Untied: A Mastermind Novel

by Lydia Michaels

  Her legs curled around his hips, her fingers digging into his shoulders and sides. At times, he’d simply hold himself deep inside of her, luxuriating in the comfort she brought him. Nothing had ever felt so precious, so right.

  “I could stay like this forever.”

  She moaned, her lashes fanning low. “Me too. It’s lovely, isn’t it?”

  There simply weren’t words for how lovely it was, not because it felt good, but because it was her—Nadia. Though he had no basis for comparison, he was certain she made these moments so much more intensely satisfying than any other woman could.

  He rested with her as long as he could, but time was not their friend. Hating the idea of pulling away, he sighed. “I’m going to be late for work.”

  “You should call out sick. Stay home and make love to me all day.”

  He laughed. He’d already missed more work since meeting her than he had in the last decade. “I wish I could, but we have a meeting today and I have to be there.”

  “Will you pick me up from the studio again tonight?”

  “I’d love to. What time does your last class end?”

  “Seven.”

  That should work. He could work a few hours late and… “Shit, I forgot I made plans for tonight.” His promise to have dinner with Asher had completely slipped his mind, but he couldn’t ask for another rain check. “You could come with me.”

  “Where?”

  “Asher’s. He invited me over for dinner. I haven’t seen Anakin in a while and I promised I’d come by after our trip.”

  She rolled to her side, resting her head on her palm. “Is Anakin Asher’s little boy?”

  “Yeah. He’s named after—”

  “Anakin Skywalker.” She tapped a finger to his nose. “I pay attention.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, you do. Will you go with me?”

  “Will they mind?”

  “Of course not. You know Lettie. I’ll let her know to set out two places for dinner.”

  “Okay.”

  He checked his watch. “Damn. I really have to go.” Forcing himself out of bed, he turned and looked at her one last time. That was a mistake. “You don’t make it easy.”

  She stretched her naked body over the sheets and pouted. “I don’t want you to go yet.”

  “I don’t want to go. But I have to get some things organized before my meeting.”

  “Fine.” She rolled to her belly, giving him a spectacular view of her ass. “I’ll entertain myself.”

  “You could watch a movie. The remote’s in the drawer.”

  She rolled to her back again and cupped her breast. “I’m not in the mood for a movie.” Her fingers slid across her skin, twisting over her nipple as she tipped her head back and shut her eyes.

  He couldn’t move. “What are you doing?”

  She slid her other hand down her belly and between her legs. “Enticing you to stay.”

  He swallowed thickly, his body stiffening to a hunk of granite. His eyes widened as her hand slid lower. He couldn’t miss his meeting, but how much did he really have to prepare? It seemed more important to see if she’d actually finger—

  She was in. Dear God, she was masturbating right on his bed. Was this an ordinary thing women did? She seemed pretty skillful. His lips parted, shallow breaths making his lungs work double time.

  “Does it feel good?” he heard himself ask.

  “Mm-hmm.” She parted her knees, giving him a clear view of what she was doing and he forgot how to breathe.

  He couldn’t look away. Couldn’t blink. “Touch your breasts again.” And apparently, he couldn’t control his inner monologue from escaping.

  Her other hand drifted to her chest as she did as he instructed. Amazing.

  “Do you like watching me, Elliot?”

  “Yes,” he rasped, debating if he should join her.

  “I like watching too.” She peeked at him from under her lashes. “Show me how you touched yourself all the times you fantasized about me.”

  He looked away. He should have never told her that.

  She turned her cheek to the blankets, smiling at him. “Please. If you show me, I’ll finish you with my mouth.”

  He was suddenly stroking himself. She was like a high sorceress, casting spells on him and making him do things he’d be mortified for the rest of the world to see. “Keep touching yourself.”

  Her body writhed as she pumped her fingers slowly between her legs. “Like this?”

  She was messing with him. How was she so good at this? “Yes. And your breasts.”

  His dick throbbed in his grip as she arched and moaned. “Do you want me to come, Elliot?”

