“That you’re always busy, running around doing work and building that brand of yours.”
She smiled. “So, you googled me, huh?”
“Not yet. I just recognize your drive. And it’s pretty impressive.”
“Wow, that’s the first time someone has actually said that to me. I’m usually told that I’m doing too much.”
“Whoever said that was an idiot. And in my humble opinion, you’re better off without him.”
“What makes you think some guy told me that?” she asked as she shut the lights off and led him to her sitting room.
“Because that’s some dumb shit a man with no vision would say. People like to pretend that a woman is supposed to dim her light to allow others to shine. Life doesn’t work that way.” Erik sighed as he thought about his mother and how she’d done just that for Simon. What had it gotten her in return?
Nothing.
There was no way he’d ever ask the woman he loved to give up on her dreams and what she wanted just so he could feel like a big man. Watching his baby soar would give him just as much satisfaction as anything else.
“Erik?” Sylvie said, breaking into his thoughts. “Are you all right?”
“What?”
“I clearly asked you a question and you just stood there.”
“Sorry, darling. What did I miss?”
“You need to go to sleep. We can finish the tour in the morning.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
“I can’t go to sleep without a true good-night kiss,” he said as he pulled her against his body. Erik brushed his lips against her soft ones. He felt her shiver in his arms, then captured her mouth in a hot, soul-searing kiss. Her moans made every nerve in his body stand on end. But he needed to prove to himself, and in a sense, to her, that tonight wasn’t about sex.
But damn it if he didn’t want her—especially when her tongue tasted like manna from heaven. He pulled back and stared into her sparkling eyes. Maybe Logan was right. It was quite possible that he was falling in love with Sylvia Elaine Gates.
Something electric happened and Sylvie wasn’t sure if she even understood what was going on. Just the way Erik looked at her, the way he seemed to pierce her soul and make her shiver with want. But as much as she didn’t want to admit it, what they had was more than physical. She tried to pretend that she didn’t have deeper feelings for this man, that she was protecting herself from being hurt, but in this moment, she had to admit that it was all a lie.
“If you want to take a shower, I have a towel warmer in the hall.”
“You’re fancy, huh?” He stroked her cheek and Sylvie wanted to melt in his arms. “Point me to the bathroom and I promise not to make a mess.”
“Yeah, I’m not like you. I have to clean up after myself.” She’d hoped that her teasing would ease the crackling sexual tension in the air. But when he sucked his bottom lip, all she could think about was when he’d buried himself between her thighs.
“Keep in mind, I did offer to whisk you away to a place where someone else picked up the towels.” He winked at her as they headed for the staircase.
“Welcome to the real world, Mr. Jordan.”
Once they made it to the top of the stairs, Sylvie turned on her disco-ball hallway light. Erik burst into laughter. “What’s the story behind this light?”
She shrugged. “I had a club in Charlotte that I redesigned for Christmas. I ordered a bunch of lights and fixtures and the company sent this.” Sylvie pointed up to ceiling. “I didn’t want this for the club. Didn’t even order it. Called the company, because they are one of my favorite vendors, and told them about the mistake. They said keep it.”
“And you installed it here?”
Nodding, she hit another button and caused the ball to spin. “Now, only special people know that it does this. After I’ve finished a good project or had a good day, sometimes I put on some old-school disco and have a party in the hallway.”
Erik turned to her and drew her into his arms. “So, you’re going to show me some moves or nah?” He thrust his hips forward and swayed side to side.
“And I thought you were sleepy.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and did a sexy two-step. “You sure you can handle this?” Sylvie dipped herself, turned around and pressed her backside against him.
When she dropped down and slowly rose up against his crotch, Erik nearly lost his mind. He bounced back as if he’d been scalded. Didn’t he tell himself that he wasn’t here to have sex with this woman?
“You might be right, I can’t handle those moves.” He winked at her. “Tonight, anyway.”
“When you’re ready, it’s on.”
