“Okay.”
“Okay, you’ll think about it, or okay, you will?”
I paused, unsure which one I meant. Then I realized how stupid I was being. I loved Mitch. He loved me. I had never known the sort of love he offered me on a daily basis. Freely given and complete. I wanted to be with him as well.
“Okay, I will,” I responded.
He swung me into his arms, his mouth hard on mine. He kissed me until I was breathless, light-headed, and aching for him. He set me on my feet, cupping my face and raining small kisses on my face.
“My sweetheart,” he breathed. “My Mandy.”
Then he grinned. “Wait until I tell them.”
“Them?”
His grin widened, his eyes dancing with mischievousness. His dimples were so deep I could stick the end of my finger in them.
“I had Mom, Kris, and Joseph ready to send you their top ten reasons why you should live with me. Mom actually has a Power Point presentation ready if you needed extra persuasion, and Kris said she wasn’t above bribery.”
I started to laugh. “Another three-step plan, Mitch?”
“They worked in the past. I was going with proven results.”
I cupped his cheek. “No need. I love you, and I want to be with you too.”
He turned his face and kissed my palm.
“Then let’s go celebrate.”
Another Year Later
Step 2
The office buzzed around me as I worked on Mitch’s calendar. Since opening MM Designs, he had been in high demand. So much so, there was a waiting list. The other architects he hired worked with him on several of the projects, helping ease some of the burden, but it was Mackenzie Mitchell’s name they wanted. His designs. His signature on the plans.
He was amazing.
I rolled my shoulders, frowning as I looked at his schedule. He was going to be away a lot over the next few months. Site visits, openings, meetings. I hated it when he went away, but it was part of the job. He refused to hand over some things, and I understood. His visions, his reputation—both were too important to him.
I lifted my mug, not surprised to find my coffee had gone cold. I strolled to the kitchen, deciding a fresh Nespresso was in order. Mitch had gotten me addicted to them.
As the coffee brewed, I wandered over to the open space in the middle of the office. Mitch had made a cutout in the center of the floor, right down to the main level. Sunlight from the skylights filtered down, making every floor airy and bright. On hot days, a special canopy covered the roof, allowing some light to filter in but blocking the heat. Custom-made clear boxes held models of Mitch’s buildings displayed at different heights, showing off his work. It was quite breathtaking.
Looking over the glass rail, I admired all the space below. Everyone was busy. Everyone was happy. Mitch held true to his word of providing a positive environment for everyone to work in. The two floors below us had work spaces and private offices for architects and designers. The main floor was accounting, production, and a huge staff room. He’d had a gym built in the basement that everyone had access to. It was a great place to work.
The third floor was entirely Mitch’s, except for the large boardroom where everyone gathered for meetings or to celebrate the latest contract or completion of a project.
I heard the beep of the machine and crossed back to the kitchen to get my coffee. I sat at my desk, smiling as I heard the private elevator door open. It came up from the parking lot, and the only person with access to it was Mitch.
He strode in, cardboard tubes under his arm, a wide smile on his face, and a huge bunch of flowers gripped in his free hand.
He saw me, and his smile became wider. His dimples deepened and his eyes crinkled. With a flourish, he presented me with the flowers.
“For you, sweetheart.”
“They loved the design?”
He winked. “As if there was any doubt. Signed, sealed, and delivered.”
I leaned close and brushed a kiss to his lips. “Congratulations, Mitch.”
He wound his arm around my waist, yanking me tight and kissing me with passion. He swept his tongue into my mouth with a low groan and wrapped his hand around my neck, keeping me close.
I was almost panting by the time he finished.
“Um, wow?” I whispered.
“This is the one, sweetheart. It will make the company number one. I know it. We won’t be able to keep up.”
I chuckled, wiping my gloss from his mouth. “We’re already having trouble with that. If you took on every project you were offered, I wouldn’t see you for three years.”
He tapped the end of my nose affectionately. “That will never do.”
He leaned across me, picking up my coffee and taking a long drink.
“Hey! That was mine.”
“I know. I love drinking from your cup. Your lips add an extra flavor to it.”
I rolled my eyes. “You are such a dork.”
“Romantic. You’re always mixing up your words, Mandy. I’m romantic.”
“Whatever.”
He studied me, then with a wink, took another long sip.
“I’m thinking of opening a second office.”
“Here?”
“No. I was thinking overseas—Sweden. We’re getting so many tender bids over there. I would prefer to have an office to work from—a central location.”
My heart sank. If Mitch opened another office overseas, he’d be away more. I’d hardly ever see him. But I forced a smile to my face.
“That will be interesting.”
His phone rang, but he ignored it. His eyes searched my face, and he frowned. “What is it?”
I waved my hand. “Nothing. You just surprised me. I’m sure it would be amazing.”
His phone rang again, and he dug into his pocket. “Shit, I need to take this.”
I made my voice sound chipper. “Enough flirting with your staff, Mr. Mitchell. Get back to work. I’m going to put these flowers in water and make you your own coffee.”
