* * *
“UM. WOW?”
Straightening from the lamp he’d just turned on, Daniel turned toward Mia. She was getting her first look at his place, but despite the wow, she didn’t seem impressed. More apprehensive, judging from her frown and slumped shoulders. Although, her posture could just be fatigue.
They’d decided to go back to his condo since it was after midnight and he lived closer. They could pick up her car tomorrow. She’d told him he could leave the solarium without her and she’d meet him later, but he’d waited. He had wanted to help. Or at least—if she preferred he stay out of the way—watch her in motion. Pathetic, his friend Sean would say, that he was so fascinated with a woman that he enjoyed being near enough just to hear her tell someone else where to store stacked chairs.
Standing in the center of his living room, Mia turned a slow circle, taking in everything from the floor-to-ceiling window to the white carpet that was so thick it silenced footsteps to the five-by-five piece of original art hanging over the fireplace he’d never used. Finally, she said, “You are never invited to my apartment.”
“What?” Not the assessment he’d expected. “Why not?”
“Because, compared to you, I live in a slum. Look at this view!” She gestured toward the brightly lit Atlanta skyline. “My place overlooks the Dumpster behind a liquor store. And that painting? Hardly a garage sale find.”
“It was a Christmas gift from my parents a couple of years ago.” Realizing how much it had probably cost, he changed the subject. “Can I get you anything?” he asked as he dropped his jacket and tie in a chair. “A nightcap? A cup of coffee? Glass of water?”
“Like tap water, or a fifty-dollar bottle that comes from a fairy-guarded spring in Patagonia?”
“It’s forty-five dollars a bottle, and they’re not technically fairies, they’re water sprites.” He was glad to see her face light up when she smiled. Was she really intimidated by his place? College professors weren’t rich, although he had a Keegan inheritance from his grandparents that had performed reasonably well in the stock market.
“Water would be great,” she said, sounding more like herself. She walked over to the sofa and kicked off her shoes with a small, blissful moan, flexing her newly freed toes.
“So was today typical for you?” he asked. He was exhausted, and he hadn’t even arrived at the solarium as early as she had. Nor had he endured it all in high heels.
“A pretty typical Saturday. There aren’t usually events of this magnitude during the week, so that’s when I catch up on all the office stuff. Thank God for Shannon to keep me organized. The events themselves are all different—and some of my clients are more challenging than Bex and Eli—but I’ve gotten to know a lot of the vendors. When you already have a solid working relationship, things tend to go smoothly. This is only the second time I’ve used that caterer, but the florist and I are in the middle of planning centerpieces for a high tea. And Luther, the DJ, is my go-to guy. I love him.”
Daniel felt a sudden irrational surge of dislike for Luther the DJ. “Thinking about your schedule, I’m feeling like a slacker for only teaching three class sections a week. Of course, there’s also researching and writing, which can be more grueling than you would think.” He carried two glasses of ice water to the living room. “And, recently, a lot of committee work in my attempt to earn tenure.”
“Eli mentioned that you should hear in a couple of weeks.”
“‘Mentioned,’ huh? Is that your diplomatic way of saying he was bitching about my preoccupation with it? I’ll have you know, during this past week, I haven’t obsessed at all.” At least, not about his job.
“Why were you so keyed up about it before?” she asked, sipping her water. “From what Eli said, you’re a shoo-in.”
“He’s being loyal. There are several strong candidates for the regents to vote on. It’s not just about my being qualified, it’s about my beating out someone else’s qualifications. As for why I’m so hung up on getting it this year,” he said, “it’s a little bit about saving face with my family. They’re all overachievers who lament my lack of ambition. And the last real time I spent with them was right after Felicity dumped me.”
She ducked her gaze, but not before he saw her expression change, pinched and very un-Mia-like. “I didn’t realize until today that the two of you were almost engaged.”
