by Hope Carter
“Are you asking me out on a date?” she asked, eyeing him warily. “Or just trying to sweet talk your way out of me catching you trying to sneak out?”
“I’m asking you out on a date,” Sawyer confirmed. He reached out to brush the underside of her right breast with his fingertips and watched hungrily when a pink nipple hardened under his administration. “I know that we’ve skipped over a step, but I don’t see the harm going out for a date.”
Rolling on her to side to face him, Ava propped her head on the palm of her hand. She squinted at him in confusion. “I don’t understand. You hate dating and relationships beside from one night stands.”
Sawyer smoothed the palm of his hand over the curve her right hip while he tried to find the right words to say. The smell of cucumber and mint filled his nose when he inhaled deeply to calm the rush of heat in his body.
“I was engaged before I went to Iraq to cover the war,” he blurted out. “When I came back, my apartment was full of spoiled food and a goodbye letter from my ex. Never heard from her again.”
“That’s horrible. I’m sorry.”
“I thought for a long time that pushing people away was the way to keep myself safe.” He had no idea why he was telling Ava all of this, but he relished in the way that her body scooted closer to him. “Then, you came along as a college graduate looking for work. I still remember the first day that you came to work.”
Ava’s eyes widened in surprise. “You do?”
He curled an arm around Ava’s waist and pulled her in close until their bare chests were pressed together. Their legs tangled together just like before. He bit back a groan when Ava’s thigh brushed against his erection. Oh, he remembered. She had arrived on her first day as a columnist wearing a tight black skirt and a pink sweater that brought out the rosiness of her cheeks. The first thing that he had thought about then was to bend her over in his office and to slip beneath that skirt. His fingers had itched then to bury themselves into her bouncy curls of blonde hair.
“Yes,” he said and reached forward to brush a few tangles of Ava’s hair away from her freckled face. “I wanted you then just like how I want you now.”
The corner of Ava’s lips curved into a small mischievous smile when she glanced down at his cock that was pushed up against her thigh eagerly. He sucked in a breath when her fingers wrapped around the base of his shaft and stroked him. Pleasure ping-ponged in the small of his back.
“I see that,” she whispered. “Dinner sounds good on Friday night.”
He tangled his fingers in the soft strands of Ava’s hair. Their lips met in a passionate kiss that left them both grinding against each other for more. It took all of Sawyer’s self-control to not pin her to the bed in frustration when Ava pulled back to pant against his lips. His protests died instantly though when she crawled on top of him.
“I have a few conditions,” she stated, pressing a light kiss against his lips. “Things that we need to clear up and talk about before anything else happens.”
Sawyer hissed out a breath when the heat and slickness of Ava’s womanhood slid teasingly against the tip of his cock. His balls ached for a release, to be buried deep in her tight inner muscles. He admired her straddling him with her pink nipples hardened and ample breasts flushed with desire.
“Can we talk about it later?” Sawyer gritted out, gripping her hips tightly.
Ava reached down to pluck his hands away from her body and pinned them to pillows. He let her do it to see where it would lead and wasn’t disappointed. Her soft and lush lips trailed hot kisses down the center of his chest and stomach while her hands traced the veins down the muscles of his arms. When her lips kissed the tip of his cock lightly, he arched his hips and moaned in pleasure.
“There is the no-dating policy at the office that we have to worry about,” she breathed against his hard shaft. “How do you plan to address that?”
Sawyer panted while he tried to force some blood back to his brain. Her lips and hands were all over him in the right ways. He never let women take charge in the bedroom, but he wanted more of this side of Ava.
“He won’t fire either one of us,” he choked out, licking his dry lips. “I’m not worried about it. No one follows that rule.”
“I’ll take your word.” She rested her chin on his lower stomach and gazed up at him. “And there won’t be anyone else on the sideline.”
“I thought that was a given.”
“This is you that we’re talking about. I thought that I would make it clear that if you want to be with me, then I’m it.”