I slid past him as he answered his phone, not meeting his eyes. I needed to process so I could support him.
But the question kept returning.
What about me? What about us?
* * *
Mitch
I glanced up from my drafting table, stretching my arms. It was later than I thought. The sun had set, the automatic lighting already on. I had been so lost in my vision, I hadn’t even noticed. I bent sideways, peering into the outer office. Mandy’s desk was empty, but I knew she was around. I crossed the office, stopping by the heavy glass door that gave me privacy and the quiet I needed to concentrate but allowed me to see everything happening when I wanted to, and located Mandy. She was on the huge sectional sofa, sorting papers on the coffee table. I held back my smile, knowing she was working on my expense report. Once she was done, I would have to take her to dinner to say thanks.
I was awful at keeping track of my expenditures. Mandy had full access to my credit cards and tried to keep up, digging through my pockets and wallet to find the receipts I forgot to drop into the box she kept for them. Whenever possible, I had the receipt emailed, but I was a fail at that a great deal of the time as well.
I studied her as she bent over the table. She had pulled her hair up and had removed her jacket, her soft silk blouse showing off her arms and delicate neck. She had kicked off her shoes, the high heels she hated but wore because she knew how much I loved how sexy they made her legs look. She was muttering, biting her lip in frustration, and I cracked the door a little, listening to her utter my name along with a few choice curse words. She was adorable.
She also looked tired—more than usual. I knew I kept her busy, both here and at home. I had been away a lot—more than I’d planned or wanted to be. She hated it, although she never complained. The sadness on her face when I would leave said it all.
She had been restless the past few nights, and twice I had woken to find her on the sofa, curled up w
ith a blanket. I was sure she had been crying, but she insisted everything was fine.
“I just wandered out for a drink of water and passed out on the sofa,” she laughed, waving my worry away. “You know I do that on occasion.”
She did, but usually there was a glass as evidence. I needed to figure out what was going on with her.
I pulled open the door, and she looked up with a smile.
“All done?”
I dropped a kiss to her head and flung myself onto the sofa close to her. “For now.” I scrubbed my face. “Am I safe to be in the same room as you?”
She laughed, securing some slips of paper into place. “I have most of it. You were so busy last month, there are a lot of receipts. I’ll find the rest tomorrow.” She flashed me a smile, but it seemed forced. “But you owe me dinner.”
“I owe you a lot more than that.”
“We can start with food.”
I leaned back on the sofa, studying her as she gathered all the bits of paper that took me away from her. Cabs, meals, plane tickets, hotel bills. And there would be more in the next while. It hit me right then what was going on.
I was an idiot.
At the office, Mandy was so good at reading me that sometimes I didn’t have to complete my thoughts—she simply knew what I was going to say, or anticipated my needs and acted accordingly.
But at times, on a personal level, she needed more. And I had neglected that part of our relationship this week, dropping a bombshell on her without following up later at home.
“How about we start with a little clarification?” I mused, draping my arms over the back of the sofa.
She slid the lid onto the receipt box. “About?”
I tilted my head. “I love you, Mandy.”
Her smile was genuine this time. “I love you too, Mitch.”
“You are my nucleus, sweetheart. Everything I’ve accomplished, every step of my plan, I can’t possibly do without you.”
“Oh.” She seemed confused. “Well, I’m right here.”
“I know. I said something the other day, and I didn’t say it properly.”
She swallowed, her throat working nervously. “And?”
“I told you I want to maybe open up another office. But what I didn’t say was if I did, whenever I go, I plan to take you with me. In fact, I want you to start traveling with me as much as possible.”
“You-you do?”
I held out my hand, and she let me pull her across the sofa. She straddled my lap, her skirt riding up, the lace of her thigh-highs peeking out from under the material.
For a moment, I was distracted, rubbing the rough texture between my fingers.
“Jesus,” I muttered. “You’ve been wearing these all day?”
She slapped my hands. “Yes.”
Sliding my hands up her legs, I gripped her hips, trying not to notice the way she was nestled right against my cock. Or the fact that he noticed it too and wanted her a little closer.
I met her worried gaze.
“Mandy, sweetheart, you are one of the most intelligent, organized women I have ever met. The way you run this office—run me—is nothing short of a miracle. You know me so well.” I pulled her face close to mine, leaning my forehead against hers. “How can you not know how much I need you with me as much as possible?”
“I rarely come with you on your trips.”
“Because they’re usually overnight, filled with meetings, and boring as shit. I know you hate to fly, and I don’t want you tense all the time. Knowing you’re here when I get back, the office is running smoothly, your beautiful smile is waiting for me, helps me so much. But, baby, I would never go away for a long period and not ask you to go with me.” I cupped her cheeks and made her meet my eyes. “Ever.”
“Yeah?” she questioned, worry in her gaze.
“Yeah. And when I said open another office, I meant using my name, hiring the best and overseeing it—mostly from here. There’s an architect in Sweden I’ve been in contact with. Young, brilliant—I think he’ll do great things. I would take some trips there, but with the technology we have, I am in the office there in seconds with the push of a button.” I stroked her cheek. “I didn’t plan on being gone without you for weeks at a time.”
