The sight sent a tendril of warmth through me. This was my favorite part of our new relationship—seeing her comfortable and unguarded and so completely herself.
“Fine,” I said. When she cocked an eyebrow, I amended, somewhat ruefully, “Fine some days, a bit of a mess on others.”
I was trying not to let the pressure get to me.
My father hadn’t mentioned our deal since we signed the contract, and his silence only fueled my overthinking. He was probably biding his time and waiting for me to flame out on my own, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me fail. I refused.
“Sounds normal to me,” Maya reasoned. “Everyone has ups and downs before a big event.”
“Maybe.” I wiped my hands on a napkin and tossed it in the trash. “What about you? How are you feeling?”
I was squeezed by external pressure, but Maya was her own harshest critic.
“Fine some days, a bit of a mess on others,” she said, making me smile. “For example, I’m happy that everyone we invited RSVP’d yes, but if the venue fucks up the place settings—despite repeated, detailed instructions from me—I will lose it. And if we don’t win the Gastronomic Event of the Year award, I willdefinitelylose it because I know the CMO at Whitaker Farms is just waiting for me to—”
“Breathe.” I laughed and placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. Once she got started, it took an army to stop her. “Only one of us is allowed to spiral at a time.”
“Sorry.” Maya blushed and set her bowl down. “I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent, but you see? You’re not the only one feelingthe pressure, so don’t feel like you have to hold it all in. We can break down together. It’ll be more fun.”
I laughed again even as my chest twinged. I shared more of myself with her than anyone else, but if I trauma dumped on her every time the walls closed in, we’d never get anything done. She had enough on her plate without playing therapist for me.
I told her enough to relieve the worst of my tension and handled the rest on my own.
“How’s your research going?” I switched topics. “Have you found anything yet?”
Maya hadn’t given up on her Pittsburgh theory. It was her pet project when we weren’t working on the launch, but she’d hit a dead end.
“No.” She sighed. “I feel stupid for spending so much time on a hunch, but it’ll keep bugging me until I figure it out. So… I guess I’ll be stupid and continue trying.”
“Let’s make a deal,” I said. “When the launch is done, and you figure out what happened in Pittsburgh, let’s go on the biggest, most indulgent trip we can think of. I’m talking a full month of food, drink, and general debauchery. No work, no emails. Just… fun. And relaxation.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d truly relaxed with no obligations looming over me. I bet Maya couldn’t either.
She smiled. “Deal.” She glanced at the clock, then back at me. “You know, it’s almost the end of the workday, and we haven’t taken a single proper break yet…”
My body tightened at the subtle suggestion running beneath her words, but I didn’t reply as she pushed off the counter to stand in front of me. She hooked her fingers through my belt loops, her chest brushing mine. “I think we deserve one. Don’t you?”
“Do we?” I drawled, my blood heating. There was a noticeable shift in the air, and thoughts of work, my father, andPittsburgh suddenly seemed light years away. “I didn’t take you for a slacker, Maya.”
“Oh, I’m not.” She smiled again, this time with a devilish gleam in her eyes. “I’m averyhard worker.”
My breath quickened when she undid my belt buckle and pants in one deft motion; it vanished altogether as she sank to her knees and took me in her mouth.
Wet warmth engulfed me. I bit out a rough curse before I braced my hands against the counter, my knuckles white.
Maya was right: shewasa hard worker, and she sucked my cock with the same dedication and enthusiasm she reserved for everything else. Lust scorched my veins, and I had to recite the Blackcastle Football Club’s current roster in my head so I didn’t come in seconds like a schoolboy.
“Fuck, sweetheart,” I breathed again when she slowly ran her tongue up my shaft and swirled it around the head. She sucked, her cheeks hollowing, and the sight of her full lips wrapped around my cock was so erotic, it sent shudders down my spine. “You’re so damn gorgeous.”
Maya stared up at me, her eyes soft with desire and adoration as she sucked and licked her way down my length again.
It was her softness that undid me.
Sometimes, I looked at her and couldn’t believe she was mine. I’d waited for her for so long, and I was sure I didn’t deserve her. But now that I had her, the devil himself couldn’t tear me away.
She was mine, always.
And I was hers.Always.
