The Dealmaker (Sex & Bonds 1)

We don’t need to be careful. Whatever happens next, I’ll handle it. I’ll take care of her.

Just like I know she’ll take care of me.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nora

I wake up to the smell of coffee and an overwhelming sense of softness inside my chest and between my legs.

I’m sore.

I’m smiling.

Opening my eyes, I glimpse Theo through the open door to the living area. He’s standing, a tray of iced lattes in one hand and his phone in the other, thumb moving over the screen. I don’t know how I know this, but I can tell he’s texting one of his sisters. Must be the annoyed breath he lets out as he shakes his head, hitting the button on the side of the phone to blank the screen with a small click.

He looks up. Looks right at me, and smiles.

The softness in my chest migrates to my throat. He looks so handsome and happy it hurts. His scruff is overgrown and his eyes are lit up. Tired, but lit up nonetheless. We did stay up very, very late having sex in every position known to man.

Apparently neither of us could get enough.

Even now my skin comes to life, my nipples budding to tight, needy points beneath the covers. I can smell sex on the sheets. The sleeve of condoms we worked our way through hangs haphazardly off my nightstand, just a few left.

A hand grips my heart and squeezes. I had sex with Theo Morgan last night. A lot of it. And it was insane. So good I want more, right now.

Still, the thought hovers in the back of my mind: did I just make another huge mistake? Or was sleeping with Theo—letting him in—the best decision I’ve ever made? Because it feels right. The things we did, the things he said. How he handled me, carefully but confidently, communicating the whole time about what was in his head and how he was feeling. As much as I like being in charge at work, it was a fun little role reversal to let someone else take the lead for a change. It was the biggest turn-on ever, relinquishing control to Theo. His bossiness in bed is hot. So is his openness, his vulnerability.

It’s something I never thought to expect from Aiden.

One thing that hasn’t changed? The fact that, like Aiden, Theo is a colleague. If it gets out we slept together, I could very well kiss whatever reputation I have left goodbye. But right now, I’m too turned on to care.

I’m having too much damn fun to care. I’ll face the music when we’re back in Charlotte. Real life will hit soon enough. Why not indulge in a little fantasy while I still can?

Is this a fantasy? Or am I really allowed to feel this good, this adored, without the other shoe dropping?

“Morning,” Theo says, voice still rumbly with sleep. He holds up the tray and his smile goes shy. “Coffee?”

Could he get any damn cuter? “Hi. I’d love some, sure. Thank you. Let me, um . . . I’m gonna get dressed real quick—”

“No.” His eyes darken, sending a zip of electricity up my spine. “I want you naked.”

I know that look now. He’s about to get all growly and bossy on me, and I do not hate it.

I do not hate it at all.

“You always take your coffee with a side of boobs?” I ask, sitting up. The duvet falls away from my front, revealing my bare chest and part of my stomach. The cool air makes my nipples pucker even more, and my clit pulses.

Theo’s eyes flick to my tits. The muscle in his jaw twitches. “Only on Saturdays. Yours are beautiful.”

“Thank you.” I give them a playful little shake and he laughs. “Does this mean I get a side of dick?”

“It does not. Unless you want your iced coffee to melt and the room service I ordered to get cold. I get naked, and the only thing I’m eating is you.”

I climb out of bed and hold my hands above my arms in an exaggerated stretch. “Doesn’t sound like a bad deal.”

His nostrils flare. “You’re going to need stamina, which requires real food. First breakfast. Then sex.”

I’m okay with that.

I’m also okay with the way his gaze follows my every move, lingering every so often on my pussy. The attention is an enormous turn on.

“How are you feeling?” he murmurs when I sit across from him at the little table in the living room.

I know he doesn’t want a bullshit answer, so I don’t give him one as I sip my perfectly made latte. “Excellent. Surprised.”

“Surprised I’m that good in bed?”

I smile. “Surprised that I like you this much after all the shit you’ve pulled.”

“That’s fair.”

“You’ve done a one-eighty on me.”

“But it’s a one-eighty you like. A lot.”

I look at him. “I do.”