“I think it only qualifies as ‘almost’ if she’d actually considered it before turning me down. It was more like she yelled no over her shoulder while sprinting out of my parents’ house.”
The corner of Mia’s mouth lifted in acknowledgment of the visual but her voice was serious when she asked, “Do you miss her?”
The degree to which he did not miss Felicity only proved that he’d had no business asking her to marry him in the first place and would make him seem shallow and fickle. “Not exactly,” he hedged. Having known her for most of his life, her absence was unfamiliar, but he didn’t miss her in the romantic sense. Was there a way to say that without sounding like an ass?
“Forget I asked,” Mia said, standing. “It’s been a long day and I don’t really want to discuss past relationships. I’m exhausted.”
He rose, too. “On a scale of one to not-tonight-dear, just how exhausted are we talking?” While waiting for her answer, he unbuttoned her jacket. Whatever happened next, she couldn’t very well sleep in a suit. By removing the coat and reaching around her waist to the zipper of her skirt, he was simply helping her conserve energy.
Her impish smile didn’t look fatigued. “Probably too exhausted to walk down the hallway.” Letting her skirt fall, she pulled her blouse up over her head. “Last night, you said something about carrying me to bed?”
He scooped her up so abruptly she gave a squeak of surprise, then he strode toward his room. After stealing a quick kiss, he set her on the mattress, surprised at how intensely satisfying it was to have her there in his room, in his bed, where he could wake up to the sight of her dark hair fanned across the pillow, to her scent on the sheets. He scrambled out of his shirt and slacks, her hungry gaze adding to his hurry. Women had found him attractive before. But Mia made him feel wanted in a way he’d never experienced, her eyes shimmering with such sensual appreciation that he knew he was the luckiest bastard in the world.
Completely naked, he fell across her and they kissed again, a deep, slow tangle of tongues. He reached behind her to unclasp her bra. As stunning as she looked in lingerie, nothing she covered her body with could be as exquisite as Mia herself.
“Gorgeous.” He trailed a finger over the swell of her breast, and she moved his hand to cover her nipple. Laughter rumbled through him as he plucked at the tight bud. “Gorgeous and impatient.”
She raked her nails up his arms. “Impatient for your mouth on me. After those things you texted last night...” She flushed, obviously aroused by the memory.
That makes two of us. He’d made promises he couldn’t wait to fulfill. Plumping her breasts together in his hands, he licked one nipple as his fingers toyed with the other. She was stiff against his tongue, writhing beneath him and making the sexiest noises low in her throat. He turned his head, alternating to the other side, sucking hard. When he tugged gently with his teeth, she responded with a hiss of breath, her back arching off the mattress.
Her hand found his shoulder, and it took him a moment to realize she was trying to push him away.
Confused, he lifted his head. “Don’t tell me I have to stop.” He punctuated his sentence with another stroke of his tongue against a rigid peak.
“Mmm. No, don’t stop. Just roll over.” She moved so that she was on her side facing him, giving her better access to slide a hand down between them. Her fingers grazed his abdomen, seeking lower and lower. He forgot to breathe as she circled the head of his erection, thumbing the slit there before clasping him in he
r fist. She pumped her hand, and his hips rocked of their own accord.
“So hard,” she murmured.
“Every damn time I look at you.” He lowered his head back to her breast, wanting to make her crazy for him. He was beyond crazy for her. Every stroke of her hand over his shaft was agonizing ecstasy; he wanted her to keep touching him forever.
But if she kept up that rhythm, forever might arrive too soon. So, he tugged her hand away, pulling it to his lips for a quick kiss to her palm. Then he sat up, taking in the sight of her, naked from the waist up, her hair a wild tangle framing that beautiful face. He crooked a finger in the lace band of her panties, tugging them down her supple legs. The silk thigh-highs, he left in place. He traced a path up her thigh until he reached the slippery heat between her legs, finding her wet and ready for him. He groaned, already knowing how good it was going to feel when he drove into that heat.
