Bought by the Boss Page 9

  Back and forth, she bobs on the tip. I thrust my hand into her hair again, demanding her gaze meet mine. I expect to find the vixen that dug her claws into me staring back at me. Instead, I discover softness in the depths of her eyes, warmth and affection, and something yet undiscovered between us.

  She kisses the tip again before leaning back on her legs, slowly stroking her hand up and down my wet shaft. “You asked me before why I’ve been single.” She presses my cock against my stomach, leaning down to suck on one testicle before moving on to the other. “And the answer is, it’s because of you.” She brushes her lips across the tip of my cock before she tongues the slit. Again, she leans away, slowly stroking me, staring me boldly in the eye. “I want you, Liam. Only you. Always you. No one else.”

  Whether it’s the words she’s declared, the meaning behind them, or something else, I can’t exactly pinpoint the reason my control snaps but it does. I can no longer allow her to rule this or me. I lower my mouth down to hers, sliding my hand across her neck, tipping her head back. I kiss the pretty mouth that has haunted me for years. She’s doing what I want her to do, parting her lips, accepting my kiss until I’ve had my fill. I reach for her arms, helping her to her feet, and then I lift her up. Her legs wrap around my waist as I carry her into the bedroom.

  Once we enter, I allow her to slide off my body and let her look around a moment, taking in the space I call mine. The walls are a deep, dark gray with silver accents. The light gray fabric headboard rests against the far wall with a set of light gray and dark gray sheets fitting perfectly smooth. On either side of the king-size bed is a pair of long mirrors with dark silver frames.

  While she’s looking around, I turn and move to the chest I keep off to the right of the bed. A chest that is full of things I’ve imagined using with her. Things I bought at Vivian’s place before our weekend away. And there’s only a single purpose driving me now. I reach in and grab out a blindfold. When I turn back to her, she’s watching me closely. “Do you trust me?” I ask her, holding up the blindfold.

  “That depends.” Her mouth twitches.

  I arch an eyebrow. “On?”

  “What you plan on doing to me while I’m blindfolded.” She laughs softly.

  I chuckle, enraptured by her beautiful smile when I stand in front of her. “Well, love, that’s where the trust comes in.”

  Her smile widens before she shuts her eyes, giving me the permission I need. I place the blindfold around her head, tying it tight. The red blindfold is stunning against her skin, calling to me. I drag my fingers over the hard line of her collarbone, across her shoulder, down her arm until I reach the curve of her breast. Using my knuckles, I caress her nipple, grinning when she trembles. “Ah, she likes that,” I murmur.

  She tips her head back and moans.

  I return to the chest, grabbing out a paintbrush and the small container of black paint on the small shelf. I take my time returning to her, letting anticipation build. Her chest is rising and falling quickly, and the flush of cheeks against the red blindfold stirs a lust so rich and ravenous inside me my cock grows even harder, my balls aching to blow.

  When I move in front of her again, I drag the tip of the paintbrush across her nipple. Her gasp brings heat into my sac. I continue to tease her, letting her mind imagine what it is I’m touching her with and what my plan is. I like her guessing. Fuck, I like surprising her even more. Which is why I slowly open the paint, leaving the lid on the table in the sitting area of the bedroom. I dip the brush in and slide the cool paint across her arm.

  There’s that half-smile again, and I smile with her, liking this between us. After which, I focus on her, painting her body in the only way that feels right between us at this moment. I don’t count the minutes, or worry I’m taking too long. I take my time, getting this right, letting the silence flow between us. We have each other, and for right now, I’m content with that.

  I squat, moving the brush across one thigh. Then the other, working my way back up to her toned stomach, where I slide the brush, slowly, teasingly making her feel like it’s my tongue. One look at her nipples and I see how hard they are, how turned on she is. I don’t need to feel her cunt to know she’s soaking wet for me. Her little tremors, deep breaths, parted mouth already let me know that I have her on fire.

  After my final stroke, I take a step back, studying the work of art before me. “You’re stunningly perfect, Aria.”

  “Thank you,” she whispers, hands flat against the sides of her thighs.

