Page 51 of The Devil You Know

He lifts me onto the edge before pushing me backward.

His mouth finds mine as he lowers himself on top of me. The adrenaline from only moments ago has shifted into something else, something desperate and reckless. His mouth descends to one tight nipple, and he sucks on it hard through the sheer fabric of my blouse. I wrap my legs around him until his erection is positioned exactly where I want it. If we could just get rid of all these fucking clothes it would take him two seconds to push inside me.

I reach for his belt, but he stays my hand. “Invite me over,” he groans against my mouth.

“It’s late,” I reply. “We could be undressed in five seconds right here.”

His lids close tight for a moment, and when they open, I see resignation there. “You know what I want,” he says, lifting himself off me. “And I’m still going to fucking wait.”

But…but…goddammit.

He reaches out a hand to help me up and I accept it reluctantly. Water pours from our clothes, from my hair. My mascara is undoubtedly proving to be less waterproof than promised. I want to blame him for how irritated I am right now, but I’m not sure I can.

We gather our things and walk through the side gate to his car, soaking wet. He drives me back to the parking garage and leans over to kiss me once we arrive.

“I’ll see you Monday,” he says as I climb out.

I assumed he’d be in this weekend. The fact that he won’t makes me wish I’d given him a different answer in the pool. Maybe inviting him over once wouldn’t have been the end of the world.

26

I wake thinking about Ben.

I think about him as I dress, as I drive, as I sit at my desk attempting to work.

Everything reminds me of sex: the seat beneath me, the breeze that gusts as I walk down the street, a male voice in the hallway.

I send emails without attachments, forget my own phone number at the grocery store. I call my mom Sunday and call her again an hour later, having completely forgotten we spoke. I’m halfway to my car Monday morning before I realize I’m wearing two different shoes. If Ben’s trying to secure the partnership for Craig by making me stupid with lust, he’s doing an excellent job.

We don’t come face-to-face until Monday afternoon. I’m on my way back from a client lunch, running because it’s starting to rain when he’s suddenly in front of me, walking from the other direction.

His gaze falls to my wet button-down, now clinging to my curves. “Jesus,” he says, holding the door.

“This can’t be one of the outfits,” I argue quietly.

He leans close as we wait to go through the metal detector. “They’re all one of the outfits, Gemma.”

I release a shaky breath, and my nipples tighten beneath my damp bra. His gaze flickers there, as if he knows.

We climb on to the elevator and move toward the back. I stand in front of him, the same way I did in Miami. Out of view, without making a sound, he pulls me against his semi-erect cock. I glance to our right but no one has noticed. I look over my shoulder at him and he simply holds my gaze, daring me to move.

I swallow loudly. The elevator stops and one person climbs out, two people climb in. In the resulting shuffle, he pulses once against me, very intentionally, and all my air leaves me in a rush. I try to keep my breathing even and my expression calm. If anyone from the office sees this, I’m screwed, but there is something incredibly erotic about the risk of it all.

He does it again on the next floor. I reach back and dig my hand into his thigh for balance.

The door opens again. “Let’s go to your apartment,” he says quietly.

My eyes fall closed. “The office is closer.” We pass our floor but neither of us move, and when the last people climb off, he reaches past me, and hits the button for the parking garage.

“What are you doing?”

He laughs. “You live above Whole Foods. That’s five minutes from here.”

“But your office would be faster,” I continue to argue, also wondering how he knows where I live. He pulls me tight against him.

“Nothing about tonight will go fast,” he says against my ear.

I’m at my door and have just slid my key in the lock when I hear him approaching. My heart beats harder and faster. This is all I’ve thought about for a week straight, but I’m suddenly searching for a way to back out.