Sleeping With My Boss: A Standalone Novel (An Alpha Billionaire Romance Love Story) (A Dirty Office Romance)

by Adams,Claire

  Holding my tongue and gathering all the strength I could muster, I kicked the far end of the couch as hard as I could and then drew my legs up as quickly as possible. Eva fired a shot at the end of the sofa and that gave me the opportunity I was looking for. I grabbed a cushion off the couch and launched it at her as hard as I could, knocking her off balance. As she struggled to keep hold of her gun, she fired a second shot into the ceiling before I was on her and wrenching the weapon out of her hand and punching her as hard as I could to knock her out. I felt the stitches in my side pull, but they didn't give way as I looked up and saw the horrified expressions on the faces of the piano movers.

  "Call the police," I said as calmly as possible. "Now!"

  The two men scurried out of the room as I dropped to my knees holding my side as I tried not to pass out from the pain.

  I was unsuccessful.

  #

  I woke up in a familiar looking room, but this time I wasn't alone. Echo was leaning over me smoothing my hair and straightening the sheet as I slowly opened my eyes.

  "Hey, you," I croaked. "Water?"

  "Hey, you," she smiled as she reached across the bed and grabbed a glass offering me the straw. I sipped a little and then closed my eyes briefly.

  "What happened?" I asked.

  "I was going to ask you the same thing," she smiled as she patted my hand. "What did you do, Ryan?"

  "I think I found my father's killer," I said. "Did I?"

  "Not quite, son," a voice from across the room broke in. "But you did find the people responsible for kidnapping Echo and breaking into the lab."

  "Huh?" I said as I tried to raise my head, but the pain from my side made it impossible. I turned to see Commander Donnelly moving into view.

  "Lieutenant, you were very foolish to go to see your stepmother alone today," he said. "We'd suspected she'd had something to do with the kidnapping and had police investigators watching her, but they didn't see you enter the apartment. You almost got yourself killed."

  "But why?" I said still groggy from the pain medication.

  "They were after something bigger than your father's fortune," he said. "They wanted his research so they could sell it on the black market."

  "I have no idea what the hell you're talking about," I said looking back at Echo who refused to meet my eyes. "What's going on?"

  "Lieutenant, let's just say that you solved a crime that both had and hadn't yet happened," Commander Donnelly said. "When you're feeling a bit better, we're going to send someone in to take your statement, but until then, I want you to rest and take it easy. And I mean it."

  "Yes, sir," I nodded as I looked at Echo who was now smiling at me again. Commander Donnelly left the room and I turned to Echo. "What the hell is going on?"

  "Your stepmother was the one who kidnapped me," she said. "She tried to kill you because you figured it out."

  "I don't understand why she would have wanted to kidnap you," I said wondering if the confusion was drug induced.

  "She wanted to sell your father's research on the black market," Echo said eerily repeating Commander Donnelly's exact words.

  "How did she even know what my father was doing?" I asked.

  "I don't know, you'll have to ask her," Echo said as she leaned down and silenced me with a soft kiss.

  "Don't do that," I said pushing her away. I could feel the effects of her touch instantly and was afraid that if she lingered, I'd show my entire hand.

  "Okay, sorry," she said as a hurt look crossed her face and she backed away. "I'll just hang out here until Cece comes to relive me."

  "Echo..." I began.

  "No, it's okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries," she said cutting me off. "It won't happen again."

  "I didn't—," I tried again.

  "Are you ready for more pain medication," the nurse on duty said as she pushed open the door and came in with her cart looking at Echo she said, "I need to take vitals and check the wound site. Why don't you wait outside?"

  "Be back later," Echo nodded and walked out the door.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Echo

  "I tried to kiss him and he pushed me away and told me not to," I said miserably. "He doesn't want me, Cece."

  "Chica, you are so very wrong about that," she said handing me a steaming hot cup of coffee. "Drink this, you'll feel better."

  "I don't know what's wrong with me," I said as I sipped. "Or him. What's wrong with him?"

