In the Boss's Bed (Harlequin Blaze) (10 page)

15

J
AMIE
LOOKED
UP
at Maya, and in response to his sultry gaze, she swiveled her hips, grinding her center into his still-hard cock. He moaned with the sensation.

“What do you have in mind?” she asked him, scraping her fingernails down his chest. His muscles tensed under her touch.

In one swift movement he locked an arm around her waist, flipped her onto her back and he was on top of her as she squealed in surprise. He could have taken her again, but he didn’t. He wanted to savor her, spend the entire night learning her body, the taste of her soft skin, her most sensitive spots, her moans and the way she laughed and whispered his name. In spite of how urgent she made him feel, he wasn’t a complete animal. He wanted the night to last.

“I have an idea.” He got up from the bed and walked, still nude, into the bathroom. He was once again glad that Mary had booked him a suite for his stay. It proved invaluable for his meeting with Garrett Collins, but the sheer opulence was a nice treat. Plus, it gave his night with Maya an element of fantasy, as if it wasn’t actually happening in their real, everyday lives. This night was special. One that they probably wouldn’t get to relive. They might as well make the most of it while they could.

Jamie turned on the water in the large marble bathtub. He didn’t hear her come into the bathroom behind him.

“Well, this is certainly nicer than the bathroom in my room.”

“It’s not bad.” Jamie shrugged casually. Then he laughed. He wasn’t so much of a snob that he couldn’t appreciate the finer things. He was certainly a long way from where he’d grown up. He was appreciative of every luxury that he enjoyed in his adult life, because he’d worked hard for them, and he knew how quickly they could all be taken away. “How about a bath?”

“That’d be great.” She eyed the tub lustfully. “What will you do in the meantime? I think there’s a hockey game on.”

His mouth dropped in shock and she laughed. “Jamie, I’m obviously kidding. Won’t you join me in this bathtub that was obviously built for five people?”

“Nice of you to ask. Would you mind checking the cabinet there for some bubble bath?”

“I’d love to.”

Jamie watched her turn away from him and open the cabinet door. Her naked body was long and lean. Her skin an expanse of smooth, olive-colored velvet. She had tied her hair up in a loose knot and his eyes trailed from her delicate neck to her—
Wait! What is that?

“Maya, is that a tattoo?” His eyes focused on the small butterfly low on her back, above her right hip. He must have missed it before, but now his eyes were riveted.

“Oh, yeah.” She laughed, handing him a bottle of vanilla bubble bath. “That’s a souvenir from freshman year. I had just moved out of my parents’ house. When I was growing up they were so strict, and they always put so much pressure on me with my schoolwork and my activities. So when I finally moved out, the thrill of the freedom had me feeling wild and rebellious, and this was the result. Abby’s got one, too.”

Jamie poured out the bubble bath and he sat on the edge of the tub, waiting for it to fill. When Maya joined him, he took her hand. “So what happened to the rebellious Maya?”

“She almost flunked out first semester. Abby and I went out a lot, got drunk, went to parties,
experimented.
” Jamie’s eyebrows rose at the inflection on the word
experiment
. She laughed and shoved him playfully. “Anyway, that’s when I decided I had to buckle down, hit the books and be serious.”

So that’s what happened. Why she was such a perfectionist. Why she worked so hard. Why she wanted to be the best.
He trailed his fingers through the water. “How hot do you like it?” he asked her, an eyebrow wagging suggestively.

Her response was quick. “The hotter, the better.”

Jamie chuckled and turned off the water, stood and extended his hand. “After you.”

“Thank you.” She stepped in first and closed her eyes when she found herself knee-deep in the large tub. She settled in and gave a contented sigh.

“That good?” Jamie watched her with interest.

“Oh, yeah,” she sighed, her eyes still closed. “Join me?”

“You don’t need to ask me twice.” He turned and settled in the water as well, behind her, hugging her back into his chest. The hot water encapsulating his body felt incredible, but it couldn’t compare to the woman he held to his chest. “That is pretty good,” he murmured. “I should take baths more often.”

Maya wiggled a little in her spot between his thighs, as she settled in. “I love baths. It’s the only way I know how to relax.”

Jamie smoothed his hands over her flat tummy. “Really? The only way?” He looped one of his legs around hers, the action spreading hers with ease. His hand slid deeper into the water, until he reached her warm center. He dipped his fingers inside her warmth, and she moaned and brought her head back to rest on his chest.

While his right hand played below the water, the fingers of his left danced lightly over her neck and chest, then dropped to graze her breasts. Her nipples were stiff with anticipation and need. Jamie brushed past one with the palm of his hand and she stiffened in his arms. Dropping his head to her shoulder, he dipped his lips to the hollow of her shoulder while he plucked and played with the most sensitive parts of her body.

Maya gasped and thrashed lightly in his arms. While water splashed onto the marble tiles of the floor, the realization hit him, as if he hadn’t thought of it before. He and Maya were together. She was his, if only for one night. Her naked body pressed against his, as his cock flexed against her back. His fingers brought her to a shattering climax, as she cried out and shuddered in his arms.

As she calmed, he pressed his lips to the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her. He moved from behind her and got out of the tub. He reached for the large Egyptian-cotton towels and wrapped one around his waist. He extended his hand and helped her stand. His breath hitched at the sight of the water cascading down her dark skin in long rivulets. He wrapped the other towel around her shoulders and scrubbed her lightly, drying her, as he pulled her into a scorching kiss that transmitted every need he had.

He scooped her up in his arms and brought her back to the bedroom. He knew it was late, but he didn’t care. If this one night was all they would have, he would certainly take everything he could get.

16

M
AYA
WOKE
UP
with the sun in her eyes.
Why didn’t I close the curtains before turning in?
She squinted her eyes against the sunlight to look past it out the window, which was now somehow larger than she remembered. It was a sliding glass door.
My room doesn’t have a balcony.
She bolted upright, clutching the duvet to her chest. She looked down at the bed and saw Jamie stirring from his own sleep beside her.

“Maya?” he asked, his voice hoarse from sleep. “Everything okay?”

Okay? He wants to know if everything is okay?
In the harsh light of morning, Maya reflected on what they had done the night before. His hands and lips passing every surface of her body, scorching trails that she was certain would still be visible. He’d made her cry out, whimper and tremble beneath and on top of him.
And he wants to know if everything is okay?

Maya wasn’t okay. She’d had earth-shattering, mind-blowing, benchmark-setting sex with Jamie, a man that literally held her future career and reputation in his hands. A man she told herself would stay off-limits to her. She looked around for her purse. Her clothes. Anything. “What time is it?” she demanded, not finding any of her belongings.

Last night, she had been crazed. Hormonal. They were celebrating a successful business trip. She’d had that superboozy daiquiri. She promised herself that she would never,
ever
, drink again. She scolded herself.
You clearly can’t be trusted when you’re drinking, Maya.
She searched for any and every excuse to explain how she ended up in Jamie’s bed.

Jamie removed his shirt, which he had carelessly thrown over the bedside clock. “Ten minutes to seven.”

“Oh, God.” She brought her hands to her head. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep here.”

“Maya, it’s fine,” he said, his voice level.

“No, it’s not. I’ve got to get out of here,” she told him, still clutching the sheet to her breasts. “There are enough people from the convention staying at this hotel that if someone notices me leaving your suite, in last night’s clothes, people are going to assume,
correctly
, that I spent the night with you.”

“Okay, you’re right,” he reasoned.

“Where are my clothes?”

Jamie glanced around the room. “Your dress is over by the door.”

Maya measured the distance between the bed and the door, and wondered how to go about keeping the sheet that was covering her. “Can you look away?”

He was incredulous. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. Please look away. I need to get my dress.”

“Maya, we were pretty intimate, in several different ways last night, and we were naked the whole time.” He started listing out the things that they had done to, for and with each other only hours ago. His voice a low murmur that echoed through Maya’s core, and under the sheet, he ran a hand slowly up her thigh. “So, Maya, I don’t think it really matters if I see you naked one more time, does it?”

