by Lulu Pratt
Damn right I marked her. Every man in that goddamn bar was straining to get their eyes on her and I wanted to let it be known that she was completely off-limits.
She’s mine. At least I wanted her to be in that moment. Which brings me back to my dilemma.
Am I really willing to let her go so easily because of my stupid hang-up? I can’t wrap my mind around the thought of not seeing her again.
“Let’s get you upstairs.” I’m out of the car and on her side before she can fully open the door.
We take the four flights of stairs leading up to her floor after Lilah warns me about the temperamental elevator.
Jesus, is everything in this building falling apart?
Lilah turns to me as she sticks her key in the lock, her smile soft.
“Good night, Andrew. Tonight was most interesting.”
The teasing lilt in her voice is not lost on me.
Against my earlier vow not to touch her, I lean down, leaving a chaste kiss on her forehead. When I hear her secure the lock, I turn to leave with my mind made up.
That damn twisting feeling is invading my gut again. And I think I finally know why. My body physically needs Lilah.
For whatever reason I can’t leave this woman alone. And if she wants love, then that’s exactly what she’ll get. However, giving her what she wants doesn’t mean I’m wavering in my stance against the L-word. It’s just something I’ll have to work around.
But one thing’s been decided and it’s that I am going to make Lilah Tucker fall in love with me.
Nine
LILAH
The aching between my legs wakes me well before my alarm sounds the next morning. With Andrew dominating my dreams, it’s a wonder I got any sleep at all.
Last night was a fucking rollercoaster ride. I tap-danced all over the emotional spectrum, jumping from unbelievably turned on to undeniably jealous when we ran into his former classmate.
Natalia.
My jealousy was completely misplaced since I have zero claims on Andrew but the familiar way she touched him made red spots appear in front of my eyes.
Not cute, Lilah.
I need to get a fucking grip and remember my place. He is a potential client who I desperately need to land in order to make my dreams a reality. Everything else is just background noise.
Reaching for my phone on the pillow beside me, I poke the screen and see that it’s only six. I don’t have to be at the office until nine-thirty. What am I supposed to do with three hours of free time?
Far too wired to go back to sleep, I pull the thin sheet up to cover my naked body with a frustrated sigh. Naked is the only way I can sleep when the stupid air conditioning is on the fritz.
That damn superintendent is definitely going to get an earful from me today. My plan is to send a scathing text and follow it up with a phone call a little later in the morning. But those plans are derailed when I see the email notification resting at the top of my screen.
Despite the early hour, it’s my boss Edward checking in.
Surprise, surprise.
This guy doesn’t believe in downtime. Each time he has an idea, he doesn’t hesitate to email me no matter the hour. Today is no different.
When I open the email app, I notice the title of the email is “Andrew Knight.” I roll my eyes and purse my lips.
What’s with him and landing this guy? He hasn’t stopped talking about him all week. He’s always talking tirelessly about what an important asset Andrew Knight will be to Castle.
Meanwhile, I still haven’t worked up enough courage to ask him if they’re related. Edward doesn’t seem to be the type to talk about his personal life at work and I don’t want to risk getting on his bad side.
I skim over the novel-length text.
God, this man can talk for days.
By the end of it, all I can think about is the man I’m supposed to be forgetting.
Andrew had looked so damn mouthwatering last night. He’d been wearing all black again, just like the first time I met him. But last night his attire wasn’t so casual.
The black button-up hugged his chest and torso snugly, leaving me to fantasize about what wonders lay beneath it. The sleeves had been rolled up his bronzed forearms, only giving a teasing glance of the tattoos that snaked up to his broad shoulders.
Expensive black slacks had only enhanced those long powerful legs and that high, firm ass. Suede Italian loafers rounded out the look that had me swooning from the second I opened the door.
As I sink lower into my pillows, memories swirl inside my mind until I’ve conjured up an image of him. I can almost feel his dominating presence hovering over me, his masculine scent tickling my nose as his deep voice rumbles in my ear.
Just picturing those piercing eyes on me as his large hands skim the naked apex between my thighs does things to my libido that I can’t put into words.
The already persistent pulse skyrockets to an even greater level. It’s dizzying and so damn tempting. I crave him more than anything and after a two-year drought, my need is impossible to ignore.
In a moment of weakness, my knees fall open and my right hand drops down to find my painfully engorged clit slick with desire. With my left hand pinching my nipple, I begin mimicking Andrew’s actions from my dream last night.
Drawing lazy circles against the distended nub, I smear juices from my opening up and down. When the area is coated in my natural lubricant, I pick up the speed of my strokes, working myself to a wondrous peak stopping right before I take the plunge. My legs are literally shaking from the anticipation, but I don’t let myself come. I need to draw this out and enjoy every second of it.
Teasing myself, I give my hardened nipples a rough pinch and moan at the pleasurable pain. Bringing my other hand to my lips I suck my fingers into my mouth, tasting my own arousal.
Goose bumps prickle my sensitive skin and the groan that escapes me is guttural.