  Dear God. “Yes.”

  Her fingers rolled over her clit as she plucked at her nipple, writhing and moaning. Her breath came quickly, filling the silent room as he stroked harder. Her body trembled, toes pointing, as she let out a long, breathy moan and shivered.

  Lifting her hand, she gazed up at him, the proof of her release coating her fingers. “I’ve made a mess of myself.”

  He had to pinch back his release because it was easily the hottest fucking thing he ever watched. “Fuck…”

  She giggled. “Your turn?”

  He nodded, unsure if he could handle more.

  She slithered off the bed, sauntering to where he stood and dropping to her knees. “Is this where you want me?”

  “Yes.” His throat was so tight no sound came out.

  She cupped him and he sucked in a breath. “Tell me what to do, Elliot. I like when you’re direct.”

  His words were scorched, rasping through his dry throat as he trembled on the verge of exploding. “Your mouth…”

  Her lashes lowered and she curled her fingers around him, tracing her lips over his sensitive tip. “Like this?”

  That was nice, but he wanted the real thing. “More.”

  She licked up his shaft and he breathed heavily through his teeth. Slowly, her lips parted and he considered the situation, wondering if this was what other women did or something uniquely Nadia.

  As her breath teased his flesh he found himself creeping closer to release. “You’re messing with me.”

  Her head cocked to the side, her eyes hypnotizing. “No. I’m giving you control. You’re in charge. You have to say the words.”

  His inhalation was jagged. Say the words? Which ones? There were so many to choose from. “Put it in your mouth—all the way.”

  Amazingly, she complied. His body shivered as a rush of adrenaline followed the command. He jerked as heat engulfed him, giving him little chance to find his balance as she gripped his hips and sucked him to the back of her throat.

  “Fuck.”

  He cupped the back of her head, panting as her lips pressed all the way to his pelvis. Pulling back, his skin flashed wetly with her saliva and she went down again. When she held him tight, greedily, there was no chance of lasting.

  A few strokes and his body pulsed. His spine tingled as he rose to his toes and choked out her name. “Nadia.”

  She didn’t stop and everything felt too incredible. His release came like an avalanche, too forceful to slow.

  “Nadia wait.”

  It was too late. His legs locked as his release jetted out of him.

  “Shit.”

  She continued to suck and moan, her fist working out every drop of come to the point he wondered if she tasted his soul. She slowed and hummed, stroking him lightly as she gradually pulled back. Blinking up at him, she smiled slyly.

  “All work and no play? I think not, Mr. Garnet.”

  Jesus, she was going to kill him.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Nerd. One whose unbridled passion for something defines who they are as a person, without fear of other people’s judgment.”

  ~Zachary Levi

  Elliot strolled into work an hour late and whistling. The guys looked up from the round table as he settled into an empty seat.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Not
really.

  Asher and Jet frowned at him as Hunter asked, “Were you mugged?”

  “No.”

  Jet frowned. “Where’s your jacket and tie?”

  He glanced at his chest and shrugged. “I didn’t feel like wearing a tie today. And it’s warm outside.”

  “What’s going on?” Hunter asked, glancing at Asher who looked back to Elliot and raised a brow.

  While he’d told the rest of the guys he’d banged up his face in a minor fender bender, Asher knew the truth. Mostly because he knew he’d gone away with Nadia and wouldn’t let it rest until he told him where the black eyes had come from. Who knew the guys would be more concerned over the whereabouts of his formal accessories than they were his battered face.

  “Maybe you hit your head harder than you thought when you got in an accident,” Jet suggested.

  Well, this was awkward. “Nothing’s going on. It just didn’t feel like a formal day. Sometimes casual is good.”

  “Call someone, Ash,” Hunter mumbled. “He’s lost his mind.”

  “I haven’t lost my mind.” Elliot rolled his chair closer to the table. “Catch me up. What did I miss?”

  “Why were you late?” Jet asked, ignoring his request.

  “I had company.”

