“How any of you are still single is mind boggling.” A shuddering sigh escapes her, her breath fluttering across my lips. “Thank you. That means... everything to me. I’d still like to do something to pitch in, though, even if it’s just cleaning up around the house until it’s safer for me to get a job.”
Bracing a hand on the wall behind her, I force myself to pull back enough that I can study her face. “What would you like to do for work? Not a job you tolerate for the sake of a paycheck, but would actually enjoy doing?”
She contemplates it for a few minutes, abusing her bottom lip. With the pad of my thumb, I gently free it from between her teeth before she can draw blood. Her pulse flutters in her neck, gaze flicking to my mouth and back, but I don’t cave into the desire to kiss her. I asked a question, and I’d hate to give the impression I don’t care about the answer.
“I never really got the chance to explore any interests; it was impractical and expensive,” she admits. “And it’s not like I would be able to stick around somewhere long enough to have a career, so I didn’t give it much thought before. I think-” she wets her lips, the tip of her tongue flicking across my thumb “- I need a chance to try a few things before I can give you an answer.”
Her admission is both upsetting, and a relief. With everything going on, the only times I’ve seen Amara this past week have been when she joins me in the middle of the night and settles onto the small couch with a book. Even then, we’re both lost in our own worlds, content not to be alone. This offers the perfect opportunity, the solution staring me in the face the entire time, but I was too exhausted to see it until Amara pointed it out.
“Until you find your calling, I’d be honored to take you up on your offer.”
A teasing smile quirks her lips. “Is this your way of placating me so I’ll accept your money?”
“Not at all. It’s me admitting that you were right. I’m so used to taking care of everyone else, I don’t know how to ask for help.” Releasing her lip, I trail my fingers down her throat, watching with satisfaction as her pulse jumps to meet my touch. “But if it will allow me to spend more time with you, how can I pass up such an enticing offer?”
“You might need to show me how you like things done, but I’m a fast learner.” Her gaze is molten gold, sparkling with mirth.
I had a plan. Present her with her tormentor’s head, take her on a proper date, and then I'd be worthy enough to give into the desire to kiss her. But Amara exists to ruin all of my carefully laid plans, invading my dreams and driving my instincts crazy. She’s a storm in her own right, and I long for the day she sees it too.
My resolve shatters, lips crashing against hers, and my fantasies had nothing on reality. Kissing Amara is like finally coming home. Hope, and peace, and desperation fanning the flames until she consumes me, burns away everything until all I can see and feel is her. With one kiss she brands herself on my soul, my world shifting as she becomes the sun, the light in my life that gives all else meaning.
I begin to pull away, but as she curls her fingers around my arm, the remnants of control I’d been desperately clinging to go up in smoke. Deepening the kiss, I caress a path down her side, fingers splayed over her ribs as I step into her, pinning her against the wall. She kisses me back with reckless abandon, shifting her hips in a way that brushes against my rapidly hardening cock with every roll in the best and worst ways.
With a tortured groan, I murmur against her lips, “If you keep this up, you’ll be getting a raise before you’ve even started the job.” Her laughter goes straight to my cock, and I rock against her to prove how serious I am.
“Pretty sure if I start sleeping with the boss for preferential treatment, my coworkers will get jealous,” she breathlessly teases, wrapping a leg around my waist and grinding against me.
“Let them.” Lifting her up easily, I slide a hand under her ass, dragging her slowly over the outline of my cock, reveling in her sharp intake of breath. “Maybe it’ll inspire them to take some work off your hands so you’ll be free to-”
Ungodly loud, my phone starts ringing, breaking the lust-fueled bubble we’d found ourselves in. Ignoring it, I recapture her mouth, mimicking every stroke of my tongue with a roll of my hips, only for the sound of a video call request chiming over the computer to join in with the incessant ringing. Sighing in defeat, I tear my lips from hers, thumping my forehead against the wall beside her.
Chuckling, she slides her legs down my body with intentionally slow movements. “Raincheck?”
Before she can escape, I press a lingering kiss to the crook of her neck, wrestling with the desire to sink my teeth into the unmarked flesh. “Count on it. Get some sleep, dragonfly. Trust me; you’re going to need it.”
Chapter 29
