“Harrison Arnold?” She looked squarely at him now.
Nodding, he seemed to stifle the rest of his laugh. “Yeah, why?”
Why did he just assume she didn't follow the inner workings of the business? He knew she was a partner.
“You do realize Everett has copied me on everything for the past seven years? You assume because I’m not at the office every day I don’t pay attention.” The corners of her mouth threatened at a smile. “For your information, there’s a difference between passion and passive.”
“Tell me how you really feel.” He chuckled.
“Anyway, Arnold is such a greedy asshole. I’ve told Everett time and again not to work with him, but he acts like we’re indebted to the guy for some reason. What’s he done now?”
Mike updated her on the information Kendra sent about Arnold’s meeting with Easton Investments, but she still couldn't work out why Everett thought the Chessington building was such a gem. There were at least twenty other buildings out there at a better price with less risk to Monroe Properties.
“If Arnold is willing to play two hands trying to hedge his bets, do we really want to get in bed with him?” Mike asked. “It’s a bad investment every way I look at it, but will Everett see it the same way?”
“So, that fool is double dipping?” Zora shook her head as she turned the fire off, then walked over cradling a wooden spoon in her hand. “That doesn’t shock me one bit.”
“Here, try this. Be my taste-tester while I take a look at what he’s up to.”
Mike slipped the wooden spoon into his mouth, he let it linger on his lips. He looked mouth-watering.
For the next forty-five minutes, Zora dove into the purchase documents while Mike helped her taste and devour half of the soup. They eventually arrived at the same conclusion: working with Arnold in any capacity was not only a bad idea, it was a risk not worth taking. It wasn’t too late to back out of the deal altogether.
“See, Ev needs you,” she said matter-of-factly. “He knows construction and the portfolio and how to best utilize it to grow the company, but you know risk analysis. You know how to identify and mitigate potential issues that could negatively impact the business initiatives and projects.”
She paused for a brief moment considering whether to say her next thought aloud. “He should have made you partner a long time ago. What would he do without you?”
It was clear as day to her. Mike was just as much a part of Monroe Properties as she was.
“Thanks. It’s really nice of you to say.”
“It’s the truth. You’ve been here as long as Everett and me. Have you talked to him about partnering?” Zora took their bowls and glasses over to the sink.
They may have only been talking, but the seamless conversation felt way beyond baby steps. Being around Mike was comfortable in a way too easy to notice as it was happening. Over the last twenty-four hours, they’d shared everything from their darkest secrets to their brightest dreams. They were supporting each other, and staring seductively over bowls of soup.
“I, uh, don’t know if he’s open to the topic…”
“Does he know you’re open to the idea? I’m pretty sure you mentioned Jason’s firm was interested in you. Maybe he’s trying to figure out your end goal.”
He pulled the corner of his mouth between his teeth and nodded.
“Yeah. I supposed I should talk to him. I just hope he sees this deal for the bad investment it is.”
He lowered his chin and scratched the hair at the nape of his neck before getting to his feet. “I’m finished with this for today. Want to watch a movie? I’ll be out of your way tomorrow and you can have the kitchen and the house to yourself to work on your book. Oh, and,” he paused for effect. “I’ve got popcorn.”
“Hmm.” Zora raised a brow and twisted her lips as if this was something she needed to contemplate, when, really, he’d had her at “movie.”
She should be working on recipes and inventive ingredients, but her mind was already lost in the fantasy of snuggling up on the couch with Mike watching one of her favorite eighties movies.
Maybe When Harry Met Sally or About Last Night? No, too much drama. It had to be something sexy to inspire him to kiss her again, but with macho elements so he wouldn’t feel stripped of his “man card.” If there was one thing Tom Cruise was good for, it was a rom-action movie. Risky Business, Cocktail, Top Gun...
Top Gun!
