The Bedpost Queen (Queens II)

by Hart, Lena

  He was silent, the frown on his face melting away and replaced with an intensity that made her breath catch.

  “Good. Because I’m not sharing you,” he murmured gruffly. “Contrary to popular belief, I don’t keep hoards of woman stashed away. And I certainly don’t go around sleeping with every woman that happens to sneak in my bed.” His gaze bored into hers when he finally whispered, “But there’s one I can’t get enough of and all I know is that I want her with me.”

  Athena’s eyes misted and she closed them, not sure how to handle the overwhelming emotions pouring through her. He touched his lips with hers for a light, tender kiss.

  “You’re mine and I’m yours,” he said softly against her lips. “Say you’ll stay with me.”

  Athena’s heart skipped at his words. He pulled away, waiting for her response. Tension radiated from him. If she had any doubts about his feelings for her, they were gone now. And replaced with a happiness that made her heart swell.

  She looped her arms around his neck, a smile touching her lips. “I’ll stay,” she whispered.

  Relief flashed in his eyes. “Sweetheart, you really know how to make a man sweat.”

  She laughed then pulled him down for a long, deep kiss. He trailed his lips along her jaw and down to nibble on the side of her neck.

  Athena shivered.

  “By the way,” he drawled, pulling away from her. His eyes held a suspicious glint. “I don’t keep notches on my bedpost. That’s what my belts are for.”

  She gasped in mock outrage and punched his arm.

  He fell back, laughing.

  She took advantage and straddled him. Smiling, she got into their new favorite position, forgetting about the women before her and concentrating on him—and their moment now.

  Epilogue

  “What the hell are you smiling about?” Dave asked his partner with a smile of his own.

  Gabe was back in the office after getting his wife-to-be relocated from Boston to Vegas. Dave was trying to fill him in on the latest happenings at the resort but Gabe’s silly grin was proving to be contagious.

  “The divorce is final,” Gabe said almost gleefully. “If it wasn’t for Gina’s parents never forgiving me, we’d get married this weekend.”

  “About that,” Dave interjected. “Of all the places to have a wedding, why Beantown?”

  Gabe grimaced. “I’m an idiot. Made a bad joke about having a Vegas wedding and Gina’s mom…well, let’s just say I see where she gets her temper.”

  Dave shook his head, laughing. Though he wasn’t thrilled about the travel, Dave was honored to be a part of his friend’s special day. Gabe was a good guy and he deserved to be happy. After a bitter marriage and nasty divorce, he was finally going to get that with Gina. Gabe was in such high spirits, even the news about the fingerprints on the flash drive turning up inconclusive hadn’t brought him down.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Gabe said dismissively. “My gut tells me Meredith had something to do with it. Luckily, there was no big loss. I still have Gina and the resort didn’t lose anything.”

  Dave had to agree. Now they had one less thing to focus on. And these days Dave found himself less inclined to sit around his office late, thinking about work. Not when he had Tena waiting for him each night.

  “Besides,” Gabe continued, “your new girlfriend’s idea is great. Hopefully we’ll be better protected from this kind of thing happening again in future.”

  Dave still wasn’t used to the term girlfriend, which Gabe seemed compelled to drop every chance he got. But Dave took it all in stride. He hadn’t been in a serious, committed relationship in a while and he liked hearing Tena referred to as his girl.

  Dave had also been glad that when he’d explained to him about the Acerra’s attempted theft and Tena’s reluctant involvement, Gabe hadn’t condemned her or rushed to judgment. Not even when he’d added that she would also be working with them to enhance their network security protocols. Dave was glad to see he could count on his friend’s trust.

  And Tena was proving to be quite an asset. When she had matter-of-factly pointed out their network security flaw, Dave had immediately begun instituting her recommended changes. She had proposed a separate server to house all their important files so that any unauthorized attempts would automatically shut down the entire server and back up the files to a separate secure server. It sounded like something they should have already had in place and he’d been bothered to know that they fell short in that area. Like Gabe, he had always thought their system was first rate.

  These past few weeks, Tena had been working closely with Moreno to set up the new server that would ensure their important files and records were better protected. Dave had tried persuading, bargaining, and enticing, but in the end, he couldn’t convince her to join his security staff permanently. He would just have to be satisfied with her consultant services.

  The irony wasn’t lost on him that not too long ago, he’d harassed Gabe about arranging for Gina to be at Royal Courts and now he was attempting the same. Next thing he’d running off to get married. To Dave’s surprise, the idea no longer repelled him as it once had. He’d once told his partner he didn’t want the drama of being tied to one person. But now, he couldn’t see himself with anyone besides Tena.

  “Now what the hell are you smiling about,” Gabe asked.

  Dave’s grin widened. “Just thinking I may not mind a little drama in my life.”

  Not long after Gabe left, Tena and Moreno walked into his office. Dave winked at her, loving the look she gave him every time he flirted with her in front of others around the office. It was no big secret they were together but the look she gave him said that yes, she was very aware of him but he needed to behave.

  Dave turned to Moreno, who looked a bit distracted. “Where’s Judith?” Moreno asked.

  The edge in Moreno’s tone definitely got Dave’s attention. Dave sat back in his seat and studied the other man. Moreno had told him outright that there was nothing going on between them, but Dave was finding that harder to believe. He hoped Moreno was being straightforward because he certainly didn’t want any surprises.

