despite her resolve not
to give in. Less than an hour before, she’d told him quite categorically that
sex was off the table.
How would he see her now? As someone who wasn’t as good as their word?
How would that figure in his decision to offer her company the contract for his
work? If he changed his mind, she could probably kiss goodbye any extension of
her temporary employment. She’d been hoping that Reed’s contract would give her
those much needed brownie points with her boss. What if she’d now ruined
everything?
She spared him a glance and noted he had his eyes closed, his head
resting back on his folded arm. His lack of communication fed into her fears.
“You’re not exactly excessive in the after-sex conversation stakes, are you?”
“Hard to form a coherent sentence right now,” he said without opening
his eyes. “You fucked me good and proper.”
“I suppose that’s pretty coherent.” She lowered her voice to a mumble.
“And I think I’m probably the one who’s been fucked good and proper.”
“You do that thing,” he said, opening his eyes and aiming his slumberous
and sexy blue gaze at her. “Use your muscles to pump me so fucking hard I
thought you’d blow my head off.”
“Pilates. It teaches good control of the pelvic muscles.”
He grinned. “If you can screw me like that because of a few exercises,
I’ll throw in a subscription.”
“Subscription to what?”
He hiked himself up onto one elbow and looked down at her. “There’s
something I need to run past you. A proposition if you like.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I keep doing Pilates and you’ll give me
the contract for the development?”
“Not exactly.” He reached out and ran a finger over her breast. “And
you’ve already got the contract.”
A heady relief filtered through her, which had nothing to do with the
very pleasurable way his thumb stroked her nipple. “You haven’t had Tom’s quote
yet.”
“I’ll pay what he asks, on one condition.”
“Which is?” She already feared what it was. Her. Sex.
“That I get you as the main photographer.”
This time she didn’t feel relief, just shock. “He won’t agree to that.
Yours will be too prestigious a contract for him to send me.”
“Then there’s no deal.”
She frowned. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“Being so nice to me. You don’t have to. We’ve had sex.”
“Always so suspicious.” He squeezed her nipple between his forefinger
and thumb. “Why can’t I just be nice to you, without you thinking there’s an
ulterior motive?”
“Because there always is. You said you had a proposition for me. That’s
an ulterior motive.”
He gave a slow nod. “Fair enough.”
“Why don’t you stop doing that for a minute,” she said as his fingers
continued their busy work. “And spill.”
“You don’t like it?”
“I didn’t say that. But it’s…distracting.”
“Maybe I like you distracted.”
“If you’re going to talk propositions, I’m going to need my wits about
me.”
He looked at her for long moments, as if considering something, then
moved away and got off the bed. “I need a drink.”
So did she. She scrambled off the bed and grabbed her panties.
At the door, he turned. “I didn’t tell you to get dressed. In fact, I didn’t
tell you to get out of bed.”
She glared at him. “What makes you think you’re in a position to tell me anything?”
“My house. My bed. My rules. But seeing I’m a reasonable man, I’m
willing to compromise.” He grinned as he tossed her his discarded shirt. “Just
this once.”
She held the shirt to her body as he shrugged into a pair of jeans. He
didn’t zip them and it elevated her lust levels again. He was all lean, solid
muscle. His chest, with just a smattering of dark hair arrowing down below that
zipper, made her mouth water. Not to mention wide shoulders that morphed into
hard biceps. Big hands capable of destroying a woman, as she’d
to give in. Less than an hour before, she’d told him quite categorically that
sex was off the table.
How would he see her now? As someone who wasn’t as good as their word?
How would that figure in his decision to offer her company the contract for his
work? If he changed his mind, she could probably kiss goodbye any extension of
her temporary employment. She’d been hoping that Reed’s contract would give her
those much needed brownie points with her boss. What if she’d now ruined
everything?
She spared him a glance and noted he had his eyes closed, his head
resting back on his folded arm. His lack of communication fed into her fears.
“You’re not exactly excessive in the after-sex conversation stakes, are you?”
“Hard to form a coherent sentence right now,” he said without opening
his eyes. “You fucked me good and proper.”
“I suppose that’s pretty coherent.” She lowered her voice to a mumble.
“And I think I’m probably the one who’s been fucked good and proper.”
“You do that thing,” he said, opening his eyes and aiming his slumberous
and sexy blue gaze at her. “Use your muscles to pump me so fucking hard I
thought you’d blow my head off.”
“Pilates. It teaches good control of the pelvic muscles.”
He grinned. “If you can screw me like that because of a few exercises,
I’ll throw in a subscription.”
“Subscription to what?”
He hiked himself up onto one elbow and looked down at her. “There’s
something I need to run past you. A proposition if you like.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I keep doing Pilates and you’ll give me
the contract for the development?”
“Not exactly.” He reached out and ran a finger over her breast. “And
you’ve already got the contract.”
A heady relief filtered through her, which had nothing to do with the
very pleasurable way his thumb stroked her nipple. “You haven’t had Tom’s quote
yet.”
“I’ll pay what he asks, on one condition.”
“Which is?” She already feared what it was. Her. Sex.
“That I get you as the main photographer.”
This time she didn’t feel relief, just shock. “He won’t agree to that.
Yours will be too prestigious a contract for him to send me.”
“Then there’s no deal.”
She frowned. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“Being so nice to me. You don’t have to. We’ve had sex.”
“Always so suspicious.” He squeezed her nipple between his forefinger
and thumb. “Why can’t I just be nice to you, without you thinking there’s an
ulterior motive?”
“Because there always is. You said you had a proposition for me. That’s
an ulterior motive.”
He gave a slow nod. “Fair enough.”
“Why don’t you stop doing that for a minute,” she said as his fingers
continued their busy work. “And spill.”
“You don’t like it?”
“I didn’t say that. But it’s…distracting.”
“Maybe I like you distracted.”
“If you’re going to talk propositions, I’m going to need my wits about
me.”
He looked at her for long moments, as if considering something, then
moved away and got off the bed. “I need a drink.”
So did she. She scrambled off the bed and grabbed her panties.
At the door, he turned. “I didn’t tell you to get dressed. In fact, I didn’t
tell you to get out of bed.”
She glared at him. “What makes you think you’re in a position to tell me anything?”
“My house. My bed. My rules. But seeing I’m a reasonable man, I’m
willing to compromise.” He grinned as he tossed her his discarded shirt. “Just
this once.”
She held the shirt to her body as he shrugged into a pair of jeans. He
didn’t zip them and it elevated her lust levels again. He was all lean, solid
muscle. His chest, with just a smattering of dark hair arrowing down below that
zipper, made her mouth water. Not to mention wide shoulders that morphed into
hard biceps. Big hands capable of destroying a woman, as she’d
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