Hard Working Hero (Hard Working Hero 1)

Narissa runs her hands down my sides, then slowly back up. Her eyes fix on mine, and for the first time ever, I see her. The real her. The girl behind the mask. The woman who's been hiding in her own shadow.

And she's beautiful. She's more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.

I swipe tender fingertips across her forehead as I press my length inside her body. Her walls contract as she holds me tight, refusing to let me go. This moment is special. We're not just two people having sex. We're two people finding each other in a world that tends to keep people apart. I could have given up on her on day one, but I didn't. And she could have pushed me away until I had no choice but to finally go.

We chose each other.

I kiss her softly. My hips start to move slowly, and it feels so damn good, but I never take my eyes off her. We stare at each other as I glide in and out. Narissa moans, her mouth falling open as I pick up my pace.

She drags her nails down my spine with force as her thighs squeeze my hips and her pussy begins to drip. Her muscles are starting to shake. I can feel them as they quiver against my chest and around my waist.

“Oh my God, Oliver,” she quietly whispers into a moan as her quivers become spastic, and she holds her breath as the orgasm destroys her from the inside out.

My toes curl and my stomach clenches as I come with her. My cock explodes inside her body, filling her with pump after pump of hot cum. Stilling above her, our eyes are on each other, our breathing heavy and labored.

I fall to my side and lay my arms across my chest. Narissa curls her body around mine and pulls the covers up over us.

“Oliver,” she says as she swirls a finger against the center of my chest.

“Yeah?”

“There's something I need from you. . .”

7

Narissa

“What do you need?” he asks. I don't hear any caution in his voice. He asks me openly with no sense that he's wary of what I'm going to ask him for.

“Well, since I've been working with you, I've come to realize something.” I run the tips of my fingers across his chest, following his rigid lines.

“And what's that?” Oliver pulls me in closer to his side, wrapping his arm firmly around my shoulder.

“How much I enjoy working with you and bringing beauty to something that's so scarred it's unrecognizable.”

He sucks in a slow breath, adjusting against me and snuggling deeper into the blanket. “It's an incredible feeling isn't it? To see something come to life right before your eyes.” He tickles his hand up and down my arm. “It's really powerful to watch, like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly.”

“It is,” I say, looking up at him. “So, I was thinking. . .” My voice trails off slightly as I move my hand to his chin and pull his face down so I can look in his eyes. “I want to come work with you.”

“Really?” he asks, his eyes growing large as saucers. “You want to come work for me?”

“Not for you, with you.” Grinning, I giggle lightly. “You're great at what you do, but I can add another element that other contractors don't have. I can help design, paint, create beautiful art that will add a wow factor to any home. I'm ready to get out there, to really showcase what I can do, and I think it's something we can do together. It's time for me to step into the real world and work with real people, with real faces and voices that have visions I can help make come true.”

“You're really serious about this, aren't you?”

“I am. I've thought a lot about it the past few days.”

“What about your parents? What will they think?”

“It's not up to them, it's up to me. Right? It's my life and I should be doing something I love. I'm done hiding who I am. I love painting, I love drawing, I love art. Why not make it my career?”

Oliver's mouth twists up hard, his lids thinning. “Your mom said something to me the other day. She thanked me for getting you out of your comfort zone.”

“She did that?” I ask as I push up on my elbow to see him better. “She's never said anything to me like that.”

“Maybe that's because you're her daughter and she loves you and doesn't want to hurt your feelings.” He slips his hands under his head and smiles. “But it made me think, too. If she could see a difference in you just from that, then what could happen if we were together? How high would you reach if you had someone you trust holding you up, so you aren't afraid to fall?”