  I turn back to the table, placing the paintbrush on the lid and leaving the small glass container there when I focus on her again. I take her hand, leading her beside the bed. I position her right where I want her, in the center of the mirror, not too close, leaving her able to see the room, us, and everything I want her to see.

  I step in behind her and slide her hair back over her shoulders, then I reach up and remove the blindfold. She blinks once, obviously adjusting her vision to the light. Then her eyes squint before they slowly grow wide. I regard what she’s looking at, too.

  Fearless. Kind. Strong. Beautiful. Sexy. Smart. Fiery. They are all words I’ve painted across her flesh, along with a few more. “These reasons and more are why I’ve loved you from the very first moment I set my eyes on you.”

  Tears fill her eyes.

  I kiss her shoulder softly, running my hand down her arm. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  A single tear slides down her cheek. “The words seem to hold more meaning painted on my body like this.” She glances at me in the mirror. “I’ve never had a man love me like you love me. So fiercely. So decidedly.”

  “That’s because I am the only man supposed to love you like this.”

  She turns then and slides her hands across my face. It’s in this exact moment that I know I have her. Fully. Completely. Tears in her eyes, she whispers, “I’m sorry I made you wait so long.”

  “You made me earn you, appreciate you, and crave you in ways I’ve never wanted anything.” I place a finger under her chin, tilting it up, ensuring she hears me. “Never be sorry, Aria. You made me see you in ways I’ve never seen anyone.”

  I lean in and my lips meet hers. It’s passion. It’s desire. We’re unleashed. I press my body against hers, feeling the paint between us and nothing else, and I inch her back toward the mattress, helping her into the middle of the bed. I slide my thighs against her legs, spreading her open. “There are many ways I can take you tonight. So many kinky things I want to do to you.” I shift my hips, pressing the tip of my throbbing cock against the warmth of her slit, sliding the weight of my body against hers, pressing her down into the mattress. “But tonight, your first night in the bed where I’ve imagined you for years, you’re staying close. Your eyes on me.”

  She moans and arches into me as I slide inside her. I groan against how wet and hot she is. I press my face into her neck, grabbing her hips and slowly shifting my hips, feeling her hot lower lips sliding over my shaft.

  When I lean away, I note the flush of her cheeks. She likes being pinned by me, I can tell. I reach up, grabbing her wrists, placing them above her head, and pump my hips. Her rich gasps and groans are what I need. Keeping her wrists above her head with one of my hands, I use the other to grab her leg, hooking my arm around her thigh to drive inside her. Christ, I’m as close and deep as I can get, and it’s what I’ve wanted. What I’ve craved.

  She’s going to make me blow far sooner than I want. I flip our positions, keeping her chest pressed against mine, the paint sliding between us. I grip her round ass, taking control of her movements, and slide her up and down on my cock, her moans a stunning raspy sound in my ear. I wrap an arm around her and then press her back into the mattress. I lean up on my hands, staring down into her soulful eyes while she raises her hands to cup my face. “Tell me,” I say to her.

  “I love you,” she whispers, fully understanding what I want.

  Her breasts are jiggling, her sexy body laid out bef
ore me, welcoming me in, time and time again, nothing between us anymore. I look into her eyes. “Again. Tell me.”

  She slides her hands down my chest. “I love you, Liam.”

  I groan and rock against her, feeling the beginnings of her quivers. I rise on my legs and grab her thighs, pressing her legs open so I can watch my cock disappear inside her. I enter her and when I withdraw, she’s soaking me, her arousal glistening off the light.

  “Nice and slow, baby.” I glide my cock in and out, and her chin tips back, lips part, fingers digging into the bedsheets. Paint covers her skin now, and I assume mine as well but I’m not looking. I’m focused on the way her body is quivering. “Mmm…she likes this.”

  “Don’t…stop…” She tenses against me, her legs straightening, and I growl with the way her pussy suddenly soaks and tightens against my dick. Her eyes snap open to mine, the bedsheets clutched in her hands, and she’s gasping against the pleasure. Her cheeks are pink and the flush descends down her chest.

