My One And Only (Very Irresistible Bachelors)

by Layla Hagen

  With two snaps, I loosened the clips. Lowering myself on my haunches, I took off each stocking. After baring her legs, I kissed from her knees up her inner thighs until I reached the apex. The lacy fabric was still in the way. Sexy as it was, I wanted it off her. I wanted her completely bare.

  “Take it off,” I commanded, watching her.

  Tess obliged immediately, pushing the bodice down her hips and stepping out of it once it was around her ankles.

  I looked up at her, drinking in her sexy naked body before rising and kissing her hard.

  Then I lifted her up my body, holding her by her ass. She whimpered, pressed against me. Her clit was level with my belt buckle. Our surroundings faded as I moved through the apartment. She tightened her grip on my shoulders, rolling her hips and practically humping my belt.

  She needed more friction. Fuck, I wanted to be inside her. I couldn’t wait any longer.

  I only made it to the kitchen counter. I lowered her on her feet, kneading her ass cheeks before letting go. I undressed in the pitch dark. Fortunately, Tess helped a lot. I couldn’t even see where her hands were, just felt them all over me until I was naked.

  Gripping her hand, I brought it over my cock. “Touch me. Fuuuck, touch me.”

  I dropped my head back, groaning when she clasped her hand around me, moving it in a maddening rhythm. I felt more than saw her lower herself to her knees. She pressed the flat of her tongue against the tip of my cock.

  “Fuuuck.”

  I held her hair, needing to grip and move and thrust, barely keeping myself from moving my hips. I inhaled through my nose, exhaling through my mouth. I couldn’t see anything, just felt her tongue and her lips. It was driving me insane.

  “Babe, I want you.” I sounded so desperate that I didn’t recognize my own voice.

  She clamped her lips around me even tighter. I buckled backward, letting go of her hair and pressing my palms on the edge of the counter. Tess pulled back, kissing my abs and chest. I cupped her head with both hands, kissing her until we were both out of breath.

  “Condom,” I muttered.

  “I have one in my bag,” she whispered.

  Fuck no. That was in the corridor. I didn’t want to let her go that long, but I had no choice.

  She moved in the darkness, turning on the light once she stepped out of the room. I was so desperate that I started touching myself, squeezing my hand tight around my cock. It wasn’t enough.

  She returned a few seconds later, leaving the light on. It barely filtered in the room, but it was enough to see her gorgeous naked body.

  “Liam...” she whispered when she looked down at me.

  “See what you do to me? You make me crazy. Desperate. Come here.”

  She ripped open the package as she walked. I only took my hand away when she stood in front of me, rolling on the condom. Energy shot through me at her touch. Fuck. I needed to thrust into her.

  Turning her around, I commanded, “Put your hands on the counter.”

  I spread her legs at the same time. She gasped lightly when I bit her shoulder. Gripping the base of my cock, I positioned myself between her legs, then slid inside all at once until my thighs pressed against her ass. Tess buckled forward, gasping. Leaning my forehead on the back of her neck, I breathed in her scent, covering her body with my arms, holding her, steadying her.

  I moved my hips then, needing the pleasure. Tess gasped. She was coming apart in my arms, and I’d only started thrusting. We were both half curled over the counter, and I straightened us up so I could touch her better. I touched her breasts, cupping them before lowering one hand to her clit. She whimpered, tightening around me. Desire coiled through me, and I moved even faster. My legs were burning, but I didn’t want to slow down. I needed more. I needed everything.

  “You’re mine,” I whispered in her ear, wanting to voice the feeling that consumed me. “Only mine.”

  I held her through her moans and gasps of pleasure, thrusting inside her until I felt her come apart. One of her legs shot out to one side as the other wobbled. Even though her hands were firmly on the counter, I was the one sustaining us both. My climax formed slowly and then spread like wildfire. I’d never come like this, not ever. My whole body was burning. My bones felt liquid, and I could barely breathe through my orgasm. My legs were about to give out.

  Tess leaned up a bit, resting her elbows on the counter, and I mirrored her stance, my chest pressed to her back. I rested my chin in the crook of her neck. We were both still breathing unbelievably fast, enjoying the afterglow of what we’d just experienced.

  After what felt like hours, my limbs started feeling normal again. I turned Tess around, and she became soft in my arms. I lifted her up to hold her even closer to me, and she gently laid her head against my shoulder.

  My feisty, talkative woman was completely quiet, too spent. I was damn proud of myself.

  “Do you think you can stand in the shower?” I asked as I carried her into the master bathroom.

  “Well, if I don’t, I’m sure you’ll do the right thing and help me,” she teased.

  “That’s true. I’m a gentleman.”

  “And you never miss a chance to fondle me.”

  “That too.”

  I got rid of the condom, and after I made sure the water temperature was just right, I put her down under the warm spray. It was all I could do not to maul her against the tiles too.

  Tess grinned, pointing at my mouth. “Wait, I know that look. Are you thinking about having your wicked way with me again?”