“I feel like I was just challenged to a dance-off.”
She sucked her teeth. “Like you could even see me on the dance floor.” She did a super sexy snake, then transitioned into the hustle.
“This sounds like a battle that needs to happen outside of your hallway.”
“Whenever you’re ready.” Sylvie smiled, then pointed down the hall. “The bathroom is right there. Make sure you use the massage setting on the shower head, because when we do this dance battle, I don’t want any excuses about why you lost.”
“Oh, my beautiful hostess, I won’t lose.” Erik turned toward the closet and grabbed a warm towel. No matter how warm the towel was, he knew he needed a cold shower before he could climb into bed with Sylvie. Though he did wonder if she slept in something silky or lacy and transparent. What he really needed was for her to sleep in flannel. That way he’d be able to just wrap his arms around her soft curves and go straight to sleep.
He ducked into the bathroom and glanced around at the forest-green room. It was an interesting color choice, because he’d expected yellow or pink. But the dark green added depth to the room. It seemed as if every room in her townhouse showcased her skill as a designer.
Maybe her redesign of Jordan Industries would blow the media’s mind and they’d ignore the brewing storm around the family and the company. Before misplacing his phone, Erik had been getting alerts about the SEC’s investigation into Simon. Maybe that had fueled his rage at his father and that had been why he punched him.
Erik still couldn’t understand why his father had single-handedly destroyed something he’d spent his life building. There had to be an explanation. But he was sure that he’d never get one. Not one that made sense anyway. Erik stripped out of his clothes and turned the shower on. He couldn’t understand Simon and why he thought he could rob his stockholders and put such a spotlight on the business in a negative way.
Stepping underneath the lukewarm water, Erik exhaled and allowed it to beat down on him. He wished that he could spend the rest of his life without his phone, but he knew that he had to get back to work—tomorrow. Tonight he was going to wrap his arms around Sylvie and pretend that he was living a normal life with his woman.
Chapter 17
Sylvie couldn’t understand why she was nervous about Erik sleeping in her bed tonight. Things felt different, more intimate. She wasn’t sure that she was ready to be emotional with this man. Look what happened the last time she’d given her all to a man in the name of love. She’d ended up heartbroken and betrayed. Sylvie stroked her belly and thought about the baby Amanda was about to have.
How could she think about getting serious with a man when . . . Not having a child didn’t make her less of a woman, but Erik seemed like the type who wanted a family. He seemed close to his mom, and he was definitely close to his brother. Would he waste his time with a woman who couldn’t give him a legacy of his own? Would anyone?
Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You’re a grown woman who won’t be judged by the fact that you have kids or not.
She turned down the rose-colored comforter, then fluffed the goose-down pillows while she waited for Erik to leave the bathroom. Sylvie told herself that she was putting the cart before the horse and she needed to take things one day at a time.
“Hey, Sylvie.” Erik’s v
oice from the doorway made her nearly stumble. But when she looked up and saw his damp chest and the towel wrapped around his waist, her knees did buckle.
“Yes?” she found the voice to say.
“Where’s your laundry room? I’d hate to waste this clean body smell by putting on dirty clothes in the morning.”
“I’ll put your clothes in the wash, if you want me to.”
“Nah, my hands aren’t broken. I can actually wash clothes.” He winked at her. “My grandmother wasn’t rich and didn’t plan on having lazy grandsons.”
“Your grandmother sounds like a winner.”
Erik nodded. “She was. That’s why I don’t understand why my father has done . . . Not going to go there.”
“The washroom is in the basement. But you don’t have to do laundry tonight. We can have breakfast and get your clothes clean.”
Erik crossed over to Sylvie and took her hands in his. “Now, if a brother has to sleep naked, you’re going to have to keep your hands to yourself.”
“Then a brother should be thankful that I have a pair of sweatpants he can slip on.”
Erik tilted his head to the side. “Do you really think I want to put on another man’s pants?”
