by K. I. Lynn
Most of the time when I talked about my mom, I was talking about my stepmother, Wyatt’s mom. She raised me from the age of ten like her own, right before she had Wyatt, and at times I forgot she didn’t give birth to me.
My biological mom, on the other hand, was a vile piece of human garbage that I refused to see. In fact, she hadn’t contacted me in over a decade—and that had been a birthday card to celebrate my eighteenth birthday when it was in fact Christmas of my twentieth year. Wrong month and wrong year and I never figured out why, just lit the card on fire and watched it burn.
Imagine my shock when she hunted me down at the one time I didn’t have someone around to screen my calls. How had she even found out I was in New York?
“What about her? Is she okay?” Roe asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
She chose drugs and affairs over her family. Over me. That was the gist of it. The short story.
“She’s fine,” I said simply, not wanting to get into my issues with my mother.
But Roe’s expression said she wasn’t buying it. She also wasn’t digging deeper. Still, that furrow of her brow told me something that her words never would—she did care.
Despite all her bravado, Roe did have a soft spot for me.
She was just going to make me work damn hard for every inch.
But that was okay. I was up to the task. If I was being honest with myself, the motivation that I might get to call Roe mine? That was worth all the effort I could utilize in my arsenal. I’d always gotten what I wanted, and I wasn’t afraid of hard work.
And I knew winning over my firecracker would be the prize of a lifetime.
I, Roe Pierce, have a soft spot for Thane Carthwright.
There. I said it. Admitted it.
Well, at least in my own mind.
He got me with his apology. Tugged me with talk of his mother because I could see the pain etched into his features, the distance and vulnerability in his beautiful blue eyes. He could fake a lot of things, but that raw emotion he didn’t think was showing was on full display. Thane had a heart, but much like mine, he kept it guarded, hiding behind layers of arrogance.
Changing my attitude toward him took a few days, but it didn’t change our jabs at each other, only my standoffish attitude. In truth, I knew I was being unfair. After the first few days he’d been mostly nice, except the few times I irritated him on purpose. And really, how else did I expect him to react when I was deliberately pushing his buttons?
That was when it really hit. I liked fighting with him. It was so stupid, but also freeing.
All day, every day, I was only ever given the opportunity to be one of two people—Roe the professional marketing associate, or Mama. I’d almost forgotten what being Roe the person felt like. Our fights were almost like a dance. It wasn’t anger, but it wasn’t entirely playful. What it was made me feel free, like I was waking up after a long slumber.
“Good morning,” I said with a yawn as I set my bag down.
Thane was already at his desk, squinting at his monitor. I watched him, trying to hide my laughter as he cursed, pouted, then pulled a pair of glasses from his desk drawer.
I bit down on my bottom lip as I stared at him. Just when I thought he couldn’t get better looking, he went and put on glasses. Seriously, he needed to just stop.
He glanced up and caught me. “They’re for the blue light and the glare.”
I shrugged. “No need to explain. I think you have a false impression that glasses make you look like something lesser. Let me just set you straight—they don’t. You just look better, and that is so unfair to the rest of the world.”
“How is it unfair?” he asked.
“Because nobody should look that damn good.”
The insecurity melted away and he grinned at me. “You think I’m good looking?”
I rolled my eyes. “No. No, I don’t.”
“You just said I was.”
I shook my head. “Maybe I did, but I refuse to feed your ego any more than that.”
“Just admit it.”
“I admit that you are full of yourself.”
He groaned, and his head fell back. He whispered something, but it was hard for me to hear. I could have sworn it was something like “I want you to be full of me,” but that didn’t seem to make sense. At least that was what I told myself when my thighs clenched together at the thought.
Instead, I turned back to my computer and started in on the emails that had come in overnight and in the early hours of the morning.
In my regular position, it wasn’t something that happened that much. Often, I took my laptop home to work, but I rarely sent out emails.
Working for Thane was different.
The late-night spinners, the different time zone letters, and the up-too-damn-early-in-the-morning writers were constant invaders of my email once I was gone for the day.
I’d cleaned up the work that had piled up since Crystal went on leave. It had taken just over a week, but I had everything running smoothly and efficiently. Which was good for my regular job.
It took a few minutes to go through the emails, then I jumped into the Worthington proposal.
After an hour of working and fielding a couple of calls, I let out a yawn. I could use another coffee.
“I want a coffee.”
I jumped in my chair, my hand flying to my chest. “Crap, don’t scare me like that!” Where did he come from? I turned my head two seconds ago and he was seated at his desk, and now he was suddenly hovering, entirely too close to me.
He just chuckled at my reaction. “I want a coffee.”
“Okay…” It wasn’t the usual way he ordered a drink, and the way he stood expectantly at my desk confused me.
“Are you coming with me?”
“Coming where?” I asked. He wasn’t making much sense.
There was a flash of heat in his eyes that quickly faded. “To get coffee.”
“You’re going to get your own?” I narrowed my gaze at him. “What’s your game?”
