Beneath This Man (This Man 2)

So, I’ve just had a business breakfast with Mr Ward, of which the only business we discussed is crazy stuff. ‘What am I going to tell Patrick?’ I turn and look at him. Oh, he is so handsome.

‘What, about us?’ He flicks his eyes to me. His frown line is firmly in place.

‘No, about our business breakfast. What have we discussed?’

He shrugs. ‘Tell him we’ve agreed fees and I want you at The Manor on Friday to finalise the designs.’

‘You make it sound so simple.’ I sigh, sitting back in my seat and looking across the parks.

He places his hand on my knee and squeezes. ‘Baby, you make it sound so complicated.’

Jesse screeches up outside The Royal Park and waves a delighted looking valet away when he approaches to collect Jesse’s car.

‘I’ll see you at home.’ He wraps his palm around the back of my neck and yanks me over to him, taking his time to say his goodbye. I let him. I could crawl all over him. Sod the valet stood close by, looking longingly at the DBS.

‘Six-ish.’ I confirm as he kisses the corner of my mouth.

He grins. ‘ish.’

I know it’s not the right time to approach the subject, but it’s going to eat away at me for the rest of the day. He can’t be serious, surely? ‘I can’t retire at twenty six.’

He sits back in his seat, the stupid, sodding cogs kicking into action. It worries me instantly. He is serious. ‘I told you, I don’t like sharing you.’

‘That’s stupid.’ I blurt, which was obviously wrong, judging by the scowl that has just flashed across his face.

‘Don’t call me stupid, Ava.’

‘I wasn’t calling you stupid. I was calling your ambitious intention stupid.’ I argue quietly. ‘I’m never going to leave you.’ I reach over and slide my hand across the back of his neck. Does he need re-assurance on this?

His lip disappears between his teeth as he stares at the steering wheel of the DBS. ‘That doesn’t stop people from trying to take you. I can’t let that happen.’ He turns tortured eyes onto me. It punches a massive hole in my stomach.

‘What people?’ I ask, alarm clear in my tone.

He shakes his head. ‘No specific people. I don’t deserve you, Ava, but by some f**king miracle, I’ve got you. I’ll protect you fiercely – eliminate any threat.’ His hands slide over the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white from his harsh grip. ‘Okay, we need to stop talking about this because I’m feeling a bit violent.’

I sit and look across at my beautiful, neurotic control freak and wish I could give him the reassurance that he needs. My words won’t ever work. I absolutely realise that now. I’m also fully aware that what he actually means is he’ll eliminate any male threat to him, not me.

I undo my belt and crawl across the car to straddle his lap, with complete disregard for the valet, who is still dribbling all over the DBS. I pull his face up to mine, cupping his cheeks and lowering my lips to his. He moans and slides his hands around to clench my bum and pull me in towards his hips. I want him to take me back to Lusso right now, but I can’t brush Mikael off.

Our tongues slowly sweep together, rolling, pulling back and plunging again, time and time again. I ache with need for this man – painful, constant aching, and I know he feels exactly the same about me.

I pull back and find his eyes clenched shut. I’ve seen that look before, and the last time I saw it, it was because he had something to tell me. ‘What’s wrong?’ I ask nervously.

His eyes fly open quickly, like he’s suddenly realised that he was pulling a complete give away face. ‘Nothing is wrong.’ He brushes away a loose tendril of my hair. ‘Everything is right.’

I stiffen in his lap. He’s said that before too, and everything really wasn’t right. ‘You have something you want to tell me.’ I state it as a fact.

‘You’re right, I do.’ His head drops, and I feel sick – stomach churning sick, but then his eyes lift again and find mine. ‘I crazy love you, baby.’

I recoil slightly. ‘That’s not what you want to tell me.’ I say suspiciously.

He reduces me to a pool of steam on his lap when he blasts me with his smile, reserved only for women. ‘Yes, it is. And I’ll keep telling you until you get fed up of hearing it. It’s a novelty to me.’ He shrugs. ‘I like saying it.’

‘I won’t get fed up of hearing it, and don’t be saying it to anyone else. I don’t care how much you like saying it.’

He grins, a real boyish, cheeky grin. ‘Would that make you jealous?’

I scoff. ‘Mr Ward, let’s not talk about jealously when you’ve just vowed to eliminate any threat.’ I say dryly.

‘Okay, let’s not.’ He pulls me in and rolls his hips upwards, unearthing a wicked beat at my very centre. ‘Let’s get a room instead.’ he whispers, flicking those damn delectable hips up once more.

I frantically scramble out of his lap, eager to escape that mind melting touch before I rip his suit off here and now. ‘I’m going to be late for my meeting.’ I grab my bag and press my lips briefly on his. ‘I need you waiting in bed when I get home.’

He smiles a satisfied smile. ‘Are you making demands, Miss O’Shea?’

‘Are you going to deny me, Mr Ward?’

‘Never, but you do remember who has the power, don’t you?’ He makes a grab for me, but I bat his hands away quickly, jumping out of the car before he completely swallows me up.