I’ve seen honey badgers with more restraint.
Didn’t care.
I went over with her, buried my face in her neck, held on until the ringing eased and the room stopped tilting.
For a long moment, neither of us moved. Breath steadying.
Juliette's laugh vibrated against my shoulder. "Well."
I lifted my head. My lungs were still fighting for air. "Well?"
She gestured vaguely at the room, at the trail of clothes and the very obvious fact that we hadn’t made it far. “That was… a lot.”
"A lot 'good' or a lot 'I'm calling security'?"
Her smile didn’t pass through clean. "Youaresecurity."
My hand tightened on her hip.
I eased back, letting her slide down my body until her feet hit the floor—then immediately regretted it when every nerve ending I owned woke back up. "You okay?"
"Mm. Sore. I'll be sending you the invoice for my physical therapy in the morning."
I grinned, slow and stupid, still catching my breath. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." She poked my chest. "Don't let it go to your head."
"Too late." I caught her hand, pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “My brain is currently somewhere in the Limpopo province. I’ll send a search party for it tomorrow.”
She laughed, the real one that changed her whole face, starting with her eyes. My pulse stuttered. Damn near dropped me.
This was going to cost me.
"So." I glanced around at the wreckage. Clothes everywhere. "That was..."
"Twelve hours of sexual tension with a violent exit strategy?"
"Poetic." I pulled her closer. Mine for the next four days—if I had anything to say about it.
I lifted her onto the desk in seconds, stepping between her knees before she could catch her breath. She didn’t fight me. She just said my name.
Not a request.
It was a hostile fucking takeover.
And I let her have the assets.
The second time was slower for exactly three seconds.
Then her legs locked around my waist, her mouth found my throat, and every useful thought I had left went straight through the floor.
She took me again like she’d just closed the deal twice.
Goddamn impressive.
When it was over, neither of us moved.
My hand was still on her hip. Hers still braced against my shoulders like she hadn’t decided whether to push me away or pull me closer.
