The Collision on Hardwood Drive (20 page)

I looked straight in his beautiful, deep eyes and stepped forward, letting him know that I hadn’t—that I would never change my mind about this again. He brushed a tear away from my cheek, sparking warmth between us at the touch.

I relaxed in the circle of his arms as he dropped the bags he held and wrapped himself around me, letting me collapse against him. I pulled him inside and let him shut the door as our mouths collided. Our tongues met urgently, erasing the loneliness of these past few days. My knees went weak, his presence affecting me profoundly.

“Stephanie,” he whispered. There was an apology buried in that utterance, but passion came through loud and clear.

“Come in,” I whispered against his mouth, nearly stumbling over the two large brown bags on the floor as I stepped back—but Rob caught me, righted me, and kept me stable. “What did you bring?”

“Groceries,” he said as he ran his hands over my sides, my back. “I’m going to make you dinner.”

“Rob,” I said, “Let me be frank with you. I like you, I’ve always liked you but lies are something I will never tolerate. You’ve showed me you care and I’ll always appreciate that but please, don’t lie to me ever again. It destroys everything. And no driving drunk either.”

“I made a mistake,” he said, “And it will never happen again, I promise.”

Hunger replaced the knot of pain that had tormented my stomach over the past few days, and I suddenly realized I was starving.

We talked as he cooked, and I let him explain,
really
explain, what happened that night. “You were right,” he said as he let me taste a bit of what he was preparing. “When I realized what happened, what I’d done, I figured I would offer to fix your car and leave it at that. No cops, no trouble. I wasn’t thinking about anything else. The plan stopped there. But after that first night, you wouldn’t leave my mind even after you’d been gone for hours.”

The soft words lit a fire under my skin, and I shivered. It was so rare that he would say such beautiful things to me—he cared for me, of course, he did, but he seldom vocalized it like this. I only smiled and kept quiet, remembering how I had felt the same way that night.

“Once your car was fixed, I tried to forget about the whole thing—the lie, the accident. Everything that happened between us was real, and I just wanted us to enjoy that. I wanted us to have that and to
keep
that.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have been on the road with a few drinks in me
and it was wrong. If the cops got involved—well, you know what would have happened. I didn’t think; I just responded. Before I knew you, the company was important, but once I knew you—the thought of losing
you
made everything else irrelevant. If I could do it all over again, I would tell you the truth in a heartbeat—even if you called the cops.

His gray eyes glistened with sadness and regret, but the emotion passed, replaced by his trademark strength. “Forgive me,” he said, as though knowing—or at least hoping—that I now would.

“My dad wants to pay you back,” I whispered to Rob as my lips curled in a tiny grin.

Rob rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Tell him it was a gift.
”

“Ah, you don’t know my dad,” I mused.

*

After dinner, Rob and I retired to the couch. I stretched my legs across his thighs as he massaged my feet, drawing a contented sigh out of my mouth occasionally. Suddenly, I burst into a fit of giggles—I just couldn’t help myself. Rob looked instantly confused, then amused. “What’s so funny, babe?”

“I’m just—” I stopped for a moment to catch my breath. “I’m just thinking about how
scared
Joe was after that day at the coffee shop. He’s terrified of being associated with me now.”

“
Good
,” Rob said, a wave of jealousy coursing across his features, followed by a confident smirk, the one I love on him. “That pansy better stay away from you.”

I laughed again before leaning in to kiss him. I couldn’t get enough of him, wanting to familiarize myself with the taste of him. Our limbs tangled, and our movements became wild, needy.

Rob drew back slowly, reluctantly. His lips were puffy where I’d kissed them. “We can take this slowly,” he said, his voice strained. “We don’t have to rush.”

“No,” I said, voice hardly more than a whisper. “Stay. Please? Let’s go to the bedroom.”

He said nothing, but locked our fingers together and stood to follow me as I led him into the bedroom. Without speaking, he lifted my sweater over my head and kissed me while I unbuttoned his shirt and slid it from his shoulders.

I unbuttoned my jeans and kicked them off. In my bra and panties, I climbed under the covers to watch him take his pants off, marveling at his smooth skin in the moonlight.
His eyes shone like liquid smoke in the passing lights.

When he joined me under the sheets, he was already hard. His boxers did little to cover his thick length. I moved closer to him. We faced each other with our lips barely touching and breathed each other. My breath was thin and excited; his was deep and sure. His hands roamed over my body and explored the curves of my thighs. He moved slowly, as though he wanted to memorize every curve and valley of my body. The nerves between my heart and my stomach shivered, sending a thrill down my body, ending between my legs. I began to ache for him, even as his touch traveled lightly over my ass.
He stretched out one arm beneath me, scooping my breast in his palm and fondling it lovingly. With his other hand, he ran smooth circles around my slick clitoris.

I began to explore his body too. I ran my fingers through his hair before trailing them down his nape and skimming over his hard, muscular chest. I felt his legs, his muscular calves pressing against mine. The contrast of his coarse hair against my soft skin sent sparks shooting up my spine.

He gently squeezed my breast, massaging my nipples between his fingers. I was keenly aware of the tiny bud between my legs growing, swelling with arousal. I felt a familiar heat course through my body, spiraling toward my clit. I parted my legs, wanting him—but he only stroked the outside of the damp material covering me. I whimpered as he brushed aside the edge of my thong, trailing his fingers along the most sensitive part of my thigh.

I ran my hands down the front of his boxers, feeling his stiff cock. I teased it out of the front opening, feeling a slickness escaping from the
tip. He sucked in his breath sharply. I’d surprised him.  He pushed into my hand, jerking his hips forward roughly to increase the pressure. I let him settle between my thighs, feeling him thrust between my legs. Against me, but not into me—not yet. My lower lips coated his cock with their wetness, making the friction smooth and blissful.

