Lost in his fantasies, it took him a moment to realize his father’s voice boomed outside the office. His father had a natural, deep voice that carried far. Matt stood from the couch, putting his drink aside. That’s all he needed—for his father to find him loafing when he should be working.
Unsure what Brooke and his father were discussing, Matt made his way to the door to rescue her. He paused with a hand on the doorknob.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I have to disagree with you. Matt is more responsible than you give him credit for. He’s generous and giving with everyone, to a fault, maybe. And he loves this company. He wants to do what’s best for the future of everyone who works here.”
“Hmm,” was all his dad said after a long moment. “Maybe you’re right. In any case, welcome to the family.”
At this point, a normal man would’ve hugged Brooke. Brooke’s father had hugged him when they told him about their impromptu marriage. Instead, Richard held out a hand for her to shake.
She stood and took his hand, shaking it with both of hers. “Thank you,” she said.
“I hope you plan on quitting this job soon. Matt can get another assistant. You’re his wife now. His life-partner.”
Matt shook his head. Like hell he’d ever stay married, allow someone to be his “life-partner,” even Brooke, who he trusted implicitly. He’d never let his guard down that way again.
Did he believe Brooke would cheat on him if he let her in, gave in to the feelings that seemed to tug at him whenever he was with her? Not at all. But he hadn’t believed that about his first wife, either.
“Matt and I work very well together and I enjoy it as much as he does. I wouldn’t dream of quitting.”
Opening the door, Matt stepped out to greet his father. Another handshake. Hugs in the Cross household simply weren’t done.
“I overheard the last bit of your conversation. I think my father is right, Brooke. You shouldn’t be my assistant.”
Brooke gave him a forced smile. “We agreed I would keep my job. Remember?”
“I’m not suggesting that you stop working. Only that you receive a promotion to management. You’d still travel with me and help me fix what’s broken at our hotels that aren’t performing optimally.”
Brooke glared at him and shook her head, crossing her arms in front of her. “It’s ridiculous to promote me because I’m your wife.”
“Hear him out,” Richard clapped a hand on Matt’s back and Matt turned to him, surprised at the support. “Maybe with someone so competent at the helm, once he trains you, he can focus on the big-picture of the company.”
Matt should’ve known his father would have ulterior motives in agreeing with him. “I don’t know about that. But, we can continue to work together, just like always. You just won’t have to also answer my phone and do the filing.”
If he’d thought of it, he would’ve done this long ago. That was the whole problem for him now—he was seeing Brooke in a whole new light. Not only did he spend his waking hours obsessing about what it would be like to have her, to make love to the innocent, yet passionate woman he now recognized, but he also realized she did a lot of work to make his job easier.
Brooke looked from him to his father and back again. “Maybe we should discuss it later.”
“On this one, I’m overruling you, Mrs. Cross. At work, I’m the boss, and I say who will do what. Find me a new assistant and notify HR of your promotion. Tell them to call me to discuss the pay and benefit details.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Of course,” she said through gritted teeth.
“You’ll see this is for the best, Brooke. Congratulations.” Richard smiled at her. “Now, I’ve got to get back to work. I just came to welcome you to the family.”
When he was gone, Brooke glared at him. “I am not happy about this change.”
“I’m sorry to make you unhappy, wife, but I’ve made my choice.”
“Don’t call me that,” she whispered, “when you don’t really mean it.”
He wished he could mean it, wished he weren’t so fundamentally broken that he couldn’t allow himself to love again. “Let’s not confuse the issues. Please give HR a call.”
“I will, because you’re my employer. But don’t think we won’t discuss this again at home.”
“Fair enough.” He left her at her desk, phone in hand, and went to his office and shut the door. Brooke deserved that promotion for all the work she did, right alongside him, but he also wanted to leave her better off after this marriage came to its logical conclusion.
Chapter Three
Matt had instructed Brooke to go home. His car was waiting for her and drove her back to his house around five. It was now eight p.m. and he dragged himself into the penthouse apartment. He was exhausted. Planning the changeover, from his father’s big-picture style of management to his own would take a lot of work.
She was making her way down the stairs when he put down his laptop and keys on the table by the door.
“Finally! I want to talk to you.”
“I’m too tired to argue with you, Brooke.”
“That’s unfortunate for you.” She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, one hand fisted on her hip. She’d changed into yoga pants and a t-shirt. She looked luscious, at-home in his home, and he found himself with a desire to undress her, slowly, and give her an experience she’d never forget.
And, really, why shouldn’t they? He knew Brooke had wanted to wait, but surely she realized that no one would believe her to be a divorced, twenty-eight-year-old virgin. No man alive would be able to keep his hands off of her.
The idea pissed him off, the thought that another man might ever touch her the way he wanted to touch her.
She’d been talking and he wasn’t listening. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You wouldn’t listen to me at work—the least you can do is listen to me now. I said I don’t want a promotion as some reward for being your wife.”