  “Of course I am, but I don’t want you to be sore tomorrow.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Woman, don’t tempt me.”

  Wiggling her eyebrows, she poured shower gel in her palms, rubbing it all over her body. I stood back, just enjoying the sight. Until she put her soaped-up hands on me. I instantly turned hard, and Tess smirked. I caught her wrists the next second, pinning them above her head against the tile.

  “Don’t, Tess. I mean it. I can’t resist you, and I don’t want you to be sore. I was an animal back there.”

  She smiled saucily. “I loved every second of it.”

  “If I let go of your hands, will you behave?”

  “Hell no.”

  I laughed before kissing her, slow and lazy, until there was so much steam in the shower that we could barely breathe.

  “Come on, sassy girl. Let’s get out of here before we suffocate.”

  “You’re going to have to let go of my hands if you want us to move,” she teased.

  I did let go, and she kept her hands off me...right until we dried off and stepped out of the bathroom. Then she wrapped her arms around me from behind, resting her palms on my pelvic bones.

  “Tess...”

  “You didn’t specify until when I couldn’t touch you. And these”—she ran her fingers up and down the V-line pointing to my hard-on—“happen to be some of your finest assets.”

  “What are some of the others?” I prompted, realizing what I’d done only when she moved her hand even lower, covering my erection. I couldn’t help but groan. “Fuck, my mistake.”

  “I’ll forgive it.”

  I turned around, kissing the tip of her nose.

  “You sassy girl. You’re not sleepy at all, are you?”

  “Nope. You’d think two Thanksgiving dinners would put me to sleep, but I’m wide awake. I wonder why.” She pressed her mouth in a thin line, narrowing her eyes as if thinking hard. “I know. The hot guy taking me right over the kitchen counter might have chased the sleep away.”

  I growled. “Don’t speak about me in third person.”

  “Jealous again?”

  “Yes. I can’t explain it.”

  She squealed, lacing her arms around my neck and glancing at my bed. “And I love it. I have a dangerous proposition. Let’s not go to bed at all. It’s three o’clock, and I need to wake up at six.”

  “Why?”

  “Tomorrow’s Black Frida
y, remember?”

  “Actually, no. Friday after Thanksgiving is always a lazy day for me.”

  “Not for those looking for sales. Or those offering sales.”

  “You’re going to be exhausted if you don’t sleep.”

  “I know. But going to bed for three hours will be even worse. I’ll have a headache the whole day.”

  “Okay. I’m on board.”

  “So how do you plan to keep me up until morning?”

  I pinched her ass. “I thought you were keeping me up.”

  “I have a few ideas. But you have to promise not to veto them.”

  “Can’t do that now, can I? I have to take care of you, even when you don’t seem to want it.” I gave us both robes, tying hers around the middle tightly. She jumped in my arms, and I carried her to the living room.

  “Oooh, back to the kitchen island. I like where this is going,” she teased.

  “No, it’s the couch.”

  I sat down with Tess in my lap, pushing her damp hair out of her face. She yawned in a cute way.

  “You sure you don’t want to sleep?”

  “No, sir. Why waste time sleeping when I have you to feast on? Let’s call these exploration hours.”

  “Because you’re tired.”

  “I’ll go to bed early tomorrow. I’ll have some long weeks ahead with the opening and Christmas approaching.”

  They planned to officially open the store on the fifth of December.

  “I’ll take good care of you.” I started to massage her feet to prove my point, moving up on her ankles.

  “You’re amazing to have around.” She sighed, closing her eyes and enjoying my hands on her. When she opened them again, she looked a little wary.

  “You want to talk about what’s got you worried? I told you I’m good at reading clues.”

  “And I told you that today is Thanksgiving.”

  “Not anymore. It’s past midnight,” Tess said.

  “We’re not wasting these exploration hours, as you called them, by talking about anything unpleasant,” I replied.

  “Fine, but I’m only giving in because I actually am getting a bit tired, and I want to make the most of our time together.”

  In fact, I didn’t plan to waste any time with Tess talking about Albert. He was my mess to clean up, and she had so much on her plate that I didn’t want to add any more. I was going to protect her from that imbecile, and that was that. One thing I learned from my grandfather was that problems were meant to be dealt with without burdening the ones you loved with them.

  She was mine, and that didn’t just mean giving her massages or orgasms or making her laugh. She was mine to protect.

  “I think I know of a way to keep you up all the way until morning,” I whispered in her ear.

  Tess grinned. “That’s your best pickup line?”

  “You’re saying I need one?”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “I like it when you seduce me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Liam

  The Monday after Thanksgiving, I did something I hadn’t done in years: I went to see Albert.

  I didn’t ask him to come to the brownstone, because I didn’t want to see David and Becca out of sorts again.

  The detective had dug up Albert’s personal address, as well as the fact that he spent most of his day there.

  It was a hellhole outside the city, nothing like the condo he used to afford. The dumbass. If he smartly invested the paycheck we sent him every month, or at least saved a chunk of it, things would be very different.