He smiled at me and held his hand out. “I need something stronger, and by the three yawns you’ve let out since you arrived, so do you. And those are contagious, by the way, so you need to stop.”
I stared at his hand and slipped mine in.
A shock ran up my arm the moment we connected, and I drew in a sharp breath. It wasn’t a static discharge shock, but one that felt like a pulse of electricity beating between us.
I stood, my gaze catching Thane’s. We were both frozen for a moment, my heart fluttering, beating double time. Neither one of us pulled away, his thumb brushing against my fingers and sending a cascade of electrified shivers through me. After a moment, he lifted my whole arm and pressed his lips to the top of my hand.
It felt like the floor shifted beneath my feet, and I reached out and grabbed his arm with my other hand.
“Ready?” he asked.
I blinked at him, my attention still focused on the tingling that radiated from his touch.
“What?”
“Coffee?”
“Right!” I said with a start, pulling my hand from his. I instantly missed the warm feeling, but I tried to shake off whatever had just happened.
“Purse, purse, where is my purse,” I chanted. My brain was complete mush, and I was trying to hide how much I was affected by the man beside me.
“You don’t need it. I’m buying.”
I turned back to him. “Oh. Thank you.”
He held out his arm, ushering me to walk ahead of him.
“What is your favorite coffee drink? Not what you drink, but your absolute favorite?” I asked, making sure to steer the conversation away from whatever had just happened.
“Hmm, probably a peppermint mocha.”
“Really?”
He nodded, then patted his stomach. “But that’s a lot of sugar. I’d have to spend an extra hour on the treadmill to work that off.”
Internally I groaned, curious to see what he was hiding
beneath his suit because I was pretty sure it was perfection. His suits were bespoke for sure and hugged his body perfectly. “Do you work out much?”
He nodded. “Six days a week. My building has a huge gym, which is very convenient.”
“Must be nice.”
“Do you work out?”
Did picking up a nineteen-pound eleven-month-old fifty times a day count? I’d definitely gotten stronger since she entered my life.
“I walk everywhere, so that’s my exercise.” There was truth to that, covering where my strength really came from. I easily walked two miles a day just going to and from work, then add in grocery runs and errands and just leaving the house in general.
“I drive.”
I turned to him. “You drive? Here? In New York City? Manhattan?”
“Yes, I drive.”
“Weirdo.”
He chuckled and reached out to press the call button for the elevator when something on his wrist caught my eye.
“Is that a rooster on your cuff link?” I asked. Thane had a collection of cuff links, and I swore he wore a different pair every day.
His lips drew into a smirk. “It’s a cock.” He leaned down, his lips ghosting my ear. “Because I’m a cocky motherfucker.”
A shudder rolled through me at how close he was. The spicy, woodsy cologne with a hint of citrus drew me closer. He smelled so good, and I wanted a taste. A little lick of his skin.
“Do you have a monthly budget for new links?” I asked, a little breathier than I meant, but I needed to stop the yearning circulating through my senses.
He quirked a brow. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I’ve seen half a dozen or more. One that looked like blue woven fabric, a fossilized shell, sleek black, polished turquoise, mother of pearl, and I swear one with black pavé diamonds.”
He nodded, seemingly impressed. “You’re perceptive, and yes, they were diamonds.”
I shook my head. “You have a cuff link problem.”
“If that’s my issue, what’s yours?”
“My what?”
He nudged my arm with his elbow. “Tit for tat. What is your spending vice?”
Once upon a time it was eating out and bracelets. I loved bracelets. The fact that I was only wearing three at that moment was only because too many was too casual for my business attire.
Since Kinsey, my splurging had become cute baby clothes. That wasn’t something I could tell him, though.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “And why should I tell you?”
“Is it bad? Or naughty?” His eyes widened in excitement. “Do you have a collection of adult toys?”
I whipped my hand back, knocking him in the stomach. It did nothing to deter him, only made him laugh at my discomfort.
Over the past week or so, our spats had slowly morphed from anger and frustration to teasing and ribbing and more than a little flirting.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Even if it’s a no, that’s all I’m going to believe,” he said with a grin.
The elevator arrived and the doors slid open.
“Are your expensive cuff links trying to make up for some shortcomings in your life? Is that why you’re such an ass? Because of your lack of endowment in other areas?” I asked as I stepped into the cab.
“Coming out swinging today, I see.” He chuckled, a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his lips.
“Tit for tat.”
He leaned in and whispered, his breath against my neck sending shivers down my spine. He really needed to stop doing that.
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
Yes, things had definitely shifted between us.
I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. “You know, you’re not as slick as you think you are.”
A groan left him. “Maybe, but I bet you’re slick enough right now to take all of my generous endowment.”
I leaned back to meet his eyes. “Keep dreaming that you’re more than a Popsicle stick. The biggest assholes are always compensating for something.”
“If I am, I guarantee it is not due to my size.”
I bit down on my bottom lip as I felt the heat rising in my face.
