She came with a cry that was part sob, part scream of my name, her body bowing back as her inner muscles clamped down on me in a series of violent, milking spasms.
The sight of her coming apart—the raw, unfiltered sound of her pleasure, the sensation of her tight, wet heat gripping and pulsing around me—it was too much. What little restraint I had left vaporized.
A guttural roar tore from my throat, no longer stifled, as my own release ripped through me. It was a raw, blinding force, a convulsion that wracked my entire body. My hips pistoned up into her, driving myself as deep as possible as I emptied myself inside her in hot, endless pulses.
My vision blurred, everything narrowing to the feel of her gripping me, the sound of our voices tangled together, raw and rough. I held her hips hard, not ready to let go, riding out the last sharp, gut-deep pulses until the tremors finally eased.
For a while, all I could hear was our uneven breathing and the faint, slick sound of us still connected. She went limp against me, warm and soft, and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close. Her hair brushed my face, smelling like sex, sweat, and her perfume—a mix that hit me hard in a primal way.
Everything outside—the parking garage, the patent issues, her arrogant boss—felt unimportant. In the dark heat of the SUV, her weight pressed against me, soft and trusting, and one truth hit me hard enough to knock the air out of my chest.
I never wanted to leave.
6
AVERY
Two days later, I knocked on Kyle’s door just after nine a.m., my work clothes feeling wrong against my skin. I’d snuck out of his bed almost an hour earlier while he was still asleep, tiptoeing back to my own condo to throw on a blouse and slacks for my video call with my supervisor. No time for a shower—I’d barely made it back to 16C, logged into the meeting, and had a quick conversation with my boss before rushing back to him.
Kyle opened the door in dark jeans and a charcoal sweater, a coffee mug in one hand. He was wide awake and alert, and his expression shifted the second he saw my face.
“Avery? What’s wrong?”
“Can I come in?”
He stepped aside immediately, setting down his mug to guide me inside with a hand at the small of my back. I’d spent enough time here over the past couple of days that the sleek furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Pleasure Valley were becoming familiar. But right now, I barely registered any of it.
“Talk to me,” Kyle said, guiding me to the couch. “What happened?”
I sat, and he sat beside me, close enough that our knees touched. The contact steadied me, but only a little.
“I had my weekly one-on-one this morning. Video call with my direct supervisor.” I took a shaky breath. “She was passing down a message from Reed.”
Kyle’s jaw tightened. “What message?”
“He’s offering me a promotion. Senior product developer. My own team. Significant raise.” The words came out flat, mechanical. “There’s a catch.”
“What’s the catch?”
I met his eyes. “I have to stop seeing you. Immediately. He says it’s a conflict of interest—bad optics for the company. If I want the promotion, I end things with you. If I don’t end things…” I swallowed hard. “Then I stay where I am. Junior developer. No advancement.”
The silence that followed was suffocating. Kyle’s face went carefully blank, and I recognized that look. It was the same one he’d worn in our first meeting, before I’d proven I knew what I was talking about. Professional. Distant.
Cold.
But his hands were fists on his thighs, knuckles white. “You should take it,” he said, his voice strained.
I stared at him. “What?”
“The promotion. You should take it.” He stood abruptly, like he couldn’t sit still, running a hand through his hair. When he turned back to me, his expression was tortured. “It’s a great opportunity, Avery. Your own team, a raise—that’s what you’ve been working toward.”
“Kyle—”
“I won’t be the reason you give that up.” His voice cracked slightly. “I won’t be the thing you resent five years from now when you realize what you sacrificed.”
“You think I’d resent you?”
“I think you’re twenty-three and brilliant and you have your whole career ahead of you.” He moved closer, dropping to a crouch in front of me so we were eye-level. His hands found mine, gripping tight. “And I think I’d rather lose you now than watch you hate me later for holding you back.”
