Page 58 of Off-Limits Bosses
“I’m sorry,” I answered, a sense of deja vu settling over me. “It’s been hard for me, too, but this is how it has to be. Can’t you understand that?”
“How could I?” Bryant replied. His voice was frustrated and hurt simultaneously. “I accepted the situation from the beginning. I’ve told you that I want to be with you anyway. Isn’t that what you want? I promise, if you’re still afraid of what it will do to your career, you don’t have to be. You will not lose your job.”
“What if I decide never to be with any of you? Or choose the wrong one?” I snapped back, wondering if they’d ever thought about that. “What if there’s a nasty fallout?”
“None of that has anything to do with your ability to be a concierge,” Bryant insisted, taking a step closer to me. “You are one of the best, and that’s not going to change because of one bad breakup. Or even three. But you know what, I don’t think that’s going to happen. There is something here, and you can’t deny it.”
My pulse quickened as he continued to approach me. I couldn’t walk away. He was magnetic, like something was dragging me back into the desire that I’d had from the beginning.
“They’ll notice,” I whispered, but the words disappeared on the wind as Bryant leaned in to kiss me.
He tasted like sandalwood and citrus, like the world’s best wine in the desert. All of my resolve to keep my distance completely disappeared into nothing, and I leaned into him, letting go of my innate need to control.
“Oh, this is where you are,” Landon’s voice suddenly broke through the haze and I stepped back from Bryant.
But Landon was smiling. “Is there room for one more?”
27
Bryant
I found myself grinning. I was jealous on the yacht when I’d walked in on the three of them. Frankly, I felt like I’d missed out on something amazing from the few seconds of bliss I’d seen on their faces before they realized I was there.
This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Landon’s face was as excited as I was, and Adriana seemed flustered. “Uh, don’t you think people could hear?”
“I know a secret spot,” I answered, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively. “And they’re all busy eating and staring at the beautiful environment. Nobody’s going to notice if we’re gone for a while.”
Adriana didn’t seem completely convinced, but she wasn’t arguing either. Landon reached out for her hand, while I took the other. He probably knew exactly which spot I had been talking about, but I was planning on taking the lead on this one. I was here first, after all. Plus, I owned The Pacific. It only made sense that I was the top dog.
We headed further into the grove, to a spot hidden between the trees, far enough away from the hiking trail that nobody wouldcome across us accidentally. The canopy was thick, so no drones would be catching us unaware, either.
“So, how is it that you know about this place?” Adriana asked cheekily, arms crossed once we let go of her hands. “Do you bring a lot of women here?”
“It would be a lie to say you’re the first,” I answered with a shrug. “But on the other hand, you definitely are the best.”
She laughed, a sound that I hoped I would hear for years to come. “That’s fine, I’ll take it.”
“Now, where were we?” I said, stepping forward and pushing her against the closest tree, taking her hand and lifting it against the bark above her head. I leaned forward to kiss her in her neck, listening to the way that her breathing was intensifying.
Her body tensed in response, too, eager for this to go further. But I could tell that she was still holding something back, still being careful. Maybe she was still trying to convince herself that it was for the best to end things; but she had the same desire that I did, and that Landon did. There was no stopping this anymore.
I kissed her more intently, lacing my mouth’s movements with the promise of what was still to come. I could feel the heat in the air increase.
With my free hand, I took Adriana’s wrist, and lifted it up to pin it against the tree along with the one that was already there. She responded by breathing even harder. Beside me, I heard movement. Landon closing in. I had forgotten that he was there for a few seconds, being far too focused on what I was doing.
Being as tightly pushed up against Adriana as I was, I could feel him move his hand along the edge of her blouse, but I couldn’t tell exactly what he was doing down there.
It seemed slightly rude to interrupt what I was busy with, but I did agree to share. As long as he knew who was actually in charge.
I pulled back to allow Adriana to catch her breath. I could see the pure desire in her eyes, the way her face had turned from uncertainty to raw confidence. She had clearly given up on the idea of trying to end things between us, and between herself and Landon. Perhaps Nolan, too. I wondered if he had any idea what he was missing out on.
“Let’s get her out of these uncomfortable clothes,” I said to Landon, whose hands were exploring Adriana’s body under her blouse.
He seemed surprised for a second that I was giving him orders, but that changed to a smile quickly. I was sure that both of us would prefer to have Adriana completely undressed. It was a sight that I had been missing out on, given that our little romp by the pool had been a mostly clothed one.
Landon got to work before I could make another move, lifting her blouse over her head while she bit at her bottom lip. She was clearly enjoying the attention from both of us.
I watched as Landon leaned around her to undo her bra, and I realized I actually liked that. I’d had my fair share of experience in the past, but most of the time, if there were more than two people involved, it was usually myself and several women. None of them, however, had ever made me feel the wild excitement that Adriana did.
