Risk (The Men of Matiz 1)

I pull open the door as the phone continues to ring.

"I need to take this, Ellie." I look down at her. Her lips are plumped and bruised from the roughness of my kiss. Her skin is glowing from the rush of her orgasm. She looks ready for another round, but first, I need to tell someone to fuck the hell off.

"I'll wait." She stands in place, her eyes skimming over my bare chest.

I nod, inching around her to cross the hall to the home office. I flick the switch and the overhead light flickers on.

"Nolan Black," I say into my phone. "It's late. Start talking and make it quick."

The man on the other end of the call delivers bad news. My gaze is still locked on Ellie and where she's now standing at the entrance to the office. I don't turn my back or shoo her away. I don't give a fuck if she overhears this conversation. I just want to stare into her eyes.

She breaks the connection when her gaze travels around the room.

"The shipment is already overdue." I even my tone, cutting the man I'm speaking to off mid-sentence. "Unless it's delivered by noon tomorrow, you'll be facing a hefty fine per our original contract."

I listen half-heartedly as he tries to excuse away the delay. Ellie smiles before she turns her attention to a calendar hung on the wall. The image on display is familiar to me, but judging by the way Ellie's staring at it, she's never seen anything like it before.

It's a beach in Hawaii. Maui, I believe. I picked the calendar up from a youth group. They were selling them in the parking lot at the airport in Honolulu. I had just finished a business trip in Lahaina and when a guy approached wearing board shorts and a ripped T-shirt with a message summoning for a change in the world, I handed over a twenty dollar bill and shoved the calendar into my carry-on. I hung it up when I got home as a reminder of the tranquility of the islands.

"I'm putting this on my bucket list," Ellie murmurs before she snaps a picture with her phone of the calendar. "I'm going to Hawaii before I die."

I tuck my phone next to my chest, blocking my voice from the guy who is now telling me that they lost track of the truck carrying the first shipment of our new products. That's a quarter of a million dollars worth of missing lipstick, eye shadow, and mascara. "If you pack that bikini you were wearing last night, I'll go with you."

She looks as surprised as I feel by my words. Why the fuck would I invite myself along on a future trip to Hawaii with her?

I bring the phone back up and catch the tail end of the guy explaining that they are sending out several men to track the truck down since the driver isn't picking up when they call. I don't give a shit if they send out a full-on search party. The product needs to be at our warehouse when promised. Simple.

"Find him and call Crew Benton," I grumble. "Do not call me back. Your contact is Crew for the rest of the night. Not me."

I end the call and immediately direct my attention to Ellie.

"I have an emergency too." She sighs. "My friend locked herself out of our apartment. I need to go home so I can let her in."

"Can't she call someone else?"

She shrugs her shoulders, her hair falling away from them. "I told her to call the building manager, but she just sent me a text telling me she couldn't reach him. I can't leave her locked out. I need to go help."

"I'll call Crew." My gaze drops to my phone. "I'll get him to call the manager. He'll have him at your place with a key in hand within minutes."

"Are you sure?" She takes a step toward me. "Because I can run down there and be back here in no time."

"You live miles from here," I point out. "Even if my driver catches every green light, it's not a quick trip."

She studies my face before her eyes sweep over my desk. "I guess it's not that close."

My phone starts ringing again. "No, it's not close at all."

"You should get that." She shifts restlessly on her feet. "I'm going to text Adley."

"I'm not getting it," I say just as I see the incoming number. "Shit. I have to take this, Ellie. I'm sorry."

Silence hangs in the air between us before I breeze out of the room and cross the hall back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind me.

Chapter 23

Ellie

"You don't want me to come back?" I ask to clarify what he just said. "You think I should go home, let Adley in and stay there?"