Page 90 of Diamonds & Deception

Or it could be that I simply prefer Nora over her. Her heart, her laugh, her smile, her body. I can’t fight the lift of my mouth when I think of how she woke me up this morning with her lips wrapped around my cock.

“Oh, you’re remembering the good days too?” She props her hip on my desk and crosses one leg, her skirt inching up, revealing more leg than I care to see. Kelsey runs a painted nail across the top of my laptop. “I miss us, Drake. We were good together.”

I’d laugh, but I don’t want to insult her. I’m not that guy.

“Sure, we had fun back in college, but we’re not the same people we were back then.” Which is exactly why she’s here now. If I was the same, she wouldn’t give me the time of day.

“The sex will be better.”

“Oh, am I interrupting?”

I lean to the side so I can see past Kelsey’s body and smile at my future bride. She’s wearing light gray joggers and one of my hoodies, and her hair is in a messy bun on top of her head. Daisy’s leash is in one hand and the other holds a water bottle. I want to strip her of her sweatpants and bend her over my desk like I did last week when she told me she was wearing the clit stimulator.

“You must be lost. You don’t belong here. And dogs shouldn’t be in the casino, much less Mr. Reynold’s office,” Kelsey sneers at Nora.

Nora’s brows shoot up and she drops the leash, propping her free hand on her hip. Daisy sniffs her way over to Kelsey, deems her uninteresting, and comes around the desk, dropping her snout in my crotch. I rub behind her ears and stand with a heavy sigh.

I’m about to make formal introductions when Kelsey nudges Daisy away and sidles up to me, placing both hands on my chest. “I have the rest of the night off, Drakey.”

I hear Nora snort and am surprised she hasn’t come over here and given Kelsey—and me—a taste of her mind. I wouldn’t blame her. I’m being too polite to Kelsey, and it’s not fair to Nora.

“Kels. As I already said, we’re not the same people we were back in college. We can’t repeat the past.”

“Of course you can.”

This time Nora belts out a laugh, and, understanding the Gatsby reference, I chuckle too.

“Excuse me?” Kelsey turns and sneers at Nora. “You can leave now. We’re having a private conversation.”

“No, we’re not.” I step past Kelsey and cup Nora’s cheeks in my hands and lower my head to kiss her. “Thank you for saving me. Your timing couldn’t be more perfect.”

“I don’t think youneedsaving,Drakey.” She giggles into my mouth.

Another reason I love her so damn much. She didn’t jump to the wrong conclusion and isn’t holding Kelsey’s impromptu visit against me. She trusts me, and I trust her. Wholeheartedly.

“Give me a minute to get rid of her, and then I want the dessert you promised me after my wake-up call this morning.”

Nora didn’t let me reciprocate after she gave me a blow job since she needed to take a conference call with her editor. I told her I’d make it up to her by burying my face between her legs later.

“So demanding.” She nips my bottom lip.

“It’s one of the many reasons you love me.”

“That and your fine ass.” She taps me on myfine assand pushes me back toward Kelsey.

“You’re sleeping with the help? You could do so much better, Drake.” Kelsey stands, straightening her skirt, and eyes Nora up and down in disgust.

There’s only so much of a gentleman I can be. Disrespecting the love of my life is a surefire way to tip me over the edge. If Kelsey’s heart was truly broken over us, I wouldn’t rub salt in the wound, but the years have turned her into a bitter woman.

“Better than Nora?” I return to where I should be, by Nora’s side, and snake my arm around her waist. “There is no one better, smarter, more beautiful, or more perfect for me than her. I hope you find someone who makes you feel your worth and who has a heart as big as my fiancée’s.”

“Fiancée?” Kelsey gasps.

I don’t miss the slight gasp from Nora as well. I lean over and kiss her temple. “Do you need me to show you out, Kelsey?”

“Um, no,” she stammers, her eyes darting between Nora and me. “I, uh, didn’t know. You didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t know because it isn’t any of your business, and I didn’t say anything because you didn’t ask. You threw yourself at me. You have more self-respect than that, Kelsey. If you want to repeat the past, find that college girl who was sweet and fun-loving. She deserves the kind of love Nora and I have.” I squeeze Nora into my side.

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