Page 51 of Making It While Faking It
“Did you come up with that on your own?” he asks.
I knit my eyebrows thoughtfully. “Come up with what?”
“I never said I thought I was groping another woman. I knew exactly who I was touching, Treasure.”
I’m confused. I’m too flustered to play back the conversation we had in the tenth-floor kitchen, but I thought he confirmed that he believed he was groping another woman.
He moves even closer, and our fronts are almost touching. “But hey…” Suspense-filled silence hangs in the air.
I’m completely under Achilles’s spell. Bold Treasure Grove, the seductress who caught a slippery trout like Simon Linney and so many playboys like him, would finish closing the distance between me and Achilles. I would tilt my head back, position my lips near his, and breathily whisper, “Yeah?”
But I don’t do that. Achilles is a different kind of animal than Simon or even his fickle brother Orion. He’s the real deal. The kind of man that can change a girl’s life for the better. I’ve come across guys like him before but never one wrapped in his frosty demeanor and repelling grimaces. Usually, guys who bring an entire crew to your restaurant to install blinds, make cappuccinos to give you advice about your struggling business, and take care of you when you’re grossly sick are generally affable and eager to please. Because in the end, they want something in return. They would want me to spread ’em and let him bang too fast and come too early. But Achilles—being so generous to me or anyone else is what he’s been conditioned to do. I imagine he had to become a man when he was supposed to be a boy. It makes me want to comfort him, kiss him, and promise that I will never exploit that part of him for my own benefit.
“Remember when you kissed me?” he asks.
I swallow all the brand-new exciting feelings I have for him and say, “Mm-hmm,” and then sigh. All the sensitive parts of me feel as if they are floating to him and already interacting with his lust. Because lust is the energy he’s radiating.
“How about we do that again?” he says.
Skin sizzling with warmth, I’m experiencing an out-of-body experience as I nod.
There’s no hesitation. Achilles presses his solid chest hard against my breasts. Our eye contact remains strong, and I can see his yearning. I know he can see mine. We’re on the same page when it comes to living out this moment. Strong and decisive hands grip my waist. Just when I thought we couldn’t get any closer, Achilles’s unyielding erection compresses the top of my pubis. The pressure united with my arousal launches a faint streak of pleasure through my lady parts.
And his breath is minty, which is evidence that he’s been planning this kiss.
“Hi,” he whispers.
Forearms strewn across his rocklike shoulders, fingers stroking the back of his neck, my lips part, opening to let him in.
Last time, I kissed him first. This time, even though I can hardly stand the wait, I wait until his lips and tongue make contact with mine.
Oh boy… my head is spinning.
Achilles is a sensual kisser. His tongue is needy but soft and indulgent. His lips are smooth like satin. Moans in ranges of sound I’ve never heard until now escape me. I’m in such need of him. And our kissing has tilted the both of us way past full, yet we’re not clamoring at each other like wild lustful animals. Yet I’m gripped by such an insatiable desire. I am pulling him, squeezing him to me. Tears burn the backs of my eyes. His mouth is beyond delicious. I’m needy for Achilles Lord. My heart just wants to explode with…oh my God.With…
No, not that.
Yes—that.
That something feels a lot like love.
Knock, knock, knock.
Our kissing draws to an end, but he still holds me close. He can’t let me go yet. My legs are the constitution of jelly. Therefore, if he lets go of me, I just may sink to the floor.
“Ask who it is?” he whispers.
I swallow, nod, and yell, “Who is it?” Despite trying to sound normal, my voice sounded strained, like I’m hiding something.
There’s a pause. “It’s me, Hayley. The shutters are up. Gino would like to consult with Mr. Lord about the security doors.”
I twist my body to stare at the doorknob. It wouldn’t be so bad if Hayley found us like this. That would be a good play on our part. But are we still playing? I’m not sure.
Then Achilles lifts his eyes to glare over my head. I study how high his chest rises and how deep it lowers. I’ve stirred him. He wants me just as much as I want him.
“We’ll be right out,” he says in a clear, unruffled voice.
Hayley doesn’t answer right away, but I sense that she suspects we’re doing something sexual in my office. I wonder how far she thinks we’ve gone.
