“I started drinking coffee because I knew you went to the kitchen every morning to get a cup. And going to the kitchen meant that I would have a moment with you, just you, to look at you, to talk with you, just to be with you. But I felt like an idiot going in there without a reason, so I started drinking coffee.”
I gaped at him, unable to believe that my fantasy was actually becoming a reality. “Seriously?”
“Yes. Seriously.”
“Well I used to stop at Starbucks every morning before work. But when you started at McMillan, I started drinking the free coffee in the kitchen because it gave me a chance to have a moment with you.”
He smiled, and I giggled. And then he laughed, a hearty, adorable laugh, and my giggling turned into a laugh, too, the kind of laugh that left my belly aching.
When we both calmed down, he said, “And now I’m fucking addicted to caffeine!” And that set us both off again, until tears were streaming down my face at the giddiness we were both feeling at finally admitting our feelings to one another.
Nick put in a movie awhile later, and we cuddled on his super comfortable sectional couch. I fell asleep in his arms, my head against his chest, his arms circled around me, about halfway through the movie. He must have fallen asleep, too, because he gently woke me at three in the morning with a question: “Do you want to stay the night or do you want to drive home? You could have a guest room if you aren’t comfortable staying with me.”
“I’d like to stay with you, if it is alright,” I shyly said.
He smiled and led me through the house and up the stairs to a massive master bedroom. His king size bed had a light blue and khaki comforter, but I was so exhausted that I didn’t really notice much else as I entered his room. The dim lighting added a romantic effect, though we were both too sleepy to act upon the romance. He flipped back the covers to reveal light khaki colored sheets and walked to his closet. “What do you like to sleep in?” he asked.
“A t-shirt, shorts, whatever,” I responded. He returned seconds later with a white t-shirt and boxer shorts, and then pointed to the bathroom door in his room where I could change. I returned a moment later to find him sprawled out on his bed on top of the covers, eyes closed, wearing only boxer shorts.
My breath caught in my throat as I took in his nearly naked body for the first time. His darkly tanned six pack abs stood out against the lightly colored sheets, and I could make out the sexy cut of his hipbone. It made my mouth water as I stared at it. His broad shoulders looked protective and strong. His body was perfectly toned. His black hair lay prominent against his pillow. He looked like a god lying there like that. Just flawless.
I stood staring for a moment before I worked up the courage to join him. He opened his eyes as I crossed the room to him, and he reached just above his head to turn off the light as I crawled into bed beside him. He gently guided me to him so that his arms were around me and I lay with my head on his chest. He lifted my head only momentarily to kiss me, then broke from me and said, “Goodnight, baby.”
“Goodnight, Nick.” We fell asleep, and I had the best night’s sleep possibly ever there in his arms.
Chapter Six
The next morning, Nick woke me with a kiss just before 7:00. We had to be to work by 9:00, and I needed to go home and shower and change for work. I had nothing with me as I hadn’t planned to spend the night.
“Good morning,” he said with a smile.
“Morning,” I said, smiling back shyly. He was gorgeous in the morning. He clicked a button and the blinds opened. His eyes lit up brightly against the bright morning light and his khaki sheets. I could stare at him forever, but I had to get up and get home so I could get to work.
I used his restroom quickly and he went in after me. I changed back into my clothes from the night before and headed downstairs.
He had brewed some coffee for me, and I gratefully poured a cup into a travel mug I found in one of the cabinets. I was even more pleased when opened the refrigerator to find my favorite creamer: fat free vanilla. I took a sip of the coffee and it was heaven.
He came up behind me and slid his arms around my waist, kissing my neck. I felt goose bumps form on my legs at his kisses.
“I figured you’d want some coffee, so I brewed a pot. I hope it tastes okay. I don’t usually make it.”
I grinned and took a sip. “Mmm. Delicious.”
“Do you have to go?” he asked playfully.
“Unfortunately, yes. My boss is a real jerk if I show up late.”
