“Fair enough,” Liam says with a smile. “You ready to go, Elle?” His eyes are hooded with lust as he looks at me, and a shiver of anticipation shoots up my spine.
“Yes,” I say huskily. “Just let me say bye to Nat and then we can go.”
He pulls me into a light kiss that makes me weak in the knees. “Don’t keep me waiting long.” He gives Nat a nod goodbye, and she does the same in return as he walks out the back door.
“I’m gonna miss you,” I say with a pout.
She gives me a pout back and embraces me in a hug.
“We’ll be back in a few months.” We already talked about it. I wanna stay close to home, and he wants to be with his family. I have two semesters left and then we’ll be moving back here.
“Bye Nat.” I give her another embrace and turn to leave but stop to say, “Don’t you ever stop baking.”
Nat gives me a look. “Are you crazy? I’ll never stop doing that. Who else is going to make your wedding cake?”
* * *
As we drive down the road, the orange glow of the sunset basks us in its radiance. We pass familiar places on the way out of town, and I’m almost overwhelmed by the feelings. I’m going to miss this place. Nat, the bakery, daddy’s house. Everything. Even if it’s only a few semesters. Thinking of the house makes tears prick in my eyes. I don’t wanna leave. Emotions creep up on me out of nowhere. I’ve been doing so good lately.
Seeming to sense my sadness, Liam looks over at me just as we hit the highway. “It’s going to be okay, Elle.”
I smile at him and stroke his arm. “Thank you,” I say simply.
“No, thank you. For sticking by me through all the bullshit I put you through.”
I stare at him, love filling my heart until I feel like it’s going to burst. He didn’t have to thank me. I’d die for him at this point. I was so terrified of losing him. It was all I could think about. Now I realize there’s no way I’m letting him go. No matter what happens.
“I love you, Liam,” I breathe, meaning it with all my heart.
Liam looks over at me, his eyes filled with love. “I love you too, Elle.”
Epilogue
Liam - Two Years Later
I can’t stop looking at his little feet. He spreads his toes and squeals as Elle tries to latch him on again. They’re so tiny. Everything about him is tiny. We took his little footprints and put them with the rest of the valuable things that are priceless to us. My father’s silver pen, her father’s note, and our little man’s footprints. We’ve gotta find the perfect place to put them, but until then they’re in my office, proudly on display within a shadowbox Elle bought just for them.
I look up at Elle and she looks so tired, but also worried. He’s lost eight percent of his weight and I keep telling her it’s normal. So do the doctors, but she’s scared.
She takes in a steady breath and repositions our little man. I watch as he shakes his little head back and forth, and finally the squeals stop and I can faintly hear suckling.
Elle smiles slightly, and her body sags in relief. She’s doing such a good job. She’s so critical of herself, and she doesn’t even realize what a wonderful mother she is already. Everyone from her work agrees. She’s a counselor at the high school and she loves it there. I love that she has the entire summer off for our little one. Last year it was for our honeymoon. I look down and smile at the platinum band on my ring finger. After our big wedding, we took two months off to unwind. Planning that shit really stressed her out, but it was all worth it though. She was a beautiful bride, and now she's an even more beautiful wife and mother.
She doesn’t have to work though. Not with all the investments we have. She wants to, and that’s fine with me, as long as she’s happy.
“He’s perfect,” I say just above a murmur. Her eyes meet mine and they shine with love.
“He looks like you,” she says as she looks back down at our son, Michael Richard Axton. We named him after both of our fathers. “I think his eyes are going to stay blue, too.”
He’s not even a week old yet, but he’s so loved.
I settle back on the new sofa. Elle didn’t want to take any of the furniture from her stepfather’s. It’s all been donated. All except for his leather recliner. That’s still in the house. It’s mostly empty, and we have cleaners coming and a crew to fix it up some. But we aren’t selling it. The house next door is being rented out, and her family home may be rented out too someday. But for now, it’s for storage until Elle says otherwise. She needs time still. We both do. Losing someone you love is never easy. Grief is a journey. I don’t think it ever really ends.
I take in a deep breath and look around our new place. We’ve still got boxes of things that need to be put away, and bottle nipples and pacifiers to sterilize. Our little man came five weeks early and gave us a scare. So the new place is a mess. Elle didn’t even get a real baby shower.
Nat’s throwing her a surprise one next week. She said it’s more of a sip and see, whatever the hell that means. Either way, little man has been showered with love and so has Elle.
I can’t even tell her how I feel. There are no words.
Little man sighs and pops off Elle’s nipple. I look into her eyes and see a flash of worry until he settles against her breast and nuzzles down to go to sleep.
She sighs with content and gently pats his back.
I lean in to kiss her cheek, but she turns her head and takes my lips with hers. I smile against her lips and brush the tip of my nose against hers. My heart swells in my chest.
I say the only thing I know that’s absolutely true, “I love you, Elle. I love you two so damn much.”
She reaches her hand out to take mine and squeezes. “I love you too, Liam.”
Mr. CEO
From USA Today bestselling authors, Willow Winters and Lauren Landish, comes a seductive office romance.
