Page 167 of The Skeikh's Games

Norah carried her overflowing cup of coffee to her desk. She was tired but for once it was a good feeling. She and Jay had made love for most of the night. They forgot about work, forgot about the rest of the world. The ecstasy of being together was overwhelming. When they weren’t making love, they were talking about the future. Jay told her his plan for buying a new home in the French Quarter and asked if she would come with him to look at some land. At three o’clock in the morning, famished, they made toast and sat in the kitchen, grinning at each other. When she got up to wash their plates, he had stood behind her, kissing her neck, running his hands under her robe, between her legs. She had melted at his touch and they fell to the kitchen floor, tangled limbs, laughing. She straddled him and he smiled as she took charge. She moved on top of him until Jay was helpless under her touch, his big hands circling her waist, his thumbs stroking her belly.

A knock at the door woke her from her reveries. Sloan, dressed in a short turquoise shift dress, half-smiled at her. “Morning. You get my email about the presentation this afternoon?”

“Just getting to it.” Norah looked at Sloan and smiled. “I love that color on you.”

Sloan looked surprised. “Thanks. You too, you look…” She stared at Norah and Norah was suddenly aware of the high color of her own cheeks, the glow that still shone from her eyes and knew what Sloan was seeing. Her boss’s expression seemed to shut down and Norah frowned.

“Is something wrong?”

Sloan shook her head. “No. I didn’t realize you and…never mind, none of my business.” She turned to leave then turned back. “It’s just…be careful, Norah. People are already talking and what with Jay’s reputation…”

Norah met Sloan’s gaze evenly. “I’m a big girl, Sloan. I think I can handle it.”

Sloan smiled bitterly. “You’ve known him two months. I’ve known him thirty years. That’s all.”

After she’d gone, Norah realized Sloan had managed to burst her bubble of happiness. She chewed her lips and answered her phone absentmindedly.

“Hey, beautiful.” Jay.

“Hey, yourself.”

“Are you free this evening?”

She smiled down the phone but sighed. “I can’t. Not tonight. Raincheck until tomorrow?”

There was a long pause. “What do you do every Tuesday and Thursday?”

Norah’s eyebrows shot up. “You been spying on me?”

Jay laughed, the sound warm and amused. “No, just when someone does something so regularly, it gets noticed.”

Irritation flickered through her. “Sloan. Do you get her to do your spying for you?”

“Hey now,” Jay’s tone was serious now, “No-one’s spying on you. I was just asking, is all.”

She hesitated, closing her eyes. “I’m…I’m not ready to share that with you just yet.”

“I see.”

She hated the hurt in his voice. “It’s nothing you should worry about, Jay, just something personal.

“Is there someone else?”

She gaped down the phone. “Well, if that’s what you think of me…”

“Wait, wait, wait, how did we end up arguing? Look, forget it, I’m sorry. Of course, I trust you to tell me if…well, we’re getting heavy here.”

She sighed, rubbing her face. “Hey, no, I’m sorry. Over-sensitive. Sloan just…well, she let me know just how little time we’ve know each other and I think it got to me. Especially after last night. I’m probably just tired.”

She heard Jay’s soft laugh and felt the tension drain from her. “Best night of my life,” he said softly. “I’d like to tire you out again some night soon.”

She glanced at her clock, figuring out something in her head. “I can come over later but it will be late — I mean, past eleven.”

His laugh, this time, was pure filthy anticipation. “Don’t break that promise, beautiful. I’ll be waiting.”

Outside Norah’s office, Sloan Farmer smiled to herself. She knew what she had to do now she knew that Norah was hiding something from her new lover. Sloan’s best friend. The man she’d been in love with for thirty years. Norah Quinn wasn’t going to take Sloan’s future away from her. She’d see to that.

Sloan walked quickly back to her office and shut the door. She flicked through the contacts on her phone until she found the one she wanted and pressed the call button. A few seconds later, she smiled as she spoke into the phone.

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