He advanced on her, furious that she couldn’t even see her own worth. “That’s got nothing to do with this.”
“Then why am I getting it now instead of two weeks ago?”
“Because I’m a fool.” Ignoring the part of his brain that told him to back off, to walk away, Matt wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “For the same reason I didn’t do this two weeks ago, or two years ago.”
His mouth found hers, claimed it as protests died on her lips. The scent of peaches washed over him, made his mouth water, and he slipped his tongue inside her mouth. Grasping the back of her neck, he tilted her head back to deepen the kiss and let his other hand wander down to cup her toned ass.
She pushed him away, the back of her hand going to her swollen lips. “What are you doing?”
“I want you. I can’t stop thinking of you.”
With a shake of her head, she looked past him. “Since when? Like you said, why now? Why not two years ago?”
“Since I kissed you on the plane. Since I married you because I had to have you. We’re more than friends now.”
Her gaze snapped to his face and she took a step back. “Only on paper.”
“I want to be the man who seduces you, who shows you how good I can make you feel. How good we can be together. I don’t want one night with you.”
“What does that mean?”
“Let me show you.” He took three steps forward, until he was right in front of her, and claimed her lips again. He kissed her until she moaned into his mouth, until she was pliant and whimpering for more.
Closing off his mind to any further thought, Matt focused on Brooke. He picked her up and carried her up the stairs to his bedroom.
They could spend the next few months in a glorious affair, streaking through their nights together, and when they divorced maybe, finally, he could put her out of his head.
***
Brooke reeled in Matt’s arms—from his kisses and from his admission that he wanted a future with her. She’d believed she wa
s giving up her chance at love when she decided to stay married to Matt. But now…maybe they could find happiness together.
In the bedroom, Matt put her down on wobbly legs. “I want to see what you’re wearing under there. Let me see you, Brooke.”
Her cheeks flushed hot in her face. Did she have the courage to do this?
Taking her time, she lifted her shirt by the hem over her head, then dropped it on the floor.
He sat down on the bed, his eyes raking over her lacy blue bra and bare midriff. “Go on. The rest of it.”
She looked past him because the desire in his eyes made breathing hard. She just had to slip her pants down and step out of them, and not think about standing nearly naked in front of a man for the first time ever. In front of Matt.
Hooking a thumb in her waistband, she paused, tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. Shyness crept over her.
Matt stood up and crossed over to her. His breath was hot against her ear. “I’ve never known you to back down from anything. Do you want to stop?”
Her eyes drifted closed. “No,” she whispered.
He walked behind her, running a hand over her behind, cupping it, squeezing it. “Then take these off.”
She didn’t know why he didn’t just undress her, why he wanted her to be the one to do it, but every time he ordered her to do something, she experienced a throb of desire between her legs.
Taking a deep breath, unsure of what he was doing behind her, she grabbed her waistband and pulled the pants down. One at a time, she lifted a foot and pulled the pant leg off, then let them fall to the floor. “Now what?”
Matt wrapped an arm around her waist, his hand dangling at the top of her panties, and yanked her against him. His erection pressed into her backside and she hissed in a breath.
With the other hand, he slipped one bra strap off her shoulder, then the other. “Don’t move.”
He unhooked her bra and let it slide down her arms and onto the floor. Lips pressed against the back of her neck, he brought his hands around to knead her breasts from behind. He fondled them, teasing her nipples until they pebbled and hardened under his fingers. Unable to hold it in any longer, a moan escaped her on a breath.
“Take off your panties and sit down on the edge of the bed.” He moved in front of her. His eyes were darker than she’d ever seen them, his pupils dilated.
It was hopeless, she was lost to him. She’d do whatever he told her to do. She stripped the panties off and held them out to him wordlessly.
“Thank you. I’ll just keep these to remember the night.” He tucked them into his jacket pocket. “Now, the edge of the bed, Mrs. Cross.”
He still wore his suit and she had on absolutely nothing.
“We have a clothing differential here,” she said.
“All in good time.” He took his jacket off and laid it across the chair by the door. With a glint in his eyes, he unbuttoned his shirt sleeves and rolled them up, one at a time. “Open your legs for me, Brooke. I want to see all of you.”
With a heavy sigh, she tried to open her legs, but they didn’t budge. It was too much, having him see her this way. But, did she want to back down now? The edge of the unknown coupled with her need to give herself to Matt gave her the courage to slowly, inch by inch, widen her thighs so that he could take her in completely.
He came to her, stopping a few inches away and dropped to his knees. He put a thigh on each shoulder and nipped at her labia. Brooke clutched the bedspread, panting hard.
“Don’t move.” He began to lick her center, edging closer and closer to her clit. Dizziness filled her head and she wanted to lay back, but he’d told her to stay put and following his directives seemed imperative.
