For fuck’s sake, this girl is an idiot.

Jennifer sat on my desk, fucking sat on it, to try and entice me. Acting like a moron wasn’t going to make her more attractive, it actually made her much less so and made me question the quality of her work.

During her inane yammering, my phone buzzed in my pocket. The first thing I noticed was the low battery notification from failing to plug it in overnight. The second was a text from Lila.

Change of plans. Caroline is coming over. I can’t hide you from her any longer. I trust her. I’ll come over—

The phone flashed the low battery warning at me and dimmed before I could finish reading.

Can’t hide me…

I knew Caroline was her best friend, and that Caroline was fiercely protective of Lila. It worried me that someone would know, because the more people knew, the more chance the Marconi could find out.

At the same time, I felt that Caroline knowing was a very good idea. That way, if anything happened to us, she would know who was to blame.

Nothing will happen to Lila.

You don’t know that.

We won’t let it.

I wanted to believe that, but I had a past that proved I wasn’t invincible and that those I loved paid the price.

While I hadn’t had much interaction with Lila and Caroline together, I knew Lila, and I was well aware of the reputation Caroline knew from my time at the club. Talking wasn’t going to do it. If we wanted Caroline on our side, I had to be there to show her.

“So what do you think?” Jennifer asked.

I hadn’t processed a word of what she said.

“I’m sorry, I missed the last part.”

She pointed to a line in the contract in my hand. “Does that word sound right?”

I glanced down, then looked to her. “It’s good.”

“Really?”

I nodded and shoved the paper back at her. “All good.”

Jennifer got the hint and headed out, leaving me with my plotting.

I knew Lila would talk me out of it, so I left before her, making her think I was headed home. Instead, I headed to the grocery to pick up something for dinner and a bottle of wine.

Lila’s car was in the parking lot when I arrived, so I headed straight to her condo. Upon entering, I didn’t hear anyone, but as I set the bags down in the kitchen, Lila came around the corner.

She was out of her suit and in some sleep shorts and a T-shirt.

“Hey. I picked us up some food to make dinner with. I was thinking that chicken bake you made a couple of weeks ago. God, that was good.”

Her eyes were wide, and she glanced down the hall, then back to me.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in a hushed whisper as she stepped up to me.

Nervous energy rolled off her, her gaze continually flickering back down the hall. I pulled her to me and groaned at the faded patches of skin on her neck.

Mark her again.

I didn’t need the beast to tell me that. I was already leaning down, lips and tongue teasing her, both in a mental and physical way. Perhaps it was more torture than teasing, due to the circumstances.

“Mmm, well a song on the radio said something about disrobing, then probing. I was thinking we could do a lot of that tonight.”

I slid my hand under the hem of her shirt and moved up to her squeeze her breast before tweaking her nipple between my fingers.

“Fuck,” she moaned.

Once I had her focused on me, I picked her up and put her on the counter, trapping her as I pushed my hips between her thighs. The little shorts she had on gave me easy access to her pussy, and I slipped my fingers across her slit, making sure her clit got lots of attention. She bucked against me as her eyes darkened.

“You like that, don’t you, my little whore?” I hadn’t meant to go quite so far, but as always, she turned me on too much to stop.

Her eyes fluttered. “I love your fucking dirty mouth.”

I slipped my fingers inside her, making her gasp.

“Mmm, I love it when you say ‘fucking.’ I like being in control, fucking you how I want. You’re so willing to please me, and I love watching you come.” I accentuated the last words with hard thrusts into her. “No one is as beautiful and sexy as you when you’re coming undone around me.”

She tried to hold back, to stay quiet, but I didn’t want quiet. I wanted Caroline to hear her.

“Nathan, didn’t you get my text?” she asked, pushing past my distraction.

“You sent me a text? My phone died after lunch.” I saw her text about Caroline, but she could’ve sent another after my phone died.

She froze for a second, her hands moving to my chest. “Crap!”

There was no pushing of me away. I had her trapped in pleasure. Slow, deep strokes as I moaned against her skin.

“You taste so fucking good.”

“Nathan, please…wait.” Her hands fisted into my shirt and there was a vain, weak attempt to push against me.

“You’ve made me wait all day; I’m not waiting any longer. Wearing that skirt to torture me…you little cock tease.” I slid my free hand up her shirt, her skin hot against my own.

“You don’t… ah!” she cried out as I pinched her nipple. “Hold on! W-what skirt?”

What skirt?

The skirt.

“The skirt you were wearing the first time I fucked you in our office.”

