by Carrie Elks
Since taking control of Maxwell Enterprises, his life had turned into one endless Groundhog Day of waking at five, running in Central Park, then showering and being driven to work before seven. He’d be in meetings, conferences, lunches, and presentations until the evening when he would respond to emails, write reports, and catch up on correspondence until late, barely getting home before midnight.
Yet, despite the hard work, and the lack of sleep, there was a part of Richard Larsen that loved his new life—the excitement of the chase and the jubilation when a deal was struck. This, coupled with the knowledge that he was rebuilding Maxwell Enterprises, got him through the endless days and restless nights.
His telephone buzzed, and he walked back to his desk and pushed the button.
“Yes, Lisa?”
“I have your mother on the phone. Would you like to talk to her?”
Richard grimaced slightly before responding. “Sure, put her on.”
A couple of clicks later, and Caroline’s smooth tones came down the wire and out of the speaker.
“Richard, how are you?”
“I’m good, busy as always. How are things with you?”
“I just got back from seeing Daniel. He seems so much better. Whatever they’re doing with him at the new clinic seems to have calmed him down. He asked for you a couple of times, and I told him you might be able to get there at the weekend.”
“I’ve saved some time on Sunday, I should be able to get down then.”
“Are you free for dinner tonight? One of my old friends from Radcliffe is joining us. Her daughter is in her third year at Columbia.”
He couldn’t help but sigh. All year, his mother had been trying to get him to come to dinner with various girls. They were always daughters of her friends, and always extremely eligible. But he didn’t have the time or the inclination to make small talk with yet another society girl.
“Not tonight, I’m afraid. I have to work late.”
“You’re always working late, darling. Why not give yourself a break?”
“I can’t, we’re working on a big deal. Maybe next week. I’ll ask Lisa to check the diary.”
Hanging up the phone, his intercom buzzed again. He pushed the button, wondering if a few uninterrupted minutes were too much to wish for.
“Yes?”
“Richard, I have a young lady out here who claims to be your sister.”
He frowned, wondering what the hell Ruby was doing in New York. Then he scowled as he remembered that it was Claire’s mother’s ninetieth birthday that weekend, and that the whole family had travelled over to celebrate with her. How could he have forgotten that?
“Send her in.”
His door opened and Ruby walked in, a huge grin plastering her face. She’d grown again since he’d last seen her, and he shook his head at the sudden realization that his baby sister was a teenager. Jesus Christ, where had the time gone?
“Richard!” She launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his waist and nuzzling into his chest. “I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve seen you. You’ve been neglecting me.” All these words were said with a straight face, but he couldn’t help but curl his mouth up in response.
“Hey, Squirt.” He paused, his eyes searching out the expression on her face. “Am I even allowed to call you that anymore?”
“Not in public.” Her face had turned a brighter shade of pink, and her voice turned into a whisper. “But I don’t mind you saying it in private. In fact, I still kind of like it. Anyway, I have been sent up here on a very important mission.” Ruby’s tone turned serious. “I’m here to ask you to join us for lunch, and then I need to put a pouty expression on my face until you say yes because Mum tells me when I beg I’m irresistible.”
“Where are they all, anyway?” Now that he knew they were here, in his hometown, he was suddenly desperate to see his family.
“Dad has a meeting at the bank and will be joining us at the restaurant, and Mum and Hanna are shopping.”
“Hanna’s here?”
“Yeah, Mum gave her the flight here as a Christmas present. She has to go back to University next week, so this is her final bit of fun.”
“How is she?” They’d exchanged some emails, but ever since her break-up with Josh, he’d found it hard to find the right tone with her.
“She seems much better now. She spent most of last summer crying, and even I noticed that she had lost weight, and I never pay attention to anything like that. But since she’s been home for Christmas, she seems much happier.”
For some reason, that made him smile.
WHEN THEY ARRIVED at La Trattoria, the rest of the family were already seated around the large, circular table. His eyes immediately sought out Hanna. As soon as he looked at her face, he caught her staring back at him, the strangest expression molding her features.
“Hey Son, it’s been too long.” Steven stood up and threw his arms around Richard, hugging him tightly in an embrace. He patted his back in a move perfected by fathers the world over. They’d seen each other a couple of times over the past year, and Richard still found it hard to remember their emotional reunion when Steven flew to New York as soon as he could after 9/11. To see his father cry openly in the middle of the very public airport had made Richard feel uncomfortable, although at that time, everybody was showing their emotions and wearing their hearts on their sleeves.
Claire stood up and joined in the hug, leaving only Hanna still seated, staring at them with a small smile covering her lips. Richard walked over to her, putting his hand out and pulling her toward him.
“Hey you,” he whispered into her hair as he held her tightly against his chest. Her hands circled his waist, fisting the fabric of his jacket.
“Hi,” she whispered back softly.
“How are you doing?”
“Good, thank you. How are you? Claire tells me you’ve become a workaholic.”
“I don’t really get a choice.”
“Well, maybe I can try to cure you over the next few days.”