Already, Zora was doing a happy dance in head at her sheer level of brilliance. If Mike kissed her to “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,” she might literally die. Deadline or not, she’d waited too long for this fantasy to become reality.
Zora drummed her fingertips on the counter for a few more seconds then met his gaze. “Only if I get to pick the movie.”
“Deal.”
Monday is a much better day to start working, anyway—bright and early, dive right in and cook up something amazing and worthy of a book deal.
One day was plenty of time to get back to Leanne.
“What do you say, Mike? Do you feel the need for speed?”
Chapter Twenty
Mike
Right after Maverick and Goose ejected from the plane and Tom Cruise did his best impersonation of a grief-stricken, not-at-all-narcissistic airman cradling his dead friend, Mike looked over to find Zora lightly snoring on the armrest. He grabbed the remote, turned off the television, and scooped her up into his arms.
He was just about to lay her down onto the guest bed when a sneeze vibrated through him. He froze, hoping he didn’t wake her, but Zora’s fingers clutched his shirt. Her eyes snapped open, and heat darkened their golden-brown irises.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She sighed. “I hate that I’m getting you sick.”
“No, I’m good. That was nothing. Probably just allergies.” He smiled, knowing good and well the tiny itch at the back of his throat would be his doom.
She groaned. “Liar.”
“Pants on fire.” He couldn’t fight the smile covering his face as he attempted again to lower her to the bed.
“This mattress is rock hard. Can you please leave me on the couch?”
Mike lifted his chin and smiled. “Yeah, my mom sleeps here when she visits. I got firm for her back.” He blew out a breath and considered what to do.
“I swear, it’s not a big deal. I don’t mind sleeping in the living room.”
“I’m not letting you sleep on the couch.” He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and nodded slightly. “How about you take my bed? I’ll sleep here.”
Zora’s lips were slightly parted as she eyed Mike under hooded lids. It was almost like she was in his head. The idea of her sleeping in his bed—with or without him—sparked a small fire inside him.
She had a wistful gaze like she might still be dreaming.
The way she was looking at him, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that going slowly with Zora would be his undoing. Everything about the way she made him feel was urgent. Heat coursed through him, and he leaned in to press his lips to hers gently.
He pulled back and saw the yearning in her eyes. Feeling her warmth against his chest tied his stomach up in knots. He needed to touch Zora—skin to skin—without anything in the way.
There wasn’t much he wouldn’t give to feel her writhing beneath him as he licked every inch of her, but would it scare her away again?
Mike wasn’t willing to take that risk.
“I don’t mind lying with you,” Zora said in a tentative, tender voice.
At that moment, he dismissed all the questions ringing in his head. He didn’t want to think about how it hurt like hell when she’d rejected him. His heart wouldn’t let him worry about their history. Right now, the only thing that mattered was getting to lie beside her tonight.
What they shared was real—even if he was the only one who felt it.
Fuck it.
Mike padded down the hall to his bedroom at a
glacial pace. There was still time for her to change her mind. He almost hoped she would come to her senses and let him take the couch. He wasn’t strong enough anymore to turn her down.
Gently, he laid her in his bed then took his place beside her. They were facing each other, and he matched her slight smile.
“I want you next to me,” he said.
She shimmied closer, and he let his hungry mouth crash down onto hers. She moaned, sending a wave of spine-tingling shivers through him. He released a low growl.
How did I ever find the strength to walk away? Why didn’t I try harder all those years ago?
Their kiss was deep and full of need as he slipped his tongue into the heat of her mouth, tasting her.
“Mike,” she whimpered against his mouth.
“Don’t say this is no good,” he protested. “I can’t think of anything better than you and me. I’ve been thinking about this all day.”
Her breathing was shallow as she arched her back, pressing her pelvis firmly against his. Mike gripped the curve of her waist and pulled her on top of him so her legs straddled him. With one hand he cradled her behind and focused on her heated gaze then slipped his other hand into her pajama bottoms and beneath the thin fabric of her panties.