  "Well, he's had a pretty rough couple of weeks, I'd say," Cece said giving me a sympathetic look. "He's lost a friend, his father, his money, and then almost lost you. I'd say the guy probably deserves a bit of a break when it comes to making judgments about him right now."

  "I know," I nodded. Cece was right that Ryan's life had been upended, but I couldn't understand how I could feel like he was so attracted to me and then be so wrong about it. "But I don't understand the mixed signals, Cece."

  "He's a boy," she shrugged. "They can be idiots sometimes too."

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "Chica, you haven't had that much experience with men, have you?" she said sympathetically.

  "No, but I've had enough!" I protested.

  "Yes, but you haven't had the kind of experience I've had, have you?"

  "No," I grumbled. "I haven't."

  "Okay, then listen to me. Sometimes boys are idiots not because they're trying to be idiots, but because they simply can't help it," she said. "They want to do things, but then they get scared, so they run away."

  "Is that what you think is happening?" I asked.

  "I have no idea, but you know I'm gonna try to find out," she grinned. "It's my turn to watch for the next few hours, so I'm going to do my best to get to the bottom of this."

  "If you can figure out what's going on, you're a better woman than I am," I said.

  "Go home and get some rest," she said squeezing my shoulder before she pulled me into a big hug. "You haven't been sleeping much, have you?"

  "No, but..." I began and then realized that there was no way I could explain my lack of sleep to her because I couldn't talk about the decision I was trying to make.

  "Just go home for a few hours and try to sleep," she repeated. "You'll feel better if you do. I'll call you if anything changes."

  "Thanks, Cece," I said.

  "No hay nada, chica!" she grinned as she grabbed her coffee cup and headed into Ryan's room. I watched her hoping that she was right and that she'd figure out what was going on so that maybe Ryan and I could find a way to move forward together.

  #

  Three days later, Ryan walked through the front door of my apartment just as I was coming out of the shower.

  "What are you doing here?" I squealed as I grabbed the towel I had wrapped around my body.

  "That's a nice way to welcome me back from the dead," he grinned as he ran a hand through his hair and rubbed his jaw. "I hope there's still enough hot water for me to shower and shave."

  "I don't know, I didn't know you were coming home," I said as I walked backwards toward the staircase. "Are you okay? Why didn't you tell us you were getting released today?"

  "I wasn't supposed to be released, but I was sick and tired of the food," he half joked. "I signed myself out."

  "Again? Don't you remember what happened the last time you did that?" I said warily.

  "Yeah, but I know for a fact that you don't have a gun, so it's all good," he grinned as he walked toward the couch and collapsed.

  "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked. "Let me get dressed and I'll make some food for us."

  "Nah, I stopped downstairs and asked Mando to make us something," he said waving me off. "I hope you don't mind."

  "Of course not. Why would I?" I asked as I quickly climbed the stairs and pulled on the cleanest pair of shorts and t-shirt I could find.

  "Dunno," he mumbled. "I'm going to shower. Answer the door if Mando comes, will you?"

  A half an hour later one of
the busboys from Nemo's brought up enough food to keep us fed for a few days. I was dishing it up as Ryan emerged from the bathroom with nothing but a towel around his waist. My heart began beating a little faster as I looked at his bare muscled chest before turning my gaze upward to meet his bright amber stare.

  "Food arrive?" he asked.

  "Uh-huh," I nodded as I turned back to the plates and tried to decide if I needed to put more on them.

  "Smells a hell of a lot better than that disgusting slop they served at the hospital," he said as he grabbed clothes out of the duffle bag he'd stored behind my couch and quickly pulled them on.

  "Uh-huh," I nodded again as I kept my back turned toward him so I wouldn't see anything I wasn't supposed to.

  "You okay, Echo?" he asked.

  "Uh huh," I nodded as I waited for what seemed like an appropriate amount of time before turning back around. When I did, Ryan was standing right behind me and startled me, "Oh!"

