Authors: Heather Thurmeier
“I see your point. What other ways might we tailor our advertising?”
“In a region where they value family, maybe we would show how your products can seamlessly slip into their daily lives, making families healthier without getting in the way of all the other activities they do in a day. Big health, small package. Or you know, something like that.”
She bit her lip and prayed she hadn’t said anything stupid. Already, her words were gone from her memory. She’d always found it difficult to retain information when she was nervous.
“I like what I hear,” Todd finally said, as the song stopped.
Instantly, Sawyer and Ruth were by their side.
“This one’s a keeper. I think you’re right about her. She’s definitely an asset, and I hope you won’t keep her hidden away next time I’m at the office. I’d like to hear more of her thoughts.”
“Absolutely. As I said, she’s an important part of our team.”
“I look forward to talking with you again. Soon. Enjoy your evening.”
The men shook hands and said pleasant goodbyes. Before she could object, Sawyer had her pulled in close, his hands on her lower back, his hips swaying to the slow, sensual beat of the music.
“You promised me no dancing,” she said, peering up at him. It wasn’t her favorite thing, but being in his arms certainly made the experience more tolerable.
This
she could get on board with.
“I didn’t know Todd would ask you, but I’m glad you agreed. What did you talk about? He seemed smitten with you.”
Was that a hint of jealousy in his tone?
“He wanted to know what made me an expert. I have no idea what I said to him. I hope it wasn’t something way off the mark.”
“Seemed like he dug your ideas, whatever they were. We’ll have to go over the conversation later, when you’re less distracted.”
He grinned down at her. The spark of fire she often saw at work was in his eyes, full-force, but there was something else, too. Excitement? Intensity?
“I really did bring you here because I wanted to enjoy the evening with you. I had no idea you’d be helping me win over my clients as well. You’re amazing.”
She shrugged, her cheeks warming with his praise. “I try.”
“Funny thing is, I don’t think you even have to. You’re a natural at this stuff.”
“When I was away, if I didn’t make conversations with strangers, I wouldn’t talk to anyone. It didn’t take long to learn I needed communication or I’d go crazy.”
His hand pressed against her lower back more firmly, forcing her body to make contact with his. The thin material of her dress did nothing to protect her from the feel of his body rubbing along hers, awakening it in ways she enjoyed more than she cared to admit. Every time he was near, she felt as if she’d woken from a long sleep.
Slipping her arms around his shoulders to cuddle deeper into his embrace, she fingered the cropped hair behind his ears. His eyelids dropped as her fingertips stroked the nape of his neck. All the swaying, slow music, and body heat made her wish for when this part was over so she could slip out of her dress, into pajamas, and what she hoped was a luxuriously soft bed. The thought made her sigh with contentment.
The song ended and she stopped moving, but the pause was only momentary before achingly long, drawn out notes began to play again. Deep, crooning vocals seeped from the speakers. Thick, rolling waves of sexual undertones washed over her.
Their bodies swayed together while her hands traced the lines of his shoulders and chest, exploring his form as much as possible while still in the company of others. She was powerless to stop herself. No, not powerless. She didn’t want to stop. Being in his arms felt too good. She wanted to know what the rest of him felt like. As if hearing her thoughts, he tilted her chin up to him as if he was thinking about kissing her. His thumb brushed across her bottom lip, his eyes dipping slightly as he examined her.
Kiss me already.
No longer caring about what was right or wrong for their pretend relationship, she simply wanted him to kiss her. She’d been fantasizing about another kiss since the first one at the family dinner.
Opening her mouth the tiniest bit, she ran her tongue along the edge of her teeth, an invitation only he would see. And he did. The hand still heating her lower back increased the pressure on her skin.
Her breath caught with anticipation as his gaze darted around the room. When his eyes settled on her again, he pressed his lips to hers gently. She waited to feel his lips open over hers like they had last time. Instead, it was as if he wanted more, but was holding back. She felt like a pot of water on the verge of boiling.
“Get a room,” a man teased over the loud music.
Sawyer gave her one last little peck on the lips. When she finally pried her eyes away from his face, where she was desperately trying to read his expression, she found Matt dancing with his wife, a goofy grin on his face.