We were on our way down to the lobby, having only passed a couple or so floors when the elevator jostled and shuddered to a stop. Looking up, I found we were stopped between the twelfth and fourteenth floors.
Fitting. We were in the void of level thirteen. Neither of us moved as we waited for it to pick back up and resume our descent.
A shiver rolled through me as I remembered a horror movie Pete made me watch where the elevator stuck in the same place, then shortly after plummeted to the bottom. It was déjà vu, and a loud screech of metal on metal from somewhere outside the cab did me in, igniting my fear. After a minute of nothing, the pressure that had settled in my chest blossomed, exploding into full-blown panic. I reached out and pressed the buttons, but nothing happened.
“Come on,” I hissed under my breath as I took in shallow breaths, my jaw locked down as my heart hammered.
Oh, God, this thing needs to move!
My breath sped up and I closed my eyes for a moment as I leaned against the wall to steady myself.
Thane stepped forward and hit the Door Open button, and still nothing. He gripped the edge of the doors and pulled with all his strength, but they didn’t budge.
“Fucking open!” he screamed before slamming his hand against them.
His jaw was tight, and he stepped back to stand next to me against the wall.
The heat of his body was comforting, and I inched closer until our arms touched.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice sounding strained.
I swallowed and shook my head. “I’m okay with elevators as long as they are moving, but we’re not moving anymore.”
My breath sped up even more, and I could feel the panic taking over.
The air that seemed to crackle with sexual tension just mere minutes before was amping up into a Molotov cocktail of anxiety and panic.
My throat constricted and as hard as I attempted to settle myself, I was barely holding on. Weakness wasn’t something I wanted to show anyone, but especially not Roe. Her fear was palpable and feeding my own, growing it at an exponential rate.
Flashes of lights, my mom passed out in the corner of a stalled elevator in a shady part of town, a needle in her arm.
Fuck.
I hated that memory and I was trying to tamp it down when I heard Roe whimper next to me.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I said as I stepped in front of her. I needed an anchor, and so did she.
The warmth of her body inches from mine was both calming and alarming at the same time. I cupped her face to get her to look at me, and her wide eyes met mine. She reached up and gripped my arms, momentarily distracting me with the fire that shot through me. It was gone as quickly as it had come, but the effects lingered.
It was enough to turn her attention to me, our eyes meeting before everything went dark.
“Shit!” I hissed, bracing for another wave of panic to pulse between us when the emergency lights flashed on.
Roe cried out. “Fucking horror movies!”
It was random, and almost made me laugh until I noticed she was drawing in quick, shallow breaths.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’m here,” I soothed. “Open your eyes.”
Our eyes met, and for a moment I forgot about my own tense muscles. My focus was solely on her and settling her down before she hyperventilated. The last thing we needed was two fucking passed-out adults when the elevator finally started moving again, because once she was gone, I wouldn’t be able to calm myself.
The pucker of her lips and the crease that had settled between her brows drew my focus away from the phantom shift of the cab that wasn’t really happening. I concentrated on the dusting of freckles across her cheeks and her nose. On the splashes of green and brown of her hazel eyes.
I reached up and smoothed the space bet
ween her brows with my thumb, but it didn’t take the look away. Instead, her panic laced with confusion. I trailed my fingers down the side of her face, lightly cupping it as I dragged my thumb across her bottom lip.
Leaning down, I closed the inches that separated us and pressed my lips to hers. She gasped at the contact, her lips parting.
When the moment of shock subsided, I was graced with a moan that traveled from her mouth to mine. Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me even closer. Our battle of wills transferred from words to lips and tongues.
My whole body lit up as I pulled her tightly to me. We pulled apart for a breath, and a shiver ran through me at her heavy lids and clouded eyes. I was sure mine were the same, lust completely overtaking thought and driving my need for more.
I attacked her neck with my teeth, tongue, and lips, spurred on by her high-pitched moans of pleasure. The energy coursing through me needed an outlet, and I was desperate to pin her to the wall or the floor. Anywhere I could sink my hard cock between her thighs.
I roamed my hands around her body, taking in as much as I could, memorizing each sweet curve. Around her ass and up her sides, skimming her breasts.
My thumbs brushed across her nipples, hitting something hard as they moved. Again, two bumps, one on either side of her nipple. A groan left me, and my cock stiffened even more when I realized what it was—Roe had pierced nipples.
Digging deeper, pulling closer, I still couldn’t get enough of her. Couldn’t feel enough of her to satisfy the insatiable hunger that was driving me.
I’d craved women before, but never on the same level as I craved Roe. By her fervor, the way she clawed onto me, bit down on my neck, I knew it was the same for her.
We both needed a break in the tension that constantly swirled around us.
The elevator shook, and the power coming back to life was the reality check that had Roe pulling away. Her eyes were wide, lips swollen and pink, and her skin was flushed. The loose bun she always wore had strands flying everywhere.
She was absolutely stunning.
Before I could protest, she stepped back and out of my arms, resting against the opposite wall. We were both breathing hard, and it took everything in me to not close the distance between us and continue.