Using his thumbs, he spread her wide. Licking her tenderly, he slowed the pace of his lips. His tongue traced her folds, intermittently dipping into her core. He gave her clit the same gentle care, teasing the engorged nub with the skill of his mouth.
JAYLA WAS GOING to burst into flames. She didn’t know how much more she could take. The line between sanity and insanity was beginning to blur as her whole world centered on Brad’s mouth. Her hands shot to his head, and she threaded her fingers through his hair. He held her on the brink, never giving her enough to fall into oblivion but more than enough to keep her coiled tight, about to explode at any moment. Tugging, she anchored him to her, wanting him to stop, needing him to keep going.
BRAD USED TWO long, thick fingers and pumped them in and out of her core as he concentrated on her clit with his mouth. Alternating between languid strokes and teasing nips across her clit, he brought Jayla closer and closer to her peak. He ravaged her pussy with expertise, causing her whole body to quiver from the intensity of the pleasure.
His hands never stopped as he lifted his head to look into her face. Her breasts heaved up and down with her short, raspy breaths. Her face was flushed with desire, her eyes dilated and focused on him. God, she was so beautiful to him, all the time, every second of the day.
“Touch yourself.”
Without hesitation, Jayla obeyed. She drew her hands up her body, then caressed her breasts. She squeezed, rubbed, and palmed herself. She began to move her hips as she matched the rhythm of his gliding fingers.
“That’s my girl. So goddamn sexy. So fucking beautiful. Give it to me, Jayla. Come for me.”
He bent his head back down and swirled his tongue around her clit before once again closing his mouth around it, sucking.
JAYLA SHOUTED IN response, “Brad!”
Her legs quivered from the force of the ripple of release which tore through her. Her climax shook her to her core. The powerful jerks had her seeing stars.
She would have slid down the wall if Brad hadn’t wrapped his strong arms around her. He kissed her tenderly as he cradled her in his arms, giving her time to recover from her first ever climax given to her by the skill of her lover’s lips. So intimate. So powerful. She wrapped her arms around him, accepting his strong embrace as she floated back down to earth.
BRAD SHIFTED HIS position so he could study her face. When her breathing returned to normal, he skimmed his thumb across her bottom lip.
“You wouldn’t have enjoyed that as much with a shower cap on.”
Jayla smirked despite herself.
“I’ve never had someone seduce me while wearing a shower cap before. You are a diabolical woman.”
Brad experienced two things which were firsts for him. Number one: he and Jayla genuinely smiled at each other. Number two: he heard Jayla giggle, and without him even knowing, the sound chipped away a tiny piece of the ice encasing his heart.
Chapter Eight
Jayla sipped her coffee and watched Brad interact with his team members. He possessed such an easy, laid-back rapport with everyone, his handsome smile transforming him from the asshole she knew into a down-to-earth, likeable guy. He’d ditched his jacket and tie and rolled up the sleeves of his dark-blue dress shirt to his elbows. The casual look suited him. He seemed much more at ease devoid of so many layers.
Some of the young female interns had taken a special interest in him. Aware but unaffected by their lingering stares and eagerness to help, Brad shooed each of them away, giving them assignments to perform in areas of the building he would not be in. Jayla approved, giving him a mental high-five. She hated the pangs of jealousy which coursed through her as she watched many of the young ladies try to get and keep his attention. They were practically drooling all over themselves, and she couldn’t blame them for one second. Her wolf didn’t like it, but she wouldn’t begrudge them their noticing.
As if feeling Jayla’s gaze, he looked up and caught her watching him. They shared an intimate moment as he looked her up and down in the most inappropriate way, thrilling her with the heat she could sense radiating from him.
“Good morning, Jayla.”
Jumping in surprise, she turned to see Monica standing next to her. She’d been so wrapped up in her moment with Brad, she hadn’t even noticed Monica.
“Monica. Good morning.”
Brad turned his back, engaging Grant in conversation.
“Just look at those beady, shifty eyes,” Monica remarked.