My dick twitched, ready to recreate coming inside her.

“Nathan, don’t be mad.”

The sound of a door closing hit my ears, and I froze, waiting.

“Lila, is there someone here?” I asked, knowing full well by her panic that Caroline was already somewhere in her home.

“I tried to tell you…the text I sent.”

“Shit,” I growled. The excitement that we were about to be caught was too much. Fantasies of being caught while inside her were rampant.

“Oh. My. God!” Caroline’s voice rang from the hallway.

“Fuck,” I whispered with a sigh. I’d have to try my fantasy out another time.

I turned to Caroline, my hand still between Lila’s thighs, fingers soaked. I removed them and lifted them to my mouth, sucking up her juices before looking back to Caroline, who stood there with her mouth wide open.

“Hi, Caroline. Dinner?” I asked as I stepped away from a flushed and thoroughly turned-on Lila, who was suddenly panicking.

There was silence as I washed my hands. Caroline seeming to be at a complete lack for words. I went about the task of putting groceries away as well as starting to prep for dinner.

Minutes passed before Caroline finally spoke. “Nathan?” It was on the shrill side, indicating she had no clue who Lila was really with.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lila standing close, their voices low, but I could still make out the words of surprise before Caroline dragged her away.

A few minutes passed, and suddenly Caroline was inches in front of me.

“You.” She stuck her finger in my face. “Hurt her, and I’ll fuck you up. Understood?”

My eyes popped open in surprise. Half in fear of the small, brown-eyed woman staring me down, and half in shock of how fast she accepted me in Lila’s life. In the background, Lila let out a little giggle.

“Understood,” I said with a sharp nod.

Her gaze narrowed on me. “Are you being safe with my girl? I’ve seen you with some floozies.”

Yes, she had, which was one reason I was surprised by her acceptance.

“I’m clean. Promise.”

“Better fucking be, bucko.”

She smiled and relaxed, stepping back to lean against the counter. “So, you two…” She waved between us. “When did all of this start up? Did it happen one day here, or was it an office tryst, one-night type of thing?”

I froze mid slice, remembering how I’d lost all control. Gauging by Lila’s silence, she was thinking the same.

“Seriously? In the office? In your office?” she asked, our reaction giving it away. “Wow, you’re my kinky idol now, Lila.”

“What? I…he…” Lila stammered.

“I bet it was hot.”

“Of course it was hot,” I said as I looked to Caroline, then gestured to Lila. “Look at her. She is fucking gorgeous and sexy as hell. Sin should be her middle name.”

A grin spread on Caroline’s face. “So, have words of love been shared?”

I froze as a sick feeling rolled through me. The blood fell from my face as memories flashed in my mind of the last woman I loved.

No, I couldn’t love Lila. I wouldn’t allow myself to.

“What did I say?” Caroline asked.

I turned toward Lila, and our eyes locked. By the worry on her face, she knew Caroline had gone too far. I set down the knife and moved to wash my hands.

“I think it’s about time you took over. I’m going to go change.”

“All right. Thank you,” Lila said.

On my way out, I saw the sadness in her eyes and stopped to place a kiss on the top of her head. It was hard not to slam the door behind me. Not that I was angry at Caroline. Under normal circumstances, in a normal relationship, it would be fine.

Neither Lila or I was normal. Caroline’s question simply highlighted it and served as a reminder of the love I’d lost, a reminder of why I could never love Lila.

As I changed my clothes, I tried to remind myself why I decided to interrupt their night. It was for Lila’s sake, to make it easier for her to tell Caroline, to make sure Caroline knew and understood. That way, if anything happened, she would know it was my fault.

No! We will protect her.

I can’t protect myself.

That was why even what I was doing was bad. If they saw, if they knew…

With a sigh, I tried to shake off the remnants. After changing into jeans and a T-shirt, I headed back down.

“How’s dinner coming?” I asked as I entered.

Lila looked nervous, while Caroline looked about to cry.

What the fuck?

Caroline walked to me, her phone clutched in her hands. There were tears in her eyes that looked at me with pity.

“I’m sorry. I Googled you. Don’t worry. I won’t say anything to anyone, even Lila. She wants to hear it from you when you’re ready,” Caroline blurted out.

I froze and stared at her.

Shit. I was not expecting her to do that in the few minutes I was gone. I swallowed hard and kept our eyes locked.

“I need to request that you please make sure you do. Only a few trusted people in the office know. I stress this because what you learned isn’t the whole story, nor wholly true, and I don’t want rumors spreading.”