  “On vacation,” he answered evenly. “Why?”

  Judith had actually requested some personal time off, which had been sudden, but Dave hadn’t pried. He also didn’t feel the need to make the real reason for her absence anyone else’s business.

  Moreno shrugged. “No reason. Just surprised to see a new face out there three days in a row.”

  “That’s Vicky, the temp. She’s nice. You should say ‘hi’.”

  “I’ll remember that,” Moreno said, his tone clipped. He and Tena proceeded to give him a report on their progress with the server change over.

  “We should have everything ready to move over tomorrow or Friday,” Tena said. “But it will put the administrative and executive staff’s computers out of commission.”

  “Unless you want to wait until the weekend to do it,” Moreno offered.

  Dave thought about it. They’d waited long enough to get this new system in place, but he didn’t know if the staff could afford a company-wide shut down. That would only result in longer nights and possibly weekend work when the system did get back on.

  “Let’s hold off until the weekend.”

  When Moreno finally left them alone in the office, all thoughts of work were forgotten.

  “Come here, sweetheart.”

  She squinted at him suspiciously. “Why?” she asked, though she began walking around his large desk.

  “I just want to hold you,” he said with false innocence.

  Her husky laugh was melodic. “See, if I actually worked here, this would be highly inappropriate. I think technically it still is.”

  Dave grinned and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. “No, I had that clause taken out of your contract so I could have my way with you.”

  “Hmm,” she murmured, looping her arms around his neck. “I love i
t when you treat me like cheap help.”

  Her sarcasm was loud and clear. He grinned. “You’re actually pretty damn expensive.”

  She placed a quick kiss on his brow. “Yeah, but I’m worth it.”

  “That you are,” he whispered meaningfully. Then he looked at her searchingly. “How’s it working out with Moreno?”

  She let out a small sigh. “Fine, but I still think he hasn’t forgiven me for pulling a fast one on him that night. I was hoping he wouldn’t recognize me without the wig but no such luck.”

  Dave gave her a gentle squeeze. “He’ll come around.” Dave had offered to talk to Moreno when she had mentioned the strained working relationship between them, but she was adamant that would only make things worse. She wanted to handle it her way and Dave respected that. But if Moreno didn’t come around soon, he planned to step in. He liked Moreno and wanted to keep everyone happy, but he also wanted Tena to be comfortable during her time here.

  Wanting to remove the grave look from her eyes, Dave leaned over and placed a fast kiss on her lips. The quick peck turned into a hot and heavy make-out session and by the end, they were panting for air.

  “Did you hear from Jay?” she asked after a while, her head resting on his shoulders. Her whispered question was soft and he almost didn’t catch it.

  “Yeah, Joey’s apparently been in contact with my guy. I kept my word and they’re gonna keep theirs. They won’t bother us.”

  She had been on edge about the whole thing from the moment he’d told her about his arrangement with Joey. Her fear that Jay’s true loyalties may lie with the Acerras was misguided. But she didn’t know Jay like he did, so he understood her uneasiness. To ease her worry, he reminded her that Jay wasn’t anyone’s errand boy. He worked for himself, taking the job with the Acerra’s only as a favor to him. Now Jay was moving on to his next job but still keeping his ear to the ground in case the Acerras decided to renege on their agreement.

  The look in her eyes told him she was also worried about that same thing. He hated the uncertainty on her face.

  “They’re not gonna mess with Anthony. They’re not even gonna talk to you,” he said gruffly. “So stop worrying. It upsets me.”

  She smiled at him sympathetically, tracing her fingertips over his furrowed brow. Dave closed his eyes, savoring the light touch.

  “Okay, I’ll stop now,” she said. After a short pause, she added in a soft whisper, “Would I be crazy if I told you that I love…”

  Dave’s eyes sprung open. He was anxious to hear her tell him what he had recently come to realize he’d felt for her—and then some.

  “…your hair,” she finished, a twinkle in her dark eyes.

  Dave growled at her teasing then laughed, grabbing her fingers to stop the distracting touch that had now moved to the back of his neck. She was on his lap so she could feel what her touch was doing to him.

  “I think we’re in trouble then,” he whispered, brushing the stray strands of her hair from her eyes. “Because I love your hair too.”

  Though he tried to keep his tone light, it took on a serious note that he couldn’t contain. These past few weeks had been unbelievable. With Tena, he was finally complete.

  She smiled her soft, sexy smile. Then she leaned forward until her lips brushed his ear, whispering the words he’d been waiting to hear.

  “I love you, Davie.”

  ♠

  The End

  From the Author

  Dear reader,

  Dave and Athena’s story has been fun to write and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Also if you’re wondering, like Dave, what’s going on between Moreno and Judith, their secret comes out in their sweet and sexy story, Queen of Hearts.

  Thanks again for your support and please don’t forget to leave a review!☺

  Lena ♥

  www.LenaHartSite.com

  About The Author

  Lena Hart’s passion for romance novels began when she picked up Amanda Quick's Seduction. Her love for writing eventually emerged when she wrote two screenplays and a short story in her 8th grade English class. Though she enjoys reading a variety of romance genres, she mainly writes sensual interracial romances with a hint of mystery and danger. She’s a Florida native currently living in New York City. When Lena is not writing, she’s reading, researching, or conferring with her muse. To learn more about Lena, visit www.LenaHartSite.com.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue