He nodded, blowing out a long breath. “You’ll be free soon too.”
I hoped, but things weren’t trending my way. I received another thanks-but-no-thanks letter, an especially painful one from the position out of Montreal.
I leaned back, closing my eyes, trying to kill the headache that lingered. The tension in the office wasn’t helping it.
I must have dozed off, jarring awake at the crunch of stones as Jason pulled onto a strip of gravel overlooking Cayuga Lake. “Tired over there?” he teased.
I stretched my hands high, smiling. “Someone was awfully chatty last night.”
And he was. He jabbered away until after midnight, filling me in on all the details about NorCon. I fell asleep on the phone with him, likely eliciting all sorts of sexy snorts and groans in my sleep.
He signed Lee and me up for the trip, the three-day event taking place the week of Thanksgiving. It would be a whirlwind of driving to New York City, back to Ithaca, and finally to Vermont for the long weekend.
He grinned, shifting into park and unfastening his seat belt in one smooth motion. “I’m flying to Boston after NorCon for a weekend with my brothers,” he explained, handing me a container of deliciousness. “It’s a tradition. This year it’s Ethan’s turn to host.”
“You cook together?” I asked, smiling. I wondered if they were as handsome as he was, seeing that he was clearly packing sexy genes. If they were, it was a shame I didn’t have any single friends.
“More like I cook, Luke drinks, and Ethan colors,” he chuckled, settling in with his dish of steamed edamame and chicken.
“He colors?” I asked, popping a scoop of rice in my mouth.
“Yeah, he’s an artsy-fartsy type. Talented kid too. It’s a shame he doesn’t do more with it.”
“You would have been a great chef,” I noted, stabbing a shrimp with my plastic fork. “But something tells me the boardroom has always called your name.”
“I always chased high-salary jobs,” he said. “I didn’t exactly grow up rolling in dough.”
I stuffed another scoop of rice in my mouth to avoid the subject. I didn’t know much about his childhood, but I knew it wasn’t pleasant. Like me, he wasn’t one to dish about his problems. I didn’t want to pry, as much as I wanted to know.
“My mother was a drunk, and my father left us. We weren’t stable until our grandparents took us in. Once I was old enough, I was raking leaves for cash or turning in bottles at the recycling plant. I knew if I had enough money, I’d never feel like that again, and so far, so good.”
I nodded in understanding. Growing up, I wasn’t destitute but didn’t have brand new clothes every school year either. Dad did what he could, and I appreciated the hell out of it.
“I have to fly up to Maine this afternoon,” he declared.
Now that wasn’t on his calendar. “Convention?”
“Last-minute invite to a shipyard event,” he said, smiling. “I need to make my rounds and meet with engineers.”
“Sounds riveting!” I teased. Like everything else, he had a knack for product design. I was still waiting for something he was bad at, other than being open. But dammit, he was getting better at that too.
I reached out and gripped his hand gently. “Stop in and see your brother, okay?”
“Already in the works,” he replied, smirking. “Someone’s getting a surprise visit.”
We ate in silence, watching the rain pelt the lake. It was calming, the steady downpour lulling anxieties, chasing away the troubles of the day.
“So...” he trailed, grinning as he plucked my empty container from my hand and tossing it in a bag with his, setting them in the backseat. “I’ve missed you.”
I smirked, recognizing the dip to his voice. “Oh?”
Without another word, he hauled me close, kissing me with a passion I hadn’t felt in weeks. After the fall, he treated me like a porcelain doll, scattering pecks, avoiding temptation, no matter how much I tried to entice him. Now that I healed, that restraint shattered, his hands back to biting into my flesh, his mouth devouring mine.
I followed his lead as he explored me, snaking a hand under my dress, tugging his mouth from mine when he discovered pantyhose blocking access. “Take those fucking things off!” he ordered.
I stared at him for a long moment, trying to discern if he was serious, his burning gaze melting any doubt. I did as I was told, kicking off my pumps and sliding my pantyhose down, careful to not snag them on the interior.
The controlled man disintegrated into desperation, primal needs shredding restraint to satisfy desire, weeks of separation setting us ablaze. We nurtured other parts of our souls but neglected the fundamental need that brought us together in the first place.
“Climb on my lap!” he ground out, rolling his seat back and unbuckling his belt, fumbling with his fly.
I climbed over carefully, thighs wedged between the center console and door panel, barely enough room yet just enough for our bodies to line up perfectly. As I nestled in his lap, finding my home, he hiked my dress up, yanking my panties to the side. I didn’t have time to lower myself before he entered me in one hard thrust.
“Ride me!” He leaned as far back as he could, resting his hands on my hips as I started the rocking he so thoroughly enjoyed.
I had been waiting, denied his touch for too many nights, all but consumed by the flames between us. This was where it all began, this intimate dance, and now that he was mine, I couldn’t wait to see how hot we could burn. He growled, and I was undone, throwing my head back and giving in, rolling my hips to take him over and over.
“You’re so fucking sexy!” he groaned, heavy-lidded as he watched, that sexy jaw clenched in desire.
I couldn't speak, pumping along his length, far too desperate for small talk. There was no need for words. It was strictly physical, a frantic burst releasing
