Chapter 14
Naomi didn’t know what to think. Reid had entered her house looking like a shell of a man. But two helpings of chicken, sweet potato casserole, salad, and wine, and the man had regained some semblance of life.
He laughed and complimented her cooking, her house, her sense of style. They finished the meal and continued to sit together, talking while they sipped the wine he’d brought. He regaled her with some hilarious stories of his week that couldn’t possibly be true.
“She did not wave a sex toy at you.”
“Swear to God she did.” He laughed harder. “Now every time Cash and I walk past her doorway, we think we hear moaning. I think she plays some kind of recording so even when she’s not there, we’re hearing it.”
“I have to get back to your office.”
He raised a brow and grinned, the spark of devilry in his gaze irresistible. “You thinking to get in on her female empowerment class?”
“Well, I’m all about women feeling powerful.”
His eyes darkened, and he looked her over from head to toe. Or rather, from head to breasts, since the table blocked her lower half. “I like you feeling powerful too.”
She knew for a fact it had been a very long six days since she’d felt Reid inside her. Watching him watch her, her entire body tightened up, his gaze sparking like a live wire.
“I, ah, did you want dessert? I made brownies.”
“Chocolate. I like.” He stood when she did and followed her into the kitchen. “How about you feed me some of those brownies?”
She swallowed around a dry throat and turned around. She knew what that look in his eyes meant. Like tinder about to go up in flames, she allowed herself to move closer to his heat.
She hurried to grab the plate of brownies and froze, trapped by the counter in front of her and Reid at her back. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her in place while he rubbed a thick erection against her ass.
“Mmm.” He leaned closer and pushed her hair out of the way so he could kiss up her neck. “Maybe that’s what I taste. Chocolate.” He licked her neck, and instead of being creeped out, she drenched her panties.
“Oh God. You feel good.”
“Not as good as you do. I want to make love to you. Right here. Right now.” He rubbed her ass through the skirt she wore. “You good with that?”
“Y-yes.” Like she’d say no. She tried to turn around, but he stilled her.
“You stay right there and let me do all the work. Let me empower you to do nothing but feel sexy,” he teased and turned her face, managing to find her mouth for a soul-shattering kiss.
She had no idea how he’d done it, but his hands were everywhere. Her boots, socks, and underwear lay scattered on the kitchen floor. He continued to ravage her neck as he unbuttoned her blouse, then teased her breasts, getting her so close to orgasm, she feared coming too soon. Having him behind her, in charge and out of reach, was shockingly hot.
“I love your tits,” he murmured as he cupped her, pinching the nipples into hard points. “You get me so hard.”
“You get me so wet.”
“Yeah?” he rasped. “Let’s see.” He had such wonderful hands… Unfortunately, he didn’t move them fast enough to suit her.
Reid slipped her shirt off and unfastened her bra but left her skirt on. He ran his hands up the sides of her skirt, across her bare legs. His clever fingers found their way between her thighs and moved higher. The cool air made her shiver, her nipples stiff, her flesh pebbled. But it was the sensations caused by Reid that had her moaning his name.
“Oh yeah. Let’s feel you come,” he muttered as he rocked against her ass while rubbing her clit, then sliding fingers inside her.
“I’m close,” she warned, shocked she’d been so ready so fast.
Reid wouldn’t let her wait. He bit her shoulder, then fucked her with those long fingers. “Yes, come, baby.”
She shoved back against him, but he wouldn’t give her any room to avoid the delicious pressure overtaking all sense.
He grazed her clit once more as he thrust his fingers, his other hand molding her breast while he plucked the firm bud and drove her out of her mind.
She keened as she climaxed, the pleasure a total joy of the senses.
As she came down, leaning over her kitchen counter, she felt him withdraw, then heard him unzip. The rip of a package, and then he was pulling her hips back and raising her skirt.
“I need to come inside you. Wearing a condom, I promise. But…fuck.” He slid inside her, feeling incredibly large.
