Time flies when you’re nervous as hell.
Taylor had been wondering for over a week if this was a huge mistake. If agreeing to a friends with benefits situation with a man she barely knew—and was her boss no less—was just setting her up for heartache and unemployment.
He’d said her job wouldn’t be affected and she believed it.
Up until the past month, she’d never seen him much in the building, so she assumed he wouldn’t bother her if she decided things weren’t going to work out.
It was more likely he was going to say he didn’t want to continue than her. And when she thought of that, she realized she might be willing to take the risk and get a little pleasure out of life when it seemed like she was surrounded by so much frustration.
Not only that, Reed had been keeping his distance. She wasn’t sure his reasoning. If he was afraid she’d change her mind, or he was going to change his.
Either way, Angie had just given her a hug and a kiss and left with Jack’s parents and now she had two hours before she had to meet Reed at his house.
Though she hadn’t seen him since they’d gone to lunch, they had been texting a bit more frequently. Playful things. Not stupid things like “how is your day,” but more like “what are you wearing right now?” or “how many times have you thought of me today?”
Not things that friends would say to each other, but what lovers would. They weren’t there yet, but they would be tonight and she was primed and ready to go. She was willing to bet he was too if what he’d said was true and he hadn’t been with someone in over six months.
Guys that looked like him, acted like him—all cocky and sure of themselves with a smile the angels bestowed on him—never went long without female companionship. If they wanted a piece of ass, all they had to do was scroll through their phone for it.
She finished up doing laundry, then took Mutt for a nice long walk to wear him out since he’d be home alone most of the day. She’d be back later, but she made sure he had food, water, and access to his dog door.
Once all her chores were done for the day, it was time to take another shower. The first one was to wake her up this morning. This one was to prepare her for a night of sex with a hot man.
A man who’d been on her mind more than any other man in her life. She was trying not to think of why that was and pushed it off as neglected hormones. There was only so much pleasure and release she could give herself and she was looking forward to something more.
Shaved and lotioned up, she dressed again in a pair of jean shorts. The weather was expected to be low eighties and sunny. Nothing to complain about there. Reed hadn’t told her anything other than to be comfortable for the day so that was what she did.
How could she get comfortable when all she’d been thinking about was seeing him naked? And when had she thought about sex this much in her life!
In her mind this was better than dressing up. She didn’t object to slipping on a dress now and again and feeling pretty, but it wasn’t who she was deep down. Those nights of being coaxed out to a club in a slinky dress were down the drain along with most of her pride and self-worth.
For tonight, she needed comfort and she was just as happy to know she’d be dressed that way.
With a deep breath and one more swipe with the brush through her long hair, she grabbed her purse and made her way to her car. The debate about makeup was left on the table since she was wearing shorts. Her normal foundation and mascara did the trick making her feel just the right amount of carefree and fun.
Though her phone was spitting out directions to Reed’s house, she’d already looked it up online to get an idea.
It didn’t take her long to find his house. Not a new one like he built in the developments Chapman’s owned and maintained. This was an old house with a bit of land. In the city, but close to the outer limits of a town called Guilderland that didn’t mean much to her other than it was a few miles from Albany.
Why were there so many things about him that she couldn’t get a read on?
She parked next to his truck like he’d told her and got out to walk toward the front door.
There he was standing in the doorway behind the screen with a smile on his face and his feet bare. Yep, super sexy and mouthwatering. Like eying all the candy toppings at the frozen yogurt place she brought Angie to last week and trying to decide which one would taste the best and wishing she could have them all.
She was going to have them all soon.
What was that old saying about big hands and feet? Hmm, she was going to be one lucky girl tonight.
“Am I early?” she asked him when he opened the screen. She was under the impression they had plans today and weren’t going to just get naked and start their new relationship off quite that fast. Though maybe that wouldn’t be a half bad idea.
“No. I just lost track of time. Come on in and I’ll show you around. You seemed shocked by my house. Why?”
Guess she wasn’t doing too good of a job of hiding her emotions. She’d been known to wear them on her sleeve most of her life. Men like Jack took advantage of it. But once Angie was born, she’d just shut that oven door closed and taped the handle in place. Looked like she was ready to peek inside now.
“I was expecting something brand new. How old is this house?”
“It’s about eighty-five years old. I build the new but love the old. At least on the outside. You’ll see the inside still has some of the old charm that I’ve restored with modern twists.”
The foyer showcased a magnificent staircase and she could envision Angie jumping on the banister and squealing the whole way down on her butt. The dark wood all had a gleam to it too. “Did you do the work in here yourself?”
“I did,” he said. “Not many people care for my taste, but it suits me and it’s my house.”
She wondered if Whitney fell into that mix but knew better than to ask. “It’s beautiful. I can only imagine the memories it holds.” His smile dropped and she started to wonder if she’d made a huge misstep voicing that. “Sorry.”
He reached for her hand. “Don’t be sorry. Whitney never lived here. She didn’t like this house. I bought it before she and I started dating. I was fixing it up on my own time. When we were together, she had different ideas and I listened to them. I wanted to make her happy and it was my mistake because it made me miserable. She kept saying she wouldn’t move in until it was perfect. I’ve been trying to fix all those changes and get this house to where I always envisioned it. I’m just struggling to find a pattern.”
“Why do you need a pattern?” she asked, shocked that he shared that with her just now.
“I don’t want it to look pieced together. These rooms, the living room and dining room over there.” She turned to her right and left and checked both rooms out. They were large and bright. The floors were dark, but everything else was light and almost cheerful. It really didn’t show much of his personality in her eyes though. “They don’t flow with the rest of the house. I like the colors on the walls. I feel comfortable in here. But other rooms are darker and look right that way, but don’t blend with the rest of the house.”
“So,” she said. “Do you have every bedroom in your house the same? Most people don’t. Why can’t other rooms be different too? Why can’t each room tell its own story?”
He snorted. “I never thought of it that way. Let me show you the kitchen, which you’ll see is one of the two most modern rooms in the house.”
She followed him to the back of the house and he wasn’t kidding. It was light and bright. White cabinets, white and gray counters, and a marble backsplash. All stainless appliances and everything was oversized. This was a kitchen you’d see in the grand houses he built in the development.
“Is this your style?” she asked.
“Very much so,” he said. “What about yours?”
“I’d be crazy not to want to have this kitchen in my house. I think you just need to walk into a room and do what feels right rather than what you think it should be.”
“Then I’m doing this,” he said and yanked her forward plastering his mouth to hers.
There was no hesitation at all. Her tongue came out and slid between his lips with the two of them dueling like that as if there was nothing else on the face of this earth they’d rather be doing. If the truth was told, there wasn’t anything else in her mind.
His hands slid up her back, then down, under her shirt and up her spine. “You smell good,” he said as he nibbled his way to her earlobe and pulled it between his lips.
“So do you,” she said, her hands moving under his shirt too. Why not? It was there and she was dying to feel him. Wasn’t that part of the reason she was here to begin with, to do just that?
He groaned and dropped his forehead to hers. “We need to stop or all the plans I’ve made for the day will be wasted.”
“What plans are those?” she asked. “I had some plans myself.”
“We’ll get to those plans later, but right now, we’ve got to be somewhere in thirty minutes.”
It was best, she knew that. “Do I get a tour of your house now, or do I have to wait?”
“You can follow me upstairs while I grab my sneakers and change my shirt.”
So she followed behind him staring at his tight ass and silently counting the hours down.