  Though it’s those eyes that get me. They own me.

  And I lose myself in them. I drop down on top of her, sliding my hands back up her arms to place them over her head. I tangle my hands with hers, and I keep my rhythm slow but powerful, slapping my pelvis against hers, making her mine right here and now.

  She’s safe beneath me. She’s mine to love. She’s mine to claim. And she’s arching against me, bucking and jerking her pleasure, and I ride her hard now until my cock is growing harder. I’m right where I belong. Inside her. My climax hits hard and fast and her inner muscles pull every last drop of cum I have to offer, while I roar my satisfaction.

  On the last wave of energy, I switch our positions, her body flat against mine, my dick still pulsating inside her.

  She laughs.

  I wish I knew what was behind that laugh. Soon I will. Soon I’ll know how this woman thinks and what makes her click. For now, I ask, “What’s on that mind of yours?”

  “I’m thinking that we ruined your very nice sheets.”

  I chuckle, flipping us onto our sides, pushing the hair off her face. “I imagine in the years to come, we’ll ruin many bedsheets.”

  She blinks, her eyes twinkle in orgasmic bliss. “Maybe a couple bed frames, too.”

  Breathless, I kiss her forehead. “I will forever endeavor to fuck you hard enough to break bed frames.”

  “Well, then”—she leans up, resting her hands on my chest—“that surely sounds like a pretty good happily-ever-after to me.”

  She’s playful and light and happy, and I like her like this. But tomorrow we face Jackson, and now that she’s here, in my bed, a sudden intensity fills me. Possessive intensity. “Nothing else ever stands between us again,” I state, stroking her cheek with my knuckles.

  Her eyes search mine. “Nothing ever comes between us again.”

  And when she seals her mouth across mine, falling perfectly into my kiss, I know for certain, I have what I’ve always wanted.

  Her heart.

  Epilogue

  Aria

  “Jackson, I’m with Liam now,” I say sternly, chin lifted, hands on my hips. “You’re either going to have to accept that or you’re going to have to fire me.”

  The squeak of a door followed by, “Aria, will you get out here,” echoes in the employee bathroom at Keller LLC.

  I sigh at Liam’s firm voice and continue to stare at myself in the mirror above the row of sinks. Okay, so maybe this is way harder than I expected it to be last night. Nerves are fluttering in my belly; my palms are sweaty. “Please be okay with us being together, Jackson. I need you in my life, too.” I say a final plea that this won’t end in an epic disaster and pick up my handbag off the vanity.

  I move toward the bathroom door, knowing that Jackson will be here and this conversation will happen.

  When I exit the bathroom, I find Liam standing in front of the door, arms crossed over his chest, a big grin on his face. “How was the pep talk, love?”

  God, my gaze narrows on his sculpted mouth. All power in a tailored suit. Clean shaven. My belly tightens and sex tingles, I’m so incredibly aware of him when I reply, “Perfectly fine, thank you.” I gesture toward the hallway. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

  Liam chuckles and takes my hand. I can tell he’s enjoying this, and I’m not going to refuse him that right. What Jackson did to him was beyond shitty, and I still intend—not now, of course—to find out why Jackson would be so cruel.

  Hand in hand, we move down the hallway. The offices we pass are empty. It’s only eight o’clock in the morning, and while Jackson and I have always started at that time, no one else rolls in until closer to nine o’clock. “You promise to stay quiet and let me do the talking when we’re in there, right?”

  “Of course,” Liam says.

  I note the little twinkle in his eyes. “And of course, I don’t believe that at all. I’m not even sure why I asked.” I heave a long sigh and stop just outside of Jackson’s office, beginning to wonder if bringing Liam here was the biggest mistake of all. Though he’s right—we need to do this together. “Whatever happens, do not hit him. Promise me that, at least.”

  Liam frowns.

  “Liam,” I snap.

  “Aria,” he says with tight grin.

  “For me. Promise me.”

  His jaw clenches. “I promise not to hit him square in his lying mouth.”

