Page 25 of The Claiming Series: Collection 1
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I should’ve been honest with you from the get-go. I only worked for Miller Corp. for a few months, and it seemed easier to pretend it never happened,” she says, her mouth twisting with a bitter smile.
“Well, his loss is my gain,” I reassure her.
Goosebumps break out along her arms, and I suddenly realize my hands are absently smoothing up and down her soft skin. Energy crackles between us as I gaze down at her. I know she’s feeling it, too, by how her eyes dilate and her breath catches in her throat. My rock-hard cock stabbing her hip might also give her a clue.
Her eyes widen, but I don’t see rejection in their hazel depths. I see curiosity tinged with desire. Doesshe know what she’s revealing with that hungry look?
“Doesn’t this make me a huge hypocrite,” she asks uncertainly, waving a finger between us.
I move my hands to cradle her face, smoothing my thumbs across her cheeks. “Because I’m your boss?” I ask, my voice a low rumble.
“Yes. And because I’ve just told you what happened with my last boss.”
I frown. Am I that different from Miller Cooper? After all, I took one look at Lily and knew she was going to be mine. My thoughts about her over the last month haven’t exactly been innocent—far from it.
But I’d never put my hands on a woman without permission, and I’d certainly never force her, never take what wasn’t given willingly. The thought of Miller Cooper doing that to Lily makes me want to break things—namely, his fucking face.
“I know you, Lily. There’s no way you did anything to make that asshole think he could treat you like that. We’ve spent almost every day together for the last month, and I know the kind of person you are. I see your passion and diligence for your work and the kindness you show others. You get the best out ofpeople without abusing your position, and everyone in the office loves you.”
Including me.
I want to say the words, but I bite my tongue. She’s not ready for that yet. I’m still letting that fact settle in myself.
Her eyes fill with tears at my words. “I love working here. I love working for you.”
I’ll settle for that. For now.
I slide my hand through her hair, massaging her scalp with my fingers. She closes her eyes with a sigh of pleasure, and when she opens them again, there’s no denying the desire in their hazel depths. Her eyes drop to my mouth and her lips part, her head moving closer to mine as if pulled by an invisible thread.
“I’ll never hurt you, my little office angel. Will you let me kiss you?” I ask, my voice rough with emotion.
“Yes, please,” she whispers, her eyes fluttering closed again.
My mouth touches hers tentatively, lightly grazing her lips. The light contact sends a shock of desire coiling through me, stalling my breath in my lungs and tightening my balls. I pull back slightly to gaugeher reaction, giving her the opportunity to move away. The last thing I want to do is scare this beauty in my arms or overstep her boundaries.
But she doesn’t move away. Instead, her hands fist in my shirt, and she lets out a small moan, lifting her mouth blindly toward mine. It’s such a small sound, but it tells me all I need to know. It tells me the chemistry between us isn’t one-sided, and the passion simmering inside her matches mine. It tells me that I stand a chance—no matter how small—of making her fall in love with me.
Chapter Four
Lily
Callum’s lips graze mine again, soft, teasing, a mere whisper of contact. Still cupping my face in his hands, he tilts my head so he can fit his mouth to mine and deepen the kiss. He groans, and my lips part in a sigh, allowing his tongue to steal inside. I meet it shyly with my own, absorbing his unique taste into the deepest part of my brain and locking it away like a precious possession.
The air around us is charged with emotion, and I shiver, pressing myself closer to his side so my breasts flatten against his arm.Breaking the kiss, I pull back to look at him, and we both pause, our breath mingling as we’re caught at either end of an arc of electricity. Raw desire glitters in Callum’s eyes, and I wonder if minereflect the same need.
I release a small moan, threading my fingers through his hair and tugging his head toward me. “Kiss me hard, Callum. Please!”
He doesn’t need any further encouragement, and his mouth slashes down on mine with an intensity that robs me of breath. His lips light up a part of my soul I didn’t even know was floundering in the dark.
A groan rumbles up Callum’s throat as his tongue tangles with mine, exploring my mouth and enticing me with its sensual dance. He sweeps his hands up my sides to cup my breasts, his thumbs raking across my nipples through the silky material of my blouse. I gasp and arch into his hands as they slide across the taut peaks, and our kiss catches fire, becoming urgent and demanding.
Callum shifts me in his lap as I move restlessly against him, positioning me so that his swollen cock is nestled between my legs. I tighten my thighs around him, feeling my panties dampen as I instinctively rock against his hard length. The friction is perfect, electrifying some secret spot and releasing a sharp spike of lust from deep inside me. My body takes over, wriggling against him, trying to get some relief from the ache that’s building in my core.
“Take what you need, baby,” Callum mutters, biting at my mouth. “Use me to get yourself off.”
“Callum,” I whimper, aroused beyond belief. Nothing else seems to matter—not that someone could knock on the door at any second or that Callum is my boss. The demands of my body obliterate every other thought as I try to satisfy the fire that burns hot and bright between my legs.
Callum’s mouth claims mine with the force of a tsunami, licking inside with a needy groan. Tugging my blouse from my pants, he slides a hand underneath and yanks at my bra cup so my breast pops free. He rolls my nipple between his thumb and index finger before dipping his head to suckle me hard, his tongue stroking roughly across the sensitive peak.
