She gave him another assessing look and Cole felt a moment’s pity for anyone who came across that face in a courtroom. He held up his hands, trying as hard as he could to look harmless. Trustworthy. Whatever she needed him to be to feel safe and relax. It must have worked because she shrugged and turned, presenting her back to him. But she was still sitting on the other end of the couch.
“Maybe an orangutan could touch you way over there, darlin’, but for this to work you’re gonna have to get a whole lot closer.” Leaning forward, he slipped his hands under her arms and pulled her across the couch and onto his lap. She started squirming as soon as he set her down, sending a pulse of pure lust through Cole’s groin. Her thong was still in his pocket, which meant that her sweet spot was bare under that skirt… He bit down on a groan. They were basically in the same position they’d been in at the track, her ass nestled against his crotch.
So what went wrong? Things had seemed to be motoring along nicely back there until suddenly they weren’t. Cole hated to think that it was something he’d done. He was usually in sync with his lovers and enjoyed figuring out what would excite them the most. He’d thought she would enjoy a little mild dominance and submission—strong women often did. But not this one.
Cole turned his attention back to Sarah’s massage. At his urging, she leaned forward and braced her hands on his knees. Her motion arched her back, moving her warm valley right over his cock. It was a struggle not to press upward but he resisted. Relaxation first.
He spanned Sarah’s shoulders with his hands and got to work, pressing his thumbs into the sides of her neck. “Got some serious knots in here, darlin’. Something got you wound up?”
“Hmmm? Oh, you know. This and that.”
No, he didn’t know but he’d sure like to find out. “You worried about your car? ‘Cause there’s no need. I promise you that I’ll fix it and take care of you until I do.”
“Nah, not worried ‘bout that,” she said, her words a bit slurred. Was that the wine or was the massage working?
“A work thing then. Them New York City law offices can be real tough places, I hear.”
The muscles under his hands twitched. Jackpot. Not too surprising given her reaction to the call she’d received in his truck.
She didn’t reply. He was going to have to do a little digging.
“You didn’t seem too happy when the phone rang earlier.” He smoothed the muscles of her shoulders down with the heels of his hands as he spoke.
“It was our newest associate, Charles. He’s the son of one of my boss’s buddies. I’ve been assigned to mentor him.” Her fingers made air-quotes around the word mentor.
“Not part of your job description?”
She made a soft hmph. “For an associate at a law firm there’s nothing that’s not part of the job description. Don’t get me wrong. Normally I wouldn’t mind working with a newbie, but the bastard doesn’t actually do anything. We get the assignments but I end up doing all the work. Which is just as well because the jerk is totally incompetent.” She shook her head, disgust thick in her voice. “I don’t know how he even passed the bar.”
“Why would the firm take on someone who’s not qualified? I mean even if he is the son of a friend, wouldn’t they be worried about their reputation?”
“You’d think so, right? I think my boss owes this guy’s father a favor. Maybe it’s about money. Anyway it’s been made very clear that no one cares how the work gets done, only that it’s done right. Of course, since there’s supposed to be two of us that means that I get twice the work with no additional help.”
Things were becoming clearer. “Aw, darlin’, that sucks.”
“Yeah, it does,” she said, but some of the vehemence had left her voice.
He worked on the muscles of her upper spine for a few moments. “It’d be nice to be able to unload some of that burden, wouldn’t it?” he asked softly. “To not have to be the one in charge all the time?”
“Would it ever.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “It’s been like this for months. It’s…it’s really starting to take a toll on me, you know?”
“Yeah, darlin’, I know.” Cole rubbed his hands all over her back, sweeping up and down before coming to rest on the upper curve of her behind. It was a delicious ass but Cole’s mind wasn’t only on sex. Sarah needed more than a good lay—she needed someone she could lean on. Someone who would support her while she shouldered the load that had been dumped on her. For the time that they were together, Cole wanted to be that person.