Page 75 of Defend Me

“Not in the mansion,” she reassures me. I wonder if her thoughts are in line with mine. “In the guesthouse.”

Oh. That’s better—it’s tucked away on the water in the backyard.

“I’ll have the staff make sure it’s ready for you when we arrive,” she says. “With a fully stocked fridge.”

I smile at her. “No lonely jar of olives? No expired shredded cheese?”

“Ha ha.”

We pull up to her office and it’s as sleek and polished as I expected. Much more like the villain’s lair I had imagined Von living in. Her firm is on the fifty-second floor, and we emerge into a spacious lobby with a long reception desk. A blonde woman smiles at Von and gives me a curious glance as we head through a pair of glass doors into the office space. There are cubicles in the center with offices lining the walls. I hurry in Von’s wake as she strides down one hall. Another blonde woman comes rushing up to her.

“You’re here!” she says. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I had some things I needed to get from my office and some calls to make,” Von says. The woman is openly gawking at me. “Oh, Marissa, this is Noah. Noah, this is my assistant, Marissa.”

“Hi,” I say.

“Can I get you anything?” she asks. “Coffee, water?”

“I’m good, thanks,” I say. This place is intense, the low hum of chatter, phones ringing, people bustling around with stacks of file folders. There’s a vibe in the air of panic mixed with energy drinks. Everything smells expensive.

“Thank you, Marissa,” Von says, a dismissal if ever I’ve heard one. She opens a door with her name on a small plaque on the front. One wall is a giant window, facing toward Central Park—I can see trees through a break in the buildings. Everything is neat and tidy, just as I would expect Von’s office to be. It’s also pretty impersonal. There’s a leather couch by the door and an ergonomic chair behind the desk. There are no framed photos, no trinkets on her bookshelves. Just her degrees, one from Yale, one from Columbia.

The click of the door locking behind me feels loud in my ears.

“So,” she says, shifting in her heels and rubbing the back of her neck. I think I like Von nervous—it’s incredibly cute. She sweeps out a hand halfheartedly. “This is my office.”

“It’s nice,” I say, and she laughs.

“Liar.” She takes a step toward me and a shiver runs over my skin. “I just need to grab a couple of things,” she says. The ache in my throat grows tighter, the tension between us thrumming to a fever pitch.

“Right,” I say, moving closer, iron drawn to magnet. I crave her so badly my palms tingle. Her face is barely an inch away.

“Then we can…” But her voice trails off as her lips brush against mine. Heat flames over my skin, my instincts kicking in, not caring that this is the wrong time and certainly the wrong place, only knowing that I need her. My arms snap around her, nearly lifting her off her feet as I sink my mouth onto hers. She kisses me fiercely as I press her against the wall, my hands moving to cup her ass, the hard length of my cock prodding her leg. She groans and I feel it reverberate through my chest, her hands knotting in my hair, pulling me closer. It’s even better than last night, the lushness of her lips, the way her grip sends prickles down the back of my thighs.

She hikes up her skirt to wrap one leg around my waist. I lift her up and carry her to the desk, sprawling her across it and sending papers and pens scattering to the floor. Her legs curl around me and I palm her thighs, so firm and supple, her chest heaving as she looks up at me, her gaze pleading.

I know exactly what I want to do.

I drop to my knees and she gasps as I push the scrap of lace covering her sex to the side, flicking my tongue out to taste her.

“What are you doing?” Von gasps, but she doesn’t stop me. Instead, she tilts her hips, an invitation. I lick her again, circling the tight bud of her clit, feasting on her sweetness. Her heels dig into my shoulder blades as her back arches. I slip a finger inside her and feel her tighten. I dive back in with my mouth, sucking ather, reveling in each tiny gasp and moan. She twines her fingers in my hair as she writhes against me, her pleasure making my own cock throb. I feel her delicate muscles tighten.

“I’m almost there,” she gasps. “Oh god, Noah…”

“I feel you, baby,” I murmur against her. I slide my fingers inside her again and she claps one hand over her mouth to stifle her wail.

“Yes,” she whispers. “Harder.”

She clenches around me as I pump inside her, then lick at her sex, the tension building, her body arching.

“More,” she groans, and I drive my tongue against her as she hits her peak; her muscles shudder then release as she crests against my mouth and I splay one hand over her stomach as she bucks for me, succumbing to pleasure, my own moans sliding against her wetness.

She relaxes back against the desk and for a long moment, there’s nothing but the sound of our ragged breaths. I press a tender kiss on the inside of her thigh. I stand and see her face is flushed, her eyes bright. She reaches out for me, a gesture at once commanding and timid.Take my hand. Please.

I hold it in my own and press my lips to her knuckles.

“That was…” Von gasps, still panting. “That was…”

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