NICK
Iget up early, an hour before my alarm. I don’t know why I bother to set one. Even on nights, I’ve been drinking or out late, my body wakes me up with the sun. Like the military reprogramed the part of me that liked to sleep in.
I stretch, get through a shower, pull my pressed and folded clothes out for the day, and drag them on before looking myself over. Even without today being the day Sophie shadows me, I take pride in my appearance.
As much as the world says not to judge based on looks, I know it’s horse shit. Just walk through any kind of partially militarized zone as a citizen, then in full gear. The reaction is entirely different despite it being the same person.
I head to the kitchen and see Gunner. He grunts at me before heading back to his own room. At least he does me the courtesy of one grunt before disappearing. “Hey, Miles.”
My eyes flash towards the door Sophia’s going to come through any minute. I feel a slight pang in my chest. The same way I felt holding the line and not letting anyone go retrieve Holden until we were sure it was clear.
The threat of guilt.
“Miles.” I greet him as he goes for the coffee.
He flashes me a wide smile. “Showing my girl the ins and outs of H.R.?”
“Only the good,” I promise.
Miles chuckles then glances in the same direction I’d nearly been caught looking. He sighs and shakes his head. “I was really worried about this, you know? My little girl coming to work from the ground up in this company.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t think she’d take the job. I definitely didn’t think she’d have all of your support so quickly.”
Not just our support.
I swallow straight black coffee to suffocate that thought.
“Not to mention her mother. God, that woman. Always dragging her new boyfriends around. I swear half of them only gave her the time of day so they could keep their eyes on Sophia.”
The vein in his temple pulses, a telltale sign of his temper. Miles takes a slow drink then nods once. “You make good coffee, Nick.”
“See you at the office.”
He walks off with a hand raised in a half-hearted wave. As soon as he’s out the door, I glance in the direction of Sophia’s room. I haven’t spent any alone time with her since our sparring match.
I’m almost nervous that I’m the only one that felt something. Sure, she kissed me, but she did it to get free, and I, like a high school boy, fell for that trick and kissed her back. I know better than that. She’s Miles’ daughter. I shouldn’t want to be alone with her.
As I’m telling myself I’m remembering things wrong, that it was a fluke, that she only seems so attractive because I shouldn’t want her, she walks in.
Sophia, with her rich hair falling down and over her breasts in a business smart dress that doesn’t do anything to help me think less of her. Because the dress clings to her hips, and the buttons are making my fingers twitch.
It would be so easy to strip her. Her eyes flick to mine, and she bites her bottom lip. She grabs some coffee, more cream than anyone could ever need, then stirs in sugar too. She braces herself against the counter and takes a slow sip.
Shaking my head, I smirk. “So you like milk with a hint of coffee?”
“It’s cream, and I don’t want my taste buds to suffer first thing in the morning.” She says.
I know her dad is gone. That’s the only reason I can’t stop my feet from carrying me to her. I offer her my cup. “Maybe we should compare.”
I’d love to let her taste the coffee from my mouth, to feel her tongue against mine again. She’s the first woman in years to make the first move on me. But now, she’s skittish and unsure. I wonder if any of the other guys have had a taste of her, or if being around her dad is what makes her anxious.
She shakes her head at me. “I don’t like black coffee.”
“That you know of.” I wink. “Ready for work?”
“Sure. What … uh … what is it that you do?” She asks as she follows me out of the house.
Before I can grab the door for her, she opens it herself. She gasps when she moves too fast and the coffee splashes on her hand. Then she licks it from her fingers, and all I can do is stare at her. Stare as her tongue wraps around her index finger before she sucks her ring finger.
When I finally meet her gaze, I find her blushing fiercely.
“Uh, I’m okay.”
“I’m head of H.R. I finally answer.”
Sophia laughs once, then again, shaking her head as she sits in my car. I hand her a napkin, and she takes care of her hand and the cup before setting it in the holder. In the car, I let her know that my job isn’t to handle simple complaints. It’s to oversee hiring, background checks, policies, and write-in employee incentives.
That seems to hush her until we go upstairs to my office, away from the other guys. The woman and man that work for me both wave to Sophia, and she grins right back. I follow behind her, watching her hips sway as she walks in her heels.
I remember what it’s like to be wrapped up in her legs, and I’d love to have her on top of me again. I tug at my tie as I sit at my desk. She looks around curiously, then smirks. “So if someone had a complaint, they’d talk to someone out front.”
“Matching their gender generally, or whoever they feel more comfortable with. I learned early on that women didn’t feel comfortable talking to men.”
“Because most men aren’t understanding.” Sophia’s arms wrap around herself, and I swallow. She takes a slow breath. “So, us women have to learn to defend ourselves and use what we have.”
