“Yes,” he says, “I’m looking for Naomi Grayson.”
I frown. “That’s me, but I don’t—”
“Naomi,” I hear from behind me. Andrew joins me at the door. “I called him. This is Josh. He’s here for your car keys.”
“What? Why?”
“I arranged for him to tow it to his garage and find out what’s wrong. They’re the mechanics that Mr. Sterling uses, and the garage isn’t too far from here. ”
I’m shocked that he took the time to do that—that he would even think to do that. I grab my keys from my bag in the dining room and hand them to Josh. “Please be careful with her,” I say. “I’ve been through a lot of stuff with that car.”
Josh smiles as he takes the keys from me. “We’ll make her good as new, promise.”
He heads back to his truck, and I’m left wondering how I didn’t notice that there was a giant-ass tow truck in the driveway when I opened the door. You’ve seriously got to work on your observation skills, Naomi. “You didn’t have to do that,” I say to Andrew. “I was going to take care of it.”
“I know you were, but I figured it might be easier if you didn’t have to worry about one more thing.”
How true that is. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Something in his tone makes me look up at him, and I’m struck by the genuine truth there. He wanted to do this for me. I feel myself being drawn in by him, and that can’t happen. Not until I’ve shared what’s on my mind. “You and I need to talk about something.”
“Oh?”
I lead him through the kitchen and out onto the patio. I don’t want to risk being overheard by my uncle in the dining room. As soon as he shuts the door I turn to him.
“Listen. As much as I like you, and how you make me feel, I’m not a fan of close calls. I told you what’s at stake for me with this job. I can’t afford to lose it. You can’t do things like what you did in that meeting, and with the coffee room this morning and in my room here yesterday. It’s too many close calls.”
“I see.” He looks at me, and my body instinctively heats up under his gaze. “Though you have to admit there’s something about the close call that’s undeniably hot.”
I try to disagree immediately, and can’t. “That’s not the point.”
“Just think about it, and imagine me fucking you right up against this glass, your uncle able to come into the kitchen any second and see us.”
The image fills my mind and my pussy reacts immediately. “Andrew—”
“I like a little danger, and the look on your face says you do too. Tell me I’m wrong.”
I take a breath and turn away to look over the grounds. I get too caught up in him too quickly. Looking away is good. “I need this job, Andrew. I have nowhere else to go, and I can’t risk it.”
I feel him behind me, and his hands snake around my waist until he’s holding me completely. The gesture is both comforting and sensual and I let myself relax against his chest.
“I don’t think I’m quite ready to give up spontaneity, but I think we can compromise,” he says.
“Oh? How’s that.”
He presses a soft kiss behind my ear. “Think of it as more of planned spontaneity. I tell you what I want, you tell me what you want. Then we can both agree.”
Something loosens in my chest, and relief washes over me like a cool wave. I was worried he might say he didn’t want to play by my rules, that he didn’t care what I thought. I would have been forced to say no to everything, and I just don’t want that. “I can live with that.”
“I won’t put you in any more positions like at the meeting,” he says. “I wasn’t really thinking about the consequences, and I’m sorry.”
“Forgiven,” I say. “Though I do want to know what you were thinking about.”
He laughs in my ear. “How hard you make me whenever I’m near you.”
It’s true. I can feel his erection behind me, and the knowledge that I—still mostly a virgin—put it there fills me up with a mixture of awe and pride.
“I know that we’ve both had a bit of…sexual frustration today, and I’d like to point out that my room is the furthest from your uncle’s in the house.”
I turn around so that I’m facing him. “Oh, you noticed that?”
“I did. I think he may have chosen his intentionally so that he’s far away from me, but that does have its advantages.” He covers my mouth with his, a hungry kiss that demands everything. My body reacts immediately, like it’s been waiting for its fix of Andrew. I’m growing wet and my nipples are stiff and aching against the fabric of my shirt. Then he releases me and steps away completely. It’s jarring. I feel like I just came down a staircase and missed a step. “I think we can both fix our frustration if you make a visit to my room tonight. After Roger is sleeping, of course.”