“I promise. I won’t say a word. It’s not my place anyway,” she assured me.

“Thank you, Caroline.”

During dinner, Caroline thankfully steered the conversation clear of anything about my past, but she did have a nasty habit of bringing up Andrew’s name. By the third time, I caught on, her sly smile giving her away. Lila must have told her about our mutual hatred of each other.

“Wait, you call Jennifer and all the others what?” I asked.

“The Boob Squad,” Caroline said. “I’ve watched them adjust their clothes and fluff their boobs up to make them pop out before they go into your office. It’s hysterical to watch. Dress code all day. Need to see Nathan? Boobs out!”

Well, that explained something.

“They will forever be the B.S. from now on. And don’t worry, I don’t buy any of the B.S.’s BS,” I said with a chuckle.

After a few hours, Caroline headed home and we went about cleaning up dinner.

“Did your phone really die?” Lila asked as she handed me some of the dishes.

I smirked at her as I ran them under the water to rinse them off.  “Yes, it died after lunch.”

“How long after lunch?” Her eyes narrowed at me.

My smile broadened. “Sometime around when you got coffee. I was surprised to find she followed you home. I thought she would come over later.”

“Oh, God, you did read it and came over anyway?” she asked.

“Technically, I read half of it…then my phone died.”

“Unbelievable!”

“I thought it was a good idea. One of your friends should know, in case…” I trailed off.

Thankfully Lila didn’t pry.

“You couldn’t have given me a heads up? I was freaking out!”

Her reaction was priceless and worth it.

I leaned down and kissed her neck. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“How?”

I gave her a waggle of my eyebrows. “Oh, I think I have a few tricks up my sleeves…and down my pants.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Do you, now? I’m not sure I’m convinced of your professed prowess.”

My mouth popped open. “Are you challenging my ability to make you come, and come often?”

I loved the smile that spread and the way she bit her lower lip. It was the lightest I’d ever seen her. She seemed relaxed and, though still unsure, a little more comfortable in her own skin.

Once the dishes were done, I had her over my shoulder and headed to the bedroom

“Nathan!” she cried out.

“Time for bed, number one.”

“Number one?” she asked.

“Yes, you’re number one in the Boob Squad.”

“Says who and why?”

A jolt went through me as she grabbed my ass, and I smacked her ass in return.

“Because you show me a hell of a lot more of your tits than they do. Way more of them, and way more often.”

I threw her down on the bed and climbed to hover over her, my knees pushed hers out, allowing me to settle between them. Her hips tilted as I pinned her arms above her head.

She was still smiling at me, and I couldn’t stop from doing the same. There was something lighter about us, even if it was just for the moment. However, as she continued to rock against my cock, the mood shifted.

“Something you want, baby?” I asked. Her response was only to lift her hips and look at me with those fucking erotic eyes of hers. “Words, Delilah. Tell me in words what you want.”

“Kiss me,” she said.

“Where?” I rocked into her, groaning as her breath picked up.

“Everywhere,” she whispered.

I crashed my lips to hers and immediately found her tongue. As sweet as ever, and even more so after dessert. After a minute I released her lips.

She was so free at that moment, so beautiful and happy. Not only that, in her, I felt a sort of peace that was infectious.

“I meant it, you know,” I said as I caressed her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered as she looked at me, her brow scrunched. “Meant what?”

“When I told Caroline how beautiful and sexy you are.” It fucking pissed me off that she’d been treated so badly. I still didn’t know the extent, but it was obvious it’d been bad. An ache settled into my chest just thinking about what she had possibly gone through. “I don’t know how anyone could ever tell you different, but they were wrong. Believe me, baby, they were so wrong about it all. It kills me and pisses me off to no end to know that there are more of their lies rattling around inside that head of yours.”

Her eyes began to water, and she turned away from me. “You can’t know they were all lies,” she said in a small voice.

I cupped her cheek in my hand and brought her eyes back to mine. “Yes, I can. I may be fucked up beyond repair, but I can still see the truth. You deserve so much…you deserve a loving heart and a caring hand, understanding and kind words to erase the false ones.”

There was nothing I wouldn’t give to be the one, but there was no way. One day, we would end. One day, the beautiful woman beneath me would meet someone who could do more for her than I was capable of.

Her arms wrapped around me, and she buried her head into my neck as a sob broke loose. She shook against me as I held her tight, petting her hair.

“It’s okay, Honeybear, I’ve got you.”

For now, I’ve got you.

Forever.

I wished I could agree with the beast, but I knew our reality.