“Wait,” Rob ordered, his voice low and throaty. “I’m going to enjoy every inch of you.”

Our lips met again, teasing and meeting in a playful dance. He sucked on my bottom lip gently, increasing the pressure until I could only think of that mouth on another part of my body. He lowered his mouth to my neck, then to my breasts—the care he took with me sent another thrilling chill across my skin.

Even lower now, he kissed my inner thighs and exposed my clit with his fingers. I moaned softly as I felt him against me, exploring the pulsating warmth under his tongue. It felt exquisite; all my nerve endings went off in clusters like fireworks.

“I need you in me,” I breathed, desperate for it. “I can’t wait—Rob,
please
.”

“
God
, you’re so beautiful, Stephanie,” he said. “I love the taste of you on my mouth. I love your body. I’m going to make you come so hard.”

He rolled over on his back, so I could straddle his hips. I let him circle my inner lips for a moment, just for the sheer electric pleasure of it. Then, I pushed myself down onto the crown of his cock and let him fill me. I cried out, arching my back, unable to control myself as his stiffness kindled every nerve inside me. I rocked against him, heat flooding my veins. He rolled his hips up, matching my pace and intensity, thrusting deeper inside me.

He cupped my ass, gripping me tightly and guiding my body. I cried out again and again, as arousal flared under my skin. I bit down on his shoulder as he dragged me down closer, thrusting up faster now. His cock began to throb. I knew he was close, but I couldn’t hold on for him.

“I’m coming,” I breathed, moaning. “I’m
coming
.”

He bit his lip and groaned as I felt him thrust up even faster, harder. I allowed my orgasm to consume me, my bones feeling like liquid. The warmth of satisfaction and fulfillment rushed through me as I collapsed on his chest. He smiled and wrapped his arms around me tightly. He kissed my cheek as he slipped out.

I couldn’t sleep that night. I lay awake next to him, drinking in the sight of his face resting so peacefully next to mine. I traced my fingertips over his back, up his arm. I smiled at his silhouette and felt safe in his comforting embrace. As the sun came up, Rob stirred and shifted closer to me. The rays of light gave the bedroom a hazy glow as I finally drifted to sleep, my body still buzzing with the pleasure of being loved.

11

Today was going to be
huge
. The shareholders had spent the afternoon casting their votes, and tonight was the night we found out who won control of the board. Rob tried to play it cool during the last few days, pretending that the vote
wasn’t
consuming his every thought. I could see past his stoic façade, though. He was worried, plain and simple. When he thought I wasn’t looking, that worry creased his face, and his shoulders drew up with tension.

We talked a lot about what would happen if he won—and what would happen if he
didn’t
. It became clear to me that his passion for his company didn’t stem from a desire for power or money, but rather for the success of GI and its employees. After fifteen years with the company, Rob would be devastated by a loss. He had molded the company into what it was today. The thought of Hank gaining control of the company and restructuring it the way he planned—the thought made me shudder.

I dropped that train of thought and looked at myself in the mirror. I had been standing in front of my closet for what seemed like hours, debating what to wear. I wanted to look perfect.

I was supposed to be at Rob’s place in an hour to help welcome his guests for a dinner party he was throwing in anticipation of the results. They would be there to congratulate him on a win or, God forbid, support him in case of a loss. The guest list was made of executive associates from GI, some of Rob’s closest friends (probably all blonde-haired beauties), and a few city council members. The room would be filled with the most prominent members of society. To say I felt intimidated would be the biggest understatement of the century.

I sighed and frowned at my closet, brought back to the present and my current dilemma. What does a person even wear to a
soiree such as this? I fiddled with the bow of my robe, biting down on my lip as I rifled through my closet.

I had spent the last hour in the bathroom, curling my hair and perfecting my face with the priciest make-up I could afford. I had lengthened my lashes, dabbed the insides of my wrists with perfume (even splashing a bit behind my ears), and kissed the mirror for good luck.

Now, I was naked under the robe, save for a white lacy thong, and I had no idea what else I could put on. I was wearing the only article of clothing I owned that seemed fancy enough for this occasion.

The buzzer to my apartment rang, startling me from my search.
Fuck
. Rob’s driver wasn’t supposed to be here for another half hour. I pulled my robe tightly around me and ran to the door to tell him I’d need a few minutes. Nothing in my closet seemed right, and I had planned to stand in front of the armoire for at
least
another twenty minutes before grabbing something at random out of sheer desperation.

But to my surprise, I saw nothing when I peeked through the peephole. I frowned and opened the door slowly, keeping the chain on—I didn’t want another unexpected visitor, after all. When I didn’t see anyone at eye-level, I looked down. A large white box sat prettily on my welcome mat. I unlatched the lock, still a bit hesitant, and brought the box inside. There was a yellow sticky note on top of the package.

Rob instructed me to drop this off. I will be out front with the car when you are ready. Please do not feel the need to rush. —Marco

So, it
was
Rob’s driver, but he wasn’t here to pick me up yet. I carried the box into my bedroom, feeling much more relieved at the extra time I had on my hands, and set it on my bed. I opened it slowly, holding my breath in anticipation—gifts from Rob were always something to be savored. On top of the cream-colored tissue stuffed inside was a light blue envelope, which I tore open instantly.

Steph—I hope you’re reading this in your robe.

I smiled, remembering when Rob had caught me the other day in this position—robe tied loosely over a slip while I tapped my foot in deliberation in front of my closet. Apparently, I was always rather indecisive when picking an outfit to meet Rob in. It made me giddy to think he remembered that moment.