Page 27 of The Grump I Loathe (The Lockhart Brothers #3)

EDDIE

“ Y ou’re working way too hard,” Max said, passing my cubicle on his way out of the office. He was the last straggler besides me. “It’s long past quitting time.”

“I spent too much time watching the animators work with Mr. Cheesers today,” I said, my hands flying across my keyboard.

It was both hilarious and adorable. The rat-sized penthouse Connor thought I’d joked about now took up about a quarter of the employee lounge.

With the rat’s penchant for those yogurt treats, the animators had him climbing all over his cage while they studied his movements.

“And Connor asked me to finish constructing the side quests and branching narratives for the Juni Protocol before this weekend’s playtest,” I added.

He’d actually made the request a few days ago. But there’d been many distractions since then, namely sex with Connor, Mr. Cheesers being adorable in his new sweaters, and more sex. Not that I was going to tell Max that .

“It should be illegal to work late in the summer,” Max said. “We should get a half day once a week.”

“A half day? Why not just a four-day week?” I teased.

“Now you’re talking!” He flashed me a grin. “Tell Cassie to call me if she ever feels like going dancing.”

I snorted, looking up from my computer screen. “If you need me to set you up with someone, just say so.”

“Hey, I do just fine for myself.” He cocked his head. “You don’t feel like hitting up the Garden again tonight? I can probably call some people and get them to come back out for a tipsy ping-pong tournament.”

God, that sounded like fun. Resisting was a bit of a struggle, but I knew if I agreed to go, I wouldn’t be turning in any work tonight. Plus, there was a very enticing distraction on the other side of the floor. My eyes drifted in the direction of Connor’s office.

“Already asked the boss,” Max joked. “And he told me to stop interrupting his workflow.”

I smirked. “Is that really a surprise?”

Max hummed. “You know, it was said with less disdain than usual, so I think he’s finally coming around to the idea of loosening up and getting a life.”

I caught my lip between my teeth. Or maybe my fun lessons were rubbing off on him. “Can’t tonight, but raincheck?”

“Sure thing,” Max said. “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye.” He walked away, and I heard the ding of the elevator arriving.

Silence crept across the floor as I dove back into the world of aliens and Mr. Cheesers’s many side quests.

When my phone vibrated, I reached for it.

Cassie had finally responded. She was out of town tracking down purple sofa cushions.

Any updates since you gave him the lawyer’s card?

I don’t think he ever bothered to look the guy up , I replied with a grumpy emoji.

Mmm…that’s not good.

Last we talked, he wasn’t interested in fighting Valentina to share custody of Alannah.

Ouch. WOW!

The courts are going to default to Valentina for custody because she’s the mom. That’s typically how things went in these custody situations.

Cassie’s emoji had a single tear running down its face. Poor kid.

Dad just says it’s best for Lana not to have to bounce back and forth.

And yeah, part of me gets his position , I wrote.

I hated moving between my parents’ places every week, and they lived in the same town, so it wasn’t like I had to get on a plane or deal with different schools or anything like that.

So in some ways, Alannah might be better off living full-time with Valentina.

Maybe that stability would be better for her in the end .

But I don’t think that’s what Alannah wants.

I do feel like she’s old enough to have a say in all of this—especially when it means leaving behind everyone she knows.

Exactly. If I let Dad give up on her, it’s like I’m giving up on her.

Aww, E. No. You’ve been there for Alannah more than anyone.

I sighed, a ball of discomfort swelling in my chest. The last thing I wanted was to be in the middle of Dad and Valentina’s divorce drama.

But I didn’t want to lose my sister, either.

I didn’t want to be a twice- a-year-visit kind of sibling.

I didn’t want to watch her grow up via social media posts. Everything just sucks.

Cassie sent a hug emoji. There was nothing she could say. There was nothing anyone could say that would fix things. I flipped my phone over, feeling a little melancholy about it all and desperately in need of a distraction.

I popped my head over the top of my cubicle to confirm we were alone, then I locked my computer, adjusted my blouse, and pulled the clip out of my hair, strutting over to Connor’s office. What I really needed was a pair of sexy glasses to pull off my look, but sometimes a girl had to make do.