He reached across her, pausing for a kiss, to get a condom from his nightstand. Once it was in place, he loomed over her, savoring the desire etched in her expression. It was difficult to imagine he could ever get enough of this woman. Gaze holding hers, he pushed slowly forward, and she lifted her hips to meet him, tight and slick around him. Bliss. He withdrew and surged deeper, and it was every bit as good as he’d anticipated, yet he was still greedy for more.
He reached out for one of the smaller pillows at the top of the bed and dragged it beneath her, putting her hips at a more dramatic angle. This time, when he thrust home, she cried out, her inner muscles squeezing in a satiny clench that made his eyes roll back in his head. Her legs wrapped around his waist, anchoring him to her, and she pressed her hands to the headboard behind her, bracing herself as she rocked to meet him over and over.
The bed shook, and he pounded into her, urged on by her breathy cries. His balls tightened, and tension seized his body, the incomparable brutal pleasure of being right there, hovering on the precipice of orgasm. Balancing his weight on one arm, he reached his free hand between them, stroking her clit. Her entire body stiffened, then undulated in release. With a growl, he gripped her hips and rode her climax to his own before collapsing atop her, every cell in his being contentedly lethargic.
But he was probably squashing her. He dredged up enough energy to roll over, keeping her hand tight in his as he lay facedown on the comforter. He turned his head far enough to the side that he could see her, flushed and trying to catch her breath, the portrait of a well-satisfied woman.
She grinned lazily. “I know it’s late January. But would you consider turning on your air-conditioning?”
He chuckled. “Give me a minute, I’ll get your ice water.” He went into the restroom, disposed of the condom and padded naked into the living room. Then he returned with their drinks.
She was stretched out beneath the sheets. “Your bed is very comfortable. Not that I’m complaining about your fetish for sex in public places, but—”
“My fetish?” His locked office wasn’t public, exactly. And she’d been the one to drag him into that supply room. “I’m too boring to have fetishes.”
“For a highly educated man, you’re an idiot.”
“Ouch.” He climbed in next to her. “Remind me to be offended later, when I’m not so mellow from afterglow.”
She propped herself up on her elbow, and the sheet fell away from her, dividing his attention between her words and her bare breasts. “I’m a busy woman,” she informed him. “I wouldn’t waste my time with anyone who bored me. And a boring man would not make me come my brains out in a storage closet.”
That startled a laugh out of him even as the memory of going down on her had him semihard again. “Difficult to argue with that logic.”
“Don’t. You’ll save us both a lot of time if you make a habit of accepting that I’m right,” she said cheekily.
“Not even the great Mia Hayes can be right all the time. But since it seems rude to argue with a naked woman, I’ll give you this one.” In a more serious tone, he added, “I’m flattered by your view of me. And grateful.” He’d been told to see himself one way for years, had even worked to cultivate that image. Being with Mia was incredibly freeing. He finally felt like his whole self, rather than a carefully edited version that left out some of the most interesting parts.
With a mischievous smile, she set her water aside. “How grateful are you?” she asked, rolling over to straddle his hips. “Because I know an excellent way you could thank me.”
He tugged her closer. “By making you come your brains out again?”
“I retract calling you an idiot.” She nipped at his lower lip. “You, sir, are a genius.”
* * *
DANIEL’S EYES OPENED, and the first thing he processed in the dark room was the glowing digital readout of the alarm clock: 4 a.m. Not again. But even as the familiar dread began to climb, he hazily registered that something was different. He hadn’t been alone when he fell asleep. Mia. He turned to the empty side of the bed next to him, then sat bolt upright.
But his confusion was short-lived, dissipating as the bathroom door opened.
She paused a foot from the bed as if trying to make out his outline. “Daniel?” she whispered. “Sorry if I woke you.”
“No problem.” At least today, when he couldn’t fall back asleep, he’d have the consolation of holding her warm curvy body snug against his.