“Like tricky means of escape,” I grumble.
She turns and smiles at me. “I’m sorry if it hurt your ego.”
“Makes me think we need to go another round since kisses aren’t going to save you every time.”
Her eyes flick to my lips, and I feel my cock harden in response. She exhales slowly and leans forward, giving me a chance to peek down her shirt to see the curves of her breasts. They’re as perfect as she is.
“Nick.” Her voice is soft but husky.
I don’t apologize for staring blatantly. Not considering I see lust in her eyes too. I lick across my bottom lip. “Maybe we should review the general policies.”
“Okay.”
I slide her the handbook, and when our fingers brush, it takes effort to keep my hands to myself. I have a generally useless table in my office. One that she’d fit perfectly on as I hold her ankles on my shoulder and fuck her hard, half-dressed, blushing hot and …
Her heel brushes my leg under the desk, but she doesn’t look away from the packet on her lap. Still, I see the slight curve of her lips, and I know it wasn’t an accident, especially not when it happens again.
“Miss Lane.”
“Formal now?” She asks, head lifting. She sets the packet down. “I’m familiar with general H.R. packets. I have worked at companies before, and I like to study the policies.”
“You’re interested in policies and whatnot?” I’m tempted to get excited. I love rules – making them, fine-tuning them, watching how they create a reliable structure that has consequences when broken.
She smirks.
“Or you’re teasing me.”
“I like finding loopholes.” She says, and her heel, sharp and threatening strokes along my calf sending a shiver up my body.
It’s not like she’s dropping herself on my lap or undoing buttons, but the fact that she’s poking a button repeatedly, proving to me that she’s aware I’m here, is driving me insane. I take a slow breath and focus on what she says instead of how her lips move.
“Sure, breaking rules is fun, but it’s more fun to wiggle between the rules, not breaking anything and watching frustration follow.”
“You like frustrating others then?”
“Maybe.”
She leans back and drums her fingers on the chair. “Teach me something I don’t know, Nick.”
My cock hardens further. I’d like to teach her what happens when you push a person too far. But instead, I take a slow breath. We’re at work, and I prioritize my work. I have to. I didn’t get to this position by breaking the rules that I put into place.
So I introduce her to my assistants, talk with them, and show her how I set up employee incentives. She sits close to me, perched on the counter behind my desk and leaning forward, so a lock of her deep red hair brushes my shoulder.
I’d be happy to lose myself in her smell or to drag her onto my desk, spread her legs and devour her right here and now. I swallow the lump in my throat when Sophia puts her hand on my shoulder.
“Nick, I’m starving.”
“Oh.”
I jump up, and she nearly falls on top of me. Her hand strokes over my chest as I stabilize us both. I shake my head. “Sorry, Soph.”
“I didn’t expect you to move so fast.”
Her body is pressed against mine, her hip right against the growing bulge in my pants. I swallow and slowly let her go, but her fingers stroke down my sides for a moment, and she leans towards me like we just might do more than stare at each other.
All at once, she looks up and takes a step back. Her father opens the door. He grins. “Hi, sweetie.”
“Hi, Daddy,” Sophia replies brightly, greeting her father with a kiss on the cheek. “Nick and I are going to get lunch.”
“Good. Learning a lot?”
“More than my head can handle.” She gives a gentle smile, but then her eyes flick back to me.
I feel her gaze on me as Miles drops off some folders for me to review. He pat’s Sophie’s head. “Now you get to see some of the real stuff.”
“Once we’re back from lunch.”
“Exactly.” He gives her a one-armed hug and heads right out the door, not a single concern.
Of course not. I’ve always been the good one. Why else would he put me in H.R.? I’m the D.D., I’m the voice of reason. I’m the one person he’ll never have to worry about leaving Sophia with.
Until she takes my hand and leads me to the elevator. The air is denser once we step in, and my temptation to touch her ramps up at least seven notches. I face her. “Soph…”
“Yes, Nick?”
Her eyes catch on me as I take a step closer, and she swallows. She doesn’t back away, doesn’t push me to do more, just watches as I brush my fingers across her jaw. Her breath catches, and she shivers.
I feel heat race through me, just being closer to her. I lean towards her, almost brushing my nose along hers. Sophia stands up on her toes, and her lips brush mine. I almost groan at even that soft contact. The electricity I feel buzzing between us, demanding I move closer just to get more of her, more of this, it’s so loud in my ears I almost don’t hear the ding of the door as her tongue brushes my bottom lip.
I step back and stumble to put some space between us and watch worry flood her face. She covers it quickly, nods, and walks out of the elevator, taking the lead yet again.