Hate to Love You Strong Brothers #4)

by Ajme Williams

  Of course, it had been a while since I’d dated since I was focused on my career. That had to explain why I’d even let him kiss me. I’d let all that negative energy morph into something sensual. That wouldn’t happen again. But clearly, I needed to start dating again if I was going to get into a situation in which Noah was appealing.

  I thought of Marcus Chen. He was handsome and rich, just like Noah. But even better, he was showing an interest in me, I thought as I looked at the business card he’d given after we’d had drinks tonight.

  I downed the next shot, disgusted at myself for pinning over Noah. I didn't even like him, so why was I so bent out of shape?

  I continued to drink, switching to something less potent than shots, when I noticed a commotion on the television.

  "What's going on?" I asked the bartender as I pointed to the television screen.

  "There's some civil unrest, and out of an abundance of caution, the hotel is going to be going on lock down," he said in immaculate British-toned English.

  "Are we in danger?"

  He shook his head. "Not here at the hotel. It has nothing to do with us."

  "How long will the left lockdown last?" I asked, thinking about Noah, who was at the office with Phil.

  "I don't know. I imagine it won't be for too long," the bartender said.

  I took another sip of my drink, but then left it there, deciding I could access the mini bar in our suite. I left the bartender a tip and then made my way up to the suite.

  I’d call Noah back to the hotel for safety, but would move my work into my bedroom so that we could have the space he clearly needed from me.

  Back in the room, I set my phone and Marcus’ card on the table and decided to get another drink. Before I sequestered myself in my room, I’d get a drink and take a long soak in the tub. I’d use the time to relieve the tension that always knotted in me when I thought of Noah. I couldn’t wait for this trip to be over. And when we got home, I hoped he followed through and left San Diego. Being around him was too much of a torment on my nerves.

  11

  Noah

  My initial instinct to tell my grandmother no about this assignment had been right. The hack wasn't as straightforward as we thought it would be, and finding the culprit was turning out to be an elusive task. And then there was the constant temptation of Andi. It was taking every ounce of my strength to avoid her, especially now that I'd had a taste of her. I was sure she thought I was an asshole, which I suppose was working in my favor, but it was making me crazy. I shouldn't have come to Hong Kong or I should have insisted someone else coming with me instead of Andi.

  But I did come, and I had a job to do, and so over the last week, that's all I did. Except for the one night when I went to the club and did my damnedest to find a woman that I could make myself forget Andi, without success, I'd been working practically nonstop. I spent most of the day in the Hong Kong office, and I ventured out to meet with many of our vendors and distributors as well. I got the feeling that Andi didn't believe me, but again that was something that could play to my advantage. It was better that she hated me.

  Back in the Strong office, I sat back in the chair reaching my arms up and stretching, feeling annoyed that I wasn't closer to figuring out where this hack had come from and who was trying to sabotage my family's business.

  Phil rapped on the door. "Noah, we need to get you back to the hotel right away."

  I frowned as I looked up at him. "Why, what's going on? Is something wrong with Andi?" I’d been relieved when she’d insisted at working in the suite instead of coming to the office with me. But now, panic filled me. Had she been hurt?

  "No, she's fine. But she called to say that the hotel is going on lockdown because there's protesting going on around there. It's best in this situation that you be at the hotel."

  "Lockdown? For how long?" The idea of being locked down with Andi was terrifying. Sure, my dick was pretty excited about it, but how would I ever be able to resist her if I was stuck with her twenty-four-seven?

  "I imagine it's not going to be for too long, but it really is the best place for you to be. We need to go now for you to get in there before they lock down and won't let you in."

  I nodded, packing up my laptop. Phil drove me back to the hotel and he got me as close as he could, but the traffic and the people made it impossible for me for him to drop me at the front door. A few blocks away, I got out of the car and I wove my way through the throngs of people. There was shouting and horns blaring. I had no idea what was going on, but I kept my head down and moving until I reached the hotel.