She slid in next to him, scooting close until she was tucked against his chest. She pressed a soft kiss to his arm and, judging from her breathing, was asleep minutes later. Her lips parted with a dreamy sigh, and a happy lassitude washed through him.
Which was the last thing he remembered until waking up to late morning sunlight and her sleepy smile six hours later.
8
“WELL, SOMEONE’S IN a good mood.”
Mia turned from the percolating coffeepot in the corner of the reception area to smile at Shannon. “Morning. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Probably because you were too busy whistling.”
“Was I?” She hadn’t realized.
“I’ve never seen you this cheerful on a Monday.” Shannon dropped her stuff off at her desk, then came closer, staring. “I’m not sure I’ve seen you this cheerful ever.”
That couldn’t be right. Okay, yes, she’d had a few orgasms over the weekend—a dozen or so toe-curling, bone-melting orgasms—but it wasn’t like she’d never had sex before. “Luther was the wedding DJ on Saturday. You know he always plays the best music. Probably just got something stuck in my head.”
“Uh-huh.” Shannon crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrows shooting up above her glasses. “And if I pretend to believe that Luther is the reason you look like you’re about to break into song, do I get some kind of employee bonus?”
“I could take you to lunch.”
“Not today, you can’t. You’re having lunch with Wren and her sister Riley to sign the paperwork for Riley’s engagement party, remember?”
“Right!” Mia couldn’t wait to see Wren. Not only did she owe her friend exuberant thanks for her part in building Mia’s lingerie collection, but Mia wanted to make up for last week’s yoga class. At the time, Mia hadn’t been in the right frame of mind to join in the other woman’s gushing about new romance. Today, she was feeling much more gushable.
She was also in far too good a mood to kick off her day with a sensible protein bar. As many calories as she’d enthusiastically burned over the weekend, why not splurge? “I’m craving pastry.”
“Look, boss—” Shannon’s tone held a note of warning.
Mia held her hands up in front of her. “I was not about to ask you to go get us something in a misguided attempt to throw you in Paige’s path. I know you said you’d talk to her when you’re ready.” But, for Shannon’s sake, Mia hoped it was soon. Why should I be the only one having
phenomenal sex? “I’ll run up there. Do you want anything?”
“Anything that’s got chocolate works for me.”
Mia grabbed some cash and took the elevator up to the café. Paige filled the order with a smile, hesitating for a moment before handing Mia her change, as if she wanted to ask about Shannon but refrained. Come on, you two. Mia wondered what it would take to get them in an elevator together and who she’d have to bribe in building maintenance to temporarily cut power. Then she remembered that she was a supportive friend who didn’t try to bend others to her will. Dammit.
When she walked back into the office, Shannon was hanging up the phone. “You just missed your father.” She said “father” with an unmistakable edge of sympathy, knowing that Mia’s relationship with her parents was less than ideal. “I told him you were out but didn’t volunteer that you were coming right back.”
“Which is one of the many reasons I love you.”
Her dad had probably called to lock down details for Valentine’s Day. His gift to his wife was bringing Mia’s stepmother to the city to see her favorite musical at the Fox Theater. He’d caught Mia off guard by asking her to meet them somewhere for a late dinner, time and place to be determined. She had two events on Valentine’s Day, but she’d be finished by eight or so.
And since she hadn’t been dating anyone, there’d been no reason to leave the romantic holiday free for her own plans. Could she use Daniel as an excuse to get out of the family dinner? Granted, a torrid weekend in bed wasn’t “dating” but she didn’t need to give her father specifics.
On some deeply buried level, the part of her that had once been “daddy’s girl” balked at the idea of canceling on him. For years, it had just been the two of them, and they’d been close. There were times she truly missed that. The mature thing to do would be to show up at dinner without excuses. It’s one meal before they leave town in the morning. How bad can it be?
To Shannon, she asked, “I can manage a couple of hours with my parents, right?”
Tempting the Best Man Page 10