“It’s not often I see you in a lip lock. Hell, never. It’s odd. And disgusting. Really, you two should get a room if you can’t keep your hands off each other long enough to socialize.”
“How could I resist kissing a woman as beautiful as Olivia? Besides which, that was just a peck. If you think that was a real kiss, I may need to give you lessons, to save your poor wife from a lifetime of misery.”
Olivia didn’t miss Sawyer’s playful wink. Not a real kiss? Did he mean that, or was he teasing his friend?
“Don’t worry about us. We’ll make good use of our room later.” His wife smacked him playfully on the arm while he flipped a plastic key card out of his pocket. “Oh, and look what I have here.”
“Thanks,” Sawyer said, pocketing the key card. “We got away from the city later than I wanted.”
“No problem. Are you enjoying yourself tonight, Olivia? Sawyer hasn’t been talking about work the whole time, has he?” Matt asked.
“It’s been wonderful. A good mix of work and play. Actually, a bunch of the work talk has been networking on my behalf.”
“You’re not thinking about leaving us already, are you? You’ve been a great addition to the team.”
“It’s a term position. I have to think about what’s next sometime, right?” she asked. “I have really been enjoying my time at Sterling so far, though.”
With Sterling, too. Sawyer Sterling.
“Maybe we’ll have to think about giving her a permanent position before we lose her to the competition.”
“You might be right,” Sawyer said, holding her tight. “I might not be able to let her go.”
His warm lips pressed against her cheek and she melted into his embrace, overwhelmed by how much she wanted to feel his body connecting to hers.
“Now seriously, either keep it clean or move the public displays of affection to somewhere a little less public. There must be a coat room around, if you need to get it out of your system.” Matt laughed.
“Matt!” his wife squeaked. “Honestly, you men are all disgusting. All you think about is sex.”
“Yeah. And?” Matt and Sawyer said at the same time, before laughing.
Olivia rolled her eyes along with Matt’s wife, even though she didn’t feel at all like joking. The thought of Sawyer taking her to a coat closet to have his way with her made her knees turn to liquid and her panties suddenly dampen.
“We’ll be good for the rest of the night. Scout’s honor.” He held up his hand as if taking an oath.
“I think that only means something if you’re ten,” Matt shot back.
Sawyer shrugged. “I was never a scout anyway.”
Both men laughed again, then Sawyer took her hand and led her off the dance floor. “Matt definitely bought it.”
“Bought what?” she asked.
“The kiss. The flirting. I saw him coming and figured it was as good a time as any to convince him we’re the real deal. I can’t exactly kiss you at work.”
“I thought it was only your family we were trying to fool.” Why had he made it feel so real?
His gaze held hers but she couldn’t read his expression—shocked, guilty, lying…aroused, wanton—she saw a lot in his eyes tonight. Too much.
She cursed silently. Which was she supposed to believe? What she felt or what he told her?
“I can’t let it slip to anyone that we’re not really a couple. Gramps still has too many connections to the Sterling Enterprises world.” He said it in a way that made her feel like he was trying to convince himself as much as her. His expression softened. “Maybe I had a little too much to drink tonight and misread the situation. I only meant to solidify our relationship in Matt’s eyes. That’s all.”
Of course his kiss wasn’t a lead-in to something more. He was only ensuring their story looked real with the least amount of actual contact between them—exactly what she
should
want him to do.
Her heart sank. The heat in his kiss was nothing more than wishful thinking. Once again, she’d let her overactive imagination make her believe in emotions that didn’t exist. She needed to accept that his feelings for her were nothing more than an act. Period. He’d told her himself he didn’t want anything more than a fake relationship, and from now on she needed to remember that.
They made their way to the bar, got a drink, and circulated the room, stopping every few feet to talk to another client or potential client. She was glad for the interaction with people. It distracted her from her own thoughts about how silly she was for falling for Sawyer’s kiss again. How many times would he kiss her before it didn’t affect her? If he could play along with their scam without getting caught up in the moment, why couldn’t she?