  "Forgot what it was like having me around, didn't you?" he said quietly as he reached around me and grabbed the plates. "Bring drinks, would you?"

  "Uh huh," I nodded more vigorously feeling like an absolute idiot as I grabbed two beers out of the fridge and followed him to the balcony.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  Ryan

  "Are you okay," Echo asked.

  "I'm fine, and if you ask me that one more time, I'm going to lose it," I said as I scooped up a huge bite of carnitas and beans in a tortilla and shoved it in my mouth. It had been days since I'd eaten anything more than the horrible fare served by the hospital dietician and I was starving. I knew I was probably going to pay a price for this, but I was willing to pay it.

  "Sorry," she said looking down at her plate as we ate in semi-uncomfortable silence. Quietly, Echo said, "So, what's next?"

  "What do you mean?" I replied. I was having a hard time focusing on my food when she was sitting just a couple of feet away from me and looked and smelled so fresh. Everything about her made me want to gather her up in my arms and carry her up those stairs, but I knew better than to let those thoughts find a home in my brain, so I shook my head and tried to conjure up images of what I would be doing once I returned to my SEAL team.

  "What are you going to do now?" she asked without looking up.

  "Go back to the SEAL team and figure out what I missed," I shrugged.

  "What?" she said looking up shocked. "You can't do that!"

  "The hell I can't," I said shoving more food into my mouth and staring straight at her.

  "But you were seriously injured," she replied staring at me. "Are they going to let you go back?"

  "Lady, there are tons of us who have been hurt far worse and gone back to serve," I said as I kept chewing. "My injuries are minor compared to what some have suffered."

  "You seem so blasé about it," she said frowning.

  "Nope, just practical," I shrugged looking out over the balcony onto 13th Street. "I mean, it's not like there's anything keeping me here now, is there?"

  "What about TriCorp?" she asked. "Aren't you going to try and keep it going while they look for a new CEO?"

  "Huh?" I said genuinely surprised by what she was saying.

  "I would have thought they'd have come and told you that they arrested Julian this morning," she said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed."

  "Arrested Julian?" I said.

  "Eva gave him up as the one who'd masterminded the kidnapping and the attempt to steal the hard drive," she said. "Her lawyer got the State to take the death penalty off the table for Butch Wilson's death if she'd turn over Julian."

  "Jesus, all of these secrets," I said shaking my head.

  "Secrets are what kill us," she replied as she took a big swig of her beer.

  "Who the hell are you to judge people for keeping secrets?" I demanded to know. "You're the one hiding the secret boyfriend!"

  "Boyfriend? What the hell are you talking about?" she said looking completely confused.

  "Don't play act with me, Echo!" I yelled as I shot up out of my chair and began pacing the balcony. "You and Mando are an item and you've been using me for — I don't know what!"

  "What? Me and Mando?" she said with a look of genuine surprise. "We're not a couple! God, he's like my brother!"

  "But he said..." I began.

  "What did he say?" she demanded. "Tell me, and I'll skin him alive! What did he say?"

  "He said..." I began again and then stopped.

  "Yeah, I'm sure he did," she said as she rolled her eyes. "He's way too overprotective of me and Cece, and we both feel smothered by him sometimes. I'm sure he was trying to put the fear of God into you so that you wouldn't take advantage of my innocence or something."

  "But you kissed him and told him I'm totally safe," I said trying to recall everything that had gone on.

  "I was teasing him about his protectiveness," she said. "But that was it."

  "Crap," I said as I ran a hand through my hair and then I remembered, "But he said watch out for our girl."

  "He says that to every guy one of us dates," she chuckled as she shook her head. "It's like some kind of big brother insurance policy against bad things."

  "And it works well..." I said trailing off. "So the night on the couch and the day you came to see me after I got shot and then the other day when I was back in the hospital..."

  "Yeah, I wondered why you kept pushing me away," she said as she stood up and moved toward me. She lowered her voice as she reached out and ran a finger down my arm, "Because quite frankly, you've been driving me crazy since you arrived, Mr. Navy Seal."

