One Bossy Offer (83)

I’m boneless ecstasy forever.

Time has no meaning when your release rips you apart.

I’m happily blind, deaf, and dumb for this vampire man and his whip of a body, launched into a paradise that only lets me glide back down long after he’s finished exploding.

He still stares at me, though.

So intense I smile, watching his pleasure, loving how he holds his cock inside me like he knows how much I enjoy having his seed buried deep.

It takes an eternity before he collapses beside me, pulling me into his arms.

“You regret it, kitten?”

I look at him, my mouth forming a question.

“The condom. I wasn’t thinking. Fuck, when we burst through that door, I only had one thing on my brain.”

His kiss sears me with a naked reminder of what that obsession was.

“No. It was glorious, and I’ve got an IUD.”

He grins back.

Yeah, I don’t think anything could make me regret what we just did.

But I’ve been here with him before. Who knows what I’ll regret tomorrow if he becomes an evasive prick again.

For now, I just relax in his arms, dozing before I startle awake and realize I didn’t agree to come here for this—the hottest sex of my life was just a bonus.

“Mister, you still have some explaining to do. Remember?” I kiss him on the cheek, playfully sliding my nails down his chest.

With a guarded smile, he turns, staring up at the ceiling and its dark wooden beams like he’s gathering his words.

“As fucked up as things are now, Simone Niehaus and I were on friendly terms once.”

My mouth drops open.

I wasn’t expecting that.

“I know. Another time, another life. We both came from corporate royalty, me with Cromwell-Narada, and her with the publishing empire her grandfather left behind. She turned it into Pacific-Resolute in no time. We were always bumping heads at conferences, but the public swipes at each other gave way to talking ideas. Eventually, she had me convinced we could do the impossible, and corner roughly a fourth of the entire US media market.”

“Holy crap,” I whisper, batting my eyes.

“Big dreams, I know.” He smiles bitterly, something sad and sharp in his eyes. “For a time, I thought that was all Simone was. Harmless. One more driven career freak with ambitions a thousand feet taller than her. I didn’t see the danger—or the dagger, not until it was in my back. Once she shattered my trust—along with any faith in humanity I ever had—I called the deal off. She’s been bitter as hell ever since, thinking I’m the reason she never clawed her way to the heights she was hellbent on achieving.”

“But wait. If she backstabbed you, then why would she be bitter about you canceling the merger? She had to expect it would happen.”

His expression darkens.

Why do I feel like I’m getting the truth, but not all of it? What else is he holding back?

“The knife was almost a mortal wound, though I don’t think she intended it to be. She still imagines I’ll get over it someday, everything she fucking took from me.”

He goes quiet.

I want to know what that means so bad, but the edge in his voice, the pain, it scares me.

What I really want more than anything right now is for Miles to stop suffering.

So I grab his hand gently, bring it to my lips, and just hold it against my cheek until his breathing softens.

“She’s been scheming to force her way back into my good graces,” he says finally. “Obviously, that’s never going to happen. I can’t do business with someone I can’t trust, no matter how solid their company seems. If she thinks she can’t get a piece of my business, I think she’ll do everything in her power to destroy it, and she doesn’t give a damn who or what she hurts along the way.”

“What?” My breath catches. “We can’t let that happen. I’ll do whatever I can to help. What you did for Pinnacle Pointe...even if you had your own reasons, it was a huge plus for the whole town. No good deed should be rewarded with a crazy stalker coming after you, let alone anyone caught in the crossfire.”

He picks up my hand, brings my wrist to his lips, and kisses it.

“That’s sweet, kitten, but I’m not sure there’s much we can do beyond what we just did. Fend off her bullshit. We have to wait until she slips up, and that could take years. Her moves are hard to predict. She’s cunning and meticulous.” He locks his arms around me and plants a kiss on top of my head. “I think this might be our last chance for this—” He motions at our intertwined bodies with his hand. “At least for a while. Not because I want it to stop, but because the project wrapped up early. There’s no reason for you to stick around Seattle.”

I smile.

“There’s no good reason for you to stay here either.” Unless he’s changed his mind again.

I hold my breath until his mouth crushes mine.

He kisses me so hard, his tongue searching, chasing mine until we both ripple.

“Fuck, you’re hard to argue with. I suppose I could go back to the Pointe once I’m sure morale has improved at home.”

“Yes, please. Come back with me.” I lean up and kiss him again.

Smiling, he pulls away.

“If I do, there’s no escape then.” He stops and turns us so I’m flat against his bed and he’s climbing over me, eclipsing me with his delicious weight.