“Wow. Your X-ray vision is on point this morning. What are Brad’s beady eyes up to?”
“No, not Brad’s. Grant has those beady eyes working full force this morning. He is sooo on my shit list.”
“Grant? Why? And since when?”
“Since when? Since he’s Brad’s go-to guy, and since I’m your go-to woman. So we’re mortal enemies.”
“Mortal enemies? Monica, don’t you think you’re taking this a little too far? Just because Brad and I don’t agree about the Maldonado account doesn’t mean you have to dislike Brad’s team. I like everyone else… Well, except Dave.”
Monica interrupted with a snort. “No one likes Dave. There’s something about him I can’t put my finger on.”
Jayla nodded in agreement. As if he’d overheard their quiet conversation, Dave emerged from another part of the office, making eye contact with Jayla. His gaze roamed her body before giving Monica the once-over. The way he looked at them, Jayla could tell he viewed them as pieces of meat. Turning away from him, she refocused on her conversation.
“Anyway, I have nothing against Grant. He’s loyal to Brad, and I respect his allegiance. I don’t take it personal.”
“How can you stand Grant? And who said anything about Brad’s team? I like everyone else too, including Brad. But not Grant.” Monica threw her hands in the air, emphasizing her exasperation.
Jayla lowered her voice and tightened her grip on her coffee cup. “You’re team Brad?”
Monica’s eyes shot down toward her hands, and Jayla knew the truth.
“Oh, Monica. You’ve been swayed to the dark side?”
“Not fair, Jayla. I’m always on your side. You know I always have your back. It’s just… I think maybe you two just need a little more time to settle things.”
“Is that right?”
“Come on, Jayla. Brad’s a great guy.”
“Oh, suddenly you’re a Brad Dalton expert?” Her jealousy once again began to creep up on her. What did Monica know about Brad?
She could see the scowl starting to crease Monica’s brow. Their hushed tones sounded harsh. “Of course not.”
“Well, Grant’s a pretty swell guy from where I’m standing.”
Monica’s eyes slanted into thin slits. “What’s that supposed to mean? Since when do you have a thing for Grant?”
“What? I don’t have a thing for Grant. Do… Do you have a thing for Brad?” Jayla held her breath as she waited for Monica’s answer.
“Of course not, Jayla.”
They glared at each other for a moment before Monica’s face softened and a small snicker burst from her lips. “Are we really fighting over who doesn’t have a crush on whom?”
Jayla laughed. “I’m sorry. This is ridiculous. We’re acting like a couple of crazy jealous women.” Jayla didn’t feel like she was lying. She didn’t have a thing for Brad. Her wolf had a thing for his wolf, which they were working on fixing.
“I’m sorry too. It’s just the stress getting to us. This is the first almost argument we’ve ever gotten into. And you’re right; it is ridiculous. Pffft.”
Grant was surveying Monica. The two shared a look before he resumed his conversation with Brad.
“This is smart, Jayla.”
Jayla wrinkled her nose in confusion. “What’s smart?”
“Watching Brad in his element. We might be able to spot a sign of weakness. Find a way to bridge the gap between you two.”
“Yeah, well, good luck.”
“If he does
n’t have a weakness, maybe one of his team members does.”
“Speaking of weak links, we have one in our ranks.”
“Who?”
“Becky.”
“Becky?”
“She gave Brad my address.”
“What would he want your address for?”
“To…uh… He wanted to…uh, send me some papers.” Jayla fiddled with her coffee cup.
“At your home? How weird.”
“You’re not focusing, Monica.”
“Oh, right. Weak link. Becky. I’m on it.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Is there…” Monica’s eyes popped open. “Quick. Pretend we’re talking about something important.”
“Huh? I thought we were.”
“Grant’s coming. Pull out your phone, and pretend to be putting stuff into it.”
“What?”
“Never mind; I’ll use my phone.” Monica pulled out her phone just as Grant walked up to them. Her fingers typed furiously.
