Page 8 of Hard on the Boss

Four

Marin

I can’t believe I am here, doing…whatever it is we are about to do. I can’t believe I can’t stop.

In the words of William Biel, fuck that.

He takes me inside the gorgeous suite and closes the door. I face him, pressing my back against the wood. He stands close, then closer, his hand on the door above my head. He looks at me, almost studiously, so tall and dark and foreboding, making my heart work hard just to keep from passing out under his gaze.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, not sure what else to say.

“Don’t apologize.” He’s still my boss but the professional tie feels severed if not blurred—more like obliterated—along with the line I most definitely crossed by coming up here. He strokes my jawline, my neck, up and down.

I can’t stop my hands when they reach for his thick unruly black hair, my nails grazing his scalp. He shudders.

“I loved…working with you.”

“Past tense?”

“I don’t know…”

“I love working with you too, sweetie. Quite a lot in fact.” Without breaking eye contact he reaches behind my hip and locks the door. The metallic click of the lock lockingsends a heated pulse down, down, pinching me just below my belly button.

“Although it’s difficult sometimes…” William says looking down between us and then back up to my face. “…with you torturing me every goddamn day.”

I can feel the tip of his erection against the apex of my thighs, where an increasingly hard, damp thrum makes me feel dizzy with desire.

“When you look at me like that it makes me think I can have you, Marin.”

“Maybe you can.”

With a feral groan he dips his head to kiss my tear-dampened cheek. His speech was so moving, I actually sobbed, then sobbed some more when it was over. I should resist ticking his jaw an inch closer so that his lips hover over mine, but I can’t stop, anticipating the same featherlight kiss we shared before his speech. I close the gap and touch his lips to mine for another stolen kiss, and he inhales sharply in surprise.

“That’s what I want. So fuckin’ bad,” he keens, hoarsely. His hands tighten around my waist. “Kiss me again.”

When I grasp his wide shoulders and press my body all the way against his, it feels like a sudden click into place. Like this’s where we both belong. I tilt my head up to meet his lips, and my heart flutters.

At first he lets me drive the kiss, not pressing further or taking control. I wish he would. He’s completely still, breathing hot and slow against my mouth, waiting.

I open my eyes to find his dark and fierce, staring into mine. Our mouths linger for a heartbeat. He’s all man, hard, strong, fearless. I inhale a quick breath. I wish I could bottle up his raw, woodland scent, and keep it with me wherever I go.

William’s nose nudges mine, his lips brushing against my cheek. “You can do whatever you want with me here. Now.”

In my mind I undress him eagerly, running my hands down his chest and abs and lower, my lips chasing after my hands to taste every inch of him. I’d grab him by the nape of his neck and drag him toward the bed and sling my legs around his waist to satisfy the warm, warm ache assailing my core. I’d love him, hard, and then wrap him in blankets and stow him where he can’t escape, where I can somehow manage to keep him forever.

Instead I start to form the truth that threatens to cool this heat between us, like tossing embers into a lake. “I’m a…uh.”

“Yeah babe?” He slides his hands up the sides of my body, prudently, as if he thinks I’m going to swat him away.

I say in one breath, “I’m-a-virgin.”

William’s body stills against mine. He goes quiet for a long moment, worrying me. I’m certain my cheeks are a brighter shade of red than beets. He could laugh—I doubt that. Maybe he’ll tell me to get the fuck out. Would he think I would lie?

There’s something rough like pain in his voice when he says, “How, Marin?” his eyes scanning my body and face. “I mean…how is that possible, baby?”

“Not like I’ve never been offered sex.” I bashfully grin. “It never felt right…before.”

His voice pitches lower, lower. “And this feels right to you?” he questions. I just nod. I can’t read his face, it’s too mixed up, rocked and stirred, too many different emotions playing over the gruff lines.

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