slow seemed silly now. Ludicrous, actually. “What time is it?” he asked.

“Just after two,” she answered.

“Technically, tomorrow. Time to negotiate, Miss Maddox.”

“I have a proposal for you.” She pushed back against him and he groaned as her hot body pressed against his erection. “I take that vocalization as an acceptance of my proposal, Mr. Anderson?”

He slid his hand under her shirt and cupped a breast. “Your proposal meets my approval, and is accepted with enthusiasm.”

“You’re lifting the ban?”

He rolled her to her back. “Yes. I’m lifting the ban…and the covers.” He threw them off. “And your shirt.” He pulled the bottom of her shirt up, exposing her breasts, then ran his fingers over her amazing, soft skin before following with his tongue. She made a gratifying moan and squirmed. “And these pants need to go as well,” he said, untying the cord that held them in place. He pulled them, along with her thong, down to her ankles. “In fact, let’s get straight to business and just get naked. What do you say?”

“I like the way you think,” she said, ripping the shirt over her head and kicking the pants the rest of the way off.

“I like the way you think, too, but right now, I also like the way you look.” She was absolutely beautiful stretched out on his bed wearing nothing but a sexy smile and her socks. He ran a hand from her throat, trailing slowly between her breasts down to her belly button and back up again, forcing himself to take it slow.

He trailed his fingers down her body again, enjoying how her muscles tightened and her breaths became shallow and rapid. He loved the way she reacted to his touch.

Her voice was breathy. “I think our collaboration is working very well so far. What do you think, Mr. Anderson?”

“Best project I’ve ever worked on,” he said, leaning over to run his tongue over her nipple. It took everything in him to not roll on top of her and move things as fast as his body wanted. He was almost crazy from need.

“Lose those shorts,” she said. “Because I need you inside me, like quick. Like
now
.”

He chuckled. She felt the same urgency he did. “Feeling bossy, are you?”

She sat up and pushed him onto his back, her intent to take charge and move things along clear. Amused, he laced his fingers behind his head and relaxed—well, most of him relaxed. “I think you should be in charge of this project for a while. It’s your turn to be the boss, Miss Maddox.”

“Position accepted,” she replied in a husky, throaty tone that made him even harder. She lifted the elastic from his body enough to get the shorts over his aching cock, and to his delight, she stopped, mid-thigh, and simply stared at him as if she’d opened a present. The unguarded lust on her face made his balls tighten in anticipation. Thank God for the spy, whomever it was. Had it not been for her, his brothers wouldn’t have called him into the office and she wouldn’t be here right now.

“This project has moved beyond the planning stage, Mr. Anderson.” She pulled his shorts off the rest of the way and pitched them over her shoulder with a grin.

Heaven. He’d absolutely died and gone to heaven, he thought as she crawled up the bed over his body and then straddled him. She made a raspy sigh as their naked skin met for the first time. He closed his eyes and reveled in the sensation of her slick heat. Then she placed her hands on his chest, and rubbed forward and back. Too much. He didn’t want to lose it. He grabbed her pelvis and stilled her, then reached down and pressed his thumb against her in just the right place, and she groaned.

He stroked in small circles, the way he knew she liked it, and she threw her head back, resuming her forward-and-back action until both of them were close to the edge.

“Drawer,” he managed to say.

He didn’t stop making circles with his thumb as she stretched to the side, opened the drawer of the nightstand, and pulled out a small box. “You are very distracting,” she said. “Is this what you wanted?”

“Yes.”

She resumed her rocking motion and he found himself gasping for breath. “Open it.”

“Oh, no. I’m in charge.
You
open it,” she said, never breaking her tempo.

He grabbed the box and after several failed attempts to open the flap, growled in frustration. His fingers didn’t work with her grinding on him like that.

She giggled. “Need some help?”

“God, yes.” He pounded his fists into the mattress on either side of her knees in mock frustration and she laughed. He loved her laugh.

She easily opened the box, pulled out a package, and tore it open. Will had never considered a condom sexy, but Claire made it the most erotic experience ever, when she studied every nuance of the act as she rolled it on. Once in place, she met his eyes and winked.

“You make me crazy,” he said, dropping his head back on the pillow.

“I’m just getting started.” She moved up his body, pausing to run her tongue over his nipples on the way up, and his body bucked beneath her.

Her lips met his in a hungry kiss and she positioned herself directly over him again. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down so that their bodies touched all the way to where her slick heat met his hardness.

“Please, Claire.” It took everything in him not to roll her under him and thrust inside her at last. This was her show, though. Her turn. He gritted his teeth and held on as she pushed upright again.

Then she wrapped her hand around him and positioned her body perfectly to make it happen. She barely pushed down, just enough for the tip of him to enter, then froze. Her voice was breathy and he knew she was close, just like he was. “So, I’m thinking that maybe some renegotiations are in order. Another organizational meeting, maybe?”

Will took both hands and pushed down on her hips and she laughed, then gasped as he filled her. “Negotiate this, please,” he whispered.

She put her palms on his shoulders, eyes closed, balancing with him only half in. “Wow.”

Wow
was right. Nothing had ever felt as good as this. He took a shuddering breath as she pressed down, letting him fill her more, moving in small pulses until he thought he might die from pleasure. She repositioned her knees and he ran his thumb over her again. Her body tightened and he couldn’t stand it anymore. He thrust up against her and she moaned. The look on her face alone would drive him to madness. Head thrown back, eyes closed, she smiled as her body adjusted to accommodate more of him. Then, finally, she relaxed her thigh muscles and sank down on him completely with a groan.

“Holy shit,” he rasped.

“Mmmm” was her response. Well, that and a tightening deep inside.

“Claire. If you don’t move, I will have survived two tours of duty only to die in this bed.”

She opened her eyes and began a slow, rocking rhythm that brought him so close to the edge he got light-headed. Then she leaned forward, hands on his shoulders, changing the angle so her body rubbed against him with each stroke and her pace increased. Never had he seen anything as sexy as Claire riding him and discovering how to bring herself the most pleasure using both of their bodies. He reached up and ran his fingertips over her nipples and she jerked, interrupting her rhythm momentarily, then he placed his palms against her, letting her rub against him at her own pace and pressure.

“Oh, man. I don’t know if this is doing it for you, Will, but it certainly is doing it for me.” She didn’t open her eyes, but her rhythm increased to the point he had trouble holding back.

Fuck yeah, it was doing it for him. Nothing could be this good. Nothing. He’d never felt this right in his entire life as she ground her body against him while he filled her completely. There was something about this woman that touched his soul and made him want to be better. “Let go,” he whispered. “Let me see you shatter.” He pinched her nipples and she ground forward and back one last time before she went off, almost taking him right along with her. But he held out, not wanting to miss a single second of her pleasure. On and on it went while her body clenched around his, driving him wild.

…

Right as the most fantastic orgasm in her life was fading, Claire found herself flipped on her back with Will on top, smiling down at her. Dang, he was beautiful, all tan skin and muscles. And hard. So hard inside her.

Then he started to move, slowly at first, gaining speed and power as he went. She closed her eyes and marveled at his strength as he worked over her, pumping harder and harder until she thought she might scream. She dug her heels into the mattress and changed the angle so that he went even deeper. Then pushed up, meeting him thrust for thrust.

“My, God, Claire,” he grated out, still pounding into her.

He was hitting just the right spot to drive her over the edge again, and she willed herself there eagerly, raking her nails down his back. “Yes,” she said as her next orgasm hovered just out of reach. This was more than physical. The intensity of their coming together was because it was
him
. This amazing man who made her feel special and who took her places she’d never been before, and she wanted to take him there with her this time. “Yes,” she said louder, as the stars began behind her eyelids. “Will, now!”

A strangled groan came from deep within his chest as he drove into her all the way and stayed there, pulsing deep inside her. Wave after wave of pleasure rocked through her as they came together, all sweat, and pressure, and heavy breathing.

They stayed like that, joined as deeply as possible, until Will lowered on his elbows and kissed her forehead. Breathing hard still, they stared at each other. She could gaze into his clear blue eyes 24-7 and never get tired of it—or him, especially if he agreed to make her feel like this again.

Everything in her was satisfied and warm. She’d never imagined sex could be like this. Maybe it wasn’t the sex. She was pretty sure it was the man who made the experience so earth-shaking.

He pulled out, rolled over, and wrapped her in his arms. An emptiness filled her, not only in her body where she keenly felt his absence, but in her heart. She’d never get enough of him in the time they had left together. Egypt was no longer an escape; it was a burden.