She was stretched out between his legs with her mouth only centimeters away from the one place he was desperate for her to suck and touch. For so long, he had imagined what it would be like to have Ava in this exact position while with another woman. Nothing could compare to how it felt now to feel the brush of Ava’s perky breasts along his thigh, or how her fingernails grazed the top of his balls.
“You’re it,” he growled. “I swear that you are and will be.”
“Good,” she said, pumping him slowly up and down with a small smile. “No sneaking out in the middle of the night either.”
Unable to stand it any longer, Sawyer reached down to pull Ava up and kissed her deeply. He rolled them both over and reached between her legs. Parting her quivering folds, he found her sweet spot already throbbing with need. Ava gasped against Sawyer’s lips when he rubbed her roughly, arching up against him and digging her fingernails into his shoulders. He swallowed every mewl and pant that came from Ava while he pushed her to the edge.
Sawyer nudged her twitching legs apart to expose the pink and silky core of her for him to admire with greedy eyes. He watched the way her muscles clenched around his fingers and how her arousal coated his fingers. A rosy flush spread across Ava’s soft skin. Her hips twitched in rhythm with his fingers while her orgasm approached. He leaned over her body to suck in the taut nipple of her left breast.
A breathless scream rattled in Ava’s throat when he pushed his thumb down and bit her nipple at the same time, pushing her over the edge that she had put him on. His balls were heavy and tucked up against him. Shudders wracked through Ava’s body in violent waves before she managed to find her breath. He moved to position himself at her entrance, but Ava’s hand stopped his cock from pushing forward. She dipped a few fingers down into her own wetness before reaching up to rub the tip of dick all over again.
“What are you doing?” Sawyer gritted out, gripping her knees tightly. “I’m not going to last if you do that.”
“That’s the point,” she whispered, eyes still glittering wildly.
Ava swept a hand through her tousled hair with her free hand. Scooting out from beneath of him, she took his hardened length in her mouth and hands. Her delicate fingers barely fit around the base of his dick, but each confident stroke up and down brought him closer to a release. His entire world centered around Ava’s hot mouth sucking him passionately. The base of his spine tingled when his orgasm approached.
“I’m going to come,” Sawyer moaned out.
He reached out with trembling hands to grab fistfuls of Ava’s hair. Desperate for a release, he thrust himself in and out of her mouth the way he needed. He watched his gleaming cock slide in and out of her mouth before his world exploded. He came hard with a harsh groan and in shuddering spurts. Ava sucked every drop of his release away before letting him go with a gasp. He released his hold on her hair when she reached up to pry his fingers away from her hair. Ava sat back on her knees while they caught their breath in the dimness of her bedroom.
Sawyer wiped away the sweat from his forehead with a breathless chuckle.
“You amaze me,” he said, shaking his head at her. “There’s more to you than meets the eye. I’ll give you that.”
A shy smile spread across Ava’s swollen lips. He couldn’t resist and leaned in to press a quick kiss against her lips.
“Is that a bad thing?” she murmured.
Warmth fil
led the center of Sawyer’s chest. He cupped her flushed cheek in the palm of his hand and rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone.
“Not at all,” he said. “Not at all.”
Epilogue
Three months later
“So, is it good?”
Ava tried to read the expression on Greg’s face when he set her article down on his desk. She squirmed on the edge of her seat while she waited for him to say something. The older man sat back in his chair with a long and weary sigh. He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose and pushed the frame of his glasses back up.
“I suppose I have to let you go as a columnist,” Greg said slowly. “I don’t want to, but you’re a damn good feature writer. I can’t argue that.”
“Really?” She tried to fight the excited grin that spread across her lips. “Does that mean I have the job?”
“Yes. You deserve it and you’ve worked hard to prove that you can handle it.”
“Thank you. I promise that I won’t let you down.”