  At first the security at the front door was reluctant to let me in, but finally the manager from the hotel came out and told him to allow me through. Once inside, I made my way to the elevators sending my brothers and my grandmother a quick text to let them know what was going on but that we were safe.

  As the elevator reached the floor, I reminded myself that the hotel was a large building, and just because we were locked out it didn't mean I would have to stay in our suite. Or if I did have to stay in the suite, I could stay in my room.

  I reached the door and using my key card to unlock it, I walked in scanning for Andi to make sure she was okay.

  Oh holy fuck. All the blood in me drained straight to my dick has I saw her by the window once again only in a towel. Was it possible to die from lust? I couldn’t stop myself from scanning every inch of her, from the sexy messy tied up hair down over her creamy shoulders, the outline of her ass, and her bare legs, and then up again, noting the lovely swells of her tits, despite her pulling the towel higher and tighter around her.

  She sent me a tentative smile, no doubt preparing herself for me to chastise her again. I might have, if I didn’t have sandpaper in my mouth.

  "I'm glad you made it back because it looks like there's a lot of unrest downstairs." She nodded toward the window where outside people were chanting.

  Go to your room, Noah, repeated in my brain like a mantra. Instead, I walked over to the window and looked out.

  "I know all about it. I just had to weave my way through it." Trying to avoid looking at her, I turned my attention to the table and saw Marcus’ business card.

  That ugly angry feeling welled up again. "Did you see him?" I asked gruffly, picking up the card and waving it at her like I had caught her misbehaving.

  Her eyes flared with heat. "So what if I did?”

  My gaze swept over her again, as anger and fucking jealousy ravaged me. "Did you bring him back here? Did you just wash him off your body?"

  "No. Not that it's any of your business." She cocked her hip, putting her hands on her waist, defiantly challenging me. "If I didn't know any better, Noah, I’d think you were jealous.”

  I stepped closer to her despite the warning bells blaring in my brain telling me to retreat. I ran a finger along her collarbone feeling triumphant when her breath hitched.

  “What if I am?"

  For a moment, surprise flashed in her eyes, but then she said, “I don't believe you. You’ve made it perfectly clear that you have no interest in all this." She motioned her body with her hand.

  Fuck. I was helpless. I snaked my hand around her back and pulled flush against me, hoping she’d feel the proof of my interest in her as my dick was hard as a rock. "Once again, Andi, you're wrong."

  I didn’t give her a chance to respond. I fused my lips to hers. Once again, my brain tilted off its axis as her taste intoxicated me.

  It was quite possible she’d slap me. She might even sue me, the family, or the company for sexual harassment.

  But then my hand wasn’t on a towel. It was on the smooth curve of her back. Her hard nipples were piercing my chest and I realized, she’d pulled her towel free.

  Holy Christ. I turned her, lifting her on the table and stepping between her thighs as I took the kiss deeper, hotter, loving how she moaned into my mouth.

  My brain begged her to tell me to stop, but I couldn’t get the words out as her
hands slid under my shirt and teased my nipples. It made my dick jump in my pants.

  “Fuck,” I said on a low growl as I fought to keep from coming in my pants. Hoping to gain some control, I took charge, dipping my head and sucking her hard nipple.

  “Oh God,” she said on a gasp.

  There was no way this wasn’t going to be a hard, fast, fuck. I slid my fingers to her pussy, rubbing her wet clit. “You’re wet, Andi. Tell me it’s because of me.” If this was something left over from Marcus, I’d fucking die.

  “Yes.” Her hands were frantic as they undid my pants. The minute her hand found my dick, I felt like I was in a fun house where everything was askew.

  Somehow, I’d managed to get a condom out and roll it on. I stopped thinking and instead went by instinct as I rubbed my dick through her folds.

  “Do you want this?”

  “Yes. Noah, yes.” She sounded as desperate as I felt. Thank fuck.