“Sounds like a douche. Maybe you should just stay here with me.”
I giggled. “I’ll see you in less than two hours,” I said. I set my coffee down and turned around, wrapping my arms around his neck. He kissed me.
“You taste like coffee,” he murmured against my lips.
“You taste like heaven. I have to go,” I said, kissing him again.
He dragged himself away from me and walked me to the door. We kissed once more by the door, and then I was on my way home. I pulled out my phone to call Travis.
“Hey you,” he answered, sounding groggy.
“Hey. Did I wake you?”
“I had to get up anyway. How was your night?”
“Amazing,” I said.
“Did you spend the night?”
“I plead the fifth.”
“You can’t. Not with me.”
“Spent the night, but no sex.”
“Lame. Call me when you’ve fucked him. That’ll give us something to talk about.”
“Travis, that’s crude.”
“Did you expect anything less from me?”
“True. Perv.”
“I’m not denying it. So what happened?”
“We made out for awhile and then I sort of stopped it.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want him to think I’m a whore.”
“Jules, you’ve known the guy for a year. He’s not going to think you’re a whore.”
“I know. But this is new, and neither of us wants to fuck it up by rushing into things.”
“Smart.”
“I know. Tell me about you. How are you dealing with the Brooke break-up?
“I went out with Danny last night and met a girl at Mahogany.”
“What was her name?” I asked.
“Mindy. She was kind of an idiot, but she was hot. Great rack. I fucked her,” he spoke vulgarly.
“That’s wonderful, Trav,” I replied sarcastically.
“It was just a one-night thing. I realize that I shouldn’t have done it. In fact, we didn’t even exchange numbers.”
“She sounds classy.”
“Well, what do you expect from a girl I picked up at a bar?”
“Travis, that’s not like you. What were you thinking?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I am still working through this breakup, and I was drunk. It was a stupid mistake.”
“Well as long as you realize that. Just be careful. You know I love you and just want to see you happy.”
“I know, Jules. You too.”
I arrived home and took a quick shower. I didn’t have much time to kill, so I pulled my wet hair into a bun and threw on some clothes. I wanted to look extra hot for Nick, but I didn’t have enough time to make it happen.
I pulled into work a minute before 9:00, and Nick’s silver BMW was already in the parking lot. I wasn’t surprised that he was already there, but I still had hoped for a hot morning elevator kiss to get my day started.
I went for my morning coffee, but to my disappointment, Nick wasn’t in his office.
I settled into working on the market analysis, and I was nearly done with pulling the research together into a document. With any luck, I’d have it done by the end of the day, and then I could spend my Friday working through all of my accounts that had been neglected due to the holidays and the report.
By lunchtime, I still hadn’t seen Nick. I wanted to walk into his office and pull him by his tie into my arms and kiss the d
aylights out of him, and I didn’t give a damn whether or not it would be appropriate for the workplace. However, every time I tried to stop by and see him, his door was either closed or it was open but his office was empty.
I pulled one of the backup frozen meals I kept in the freezer in the kitchen and cooked it. I brought it back to my desk with me and worked through lunch. By 4:30, the analysis was complete and I was satisfied, but I hadn’t seen Nick all day, and it felt like something was missing. I would have been itching to see him before our declaration of feelings, but now that I knew that the feeling was mutual, my obsession for him had only intensified.
I emailed the report file to Nick, who needed to approve it before it went to Davidson. I printed out two copies of the fifty-page report and smiled, knowing that my hard work had paid off.
I went to Nick’s office and found his door opened about an inch. I knocked on it and pushed it open, and he was sitting at his desk engrossed in some paperwork. “Yeah,” he called when he heard my knock, not looking up. His jaw was set in strong determination, and something about the way he looked as he sat there in deep concentration set me on fire. He was just too hot for words.
“Um, hey, Nick,” I stammered. He held a finger in the spot where he had finished reading and he finally looked up at me.