The sensation of Reid in her already sensitive passage lit her up all over again, and she shrieked as he pumped hard, gripping her hips as he fucked the breath out of her and her multiple orgasms.
Reid stilled soon after, groaning as he jerked inside her. “Naomi.” He poured into her for a long time, it seemed. But when he withdrew, he left her bereft. Empty.
“Damn. I feel light-headed.”
She sighed. “I’m wobbly.”
“We can’t have that. Stay right there.” He disposed of the condom and returned, his jeans buttoned once more, to lift her in his arms.
“What the heck?”
He bobbled her, as if to drop her, and she clamped her arms around his neck, only to hear him laugh.
“Idiot.”
He smiled. “Aw, you say the sweetest things after sex. Why, it’s making me ready to go for round two already.”
“Already?”
“Well, not yet. But I have a feeling if we snuggle together, I can probably manage another Naomi-sized hard-on soon enough.”
“Naomi-sized, eh?” She loved the fact he carried her down the hall to her bedroom. What guy did that? Stereotypes in romance movies, that’s who. “Weren’t you a Marine? This feels a lot like that scene in An Officer and a Gentleman.” An iconic movie where the hero, a Navy sailor, carries his woman out of a factory.
“Never saw it. But if he’s carrying her and it’s all romantic, I’m thinking it’s a chick flick.”
“How very advanced of you.”
He grinned and dumped her on her bed, then stood looking down at her. His shirt was untucked, and she thought him the sexiest man ever. “Man, you are one walking wet dream, you know that?” he asked as he stared down at her clad in nothing but her skirt. “How about you take that off now?”
She slid out of her skirt and laid back on the bed, feeling sensual and desired.
Reid lost his humor, hunger once more darkening his eyes.
“Now you,” she ordered. “Take off your shirt and shoes.”
He gave her a look but did as commanded. And the sight of his muscular chest took her breath away.
She spread her legs and touched herself, staring at him as she did so.
He groaned. “Oh yeah. Do that. I’m nearly there.” He cupped himself.
“Show me.”
Reid stripped out of the rest of his clothes, and she wasn’t surprised to see him thick and hard for her. The man had stamina, and he clearly liked watching her.
As his big hand wrapped around his shaft, she had an urge to take over. Naomi left the bed to kneel at his feet. “Let me.”
Reid nodded, unblinking, as she wrapped her fingers around him, then ran a pretty red nail down his cock.
“That is fuckin’ hot,” he rasped, his slit wet, his body rock hard. “Your nails are red, like your lips.”
She licked her lips on purpose. She knew what he wanted. And damn it, she wanted to give it to him.
“Reid, I have to know.” She leaned closer to blow a breath over his cockhead.
He steadied himself on her shoulder, one big hand gripping her. “Whatever you want. Ask.”
“Are you clean?”
He nodded so fast, she worried he’d give himself a headache. She would have laughed if she hadn’t been turning herself on so much. Being the object of such raw desire was an aphrodisiac. And there was no denying his arousal.
“I always use a condom. And there hasn’t been anyone in months.”
“Yeah? Me too.” She leaned close and licked his slit.
He cupped her head, holding her close but not too close. “Sorry.” He acted as if he meant to pull his hand away, but instead, he clenched it in her hair. “You feel like silk.” He moaned.
She used her tongue to stroke his cock before nibbling back to his tip. Naomi cupped his balls, rubbing the taut sac.
Reid pushed himself against her lips. “Please, baby. Suck me. God, I want you so much. I swear, I’ll do whatever you want. I just want to feel you…” He tapered off as she took him inch by inch between her lips, looking up at him as he stared down at her.
“Can’t believe how good you feel,” he managed before falling silent, keeping still as she bobbed over him.
He trembled and locked a hand over her shoulder, holding tight. Reid moaned and pumped a few times before stopping himself. He tasted salty, excited, and she knew he’d come soon.