She released a sharp cry. Her chest was rising and falling so fast and hard.
She squeezed her thighs tightly around his finger and licked her lips as his cock hardened beneath her. Desire pooled in her eyes.
“Are we doing this?” she panted as her hips writhed and rolled over his hardness.
He could never say no to her.
“I want you, but only if this is what you want, too.”
Please say we’re doing this.
She rolled her pelvis in response, nodding as she pulled her shirt over her head, giving Mike an amazing view of her swollen breasts.
In response, he dipped two fingers inside her wet folds and growled. “Fuck. You feel so good.” He watched as she moaned in satisfaction.
She bucked as he thrust them deeper. The sensation seemed to electrify her.
“Yes. God, yes.” Her eyes were closed and she let her head hang back. “I want you inside me.” Before Mike could say another word, she stood over him and tugged her fleece bottoms and panties off in one motion.
The sight of her beautiful naked body was almost enough to make him come apart at the seams. She was decadent and dizzying with her flawless brown skin and endless curves. She could be his for however long she wanted.
Mike dragged his bottom lip between his teeth and pulled off his pants, exposing his cock. He retrieved a condom from the nightstand, tore it from the foil wrapper, and glided it down his shaft just in time.
When he was finished, she lowered herself down onto his length.
Fuck.
Heat seared through him as he got lost somewhere between the past and the present. The memories of him on top of the innocent girl in the cellar blurred with the vision of the beautiful woman riding him now.
She was at home—controlled and confident.
Together they rocked to a steady rhythm. She rode him slowly and gently, rotating her hips and cupping his hands to her breasts. Her body trembled with need and she moaned, calling out his name.
“I’m close,” Mike whispered sounding strained.
She felt too good. Her slick folds clenched around his cock. It was like he fit inside her perfectly.
“Me, too.” She bucked, and electric shocks seemed to jolt through her body as she rode the orgasm, taking Mike with her.
Zora rolled off of him onto her side. He tucked her tightly into the gap between his arm and chest. Mike was satisfied he’d made the right decision—she hadn’t run or pushed him away.
Within minutes, she fell asleep. It was so cozy and warm, he soon followed suit. After a soft kiss on her forehead, Mike faded into a deep sleep.
He woke in the morning, high from mind-blowing sex and completely happy, until, he noticed Zora wasn’t lying beside him.
A rush of emotions overtook him, but rejection was at the top of the list. Memories of Zora pushing him away vibrated to his core.
He listened…deafening silence. It seemed their history was destined to repeat itself.
Chapter Twenty-One
Zora
Zora peeled her eyes open and checked her watch. It was nearly ten in the morning. Mike was probably already at work, which meant he’d slept like a baby, and her self-inflicted quarantine on the mattress from hell had worked. To think, had she believed less in the homeopathic healing powers of spicy chicken noodle soup and more in the over-the-counter cold medicine, she’d have awakened blissfully happy in Mike’s arms.
“Ugh.” She groaned and winced at her creaky back. She was groggy, stuffy, and only breathing out of one defunct nostril. She was officially a mouth-breather.
She was definitely the furthest thing from the sexy temptress of last night.
It was probably best Mike didn’t see her looking like hell on a stick.
An unmistakable whimper sounded outside her door.
“Aw, Blue.” She grumbled, then released a rare sneeze-cough combo. “I’m coming.”
She swung her feet over the edge of the rock-hard mattress at a glacial pace, cracking her back before padding over to the door where Blue was sitting—almost—patiently with his tail wagging and slapping against the wood floor.
“I know. I’m a bad fur mom. I’m totally slacking. You need to go do your morning business, and we both need to eat if I’m going to be able to take care of the both us.” She mussed his hair and picked up her stride slightly. “It’s not your fault, I feel like shit.”