“Fuck, yes…”
When my fingers are good and drenched, I trail my hand back down my quivering abdomen and to my waiting sex. I slap my palm against my clit and imagine that it’s Andrew’s rock hard cock slapping against my tender mound.
I need to feel him inside me and I know my fingers won’t do. Pulling open the drawer of my nightstand, my hand searches aimlessly until I find just what I’m looking for. My old buddy and Ronaldo’s best friend, Cristiano.
With my fingers wrapped around the thick dildo, I slip it between my folds as my eyes slide shut. The toy stretches me deliciously and I grind my hips into the movement, wanting every inch inside of me as soon as possible.
When it’s shoved inside of me to the hilt, my moans fill the air as I get used to the fullness.
“Fuck me, Andrew,” I groan desperately, wishing I had him right here in my bed with me.
But I have to make do with Cristiano in Andrew’s absence because if I don’t come I might just explode at some inopportune time and embarrass myself.
Using rapid thrusts, I pump the length of it into me repeatedly chanting Andrew’s name all the while.
I picture his hips thrusting into me almost violently and my voice is ragged when I call his name again.
“Yes, just like that,” I cry out as a scorching ball of fire settles in the pit of my stomach, the heat threatening to spread.
I’m gonna fucking come.
“Ah, fuck.”
The motions of my hands grow more and more frantic, pushing me steadily to my undoing. My toes curl into the sheets, anticipating my release. I can feel my body temperature rising with each passing second.
I’m climbing that mountain, ready to reach the climax, until the sound of a heavy fist pounding on my door knocks me off that path.
Without thinking, I fling Cristiano across the room and hear it collide with my lampshade as I hide under the covers as if someone can see me. It feels as though I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
The sound comes again not even seconds later and my
eyes narrow.
Who the hell is at my door at the butt crack of dawn?
My infuriating superintendent comes to mind and I’m hopping out of bed in no time. Ignoring the sad whimper from my lady parts, I pull on a robe and beat a hasty path to my front door.
This jerk is going to wish he’d stayed in bed today.
Tightening the robe around my waist, I yank open the door and my nasty words for my superintendent fall silent on my lips. Standing on my doorstep, looking sexier than anyone has the right to look, is my wet dream in human form.
And he’s smiling at me.
Ten
ANDREW
“Morning, Cupcake.” I give her a winning smile and take in her flushed appearance.
I witness a blush creep up her inviting neck in the aftermath of my greeting. My fingers are eager to grab onto her neck and mark her there with my tongue. Even better than my tongue would be the hot spray of my thick cum after she—
“What are you doing here unannounced for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, and at six-thirty in the morning?” my temptress asks, finding her voice.
I can’t tear my eyes away from the soft column of her neck and she reaches up to cover it with her small hand as if she’s attempting to hide the vulnerable area from my sight.
But she’s too late because I’ve already committed every alluring inch of it to my memory. It’s the reason I’m here so fucking early. No matter what I did at home, I saw her everywhere. When I closed my eyes to sleep, she was right there in my damn dreams.
This has never happened to me before so I got my ass out of bed and drove across town to confront her.
A decision I’m currently rethinking.
She looks fuckable in that satin robe. With her cheeks tinted a red hue and her hair wild and free, she looks like a woman who’s been thoroughly fucked.
I’m tempted to point it out with a teasing remark, but think better of it when I remember she’s currently living without the luxury of air conditioning.
But that doesn’t explain the hardened nipples visible through the thin material of her robe.
Fuck.
“Andrew!” Lilah’s voice rises as she snaps her fingers near my ear.
“Sorry, you were saying?”
She does her signature move and crosses her arms across her chest.
“Are you going to tell me why you’re here or not?” she asks, that cute little frown marring her features.
Goddamn, she’s adorable. I could stand here ogling her all damn morning.
Leaning against the doorframe, I mirror her crossed arms.
“That depends. Tell me what you were doing before I got here.”
That same red blush sweeps over her neck and cheeks and I give a triumphant smirk.
She was touching herself before I got here. Shit, that thought sends my raging libido through the roof.
“I was sleeping,” Lilah shares with a shaky breath.
Yeah, fucking right.
“You’re an awful liar. You know that, Cupcake?”
“You know,” she starts, that defiant air returning to her words, “I only opened the door because I thought you were the super. So you better give me a really good reason not to close it in your face right now.”
There’s my little firecracker.
I already know that smart mouth is only one of her many forms of defense against me and it does nothing but make me harder for her.
“I guess I missed you,” I say, laying it on thick.
To my surprise, she doesn’t roll her eyes. They just grow cloudy with what I want to say is longing as she regards me from under her lids.
As soon as the emotion appears, Lilah hides it in a flash. That same defiant glint returns and she opens her mouth to counter my words.
“I think you’re full of it.”
An easy laugh escapes me at that one. Maybe she’s right, but there had been some truth to my words. It felt like my body was going through withdrawals with each endless hour that passed.