“Hi, Julianne,” he smiled warmly. “Come on in.”
I did, unsure of whether or not to close the door (ultimately leaving it open), and I sat at his desk across from him.
“What can I do for you?” he asked.
“I finished the market analysis. I need your approval before sending it to Davidson. I also emailed it to you.” I was finding it hard to play the professional when he was sitting there looking at me with those smoldering eyes.
“Of course. Give me two minutes to finish reading this document, and I’ll be happy to review your work.”
I nodded, and he flashed me another smile. Clearly he wasn’t having the same difficulties with maintaining professionalism that I was.
He pulled a tab from his drawer and marked the document he was reading with it. Then he took a pencil and circled some words. I wondered what he was doing; if I thought I was busy at work, I couldn’t imagine everything he had to deal with on a daily basis.
He turned toward his computer for a moment and sent off a quick email. “Do you have a hard copy?” he asked, glancing through his emails.
“Yes, I printed you a copy, and I was hoping that if we had any changes to make, we could open the file I sent you and just make them now.”
“Great idea.” He lowered his voice. “See, Julianne? Gorgeous and smart. Lethal combination.”
I blushed as I handed him his copy. He handed me a pencil so that I could mark any possible changes on my copy, and we began reviewing the report, page by page.
He had a keen eye for detail, and he noticed two minor errors in the first five pages. They were minimal errors that resulted from Davidson’s secretary’s copy/paste job, but I was highly impressed with his attention to detail and his focus on the report. He was brilliant at what he did.
He opened the file from his email and made the necessary changes, and then he reattached the file and sent it off to Davidson, giving me accolades in the text of his email for which I was extremely grateful.
He turned in his chair and looked at me over his desk. He steepled his fingers in front of his mouth, drawing my attention to how kissable his lips looked. “So what are your plans for tomorrow since you finished this early?” he asked.
“After work?”
“During work.”
“Oh,” I grunted in disappointment. “I need to touch base with four clients and review all of my accounts that I was working on before the holidays. This report has taken up the majority of my week.”
“That and the new guy you’ve been seeing,” he murmured. “What about after work?”
“I have a happy hour planned with my coworkers, but aside from that, I have no plans, sir.”
He grinned. “Consider yourself booked.”
I nodded and felt the heat creeping into my cheeks. “Is that all for today, then?” I asked, trying to maintain my professionalism.
“One more thing. Can you close the door?”
I nodded and stood, turning to close the door. He swiftly and quietly moved behind me, and when I turned around, I met with his hard chest. I gasped, not realizing he was right there behind me. He lowered his head and kissed me, dipping his tongue into my mouth. I groaned into him and he tightened his grasp on me as I felt his warm tongue moving slowly against mine. He tasted of sweet candy and lust and he smelled like heaven.
He pulled back and murmured, “God dammit. I’ve wanted to do that all day. Are you free tonight?”
“Yes.”
He kissed me again. “What are you doing to me?” he murmured. I just kissed him back.
“Where have you been all day?” I asked.
“Reading reports, looking at market trends, calling clients, meeting with Davidson. Figuring out how the hell to spend more time with you when work keeps piling up. Great work on that market analysis. I’ve never seen a more thorough report that was put together in such an efficient timeframe.”
“Thanks. I love that part of my job.”
He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. “Weirdo. Everyone I have ever worked with hates those reports.”
“I always aced my writing classes.”
“I can tell. You’re good at it.”
“Why thank you. Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Matthews.” I brushed my lips against his.
He moaned against me. “I’ll be over at 6:30. I’ll bring dinner.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
I headed back to my cube and cleaned up for the day, and then I headed out, stopping by Nick’s office on the way out. He was on the phone, but he glanced up at me and I waved. He grinned, and I left, feeling warm and fuzzy and ready for our evening together. I had waited long enough. I had to have him. Was tonight the night?
