Page 20 of Thiago (Family Ties #6)

Chapter Twenty

I ndia paced her office restlessly. She hadn’t heard a peep out of Thiago except for an email he sent to all executives.

She wasn’t accustomed to having one-on-one time with him during a typical day, but considering he’d had dinner with Blanca Garcia—a woman who made no effort to hide her attraction to him—India’s lack of interaction with him was particularly disconcerting today.

She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened during his dinner with Blanca last night.

“Only one way to find out.”

Squaring her shoulders as if preparing for battle, India left her office and started down the hall with purposeful steps. Half the floor was empty because most of the staff had left at a reasonable hour. She, however, was working late and knew Thiago would be too.

She swept past the empty desk where his executive assistant usually sat and marched up to the double doors of his office. She knocked twice and waited.

“Come in,” Thiago’s deep voice called from inside.

India entered and closed the door behind her.

He leaned back in his leather chair and looked at her with a curious expression. “This is a nice surprise.”

“Working late as usual, I see,” India remarked.

“So are you,” Thiago returned.

His face had turned expressionless, so she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“I heard you had a business dinner yesterday. How did it go?”

One of his eyebrows lifted higher, and he studied her in silence. “You are concerned about my dinner?”

“I was wondering if you had an enjoyable meal, that’s all. Who accompanied you? Where did you go to eat?”

Slowly, he rose from behind his desk and walked toward the bar. “I had a very interesting dinner with Blanca Garcia. The food was good, but the company was a bit… odd. Drink?” He gestured toward the options.

India declined the offer with a shake of her head. “What was odd about your dinner companion?”

“She is interested in me,” he said in his usual straightforward Thiago manner.

“Is she?” India asked innocently.

He shot her a look. “You would have to be blind not to notice she’s interested in me.

She is annoyingly obvious about it, and I have ignored her behavior for the most part because we rarely interact.

Unfortunately, she came early for the training, and last night the situation became awkward.

I should have known better than to accept her invitation to dine alone.

” He dropped clear ice cubes into a glass and poured water over them.

So Blanca had invited him to dinner and not the other way around. The information gave India a sense of immense satisfaction.

“What happened?” she asked, fighting the giddiness threatening to overtake her at the newfound knowledge that Blanca’s plan to seduce Thiago had fallen flat.

He sipped his water, eyeing her suspiciously over the rim of the glass. “She propositioned me.”

“Nooo,” India said, feigning surprise.

“I turned her down.”

“You poor man. Does this happen often—women throwing themselves at you?”

“Very often. Why do you think I have a male assistant?”

She pursed her lips. “Really, Thiago?”

He shrugged, as if he didn’t need to explain further.

“Women just find you so irresistible?”

“It is a curse,” he said in a mockingly forlorn voice.

“I think people call your statement a humble brag.”

“No matter. What I said is the truth. But why do I have the feeling you knew all about Blanca’s plan to seduce me?”

“She might have mentioned her intentions when I saw her in the bathroom yesterday, before you left for dinner.”

His eyebrows inched higher in surprise. “Is that why you came down here? To make sure I didn’t succumb to her feminine charms?”

India averted her eyes. “Maybe. It’s nice to know you didn’t give in to temptation.”

“There was no temptation.”

“There better not have been,” she said, not bothering to hide the smile on her face as she strolled toward him.

This time, Thiago’s raised eyebrows were accompanied by a short laugh. “I see. Now you’re the one making demands,” he said, sounding rather pleased.

“She’ll be here until the end of next week. I hope the situation won’t be uncomfortable for you,” India continued.

“I don’t foresee a problem. I sent her home.”

“Ouch. Too bad.” India had been looking forward to asking Blanca how the evening went.

She sidled up to Thiago and gazed into his smoldering dark eyes. She was trying to seduce him but was already mesmerized by the intensity she saw in their depths.

Slipping a hand inside his pants, she felt his stomach muscles tighten.

Thiago didn’t move. “What are you doing?” he asked in a strained voice.

“What do you think I’m doing?” she whispered seductively, massaging his length, feeling him harden beneath her palm.

Slowly, he placed his glass on the bar but didn’t remove her hand. “We are at work. We do not?—”

A knock sounded on the door, and one second later, it was pushed open.

India yanked her hand out of Thiago’s pants and quickly stepped away from him.

“Oh!” His assistant looked surprised. “I didn’t know you were in a meeting.”

Brown-skinned, tall, and in his early thirties, Amir was brilliant and tough enough to handle Thiago’s personality.

He also did a good job of protecting his time from interruptions, which was probably why he appeared so taken aback by India’s presence.

She was not on the calendar, so she should not be in here taking up the boss’s time.

“What do you have for me?” Thiago asked in a gruff voice, talking over his shoulder.

He couldn’t risk facing Amir and having him see his erection. India turned away to keep from laughing.

“I printed out the reports you asked for and had them bound. I picked them up from downstairs a few minutes ago.” Amir pointedly lifted the stack of red folders in his hands.

“Put them on my desk,” Thiago said, pretending to be busy at the bar.

What is he doing? India barely contained her amusement.

“Yes, sir.”

