Page 47 of The Charmer's Gambit
When I yawned, Will chuckled and nuzzled my neck.
“It’s been a long day,” he murmured, affection coloring his tone.
I curled into him, not wanting the night to end. “Just a little longer.”
“For as long as you want, Rachel.”
“Mm-hmm.” I settled my cheek against his shoulder, content to just be near him. Warmth cocooned me as he pulled the blankets around us. How he managed to do that while we were lying on them, I had no idea. I was too lost in the moment to care. Too lost in him.
He pressed his lips to my forehead, then to my temple. “You’re beautiful, Rachel.”
I smiled and tried to tell him we were past pickup lines, but it came out as a grumble instead.
He must have understood some of it because he replied, “You better get used to it, darlin’. ’Cause I’ll never stop complimenting you.”
Those words followed me into my dreams, where I entered a world ofwhat-ifsandwhat could be. And for the first time in a very long time, I dreamt of a life without Ryan in it.
17
Breakfast Banana
Male stubble tickled my neck as Will placed an open-mouthed kiss beneath my ear. “Wake up, gorgeous.” His sexy murmur had me stretching against him like a contented cat. The hot arousal pressing into my ass suggested he liked that, or maybe it was having his thigh between mine that he enjoyed.
Light streamed in through the curtains, confirming I’d spent the night in his bed. I expected that to bother me, but it didn’t. If anything, I felt relieved, which was bizarre. Intimacy didn’t scare me, but Ryan did. Except when I thought of him, all I felt was a mild annoyance rather than fear.That’s new.
Teeth scraped over my tender skin as Will gently bit my pulse. When he sucked the spot into his mouth, I practically purred. “Mmm, I like this. Learning your tells and finding what makes you tremble.” The arm beneath my breasts tightened as his leg slid upward between my thighs. I fought a moan when he met my core, and quivered. “Just like that,” he whispered.
I found myself beneath him not a second later, staring up into eyes filled with dark intent. My heart thundered in my chest at that look because I recognized it. Determination laced with desire. I was trapped and he knew it.
“Do you know what I do when I find a new subject or activity that excites me?”
I swallowed and shook my head, unable to speak. Not with him staring down at me like that.
“I master it,” he murmured. His lips brushed mine in a gentle kiss that belied the heat radiating between us. “You’ve been warned.” He rolled off the bed and stretched his arms over his head, showcasing all those delicious muscles and his impressive arousal. I wanted to rip those gray sweatpants off, trace all those hard muscular lines with my tongue, and taste every inch of him. If that bulging outline was anything to go by, he would certainly be a mouthful.Yum.
“We have a conference call in fifty minutes with Jeff and Janet; otherwise, I would take you up on the offer in your eyes.” He gripped my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. “I’m going to take a shower. I suggest you do the same and meet me downstairs in thirty.”
“So bossy,” I replied, finding my voice. It came out a bit breathier than I wanted, but the words were clear.
He traced my lip with his thumb and grinned. “We’re just gettin’ started.”
I liked the sound of that. He left me on the bed, staring after him. I couldn’t help it. The man had a fine ass.
“Twenty-eight minutes,” he said when he reached the bathroom. He nailed me with a look over his shoulder that sent heat rushing to all the right places. “Don’t be late, Miss Dawson.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Mister Mershano.” Not because of the taunt in his gaze, but because I was never late on principle.
His chuckle teased my senses as he disappeared from view. That man was doing things to me I never thought possible. Self-assurance always turned me on, but never like this. Will took it to a whole new level by adding his alpha tendencies to the mix and creating an intoxicating persona I stood no chance against.I’d fought it for all these months, determined to dissuade him, yet he’d only managed to deepen my attraction. To the point where I wasn’t sure I wanted to say no at all anymore.
What would he do if I joined him in the shower?
It was so tempting. I could hear the spray against the tiles and knew he was in there naked and taking care of his arousal. I shivered at the image of him taking his hard cock into his hand and stroking himself to climax. All those muscles bunching, his full lips parting on a groan meant for me . . . My thighs tensed as sensations built low in my belly, curling tight with the indecent fantasy flashing behind my eyes. The urge to touch myself, just as I knew he was, overwhelmed me. He’d taken me to a high last night unlike any other, but it was like he’d lit my blood on fire. I needed more, so much more, and he’d denied it this morning.
Because of a meeting.
My eyes drifted to the clock on his nightstand to find ten minutes had passed already.
“Damn,” I muttered, my libido cooling. The last thing I needed was to be late for my own debriefing with the partners. It took considerable effort to leave his bed, but my desire to keep my job proved a healthy motivator.