By the time they’d made a few loops around the room, the crowd had thinned out, dagger-like pain shot through her feet, and she feared her smiling muscles might be permanently stuck in position. The entire time, Sawyer hadn’t stopped touching her. Usually his arm was around her waist, his hand on her hip. Occasionally, they would lace their arms together between them. Sometimes he would simply hold her hand. But every minute, there’d been contact. And every minute, she’d fought with herself about wanting more from him—even while knowing it was absolutely, without a doubt, the exact wrong thing for her to want. She shouldn’t want to be with Sawyer in any other way than professionally, yet she couldn’t stop herself from aching for him with a need so deep and all encompassing that it made her head spin.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to call it a night.” He covered a yawn with his hand and looked around the room. She didn’t see anyone they hadn’t already spoken to.
“I’m ready.” Her gaze fluttered up to his, meeting it only for a moment before she glanced away again. Her throat felt tight with nerves.
She was about to spend the night in the same room as Sawyer. Would she be able to ignore the spark between them that threatened to catch fire every time they touched? Was she really the only one who felt it?
The elevator ride was silent except for the chanting in her mind:
Tonight will be fine… Tonight will be fine…
He pushed open the door to their hotel room and she walked in. A king-sized bed took up most of the space. Both of their bags lay on the top of the dresser. A small table filled the corner. The only other door was the one leading to the bathroom, not another bedroom as she’d initially hoped…not another bed to make resisting him a tiny bit easier.
One room.
One bed.
And Sawyer.
Chapter Ten
One room.
One bed.
And Olivia.
Shit.
“This looks nice.” Sawyer strode into the room as if he hadn’t a care in the world—the exact opposite of the turmoil currently churning up the inside of his body. He’d spent the entire evening touching Olivia. Every second made him imagine being with her more, had tempted his body and mind, had made him ache with need.
What he really needed now was space away from Olivia.
“Sure. This is great. Cozy.” She wrapped her arms across her chest. The position pushed her breasts together, swelling her cleavage in the deep neckline of her dress to the point he thought it might overflow.
I could get cozy here with those breasts… Can’t let that happen.
Maybe he needed a soapy hand in the shower later, but he was okay with that if it meant keeping his cool where she was concerned.
Hell, he hadn’t had anything beyond kisses from her since this whole charade started. No going to the bars to relax, drink, and pick up chicks. No grinding on the dance floor, making out in taxis, or quickies. Nothing but a couple of random kisses and touches from Olivia. But those kisses had been more than enough to make his balls tight and his dick hard. He needed a release soon or he might die. Death by blue balls sounded painful.
“So, one bed, huh?” Olivia asked.
“I’ll call the front desk and see if I can get us a different room.”
She surveyed the room for a moment before nodding and excusing herself to go to the bathroom. As soon as she disappeared behind the closed door and he heard the water running in the sink, he let out a long sigh. They needed a second room, or at the very least a second bed.
By the time she was out of the bathroom—hair down and a little wild, makeup washed off, but still in her beautiful dress—he was off the phone.
“The hotel is booked solid. The only other room available is the penthouse. I didn’t book it, but if you want me too, I will.”
She sighed. “No. I can’t imagine how much that would cost. It’s only one night. I’m sure we can manage.”
“I’ll sleep on the floor and you can have the bed,” he said without hesitation. By the window, next to the table and chairs, he’d have enough room to curl up with a blanket and pillow.
“Chivalrous of you, but no. It’s a king. There’s plenty of room for both of us.” She opened her bag and pulled out a tank and matching shorts. Not that he was paying attention or anything. “I’ll go change.”
Slipping out of his jacket and tie, he draped them across the back of a chair. He was unbuttoning his shirt when the bathroom door opened again. While Olivia took him in, he stood frozen. When they finally locked gazes, there was fire in her eyes and his exposed flesh felt as if it had been scorched.
She hesitated in the doorway before stepping toward him. “My zipper is stuck.”
He met her near the foot of the bed. She turned her back, but not before her gaze had a chance to rake across his chest again. His heart pounded against his ribs as he reached for her.
“Your hair is in the way,” he said, sweeping it over her shoulder.
“Sorry.” She sounded almost breathless.
Her skin was soft as he ran his hands down her spine to the edge of her dress. She trembled under his fingertips, and her breathing hitched in her lungs.
“Relax, sugar. This will only take me a second. You’ve gotten the material all bunched up in the teeth,” he said, gently pulling. He could think of a few ways he’d like to have the material of her dress all bunched up in his teeth. Lucky zipper.