Amir walked across the room and dropped the folders on Thiago’s desk. As he turned in the direction of the door, he cast a quick glance at India. Did he sense the tension in the room?

She smiled disarmingly at him, and he smiled back.

At the door, he paused. “Do you need me to do anything else?”

Thiago turned his head toward him. “No. You may leave for the evening.”

Amir nodded and left.

As soon as the door shut, India doubled over with laughter.

Thiago glared at her. “That was not funny,” he said.

She wiped the tears from her lashes. “It was a little funny. Come on,” she said.

“You need to keep your hands to yourself.”

“That’s new,” she said in a cocky voice.

“We have always been hands-off in the office.” Thiago strolled over to the door and turned the lock with a decisive click .

India’s breath caught. “What are you doing?” she asked.

Thiago shrugged out of his jacket as he walked toward her at a leisurely pace. “Before Amir came in, you were doing something.”

“A second ago you told me to keep my hands to myself,” India reminded him as she backed toward the desk.

“I did, but I didn’t say anything about keeping my hands to myself.”

“Oh, I see. Rules for me but not for you.”

She tried to run, but he caught her from behind with one arm and lifted her off the floor. Breathless and laughing, she twisted around to face him, the back of her thighs hitting the edge of his desk.

“You understand perfectly.” Thiago tossed his jacket on the desk. Then he reached behind her and picked up the remote. With the press of a button, the window shades started lowering.

“Are you trying to take advantage of me, Mr. Santana?” India whispered.

He looked down at her with a heavy-lidded gaze. “Sometimes I think you are taking advantage of me.” He spoke in a grave voice, as if he wasn’t joking.

Did he really think she was somehow using him? “I would never…”

He caught her chin between his finger and thumb. “No, you would never. Nor would I use you. But you drive me crazy, you know that, don’t you? Crazy with need.” His eyes blazed down at her, reflecting the storm of emotions his lips had confessed to.

“You do the same to me, Thiago. It’s impossible to think when I’m around you,” India admitted in a soft voice.

He dipped his head and took her mouth, and she immediately opened to him. She tugged on his tie until the Windsor knot was undone, and she could continue undressing him by opening his shirt.

“No, not here,” he said huskily.

Without warning, he scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

India squealed softly, laughing and kicking her feet. “You’re a barbarian,” she said.

He marched over to the conference table and nudged the chair at its head out of the way with his foot. Then he carefully placed her on the cool glass surface.

“I’m going to Brazil on business in a couple of weeks. I want you to come with me,” he said.

India leaned back on her hands, watching with interest as he finished unbuttoning his shirt. “Why?”

“Because we could stay a couple of extra days and spend the weekend together.”

The unexpected invitation made her heart race. After her disappointment about the flowers yesterday, his offer excited her.

“Is that a request?” she asked to toy with him.

“It is an order,” Thiago replied, tossing his shirt on the chair he’d moved aside. “Say yes.”

“So I don’t have a choice?”

He stepped between her open legs, and she held her breath in anticipation of their lips touching.

“No,” Thiago said, looking down at her with arrogant confidence.

“This is what I’m talking about when I say you’re mean.” Her fingers fisted in his undershirt to keep him from moving away.

He laughed softly, and his warm breath feathered across her face, causing a throbbing ache between her thighs.

She wanted him desperately. Perhaps because they’d been so careful in the past, making sure not to touch to avoid getting caught or raising suspicion.

Now, here they were, about to have sex in his office—an act so forbidden, she was practically panting with lustful excitement.

“I need an answer, mujer ,” he said in a low tone. His authoritative voice sent thrills up her spine.

“I’m open to the idea, but I have nothing to do with the Latin American region. If we’re both gone at the same time to Brazil, it might look suspicious to the staff.”

“Who cares what they think? No one would dare comment about our trip to our faces.”

Good point.

“ You are going to take time off and enjoy the weekend?”

“When was the last time you went on vacation?” Thiago asked, placing his hands on either side of her hips.

“It’s been a while,” India admitted.

“For me too, and though this is only a few days, it is better than nothing. Unless you don’t want to join me.” Consternation creased his brow.

“No, I absolutely want to. I love the idea.”

“But?”

“No but. I admit to being surprised by the offer, but I want to go. It will be nice to get away, and I’ve never been to Brazil.”

Thiago’s tongue teased her bottom lip. “You are my woman. This should not be a surprise.”

You are my woman . Were there any sexier words in the English language?

“We will not think about work for a few days,” Thiago added.

India smoothed her hands over his muscular biceps. “Is that really possible?”

“We can try,” Thiago said.

She desperately wanted to try, and a change of scenery would be nice.

She tugged his undershirt from his pants and slid her hand underneath to explore his hair-rough muscles. “I can’t wait,” she whispered.

“I cannot wait to make love to you in every corner of my penthouse,” Thiago said huskily. He removed his shirt and tossed it aside.

India lifted up so he could pull down her pants and panties. Seconds later, he was inside her, sliding into her aroused body with ease, his hands cradling her bottom as he thrust into her on top of the table.

As she barreled toward an orgasm, she knew meetings at this table would never be the same again. They would remind her of Thiago’s ragged breathing, his rough kisses, and the way his hands gripped her as he claimed her body with each demanding thrust.