Vectra waited for the floor to open up and swallow her.
Qasim straightened. “Have a good day, sir.” He nodded to Oscar and moved on.
Oscar’s expression had gone from curious, to stunned, to elated in a matter a seconds. He steadied his voice in hopes of keeping those very visible emotions from betraying him to his daughter, however. “It’d be a good idea for you to bring him with you to Italy.”
“Dad!” Vectra was utterly floored.
Oscar shrugged. “What? It makes perfect sense. I trust Sim to tell me if I’m making good investments.”
“And what about all that ‘your blessing is all I need’ stuff?”
Oscar shrugged again. “I need your spiritual blessing and Sim’s financial. See? All my bases are covered.”
Vectra couldn’t help but laugh.
“I won’t apologize for today.” Qasim wasn’t surprised by Vectra’s unexpected arrival at his place that night earlier than he’d planned. But if he was honest, he’d actually counted on her showing up right after lunch.
“Do you think I expect an apology?” she asked.
“Don’t you?”
“Does my answer determine admittance?”
Qasim stepped aside, silently admitting her to move forward. “Did Oscar ask questions?” he asked.
“No...” Vectra’s tone was deceptively airy. “He really didn’t have to since you pretty much gave him all the answers.”
Grinning, Qasim closed the door and followed her inside the condo. “Is that a problem for you?”
She strolled the walnut flooring, her spiky sandals lightly clicking in her wake. “If it were a problem, I’d have come here demanding an apology.”
“Demanding,” Qasim repeated the word while stalking her around the open main room.
“I’d be well within my rights.”
“Would you, now?”
“Very well within... I’m just not all that fond of my dad being ‘in the know’ about my sex life.”
“Understood.” Qasim gave in to soft laughter. “But in my defense, the man did look very happy.”
Vectra cringed. “Could we just not talk about it?”
She turned to resume her trek around the inviting room and Qasim resumed his prowl behind her. “I’m good with not talking.”
Vectra heard him impossibly close behind her. She turned in time to find herself against the side of one of the towering bookcases in the living room doorway.
Qasim dipped his head, at the same time trailing his hand down the soft fabric of Vectra’s dress. Then, he tugged up her thigh, hugging it against his hip.
Vectra sealed herself against him, rolling her hips until she was perfectly aligned with his shaft. The organ had rapidly made the transition from semi to rock-hard beneath the fine material of his sandalwood-colored trousers. Eagerly, she angled her head and outlined the felt-smooth curve of his mouth with the tip of her tongue.
Her tentative initiation of the kiss was drowned beneath a robust growl that did weird things to her stomach. The erotic roll of her hips became more insistent, a grind that rubbed her clit along the ridge of his sex. The action sent explosive spasms through her core.
Qasim showed mercy, massaging the hand that supported her thigh against his hip. Strong fingers walked the length of the limb until they brushed the middle of her lace panties.
She shuddered in reaction and welcomed the new layer of pleasure. Their kiss became throatier. His tongue worked feverishly inside her mouth as if to slake a deep-seated lust. Vectra loosed faint, tortured whimpers and met Qasim’s demanding kiss with her own. Her nails raked the crisp whiskers shading his jaw.
Vectra was so absorbed in the kiss that she lost track of what his skillful fingers were doing. She flinched when one breached the quivering folds of her sex.
Qasim suddenly broke the kiss, sharp curiosity sweltering in his midnight stare. “What?” he probed.
“Sorry.”
“Did I hurt you?”
“No, Sim—”
“Have I been hurting you, V?” He tilted his head, lowering it just a fraction in order to look at her more directly.
A delighted chill countered the heat that had been ravishing Vectra when he shortened her name. Qasim squeezed her thigh, giving it a gentle jerk that centered her.
“Just tender.” She let him see her discomfort over the admission. “It had been a while, a long while. Years...” she confessed.
He grinned, the action narrowing his gaze and accentuating the draw of his dark eyes. “That’s got to be the best thing I’ve heard in a long time.”
“Hmph.” She wasn’t convinced. “Trust me when I say it sounds way better than it feels.”