She shrugged as she released his hands and walked over to the closet. “They’re actually my pants.” Sylvie pulled out an extra-large pair of Clark Atlanta University sweatpants. “Remember when everybody was on the TLC tip and wore pants that were way too big?”
“Don’t tell me you walked around with condoms pinned on your clothes too,” he quipped.
Sylvie sucked her teeth. “I didn’t. But I did rock that T-Boz haircut for far too long in undergrad.”
“Please tell me there are pictures.”
“None that you’ll ever see.” She tossed the pants to him. Erik dropped his towel and Sylvie drank in his masculinity. Ripped abs, thick dick, muscular thighs, and that chocolate skin. Her mouth watered thinking about all of the places that she’d kissed and licked on that man. Noticing her stare, Erik did a 360 spin.
“Make sure you get a really good look before I put all of this away.”
“Oh, whatever.” She turned away as heat rushed to her cheeks. “Let’s go to bed.”
Erik slipped into the well-worn sweatpants and walked over to the bed. “Sounds like a plan to me. Which side to you like?”
“The middle.”
He grinned, then plopped down on the bed and opened his arms to her. “Rest your weary head on my chest, darling.”
Sylvie eased onto the bed beside him and snuggled against his chest. Erik ran his fingers through her curly hair and started massaging her scalp. “Ooh, that feels good,” she moaned. “You know if you ever need a second career, you should consider massage therapy.”
“Nah. These hands are reserved for special people. Not for everybody.”
“So, you think I’m special?”
“Oh, I know you’re special. You have a glow about you and you seem pretty unstoppable. Some dude is out there right now wondering how he let you get away.”
Sylvie snorted. “I seriously doubt that. Most men think I’m too much, and that’s their problem.”
“Good thing I don’t have that affliction. You’re more than enough and—”
“Erik, don’t fill my head with sweet nothings that are going to . . .”
He stopped massaging her scalp and brought his finger to her lips. “True confessions time. Sylvie, I feel something for you that I’ve never felt before. And I never expected this.”
“Erik.”
“We owe it to ourselves to see where this goes.”
She propped up on her elbow and stared at him. “Are you sure? You have a lot going on and I don’t want to be another issue.”
“How could you be an issue? Do you realize what you did for me tonight?”
She shrugged. “Fed you cookies and gave you wine.”
He tweaked the end of her nose. “You turned a shit day into a good night. Let’s be real, fate keeps pushing us together. Did you think we’d see each other after you left that note on the mirror?”
Sylvie laughed and shook her head. “You’re right. But I thought we weren’t going to talk about that note ever again.”
Erik stroked her back. “Never said that. It’s going to be my go-to argument killer.”
“I don’t argue. Fighting isn’t my thing. I’m more about the prevention of arguments.”
He stroked her back. “Tell me something about you that I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“When did you know you wanted to be a designer?”
Her heart swelled as he held her. Other than her friends and family, no one ever took an interest in her career choice. “I think I knew it was what I wanted to do when I got my first dollhouse.”
“Really?”
“Yep. My dad didn’t put the roof on it, so I could look in the house from the top, and seeing all of the empty rooms just gave me so many ideas. Of course, it was hard to put all of my vision in there. Then I asked my parents if I could redo my room. My mama was against it at first—I was ten years old. But my pops promised to help and the idea stuck.”
“Wow. So, all your life you knew what you wanted to do. Wish I could say the same was true for me.”
“You didn’t want to work in the family business?”
“It wasn’t as if we believed there was a choice. You were either going to work for Jordan Industries or work for Jordan Industries. And if you did something else, it was as if you sent a slap in the face to what was supposed to be our family legacy.”
She rubbed her hand against his chest. “Did you have another dream?”
“Until I became CEO, I was living my dream. I got to make women beautiful and I did it all behind the scenes.”
“You don’t like the spotlight? Even when you were dating the models?”
Erik chuckled. “I see I wasn’t the only one who went on Google.”