“Okay, Jayla. So I’ll make sure I rearrange those meetings for you.” Monica kept her attention glued to her phone, pretending to be busy.
“Good morning, Jayla.”
Jayla looked up at Grant, who wasn’t even looking at her; instead, his gaze was locked once again on Monica. She didn’t think his eyes were beady. In fact, if Jayla didn’t know any better, it looked as if Grant only had eyes for Monica.
“Good morning, Grant,” she answered, intrigued by the way his face softened as he continued to focus on her clueless friend.
“Monica.” He inclined his head to the left a fraction of an inch.
“Grant.” She didn’t even look up at him as she continued to pretend to be working on her phone.
“Brad’s ready for your meeting now, Jayla. Sorry we ran over a bit.”
“No problem, Grant.”
Jayla spied Mr. Graybar walking down the hallway, making his way to the conference room.
“I better go join them now. Thank you, Monica. I’ll see you both later.”
As Jayla walked away, she stole a quick peek over her shoulder one last time at Grant and Monica. Monica still pretended to be typing into her phone, no doubt pleased with Grant’s annoyance.
Shaking her head and smiling, Jayla joined the meeting in the conference room and sat down at the table next to Brad. Mr. Graybar offered them both a wide smile. His round portly face looked more grandfatherly than cunning businessman. Although time added weight to his frame and wrinkles to his face, Mr. Graybar was just as sharp as when he’d been a strapping young man.
“Let me begin by saying I really do like seeing you two together. I’m excited to see what you have in store. Anyway, I know you’re both busy hammering out the Maldonado transfer. So I’ll try to make this short. I have a side project.”
He placed a file on the table between Brad and Jayla.
“First of all, let me apologize for the short notice. I originally wanted to have Monica and Grant work on this, but a situation has arisen in the New York project. It requires immediate action. After our meeting, I’m going to have to break it to the two of them that they leave for New York in a few hours. With that said, I want you two working together on this one. It’s a simple business merger, but this is one of the smaller subsidiaries of one of our major clients. So I need perfection on this. We can’t afford any headaches. I can’t imagine a better team to hand this over to.”
Brad and Jayla made eye contact. Both kept their poker faces in place, so she had no clue how Brad felt about Mr. Graybar’s wishes.
“I trust it won’t be a problem?” He looked back and forth between them, waiting for an answer.
“No problem, Mr. Graybar.” Brad reached for the file.
“Of course not, sir.” Jayla shook her head.
“Great. Didn’t think there’d be one. Anyway, specifics of what the client needs are in the file. Anything else you need, just call my secretary, Mila.”
After a few more minutes of Mr. Graybar giving details of what his expectations were, he excused himself from the room, leaving Brad and Jayla to begin their work.
An hour and a half later of combing through the file, Jayla let out a sigh, breaking their engrossed silence. “I think you should take the lead on this one, Brad.”
Relaxing into her chair, she rotated her neck, trying to stretch her sore muscles. Using her hands, she massaged the tightness away. When she received no answer, she kept talking.
“I’m going to be honest. I think you’d do a better job than me orchestrating this.”
When she still received no answer, she turned to look at him, to find he was glaring at her. Startled by the emotion splayed across his face, she slowly brought her hands down from her neck, placing them gently in her lap.
His blue eyes looked darker, detached, as if looking straight through her. She opened her mouth to ask him if everything was all right, when he abruptly stood. The sudden movement caused her to jerk in her chair. She watched him stalk to the conference room door and push it closed. Taking his time, he returned to his original seat and pulled it in close so when he sat, their knees were touching. He continued to pin her with his icy stare as he moved his head toward hers as if he were about to whisper a secret.
“Listen to me very carefully. I don’t give a shit if you’re my mate. If you think I’m going to let you destroy my career, you are mistaken. So whatever you’re plotting, do us both a favor and stop while you’re ahead.” His voice dropped down in volume. Every word laced with ire. Every word bit out as if he struggled to keep his temper in check.
