Page 34 of Silver Fox's Christmas Scandal

His chest heaved under my palms, his teeth bared as his breath grew ragged. I felt his body tense and jolt in a final drive, and he came so hard his entire body shuddered and twitched.

I clenched around him, milking every last drop of his release into the sleeve, and he pulled me down against his chest hard, kissing my temple.

My head rested on his chest, his fingers trailing through my hair, combing the tangles gently.

"I've never talked to anyone the way I talk to you," he said into the darkness.

His admission made this suddenly so much more intimate than sex. I felt tense but strangely comfortable at the same time. Didn't he know that for a woman, talking after sex was the most intimate thing a man could do?

I felt a sudden urge to run, but I forced myself to stay still and stick to what I told him before he kissed me.

"We're friends," I said, trying to keep my voice light. "Friends talk."

"Is that what we are? Friends?"

I propped myself up on my elbow to look at him. "We can be. The mentorship, the attraction—it doesn't have to make things weird between us." Yet there I was, telling him these things with his dick still lodged in my body, with the smell of sex and lust wafting around us.

"Friends who sleep together?" I felt how awkward that sounded, but I had to double down now. I didn't want to admit how wrong I might've been.

"Friends who help each other. You're teaching me about the business. I'm providing you with an outlet for stress. It works."

He was quiet for a moment, studying my face in the dim light. "You make it sound so simple."

"Does it feel simple?"

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "With you, most things do."

Relief flooded through me. This could work. We could maintain our arrangement without crossing into dangerous emotional territory. We were both adults who understood the boundaries.

"Speaking of business," he said, his fingers still playing with my hair as I relaxed and laid back down on his chest. "I have a client meeting in Boston next month. I'd like you to come with me as my analyst."

I stiffened slightly. "Your analyst?"

"You've been sitting in on meetings, contributing valuable insights. It makes sense to formalize the role."

"Lucian, people are already talking about the special attention you give me. Promoting your assistant to analyst isn't exactly common."

"You're qualified. More than qualified. Your analysis of the Henderson acquisition was brilliant."

"That was one report."

"It was exceptional work." His hand stilled in my hair. "Unless you don't want the opportunity?"

I cringed inwardly. I did sound like I was being hesitant, and that wasn't what I meant to do.

It was just that he was already under scrutiny, and now I feared the same unwanted attention would turn in my direction.

"I want it. Of course I want it. I just…" I trailed off, unsure how to voice my concerns without sounding ungrateful.

"You're worried about appearances."

"Aren't you?"

"I stopped caring what people thought when I decided I wanted you in my bed." The blunt honesty made me shiver. "Your career shouldn't suffer because of our personal arrangement."

"And if people think I'm sleeping my way to promotions?"

"Then they're idiots who don't recognize talent when they see it. I've already told you that." His voice hardened. "You've earned this, Tessa. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise."