Their Virgin Secretary (Masters of Ménage #6)(60)

She sighed and suddenly his arms were full of Belle, his whole world narrowing to the feel of her as she eased herself onto his lap and wrapped herself around him. Just like that, his cock sprang to full attention and he had to shift so he wouldn't grind himself against her. Instead, he wrapped her tight in his arms. Just a minute. He would let go in just one minute.

"I won't say I wasn't mad and hurt, but … " she sighed against him. "I don't want you to go."

Her whisper slid warm and tantalizing across his skin. She turned her face up to his, and god help him, Kell couldn't stop himself. She was right there, so close, her lips just over his. The world slipped away, and nothing mattered except the woman he held close.

He kissed her, his lips on hers, taking hers. The night in the suite had been incendiary, but this was softer, more intimate. So potent and wonderful … and dangerous.



       
         
       
        

She gasped as he claimed her mouth, but then she opened to him. She followed the rhythm and depth of his kiss with ease, as though they'd shared a thousand such kisses, danced the long slow grind of Dominance and submission together until they were in perfect harmony.

His whole body-not just his cock-reacted to her, tensing, shuddering, hardening. She made his heart pound, his brain haze over. Even breathing felt different when he had Belle in his arms. She made him feel more alive.

He was going to lose himself here if he wasn't careful.

Abruptly, Kell ended the kiss. He needed to maintain distance between them however he could.

As their eyes met, hers went wide with stunned hurt. "You can't even kiss me?"

He ached with the need to pull her close again, but the pain hovered just under the surface and he never wanted her to feel the agony he'd endured. "Not like this. This isn't sex, Belle. This is more. These are feelings, and I can't do those. I want you so badly, but I can't have you in any way but sexually. I can't share more than passion and bodies. So it would be better if I left. You could be happy with them. They really love you, Belle."

With a long sigh, she let him go and shrank back to her seat, her eyes on the puppy again. He was now in a stare-off with an orange tabby cat dancing on the fence and taunting him. "I don't know if it will work, Kellan. I think you're more important to them than you think. From what I can tell, they were drifting before you came to Chicago. I worry they'll drift again if you leave. I've watched you guys for a year now. Your friendship is a delicate balance. You work as a team in every aspect of your lives. I really think it will be the same in a romantic relationship. I think it's why they've been so insistent about sharing."

He hadn't thought about it that way. Before they'd met Belle, the three of them hadn't tried anything beyond a one-night stand because Kellan had refused to try a long-term relationship. But before he'd come along, Tate and Eric had attempted to date women. Nothing had stuck.

What would it be like if Kell dropped out of the picture and his friends made Belle their woman? Tate was too soft around Belle. He just let her walk all over him. Eric didn't think about things like schedules. Belle would end up managing everything and that might become a burden. Kell recognized that he and Belle worked well together to juggle the details in their daily work lives. He enjoyed sharing that little bond with her. He'd never had a partner either professionally or romantically like Belle. Could he truly leave her and not be gutted?

Through the open door, he heard Tate and Eric start to argue about some case. It had to be getting heated because their voices could be heard over the ugly puppy's whining. Apparently, furball had lost the staring contest with the cat and now seemed determined to prove he was louder, bigger, and badder. For her part, the cat just stared at some spot beyond the agitated dog. He could practically see the tabby rolling her eyes. 

He was the referee, Kellan understood in that moment. He had been since he'd joined the firm. Who would arbitrate Eric and Tate's often lengthy "debates" if he was gone? They could lose hours of productive time because they'd bicker over tiny interpretations in the language of a contract. Hell, they could waste hours arguing over the latest episode of Game of Thrones.

"Could you at least think about staying for a while?" Belle asked, leaning against him again. "I'm not asking for anything except a little time so we can all figure this thing out. I'm not sure this can work, but I'm willing to think about it."

And that was all he could really ask. Time. He had a little more of it with her, and that filled him with a disturbing amount of relief. "Yes, I'll stay. For now."