One month later . . .

Woods

I glanced over at the phone and considered calling Della. I hadn't spoken to her in five hours. My morning had been packed with meetings and conference calls. She never complained. That bothered me. The fact was I thought she should complain. I was failing her. How was I supposed to run the Kerrington Club and take care of her? Any other woman would have been in my office throwing a fit. But never Della.

A swift knock on my door kept me from picking up the phone. I would call her in a minute. "Come in," I called out, and started looking for the papers Vince had brought me to sign earlier.

"Vince wasn't out there so I knocked." Angelina's voice wasn't what I expected to hear.

"What does Mother need now?" I asked without looking up at her. That was why she was here. At first I had been annoyed with her presence but she was helping my mother more than I could. More than I wanted to.

"She misses you. It's been over a week since you called to check on her."

Angelina was as good at guilt trips as my mother was. The two of them were so much alike. "I'll call her later today. I've got work. If that's all, please see yourself out."

"You don't have to treat me so coldly. I'm helping you the only way I know how. Every day I stay here with your mother is for you. It's all for you. I'm in love with you, Woods. I can't compete for your heart because you won't allow me in. But what is she doing for you? I don't see her helping you---"

"Enough. Don't ever put yourself on the same level as Della. I didn't ask you to take care of my mother. I can hire someone to help me if I need it. As for Della, she's the reason I get out of bed each morning, so never underestimate her importance."

Angelina stiffened and opened her mouth to say more. I lowered my angry glare back to the contracts in front of me. I was done with this conversation. "Leave."

The clicking of her heels on the hardwood floors as she left the office was the most welcome sound I'd heard all day.

When the door closed behind her I reached for my phone to call Della.

"Hello," her sweet voice said into the phone.

"I need you," I replied.

"I just finished a late lunch with Blaire and Bethy. I'll be right there," she replied.

"Just come in when you get here," I told her.

"Okay."

Exactly ten minutes and fifteen seconds later my door opened and Della stepped inside. Her dark hair was pulled up into a ponytail. The short sundress she was wearing hugged her curves more than I would have preferred. I stood up and walked around my desk.

"Hi," she said with a shy smile.

"Hi," I replied before resting both my hands on her hips and pressing my mouth on hers. Her lips were always so plump and soft. The faint taste of cherries from her lip gloss clung to my tongue.

This was what I needed. This was what got me through each day.

Della broke the kiss and placed her hands on either side of my face. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"I am now."

Della gazed up at me as if she were studying me closely. Then she stepped back and turned to the door. Before I could ask her what she was doing the lock clicked in place.

"Take off your clothes," she said simply, then began to slip the straps of her dress down her shoulders.

I was at a loss for words at the moment. I did as I was told. I couldn't take my eyes off of Della. As her dress pooled at her feet and she stood there in nothing but a pair of pink lace panties and a matching bra, my hands started to tremble. Seeing her like this never got old.

"We haven't made love in here yet," she said, smiling at me as she unsnapped her bra and let it drop carelessly to the floor.

"No we haven't," I managed to say. When she hooked her fingers in the sides of her panties and started pulling them down, I reached my breaking point. The moment she stepped out of the pink lace I took the two steps separating us and picked her up, and her legs wrapped firmly around me. You couldn't call what our mouths were doing kissing. It was too raw for that. We were taking each other. It was the best description I could think of.

I wanted to take her on my desk but we weren't going to make it that far. Not after that striptease. I wasn't even going to be able to enjoy tasting her and touching her. I needed inside her now before I exploded.

I set her down and flipped her around until she was facing the wall. "Brace yourself," I whispered into her ear.

Della leaned forward and placed both her hands against the wall. I took in the sight of her body arched out and my heart slammed against my chest. She was beautiful. Perfect. Grabbing her by the hips, I sank inside of her. The cry of pleasure was so loud I was pretty damn sure Vince had heard it outside at his desk, but I didn't care.

"So good, it always feels so good," I whispered in her ear. The shiver that went over her body made me smile.

"Harder," Della panted, pressing her sweet round ass back against me.

I slammed inside of her and stopped. Buried deep, I leaned forward and caressed her breasts. "You make me crazy, baby."

Della only moaned and wiggled her bottom. She wanted me to move.

"It's so tight. You feel like heaven. I want to stay right here for fucking ever," I swore, and I meant it. Della's pussy sucked me like the sweetest mouth I'd ever known.

The tight hole I worshipped squeezed me and I froze. Then she did it again. What the fuck? It was like she was pumping my dick. "Holy shit," I growled. She was gonna make me come way before I wanted to. I slid out of her and back in and the squeezing started again. "Baby, you're gonna make me come," I said in a strangled voice. I was fighting back the heat tightening in my cock. I was so close. "Della, baby, stop doing that. I'm gonna fucking explode. I can't hold back."

She stuck her bottom out farther and the walls of her silky heat squeezed me tighter. It was as if she had just taken the control of my body away from me. I felt myself erupt as I called out her name and my body jerked helplessly against her.

"Yes! Oh God, yes!" Della cried out, and her body went rigid in my arms before it began to shake underneath me. I wrapped both my arms around her and held her as we both came back down from the climax she'd sent us spiraling off into.

"What the hell did you do to me?" I asked, holding her close.

She leaned back against my chest and a smile tugged at her lips. "I fucked you and I did a real good job," she replied.

I hadn't expected that response. Laughing, I picked her up, carried her over to the nearest chair, and sank down into it with her in my arms.

"That was incredible," I told her before pressing a kiss to her neck.

"Do you feel better now?" she asked, arching her neck so I could access it better.

"That depends," I replied.

"On what?"

"If I can convince you to stay in here with me all day."

"You have to work," she said, turning her head to look up at me.

"Mmm, but if you're here with me I can concentrate. And then you can get naked for me again and be a naughty girl when I need you."

Della threw her head back and laughed. The sound of it made everything in my world right.