I’m used to dominating the boardroom and getting what I want.
But I’ve never wanted anyone like her.
Even though I have the world at my beck and call, it no longer excites me.
Nothing does.
Until she comes along.
My Rose.
Her deep blue eyes.
Her tempting curves.
They call to me, consuming my thoughts like nothing has in years.
I should walk away, but the soft sighs spilling from her plump lips are addictive.
I’ve never felt such desire.
I’ve never wanted like this.
I shouldn’t fall this deep and I know it.
There’s a reason I keep everyone away, and I need to remember that.
But now that I have her in my grasp, I can’t let her go.
*Mr. CEO is a full-length standalone romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.
Prologue
Logan
She thinks I don’t know what she’s been doing.
My Rose.
She’s been teasing me. Taunting me with those swaying hips and short skirts. Making my dick so hard it fucking hurts.
“Bend over.” I give her the simple command and hold her heated gaze. She’s a rebel at heart. She has no reason to obey me unless she wants to. And I fucking know she wants to. She wants me, just as much as I want her.
Her lips pull into a sexy smirk as her hands slowly fall onto the desk and she spreads her legs slightly before bending over. My dick instantly hardens in my pants. She looks over her shoulder at me with nothing but lust on her face.
“Like this?” she asks in a soft sweet voice, feigning innocence. She’s not innocent at all. She practically begged for this.
Her skirt’s slipped up past her upper thighs, and I can see her garter belt and the beautiful curve of her ass. I lower myself to the floor behind her. That’s what she does to me. She makes me fall to my knees.
“Just like that,” I murmur as I gentle my hands on her thighs.
I inch my fingers up, playing with the thin black straps.
The tips of my fingers trace along her creamy thighs, leaving goosebumps in their path.
I lightly brush my hands along her panty line and I’m rewarded with a soft moan spilling from her plump lips. “You like that, Rose?” I ask her as I hook my fingers into the waistband of her lace thong.
I keep my eyes on hers as I slowly pull the skimpy lace thong down to the floor. Her mouth parts slightly and her eyes widen, but she doesn’t stop me. I know I shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t give in to the temptation and make this more complicated. But I’m a selfish man, and I want her.
I repress a groan as she slowly steps out of her thong and widens her stance for me.
“Yes, sir,” she breathes out in a voice laced with desire, “I do.” I can’t help the asymmetric grin that pulls at my lips. I splay my hand on her lower back, just above those cute little dimples and push her down.
She's spread and fully bared to me, glistening with arousal.
“I wanna taste you,” I say against her hot pussy before taking a languid lick. Her legs tremble in her high-as-fuck black leather heels and for a second I worry she won’t be able to maintain her balance in them. But I wanna fuck her in them. Just like this, this is exactly how I want her. I’ve dreamed of this every day since the first day I laid eyes on her.
I need to get her good and ready for me.
I take my time forcing those sounds of pleasure from her lips. I lick my lips and groan at her sweet taste before flicking my tongue against her throbbing clit. Her back tries to arch off the desk, but I hold her down.
She’s going to give me every fantasy I’ve ever dreamed of. I can’t tell her the truth about me, and I know I shouldn’t bring her into this, but her taste on my tongue and the soft sounds that spill from her gorgeous lips make me weak.
She moans my name, and it’s my undoing.
I can’t take it anymore. I stand and quickly unbutton my pants, shoving them down as quickly as I can. She turns her head to watch as she waits patiently, remaining in the position I left her in.
I kick my pants off carelessly with my eyes on hers and stand behind her with my hands gripping her hips. Her eyes are clouded with lust. Not the fear that used to be there. She trusts me. She wants me, and nothing’s holding her back now. If only she knew the truth. I can never give her what she needs.
I know I’m selfish, but I’m taking her.
Chapter 1
Logan
The ice in the cognac glass clinks as the bartender sets it in front of me on the small white cocktail napkin. I give him a small nod and return my attention to the tablet in my hand. I’m not going to drink the whiskey I ordered. I’m not going to talk to anyone in here, although I’m sure a few business men will approach me. I’m simply waiting for my associate, Trent Morgan.
He’s much more… sociable than I am. I prefer solitude. I do my best work in my office. And if it were any other day, that’s where we’d be. On the top floor of the high-rise that encompasses the success of my company, Parker-Moore Enterprise. From the outside, the sixty-four story building looks as though it’s one sheet of mirrored glass with symmetrical beveled lines that separate the floors.
I inherited the business, but the building is all mine. The idea and the structure. I get the credit for that. The massive influx of clients and profits, they’re all me, too.
And I didn’t get there by holding meetings at a bar in the Madison Hotel.
Dozens of men and women are lingering around me. Some at the high top tables near the large floor-to-ceiling windows that look over the edge and onto the crystal clear harbor below. It’s breathtaking, and at one point in my life I may have enjoyed this room, but right now I’m irritated.