  I hooked her legs around my waist. “I hope you like hard and fast, because that’s all I’ve got.”

  “Yes, hurry. Oh God…Noah…fuck me.”

  My brain detonated. I slammed into her, filling her beyond what I might have thought possible. Her hot pussy gripped my dick, and it was like sliding into heaven.

  “Fuck, fuck…” I chanted as I worked to keep from coming right then.

  “Yes.” She cried out as her fingers dug deep into my shoulders. She was likely leaving marks and I didn’t care.

  I withdrew and plunged in again, and again, until I couldn’t see straight. The world was spinning, and I was losing my grip.

  “Tell me you're there…” I was going to come. I slid my hand between us and roughly rubbed her clit.

  Her head threw back and her entire body went taut. Her pussy clamped down on my dick like a vice and shot me to the stars.

  I pistoned in and out of her as my orgasm barreled through me like an out of control freight train. I was vaguely aware of the table repeatedly pounding against the wall as I thrust inside her. The papers on it had long since fallen to the floor as had her phone. It was possible the entire world could hear me as I grunted and yelled my release. I didn’t fucking care. I was having the orgasm of a lifetime. I was going to savor it and make it last as long as possible.

  12

  Andi

  There was a part of me that wondered if I fell asleep in the tub because it didn’t seem possible that Noah was touching me and kissing me and oh my God, now filling me. Each thrust, he slid in so deep, deeper than anyone had ever been before.

  “Fuck, fuck…” he chanted or maybe it was me.

  “Yes.” I cried, digging my fingers into his shoulders to make sure he didn’t stop. I didn’t want him to ever stop.

  He withdrew and plunged in again, and again, until I couldn’t breathe the pressure was so tight.

  “Tell me you're there…” His voice was hoarse, like he was struggling to hold back. He slid his hand between us and roughly rubbed my clit.

  It was like he’d set me off. I threw my head back as my entire body imploded and an explosion of wild, hot, pleasure shot threw me. He kept moving in and out, and all I could feel was friction that kept me flying, drawing my orgasm out until it was wave after wave of exquisite sensation coursing through me.

  And he slowed until he stopped. For a moment, we were still with only our breaths heaving in the aftermath of what we'd done.

  "Fuck." Noah lifted his head, shaking it as he stepped away. He picked up my towel from the floor and tossed it to me, and then pulled his pants up. The abruptness of his movements and the muttering under his breath told me he wasn't happy.

  In the only way that Noah could, he turned something quite spectacular into something bad. I was about to ask him about it when my phone started to ring. He picked it up off the floor and set it on the table next to me. Then he strode off to his room, slamming the door behind him.

  I wasn't sure what to think, but I knew it wasn't good. And it was impossible not to take it personally.

  Holding the towel tight around me, I picked up the phone, noting it was Kellie. I considered not answering but reminded myself that despite the fact that I was feeling dejected and rejected, I was still here on business, and Kellie, while on maternity leave, was part of the Strong family and possibly calling for Ryan.

  I poked the answer button as I made my way back to my own room.

  "Hey, Kellie," I said, hoping she couldn't hear the quiver in my voice. If I cried over Noah, I would be really pissed at myself.

  "Hey Andi, how's it going there?" Kellie asked.

  "Yeah, we heard there's some unrest," Kellie’s sister Natalie’s voice also came over the line.

  "There’s a protest or something going on, and the hotel is on lockdown. We’re safe."

  "On lockdown? Does that mean you're locked in with Noah?" Natalie asked.

  I couldn't get the look of disgust that Noah had on his face after he finished with me on the table. I was a strong woman, but my ego wasn't just bruised, it was hurt. I couldn't stop the tears from coming.

  “Are you all right, Andi? Are you crying?" Kellie asked.

  I was raw and vulnerable, and while normally I kept my business to myself, I couldn't seem to stop the words from coming. "I just had sex with Noah."

