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He found the base of the plug still lodged where he’d placed it. He caught her gasp in his mouth before his groan tumbled in. This was his Shelly, the cautious yet wild woman who’d snuck beneath barriers he’d never intentionally placed around his heart.

  The door swung open just as Drake was about to answer the soft whimpers that fell from her lips on a repeated request for more. Shit.

  He tore his mouth from hers to scowl at the intruder. The hard glare he got in return cooled his lust with a dose of reality.

  Trevor gave them a once-over before his chin lifted, his expression one of mixed annoyance and interest. “Drake. Shelly.”

  That was it. A verbal reprimand wasn’t needed. They were adults. They’d clearly broken the no-play-outside-the-boardroom rule. And they’d been caught like two teens groping in the backseat of their mom’s minivan.

  “We were just leaving,” Drake said, taking Shelly’s hand as he separated from her. He’d fucked in front of Trevor many times before, but a thread of embarrassment managed to ease its way through him.

  “Good to know.” Trevor stepped aside to let them pass. “Be sure you make it out of the building this time.”

  “Sorry,” Shelly said, a laugh in her voice. “It won’t happen again.”

  “See that it doesn’t.”

  “That won’t be a problem,” Drake said before he wrapped his arm around her. His heart hitched when he caught the almost shy glance she sent him, hope, speculation and something naughty communicated that quickly. “I think our Boardroom days are limited.” Her brow arched, but she didn’t contradict him as he led her away.

  “And Drake,” Trevor called, stalling their departure. He waited for Drake to turn back. “Don’t be a dick.” His pointed glance to Shelly clarified his meaning.

  Drake could’ve been offended, maybe would’ve been with any other guy. He wasn’t, though. Taking home another Boardroom member edged into the overprotective territory Trevor placed around all the women in the group.

  His single nod acknowledged the grand command before he ushered Shelly down the hall. She ducked into a conference room to grab her coat and purse before they headed to the exit. The Faulkner Investment Group office was class and quiet influence rolled into one. A dim light guided their way down the stairway to the reception area before they pushed through the glass doors to the outer lobby.

  “Did you drive?” he asked as they waited for the elevator.

  “No.”

  He drew her to him when they entered the elevator, cupping the delicate curve of her neck. Her eyes were wide, lust brewing beside the tender connection strengthening between them. Yeah, she felt it, whatever this was.

  “Come home with me.” His statement was truly a question. She held the power now. He’d laid his intentions out for her, which equated to him exposing his heart and opening himself to all the things he’d avoided. Love. Commitment. Trust.

  Relationships brought complications, but they also brought happiness. He’d never considered the positive aspects that came with sharing his life with someone. Not when all he knew were the negative endings and misery that came from divorced parents who hated each other.

  “Okay.”

  Her soft agreement set his dreams spinning. His gut told him this was right. That the two of them could make this work. That what they had could fill his life more than any business deal or fleeting accolade.

  He kissed her in that gentle way that held his lust at bay while closing the agreement they’d come to. He couldn’t think about the plug in her butt or he’d likely take her against the wall of the elevator, security cameras be damned.

  “What time do you have to work tomorrow?” he asked to keep his thoughts respectable. Or at least appropriate for their surroundings.

  “Ten.” She stepped away when the elevator slowed, but he snagged her hand before she could go too far. Her smile curled the edges of her lips as she tightened her hold. “I have a showing in North Beach.”

  “And when you’re done?” He led her to his car, aware that he was pushing, but he found it hard to slow down.

  Her coy smile teased an answering smile from him. “I’ll let you know in the morning.”

  His laughter echoed through the empty garage. She would never be pushed around, and that was good. He needed someone strong enough to call him on his bullshit.

  The ride to his home was quiet and completed in a matter of minutes given the relative emptiness of the streets. She gave him another side-eye when he pulled into his two-car garage.

  “Nice location.”

