by Cathryn Fox
As his words sink in, my hands drop from my face. Fuck you, Liam. “You’re right, Will. I’m a grown woman, single, and what I do is no one’s business but my own. No one has any right to judge me.”
“Especially your asshole ex,” he says, and that’s when I get that he really understands me and where I’m coming from. I’m a little—okay a lot—touched by his insight and what he’s trying to do here. My heart beats just a little faster.
Careful, Khloe. You don’t want to start feeling things for this man.
“Especially him,” I say.
He brushes his knuckles over my cheeks, and the touch is so tender and sweet my pounding heart races just a little faster. Dammit.
“I only hire trustworthy people. People who respect my privacy. What we do here stays here.”
“Did he have to sign a nondisclosure agreement, too?” I tease.
He gives me a lopsided grin. “What, did you think you were special?”
He’s joking. I get it, so I shouldn’t feel like I’ve just been slapped in the face. I freaking hate that I do. But in all seriousness, his words are a good reminder that what’s between us is sex, and I’d be wise to remember that. But everything from the way he cared for me to the fun we’ve been having—even running the stairs and getting ice cream together—makes it a little hard to keep my head on straight. Is it any wonder women throw themselves at him?
“Well, good. Because I don’t want the world to know my business, especially in the bedroom.”
He cringes. “That makes two of us.”
I soften. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“You know what I’d rather talk about?” he says, and repositions me until I’m looking at myself in the mirror.
Light shines in through the open curtains and slants off the wall, lighting up our bodies as we admire each other in the mirror. “I think I might know.”
He walks around me, his fingers lightly touching my stomach, hips and back as he circles. I let loose a feathery breath, my legs a little shaky. I have to say, I’m a bit surprised that he went to the trouble of installing a mirror so I could get the full experience, see exactly what we’re doing to each other. There’s a thoughtful side to Will. Have reporters been judging him too harshly?
He was caught on camera, Khloe.
But it had never sat right with me before, and after spending time with him, even less so.
I can’t think about that right now, though. Not when he’s gripping the hem of my T-shirt and running rough knuckles over my flesh.
“Hands up,” he commands, and grins when I physically react to the direct order.
I lift, and he ever so slowly peels my shirt over my head, tossing it onto the bed. I wet my lips, and his gaze drops from my mouth to my breasts, which are cresting over the top of my bra, almost like they’re eager for his touch, his tongue.
He cups them, weighs them in his hands. “I’m going to fuck these,” he says with conviction, and a moan catches in my throat. He meets my eyes. “I’m going to fuck you everywhere. That’s what I want for winning.” He waits for me to react, and I nod. “You want that, don’t you? You want to figure out what you like and what you don’t.”
“Will, I’m pretty sure I’m going to like everything you do to me.”
That brings a smile to his face. He steps closer, slides his hands around my back and unhooks my bra. He tosses it away and stands beside me. We both look at my half-naked body in the mirror.
“So beautiful,” he says, and I appreciate that he loves my curves.
“When you look at me like that, Will,” I say, wanting to be completely honest with him, “it truly makes me feel beautiful.”
“Good, because there are two things I want you to feel when you’re with me. One is beautiful...” He steps behind me, and his hard cock presses against my back as he slides his big hands around my body and palms my breasts. His thumbs brush my nipples, and as they harden even more, his low groan reverberates through me.
“From the moment you stepped onto the plane, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about these. Then... Jesus, Khloe...then when I saw you in that sexy French maid outfit, I knew I was a goner, knew I’d have to have you or risk a bad case of blue balls for the duration of our stay.”
“I wasn’t going to wear it. I mean, of all the things to make your—” My words fall off when one hand leaves my breasts and dips into my shorts. His finger finds my swollen clit and brushes lightly. “Will,” I moan. “That feels so good.”
“Yeah, and this is the second thing I want you to feel when you’re with me.”
“I like those rules,” I say as he slides a thick finger into my body. My head falls back, rests against his shoulder, and he puts his mouth to my ear.
“Take your shorts down, Khloe, and look in the mirror. Watch me touch you.”
I grip the button on my shorts, rip it open, and bend forward slightly to shove them down my legs. My ass connects with Will’s cock, and his groan turns me into a tease. I stay bent, like I’m having trouble with my shorts. But what I’m really doing is wiggling my ass against him. His groans grow louder when he clues in.
“You’re such a tease.”
“Who, me?” I say, and blink my lashes at him in the mirror. He backs up an inch and gives my ass a whack. I jump, secretly delighted by the sting left behind.
“Now watch,” he orders, and puts his finger inside me. I spread my legs, catching his eyes in the mirror before my gaze drops to his hand. I move my hips, grind against his palm and moan without care. I love what this man is doing to me, the way he’s freeing me and taking me to new heights as I get to watch it all.
“Like that, baby?” he asks, his breath hot on the shell of my ear.
“You know I do,” I say, and cup my breasts. I pinch my nipples.
“Yeah, like that,” he says. His lips slide over my skin, and he buries his mouth in the crook of my neck, kissing softly as he slides a second finger into me.