A ghost of a smile filled Greg’s face before he furrowed his eyebrows into a stern expression. He interlaced his fingers and rested them on the bulge of his belly that strained against his white button-up shirt. “Now, this job will require a bit of traveling.”
“That won’t be a problem,” she assured, fidgeting with excitement. “I don’t mind traveling to cover stories. It’s not an issue.”
Greg nodded.
“All right. Come prepared on Monday for your first day as a feature writer then.”
“I will. Thank you again.”
She started to rise from her chair but stopped when Greg held up a hand to stop her.
“I want you to know something,” he said when Ava sat back down. “You are getting this promotion because of your hard work. You’ve proven to me that you can handle this. I just want you to know my reasoning before rumors fly around the office.”
“I appreciate you saying that,” she said, smiling. “Thank you for everything, Greg. You won’t be disappointed.”
“You’re welcome. You both are lucky that you’re damn good writers. I would’ve fired the both of you for breaking my rule if it were anyone else.”
He waved a dismissive hand. Ava exited his office quickly to head in the direction of Sawyer’s office. The door was wide open and she could hear the click of his keyboard. She poked her head in to find Sawyer sitting behind his desk with his attention focused on the screen of his laptop. Heat curled in the pit of her stomach when he glanced over his broad shoulder in her direction. His icy expression melted away into an adorable grin that tugged at her heart.
The past three months were pure bliss. Sawyer did everything he could do to win her heart and trust over. He took her to expensive restaurants and showered her with gifts. There wasn’t a night, or even a time, that Sawyer didn’t leave her boneless and satisfied.
“How’d it go?” Sawyer asked, shutting his laptop. He swiveled around in his chair and stood up gracefully. Smoothing the front of his shirt, Sawyer rounded his desk to stop in front of her.
“I got the promotion,” Ava said, and jiggled happily. “I start on Monday, but he said that I earned it from hard work.”
Sawyer grinned down at her.
“That’s great! I told you that you had nothing to worry about.”
The door to Sawyer’s office was wide open. Ava resisted the urge to throw herself into Sawyer’s arms and to kiss him. Their careers were important to both of them, so they had continued to follow the rule of no sex and romance while on the clock. Even if it was tempting, they kept their offices and careers separated from one another.
“I know,” she said, smiling up at him. “I guess this means that I get to prove my mother wrong about Greg not paying me enough for this to be a real job.”
A chuckle rumbled in Sawyer’s chest. He glanced over at his office door before reaching up to tuck an errant curl back behind Ava’s ear. She tilted her head up without hesitation when he ducked his head and kissed her. It was the type of kiss that electrified her senses and promised more arduous activities later when they were alone.
“We’ll prove her wrong when we visit for Christmas,” Sawyer said. “How about dinner tonight after work?”
Ava’s body tingled in anticipation when Sawyer swept his hands down her sides before taking a step back. His eyes were dark with the same need when she looked up at him. How lucky she was to have a man like him staring at her like he would devour her right there and then if the office door wasn’t open.
“Yes,” she said. “Dinner sounds good to me.”
THE END
Falling For His Best Man Sneak Peak
“You don’t understand, Alex. I’m so madly in love with you. I need you more than anything.”
Lila Cross covered her mouth with the palm of her hand. Shielded by the statue of the Virgin Mary, she tried to stifle her devastated tears.
The tiny church that could only seat a 100 people was dark aside from the starlight coming in through the stained glass windows and the flickering candles that were scattered about. She focused on the neatly stacked boxes alongside the statue. Wedding decorations. Her and Alex’s wedding decorations.
She clutched the blunt edge of the statue while she waited for Alex’s response, praying inwardly that he would tell Rachel Sullivan that he didn’t love her. Rachel was her best friend. Her maid of honor.