“That sounds intriguing. I’m free tonight.” He surprised himself with this invitation; there was no way he was going to get the presentation finished today. He really needed tonight to add the final touches.
“I have to go to my father’s for dinner at seven. Maybe I could meet you afterward?” The hopeful tone of her voice made Richard smile.
“Why don’t you come and meet me at the office, it’ll give me a chance to finish up some stuff. We can get a drink or something?”
Later that evening, Richard was just shutting down his computer when Hanna arrived. He glanced up, taking in the black dress, natural makeup and long brown hair. “How long ago did you leave the Goth look behind?”
Hanna laughed. “I haven’t been a Goth since I went to University. I still prefer dressing down, but I didn’t want to give my father too much of a heart attack.”
“The dress suits you.” It clung to her curves in all the right places, the hem falling at mid-thigh to expose her long legs.
“You seem to have changed your style, too.” She walked over, a small smile dancing across her face as she came to a stop in front of him. Lifting up his tie, her fingers played with the soft silk. “I don’t think your suit came from Marks and Sparks.”
“Marks and Spark’s?” Richard shook his head in confusion.
“Marks and Spencer. I’m pretty sure they don’t stock Gucci.”
“You recognized the designer?”
She laughed out loud, still holding his tie, slowly pulling him forward until their faces were almost touching. Putting her mouth next to his ear, she slowly breathed. “Nathan told me you won’t wear anything else.”
Shit, he was getting a hard-on from feeling her exhalations on his skin. He didn’t know whether to just surrender to it, or pull away. Hanna made the decision for him, moving back to sit on the chair next to his desk.
“How is corporate life treating you? You’re looking good in it
.” She stared at his suit again.
Richard closed his laptop and swiveled around to face her. “You know, I actually love it. I’m learning quickly, people listen to me when I talk, and I make things happen. In three years’ time, I might actually know what I’m doing.”
“So, you don’t regret not going to San Francisco?” She was leaned toward him, her elbows propped on the desk, her chin resting in her hands.
“I try not to think about it. I’m all about looking ahead. Speaking of which, what do you have planned after graduation?”
Hanna smiled broadly, her eyes dancing as she thought about her own future. “I’ve been offered a job on Music Train, where I interned last summer.”
“Wow, that’s excellent news. We should celebrate.”
“Yes we should,” she agreed.
Standing up, he took her hand. They walked to the elevator, keen to get out of the office and finally spend some time together.
A few drinks later and he’d managed to get her to open up about Josh. Richard wasn’t sure why he was so keen to hear about their split; whether it was out of genuine concern for her, or if he just wanted confirmation that everything was really over. Either way, he sat in the booth with Hanna, his arm loosely around her shoulders, and she leaned against him, her face screwed up as she tried to explain her emotions.
“…He kept trying to say that he only slept with her because he was afraid of his feelings for me. That he thought I wasn’t committed to the relationship, and he wanted to show me that he didn’t give a fuck. Then he’d change his mind, and tell me it was a complete mistake, and that he was out of his mind with alcohol. He wouldn’t even tell me if it was a one-off or if the relationship had been going on for some time.”
Richard grimaced, knowing from Josh’s lack of candor, it had to be the latter.
Hanna turned to look Richard straight in the eye. Her face was only a few inches from his, and he could see the intensity of her emotions swirling beneath the chocolate brown of her eyes. Opening his mouth to reply, he found himself struck dumb by the intimacy developing between them. His expression softened as he gazed back at her, watching her skin react to their closeness, a flush staining the apples of her cheeks.
Some moments passed as they stared, and he could feel the familiar yearning start to tug at his stomach. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out a hand, and lightly brushed his fingertips across her cheek. She continued to look straight at him, her eyes unblinking.
“I think we need to leave.” Her voice was choked. Her neck bobbed visibly as she tried to swallow.
His heart dropped. “I’ll take you home,”
“I want to go home with you.” She looked surprised at her own words, her eyebrows rising up, and the flush in her cheeks deepening.
“Hanna…” He wanted to kick himself for hesitating, but he refused to be anybody’s rebound. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“Richard, this is a fabulous idea.” She cupped her hand around the back of his head, pulling his face toward hers. She hesitated when her lips were millimeters away from his. He could feel his breath hitch at her close proximity, the familiar tightness starting to stir.
The warmth of her breath bathed his skin, and he closed his eyes, trying to remember the last time his body felt alive as it did right now. Her fingers continued to play with the hair at the base of his neck, sending shivers down his spine and making resistance almost impossible.
“Let’s go.”
THEY WALKED INTO his apartment, and Richard threw his coat over a chair in the hallway, reaching out to take Hanna’s from her shoulders. “Can I get you a drink?”
“A glass of water would be nice.”
He didn’t move, just stood a couple of feet away from her, half smiling, as his soft green eyes stared right into her own.
“You really want some water?”
“I would really like a glass of water, Richard. In fact, I’ve been looking forward to a nice drink of H2O all day.”
“Not wine, not beer, not a cocktail. You want water.” His voice was deadpan, although the crinkling of the corner of his eyes gave his amusement away.