“God, yes,” I groan. My hips move faster, and his fingers go deeper, stroking the hot bundle of nerves inside me. I can barely catch my breath as I take in the action in the mirror. I swear to God this is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.
“Like what you see?” he asks, his breathing a little rough, too.
“I’m so close, Will,” I cry out, my body quivering, all sensations centered between my legs, where his deft fingers are about to make me come.
“Take what you need, baby,” he says, and my body lets go. I gasp, and he puts one hand around my waist to hold me upright. “I got you,” he murmurs into my ear. My body shudders around his fingers as he slowly brings me back, lightly stroking in a soothing motion.
He guides me to the end of the bed and sits me down. His blue eyes are drenched with lust as he pushes my hair from my shoulders. “Comfortable?” he asks.
I nod, touched by his check-in, and turn my focus to the big bulge before my eyes. Eager to touch him, taste him, I unbutton his shorts and shove them to his knees. His gorgeous cock springs free, and I open my mouth to take him in, wishing I could swallow every inch but knowing it’s impossible. Still, I’m not a girl to go down without at least trying.
“Oh God yes,” he sighs, and I take his balls into my palm to massage gently. I move to the very edge of the bed and tilt my head as he slides in and out of my mouth. “So damn hot,” he growls.
Moisture drips from the tip of his cock, and instead of licking, I dip my finger into it and rub it between my breasts for lubrication.
“Oh, yeah,” he says when he realizes what I’m doing.
“I want you here,” I say, and squeeze my breasts together. “Right here.”
“Baby, I want that, too.”
He bends and thrusts upward, easily sliding between my breasts, and I open my mouth to give him a lick with each motion.
“I must have died and gone to heaven.”
If my mouth wasn’t full, I’d laugh at that. He reaches behind me and fists my hair, and I steal an upward glance and catch the way he’s watching the action in the mirror. Wanting to give him the best show of his life, I rub my breasts around him and suck him into my mouth. He grows harder, blood filling his veins, and that’s when I know I’ve got him right where I want him, and my efforts are about to be rewarded.
“Khloe, I’m going to come,” he says and tries to back up. But I squeeze my breasts harder, locking him in place. “Oh fuck, yes.”
Now that we’re on the same page, I loosen my hold, and he thrusts once, twice, and slides into my mouth the second he lets go. I lift my eyes to find Will’s face twisted like he’s in sweet agony as I drink him in. I swallow every last drop and let my breasts go.
When I do, he holds the back of my head and brings my cheek to his stomach. I bask in the warmth, the soapy scent of his skin. Contentment falls over me as he rakes his fingers through my hair. It falls over my back, tickling me. My eyes close, sleep pulling at me.
“You’re incredible, Khloe.”
The hitch in his voice, the waver in his words, combined with the intimacy in his touch pull me wide awake. I glance up to see his eyes closed, his head tilted back. If I didn’t know better, I’d think what just happened has touched him on a whole different level, too.
Too?
Oh, Khloe, don’t go there.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Will
I WAVE TO Vin from the window over the kitchen sink, and he waves back. A week ago I gave him a big bonus—a thank-you for taking care of the mirror installation—and it had put a huge smile on my face. Similar to the ridiculous smile I’m currently sporting as my mind goes back to all the fun Khloe and I’ve been having inside the bedroom and out. Sex with her has been phenomenal, and the way she opens to me, the way she’s game for everything, is mind-blowing. I had fun adding to her to-do list, and we’ve rapidly been making our way through it, but there is one thing, one act, I didn’t add. One I knew better than to add. This is sex, with no emotions, and the last thing I plan to do is make love to her.
We only have a little over one week left here in paradise before we go back to the grind of New York. I have no idea how the time went so fast. Then again, what is that old saying? Time flies when you’re having fun. It’s strange, because normally I’m happy to return home after being away for an extended period, but this time is different. I’m not sure I’m ready for this trip to be over. Oh, and why is that?
Khloe.
Simply put, I’ve become totally obsessed with the woman who is wide-open and honest in the bedroom. The same woman who is currently giving her time to a classroom full of elementary school kids. She’s been spending a few hours there every day for the last week, and I’ve never seen her happier.
I step away from the window, take the steaks from the fridge and flip them over in the marinade. A laugh bubbles up in my throat. Here I hired Khloe to take care of the household chores while I worked, yet I’ve been cooking for her every night and damn well loving it. I especially love all the gratuitous moans she makes when she slides the fork into her mouth as she savors a home-cooked meal. The women I know love to eat at fancy restaurants, but Khloe prefers home cooking. Probably because before this week she lived on takeout pizza and nuked food. Something she confessed to me earlier in the week when she burned my eggs. Which once again takes my thoughts back to Granddad and why he hired her in the first place. Not that I’m complaining. I chuckle quietly to myself as I think about thanking the old man.
While Khloe and I have stuck to the rules for “fucking your assistant,” it’s getting harder and harder to watch her leave my bedroom after my lips have been all over her body, save for her mouth, and my cock has been inside her. Christ, I might be cashing in my man card here, but I kind of like the idea of her snuggling in next to me, and more importantly waking up next to her in the morning. I shouldn’t be having those thoughts, but there doesn’t seem to be a damn thing I can do to stop them.
