He set a leather toiletry bag on one of her bathroom shelves and popped his toothbrush in the holder next to hers. “See? Low maintenance. You’ll never even know I’m here.” He grabbed her around the waist, pulled her close, and began to nibble her earlobe.
“Right.” She squirmed as his breath tickled her skin. “You’re practically invisible.”
“I know this is weird, and I’m not trying to force my way into your home or your life. I just want you to feel safe.”
“I know.”
“We can still take things easy.” His left hand trailed down her back, over the curve at her waist, toward her hip. His voice softened. “Nothing needs to be rushed.”
Desire pooled in Dana’s belly. “Sure. We’ll keep things casual.”
“I can even sleep on the couch.”
“No need to go to extremes.” She danced her lips over his jaw, toward his mouth. “It’s not as if we haven’t slept together.”
“This is true. And there would only be one set of sheets to fix in the morning.”
“Sleeping together is just more efficient.”
“I’m all about efficiency.” His hand crept up to caress her breast. “As long as you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
With one hand, Alex began to unbutton her shirt. “You should probably give me the tour of your bedroom. You know, so I don’t bump into anything in the night.”
As he teased her shirt from her shoulders, her skin rioted with delighted goose pimples. “Of course. We wouldn’t want you to stub your toes.”
She led Alex to her bedroom. He removed his splint and set it on her bedside table.
“So,” she said, laying back on the bed. She wriggled out of her work skirt and tossed it into a corner of the room. “This is my bed.”
“Looks sturdy.” He removed his shirt and dropped it on the floor.
“Oh, it is. You should probably test the mattress, though. You’ll want to make sure it’s firm enough.” She dropped her gaze to his pants zipper.
Alex pulled the zipper down. “It’s firm. Trust me.”
Dana held out her hand and drew Alex onto the bed. He rolled onto his back and she climbed on top of him, making sure she didn’t bump into his right hand. Clad only in her panties and bra, she slid up and down his length. “Rock hard, actually.”
Their mouths joined. Alex cradled her head and tugged on her curls as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. Her whimpers were met by his moans. The temperature in her bedroom skyrocketed, or so it seemed.
Dana surrendered to the heat.
Were they getting ahead of themselves by shacking up? Probably.
Did she care? Not at the moment.
***
“Thanks for meeting with me, Pierre.” Alex welcomed his driver into his office and gestured to the chair opposite his. “Have a seat.”
Pierre looked around the office, as if expecting someone else to pop up behind a potted plant. Fiddling with his jacket buttons, he sat down. “I was surprised you wanted to see me.”
Alex sat at his desk. “I know your shift just finished and you’re probably eager to head home. I’ve been in touch with Payroll. I understand you asked for an advance on your pay.”
“They told you?” Pierre paled for a second, but immediately schooled his face into a mask of annoyance. “I can explain. There was just a bit of a mix-up with one of my bill payments this month at the bank. I was just hoping to avoid some red tape, that’s all. I’m sorry they bothered you with that, Alex. I don’t understand why it had to be escalated.”
“It might have something to do with the fact you’ve asked for three advances lately.”