“I need…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t know what she needed, only that pleasure was creeping over her, swirling out from her center to pool in her stomach, down through her limbs to her fingers and toes. Her breath came hard and fast.
“Tell me what you need, gorgeous.” The movement of his lips, the vibration of his words against her most intimate places spurred her higher.
“I don’t know,” she cried.
“I do.” With that, he slid a finger into her opening and began to pump it slowly. After a moment, he added another digit, and her walls had something to clamp down on.
It was a delicious, indescribable sensation and she marveled at it, even as she fought to stay still, to not squeeze her thighs or buck her hips.
“I can’t… oh my God.” Pleasure pierced her, shooting through her body and she called out, she didn’t know what she said, only that she spoke words as the release overtook her.
“Scoot up to the bed.” She did as she was told as soon as she was able. While she recovered and moved, he stripped away his clothes and joined her on the bed.
He pulled her close, whispering endearments in her ears, even as he touched her all over again. She was unmoored, floating away. She’d had no idea it could feel this way.
“You’re mine, Brooke. Say it.” He climbed above her, taking a moment to pull a condom from the drawer by the bed and sheath himself in it.
Her hands came up to touch his chest, the first time she’d been allowed to explore him throughout his seduction. “I’m yours,” she murmured.
He paused at her entrance. “This is going to be uncomfortable at first. Then it’ll feel good again. I promise.”
“I trust you.” She pulled him down into a kiss and he pushed through, entering her at last.
The sense of fullness, of completion, overwhelmed her. It was uncomfortable, but it was also deliciously right as if he belonged there. As though this was exactly what she’d waited for all these years.
He began to move faster, harder and she tried to match his rhythm, rising up to meet him. “Mmm, yes. Take what you want, Brooke.”
Propping himself up on one elbow, he somehow managed to thrust in and out and slide a finger between them to circle her clit. It only took a moment before she was flying over the edge again. She turned her head to the side and bit down on his shoulder as she came.
With a roar, he thrust one final time as deep as possible then stopped. Sweat beaded on his brow and he was breathing as hard as she. Her whole world was focused on only the two of them, the way they were joined as one. He was her lover now, her first, and she belonged to him.
Chapter Four
Matt sat in his father’s office, smoking a cigar with the man. Last night had easily been the most arousing experience of his life. He looked forward to many more nights like that during their brief marriage.
And, now this. Never did he think he’d have his father’s approval, much less that they would be celebrating the beginning of transitioning the company over to Matt’s direction.
“Son, I certainly didn’t see myself saying this, but I can’t wait to see where you take this company in the future.”
“Thank you, sir. That means a lot to me.” Everything had changed in such a short time. Who could’ve known that eloping would change his father’s entire attitude toward him?
“I don’t know about promoting Brooke, though. I mean, she deserves it and she’s very good at her job. She learned from one of the best.”
“I like to think so.” Matt had taught her how to do everything he did. If he were unavailable, he’d trust her to go to a site and find what wasn’t working within 72-hours. He’d been blind to so much about Brooke for so long. “But, I’m curious. Why the hesitation about promoting her?”
“Because the two of you should be working on making an heir to inherit this company.”
Matt glanced away, caught off guard. The two of them had certainly practiced all the ways one might make a baby last night, but they always used a condom.
Matt had no intention of staying married. It wouldn’t be right to bring a child into this world when he couldn’t offer him or her a true family. He didn’t want to raise a child in the chilliness he’d grown up with. Matt had no idea how to make a s
uccessful marriage. He’d failed miserably the first time, and he didn’t ever want to go through that again.
Much better to split amicably, both of them finding their individual needs met, than for either of them to get hurt.
“We’ll get around to that, father. This isn’t the optimum time for a baby.”
“I’m old, son. I want to enjoy my grandchildren while I can.”
Matt didn’t know what to say. There would never be any babies from this union, as it was purely a business deal.
Well, not so purely—they’d made love time and again last night. He’d gotten maybe two hours of sleep before they both had to get up and come into work today.
“Let’s discuss children later,” Matt said. He stood up, putting out his cigar in the crystal ashtray. “I should get back to work.”
A few floors down, he’d left Brooke interviewing candidates to be his new assistant. When he came back, Brooke was in his office, sorting through some paperwork. “Hello, lover.”
She looked up with a smile, a fresh blush pinking up her cheeks. He found it endearing that he could make her blush so easily. “How was your dad?”
“Better than I’ve ever seen him. He wants to discuss babies.”
“It’s a little soon for that.” She frowned at a document and held it up in front of her to read through.
“That’s what I told him. We can’t have children when we’re only going to be married a few months. Of course, I didn’t mention that detail.”
Brooke tilted her head to the side, her brows drawn down. “What did you say?”
“I said we can’t have children when we’re only going to be married a few months, but I obviously didn’t tell him that. What are you so engrossed in?” He crossed to where she sat behind his desk and massaged her shoulders. “You’re so tense. What’s wrong?”
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