Why the hell can’t I let her go?

I can’t control anything about myself where she is concerned, evidently. But I don’t want to move. I don’t want anything to destroy this moment, because I know nothing will be the same after this. People say all the time that sex doesn’t have to change anything, but that’s horseshit. Sex on an office floor changes everything.

A floor might make an exciting alternative to a big comfortable bed when it comes to sex, but it’s damn well nowhere to linger afterward, when there’s a sexy body crushed underneath you. I roll over to give her air.

Her face is flushed, her eyes bright as she stares up at the ceiling with a look of—what? Amazement? I’d like to think so, but it’s probably more like disbelief that she landed underneath me, or acute embarrassment. I can imagine the thoughts running through her head. What happens now that the heat of the moment has passed? Has she fucked up her career? And the famous female preoccupation…will he still respect me professionally.

Bottom line, deep down—I don’t give a damn about any of it.  

She got under my skin from the moment Ryland moved to one side and she came into view. Hell, I already want her again. She’s a tempting devil, and everything I’ve been missing—beauty, brilliance, passion. I knew there was a volcano under all that snow, just waiting to erupt. I’m just glad I was here when it did.

Her body is a thing to be worshipped, just as I had imagined when I jacked off to a fantasy about her in shower. Her breasts are full and heavy, the sort a boy dreams about when he’s young and just figuring out the differences between himself and the girl next door. Her stomach is slim, with that lovely soft swell. A man wants a little softness—at least, I do. And curvy hips, perfect to hold onto as I drive myself into her unbelievably tight pussy. My cock starts to stir again, just thinking about it.

She sits up, still flushed. “Your mother would be ashamed of you.”

I laugh softly. And there I was worried about her being embarrassed. I know I want more of her.

Much more.

I open my mouth to answer her, but it’s not the sound of my voice that floats into the room, but Maddie’s.

“Daddy?” my daughter cries out.

I freeze as her voice is followed by the sound of soft weeping. “Oh, shit,” I mutter under my breath. “Hey, honey. Be right there. Just wait for me.” I button my shirt as fast as I can.

“Do you think we woke her?” Sam whispers, horrified, as she hooks her bra and holds her blouse closed.

“I doubt it. She would’ve woken up during, if we had,” I point out, hoping to God I’m right. I lift my hips to fasten my pants. Talk about scarring a kid for life. Waking up to find her father pile driving one of his employees. Fuck, my mother would be ashamed of me. I scramble to my feet and once I’m certain I’m presentable, I hurry over to her.

She’s just sitting up, rubbing her eyes. I let out a sigh of relief when I note the position of her blankets and pillow. She hasn’t moved out of her makeshift bed. “What is it, sweetheart?”

“Where am I?” she mumbles.

“You’re at my lab.”

“Oh. I thought Mommy had come and taken me to Juan’s house.”

“I’m sorry, honey.” I sit cross-legged, close to her. “You were asleep, and I wanted to come down to the lab so I brought you with me.”

“It’s okay, Daddy. I got scared when I woke up and I couldn’t see you,” she mutters. Her eyes are still a little bleary from sleep and crying.

I feel like the world’s worst father. Something tells me I’m going to make big changes in my life. I don’t want to feel guilty again. “I’m sorry,” I repeat gently, wishing there was something else to say. “I think it’s about time for us to get home, anyway. You can sleep in your bed now.”

“That’s nice,” she says, then yawns wide to enough to split open her head. It’s enough to make me yawn, too, and we both chuckle.

Sam clears her throat behind us.

Maddie cranes her neck to get a look at the newcomer.

“Hi,” Sam whispers.

I look at her over my shoulder and find that she’s wiggling her fingers in a little wave.

“Hi,” Maddie whispers back, waving and looking a little awed. “Who are you?”

“I’m Sam. I work with your dad.” By now, she has put herself back together and is clearly better at things like this than I am. She’s being warm and sweet.

Maddie seems to quickly pick up on this. “You work with my daddy?” she asks, her eyes curious.

“I do.”

“Are you a whore?”

Both Sam and I jerk back in surprise. “Maddie, why did you say that?” I ask with a frown.

Maddie looks at me innocently. “Mommy said all the women who work with you are whores.”

My blood starts to boil, but when I glance at Sam, she trying her best not to laugh. I turn back to Maddie and smile tightly. “I think your mother was joking when she said that. To start with I don’t work with … whores and I don’t think you should be using that word either.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s rude.”

“Oh.” She nods then turns to Sam. “What do you do?”