I look back to my tablet, to the one thing I have a vested interest in, my work, and ignore the hum of small talk and the faint sounds of laughter from the other side of the room. There are two companies I’m interested in. They’re the reason I’m sitting here. On paper, they’re nearly identical. I want to see the people. They'll tell me which of the two is worth investing in. People run a business, and if I can’t have faith in the men and women heading the company, then I have no interest in investing.
I glance up as a small, delicate hand gently brushes my forearm. Her thin fingers and glossy red nail polish make her hand look extra dainty resting easily on my dark grey custom-tailored Armani suit. I clear my throat and turn my head slightly to look at the woman who takes a graceful seat on the barstool next to me.
It takes great effort not to stare at the cleavage she’s obviously put on display. Her form-fitting black dress has a plunging neckline, with a sharp “V” that travels too far down to be professional.
She practically purrs, “I was hoping you’d buy me a drink.”
I huff a small laugh and smirk at her. That’s a cheeky come-on I wasn’t expecting and I can appreciate her charm; the drinks are free for the conference. And I can tell from the soft blush across her cheeks and the sweet grin on her lips that she already knows that.
She’s beautiful and refined. Her confidence is alluring, but it does nothing for me.
“I’m waiting on a colleague.” I’m short in my response for a reason. I don’t want to open doors for discussion.
If we’d met in this scenario three years ago, things would be different. I’d have taken her upstairs to my bed in the penthouse suite and given her what she’s looking for. I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. I would’ve satisfied the both of us and moved on to the next sweet little thing looking to sink her claws into a wealthy man.
Things change. People change.
I have no room in my life for complications anymore. I don’t mix business with pleasure. I lead a private life for good reason. And if my parents' failed marriage and brutal divorce taught me anything, it’s that I should never trust anyone. And I can’t afford to let anyone in. Not now. Not ever.
The little minx gives me a tight smile and gathers her clutch in a white-knuckled fist before sliding off the barstool. I don’t mind her disgruntled departure. I’m used to it, and I prefer it that way. I could apologize for being blunt and to the point, but I’m not sorry. And I don’t make apologies.
There are only two people in this world I’m close to. My father, and the man who just walked into the room, Trent Morgan. He cocks a brow and watches the woman pull her dress down a bit more as she gives me the cold shoulder and stalks off without a word.
A sly grin forms on his cleanly shaven face as he takes her seat and looks at me. “Already pissing people off. You couldn’t wait for me to start the party, could you?”
I let out a deep rough chuckle. I’ve always liked Trent. He’s nearly a decade older than me as he approaches forty, but we’ve gotten along since day one. Which isn’t the case for most Parker-Moore executives.
I’ve always taken this business seriously. After seeing my mother shred my father after his stroke and try to steal the business out from under him, I knew anyone and everyone who thought they could try to take it from me would. And I was ready for them.
I’m not sure if Trent liked the fact that I was ruthless in business and didn’t trust anyone even at such a young age, or if he was just relieved that his new twenty-two-year-old boss wasn’t some spoiled brat who didn’t give a fuck about the business he’d just inherited.
But seven years later, he’s my closest ally. He’s my only ally.
He signals to the bartender for a drink before looking down the bar at mine. “I’ll take care of that for you,” he says as he picks up the glass. The napkin sticks to the bottom as he brings it to his lips and downs the drink in a single swig.
“Stressed?” I ask him with a cocky grin.
“I am,” he answers without looking at me. I know why he’s anxious, I’m just waiting for him to say it. He smiles at the bartender as he orders another Jack on ice. I got him hooked on my drink of choice. He turns to face me before he says, “We need to choose, and neither of them look like they can handle our influx.�
��
He has a right to be upset. We bit off more than we can chew. We have the manufacturing capabilities, but the sales just aren’t there. Hiring out isn’t paying off like it should. “Our profits are shit for the retail division,” Trent says, accepting his drink and taking a modest sip.
“I’m aware,” I say and nod, rapping my knuckles on the bar, “and that’s a fixable problem.”
He looks at me from the corner of his eye. “You’re more laidback about this than you should be.”
I shrug. I may be a little less stressed than normal over this, but it’s because this has happened before. “For every problem, there’s a solution,” I say easily.
“I imagine that means you got good news on Thursday?” he asks. My body tenses, and I don’t answer. Instead I face the bartender and wait for him to make eye contact with me.
I’m vaguely aware of Trent apologizing to me as I’m distracted, hearing a small feminine voice to my left. It catches me off guard for some reason, and I turn and see a beautiful short woman with sun-kissed skin and gorgeous blonde hair talking to the bartender.
She gives the the man a small smile, but it’s merely to be polite. Her brilliant blue eyes are dimmed by something. In a room full of people, she stands out. She’s like me in that she doesn’t belong here. But I’m not sure why.
I watch her body language and see how closed off she is. She’s uncomfortable. A small sigh leaves her plush lips as she sits back at the bar with her eyes closed. The sight makes my dick instantly harden. She looks vulnerable and beautiful. She looks tempting in so many ways.
The sound of her giving in, that soft sigh--I want that. I want to hear it again and again. Even more than that though, I want to force those sounds from her lips myself.
Hard to Resist: A Collection of Hard to Resist Romances Page 33