  The other end of the line was quiet for a moment, then Natalie said, "For the first time?"

  My tears stop short. "Yes. What does that mean?"

  Kellie whispered something to her sister, and then said, "It's just that you and Noah have a lot of chemistry and we thought that perhaps you've been sleeping together for a while."

  "No." Did they really think that? And if they did, how many others thought that too?

  "I guess it doesn't matter when it started, what matters is you’re crying. I'm sorry for that but you know Noah. He's not a relationship guy," Kellie said.

  "I know." I was going to have to reflect on what it happened between Noah and I, and why I had let it. Why I had wanted it. And then why was I so upset now. Was it simply his reaction, or had I hoped that maybe he would change?

  "I know exactly who Noah is. That's not why I'm upset. He just didn't respond well. He got his rocks off and then he stormed off like I did something wrong."

  "Men can be such a baby sometimes," Natalie said.

  "I don't think you're helping, Nat," Kellie said.

  "Why because I'm telling her the truth. You know Hunter and I had that same situation happen a couple of times. He’d act like he had to have me or die, and then when we were done, he’d be pissed off about it. I'll tell you, it hurts when they do that."

  I nodded and then remembered we were on the phone and they couldn’t see me. "Yes, that's it.” I sniffed annoyed at myself for letting Noah get to me. "But what's done is done and I'm over it."

  "Good. You're too good for him anyway," Natalie said.

  "I'm sorry that Noah hurt you. He really is a good guy, but he seems lost to me,” Kellie, ever the soft heart, said.

  "What do you mean?" I asked, wondering what she was talking about. To me, Noah had always just been a slacker living off his family's money while he enjoyed the good life. Granted, while here, he seemed to be taking the job seriously and working hard, but nothing about him would have me describe him as lost.

  "I always got the feeling he was searching for something that was outside the family. Like he was seeking meaning or purpose or fulfillment, something he could earn himself. I don't know maybe I'm not making any sense," Kellie said.

  "I suppose that would explain why he never wants to come to work for the company," Natalie said.

  I didn't like the feeling that they were defending him. "No, he spends his days on his motorcycle and his nights in clubs, living off his family money," I snapped. They were quiet on the other end of the phone for a moment.

  Then Nat said, "Yes, of course you're right. Men are scum."

  "By describing Noah that way, Andi, then you know that having some sort of long-term relatio
nship just isn't in the cards. He is who he is, and you’re probably not going to change him, so perhaps it's better that you don't even try."

  Kellie was right, and I had to wonder how it was that I allowed myself to be in this situation. They had indicated that they thought Noah and I had been having a fling for a while, so did that mean all this chemistry wasn't just dislike, but sexual as well? I suppose it had to be, considering what just happened on the table in the living area. But they were right. Noah wasn't someone that I could count on personally. I wasn't a prude, and not beyond having a short-term fling, but Noah was my boss's grandson, so the best thing would be to move on.

  "You're right, of course. I guess just being in close proximity, things just got out of control. But it won't happen again."

  "You know, you two do have some interesting chemistry going on. Now that you’re there working in close proximity, how are you going to keep it from happening again?" Natalie asked.

  "That’s really not our business." Kellie said.

  "I'm just saying that kind of chemistry is combustible. Sometimes you can't help it. I'm telling you from experience."

  She was right. The answer would be that I needed to stay away from Noah. "It won't be a problem. He and I are able to work in different locations and I'll make sure that we don't spend any time alone together."

  "I'm sorry this happened to you, Andi. I'll be honest, I've been sort of rooting for you and Noah,” Natalie said.

  If I was completely honest with myself, I think I was too. How messed up was that?

  13

  Noah

  I was a fucking asshole. Actually, I was worse than that. I had given in and touched Andi having the orgasm to end all orgasms, and then I stomped off like a petulant child. I wasn’t angry at her, although I suspected she thought I was. What sort of jerk fucked a woman and then just stalked off? Me, as it turned out.