Stunned speechless for a few seconds, Jayla could only blink in response. “Brad, you can’t be serious.” She hated how weak her voice sounded.
“I’m not in the mood for your antics.”
“My antics?”
If Brad was trying to lure her into a fight, he did a phenomenal job. So well, in fact, she almost took the bait. This was the first time since she’d known him she hadn’t seen his verbal right hook coming. Their arguments were easy to forecast, and she always knew when one was coming her way. This time he’d succeeded in sucker-punching her with a quarrel she didn’t know how to follow. His irritation bewildered her. Taking a deep, calming breath, Jayla tried to defuse the situation.
“I think you’ve misunderstood.”
His spiteful chuckle preceded his retort. “Oh, no, I heard you loud and clear.”
“Brad… I don’t want to fight with you. I’m not sure where this is coming from, but it’s obvious we should be done for today. I think we should wrap this up, and tomorrow—”
“So I’m just imagining you’re trying to fuck with my career.”
“Fuck with your career?” Her eyes widened in astonishment.
“Yes, fuck with my career.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Her voice was beginning to reclaim its volume and confidence.
“Do I need to remind you about the Maldonado account?”
Letting out a put-upon sigh, Jayla shook her head in disbelief. “Of course this is about the Maldonado account. Ohhhh, trust me, Bradford. You don’t need to remind me about your obsession with the Maldonado account. And let me make something crystal clear to you: I have much more important things to worry about than fucking with your career. Besides, I don’t need to do anything to screw up your professional life—you’re doing a hell of a job all by yourself. You’ve let plenty of opportunities pass you by because of your fixation on my account. Your paranoia is getting old, and you’re so full of yourself. You and you alone let Maldonado slip through your fingers. I’m sick and tired of your blame game. Put on your big boy pants, and get over it.”
JAYLA COULDN’T HAVE said anything more perfect to provoke Brad’s wrath. The woman could make his cock hard as steel in a blink of an eye and drive him to the point of madness in the blink of another. Her words shifted Brad into battle mode.
Clamping his mouth shut tight, Brad felt his rage rise
. Who the hell did she think she was? She knew damn well she fucked him over when she stole the account from him. He would never admit it to her, but one day he could very well be able to forgive her for the Maldonado debacle due to the fact they were mates. She’d betrayed him before they knew the truth. But the fact of the matter was they knew now. And knowing they were mates made everything that happened from this point forward amplify tenfold. The thought of his mate trying to set him up had him seeing red. His wolf wanted to howl in utter anguish for her even contemplating crossing him.
Reality punched Brad hard in the chest. He’d been in denial since the day he laid eyes on Jayla. From the second she appeared in his life, she became the most important thing in his world. Because of this she possessed the ability to hurt him, to wound him more profoundly than he’d ever been. He’d never given a shit about anyone. He’d never wanted to be affected by the actions of another. He’d never had nor ever needed anyone in his life, and he didn’t want to start now. He’d been so naive thinking Jayla only commanded his body. She commanded his heart—his wolf’s heart.
He’d been aware his wolf loved her wolf. He didn’t understand it, but he’d accepted it because his wolf had always been a separate part of him. A part he’d learned to live with. His wolf had never been in charge. From an early age Brad taught himself to subdue his wolf’s instincts. And now, for the first time in his life, he couldn’t overpower his inner animal. Jayla made it impossible. It scared him just as much as it pissed him off.
Desperately trying to hold on to the reins of everything spiraling out of control, Brad fought back the one way he knew how. The one way he learned to as a child and relied on throughout the years leading up to his adulthood. The one thing which had been a constant for him and helped him cope with the unfortunate circumstances of his childhood. He used his anger to push people away.
“Instead of trying to screw me over again, why don’t you get off your high horse? I won’t let you sabotage this project to make me look like a jackass. Lose the theatrics, and stop with the backstabbing. If you would just sit back and quit getting in your own way, you could learn a thing or two from me.”
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