“You’re not gonna go play ball or play grab-ass with Lennox?”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t want me here doing homework with you?”
He blushed. “It’s not that. It’s just . . . teachers usually sit through one problem, then say I’m on my own.”
“That doesn’t make sense to me. If I help you with the first problem, that’s no guarantee you’ll grasp the concept for the second problem. I’m not going to do the work for you, but I won’t abandon you either until you’ve got a better handle on it.”
“Thanks.”
The noise level increased as the kids relaxed enough to have fun. When Juice stayed with it, Tonto, Quay and DeMarius came over to see what he was doing. They returned to the court, but Quay got out his notebook and stayed. He did the same set of problems as Juice, and I had to withhold a chuckle when Juice reminded Quay to show his work.
Kiley provided food, and after lunch I played a game of horse with Willa and Needra. I tried not to obsessively track Lennox’s movements, because I knew I’d have her moving under me soon enough.
The kids had exhausted all sources of entertainment by three o’clock, so Kiley started rounding them up. She’d managed to score transportation from the Outreach Center and the kids razzed each other about being stuck on the “short bus.” They were so busy checking their phones—Kiley had enforced a no-phones rule during their activity time—that they didn’t notice that Lennox hadn’t gotten back on the bus with them.
I waited until the bus pulled away before I shut the door. I set the alarm system. I didn’t want any interruptions.
Then I faced her.
“Brady.”
“Lennox.”
“What now?” she said breathlessly.
“I’ve been obsessed with how this would play out when we were alone at my place.”
She inched backward. “What did you come up with?”
“Taking you across the hood of the Maybach.”
“I don’t see any cars in here.”
I stalked her. “I moved them out.”
“What are your other ideas?”
“Boxing ring or the weight bench.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re the closest horizontal surfaces. Or maybe because they’ll be softer on your back.” I paused. “Or on your knees.”
She swallowed hard. “Are those my only options?”
“Unless you’ve got other ideas.”
“I do.” She stopped moving.
“Name it.”
Her chest rose and fell and the pulse jumped in her throat. “Your bed. I know you want to prove you’re a wild man and I can’t think of any place I’d rather be when you let loose.”
Of course she said the perfect thing. I offered her my hand. When she sauntered closer, I held my other hand up to stop her. “This is as much skin-to-skin contact as I can deal with right now.”
“So if I did this”—she fisted her hand in my shirt and pulled me toward her until we were mouth-to-mouth—“and then this”—she rubbed her hips against mine—“would that speed things up?”
I fastened my mouth to hers, plunging my tongue between her lips, cranking up the need to a near combustible level. When she turned her head to take a breath, I played with that lip ring with my teeth and tongue until she whimpered.
“No, baby,” I whispered. “That just slowed things way down.”
Clasping her hand, I led her up the steel stairs to the outer door. I punched in the code for my residence and, once inside, took her up the stairs instead of using the elevator.
I could feel her wide-eyed gaze on my back as I entered the code required to exit the stairwell and enter my loft. We stepped into a dark hallway and I turned right. I’d give her the full tour later—the only place she’d see right now was my bedroom.
I hadn’t made my bed. My suitcase was open on the floor. The blinds were still drawn. Letting go of her hand, I picked up the bag from the drugstore with the box of condoms and tossed it on the nightstand. Then I saw her standing in the doorway.
“Come here.”
The sassy woman put an extra sway in her hips as she crossed the room.
I ran the backs of my knuckles across her jaw and down her throat, between her breasts and over her belly. Then I slid my hand down and cupped her. “Take your clothes off for me, Lennox.”
She didn’t ask if I wanted it done fast or slow. She circled my wrists and flattened my palms on her breasts without saying a word.
I hissed in a breath at her hardened nipples stabbing into my palms as I sank my fingers into the soft flesh of her unencumbered breasts.