Read Online When All Else Fails by J. M. Dabney - Free Book Online

lingering kisses, tangled limbs, and whispered words. There were unspoken promises or wishful thinking. She didn’t want to assume, but nothing stopped her from wishing for promises of forever.

 
     
     
Chapter Ten
     
     
    Stolen kisses, a few dinners, and a week of long night talks on the phone and she wanted more, but she had to work. Watching her lover all day every day in the office without being able to touch her the way she wanted was driving her insane. The memories of the weekend before weren’t helping. Flashes of visions—the sheen of sweat on Eva’s porcelain skin, flush of her cheeks, the way her body arched before she whimpered then screamed when she came—made her needy.
    It wasn’t only about the sex. Silly things she’d never thought about before made her smile at strange moments. Things like coming home at the end of the day to have dinner with Eva, or finding the woman already standing on the porch waiting for her. Cuddling on the couch, falling asleep, and waking up with her lover for the rest of her life. She’d thought about it in daydreams but never in the context of reality.
    The depth of her need for those things shocked her. With her parents’ pasts and her own dismal record in the romance department, she’d decided to push them away, filing them under unattainable.
    Her phone rang. Eva had taken a personal day, leaving her in charge of her own phone,. “Andrea Slade.”
    “Andrea, sweetie, have you come to your senses yet? I’m on my way home. No more business trips for a while. It’ll just be the two of us when I get there.”
    “Natalia, we already talked about this, and you made no secret about of your feelings about me and my friends. It’s not going to work—”
    “I’ll stop modeling,” she whined.
    “It’s not about you modeling. I love”—the words came out of nowhere—“someone else.”
    “Ava, it’s her, isn’t it? You left me. You’re daring to turn me down for her? The short, fat soccer mom. Does she do all those freaky things I wouldn’t lower—?”
    “Natalia!” A steel edge sharpened Andrea’s voice. “What’s between Eva and me is between us. You have no say whatsoever.”
    “You’ll realize your mistake, and then you’ll beg me to take you back. You will regret this!”
    The call disconnected with a click, and she dropped the phone back into the cradle. Falling back heavily in her chair, she scrubbed her palms over her face and blew out a heavy breath.
    She was confused by Natalia’s actions. Her ex couldn’t say good-bye fast enough after hurling insults when they’d spoken before. The breakup had been coming for a long time. She’d never made promises of forever. Natalia didn’t want to ruin her model’s figure, and the thought having something normal like a family was beneath her.
    Her breath caught at the thought of a family with her partner. What the hell had she been thinking? Fuck, her phone rang—her cell, not the office one—and with a tap to her Bluetooth, she connected the call. “Slade.”
    “Have you destroyed the office yet, screwed up my system?” A smile spread across her lips at the sound of Eva’s voice.
    “No, your files are completely intact, baby. Enjoying your personal day?”
    “Yes, matter of fact I am, but I miss my sexy boss and wonder if she’s caffeinating enough to keep herself going.”
    “Sexy boss? Should I be jealous?” Eva laughed.
    “Yes, you should. There’s something about a woman in a suit that just does it for me.”
    “What would your girlfriend think about this sexy boss you work for?” Smirking as the silence on the other end lengthened, she could almost picture Eva’s blush. “Speechless, Eva?”
    “Girlfriend?” Her lover asked.
    “Yes, what did you think you were?”
    “I don’t know. I’m not going to complain about the girlfriend label.”
    “I’m feeling the love, baby.” She looked around the empty office, her gaze stopping on the spot on the corner of her desk