Page 52 of In Good Company

I don’t know if I’m thankful for wearing a tennis skirt to work or if I regret it. Either way, the short fabric makes it easy for him to trail his fingers up my thigh.

“Tell me to stop if you don’t want this,” Cal says. His voice comes out strained. His eyes scan my face, searching.

I shake my head. “I can’t.”

His eyes darken at my response. I stifle a moan when he applies even more pressure against my inner thigh, his fingertips getting dangerously close to the part of me that’s most desperate for him.

“Then tell me you want this. Tell me you’re hungry for anything I’ll give you.”

My eyes flutter shut at his words. They aren’t exactly dirty, but my body reacts like they are. “Yes,” I manage to get out, my voice thick with lust.

I know it’s a bad idea to do this with Cal. I’m already more attached to him than I should be. He’s gotten underneath my skin and burrowed deep. The witty banter, prolonged looks, and unnecessary but wanted touches have broken me down. Nothing can change the reality that I have to go home at the end of this summer. We live two very different lives. Nothing can come of this attraction between us.

But is it really that bad to give in to the tension just for the summer?

Cal’s calloused fingers inch higher and higher on my inner thigh and under my skirt. One of his knuckles brushes against my clit, making my hips buck in my seat.

He chuckles, the sound coming from deep in his chest. “Youareeager for my touch.” He touches me there again, but this time purposefully and with his fingertip. “Very eagerfor me with how wet you are. You’re soaked through your panties, baby.”

I let out a loud moan as I squeeze my eyes shut. It already feels like too much with him, and barely anything has happened between us.

His warm, big hands find either side of my waist as he lifts me off my chair and pulls me into his lap. I yelp, my eyes flying open in surprise. His hands slide down my back and grip my ass as he pulls my legs over him.

I’m straddling Callahan Hastings.

There are layers of fabric between us, but it’s impossible to miss the way his length brushes up against my core. I moan at the feel of him there, immediately wishing there was nothing between us at all.

Our gazes lock. Cal’s blue eyes stare deeply into mine as I rock my hips against his once.

His body goes tense underneath mine as he sucks in a deep breath. “Fuck,” he mutters. He keeps one hand splayed on my ass while the other travels up my back. His fingers twist in my hair, directing me to keep my eyes pinned on him.

“I want this,” I tell him. Something about the way he looks at me tells me he needs to hear the words. Maybe I need to hear myself say them. It’s me accepting that this connection between us is undeniable, and I’m tired of pretending it isn’t.

“Good fucking answer,” he grits, leaning close and running his nose against mine. My entire body shakes with anticipation.

I didn’t intend for this to happen tonight. I came to work thinking Cal and I could pretend everything was normal and nothing had happened between us at the pool party. I was foolish for thinking that. I’ve never had this kind of connection with anyone. I’m allowed to explore it—even if it’s just for the summer.

“You hungrier for my touch or my lips?” The words are whispered against my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

“Both.” I turn my head, trying to make our lips connect. He doesn’t give in. He continues to tease me by just barely running his lips along the tender spot behind my ear.

“I meant here,” he announces, moving his hand from my ass to between my thighs.

My head falls back in pleasure. “I want you to kiss me,” I tell him. Or maybe it isn’t me telling him—maybe it’s me begging.

Cal shocks me by lifting me by the hips once again and placing me on the counter. A wine glass falls to the ground with the abruptness of his actions, and the chair scrapes against the floor as he stands to his full height.

The entire time, he keeps his eyes on me.

I love it when he looks at me like this—like I’m the only thing that matters to him. That’s the thing about Cal. It’s hard to get his attention, even harder to keep it, but when you have it, it’s hard not to feel like the most powerful person in the world.

He spreads my legs wide open, cold air hitting my inner thighs. A loud, unfiltered moan leaves my lips when he slides his fingers underneath the fabric of my panties.

“Is this where you want me to kiss you, Lucy baby?”

TWENTY-EIGHT

CAL

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