“No. In you,” he growled and pulled her off him. He grabbed another packet from his jeans and sheathed himself in a condom, then tackled her to the floor.
Romantic it wasn’t. Wild, fierce, and real it was.
He nudged her legs wide and thrust deep.
She cried out and locked her ankles behind his back. Reid fucked her, a savage stroking that hit the very center of her before he stopped abruptly.
“I’m so close,” she moaned, shocked to see a mischievous look come over his face.
He looked like trouble and sexy as hell.
“But not close enough.” He withdrew from her, ignoring her efforts to drag him bodily back down. Then he scooted down her body and set his mouth on her.
He licked her into an orgasm that had her floating in seconds. Then he was back, thrusting fast and hard.
Reid whispered her name as she finally stopped seizing around him. The beautiful man came, his face scrunched in ecstasy as he emptied into the condom.
For a brief, crazy moment, she wished he’d been coming into her, skin to skin, nothing between them but passion and affection.
Knowing herself to be nowhere near done with the man, she stroked his sides, his back, and accepted the kiss he gave her after he caught his breath once more.
“I have to say it,” he said. “Motherfuckin’ A. You sucked me dry.”
“Oh? Too bad. I was hoping for another go,” she teased, pleasantly exhausted.
He laughed. “Really? ’Cause you give me a few, and I’ll be ready to go again.” He paused. “But maybe some of those brownies would help rev my energy. Wait here.” He left her before she could offer to fetch the gooey treats.
When he returned once more, naked and minus the condom, carrying a plate full of brownies, and wearing a sweet smile, she had a moment of clarity. A sticky knot of love began to fill the empty spaces inside her. That should have started a panic. But tired of thinking too hard, she accepted her growing affection and told herself she’d handle confusing emotions later. Reid needed her support…and she really wanted to know if he could go for a third round.
* * *
Reid lay with Naomi in his arms, determined not to fall asleep this time. Hell, being with her was better than anything, including her damn brownies, and he’d never had better. She was addicting. Strong and sexy, with a core of steel that refused to bend.
He stroked her hair, fingering the soft strands. Lazing next to him, she sighed and petted his chest. Had he been a cat, he would have purred. As it was, he sighed with contentment and kissed the top of her head. She lay over his heart, and he wondered if she knew it beat for her at this moment.
“We are really good in bed together,” she mused.
He nodded.
“I felt that.” She smiled against his chest, that magical mouth stirring the spark plugs in his belly once more. Naomi gripped his now-flaccid cock in hand. “You’re always big, Reid. I mean, geez.” In her hand, his dick started to thicken, and she let him go.
“Scared?”
“Yes.”
He laughed. “I’m a shower, a grower, and an all-around mower.” He grinned. “I sure mowed your sweet pussy, didn’t I?”
She laughed, as he’d known she would. “That was just bad.”
“I know.” It reminded him of something said at work, oddly enough. He grinned. “Speaking of pussy, you might want to be careful of Heidi, our newest hire. She flat-out told me and Cash she likes it.”
Naomi leaned up on her elbows. “What?”
“Pussy. She told us she likes pussy.”
“She did not.”
“Yep. Didn’t say much in the interview. Told us she wants respect and her pay on time, doesn’t like to talk much, and likes sports. Oh, and pussy.”
Naomi gaped. “Seriously?”
He laughed. “Since Cash likes the same things, we decided to hire her on the spot.”
“Just Cash, huh? So you’re not a fan of pussy?”
“Hearing you say that makes me want to give you that round three right now.”
She groaned. “Maybe I need a small break. You’re like a marathon man.”
“Better that than a minute man. Trust me.”
“Good point.” She leaned down to plant kisses on his chest. “You’re not that hairy but still manly. I don’t get the smooth chest thing.”
“Models and swimmers shave. Not me. I’m too lazy.”
She patted him. “Lazy can be good. I’m lazy. Feed me more chocolate, Gunnery Sergeant Griffith.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As she chewed, she forced him to take a few bites as well. “Are you feeling better, Reid?”