  The next thing I knew, she reached up and wound her arms around my neck pulling me down so she could kiss me hard and deep.

  "Oh God," I groaned as I wrapped my arms around her and pressed her body against mine, then winced as I felt the tug on my stitches.

  "Oh no! I'm sorry!" she said as she pulled away.

  "No, no," I shook my head. "We just have to go slow, take it easy."

  "I can do that," she grinned as she took my hand and led me into the apartment and up the stairs where she proceeded to gently pull off my shirt and shorts before shedding her own.

  "Uh, that's was quick," I said.

  "Do you have any idea how long I've been wanting to do that?" she asked as she pulled me down on the bed and carefully pushed me back against the pillows. I could feel her hands lightly roaming my body and felt the results of her ministrations immediately.

  "No idea," I said as she straddled my hips and leaned forward to kiss me.

  "A long time," she whispered into my lips as she kissed me again and ran her fingers though my hair. I groaned as she pinned the arm on my injured side to the bed with her knee and reached up with the other hand to stroke her cheek before slipping my fingers into her long thick hair and holding her head so I could kiss her more deeply.

  I felt her moving lower as we kissed until she stopped and quickly grabbed a condom from the nightstand drawer, laughing as she did it.

  "Safety first, Seal," she whispered as she kissed me and then moved aside so she could roll it onto my rock hard erection. Before I knew it, she had swung her leg over my hips and was guiding me to her opening as she moaned softly pressing down and then rising up teasing both of us before she sank down and took me in one swift stroke. She smiled at me as she said, "Take it easy, and let me do the work."

  "Oh God," I groaned as I felt her heat around me.

  "Mmm hmmm," she leaned forward and kissed me as she began moving her hips in a slow rocking motion. The movement nearly drove me over the edge until she slowed a bit and kissed me harder. She speeded up and slowed down over and over until both of us were groaning with the need for release. Then she pushed herself up and braced her hands on the wall above my head as she began rocking hard and fast. I could feel her muscles tensing and releasing as she drove us both closer and closer to the edge.

  I knew I shouldn't do it, but I couldn't stop myself. I planted my feet and thrust
up hard and deep and felt it set off her orgasm as she moaned. The pulsing of her muscles set off my own release as I groaned and thrust up into her one more time holding it there as I exploded inside of her.

  In the few minutes it took for us to catch our breath, Echo laid across my chest with her face buried in my shoulder. I could feel the wound in my side stretching and while I hoped that I hadn't opened it yet again, I knew that if I had, it would have been completely worth it.

  "My hand," I whispered into her hair a few minutes later. "Can't feel it."

  "Oh God, I'm sorry!" she cried as she quickly moved her knee and slid off of me to the side. She sat up and looked at my injured side, gasped and grabbed a towel from a drawer under the bed. "You're bleeding, but not too badly. Does it hurt?"

  "I can't feel anything," I said.

  "Oh shit! Do I need to call an ambulance?" she asked as the worry turned to fear.

  "No, it's a good thing," I said. "I can't feel anything but my incredibly happy friend down there."

  "You jerk," she said swatting me lightly with a pillow. "You had me worried!"

  "I'm fine, seriously," I said as I lifted the towel and showed her that there was no blood only a little bit of clear fluid leaking out of the incision site. "I'm good. No, better than good. I'm great."

  "I'm great, too," she smiled as she laid her hand on my cheek and then lay down beside me in the space I made with my good arm. "This is the best ever."

  "Indeed it is," I smiled as I turned and kissed the top of her head.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Epilogue

  "Hey, hey, hey! No running in the house!" I yelled as I heard the sound of pounding feet run through the kitchen toward the back door.

  "We're not running!" came the protesting voices in unison. "We're marching, Mom!"

  "Okay, well, running or marching, I want some peace and quiet in this house!" I called back trying to swallow my laughter. "Because if you wake your sister, you're going to be responsible for her. Do you hear me?"