Chapter 4
Lucas
I stared down at Sophia. Her breasts were pressed against my chest. I could feel the taut points of her nipples through her shirt. I scanned her face. I couldn't have looked away if I tried. I knew I should step back, but I didn't want to. Distantly, I tried to recall if any woman had ever had this effect on me. I didn't think so. She made me crazy.
I'd read her email and gotten furious, demanding she come meet with me immediately. In the hours since I'd seen her this morning, I’d somehow convinced myself my physical reaction to her was just a fluke. Then, she walked into my office again. The second she walked through the door, my cock had stiffened.
The freckles on her nose added a dash of endearing to her. Her full, lush lips, her wide eyes with her auburn lashes nearly brushing against her cheeks, and her stunning hair—a blend of red and gold. She had me by the balls, and she didn’t even realize it. She took a breath, the effect of it pressing her breasts against my chest. Fuck. I knew she could feel my cock because it was hard at the apex of her thighs. She fit against me perfectly.
Before I was aware, I was moving, not a single thought passing through my mind. I slid a hand down her spine, cupping her bottom, her bottom that so beautifully filled out her skirt. A soft, little sound came from the back of her throat, galvanizing me. We were standing right beside the door. I spun her quickly, pressing her against it and doing exactly what my body wanted me to do.
I fit my mouth over hers, and damn if she didn't gasp the moment our lips collided. Perfect, fucking perfect. I swept my tongue in her mouth, and she moaned. She tasted sweet, and she was soft all over. I pressed her into the door, holding back the urge to grind my hips into the cradle of hers.
Physically, she called to me in a way no woman ever had. I didn't do this kind of thing. Apparently, she was the exception. I tangled a hand in her hair, flattened my other palm against the door and devoured her mouth. Her tongue tangled sensually with mine. I poured all of the pent-up need that had built inside of the few hours since I'd seen her this morning. Our kiss went wild—hot, wet and deep. All the while, little gasps and throaty sounds came from her, making me crazy.
I tore my lips free only because I needed to taste more of her. Blazing a wet trail of kisses down her neck, I cupped one of her breasts, brushing my thumb back and forth across the taut nipple pressing against the fabric. On a gasp, she murmured my name. Her voice was husky and sent another jolt of need through me, my cock hardening even further. I dragged my tongue along the side of her neck, dipping down into the valley between her breasts. She murmured my name again on the heels of a low moan, this time nudging me out of the haze of need.
I managed to lift my head and meet her eyes. They were wild and dark, her lips were swollen and damp, and I'd mussed her hair. I wanted to see her naked with her hair in a tangle on the pillows. This was fucking insane. I knew I should step back, but I couldn't bring myself to, not just yet.
“What are you doing?” she muttered, her breath coming in short pants.
My thumb was still caressing her nipple. I stared at her, considering her question. The bald facts were I was kissing her and considering locking the door so I could bend her over my desk and bury myself inside of her. Sanity knocked on the door in my mind. I took a breath and latched onto a thread of control, giving myself a mental shake.
“Kissing you,” I said, stating the rather obvious fact.
A small laugh escaped. I loved seeing her rattled like this. She was so professional and put together, it made me hard just to think about knocking down her proper boundaries.
“I know,” she finally replied. “I'm not so sure this is a good idea.”
I knew it wasn't a good idea. I'd never had this problem of wanting to fuck someone who worked for me. I’d never even considered it could be a problem. I contemplated the options. I wasn't willing to step back, and I thought perhaps we just needed to get this out of our systems and then it would go away.
“Maybe it's not, but I also don't think it's a good idea for us to work so closely without getting this out of our systems.”
She gasped. “Excuse me. Are you suggesting we let this go further?” she asked, her eyes wide.
I was so out of my mind with lust lashing at me that I nodded. In that moment, I couldn’t think past it. Not with her delectable curves pressed against me and her scent winding around me.
“Sure. Why not? I don't actually have a policy here against interoffice relationships. I figure people are adults. They can work it out.”
Are you fucking out of your mind? You finally hire a PR consultant and now you're planning to fuck her?
I mentally shrugged at my snide internal comments. The need roaring through me overrode every other sane thought. I was quickly talking myself into this.
Sophia's eyes widened further, and she shook her head slightly. “This is crazy. It's easy for you to say when you're my boss.”
“You're an independent contractor. I'm not your boss.”
I was nothing if not rational.
A little laugh escaped from her with a huff, her breasts pressing against me again. I couldn't help another pass of my thumb across her nipple. I felt a roll of satisfaction when her hips arched reflexively into mine.
“Maybe, but you're still the one I answer to,” she said softly. “This is my first day here. Don't mess this up for me right away.”
I could see the worry flickering in the depths of her eyes. I forced myself to step back, untangling my fingers from her hair, reluctantly releasing the delicious weight of her breast cupped in my palm, and letting my hands drop away.
She straightened, pushing away from the door, smoothing her skirt and adjusting her blouse. She ran her hands through her hair, looking nervous, and glanced over at me.
“Here's the thing. You might hear this from Suzanne because I'm honest about it, but my last employer hit on me all the time. He threatened to give me a bad reference. I don't use him as one, but I'm honest about what happened. I don't think you're an asshole. In fact, it's obvious you're not. But I can't put myself in a bad position,” she explained, her words threaded with uncertainty.
I stared at her, considering I was crazy, but I couldn't seem to think straight when it came to her. I suddenly wanted to punch whoever that guy was. I could have empathy for his desire for her, but it didn't sound like she returned it. Any asshole that would make a threat like that, well, he was a fucking asshole.
Lust thundered through me, and I took a breath, trying to gain control. “Will you have dinner with me?” I asked.
Her eyes widened further.
When she didn’t reply, I clarified, “I know what you just said. I'm not that kind of guy. There's something between us, and it's obvious it's not a one-way street.”
We were close enough for me to see her pulse fluttering wildly in her neck. It took all I had not to draw her back against me and pour my desire into another kiss. Her breasts rose and fell when she took a deep breath.
“I don't know if that’s a good idea.”
I stared at her, calculating. “I don't want a relationship, but I want you and it's obvious you want me too,” I said flatly.
She stared at me, swallowing and then shaking her head slightly. In a flash, she opened the door and dashed out of my office.