“Hello, Earth to Mia.”
I turned at the sound of Max's annoyed voice. “What?”
Max waved me out of his office. “Just go, both of you. It’s no use trying to talk to you when you have that glazed-over look in your eyes. And shut the door behind you."
Zane stepped forward and wrapped an arm around my waist. “You ready to call it a day and go home?”
I nodded. “Sure, let me just go grab my things. I’ll meet you by the elevators.” I started to move away, but he was faster. His head descended and our lips met. It was too brief, and I badly needed more.
“You are such a tease,” I muttered as I stalked back to my office, Zane's chuckle trailing after me.
As I approached my desk, I saw Brandon walking toward me. I hadn’t seen him since before we left for Queensland. He looked sad or annoyed; had he seen us kiss? “Hi, Brandon, how have you been? We must go out for a latté soon,” I said, trying to calm the storm as I felt one heading my way.
“Oh, so you remember me, do you? You’ve been back a week and not once have you bothered to contact me.” He crooked his head toward Zane’s office door. “So, how long have you and Zane been hot and heavy, about three weeks?”
I had no idea where the conversation was leading, but I knew when someone was jealous and it was so out of character for Brandon. He was one of the nice guys, but by the look on his face, I could tell our encounter sure wasn’t going to make me happy. “Uh, yeah, I guess.” There was no point in hiding or denying it any longer, especially since Max knew. I took my bag off the back of my chair and turned toward him. “You know we are just friends, right? Nothing more. I apologise if I gave you any reason to think otherwise.”
“You know he will boot you out of his bed after about a week, don’t you? He never keeps a woman for long,” he sneered. “I sure hope you don’t get your hopes up, Mia, because he will dump you. He’s got a reputation for it.”
I stepped forward and spoke, giving my growing anger free reign. “Please stop. I have feelings for Zane, strong feelings. Be very careful what you say about him. I want us to remain friends, and friends do not speak badly about people I care about.”
Brandon stepped back. “You care about him? That’s news to me; you never mentioned that fact over our last coffee. I remember you saying he was overbearing to work for instead, and now you care for him?”
“Brandon, we have been friends for a while; let’s not spoil it. You need to respect my feelings and I really want us to remain friends.”
“Hey, I’m just giving you a friendly warning. It’s no skin off my nose if you don’t listen to it.”
He stomped off, leaving me feeling sad. I just had to do the adult thing and let it go.
“Don’t blow a fuse, angel.”
That deep baritone behind me had my pussy throbbing. I turned to find Zane standing several feet away, his hands in his pockets. I couldn’t read his expression. Had he heard Brandon’s caustic remarks? He closed the distance separating us and took me in his arms. “I care about you, too, sweetheart. There is no way I’m ever getting tired of you.”
“You heard?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I heard. He’s just jealous that you are mine and he missed out. Now, let’s go home.”
“Oh, is it my turn with the rope. Can I get to use it on you this time?” I asked him, knowing what the answer would be.
“Uh, baby, I’m the teacher, remember. I have to initiate you a little bit more before I give you any sense of control.”
I let my hand travel down his back to cup his arse. “Are you scared, stud?” His grin lit me on fire.
“Bring it on, angel.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
MIA
When we reached the pub, we barely made it up the stairs.
“Come on,” I said, taking his hand and leading him to the bed. I shut the door before Zane spun me around so my back was against it and tore at my clothes—first my shirt then my bra, and finally my skirt and underwear. Within seconds, I was standing stark-arse naked before him, his gaze hungry. I reached for his shirt and fumbled with it until it was heaped on the floor. God, he had a fabulous chest. I appreciatively ran my hands across his chest and down his stomach until I found his zipper. I badly wanted a taste of him. Catching my bottom lip between my teeth, I undid his pants and freed his cock, surprised to find him fully erect already. I wrapped my fingers around his thick shaft and gave it a firm stroke, up then down then back up again, my palm working over the head.
He put both of his hands flat on the door above my head and looked down, watching as I stroked and rubbed his cock. He sucked in a breath. "Fuck, that feels good," he said, claiming me again. He left my mouth and kissed a path down my throat, stopping only once he had one of my nipples in his mouth. Licking, kissing, sucking, and biting. I was awash in sensations. I arched my back, thrusting my breast deeper into his mouth. "Yes, God, yes, more. Please. More."