Page 23

chapter fourteen

Graham

I ’d thought about this moment dozens of times, never once imagining it would actually happen. That I would actually have Jillian Taylor beneath me, gasping my name with wide, satisfied eyes as I entered her.

Her legs wrapped around my hips, hooking at the ankles like she was locking me in.

But it was her smile that killed me. I kissed her mouth, her chin, her neck, raking my teeth along her collarbone because kissing alone would never, ever suffice.

Her breathy whimpers threatened to wreck me completely.

With my hands under her back, I gently pulled her body up into an embrace, guiding her upright without slipping out of her.

She straddled my lap, her knees on either side of my hip, and we found a new rhythm.

I fisted a handful of her hair as she rocked her hips back and forth.

“God, Graham,” she whispered. “I’ve wanted this for so long. ”

Fuck. She probably didn’t even mean it, but it gutted me anyway. Her arms wrapped around my neck as my hands settled beneath her ass so I could thrust deeper and faster. The pace was no longer slow and sweet. We were past that.

Her head turned to watch us in the mirror again, and I looked, too. Who were these people, their sweaty bodies tangled together? Could that man with the fucking hot blonde straddling his lap really be me?

Jill rocked her hips, grinding in circles and taking me all the way in. “You’re doing so well, darling,” I said against her neck.

Darling?

Why the fuck did I choose that word?

I only had a second to worry about how stupid it must have sounded, because Jill arched her entire body with a moan so raw and loud it echoed through the room. It was like that one word flipped a switch.

This new angle pulled a moan out of me, too, her slick heat tightening around my cock.

I pulled her body back against mine, our sweaty foreheads pressing together as we both neared the edge.

I no longer knew where I ended and she began.

When her eyes found mine again, we both lost control, trembling and breaking in sync.

“Fuck,” I grunted, squeezing her thigh as I released. She whimpered through every last thrust until her whole body shook.

Still inside of her, I kissed her temple before easing her backward against the mattress.

Bracing myself above her with all of my weight on my forearms on either side of her head, I planted another kiss on her lips.

Her eyes were closed, and she was smiling—perfectly content and wrecked in the best possible way.

We lay like that for a moment, but I feared I was making her uncomfortable, so I rolled away. She pulled the sheet up over her body as I made my way to the bathroom to take care of the condom.

It was officially morning now. Soft light spilled through the window blinds, and the birds were beginning to sing in the tree just outside the window.

“Do you need anything?” I asked Jill from the doorway.

She rolled over to face me, her eyes half-open. “Is it okay if I stay for a little bit?”

Was she kidding? Like she needed to ask. “Please,” I said, joining her in the bed. I pulled the comforter up over us both. “Stay as long as you need.”

She scooted in close, nestling against my armpit with one arm draped over my chest. A night that began with a couple of drunk fools getting blasted by lawn sprinklers came to an end with Jillian’s fingers lazily stroking my chest hair until she fell asleep.

It was like I had died and gone to heaven.

And then… reality started to sink in.

If this got out, I’d be forced to resign. She’d probably lose her job—or at the very least, this would destroy her reputation.

And fucking hell, what would Xander say if he found about this? A knot formed in my stomach when I thought about how, less than twelve hours ago, I’d taken some of the man’s money in poker, trying to laugh it off because he seemed like he was already in a bad mood. But when wasn’t he in a bad mood?

Of all the guys whose exes I could’ve slept with...

My only saving grace was the knowledge that this wouldn’t continue. Jill was on the rebound, after all, and I provided a soft landing for her to get over him. I’d fulfilled my purpose. That at least made it easier to pretend I wasn’t already in too deep.

She let out a soft sigh beside me, twisting her fingers around my chest hair again. “I really loved it when you called me darling ,” she whispered.

God help me.