Chapter Sixty-Five

Carrie

I wake to Reid’s hands all over my body, and his thick erection pressed between my thighs, and despite losing so much last night, I feel like I gained so much. I found Reid, really found him, the real man. I found us. We found us. “Are you awake now?” he asks, his breath warm on my cheek, hand cupping my breast, fingers teasing my nipple.

I pant out a breath. “Yes,” I whisper, covering his hand with mine. “I’m awake.”

“Not awake enough,” he says, rolling me to my back, and then the next thing I know he’s between my legs, his shoulders easing them apart and I’m grabbing the sheets as he licks my clit. “What about now?” he asks, those blue eyes brimming with heat and challenge. “Are you awake now?”

“If I say yes, are you going to stop?”

He presses his lips to my belly. “I’m not going to stop until you come.”

His tongue teases the sensitive flesh on my belly and then he’s back between my legs, twirling my clit with his tongue, a slow, sexy tease while his fingers stroke the line of my sex and then slip inside. He licks, strokes, caresses and teases and pleases in random wicked ways that has me pumping my hips, moaning, and then crashing into orgasm way too quickly. I’ve barely collapsed into the mattress when my cellphone rings.

I groan. “Come here,” I plead, wanting him inside me. “I don’t care who it is.”

He slides up my body and grabs my phone. “Grayson.”

My eyes go wide. “My cell is on my business card. He must have gotten it from there.”

“Answer it,” he says, handing me the phone and rolling to his side, his hand on my belly.

“Good morning,” I greet.

“She greets me politely, with high energy, and ready to make a deal despite her apartment burning down hours before. You only solidify my decision, Carrie. I’m in on the convention center, but find out what it’s going to take to keep it off the bidding table. I want it closed quickly.”

I look at Reid and nod. He smiles and kisses my temple. “I’ll make the call now,” I promise Grayson. “It’s the middle of the night in Japan, but I have a cell number for my contact.”

“Good. Now, about your building.”

“About that. How did you know?”

“I have everyone I consider doing business with checked out. I knew your address.”

“You had me checked out and quickly. Of course you did. You’re a billionaire and while I am not, I thankfully have good insurance.”

“I can offer you a luxury apartment for six months free of charge.”

I blanch. “That’s incredibly generous Grayson, but I’m fine. I’m with Reid.”

“Interesting. Well, if you change your mind, the offer will remain on the table. Let me know on the offer.”

“I’m on it.” I hang up and look at Reid. “Did you hear the conversation?”

“Every last word, including the apartment.”

I kiss his cheek. “That I don’t need. I have a home with you and we’re about to be very rich together thanks to that clause in my contract that gives me a percentage of anything above a certain threshold.”

He covers my hand with his. “You know I don’t care about the money, right?”

“Why? It’s a lot of money. I care. This is my first time ever to make this kind of money. I’m excited. It’s okay to want to make money with me, Reid.” I think of the hours we sat and talked last night, even after his confession and I easily say, “I trust you.” I smile. “Now, are you excited?”

He laughs. “Yes. Now I’m excited. It is a shit-ton of money.”

“I need to call Japan.” I sit up and start looking through my cellphone contacts. “Got it.” I punch in the number and listen to it ring and end up with my contact’s voicemail. I leave a message and then throw away the covers. “We need to get to work. You should shower with me. It’ll save time.” I dart toward the bathroom and then turn and point at Reid, who’s clearly about to pursue. “Wait a minute though. I have to pee, and we aren’t at a place where you get to watch that.”

He laughs. God, I love to hear him laugh and it means even more after what he confessed last night. I pee and turn on the shower. “Ready!” I call out only to have Reid already behind me, his big body walking me into the shower and pressing me against the wall.

“This isn’t the way to make the shower faster,” I tease.

“Sure it is. We fuck and shower at the same time. It's the definition of time management.” He lifts my leg and presses inside me, drilling hard and cupping my backside to angle my hips. And then he’s thrusting, his gaze raking over my breasts as they sway to his pumps, and I forget everything but how good he feels. How intensely he looks at me, how perfectly he fucks me and kisses me.

Yes.

I will live with you, Reid Maxwell, I think, and enjoy every minute.