Sylvie shrugged. “It’s the way of the world these days. We’re all just a few clicks on the Internet.”
“Let me guess. You’re one of those people who checks in everywhere on Facebook?”
Sylvie laughed. “Only when I want people to know where I am. Mostly when I’m doing a project or finding a new restaurant with really good food and coffee.”
“Then no more Kona for you. Can’t have you giving my address to your thousands of followers.”
She pinched his nipple. “Like I’d want to let the world know your address. I’m special, remember.”
“Of course you are. So, since you’re going to redesign my place, don’t you think it would be a good idea for you to move in?”
She raised her right eyebrow. “You know that’s not how I normally do things, right?”
“I’m not a normal client either. Being that I’m giving you carte blanche to my house, don’t you think you should spend more time there to get a great feel for what I need?”
It was Sylvie’s time to laugh now. “You just want nights like this on a regular basis, huh? Or are you trying to pay me in coffee beans?”
“If it makes you more comfortable, I won’t give you any coffee that doesn’t come from a can.”
“Hush your mouth, man! That’s offensive.” She laid her head on his chest. “I’ll think about it. We’re almost done with the headquarters, so I’ll have a little more time to devote to your ugly house.”
“I don’t know how many more of those ugly-house comments I’m going to take.”
“Luckily for you, I only have a few more.”
He kissed her on the top of her head. “Thank you for your mercy.”
Sylvie closed her eyes and tried to tell herself that she wasn’t going to fall in love with this man. But she already knew she was on her way to being wrapped up in Erik Jordan’s world.
* * *
Sylvie drifted off to sleep and Erik couldn’t do anything but watch her. This was new for him. It excited him to want a woman this
much. When she shifted in his arms, Erik made sure she was comfortable instead of letting her go. This wasn’t his standard MO! When he looked down at her sleeping figure, Erik decided that he was going to stop pretending that he didn’t want to fall in love with this woman. She was everything that he didn’t know he wanted. Everything that he didn’t know he needed. He held her a little closer before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
When morning arrived, Erik almost thought he was dreaming. Sylvie’s body was wrapped around his and their lips were pressed together in a near kiss. He cupped her chin and brushed his lips against hers.
Sylvie’s eyes fluttered open and a smile spread across her face. “Good morning.”
Erik nodded. “Yes it is.”
“What do you want for breakfast?”
He eased his hand down her hip. “That’s a loaded question. But I’ll have whatever you normally have for breakfast.”
“Coffee and cornflakes it is.”
Erik shook his head. “That’s terrible. Guess I’m going to have to cook for you again.”
Sylvie stretched her arms above her head. “You must be a magician. Haven’t been to the market in a week.”
“We can figure something out.”
“Then we’re going to have to get out of bed.”
Neither of them moved an inch.
* * *
Ingrid was worried and livid. She’d been calling Erik all night and it was unlike him to ignore her calls, especially with everything that was going on. It had to be because of that woman. She didn’t want to be jealous, because she had no right. Her crush on Erik was so unrequited that it didn’t make sense to cause a scene about him being with a common chick like Sylvie Gates. So, when she typed Sylvie’s name in the search bar of the Google homepage it was for research and to make sure this woman didn’t have an ulterior motive when it came to Erik. It wasn’t about jealousy. It was about business. Jordan Industries didn’t need another scandal—especially since the story about Simon’s stealing and the family drama was gaining steam.
“Ingrid?”
She turned around and smiled at her mother, Violet Graham. Violet had come to Atlanta two days ago from Los Angeles. Ingrid loved her mother’s free spirit and the fact that after all of these years, she was still trying to break into the entertainment industry. While Violet would get a bit part here and there or a role in community theater, she wasn’t a starving artist. Ingrid never understood the source of her income and she didn’t ask. She also didn’t press her mother about why they had different last names. After all, her mother’s excuse had been that she didn’t want Hollywood producers to know how old she really was. So, she’d given Ingrid her grandfather’s surname, at least that was the story.
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