“I am.” He smiled at her, feeling so much, he didn’t know how to put it in words. “So much better.” He took her hand in his and squeezed, then laid it over his heart. “You make me feel good, Naomi.”
“You do the same to me.” She bit her lip. “I missed you this week. And I was annoyed with myself for it. We’re just friends.”
“Really?” He glanced down at her laying over his naked body.
She blushed. “Naked friends with benefits and… Oh hell. I don’t know what to call us. I like you, a lot. But we work together.”
“I’m just a client.”
“That’s work.”
“You’re fired.”
“Reid.” She slapped him.
He tugged her close for a chocolatey kiss, then set her back over him. He liked her lying on him, his sexy, redheaded blanket. “I know what you’re thinking, but we’re not like your past work relationship. I would never sleep with someone I worked with. You and I are mutual acquaintances who met through my moving company. Nothing you do has an effect on the people in my employ because I make the hiring and firing decisions. And nothing I do has an effect on those in your company. Right?”
“Well, I guess you have a point. But you pay me.”
“Not for sex.”
“Of course not, you jackass.”
He laughed. “Stop trying to label us. We’re good together. Can’t you just go with that? I mean, damn, Naomi. I felt like hell all week. Two seconds with you and I’m happy. Not just relaxed, but actually happy. How can anyone not smile when they see your big blue eyes? You’re so damn pretty, inside and out.” He feared he was growing sappy, but he had to say something of what he was feeling.
She hugged him again.
“So what about you?” he asked. “Anything got you all stressed out that more sex can cure?”
She sighed. “I wish. My family is coming to town for some award my oldest brother’s getting. And they’re staying with me. My mom, pregnant sister, and her fiancé.”
“The perfect older sister?”
He looked down at her and was taken aback at her beauty. It wasn’t just a physical attraction that held him in thrall though. He saw so much more every time he looked at her. “Tell me about it. You helped me by listening. I can listen to you.”
She rolled her fingers on his chest, tapping. He found it soothing, though she was likely agitated. “Harley is everything I’m not. I get jealous and hate myself for being petty.”
“So you’re saying you’re human after all.”
“Very human.” She grunted. “If my older brothers and sister would screw up once in a while, I’d be fine. But they’re so damn perfect all the time. Ben is getting a doctor of the year award from his clinic. His kids are cute, and I like his wife.” She sounded annoyed.
Reid found it adorable but didn’t speak, letting her get it all off her gorgeous chest.
“Pete married the love of his life. They’re both handsome as sin, with great jobs—lawyers, of course—and have a beautiful baby. And they never put a foot wrong. I mean, Pete knew Brad was the one after seeing him the first time.”
He didn’t comment, wondering if he and Naomi had really connected upon first meeting or if the great sex had warped his mind.
“And Harley.” She snorted. “Her first husband was an amazing guy who died young. Left her a ton of money, a great house, and a gaping hole in her soul.” Naomi sniffed. “I sound so bitchy.”
“Ah, you’re not crying, are you?”
“No.” Her pitiful sob made him want to laugh and ball her up in his arms. So he did both. When she struggled against him, he held her tighter and stroked her back. “Shh. Relax, Naomi. Your perfect siblings sound annoying. It’s okay to be jealous.”
“It is?”
“Yeah.” He wiped her tears and pushed her hair out of her face. Even crying, she looked better than any woman he’d ever seen.
“H-Harley met a second great guy, and now she’s pregnant. I’m so happy for her, so why do I get so angry at them all?”
“Well, you did say your parents pressured you to—”
“And that’s another thing. Mom and Dad have been married for thirty-eight years. Happily married. Gee, no pressure there! My mom’s pretty and smart and fit. Dad’s everyone’s favorite guy. It’s impossible comparing myself to these people.”
“Okay.” He kissed her cheek. She kissed him back, just a simple peck on his lips. And it felt as if his world finally made sense. I am seriously doped up on endorphins.