***

Much later, we’re both dressed, me in a pink suit, and him in a navy suit with a blue tie the color of his gorgeous blue eyes, sitting at the island in the kitchen drinking coffee and eating eggs that he made us. Yes, Reid Maxwell does cook. The beast has a human side and that’s why I decide to breach a difficult topic. “Have you thought about telling Cat what you told me last night?”

“I don’t want her to know,” he says, and I’m pleased with how quickly he answers, how easily he’s let down his guard, though I doubt it felt easy to him. “But I need to make things right with her,” he adds. “I’ve been working on it, but I need to do more.”

“I think I’ll invite her to lunch, just to get to know her. Are you okay with that?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I just wanted to make sure.”

“Which reminds me.” He grabs my phone. “I’m putting her number and Gabe’s in your phone.” He keys them in and offers me my cell. “You know they’ll be there for you, Carrie. For all the hell my family has been through, my siblings are still loyal.”

“They know you are, too, even if you don’t get warm and fuzzy with them. I knew there was more to you, even when you were barking orders at me.”

He arches a brow. “You think that’s over?”

“No. Because it apparently turns me on since it always ends with us fucking.”

“Exactly.”

My phone rings and I glance at the caller ID. “Japan.” I answer the line and thirty minutes later I hang up. “It’s a huge number, but I got it. He’s emailing me a written declaration. I’m going to text Grayson.”

“Do it,” he says.

I punch in the message and then sigh. “It’s gonna happen, Reid. I feel it. I want to go to Paris to celebrate.”

“Paris it is.”

My cellphone rings and I glance at the number, and eye Reid. “Grayson,” I tell him and then quickly answer the call. “Hello,” I say.

“What’s the number?”

“It’s big,” I warn.

“Number, Carrie.”

“Two and a half billion.”

“Tell him it’s done. Get it in writing and then close it.”

“Oh,” I say. “Yes. Done.” I hang up. “He said to make the offer.”

Reid rounds the island and pulls me to him. “Paris, baby. You and me and a whole lot of money. But just remember, there will be so much negotiation of this contract that it’s going to take weeks if not months to close.”

“But it’s going to close.”

“Yes,” he says. “It’s going to close.”

My cellphone, still in my hand, rings and this time when I glance at the number I’m not as eager to answer. “My father,” I say tightly.

“You don’t have to take it.”

“I do,” I say. “I want it over with and right now on this high, I can deal with him better than otherwise.”

“Okay, baby.”

He releases me, and I hit the answer button. “Hi, dad.”

“Was the fire in your building?” he asks.

“Yes, it was.”

“And?”

“Total loss for me.”

“As in your apartment?”

“Yes, but I have insurance.”

“Okay,” he says, “so obviously you’re meant to be here with me. Come here now.”

My lashes lower and I grab the island. “Did you really just tell me that my apartment burned up so that I could be there?”

“Things happen for a reason. I came here and I belong here. You’ll feel the same.”

“You’re right. They do happen for a reason. I moved in with Reid.”

“What?” he growls. “You did what?”

“I love him. He loves me. I’m living with him. I’m with him.” I turn to face the island and Reid, who’s now directly across at the opposite endcap. “And you need to know that any action against the Maxwells is now an act against me. Do not go after Reid or his family, who, with the exception of his father, I really like.”

“You have no idea how that family affected our family.”

“I actually do. I know about mom and Maxwell Senior, but she left me and that speaks of her character. You didn’t leave me. She wasn’t worth the war you started over her. She wasn’t worthy of us, but you’re making yourself unworthy of anyone by engaging in this kind of war. Please be bigger than that.”

“Reid told you about your mother?”

“He didn’t even know until this week. It’s not our war, but you two want to make it our war. You don’t get to pick my enemies.”

“It’s too late. It’s about more than your mother now. We are enemies. He’s your enemy.”

“No. Please don’t do that. The company is safe. I saved it and Reid helped me.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m coming there.”

“Don’t. Don’t come. I won’t be here. I’m going to Asia.” I hang up.

Reid joins me and his hands come down on my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Was it okay that I said I knew? It just kind of came out.”

“Of course. I would have told you to keep it between us if that was necessary, but I still would have told you, Carrie.”

“I know that. We’re not enemies.”

“No. We’re not enemies.”