“That you’re all mine afterward.”
I licked my lips, nodding. “Yes, sir.”
“Fuck, don’t say that, or I’ll kiss you again.”
His tone was so fierce and seductive that I suspected I’d end up on my back right on this desk if I gave in to another kiss. I rolled my chair back, putting a little distance between us.
“I just need to fill an order sheet for an overseas supplier.”
“I’ll wait.”
Half an hour later, I emailed the order sheet and jumped right out of my seat.
“I’m done,” I declared, grinning from ear to ear and doing a ridiculous happy dance in the middle of the room.
Liam’s eyes lit up, and he immediately rose from his chair.
“So, remember our deal?” he asked playfully, splaying his hand on my lower back, pressing his fingers against my body as if he was seconds away from slipping his hand under my dress.
“Hmmm...why don’t you remind me?”
“Oh, that’s how we’re playing it, huh?”
I shrugged playfully.
He brought his mouth to my ear, tugging at my earlobe with his teeth.
“You’re mine tonight, Tess. All mine.”
I shivered and then moaned when he feathered his lips down my neck. I pushed him to sit in my chair before climbing in his lap. Dragging my hands down his shoulders, I could feel the tension in them. I looked him straight in the eyes, fidgeting in his lap.
“You’re stressed about something,” I said.
He swallowed, moving his palms up and down my thighs.
“I am.”
“Want to tell me about it? I’m a big believer in sharing worries.”
“You remember we have a fourth partner?”
“Yes, the silent one, without decision power.”
“Exactly. Turns out, he wants to sell his shares.”
“Oh, okay. What are you going to do?”
“We’ll buy him out.”
I felt a small sliver of panic right in my chest and between my shoulder blades. What if they couldn’t? Of course, my mind immediately spiraled to the worst-case scenario. I just couldn’t stop from picturing us closing the business, going back to finding a corporate job. That knot in my chest tightened even more. I loved what I built with my sister, the freedom it gave us. I had a fuzzy feeling in my belly every day I went into work. I didn’t want to lose that.
I drew in a deep breath. As Cole always said, it’s best to deal with things as they come—one at a time. And right now, this beautiful man I was straddling was all up in knots, and I wanted to unfurl every single one. I wasn’t going to ask what the ramifications were or where that could lead. I didn’t want to make tonight about me. It was about him.
***
Liam
I touched her face, addicted to the feeling of her smooth skin under my fingers.