  “Is your mom visiting?”

  Elliot scowled at the jab. “No.”

  “Then who did you have over?”

  This was exactly the sort of tedious dialogue he’d hoped to avoid. It shouldn’t be a big deal. People were late all the time. His justification shouldn’t matter.

  “If you must know, I was with my girlfriend.”

  “Whoa!” Jet threw his arms up and slid back from the table, his head shaking dramatically. “What?”

  Elliot’s mouth twitched, Jet’s reaction a bit extreme. Was it so hard to believe a woman might like him?

  “I don’t think it’s unfathomable I’m dating someone. And don’t make jokes about my maid. It’s not her. And no, you can’t meet her.”

  “Why? What’s wrong with her?” Hunter immediately asked.

  “Nothing’s wrong with her, you tit. I just don’t want everyone involved in my personal life.”

  Jet laughed. “Do we know her? Who is she? Or … is it a he?”

  “It’s a woman.” The guys just stared at him and he turned to Asher. “Tell them it’s a woman, Ash.”

  Asher held his hands up. “I’m out of it.”

  “Wait,” Hunter looked at Asher then back to Elliot. “Ash knows who she is? How?”

  Asher shrugged. “He told me.”

  “Forget it. I shouldn’t have said anything. Just assume I had a flat and that’s why I’m late. Let’s get to work.” He didn’t want to discuss his personal life anymore.

  “How long has Asher known?”

  Asher shrugged. “Before he went to Budapest.”

  Hunter’s eyes widened. “Did she go with you?”

  Elliot groaned. “Yes, she went with me. Now, can we please get to work? Our meeting’s in an hour.”

  Jet passed him a folder. Asher quickly summarized everything Elliot had missed, but Hunter wasn’t as easily sidetracked.

  “Wait a minute. You wanted to go to Budapest but had nothing planned. You were scrambling to schedule last minute meetings. That means you were going there for a reason. Are you involved in some mail order bride scam?”

  “Screw you, and no. Drop it.”

  “Maybe she’s from there,” Jet said, back on the investigation trail. “Are you perusing Hungarian dating sites?”

  “Oh, shit.” Hunter’s lips parted as he leaned back in his seat. “No. Way.”

  “What?” Jet asked, looking from Hunter to Asher to Elliot. “What did I miss?”

  Hunter laughed and clapped his hands, rolling his chair back from the table and laughing. “It’s the dancer!”

  Elliot’s face heated. “Did we get the metadata back from yesterday’s run?”

  “Asher’s dancer?” Jet asked, expression one of disbelief. “I thought she was Guatemalan.”

  “She’s not my dancer,” Asher amended. Then he snickered. “She’s Elliot’s.”

  “Wait,” Jet interrupted, shaking his head. “You’re hooking up with the hot Guatemalan dance instructor?”

  “She’s not Guatemalan, you moron! She’s Hungarian. Did you ever take geography? They’re on two different continents.”

  “My lack of geographical knowledge is what’s shocking you here? We are talking about the same woman, right?”

  “This is exactly why I didn’t want you to know.”

  Asher stood and patted Jet’s shoulder. “Yes, it’s the same woman. Her name’s Nadia and she’s Hungarian. Get yourself a globe. And Elliot, I don’t know why you’re being so secretive about this. I have to make a call before the meeting.”

  Hunter and Jet gaped at him as Asher left the room.

  “What?”

  Hunter scoffed and closed the folder in front of him, following Asher out of the office.

  Elliot looked at Jet. “What’s his problem?”

  “You could have told us.” He closed his folder as well. “Did you honestly think we’d make fun of you for dating her? Hell, who cares who she is, we’d only be happy for you, Elliot.”

  “That wasn’t why I didn’t want to tell you.”

  “Then why? You told Ash. Clearly, you kept this news from us for a reason.”

  Elliot ground his teeth and inwardly groaned. “Since the beginning of our friendship, I’ve … disapproved of how ridiculous you guys got around women. I didn’t want to get my balls broken.”

  Being that he was basically obsessed with Nadia and could hardly think of anything else, he was currently a wide-open target. But he didn’t want his relationship viewed with the same callous indifference he’d shown Jet so many times in the past when he had a new flavor of the week. Nadia was a serious person in his life. She was off limits.

  “Elliot, we’re your friends. If we break your balls, it’s out of love, man.”

  “That’s what I mean. I don’t want to hear it. I’m already nervous enough. She’s … incredible.”

  Jet grinned, a bit of awe in his eyes. “I’m happy for you.”

  Feeling like he might have overreacted, he figured he’d come clean. “There’s more.” Eventually, they’d all find out anyway. “She’s living with me—temporarily. She was in a bind and I helped her out.”

  The sincerity of Jet’s smile faded. “Were you hooking up with her before or after she moved in?”

  “After, but it’s not like that.” At first, he thought her attention might have been some form of gratitude, but now he was certain she honestly cared about him. She said she loved him… “She means a lot to me.”

  Admitting how deeply he loved her felt dangerous, like inviting a permanent vulnerability into his life he wasn’t sure he could handle. But the truth was becoming impossible to ignore. He loved her the first day he laid eyes on her, loved her still the night he rescued her from that asshole at the restaurant. And if it were possible, he loved her a little more with each passing moment. His affection for her behaved like a formulaic equation that infinitely increased and the sheer unwieldiness of his ever-growing emotions overwhelmed him.

  “Well … she’s just the first girl. I’m sure there will be many more. Enjoy it.”

  Elliot’s guard went up. “Why do you say it like that?”

  Jet stood, his gaze skittering to the door. “I’m just saying have fun. Get laid. It’s all good.”

  Elliot frowned as Jet left the office. What the hell was that? It was as if Jet knew something about Nadia Elliot somehow missed.

  Jet knew lots of things about lots of women, but this seemed personal. He stood and went after him. “Jet, wait. Did you and Nadia go out or something?”

  His friend laughed and shook his head. “No.”

  “Then why are you acting weird?”

  “You guys act weird all the time. Suddenly it’s a cause for
concern?”

  But they were weird. Jet was supposed to be the normal one. “Do you know something about her I don’t?”

  “No.”

  Well, then why the hell did he say that? It not only insulted him, it insulted Nadia. “I’m not just getting laid, Jet. I’m in love with her.” The truth flung out, his anger and fear postponing his regret for sharing such an intimate secret.

  Jet’s eyes closed as if this were unfortunate news. “Just … be careful, Elliot. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Nadia wouldn’t hurt me.” Not on purpose.

  His friend looked at him, all humor replaced with assumed wisdom. “Are you sure?”

  No one could ever be one hundred percent sure about such things, but he trusted her and she said no games. “She loves me.”

  “Look, it’s not my place to tell you how to live your life, but this all seems a little fast. How long has she been staying at your place?”

  “Two weeks.” A slight exaggeration, but if estimations worked in math why not apply them in calculations of love?

  Jet leveled him with a stare, his concern clear. “Women can be con artists, Elliot. I’m not saying she’s that sort of woman but look at all you’re doing for her. I know you. You’re a good guy, but you don’t usually put yourself in vulnerable positions. Vulnerability’s your kryptonite.” He frowned. “And I saw your car this morning. How is it the car looks fine and your face looks like that? Did someone beat you up?”

  Deja vu from adolescence came rushing back. Whenever they had a run in with a bully, Jet insisted on squaring things up and rushing to their defense. But he wasn’t a kid anymore. “No one beat me up. I got in a fight.”

  “Did Nadia have something to do with it?”

  “Yes, but it’s not like she started it. I did. Me.”

  “Just … be careful.”

  Elliot absolutely hated vulnerable situations, but with Nadia it was different. Others wouldn’t understand. “She’s not that kind of woman.”

  Jet sighed. “I hope you’re right.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “My love for you is a puzzle…

  for which I have no answers.”