“Say what you will. But it’s nothing but the truth. I woke up and the first thing I wanted was to see your face.”
Silence falls between us and Lilah fidgets with the belt on the robe. I wish she’d just undo the damn thing and put me out of my misery already.
Then again, I don’t want her neighbors getting any glimpse of her. Only my eyes should be able to feast on her magnificent frame.
Which reminds me of the request I made at our first meeting.
“You never answered my question.”
Her eyebrows dip and her lips turn downward. “What question?”
“About letting me paint you,” I clarify.
“Like the people last night?” she asks and I know I’ve reeled her in.
Try as she might, she hadn’t been able to hide her reaction to the exhibits. My presence had been all but forgotten as she got lost in the complex poses and the carefully placed props and paint.
“Yes, but it’d just be you. I don’t want to share you with anyone just yet,” I tell her smoothly.
Lilah is going to say something witty in response, I can see it all over her face. She only pauses when the door across the hall opens. From the look that transforms her face, I can tell she’s not too fond of her neighbor.
“Come in,” she says reluctantly, giving the neighbor a half-hearted greeting as I step inside the humid apartment.
I’d been a little too distracted last night to take in the furnishings in the small space, but now my eyes scan every meticulous corner. She doesn’t have much and the furnishings are definitely secondhand, but everything is clean and has its own place.
The sectional sofa is worn, but comfortable if my memory serves me correctly. There’s a table at the end nearest the door. An antique lamp rests on the surface, not a speck of dust in sight. Her coffee table is covered in candles and magazines. On the opposite wall is a TV dolly which holds an outdated TV and DVD player.
The door to her bedroom is half open and I see that the lampshade in there is at an angle. Given how tidy the place is, it sticks out a little. I wonder why, but my attention is drawn away by Lilah’s busyness.
When Lilah closes the front door, she makes a beeline for the kitchen and pulls down a tall glass from the cupboard. Heading straight for the freezer, I watch her fill it to the brim with ice cubes.
Slamming the door of the appliance shut, she starts chomping away.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“No thanks, Cupcake.”
“I wish you’d stop calling me that,” she says grumpily.
“Do you really, or does it just make you feel better to put up a fight?” I challenge, loving the fire visible in her chocolate eyes.
“I’m starting to regret letting you in here.”
“Let me feed you,” I offer, shoving my hands into my pockets.
It’s the only way I’m going to keep them off her. Especially now that I’m fully in her domain, surrounded by her unique scent and everything that makes her her.
“I wasn’t sure what time you had to be in the office so it’s part of the reason I showed up so early. But I can make it up to you. Have breakfast with me.”
“Maybe. If you agree to have a follow-up meeting with me about your portfolio,” she counters unexpectedly, not missing a beat. I have to give it to her for being able to focus on work when all I can think about is ravishing her.
Business had honestly been the last thing on my mind but I have to remember it’s the way we were introduced. When I only stare at her, she places a hand at her hip letting me know she’s serious.
“Fine. I’ll schedule a meeting for later this week.”
I’ll agree to anything if it means I get to spend more time with her. The more time we spend together, the better my plan will go.
“Breakfast?” I ask again.
Lilah studies me for a beat before agreeing reluctantly, “Only because I don’t have any food in the house.”
She’s cute as fuck.
My answer comes easily as I watch her with a grin. “I’ll take what I can get, Cupcake.”
Eleven
LILAH
I try not to spend my time daydreaming about him, but it’s difficult to focus on anything else when there are no clients.
Edward claimed he’d be sending all the clients my way, but aside from Andrew things have been slow. Which leaves me plenty of time to read and reread the training packet he put together. But there are only so many times I can do that before my eyes start crossing.
It’s clear as day to me that my boss wants me to prove myself before he sends more clients to me and I plan to knock off his socks by letting him know Andrew signed the contract this morning.
Yesterday, following breakfast at a cute little café I’d never heard of, Andrew was rather amenable to my persuasive pitch about our services here at Castle.
Of course his attraction to me helped, but I’m not going to look this gift horse in the mouth. I’ll finally get Edward off my back with this news.
Andrew showed up this morning to sign all the paperwork, officially making me his financial advisor. When I tried to rope him in to talk about some initial investments, he told me that he had to go.
He claimed he had some work to attend to and my thoughts immediately went to Natalia. Were they business partners as well as friends? Friends with benefits?
It’s none of my business.
I got what I wanted and I should be happy. But of course I’m not.
Andrew drives me crazy whether he realizes it or not.
Foolishly, I want someone I can’t have and that someone is Andrew Knight. If you let Charli tell it, he’s a playboy and the best thing he can offer me is a nice roll in the hay.
But something about his sweet gesture yesterday morning makes me think otherwise. He didn’t touch me once which made me crave it even more.
I know he has a reputation, yet there’s something about him that just pulls me in.
The sound of someone clearing their throat startles me, bringing me back to the present moment.
Edward Knight is standing in front of my desk in another expensive suit. His eyes are cool as he takes me in and the set of his mouth lets me know that his patience is running thin.