She sighed, the sound low and quivering. That was exactly what she had thought.
“Baby, you know me better than that.”
“It’s just, you’ve been so busy, so in your element and…happy. I thought-I thought—” she shrugged “—I don’t know what I thought.”
“I am happy, but only because I love this place and I have you. Especially the fact that I have you. You first, remember?”
Tears filled her eyes and I kissed them away. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I made you doubt that. I’ve been taking you for granted, haven’t I?”
“No.” She shook her head, but I silenced her.
“I have. You’re so amazing, and I forget to tell you that. But I’ll do better. I know you trust Lauren—do you think she could oversee the office if we were both gone on occasion?”
“I think so. The rest of the office is a breeze compared to running you.”
With a chuckle, I kissed her. “Then you can come with me when I head over to Sweden. Any trip over three days, you come with me.”
She fiddled with my tie. “Anything over a week.” She met my surprised gaze. “You do a lot of three-day trips.” Her eyes slid to the side, and a smile tugged on her lips. “I don’t mind the break.”
I burst out laughing. “Done.”
“You really want me with you?”
I slid my hand around the back of her neck. “I always want you with me, Mandy. I do better when you’re close. We’re a great team.”
“Is overseas step two of your plan?”
“Yep.”
“What is step three?”
“Getting my business so successful, I can cut back, marry you, knock you up with lots of babies, and enjoy life with you.”
“Um, I think you’re already successful. I saw your bank account the other day. The number of zeros is frightening.”
“Then we can move to step three soon.” I pulled her face close. “In fact, maybe we should practice.”
“Here?”
“Right here. Right now.” I widened my legs so she slid down against me, the warmth of her pressing on my cock. “I want you to ride me on this sofa, Mandy.”
“Is that Mackenzie talking or Mitch?”
I grinned. “They’re both horny bastards in love with their assistant. So, whoever you want—he’s yours.”
She pressed close, her mouth hovering over mine.
“Mitch,” she breathed out. “I want my Mitch.”
“Done,” I growled, yanking her face to mine and kissing her with utter abandon. She was sweet under my tongue—toffee and Mandy, the very best combination. She moaned low in her throat as I ran my fingers up her sides, cupping her breasts.
I dragged my mouth across her cheek, down her neck, swirling and tasting her skin, smiling at the shivers racing down her spine.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered into her ear.
“For wh—”
I hooked my fingers into the neckline of her blouse and yanked. The material gave away easily under my fists, exposing her pretty lingerie. Ivory lace, satin ribbons, and pink bows made me groan.
“It’s amazing I get any work done, wondering what you have on under your clothes.”
“I liked that blouse!” she gasped.
“I’ll buy you another one.” One flick of my wrist and her breasts spilled into my hands. I licked and sucked on her buds until they were hard and wet, and her breathing fast. I slid my hands along the backs of her thighs, pushing up her skirt. “What are you hiding here, Mandy? More lace? More satin?”
She arched her eyebrow, teasing and pleased with herself. I soon discovered why.
All my fingers encountered was skin. Soft, silky skin.
“Jesus. You’ve been bare. All fuc
king day, you’ve been bare.”
She moaned as I delved between her legs, finding her slick and ready.
“Does someone want to be fucked?” I licked at the shell of her ear. “Tell me.”
Her nimble fingers pulled at my belt, yanked on my zipper, and tugged on my pants. “Hips up,” she instructed, her voice quivering with need.
I lifted my hips, and in seconds, my pants were at my ankles, my erection between us, hard and straining.
She braced herself on the cushion behind my head, the action pushing her breast right into my mouth. I groaned around her nipple as she sank down on me, inch by inch until she was full. Until we were flush. Then she leaned back, the action taking me deeper.
“Mandy,” I moaned, the feeling intense.
She grasped my chin, her eyes wild. “Yes, Mitch. The answer is yes. I want to be fucked.”
I grasped her hips and bucked. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she gripped my shoulders. “More.”
I gave her more. I gave her all I had. Thrusting. Straining. Pounding into her. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and my back grew damp. With a curse, I stood, still inside her, and laid her on the sofa, bracing myself above her. I lifted one of her legs over my shoulder, smiling as she gasped at the angle and how deep I was seated inside. I took her hard, mindless of anything but the pleasure being inside her gave me. I grunted. Groaned. Panted. Snarled in passion. Whispered in adoration. She mewled and whimpered, her voice keening my name.
“Give it to me, Mandy. Come for me,” I begged, feeling my balls begin to tighten and the ecstasy wind itself around my spine.
She stiffened, her pussy contracting around me, hot, wet, taking all I had. My orgasm hit me, obliterating everything in its path. I shouted, cursed, and shook. Then collapsed, mindless, my legs no longer able to hold me up.
I pulled Mandy closer, kissing her forehead. After I had recovered, I moved us both onto the sofa, wrapping us in the cashmere blanket, still too lazy to move very far.
An Instant Connection: Insta-Spark #3 Page 7