Sawyer wiggled the zipper up and down while trying to slip the extra material out of the way. Finally, the silky fabric slipped to the side and the zipper moved freely and quickly. As it did, his knuckles skimmed along her skin, all the way to the curve of her lower back. With a struggling intake of breath, he noted her distinct lack of undergarments.
“You’ve been commando all night?” he whispered, disbelieving.
Goddamn.
Gripping her waist in both hands, he fought for control. His dick strained painfully against his boxer briefs. Air caught in his lungs, making it hard to clear his head of the lust-filled fog suddenly taking up residence between his ears.
Closing his eyes, he tried to force the sight of her from his mind, but couldn’t. Her bare back brushed against his naked chest, leaving a tingle of electricity. The soft curves of her ass rubbed against his growing erection as she twisted slightly. Closing his eyes hadn’t blocked out anything. Instead it had intensified his other senses.
His grip on her waist tightened. A deep inhale only assaulted him with the fragrance of warm vanilla and some kind of spice. Olivia smelled good enough to eat, and if their first kiss was any indication, she tasted even better. Or at least her mouth did. He could only imagine what the rest of her might taste like.
He wanted to find out. Now.
She peeked over her shoulder, her arms folded across her chest, holding her dress in place—the only thing standing between him and her completely naked body. One quick tug and that beautiful dress could be on the floor.
“I think I can manage from here. Thanks,” she said quietly. Her eyes were clear and bright, not a hint of intoxication after the long night socializing.
Good. Then any decision she made tonight would be her own.
“Are you sure there isn’t something else I can help you take off?” He flattened his palm on her lower abdomen, his fingers wandering dangerously close to inappropriate places. What he wouldn’t give to dip his hand lower, feel her heat through the thin material. He didn’t need to ask if there was more to remove. They both knew what she wore under that dress. Nothing.
She turned in his arms, still holding her dress to her chest. “We can’t do this.”
“Do what exactly?”
“This. Whatever you’re hinting at. We can’t.”
“I thought I was being obvious, not hinting. But regardless, we can.”
And I want to,
he added silently.
“We made an agreement to keep things platonic.”
“I’ve decided that was stupid.” She was right, of course, but he didn’t want to tell her that. If he were smart, he’d turn around and walk out of the room right now, go down to the front desk and get the key to the penthouse suite. Money well spent for a man in his predicament.
If he crossed this line with Olivia, there was a good chance his friendship with Aidan would be strained or blown to pieces completely. Could he risk a lifetime of friendship for a night of passion?
If that night was spent with the woman who’d held his mind and body captive in a perpetual purgatory of desire, need, and denial? Aidan would understand, given enough time.
Or he’d buy him beers until he forgot.
No. I gave my word.
That voice in his head reared up again. He should resist, walk away, run away if he had to. Too much was at stake. If he didn’t, she might leave, call their agreement null and void. He needed her to secure the cabin, his future…the place he felt closest to the memory of his parents. If his cousin succeeded in getting the cabin, Sawyer would have nowhere to call home. But he couldn’t seem to convince his dick to listen. Hard to the point of painful, his body demanded her, holding his rational thoughts hostage for the ransom she could only pay with her body, her tongue.
“We did promise ourselves, and each other, you’re right,” he said, sighing. His fingers threaded through her hair, his thumbs tilting her chin up to him. In his head, somewhere far off in the distance, he knew all the reasons why he shouldn’t kiss her. But the second her lips parted, and her tongue flicked beyond her teeth while she found her voice—the smoldering spark of attraction he’d been feeling all evening, with every touch, flared to life inside him. Gone was the ability to resist her, replaced by a need so primal it overrode everything else.
Sawyer crushed his mouth to hers. She responded against him, her lips inviting him in. Any hesitation vanished as her body melted into his. She tasted like cranberry juice and vodka. He couldn’t get enough of her flavor on his tongue. He could drink her up all night. He’d been imagining kissing her like this for too long. He’d barely kept himself in check on the dance floor earlier, but now, in privacy, she was finally in his arms, kissing him, her body molded to his, and he didn’t want to stop. Not now, possibly not ever.
She shifted against him. The swell of her breasts pressed into him, only the thin, silky material preventing the flesh-on-flesh he craved so deeply. She tilted her head and kissed him even harder.
