As I entered the reception area, I saw Zayde around the back of the desk. Natalie was leaning against the filing cabinet, and he was speaking to her, his head close to her ear. His voice was too low for me to hear.
Hmm. “Am I interrupting something?”
Zayde stepped back, his face a blank mask, as usual. “Nothing.” He emphasised the word, making Natalie’s eyes darken with anger. She closed her eyes briefly, and when she reopened them, she’d regained her composure.
“I’ll show you out.” She swept around Zayde and over to me. “It was lovely to meet you, Winter. Have a great day.” Smiling, she held the door open for us, and with one last goodbye, I left, following Zayde who had brushed past me.
“What was all that about with Creed’s secretary?” I watched as Zayde inserted the card into the slot, and the lift began its smooth descent.
“Nothing.”
“Didn’t look like nothing.”
“Nothing, as far as I’m concerned. Women want too much. Always getting the wrong idea. They’re never satisfied,” he muttered. At my frown, he added, “Except you, of course.” Then he smirked at me.
Right. “Well, I’m glad our trip wasn’t wasted. I feel like we have a real chance now.”
“You did well.” Zayde sounded slightly impressed, and I smiled widely. “Don’t look so pleased. You cost me a hundred quid.”
“What?” The lift doors opened, and I followed him out into the cobbled alleyway.
“I didn’t think you’d be able to persuade Creed to help. He’s very particular, and he takes care to stay neutral—particularly when it compromises his business interests. Cade made a bet with me, though. He thought you could do it.”
My smile grew even wider. “He had faith in me?”
“Enough to bet on.” He grinned at me, letting his mask crack, and I stared at him.
“You should smile more often.”
His smile disappeared. Oops. We were silent for a moment, as we turned onto the busy street, and then he glanced down at me with a puzzled expression. “What is it about you, Winter, that makes people want to follow you into crazy situations?”
I shrugged. “No idea. Maybe I’m just really likeable?”
He smirked. “Maybe.” Gripping my arm lightly, he steered me around the crowds of people that had started pouring out of the office buildings around us. “Let’s get home so I can listen to Cade gloat about how he was right and I was wrong.”
“Can’t wait.”
TWENTY-ONE
“I asked everyone to leave us.” I pressed up against my girl as she stood at the kitchen sink, staring out of the window. I watched our reflections in the glass, her, barefoot in some tiny blue cami top and shorts set, and me, in my sweatpants. Fuck, we looked good together. Sliding my arms around her waist, I lowered my head to kiss her neck, and she shivered, responding to my touch like she always did.
“Why?” Her breathy whisper made my dick jump, and I continued kissing her soft skin, my hands moving under her top to caress her waist, and up to cup her tits. I brushed across her nipples, feeling them stiffen beneath my fingers. Fuck, she felt so good. So fucking perfect. And all mine. She moaned, and I nipped her neck, before moving my mouth to her ear.
“It’s our last night before we carry out this plan. There’s a massive chance of everything fucking up, and I wanted to have one more night with my girl, forgetting everything else, before shit goes down. We don’t know how Christine will react, and yeah, we have some resources from Creed, but that might not be enough. This whole situation has the potential to blow up in our faces.”
“Oh.” She tipped her head to the side, grinding back into me, and I stifled a groan. “One last night before everything changes. I’m definitely on board with this plan.”
“The question is…” I lowered my hand, sliding it into the tiny shorts she was wearing. “Can you manage to cook the dinner without fucking me?”
“What?” Her voice was barely audible as I slid my hand even lower, my finger slipping through her wetness, then coming up to circle her clit.
“I love how you’re always ready for me.” I kept up the slow movements, and she tried to press down on my hand, a tiny whimper escaping her lips.
“Cade…”
“Cook the food, baby, and I’ll reward you if you can manage to resist me from now until we’ve finished eating.” I removed my hand from her shorts and stepped away from her. She slumped against the sink, breathing heavily, regaining her composure, before she turned to face me.
“So you’re saying, you want me to cook the dinner while you torture me until I give in and beg for sex?”