  I smile because, really, what else can I do? “I heard a promise in there so that’s all that matters.” Ready to get this over with, I lift my chin and enter Jackson’s office but I stop short when I discover his chair empty.

  “Well, that was anticlimactic,” Liam says from behind me.

  I turn to him, and just when I’m about to voice my concern, my cellphone beeps, indicating a text message. I grab my cell from my handbag and glance at the screen, convinced I must be seeing things wrong. “Holy shit!”

  “What is it?” Liam moves closer.

  I blink, speechless, and turn the screen to face him.

  Liam’s gaze roams over the message, and I swear every single word he absorbs deepens the rage in his stormy eyes. I totally get it. Even I’m still taking in the text from Mallory, trying to understand.

  Jackson is my date. Yeah, you read that right. P.S. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got this, girl!

  When I’d gotten home on Sunday, I told Mallory everything about Liam and me, minus what Jackson had done to Liam. She’d listened and hugged me, telling me everything would be all right. Yesterday I stayed the night at Liam’s, sending her a text after she was done with work letting her know where I was, and another text early this morning wishing her well on her date. Both times, her replies were quick but full of love. “I don’t get this. Jackson kept his buying Mallory a secret? He changed the dates to be with her this week instead of on the weekend.” I glance at Liam. “Why?”

  Positively rich masculine anger peppers the air. “You know why, Aria.”

  Sadly, I did. I think I simply didn’t want to accept it. “To punish you,” I offer. “He wanted you to be back at work so you would have to see her empty desk and know she was with him.”

  Liam nods. “And he couldn’t leave on Monday because of the Bakker deal.” He gestures to his phone. “Call her. Immediately.”

  With shaky hands, thinking of my sweet best friend who doesn’t deserve to be drawn into their dark and cruel past, I press her phone number in the text. The call goes immediately to voicemail. “She’s not answering. What do we do?” I ask, breathless.

  “What can we do?” Liam says, more of a statement than a question. He begins to pace the room back and forth before finally stopping and facing me. “We wait until she gets back, and we hope that this fucking game he’s playing hasn’t hurt her.”

  My head is spinning. “Why would he do this to her?” I can’t get a grip on that.

  Liam gives me a knowing look. “Because he knew that I would get through to you this weekend. He knew that you would believ
e me, not because it’s a game but because it’s the truth. And I’m sure he realized that you would perceive him differently. I can only imagine he’s with Mallory to spin some story that will get her on his side. Because that’s the game he plays.”

  My heart can’t accept that. “I can’t imagine Jackson doing that, though.”

  Liam tilts his head. “I couldn’t imagine him fucking the girl I planned to marry either.”

  I raise my hand to my mouth, sick over this. “What if he hurts her?” I barely manage. Mallory would be used terribly because of me. Because of Liam. Because of us.

  Liam frowns, eyes dark. “Then I’m afraid that promise I made to you earlier not to punch him will become null and void.”

  Dirty Money

  Bought by the Boss Part 2

  Chapter 1

  Mallory

  Fifty thousand dollars.

  That’s the amount of money the man that I’m walking toward paid to have a weekend date with me. Though in actuality, our weekend date got scrapped because of scheduling conflicts. His, not mine. Now, on maybe the nicest Tuesday morning we’ve had in Los Angeles yet this summer, with the perfect ratio of blue sky to clouds and a break in the humidity, I’m slow when I approach the sleek black Lexus. I try to stay calm, totally faking that this isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve ever done.

  Who am I kidding?

  This entire thing is nuts. I don’t even know the identity of my date. He wanted secrecy, placing his bid over the telephone at the charity auction for the Los Angeles Pediatric Hospital last Saturday. Even all the communication about our date had come through the event coordinator. She’d been the one to tell me that I needed to be outside my condo at the ungodly hour of six a.m., the type of car my date drove, and that I needed to bring my passport with me.

  My tummy somersaults when I draw closer to the curb of the condominium that I share with my best friend, Aria Finley. Most days, I love her to pieces. This morning, I could kill her for getting me involved in this. Why do I have to be such a good friend?