My buzzer rang at 6:28, and I buzzed up Nick. I stood by the door, waiting, wanting, feeling sexy with a new black lace bra and panty set under my jeans and sweater.
He knocked on my door a minute later, and I opened it and caught my breath. Was this fine specimen of a man really meant for me? Dear Lord, he was looking fine. He had taken off his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his black shirt. He wore his light gray suit jacket and pants, and I couldn’t help but picture him on his bed the night before, lying in nothing but boxer shorts. He held a bag of food in one hand and a bouquet of white lilies in the other. He walked in and handed me the flowers. “For you, beautiful girl,” he said, and I kissed him.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that,” I said.
“I know. I wanted to.”
I grinned and took them to the kitchen to put them in a vase. He set the food down on the table and walked up behind me as I cut the bottoms of the stems into the sink and filled the vase with water. He placed his hands on my hips and nuzzled my neck, and I felt the familiar electric tingles shoot up my spine at having him so close to me. I placed the flowers in the vase and turned around to face him. His lips met mine, and suddenly the food was forgotten as we stood in my kitchen kissing. I slipped my arms around his waist under his jacket, and he pulled me closer into him as he kissed me in that sexy, sensual way he did. If he was this good at kissing, I couldn’t imagine what sort of magical lover he was. Every nerve in my body was on high alert, and I felt his hands moving up and down my back. He reached down to my butt and pulled me flush against his body, and I could feel his arousal against me. A moan grumbled up from his chest, and it was the sexiest sound I had ever heard in my life. I moaned back into him, and I felt my own arousal level increasing to nearly unbearable levels as I tightened my grip around him.
“You are so fucking sexy,” he murmured against my lips, and I kissed him again, his words igniting even more passion inside of me. If anyone was the se
xy one between us, it was definitely him.
I slipped my hands into the upper arms of his jacket, pushing it down so it slid off of his arms and onto the floor behind him. I placed my hands on his hard chest and moved them down, feeling his perfectly cut abdominal muscles beneath his shirt. This man somehow found time to work out, because he was fit, athletic, and in excellent shape. I moaned into him as I had the sudden urge to taste his body, to feel those abs under my tongue. I pulled his shirt out from his pants where he had it tucked in while he continued his assault with his lips on mine, and I slowly started unbuttoning his shirt from the top down as his hands grabbed my ass. I finally reached my goal as I got it open, and I felt his hard, bare chest under my fingers. It was warm and soft on the surface, but hard underneath, like velvety steel. He had a few sparse curls that were soft under my fingers, and I felt my way down his chest to his washboard stomach as his lips found my neck.
“Oh, God,” I yelled out, louder than I had intended. I felt his smile against my skin as he continued kissing my neck. He reached down and found the hem of my sweater, and then he pulled it over my head. He kissed me again, and then he stepped back to look at me as I stood in my bra and jeans, leaning against my kitchen sink.
“Fuck, Julianne,” he growled, and then he hauled me up in his arms and carried me to my couch, kissing me the entire way.
This was definitely the most seductive I had ever seen him. He wanted me so badly; I could hear the need and the lust in his voice and I could see it in his eyes. And I was definitely ready to take things further with him. He set me down on the couch, and I laid my head on the pillow as he hovered over me, his eyes hooded and flashing. God, he looked good like that. Just the look in his eye was nearly enough to bring me to orgasm. He crushed his lips back on mine, and then he settled in beside me.
He gently moved his hands up my body from my hip to my ribcage and across my belly as I ran my hands up and down his back, through his hair, along his face. He moved achingly slowly up my stomach, and finally, just when I thought I wouldn’t be able to stand it any longer, he reached for my breast. My breath caught in my throat as his finger found my nipple through my bra. Tingles ran up and down my spine and pleasure spiked through me as he played with my nipple. I moaned into him, more aroused than I had ever been in my life. He pulled me up for a moment and removed my bra, holding me close against him. The feel of his bare skin against mine was almost too sizzling for me to handle.
What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3) Page 129