Tempting the CEO(20)

“You deserved it. And don’t even think of mentioning hooking up with me to my mother. That will not go over big. I think she thinks I’m still a virgin.”

That got a smile out of me. “If she does, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I could sell her.”

“Seriously, what I was going to say is after meeting your mother I understand why you might be so focused on making sure a guy understands you’re more than a Suzy. I get that. I do. But I didn’t really get a chance to meet Angelina. Other than when she was kicking Bob’s ass, of course, which, fun as it was, wasn’t really a full introduction.”

I laughed.

“So I came to ask her, you, out to dinner. After the deal closes, of course.”

“Which you managed to accomplish in record time, by the way.”

“Yep. I guess I did. Your client is so lucky he hired the right lawyer.”

“I’m going to ignore the double entendre in that.”

“I wish you would. Because I’m being on my best behavior here.”

I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You are. Although it is sort of high-handed to do all that closing-without-the-lawyers thing too, by the way.”

“It’s the way of the future, Angie.”

“Ouch! Now you’re just pissing me off.”

His sexy blue eyes dipped and I realized my nipples were hardening with him holding me this way. “Is that what I’m doing to you?”

I was still charged up from all that great sex with him. I’m surprised I hadn’t emitted pheromones through the airport that had wild dogs following me or something.

His hands circled my waist and then slid a little lower. With the leggings, there wasn’t much of a barrier between what he wanted to get at and, well, what I wanted him to get at. He cupped my ass and nuzzled my neck.

“It was very sweet of you to come here,” I admitted.

“I was looking for you outside the hotel earlier, too. I wasn’t just hailing a cab. But I had to wait at least ten minutes before I went after you—I didn’t want it to look like I was running after you, which I was of course—and then I was afraid I’d missed you.”

I smiled. “And then you saw my mom.”

“Yeah, it didn’t go quite how I planned. But this is better anyway.” He walked me back into the bedroom, sort of magically knowing the way, and urged me down onto the bed, continuing to kiss me. I ignored the indignant hiss of my kitty as she scurried away.

He’d win her over too eventually, I was sure.

“You have a nice place,” he whispered, pulling my T-shirt over my head.

“Yep. Lots of good places to go to dinner around here, too,” I got in between kisses.

His hand wandered along my stomach, causing it to jump in excitement. “I’m sure. We’ll have to check them out. Later.”

Oh, I wanted to. Well, when didn’t I want to with this guy?

But there was still that body odor thing from traveling all day. I pulled away from his kisses, laughing and trying to sit up. “Wait. Let me clean up first. I haven’t even taken a shower yet and I’ve traveled six hundred miles. And not on a private plane.”

He grinned. “You know I like it dirty.”

“That is so cheesy!”

“Don’t knock it. I almost had you out of your towel with that line.”

“Please! You did not!”

He rolled over on top of me, stretching my arms above my head and coming up a bit on his knees so I didn’t take his full weight. Our fingers twined together. And though I felt the hard-to-ignore evidence of how much fun we were going to have, his erection heavy in the cradle of my thighs, there was no urgency now. As if we both finally realized we had as much time with each other as we wanted.

I hooked my bare feet around his calves as he dusted his lips along my cheekbone.

“I was down when you showed up last night.” His voice was low. “Really down.”

I squeezed his fingers and watched his dark eyes shift to a shade of blue I wasn’t sure I had a name for. It reminded me of that Van Gogh painting, The Starry Night.

“What happened?”

“You don’t need to hear the gory details. I just wanted you to know that you—”

“I want to hear, Jed.”

He leaned closer to nibble my lower lip and then he whispered, “My little brother, Vernon, not my blood brother but my…a good kid. He got away from me somehow. Heroin.”

I unwound our hands so I could press my palms against his hot cheeks, and he turned his face into one, kissing it with a loud exaggerated smack.

“Is he okay?”

“Not yet. But he’s going to be.” His hands free, he got busy pulling my leggings down, leaning a little off me to do it, and I yelped at the transition.