“I’m an engineer.” Sam walks forward and sinks to her knees on the blankets, hands clasped in her lap. “See, we’re working on this new piece of equipment—”

“The pro…to…type,” Maddie interjects, enunciating carefully.

“That’s right.” Sam beams. “And it’s my job to make sure it works right. There are so many little pieces and it’s so important for every little piece to work well together, because if just one little thing isn’t working the way it’s supposed to…”

“Kablooey,” Maddie shouts, spreading her hands in an explosive gesture.

“Maybe not quite so dramatic.” Sam grins. “But I think you get the picture. We made a lot of progress tonight, and things are going to go much more smoothly for your daddy and you from now on.”

My daughter looks to me, hopeful. “Isn’t that good, Daddy?”

“Yes, that’s very good,” I agree. There’s so much more to it than this—Sam doesn’t know about the leaks in the company, the fact that Weissman is using our technology to further his little empire—but for now, it’s enough. That reminds me. “I wouldn’t write up any reports about what just happened yet,” I muse, trying to sound casual.

“Why not?” she asks, frowning, immediately forgetting Maddie’s presence.

“Let’s just keep it between ourselves,” I advise. “We want to be sure we can replicate the test’s success, and then test how long the prototype can stay airborne on the same battery. We want to run altitude tests, too. We’re not quite out of the woods yet.” It’s all a ruse, of course. I’m more certain than ever that we hit on the right combination of tweaks, but if there’s still an active leak in the company… Weissman should never find out.

She doesn’t understand. A cloud drifts over her face. Maybe she thinks I don’t want to give her credit or something. Still, she nods. “All right. I’ll keep it confidential.”

“You’ll get the credit you deserve, of course.”

She frowns, and the cloud thickens. “I wasn’t even thinking about that.”

“Well. Just in case you were.”

“I wasn’t. Is that all you think I care about?” she lashes out.

I’m about to open my mouth and let a lot of stupid things pour out, but thank God for the presence of my daughter. She doesn’t need to hear such things. She’s my saving grace right now. I manage to maintain my cool, flashing a tight smile. How did things shift so quickly? “No. It isn’t. I only wanted to ease your mind. Of course, I won’t forget what an important contribution you’ve made here. Your work has been more than appreciated.”

Her eyes widen for a brief moment, and color floods her cheeks.

For fuck’s sake, that was clumsy, too. It sounds like I was making a comment about what we just did on the floor. I can’t talk about it in front of the kid. I shouldn’t have said anything. Why does she turn me into a bumbling idiot every time? I’m the CEO of this company, for Christ’s sake. I command respect. I’m on top of everything in my life. I’m even making headway with my kid. But dealing with her? I put my foot in my mouth every single time

“I should go,” she says, standing abruptly.

“Are you mad with me because I said the rude word?” Maddie asks, innocent and oblivious. Lucky her.

“No, of course not, sweetie.” Sam smiles. “It’s just awfully late, and I have to get home and go to sleep.”

“You’re sure you’ll be all right getting there? Let me call you a cab,” I offer.

The look she gives me could pulverize stone. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I’m used to working late and driving home afterwards.” She turns to Maddie, smiling again. “I’m so glad to meet you, Maddie.”

“Bye, bye, Sam. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

There’s enough hope in her voice to tear my heart. The last thing she needs to do is form an attachment to my employee. It’s bad enough I did.

When we’re alone again, with me cursing my stupidity, Maddie yawns again. “Can we go home now, Daddy?”

“Sure thing,” I reply, acting on autopilot as I gather the blankets and pillow. She makes a funny picture, standing there in a pair of Minnie Mouse pajamas and bare feet, brown curls standing out in all directions like corkscrews—dammit. I still need to learn how to braid her hair— all while holding a teddy bear by its arm. Definitely not what anyone would expect to see in a tech lab.

A lot of things have happened tonight that no one would expect to see in a sophisticated lab like this one. I turn my head to look at the video camera. We usually turn it on to record every flight, but thank God, we didn’t switch it on. I wouldn’t want to run the risk of the network getting hacked and leaving ourselves open to having our progress monitored.

“Come on, honey.” I pick her up and rest her on my hip. She leans a sleepy head on my chest as I turn off the lights. I can’t shake the thought that I’m losing something important as I walk out into the hallway and hear the lock click behind me. My daughter’s head bounces gently on my shoulder as I walk to the elevator.

“I’m glad it’s the weekend now,” Maddie whispers as we walk.

“How come?”

“It means I’ll have you all to myself.”