“I’ve wanted to do that all night. It killed me not to really kiss you earlier, but now…” He paused, pulling back enough to look at her.
“So you lied earlier? Or you’re lying now? Which is it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That kiss earlier, you said it was only to convince Matt we’re a couple, but now you’re saying it was something more. So at one point you lied to me, and I want to know when. I deserve to know the truth if you think anything like this is going to happen between us.”
His sighed, resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. “You’re right. I lied. Earlier. I wanted to kiss you all night. I was looking for a good excuse and when I saw Matt coming, I jumped at the opportunity.”
“So why didn’t you say that afterward? Why make up a reason?”
“I made a deal not to want to kiss you, Olivia. I told you I’d keep things professional and now I want to kick myself because I’m forced to keep my end of the deal. No matter what we agreed to, I can’t help the way you make me want to rip the clothes off your body practically every time I see you. You…do something to me. I can’t take it anymore.” He needed confirmation that she wanted it too, before moving further. He didn’t want to risk any assumption. One little whispered “yes” and he’d have her naked on the bed in a heartbeat. “I want this. I want you.”
She gasped, trying to catch her breath. “You want me now, but you won’t tomorrow, or the next day, or the month after that. This is all temporary, these feelings, this arrangement, all of it. As much as I might want you in this moment, I can’t. I won’t.”
He clenched his jaw at her reaction, willing his erection to cease and desist so he could think clearly. It refused. Dropping his hands to her waist, he fought the desire to argue with her. Usually women became putty in his hands, letting him caress them, squeeze them, ravish them in any way he saw fit. Olivia was different. He’d known that all along, but her refusal to give in to something they both so clearly wanted was another example of how she was unlike any other woman he’d ever met. And it made him want her all the more.
“Why can’t you give in to what you want?”
“Because every time I give in to even a touch, I feel…something, then you turn around and tell me it’s all part of the act. How do I know this isn’t all part of the act, too?”
He motioned toward his erection, noting how her expression changed as it pressed into her stomach. “This isn’t fake. This is what you do to me.” He tucked his head into her neck, breathing in her scent. He felt more intoxicated by her than he ever had by a night of binge drinking. “You drive me crazy and I can’t get you out of my head. You’re like a drug and I’m an addict. I need a hit.”
She rubbed against him with a sigh that bordered on a moan of pleasure. Her desire was obvious. Her fingertips brushed across his nipple, escalating his desire. When she slid her hand down his abdomen to the waistband of his pants and played with the patch of crinkly hair at the edge of the material, he almost lost his cool completely. She tugged on his belt until his waist bumped her, and peered up at him through heavy-lidded eyes, with an expression that begged him to ravish her.
It was all the confirmation he needed. He took her hand and pressed it to his aching length. She circled his shaft and stroked him through his pants. His dick twitched with her touch, and he was unable to hold back a groan of satisfaction.
“This isn’t going to change anything about our arrangement. It’ll only make the next couple of months longer,” she said matter-of-factly, while still stroking him, her eyes growing heavier by the second.
“You’re right,” he said, his breath coming out quicker with each movement of her hand. “But it also might make it more fun.”
“If we do this…” She squeezed and he shivered with pleasure. “There’s no going back. I wouldn’t be another random hookup. You’ll have to see me again. Every day. At home and at work. Are you really sure you can handle that?”
“I can if you can.”
“My brother will kill you if he finds out.”
“He’ll kill both of us. But I don’t plan to tell him. Do you?”
“Not a chance.” Olivia stepped back, putting an inch of space between them, then dropped her arms to her sides. Her dress fell to a puddle of shimmering crimson around her ankles. “Sounds like we have another secret to hide.”
The sight of Olivia standing naked before him was enough to make his knees weak and his pulse race. Her perky breasts saluted him with taut nipples he couldn’t wait to suckle. Tan lines from a one-piece swimsuit preserved her ivory skin along her breasts and stomach as if the area was for his eyes only. He liked the thought of that.
He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and kissed her the way he’d been fantasizing about. Hard, needy, raw. It wasn’t his best moment, but damn it, he was beyond the point of restraint. Now was about feeling—her hands on his body, his tongue on hers, himself plunged deep inside.