Page 37 of Silent Cravings

It was getting undeniably warmer in his office. “That was a long time ago,” I reminded him, fighting the urge to fan myself once my body went from warm to hot.

“Not so long,” he countered. I knew the look in his dark, soulful eyes. It did unspeakable things to me, made me squeeze my legs together in a pitiful attempt at satisfying my throbbing clit.Not today. Not again. No matter how good it will be or how much you think you need it. Shut this down, leave the building.

An idea started swirling in my overheated mind, shoving aside the voice of reason, screaming at me to walk out before I degraded myself yet again. To think, I used to criticize the hell out of him and the other guys for letting their dicks do the thinking for them.

I was no better than they were once I let my clit lead me deeper into what I knew would only end up hurting. “I’ll tell you what,” I suggested. “For every question you answer, I’ll give you a treat as a reward.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Is that so, Valentina? Well, I could definitely work with that.”

“I had a feeling you could.” He watched closely as I stood and crossed his office. “First, let me do what we couldn’t do in Dad’s study.” I flipped the lock on the door, and he laughed.

“Yeah, finding a locked door would’ve been a dead giveaway we were up to something,” he recalled, slouching now with his legs spread wide.

“Now.” One slow step at a time, I crossed the room, tingling at the way his gaze raked over my body. “Let’s begin. Did you confirm the delivery time on the cake?”

He offered a smirk that heated my blood. “Affirmative.”

“Good.” In response, I lifted the hem of my knee-length dress up to my hips, turning a full circle so he could admire my ass. He always did like it.

“That’s not enough,” he grunted out when I lowered the dress.

“Patience,” I murmured. This was already too much fun. His dick was hard, jutting straight out from his lap. I gave it a pointed look before meeting his gaze again. Desire flickered behind his eyes, momentarily distracting me from my line of questioning. “That’s not going anywhere.”

“You’re the devil.” He sighed, making me giggle.

“Next question. Are all the plans confirmed for the yacht rental on Friday afternoon?” We’d agreed on a fishing trip for the men, one of the suggestions given while brainstorming at my apartment.

“The yacht leaves at noon. Let’s see those tits,” he suggested, staring at my chest.

“Excuse me, but when did you get the idea you were calling the shots?” I shook my head and clicked my tongue. “No treat this time. You’ll learn.”

“Jesus, Valentina…” He grabbed hold of his bulge. “See what you’re doing to me? Much more of this, and there’ll be a wet spot on the front of my pants.”

“Poor baby,” I replied with a pout, rounding the desk and straddling his lap. “Everything’s set for the fireworks finale at ten?”

“The sky will be bright as day.” His attention lingered on my legs, his tongue darting over his lips as he watched my hand trailing down to the inside of my thighs, my thumb rubbing against my wet seam. It was too easy to turn him into a slobbering fool.

“Good to know.” I stood again, quickly sliding out of my skimpy panties and dropping them into his lap. “And we’re all set with the tent and second dance floor on the lawn?”

“Yes, yes, everything’s settled.” He was too busy picking up my panties and holding them to his nose to say much else. My blood turned to lava once he inhaled my scent and growled like an animal. There was nothing like working him into a frenzy. Eighteen, twenty-eight, it didn’t matter. He was just as helpless now as he had ever been and much hotter. Dammit, I was meant to be calling the shots here, and yet I was as helpless as him.

“And your kitchen staff is aware of the few dietary restrictions?” I asked.

“Fuck, yes,” he whispered, lowering the panties to his lap again, using the delicate fabric to grind against. He stared at the apex of my thighs once I propped myself on the desk and began spreading them. His jaw tightened while a soft grunt stirred in his throat. For me. I did this to him.

“Good boy.” Leaning forward, I grabbed him by his tie and pulled him close, directing him to my waiting pussy while I propped my feet on the arms of his chair. God helpme, I loved this too much. I always had. “Now, you get to eat dessert.”

The wicked grin that flashed over his face reminded me too much of the boy he used to be before he pushed my dress up and descended on me.

14

EVAN

This was it—what we had worked for all these weeks. Considering the short timeline was such a pain in the ass, why did it feel like we’d been putting the wedding together for a year? That could’ve had something to do with how much had changed in the weeks between the engagement announcement and now, three days before the wedding, when the bridal party and close family and friends were due to arrive at The Delamar.

I strode into the pleasant, well-appointed hotel lobby, wheeling a suitcase behind me and carrying my wedding suit over one arm. The dry cleaner had delivered it to my office earlier, an arrangement set up by Valentina. One less errand to worry about. She’d thought of everything.

A pair of perky, blonde clerks stood up a little straighter behind the front desk when I approached. “Are you here to check in, sir?” one of the girls asked, bright and chipper. Behind her, on a credenza, sat a handful of baskets tied with peach and navy ribbon. There was only one reason they would exist.

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