“Mom expects great things out of all of us. I’m the only who can’t deliver.”
“That’s not true.”
“I never told them I broke up with Tanner. Or that I left my job.”
“How long has it been?”
She sighed. “A year and a half.”
“Wow.” A thought struck him. “Maybe you’re not over him.” The idea physically hurt, that she might be in love with someone else.
But Naomi only huffed and toyed with his chest hair, angrily staring at his pecs. “Oh, I’m over him. He still thinks he loves me. Ha. He loves the idea of Doormat Naomi working her ass off for his company. Of Weak-Willed Naomi gushing about how great he is. For years, I did all the grunt work so he—my boss—could look good. Then I get noticed and suddenly I’m bad for his image and need to leave the firm. Bullshit.”
He’d tensed at “he loves me.”
She must have sensed it because she paused. “I’m oversharing, aren’t I?”
He shook his head, intent on erasing her memory of some douchebag loser boss. She’d only mentioned working with the guy. He’d been her boss?
Reid grew angry. And hard. He blindly reached for one of several packets he’d placed on the nightstand, taking care not to move her too much. She didn’t notice. Finding a condom, he shifted Naomi up and off him. “Let me hit the head real quick. Then you can tell me more about this loser.”
“Hit the head?”
He flushed. “Use the bathroom.”
She smiled at him, looking sexy as fuck.
He cleaned up in the bathroom and donned the condom, aroused at all he wanted to do with her.
He returned to see her sitting up and brooding, one big lump in the now-shadowed room. “I’m sorry for going on and on,” she apologized.
The darkness hid his erection, and he slid into bed with her once more. He flicked on a side light, seeing her clearly.
“Hey, I turned that off.”
“I need it on.” He sat up, his back propped against the headboard, and dragged her up to straddle him. “Kiss me, baby.”
She did, at first lazy, then with a seductive caress that had him more than ready to go.
“Now sit down.”
She looked puzzled, but when he positioned himself at her entrance and guided her down over him, her eyes widened. She lowered herself fully, sitting on her knees as she took him all in.
“Oh. You feel so deep inside me.”
“That’s right.” He urged her to rock up and down. “Now tell me about this loser who still supposedly loves you.”
“Reid, that’s…weird.”
“Why?” He drew her to him for a passionate kiss that had her moving faster. “Because you want me?” The pathetic need to mark her as his in some way gripped him.
“Reid,” she moaned and ground over him.
“This turning you on? Knowing you’ll come for me, not him?” He grew angrier, more aroused, and sucked her nipples, biting so that she slammed harder over him. He nearly lost his mind when she pumped faster. Jesus. “I’m the one you think about when you come, aren’t I, baby?”
“Yes, yes.” She was frantic, seeking her release. But Reid wanted her to see him.
He switched positions, laying her on her back while he fucked her hard. She came with a cry as he took her with brutal passion, coming so hard, he saw black for a moment.
Exhausted, he watched her, satisfied in more ways than one. “That’s right,” he crooned. “I’m the one for you, Naomi. Not some douche who didn’t know what he had until it was too late.” He was dopey and stupid and saying all the wrong things, but his obsession to make her need him persisted.
“Wow.” She stared at up him, her eyes huge. “You are so hot when you’re taking charge.”
He gave a weak smile and collapsed on top of her, done in.
“Oof.” She struggled to get free, then gave up. “Great. Now we’re both sweaty, He-Man.”
He winced, praying she’d forget half the shit he’d said, and gave her room to breathe. “That was hot, wasn’t it? I should boss you around more often,” he teased, making light of his jealousy.
“Hmm.” She yawned. “Can I interest you in a shower?”
“Hell yeah.”
Which was how he found himself toweling off in her bathroom half an hour later, staring at Rex, who’d magically reappeared with a meow, when she left in a robe to answer her doorbell.
“Mom?” Naomi sounded shrill. “What are you doing here?”