  The Russian Hill neighborhood was just blocks from Fisherman’s Wharf, but far enough from the tourist trap to remain quiet. That wasn’t the real draw, though. Her expression when he led her through the quaint outside door and down the garden path to the outside stairs to the main entrance said she agreed.

  The clear night was a blessing that showed off the stunning views of the Bay. Lights glittered in the darkness like stars in the distant hills, the expanse of the water a black hole broken by a smattering of boat lights.

  “Very nice, Mr. Hanson.” Appreciation flowed through her tone and sparked his pride.

  “It works.” He led her inside, flicking on a light as he did. The interior was on the small side, but he didn’t need a lot of space. The primary criteria he’d had when looking for a home had been the view, and he’d achieved that.

  “Would you like a drink? Water? Something to eat?” Etiquette dictated he ask, even though his dick urged him to ditch the questions. She deserved better than a rushed dash to a quick fuck, or even a long, lazy fuck that left them both gasping.

  Her slow head shake was timed with a sexy smirk. “I’m good. Thank you.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, unable to comprehend that she was actually there. “I’d ask if there was something else you’d like...” He kissed her lightly, teasingly as he slid his hand down to find her butt plug once again. Her hushed sigh told him everything and had the blood rushing to his dick. “But that’s not you.”

  She looked away, a blush rising on her cheeks. “Hey.” He lifted her chin until she met his eyes again. There was that vulnerability that charmed and humbled him. “It’s fine. Perfect, in fact. As long as you can tell me no.”

  Her tongue slicked over her bottom lip, hesitation seeming to evaporate. “I have no problem saying yes or no. It’s the detailed definition that trips me up.”

  Which he’d already figured out. That odd juxtaposition with the woman outside of the bedroom had intrigued him since he’d defined her quirk. His determination to unlock the desires she kept silent about had entrapped him.

  “There are so many things I can’t wait to explore with you in the luxury of a bed.”

  Her puff of laughter came with a smile. “Anything soft would be heaven.”

  He chuckled around the kiss he pressed to her temple. “Agreed.” When had the excitement of unencumbered public sex lost its appeal?

  The grand tour of his humble abode was executed in the time it took to take in the galley kitchen and living room as he led her to his bedroom. He set her purse and coat on a chair in the corner and turned to her.

  Light pooled in from the hallway to offer the perfect blend of soft shadows. “You really are beautiful.” There, in his bedroom—hair messed but gorgeous, lips still plump from his kisses, and that little slip of a dress that taunted him with the secrets hidden beneath—she took his breath away.

  He removed his suit coat and tie before he lifted the hem of her dress over her head. Her nakedness was a sight he’d never get tired of seeing. Full breasts peaked with rosy nipples, a slim waist accentuated by the curve of her hips and the trimmed V of hair.

  He skimmed a finger down her breast bone, relishing her intake of breath. “So damn responsive.” Her low moan teased his longing with each flick over her nipple. “Open.” He dipped to suc
k a tip into his mouth, toying with it until her back arched and her fingers dug into his scalp. “Giving.” He kissed up her neck to nip her earlobe before he reclaimed her mouth.

  Perfect. That was the only word that rang in his head as he stole into her mouth and hunted down the dark ecstasy that enticed him to return again and again.

  Her eyes had shifted to a deep shade of blue when he finally drew back. Heavy-lidded, sultry with heat and want, he marveled at how right she felt in his arms, in his bedroom, in his heart. “You’re mine now.” The urge to protect and cherish rose up to crush any lingering doubts.

  “I’m not a possession. But,” she countered, lifting on her toes, drawing him down until her lips hovered beneath his, “if I’m yours, then you’re mine.”

  His agreement came out in the harsh, almost frantic kiss he placed on her. His control was lost beneath the urgent drive to solidify every emotion and unsaid thought that’d turned his defined life upside down. Shelly was a wild card, an unexpected change of plans that presented an opportunity he never saw coming. She was warmth and possibilities, happiness and a sense of completion.