“I love you, too,” Alex said, his voice pained and soft. “I do, Rachel. I don’t know what to do. The wedding is in two days…”
His words were a jagged stab to Lila’s heart. The world swayed beneath her feet, and she used the cold marble of the statue to keep her upright. She was torn between running out of the tiny church that Alex had picked for their wedding, to appease his religious family, and wanting to hear more.
“I know,” Rachel said, sniffling. “I know that it is, but I just can’t help how I feel about you. I tried so hard to move on, Alex. I really did.”
“Rachel--”
“I can’t pretend anymore. I can’t keep lying to Lila about how I feel, or about what happened between us.”
Lila fought back another wave of tears. Since kindergarten, they all had been best friends—her, Rachel, Alex, and Rhett, the best man at the wedding. She never once had imagined over the past few years that Rachel and Alex would cross that line of betrayal.
“You know how I feel,” Alex murmured. “This wedding is what Lila wants. I promised this to her since we were seniors in high school.”
“Why does it always have to be about what she wants? What do you want, Alex? What is it that you want?”
Lila winced at the harshness in Rachel’s words. She held her breath while she waited for Alex’s answer. A few seconds ticked by before Alex let out a long and deep sigh. “I don’t know, Rach. I’m caught in a hard spot here.”
“You have to tell, Lila,” Rachel urged, sharply. “You can’t pretend that nothing happened between us. Please, Alex. For our baby’s sake.”
The world jolted beneath Lila’s feet. Baby. Her throat tightened. Not only had her best friend and fiancé cheated, but they were going to have a baby together. She grasped the cool and smooth marble of the statue with trembling fingers.
“I know how much you want this baby and me,” Rachel continued on in a choked voice. “You can’t get married to her, Alex. I know you better than anyone else. You don’t want this.”
Tomorrow was supposed to be the wedding rehearsal and dinner. Then, it was the wedding that she had dreamed about for months and planned for with Rachel’s help. Their families and friends were on their way expecting to celebrate, but all Lila could think about was how empty the church would be now. Her heart broke from the betrayal of her fiancé, a man she had loved unconditionally since she was fourteen, but from the woman she had trusted everything with.
Lila used the statue to pull herself out of the dark shadows. Tears blurred her line of sight, but she could see Rachel slouched over her knee
s with Alex’s hand rubbing the small of her back in the first pew. It hurt even more to see them together visibly distraught over their situation.
At the sound of her feet against the stone floors, Alex looked up from Rachel and froze when his eyes landed on where she stood. Her heart pounded with adrenaline. Several emotions flashed in Alex’s eyes while he lifted his arm away from Rachel’s body. He rose to his feet and held out a hand. “Lila--”
“Don’t,” Lila whispered, shaking her head.
Rachel lifted her head from her hands. She peered up at Lila with tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes. Lila couldn’t remember a time that Rachel looked like a mess. Her blonde locks were a tangled mess, and her skin was pale and splotchy. Her lips thinned into a small line.
“Let me explain,” Alex insisted, and took a step towards her. “Rachel and I--”
“Are having a baby,” she interjected, curling her hands up into fists. “Which tells me that the two of you have been sleeping together.”
Alex rubbed at his face with an aggravated hand. He looked desperate when he glanced over at Rachel who twisted her own hands. “We didn’t mean for it to happen like this, Lila. It just happened.”
A bitter laugh escaped Lila’s lips.
“We are supposed to be getting married in two days, Alex. In two fucking days! Neither one of you couldn’t have told me what was going on before we dumped all this money into getting married?”
“I’m sorry,” Alex said in a hoarse voice. “I should’ve told you a long time ago, but I couldn’t.” His expression was pained. “I didn’t know what to do, or how to feel about any of it.”
“Because you’re caught between your feelings for her and me?” Lila spat out. She turned her furious gaze over to Rachel. “How sick are you?”
Rachel’s eyes widened at her tone. “Excuse me?”
“You helped me plan everything for this wedding. At the same time, you’re having sex with my ex-fiancé and now you’re pregnant with his baby! You couldn’t have said something?”