  The building’s elevator wasn’t working, so I took the stairs to the fifth floor. There was a coat of filth on each step. I didn’t look too closely, but it was more than just dust and mud.

  I knocked at number 57 a few times. When no one answered, I banged louder until I heard movement on the other side of the door. Albert opened it, finally. He looked like he’d just gone to sleep. Dark circles marked his eyes. His gray T-shirt had multiple holes in it, as did his shorts.

  “What the fuck?” he exclaimed.

  I pushed him out of the doorway, stepping inside the apartment.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “Wanted to talk to you. Didn’t want you to show your face at the brownstone again.”

  The hallway was small and dark, but I had no intention of staying long enough to go into any of the rooms.

  “How do you know where I live?”

  “I had a detective look into you.”

  “Did you now? Liked what he found?”

  “You’re broke. You’re actually stupid enough to waste all that money you’re getting every month.”

  “It’s not that much.”

  “Depends what you’re used to.”

  His last building had a doorman and concierge services. His suits used to be five thousand a piece.

  “That’s why I need more. That’s why I want out of the firm.”

  “You’ll just waste that money too.”

  “That’s not your problem though, is it?”

  “It is. It requires me to do something I don’t want to. I have a problem with that.”

  Albert narrowed his eyes. “All you have to do to get enough cash to buy me out is freeze one current investment. One.”

  I stared at him. “How do you know that?”

  “You’re not the only one who hired a detective.”

  “You live in this shithole and waste money on a detective? Christ, what happened to you? You used to be smart.”

  It was why we made him a partner in the business. It wasn’t just because he’d been our friend.

  “I won’t freeze it.”

  Albert’s eyes turned cold. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You’ve wanted me out of the business for years.”

  “This is a bad time.”

  “You’re fucking one of those bitches from Soho Lingerie, aren’t you?”

  I rolled my hands into fists.

  “The one who’s not married. My detective suspected that,” he continued.

  “You ever call anyone a bitch in front of me again, you won’t have teeth. You hired a shit detective if he didn’t even confirm Tess and I are together.”

  “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to wait on my ass until the time is convenient for you.”

  “Yes, you will.”

  “Maybe I should go see this Tess. Find out what she thinks about this.”

  My hands were gripping his T-shirt before I even realized it. “You go anywhere near Tess and you’re done. So fucking done.”

  “Yeah? What’re you going to do about it?”

  “We never pressed charges against you.”

  “Because you didn’t have the balls. So don’t come to me with that. You’re too proud to have your name tainted in any way, so don’t think I’m buying this act.”

  “People change, Albert. You changed. I changed. Things that used to matter don’t anymore.”

  Others did, and they mattered so much more.

  For the first time, I saw uncertainty in his eyes, even fear. Good, because I meant every word.

  “I’m not budging on the deadline,” he said.

  “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. I want a written notice that you’ll extend the deadline until April, or I’ll make you very sorry for trying to steal from us. I don’t want an answer now. Think about it. Really well,” I said.

  I left before he had a chance to reply. I didn’t want to hear one more word or I was liable to punch him.

  I didn’t know what the hell I’d been thinking, coming here. Maybe that I could get through to him somehow because we’d been friends once? Clearly, that didn’t matter to him.

  And it didn’t to me either. Not anymore. Albert was going to learn the hard way not to mess with me.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Tess

  The week after Thanksgiving was slightly insane. I mean, it usually was, and not because Black Friday was the following day. Onc
e the town was full of Christmas decorations, tourists flocked to see them. All the main shopping streets were crowded, and we could barely find our ass from our elbow in the store the whole week. This year, I had a bit more on my plate than I could handle, splitting my time between the two stores while supervising the last-minute repairs at the new location.

  Unfortunately, on the second of December, the furniture company announced that our order had arrived damaged. The replacement order wouldn’t be here for two weeks. No way could we open without shelves and couches and chairs.

  “You know what? I have an idea,” Liam said after we both read the apologetic email. “Why don’t you have a pre-opening party with the family? That way you still have something to look forward to.”

  “That’s a great idea,” I replied. “I’ll text Skye to see what she thinks, but I’m sold on it. Oooh, we could also invite our VIP clients. We can make it seem like a very exclusive event, where they also get a peek at the new collection.”

  “You’re a genius.”

  I grinned. “I love it when you sing my praises.”

  “It’s true.”

  We were at the new store in the back office. Liam was expertly massaging my neck, and I could feel my stress melting away.

  “Why are your hands so amazing?” I whispered.

  He brought his mouth to my ear. “I’m amazing. My hands, tongue, lips. Cock.”

  I spun my chair until I was face-to-face with him. The tips of our noses were almost touching.

  “How can you say that with a straight face?”

  He straightened up, winking. “Again...because it’s true.”

  I rolled my eyes playfully. “Did you finish your emails?”

  We had a very cute routine going where he came to the store every day after everyone left the brownstone, and we worked in companionable silence until at least one of us was done.

  “No.” With a frown, he went back to sitting behind his desk.