Seventeen…
… sixteen…
… fifteen…
It stalls. “C’mon,” I moan and hit the up button several times. “Sorry, what?”
“Where are you looking?”
“Remember the house that Penny renovated for Franklin?”
“Yes. Leroy lives there.”
“Yeah, he raves about the beach so I’m thinking Malibu. There is a house for sale only eight houses away from his.”
“Are you serious?” Her eyes round. “I know what you’re thinking, but Leroy and his family are private people.”
“I’m not thinking anything other than having a teammate close by as a training buddy and having my own private beach.” Her face falls. “And I’ll get to use my surfboard again.”
The elevator doors open, and we step inside. As soon as the door closes, I lean in and kiss her on the lips without any part of my body touching hers. “Thank you for the congratulations,” I murmur against her mouth.
“You’re welcome.” Her hands cup my cheeks, and she kisses me back until the elevator dings at level twenty-five.
Someone tell my cock that kiss meant nothing.
I lead Charlotte to my private residence, opening the door for her to walk through first. She heads straight to the floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the city.
“I need nature,” I tell her. “I thrive when I’m not surrounded by concrete.”
She turns as I pull off my T-shirt and pour myself some water, feeling her eyes on me. “Can I get you anything?”
“No, I can’t stay.” Her eyes roam down my body, and fuck, I feel it everywhere.
“Okay. Let me shower quickly, and I’ll walk you back downstairs. Help yourself to anything in the fridge if you change your mind.”
I leave both my bedroom and the bathroom doors wide open—an invitation without crossing the line. Taking my time, I lather the body wash, hoping she’ll appear, only to hurry to finish in case she leaves. I step out of the showerinto a cloud of steam, then wrap a towel around my waist, rushing into my bedroom.
I slow to a stop when the vision of Charlotte sitting on the edge of my bed with her legs crossed comes into view.
“Hi.” She smiles, then her eyes lower to where the towel is tied, higher to my chest, stopping at the ink on my chest and remaining there. Then her eyes meet mine. “I thought about joining you, but returning to the office with wet hair would look suspicious.”
“Maybe my friend was working out and needed to shower.” I take a tentative step closer, followed by another, giving her time to change her mind. Her eyes round a little when the towel moves with my dick growing.
I take her hand and pull her to her feet, watching her for any sign she wants me to stop. When her breath catches, I take that as my green light and begin to slide her suit jacket off her shoulders. “You look flushed. It could be the heating.”
Her eyes remain glued to mine while I unbutton her shirt.Fuck this. She is not saying no, and I’ve ached too long for this woman to go slow.I yank her shirt apart, popping buttons. Her breath hitches when my mouth goes straight to her shoulders, licking and kissing her soft skin while removing her bra. Charlotte’s hands make light work of removing her suit pants. “Good choice,” I murmur. “I was about to rip them from you.”
“It’s why I’m helping you,” she pants out. “It’s my favorite suit, and it was made especially by Brioni.” She grabs my face and pulls my lips to hers. “God, I want you so bad.”
After tossing all her clothes aside, I throw the towel across the room and move her to the center of the bed. “I need to look at you.”
I want to savor every second despite my heart racing with a primal need to fuck. I take in every inch of her bodybecause I have missed all of her, including those cute pink toenails, her long, smooth legs, and her shapely hips. My eyes track higher to her ripped stomach, her full breasts with pointy nipples waiting to be sucked.
A new tattoo.
222
I can’t look away from her left breast, and an understanding passes between us.