“Come in,” Connor called when I knocked.

“Hello, Mr. Lockhart,” I said in my sultriest voice.

He glanced up from his computer as I closed the door behind me.

He blinked, then blinked again. Maybe it was the pouty way I pursed my lips or the insane amount of cleavage I currently had on display, but he swallowed hard, unable to take his eyes off me, and I shivered with the thrill of it.

“I’ve come to make sure you don’t need anything before I leave for the day. ”

Connor pushed back from his desk as I strutted over, sitting myself down on the edge of his desk, my chest practically in his face.

He licked his lips like he might devour me. God, I wanted that. “Is this a thing we’re doing?” he asked, finally tearing his eyes away from my chest to look me in the eye.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I said innocently, pressing the toe of my shiny black shoe to the edge of the chair between his legs.

He caught me by the calf, kneading the muscle gently. “The sexy secretary roleplay?” he said. “You’re missing the glasses. ”

Dammit . “Knew that was going to be my undoing. Well, good talk. Seduction over.” I jumped to my feet, but Connor’s hands shot out, catching me around the waist, pulling me closer.

“I never said it wasn’t working,” he husked, running his hands over my hips. The amount of attention he gave me in these quiet moments, when it was just the two of us, was always a little intoxicating.

Every time he touched me, I thought about how different it was compared to the guys I’d dated before.

Experience mattered. Connor was confident and commanding and attentive in all the right ways.

Not to mention, all it took was one intense look from him to turn my insides molten. “I can wrap up here if you want to?—”

I sank down in his lap, wrapped my arms around his neck, and nipped at his bottom lip.

“ Eddie! ” Connor said, voice laced with warning as he jerked back from my mouth.

“No one’s here,” I whispered, grinding against him for emphasis. “The floor is empty. It’s just us.”

“We shouldn’t?—”

“Tell me you haven’t had a fantasy about taking me on this desk,” I said, rolling my hips, feeling the bulge pressing back against me. “Or that you haven’t thought about me moaning your name while these papers fall to the floor.”

I reached back and swept a file off his desk, giving him a devilish look.

Connor surged forward then, and suddenly his lips were everywhere—my mouth, my jaw, my neck—drawing a desperate gasp from me.

He sank lower, tugging at my blouse, getting his mouth on the swell of my breasts, and I rushed to undo the rest of the buttons, shrugging out of the top.

Connor reached around for the clasp of my bra and thunk !

He stilled.

“Don’t stop,” I groaned.

He grabbed me by the arms, fingers tightening. “What was that?”

“What? Nothing.” I reached for his belt buckle.

Thud! Thunk!

“You said the office was empty,” he hissed, catching me before I could topple off his lap.

“It was…” My eyes widened. “Who is—oh, the cleaning guy?”

Connor swore under his breath. “He cleans my office too!”

“ Shit .” We both scrambled up before he could walk by the glass walls. The squeaky wheel of a cleaning cart drew closer. My bra dangled off my arms as I snatched my shirt from the floor, trying to figure out which way around it went.

“No time,” Connor hissed, shoving me toward a coat closet. He jammed himself in behind me, closing the door with a soft thud. A beam of light bled under the door.

My heart hammered in my chest, and a chill sent goosebumps across my naked flesh. I felt nervous and on edge…but also about as aroused as I’d ever been in my life.

“Just be quiet. He should be gone in a—” Connor trailed off as the door to his office opened.

I held my breath, but the thrill of being caught had sent adrenaline rushing through me.

I dropped my bra and pressed up against Connor, desperate for any sort of friction.

“What are you doing?” he whispered in my ear.

“Touch me,” I begged.

“ Eddie. ”

I popped the button on my slacks. “If you won’t, I will.”

He caught my hand before it could dive inside my panties, replacing it with his own. The sound of the cleaner dulled as Connor’s fingers brushed the slickness he found, and he rubbed slow, deliberate circles around my clit.

I choked down a gasp as pleasure started to inch across my body. Then a tremor of bliss exploded from me, and Connor slammed his hand over my mouth as I jerked against him, my limbs turning to jelly. I sagged into his arms, panting as quietly as I could.

