I didn’t have the bandwidth to get involved with anyone, much less my boss. Hannah was my primary focus, and I was already in over my head with her. Nothing I’d done in life had prepared me to take care of a kid. I hadn’t been abadkid growing up, but I hadn’t been an angel either. I’d straightened up my act a little in those first few years in Vegas, keeping my nose out of trouble—then in walked Raleigh. He’d been undergoing a really bad breakup, and we found ourselves in the bar’s bathroom, my back against a stall door, Raleigh on his knees in front of me.
Yes, I could have stopped him—but I hadn’t wanted to.
I got lucky with how things played out with Raleigh, but there was no guarantee it would happen again. Did I really want to take that risk? It wasn’t just my life on the line anymore, and I had to keep that in mind.
I sat in my driveway, dreading leaving the heated car for the length of time it would take to get into the house. I considered staying there and napping; the only thing that changed my mind was imagining how good my bed would feel.
I trudged into the house and up the stairs, barely stopping to undress before falling onto the mattress. I set my alarm and put my phone face down on the nightstand. I turned my back to it, not wanting to even think about it before I had to be awake. The heat blasted down on me from the vent. Wrapped in the blanket, finally able to relax, it didn’t take me long to drift off, and I quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 13
“Again.”
I was in the kitchen at work, surrounded by dishes on all sides, but I wasn’t paying them any attention. The man in front of me drew my focus away from everything else. His bare chest and broad shoulders rose and fell with each soft breath he took, his silver chain glimmering under the fluorescent lights. Before I could protest, James wrapped his arm around my waist, his left hand flirting with my hip.
“Are you?—”
“I said, ‘again.’”
Music was playing, but I couldn’t make out the words or even the tune. The only thing I could hear was my heartbeat in my ears. My knees threatened to give out, my fingers digging into James’s shoulders to keep myself standing. The mysterious music played on. His hands wandered down, fingering the hem of my shirt. I hissed as they slid underneath the fabric, his icy fingers biting my skin.
“You all right?” he muttered into my ear, sending a chill straight down my spine.
“Mm-hmm.” I strained. “Y-your hands are cold.”
His low, seductive chuckle was the nail in the coffin: my kneesbuckled, and his hands dug into my skin to keep me upright. “Better warm them up, then.”
I pulled my head back from where it rested on his shoulder. My eyes met his mouth. His tongue darted out and licked across his full bottom lip, and I ached to do the same. A physical ache—the pressure below my belt was enough to make me do anything he wanted.
“Ryder?”
“I know. This is a really bad idea. Just let me have these few seconds. Please.”
The corner of his mouth kicked upward. “That’s not what I was going to ask.”
Before I could ask for any further clarification, James’s hand left my hip, gripping me by the back of my neck and pulling me in like he was holding onto me for dear life. Our lips crashed together, my tongue begging for entry. His grip tightened, as if I’d want to do anything other than kiss him back. I ran my hands down his hard chest, coming to rest on his belt. I tugged his hips forward until they pressed against mine.
I sighed into his mouth, which seemed to flip some sort of switch that kicked him into overdrive. My back hit the counter, and before I realized what was happening, James lifted me onto it. He nudged my legs open, slotting himself between my thighs. He hooked his hands behind my knees, hitching my legs up and around his waist. I rutted against him, but felt no relief from the tight urgency between my legs. My chest burned, I needed air—but I didn’t want to breathe. I dropped my head back, letting James move against my hips while his mouth trailed along my jawline. My eyes fluttered shut.
“I can’t take much more,” I panted.
He chuckled. “Better hold on tight, sweetheart.”
I forced my eyes open as I felt him take a step back. My breaths became quicker and shallower as he lowered himself to his knees…
Blood-red eyes stared back at me.
I awoke with a gasp,heart racing as the annoying alarm chirped through the room. I was drenched from head to toe. I silenced my alarm, squirming against the other uncomfortable feeling that stemmed from that dream. I laid back down in the middle of the bed.
I was hard—painfully hard. It wouldn’t take much to send me right over the edge. The feeling of my boxer briefs against my skin was almost too much to bear. I kicked the blanket off, hoping the lack of warmth combined with deep breaths would make it go away.
I closed my eyes, focused on my breathing. Though with my eyes shut, it only made room for the image of James between my legs to form in my brain once again.
I couldn’t take it.
A groan turned into a sigh as I gave in, pushing my hand underneath the cotton. My brain filled in the parts of the fantasy that had been interrupted. I imagined how it would’ve felt.
What would that pouty, bottom lip feel like between my teeth? What would he taste like? A loud moan pushed its way out of my mouth. I brought my hand up, spitting into my palm before wrapping it around my shaft again. With the other, I removed my briefs. My hips moved on their own, shoving my cock through my fist at a pace that meant I would be done way too soon.