“If you’re going to be an asshole about it, what I really want is a cup of tea. But you’re American, so I decided to go easy on you.”
“I have tea.”
“I don’t believe you.” She placed her hands on her hips, a small smile flashing across her face as his eyebrows raised. Her expression screamed “bring it on.”
“I have teabags, I have milk, and I even have a teapot somewhere. My stepmother is an anglophile, Hanna. So, would you like a cup of tea?”
Instead of moving toward the kitchen, he took a step forward, that crooked half-grin still plastered across his face. He reached out to touch her on her upper arm. His finger traced a line of fire from her shoulder to her elbow, the softness of his touch sending a shiver all the way down to the base of her spine.
“I think I’ll have a cup of tea later.”
“Really?” He closed the gap between them, his body just inches from hers. His hand moved around to the small of her back, and he placed it flat against her, the warmth of his palm seeping through the thin material of her dress. For a moment they both stood there, unmoving, and Hanna could feel her body start to hum in reaction to his proximity. Lifting her head up, she looked straight into his eyes, unsure whether she was challenging him or begging him.
“Yes.” She wasn’t sure whether she was replying to his question, or just urging him on.
Everything felt different, and everything felt the same. He was her old friend; someone she had laughed with, and played with. But the Richard standing in front of her was all man. And that suit, oh God that suit; when she first set eyes on him as he walked into the restaurant earlier that day, it was like her whole body had been lit on fire. She was stuck somewhere between familiarity and discomposure, feeling strangely anxious and yet knowing that no matter what happened, she wouldn’t regret this.
“Are you sure?” His hand pulled her toward him, closing the gap, until her chest was just touching his abdomen, the rest of her body barely skimming his. She couldn’t see his face, her eyes reaching only up to the dip in the base of his neck, slightly exposed by the unbuttoned crisp collar of his white shirt.
“Absolutely.”
She wanted to bury herself in his skin, inhale his scent. She softly pressed her lips to the exposed part of his chest. She kissed him harder, sucking gently at his skin, letting her tongue drag its way along the soft dip under his collar.
“Hanna.” His voice cracked, and he placed his thumb under her chin, pulling her face up as he bent down, until they met in the middle. She placed her hands on his shoulders, her fingers splaying across the white of his shirt, using him as leverage to bridge the final gap between his lips and hers.
When there was only a millimeter between them, she felt him sigh against her. He crushed his mouth to hers, any gentleness forgotten in the need to touch, to taste, to consume. His hand pressed hard against the back of her head, pulling her closer until their teeth were almost scraping together, her mouth opening as soon as she felt the tip of his tongue running along her lip.
She brushed her hand against his cheek, touching the soft emerging stubble peppering his skin. Her mind was feverish as she pushed her body against his, wanting to feel his reaction, hoping that he was as aroused as she was.
“Jesus.” He pulled his lips away from hers, leaning back so he had a clear line of sight to her face. His hand was still cupping her head as he stared down at her, the intensity in his eyes making her feel breathless. “Hanna, this is just…” He shook his head, unable to articulate his thoughts.
She felt the need to justify herself. “I know we shouldn’t do this. And I know that you probably think I’m on some kind of rebound from Josh. But I’ve been thinking about this all day, and he was just a rebound from you—”
“Would you shut up about Josh when I’m trying to seduce you?”
/> “Sorry.” Hanna inwardly kicked herself, wondering what the hell she was thinking even mentioning his name. If Richard had mentioned an ex in this situation, she’d be hopping mad.
“Come back here.” He moved his hands around and grabbed both of hers, walking backward toward the couch as he pulled her, the smile still playing around his lips. Hanna padded softly across the bare wooden floor, and then came to a stop as he lay down on the couch, pulling her on top of him.
She had to hitch her dress up to be able to place her legs on either side of his hips, and suddenly she realized that she was in control. Richard was lying beneath, staring up at her, waiting for her to make her move. She loved that he was ready to let her set the pace, to cede the decision to her.
Sitting back, she undid his buttons one by one; each time pulling at his until his whole chest was revealed. Sliding her hand down his abdomen, she could feel the hard muscles, then the ribbing of his stomach as he tensed beneath her touch. He was breathing rapidly, his body moving up and down under her hand as she dragged her finger down his happy trail until she reached the buckle of his belt.
“May I?” She glanced up at him, catching his eyes as he looked up at her. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, his fingers curling around it as he halted her progression.
“Wait.” He pushed himself up until he was sitting, his face close to hers. “I want to see you first.” He pulled at the hem of her dress, and she lifted herself up as he dragged it up her stomach, and over her arms, until she was left straddling him, clad only in her bra and panties.
A strangled moan escaped from his lips. He moved his arms around her, unclasping her bra. Shrugging his shirt off, he threw it to the floor along with her dress. He took her hands and pulled her up against him until their bare chests were touching. Flesh against flesh, the sensation of his body on hers caused her nipples to harden. He moved his lips to her breasts, sucking at each in turn, flicking his tongue over them until she began to sigh.