Misadventures with the Boss (Misadventures #12)(18)

“Jackson,” he corrected. “Ever since the first time I had you, I haven’t stopped thinking about you, and I have to think there’s a reason you’re here now. I’m not interested in relationships, Piper. I don’t have the time or the inclination. But I want you more than any other woman I’ve ever had. And the way your body fits with mine?” He shook his head. “It’s no accident you’re here, that’s all I know.”

“What are you trying to say?” I pressed, struggling to breathe as I imagined him sinking to his knees in front of me, pushing my legs apart, and having his way with me. Teasing my already aching bud again the way he did that night. Tasting him the way he’d tasted me.

“I’m trying to say that I want you. I want you as my assistant, and I want you in my bed.”

“That’s not possible.” I shook my head, trying to fight back the primal urges willing me to straddle him then and there. To forget about what was smart and do what my body was begging me to do.

“And why not? I don’t see why we can’t keep it professional during the day and enjoy ourselves at night. I’ve put a lot of thought into this, and I know we can handle it, if you’re willing.”

“We’ll be caught,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. If he only knew how willing I was. But God, would this be stupid. Foolhardy. Reckless.

“By whom? I’m the boss here.” He shrugged. “I don’t have shareholders I need to keep up appearances for. All I need to do is follow my own instincts, and all my instincts tell me this is something I can’t ignore. I’ve spent all day thinking about you, even though you’ve been wearing those awful clothes to hide yourself from me. Tell me the truth. You’ve been thinking about me too.”

I let out a shallow breath, nodding despite my better judgment.

Because, really, there was no denying it. I was sure he knew, could feel every time I’d come into his office and imagined splaying myself out in front of him. Every time I’d envisioned bending over the desk in front of me and staring out at the city skyline while he pushed into me over and over until I broke apart at his touch.

“See? So we’re in agreement. We’ll be casual sexual partners during non-work hours, and you will retain your position as my assistant during the day.”

“We can’t,” I tried again, straining to hear the voice of dissent that was growing weaker and weaker in my mind. “What happens when one of us gets tired of the other?”

What I really meant was What happens when you get tired of me? Because I couldn’t imagine ever tiring of him…

“Nothing. I think we’re both smart and mature enough to look at what happened fondly and continue working together. You’re an amazing assistant. Nothing has to change there. But this thing between us? It needs to run its course. It’s meant to be, Piper. Do you need me to prove that to you?” He stood, his height dwarfing even the dark skyline behind him.

I shivered. “I don’t know. I can’t choose right here and now.”

“Then let me give you something to help you weigh your options.”

I should have stood right then and there. Should have gotten up and marched out the door without a second thought. But instead, I uncrossed my legs and stood, waiting as he circled the corner of his desk and crowded me until all I could feel was him—the smell of him, the heat of him, his overwhelming presence.

He was everything.

And I could do nothing to deny him.





Chapter Eight





Jackson





As I stepped toward her, my pulse hammered in my wrists and my shaft ached with the memory of the last time we were together—just like it did every time I was around her. I approached, the familiar scent of her lavender and chamomile shampoo filling the air, and it was all I could do not to tell her to get on her knees in front of me right then and there.

But no, right now I had to convince her that we were meant to be lovers. It was my one and only mission. And I never failed a job.

Slowly, I pushed an errant strand of silken hair behind her ear and then twisted it around my finger.

“Don’t you remember how good it was, Piper?” I asked, my voice deep and low. “When I sank between your thighs and licked you?”

She swallowed hard, and I cupped her cheek, stroking the pad of my thumb against her tight jaw.

“You tasted so good, you know that? Every time I see you, I think of that. How good you tasted. My tongue on your pretty pink clit.”

She shivered, and my hand dropped lower, tracing the column of her throat and then the hollow of her collarbone.

“And then, when I’m thinking about you? I think about how good it would be to taste the rest of you. To kiss my way down your neck…” I trailed my thumb up and down her throat again. “And your breasts…” I rested my palm just above the swell of her chest. “And your perfect little nipples.”

She shivered again, her pupils dilating as she met my gaze. Her breath was coming faster now, and I knew I had her under my spell just as much as I was under hers.

“Do you know what I thought when I first saw you in this tiny red skirt?”

She shook her head, eyes wide, her gaze still trained on mine.

“I thought of how nice it would be to undress you until you weren’t wearing anything but this skirt. And then you know what I’d do?”