The second I heard the garbage can hit the floor and the door close, I sank down to my knees, tugging at the zipper of Connor’s pants, getting my hand around his erection. His cock was heavy in my hand, already weeping. I pressed a kiss to the tip before taking the length of him into my mouth.

“Eddie,” Connor growled, fisting his hand in my hair.

I blinked up at him in the dim, gray light, releasing him with a pop. “We’ve gotta wait for him to do the rest of the floor before we can leave,” I reasoned. “We’ve got some time to kill.”

Connor huffed a disbelieving laugh, stroking my cheek with his hand, but then he dropped his head back against the wall as I ran my tongue all over him. “You’re a menace,” he said.

I grinned, kissing the tip of his cock. “You’re having the time of your life.”

“Eddie, can we chat?” Darius asked, catching me in the kitchenette the following morning .

“I’m not even one coffee deep yet, so I can’t promise riveting conversation,” I joked. “But sure.” I followed him down to his office and plopped myself in the chair across from his desk.

Darius parked himself behind his desk, avoiding my eyes.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

His cheeks flushed. “It’s…well—” He trailed off, clearing his throat.

“As you may know, we have a number of security cameras posted throughout the offices. I do a quick scan of the previous day’s footage at high speed every morning, just to make sure no one’s breaking health and safety regulations, or stealing an egregious amount of office supplies, or anything like that.

And when I scanned the feeds this morning… ”

Oh sweet mother of gaming, no! My jaw dropped slowly. Anything but that.

“I saw some of what happened last night.” He cleared his throat. “In Connor’s office.”

I blew out a panicky breath, my lips rattling together. “Okay, who do I have to sleep with to make this go away?”

Darius’s eyes widened dramatically.

“I’m kidding!” I said abruptly, lifting my hands to keep him from freaking out. “Sorry, bad joke. I wasn’t sure what else to say.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I obviously never expected this .”

“Yeah,” Darius said awkwardly. “I’ve spoken to Leigh. Because she’s technically?—”

“My supervisor.” I nodded. Shit .

“I was very discreet,” he said. “I didn’t disclose who else was involved other than you. ”

I was sure Leigh would figure it out on her own. To me, the tension was palpable whenever Connor and I were near each other, but maybe no one else had noticed?

“Upon Leigh’s recommendation,” Darius continued, “no disciplinary action will be taken at this time.”

Wait, for real? I frowned. “But I…The policy?—”

“Yes, well,” he said matter-of-factly, “that policy was drafted by one of the people involved, and while yes, he could wave his hand and make this all magically go away, there is some merit to having it in place because?—”

“—workplace breakups are bad for business,” I finished for him.

He looked at me, and I tried not to cringe. “Exactly. As it stands, Leigh agreed with me that we should go for just a warning this time. Officially, this isn’t going on your record. No one else needs to know that it ever happened. But my recommendation?” Darius said, finally meeting my eyes.

His tone softened. It was almost paternal.

“Be careful. You’ve got a great career ahead of you, Eddie.

Don’t throw it away for a good time. If something does end up leaking out, you know the axe will fall hardest on you, not Connor.

Public perception can be ruthless. It’s up to you to protect yourself. ”

“Right, no more closet romps.”

He grimaced.

“Sorry. I don’t know why I said that. This is all very…awkward.” But it was also a bit of good luck. That awkwardness might have just saved my job. Clearly, Connor and I were going to have to be more discreet while we were at the office .

Of course, I had no intention of telling Connor what Darius had seen.

He’d chosen to come to me rather than mention it to him, and I wanted to keep it that way.

No need to freak Connor out. But I might mention the presence of the cameras and use that as a reason for us to go out next time we wanted to have fun.

While I was all for a bit of office frolic, even I drew the line at an audience.

There we go. A little bit of a silver lining. I’d actually love to go out somewhere with Connor instead of always staying in.

I chose to focus on that instead of the echo of Darius’s warning in the back of my mind. A good time .

Was that really all Connor and I were? I didn’t want to believe that, but Darius had worked with Connor for years, and a part of me wondered if this conversation was less about warning me of any improprieties and more about warning me to protect myself.