I hate disturbing her when she’s out so hard, but I need some sleep too and I know I’ll get way more rest with her cuddled next to me than alone. Gliding my arms under her limp body, I curl her against my chest and press my lips to her forehead when she jerks in confusion. “Shhhh. It’s just me. I’m taking you home.”
Drowsy brown eyes blink at me a few times, full of trust and conviction, and her brilliant smile only wanes a little as she drifts off again against my shoulder. Exhausted from her day of keeping me company, her primary job since I haven’t been able to figure out what the hell else to do with her that doesn’t involve me fucking her. If I’m honest with myself, I haven’t tried that hard because her hanging around my office is more than enough. All that I fucking need.
I like her telling me stories and asking me questions to learn about my business, at least the legal legit stuff I share with her. My favorite part is her snuggling into my lap while I endure long-ass annoying phone calls that are so much easier to tolerate with her in my arms. Hesitant at first from the intimacy, she sat stiff and proper. With me stroking her back and nuzzling her neck, it didn’t take her long to mold her tight body to mine as we sit in my leather chair.
Once midnight hit with her belly full of Mario’s magnificent steak and my favorite cabernet, she slipped into unconsciousness. Making her move into my house that much easier without any protest or argument. She never stirs during our car ride or the walk upstairs to my room until I lay her on the cold sheets. Damn it. I need to figure out a way to warm them before I take her to bed.
Speed racing through stripping down and brushing my teeth, I slide in behind her and contentment washes over me like a damn flood with her body melded to mine. Her hand caresses across my arm wrapped around her waist.
“Is it time to go home?”
“You already are.”
“Oh, okay.”
Like a kitten dozing in the balmy sun, she stretches and then curls into herself again while I curve around her. Realizing I’ve found paradise on earth with the only possibility for even more ecstasy is when I’m finally inside her. My frustrated dick pulses against her back. The need to fill her up with my cock and my come overwhelms me. I want her pregnant with my baby, solidifying a connection between us that can never be severed. I don’t want to share her though. Maybe the sentiment is different when it’s your own kid. This is a conundrum I never expected—to be jealous of a child who will love her and want her as much as I do. Later I’ll have to give that more thought. Right now, I’m going to enjoy her here with me for as long as I can keep her.
“Ares?”
I toss my razor onto the vanity and jet back into the bedroom, eager to dispel the terror sharpening her normally docile voice. She’s exquisite with her wild strands of hair poking out from her head in thick tufts and silky cheeks flooded with pink from her heavy sleep. She scrambles off the mattress before I can reach her as she scans the room in trepidation, uncertain what to do with the ambiguity of our situation frightening her.
The flush explodes to red as she catches sight of me wearing only my boxer briefs and the twisted sheets strewn across the bed and sunlight flooding the gray carpet.
“Oh my gosh! I slept here all night?”
“Yeah. It was too late to take you back to your place so I brought you here instead.” I step closer and she steps back, still fighting what we have, battling what we feel for each other, denying what we are. “Did you sleep well?”
I already know the answer. Both of us slept like the fucking dead with her snuggled into me. Not disturbing her in the least when I climbed out of bed for my workout earlier.
“Yes, but that doesn’t make it okay.”
“What’s wrong with it?” I move closer and this time she allows me to invade her space. Not resisting when I dip down and run my hands around her back. Or drag my lips across her clavicle. “I wanted you to be here. You seemed happy cuddling with me. Did you not like me holding you?”
That dazzling blush heating my skin makes me want to fuck her so damn bad.
“Yes, but…”
“But what?”
“I just met you two days ago, and I’m already in your bed. Common sense says that’s a bad idea.”
“Fuck common sense. I know what I want and you do too, even if you’re too scared to admit it.”
She can’t seem to figure out a rebuttal denying my assertion, so I don’t wait for one. I tuck her into my side and lead her to the bathroom. We can take a shower together. I don’t mind a second one if she’s with me. Her body shivers under my hands, and I don’t think her goose bumps are from the tile beneath her delicate feet.
Twisting back to face me, she sighs and her slender fingers strain against my chest. “I’m so confused. I don’t know if I’m working for you or dating you or what?”
The decision as to whether or not to be honest with her fucks with me, almost as much as her indecision to accept me in her life weighs on her. Rejection from her would push me too far and I don’t want to scare the hell out of her again with my obsession with her. Desire seems to burn in her eyes almost as bright hot as mine while she studies me so I’m going all in and I’ll deal with the blowback if she freaks out. Regardless of what she says or does, she isn’t leaving me or this house. “It was supposed to be just a job but I already know that I want you. Not as an employee but as my girlfriend.”
I omit the word wife since that seems like too big of a leap. Good thing I don’t utter the description with her mouth falling open, plump pink lips quivering as she struggles to find words. “Sometimes you just know and I definitely do. I think I’ve known since you said my name at the club. You’re my petal. I can’t change that and neither can you.”
Curling my fingers around hers pressed to my pecs, I hold on without overwhelming her. At least I think I do. This going slow and being gentle is not my normal behavior, and I’m sure I’m fucking it up.
“I like you too.”
Like. She’s so damn adorable. Liking me while I want to fuck, marry, impregnate, own her. “Good.”
She smiles. I smile. But we don’t strip down or fuck against the sink. Instead she raises on her toes and gives my cheek a chaste kiss with more modesty than I thought possible.
“May I have some privacy please?” She nods toward the toilet but keeps her gaze on the ceramic floor, too embarrassed to meet my eyes. “I need to go to the restroom.”
How the fuck do I say no to that request? “Okay, go ahead and then we’ll talk some more when you’re finished.”
I can’t control my growl when she slides her hands from my body and turns away. Too much loss when I want her so bad. Pretending to be a gentleman, I stride back to the bedroom and pull the door shut behind me. Trying not to rage when I hear the lock click behind me.
Habit, I remind myself. Locking the door is just a habit. Proper etiquette and all that means she ensures no one walks in on her by accident. Besides, she’ll learn soon enough she can’t keep me out of wherever she is.
I grab my phone off the nightstand and scroll through the texts. Answering a few with terse responses, frustrated with her taking so long. Too much time passes, and I’m over being patient. I hustle back only to hear white noise of the shower seeping from under the door. Motherfucker. She’s wet and naked and alone. I shoulder the wood and the flimsy latch gives way from my force. Ready to stalk in and claim her, I almost stumble over my fucking feet.