Maya glared at Jamie. He was still gorgeous, and sexy and with his hand making its way to her sweetest spot, she was at serious risk of staying in his bed with him. “Jamie,” she said in a stern tone. She felt the loss of his touch, and was struck with an immediate pang of regret.

“Fine,” he sighed with obvious frustration, pushing the covers away from his own body. Without an ounce of shame or regret, he strode naked to the door. His body stopped the breath in her throat as he picked her dress up from the floor. “Here.” He passed it to her, and, still nude, he walked out of the room into the hotel suite, leaving her alone to get dressed.

* * *

J
AMIE
WAS
SEATED
at the table, drinking a cup of coffee, when Maya emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed in last night’s clothes. When he left the room, he wasn’t about to admit that her outburst had hurt his feelings. But she was right. She shouldn’t be seen leaving his room. It was irresponsible for them to have fallen asleep. After the first time, hell, before they even got that far, he should have got dressed and walked her to her room. But he’d gotten greedy.

He didn’t have to look at her to know that she was still stunning this morning. Her outfit and shoes were exactly what she was wearing the night before. But now, as he forced his gaze to her, he saw her mussed hair and the rosy glow and slight abrasions on her neck and collarbone, where the rough hair of his face had scraped her, the small love bites he’d left with his lips and teeth. All indications were that she had been thoroughly taken the night before. And him sitting there naked, taking her in fully dressed, he felt the slight stirring in his cock. He needed her again. The hours he had spent with her the previous night had not been enough. Not by a long shot.

He returned to his coffee, not risking looking at her for any longer. “I found your purse,” he told her, gesturing to the bag in front of him on the table.

“Thanks.” She walked toward him.

“Want some coffee?”

“No, thank you,” she sighed quietly. She sat at the table next to him. “We need to talk.”

He turned to her. “We do.” They had an incredible night. But he knew that’s all it could be. One night of passion. In an effort to rid them both of the sexual tension, so they could actually focus on their work. The next few months would be make or break for J. Sellers Holdings. With the expansion to include the hotel properties in Montreal and the American acquisition, Jamie needed to concentrate on his work. A lot was riding on him, and he needed to put Maya out of his thoughts.

Maya hesitated. “I’m sorry I freaked out. It wasn’t fair. Last night was amazing.” He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand to stop him. “Let me finish, please,” she pleaded. “But my career is just too important to me. I can’t have people thinking that you hired me because I slept with you, or that any promotion or recommendation that might come from you have those reasons behind them. And I certainly don’t want to have to question my own integrity or success.”

Jamie nodded. “I can understand that,” he replied. “But, Maya, I have to tell you. You are an amazing assistant. And I know that you are destined for bigger and better things. I can tell you that anything you do, and anywhere you end up, it will be because of you, and it won’t be dependent on you sleeping with me or anyone else.” He suddenly regretted not stopping to put on his pants, as he sat there naked with Maya, having a conversation about appropriate work relationships.

“What happened last night won’t affect our working relationship. I promise. Last night was great.”
Better than that, really.
“But it won’t happen again. We both have to keep our eyes on the prize in the months ahead. These upcoming projects will need both of our full, undivided attention.”

“I agree.”

“And I know that I wasn’t alone in feeling the sexual tension that’s been between us the past couple of weeks.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“So really, last night was just us getting it out of our system. We’d been drinking. We’re in a strange city. So, it was almost obvious that we would end up in bed together.”

“That’s true,” she agreed. “It couldn’t be helped, really.” He was relieved when a small smile played on her lips. She checked the time on her cell phone. “So I’d better go. It looks like I’ve got quite a few emails here that need replies.”

“What time will the car be picking us up to go to the airport?”

She was at the door when she stopped. “Eleven.”

Feeling that their professional relationship had been saved, he nodded and smiled. “I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

“Sounds good.” She smiled as well and let herself out of his room.