I put the steaks back in the fridge and wander outside. Warm air falls over me, and I step up to the deck to glance at the pool and ocean below. Papers rustle on the table near the pool. Shit, Khloe must have forgotten her journal.
I make my way down the stairs and pick up her hard-covered journal. I consider opening it, but that would be a huge invasion of her privacy, and what kind of man would that make me when I go overboard to protect my own? I carry it into the house and deposit it on the kitchen table. Perhaps she’s started work on that novel she’s talked about. The sound of my car pulling into the driveway reaches my ears, and I nearly bolt to the door like a lovestruck teenager.
Jesus, I can’t fall for her. I’m not looking for more, and neither is she. Even if I was, I’ve already proven I can’t stay committed, and I’m not about to hurt her the way I hurt Naomi. Khloe put important rules in place for a reason, and that reason was to ensure we keep this physical. So I’d be wise not to get any notions that she might want more.
I force myself to walk slowly and pull the door open to find Khloe jumping from the passenger seat, a wide smile on her face. Goddammit, I like her. I like her a lot.
“How was your day?” I ask, my heart picking up tempo at the mere sight of her. I let my eyes skim the length of her, admire her T-shirt and skirt, which both hug her curves.
“Amazing,” she says. I can’t help watching her mouth as she excitedly goes on to tell me all about today’s lessons and how well the kids are doing. She never did tell me what her last job was, and it’s not important, but I have to say, I think she’s found her calling here. Would she like to stay on permanently? I mean, she could live in my house, use my car, and I could fly here often, maybe even move—
Jesus, what the hell am I thinking?
I shut those thoughts down quickly, and as she talks, I lead her into the kitchen. She comes to an abrupt halt, her voice falling off when she spots her journal on the kitchen table. She points at it, worry backlighting her brown eyes.
“What’s that doing down here?”
I jerk my thumb toward the deck. “You must have left it by the pool earlier.”
Her eyes widen. “I did? That’s not like me.”
“Guess you must have had other things on your mind.” I step up to her, put my hands on her hips and pull her against my body. “Don’t forget, these past couple weeks you’ve been doing all kinds of things that you don’t normally do.” I hope to pull a smile from her, but her startled expression doesn’t go away. I soften my voice and ask, “Hey, are you okay?”
Her eyes flicker to mine. “Did you...read it?’
“Of course not,” I say, a little offended that she thought I would. “I would never betray your trust like that, Khloe.”
“Yeah, I know,” she says, and it calms me. She visibly relaxes, and my mind briefly goes back to the way I betrayed Naomi’s trust. It seems like a lifetime ago now.
She glances at me like she wants to say something, then closes her mouth again.
“What?” I ask, and step back to examine the way she’s still staring at her journal. “Do you have the secrets to the universe in there?”
“Something like that,” she says, and picks the book up. She jumps at the sound of her phone ringing in her purse. She pulls it out, checks the caller and casts me an apologetic glance. Over the last week, I’ve gotten used to that look, considering her phone has been ringing like crazy, and she’ll only ever answer it in private. It’s possible she’s lining up work for when we return, but I don’t ask, and she doesn’t supply. That’s rule number seven for “fucking your assistant.” No exchanging personal information.
“I’ll be right back.” She darts upstairs, and my curiosity deepens. I fully understand and respect that whatever she has between those pages, and whoever it is ca
lling her, is none of my business. It shouldn’t bother me that she’s being secretive and almost cagey.
Why then does it feel like she just kicked me in the teeth?
I light the barbecue, and when it reaches temperature, I place the steaks on the racks. Khloe has a strange expression on her face when she comes back downstairs and steps outside.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
She hesitates for a second, and I can’t help but get the feeling, again, that she wants to tell me something. “Yeah, sorry about that.” She jerks her thumb toward the kitchen. “I had to take that call.”
I eye her for a second. “You sure you’re okay?”
She briefly looks down, like she’s considering that, and when her head finally lifts her demeanor changes. “Positive,” she says, and gives me a big smile that’s obviously forced. “Should I make a salad?”
“Already made.” She turns to go back inside, and I follow.
“You always think of everything,” she says, her smile genuine this time. Her dark eyes light up, “Speaking of thinking of everything, this girl at school told the funniest story...”
I smile to encourage her to continue as I grab the bottle of white wine I’ve been chilling, pour us each a glass and head back outdoors. The whole time Khloe is following me around and talking animatedly with her hands.
We both laugh at the end of her story, and she takes a sip of wine. That gives me a chance to pipe in. “Khloe, have you ever thought about becoming a teacher?”
Her brows pull together, and she stares into her wineglass. “Actually, no. I never considered it before. Never thought I’d like it.”
“You’re so good with the kids.”
She smiles. “I’m having fun. I can’t deny that.”
Before I can help myself, I say, “You could always stay on here.” Shit, what am I doing? “I mean, if that’s something you’d want. You said you loved it here, and the school is desperate for help.”
She sets her drink down and stares past me, like that thought had never occurred to her—and why would it?