With Blue outside, Zora made her way to the bathroom to grab the medicine Mike bought. She filled the tiny cup with the purple liquid and downed it before heading back to her dream kitchen. She was going to try every method under the sun to cure her grossness.
It was code blue now—a medical and life emergency.
Monday was here, and she needed to heal herself if she was going to get going on her pages for Leanne. Nobody wanted contaminated food, not even on paper.
Zora opened up the refrigerator and stared blankly inside. Then the cough started up again—a productive cough complete with a gurgling phlegm sound. Ew. Whatever she made, it needed to be spicier—with alcohol. Maybe she could burn and sweat the cold out of her pores. Or, puke it out.
She shook her head, utterly disgusted with herself.
She closed the fridge and grabbed a giant beer mug. Her phone vibrated across the counter. Oli’s face smiled on screen.
“Hey,” she answered in a croak as she brought the phone to her ear.
“Why are you whispering?” The hope in Oli’s voice echoed against Zora’s ear. “Is Mike still lying beside you?” The woman had Spidey senses like nobody’s business.
“Um, no.” Unfortunately. “I’m in this gorgeous kitchen about to throw something together so I can buckle down and take a whack at this book. I would ask how your shoot went this morning, but I’m still kind of mad at you.”
Zora slouched against the counter and wished Oli could see her pursed lips and eyes rolling eyes. “Oh, and since when are you Team Mike?” Zora asked.
Oli sighed loudly. “First tell me why you sound like Darth Vader, then tell me what I did.”
Zora didn’t miss how Oli sidestepped talk about Mike. Maybe she was secretly rooting for her and Mike to be together. That was even more incentive not to tell her about last night. Not yet, at least.
Not until I figure out what it means.
It had been the best sex of her life. Not that she’d had much experience other than Mike. Was this thing between them going anywhere, though? Did he want it to? It was hard to tell. After they’d bared their souls about her mom and Lucas, they’d never discussed what they wanted from each other. She knew Mike wasn’t hard up for sex. He could have a different woman every day of the week if he wanted. Is that what he wanted with Zora? Just sex?
Zora expelled a thunderous cough that could shatter glass, and unsuccessfully cleared her throat before filling Oli in on the abridged story of Saturday night—The Disaster Date Edition.
She started with the most important factor. “I went out with Andre.”
Oli gasped. “Shut up.”
“Yes. Not only did the date suck, that fool sent me a dick pic as a parting gift. Not a good one, either. Can you believe it? You don’t even want to know how pissed I was.” Zora pinched the bridge of her nose. “This is so your fault.”
“Oh. My. Gosh. I would have given anything to see your face.” Oli’s laughter grew from a quiet, sporadic gasp to an all-out cackle in Zora’s ear. When she came up for air, there were still traces of her giggles. “Yay! Your first dick pic. You’re growing up so fast!”
“Indeed, disgusting phallic images in my phone are real knee-slappers. I’m so honored.” The sarcasm in her tone leveled out, and Zora could feel one of many topic changes coming.
“Okay, well, welcome to dating, but on another note, since you asked…” she purred into the line. “Girl, I can’t even tell you how amazing the shoot was. I got like four hundred frames. The bride is beyond gorgeous.” She sucked her teeth. “Now I’m sitting here on the bed waiting for them to download. So, where’s Mike?”
Zora let her head fall back as she sighed. “Work. Where else?” She realized she was still at the kitchen island with an empty mug, unsure of what to put in it.
Must be nice to be so busy,” Oli said. “Right now I’m on YouTube. There’s some sick shit on here.”
“What kind of videos are you watching?” Zora was afraid of the answer.
“Larva boob, black syphilis, and, now, blue waffles. Let’s just say that I won’t be eating for a while.”
“I’m not even going to ask why you look at that crap.”
“The killer part is, I couldn’t even tell you how I fell down this nasty rabbit hole. I was looking up charcoal toothpaste.” The line went silent for a second before crackling back to life. “Um…am I on speaker?”
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