  He released her just long enough to shed his clothes, each tug and pull made with the sole goal of finally feeling her stretched beneath him, skin to skin, just them. No Boardroom. No distraction or grounding distance of a public venue. No rules or limitations.

  No defined ending.

  She welcomed him into her arms when he finally joined her on the bed. Heaven didn’t begin to describe the rush that overtook him when he settled between her legs, his erection cradled against her pussy, his abdomen pressed to hers. She drew him down until their lips touched. The sweet confirmation of rightness quickly shifted to need, the urgency to have her overriding his desire to cherish every inch of her.

  Later. He’d kiss every part of her, hunt down the secrets he’d yet to learn, pull her wants out with each hushed sigh and gasp. He’d give her everything she couldn’t ask for and treasure the gifts she shared with him—just him.

  His heart hitched, breath holding when he slid into her. Wet heat enclosed his dick, the hard line of the plug reinforcing what he’d ignored for months. Shelly was the woman he’d been waiting for.

  And he wasn’t letting her go now that he had her.

  Chapter Eight

  Shelly wrapped her legs around Drake and urged him to move faster, go deeper. To claim every part of her. Heat engulfed her, bliss chasing it with every hard thrust.

  Drake had swept her away with each declaration and touch since he’d burst into the bathroom. He wanted her. Her. Shelly Carrigan. The girl everyone had dismissed. The woman who could fuck in a room full of people but couldn’t voice her sexual desires.

  And he had her.

  She gave him everything. Her heart and trust, her hope and the dreams she finally embraced. They were all his.

  He kissed down her neck, breaths ragged and peppered with grunts. The plug was both an irritant and enticer as it shifted within her. The need to have it out dueled with the passion it stimulated. Stuffed full until she could think of nothing but coming. Of clinging to Drake and tumbling into the unknown.

  This was different. Intimate on a level she’d feared—but not with him.

  She wanted to trust love. She wanted to wake up with him and do all the things he promised.

  “You’re mine, Shell.” He emphasized the claim with a deep drive that shoved her back. “Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.” Each word reinforced by a powerful thrust.

  “Yes.” She’d be his forever if he was hers.

  She dug her fingers into his nape, reaching for the orgasm that tightened in her core. Her breaths grew short, desperate. The soft hold of the mattress provided a level of closeness she couldn’t describe. It screamed how personal this was. How different.

  But she only needed to look into his eyes to know that. He stared at her with a devotion and awe that shook her. This was the man beneath the front. The man who ruled with passion and precision.

  He withdrew from her and sat up so quickly she barely processed the movement before he was lifting her hips. The first tug on the plug set off a flash of pain and pleasure. He flipped her over when she whimpered, urging her onto her hands and knees.

  “That’s it.” He stroked a hand over her ass, caressed her back. “Relax.”

  She blew out a slow breath and sunk into the knowledge that he’d give her what she truly wanted. He always did. Just Drake. Her sexual mind reader.

  That thought brought a smile as he eased the plug from her. The shot of fiery burn was quickly overrun by a wave of relief too unique to describe. Her hole gaped in that foreign way that only came after being stretched open for so long.

  She shook her head, trapped in the struggle between right and wrong, want and need, demand and silence.

  “You’re perfect.” Reverence coated his voice and soaked her in warmth. He circled a finger around her hole, setting off a rush of sensation that swept through her pussy and ignited her desire once again. “You want this.” He dipped his finger into her. “Don’t you.”

  Yes. The word stuck in her throat, so she nodded and moaned her agreement. He got her and this raunchy pleasure so many dismissed.

  The tear of the condom wrapper and click of the lube bottle tightened her anticipation. She gripped the sheet and lowered her torso to the bed, waiting. The first tease of his dick through her pussy yanked a cry from her. Her muscles contracted in greedy beats before he made one hard thrust into her vagina, pulling out just as quickly.

  She twisted her head on the bed, dizzy from the build he’d executed to perfection. He circled her rim, his breath catching on an audible hitch when he began his descent. Her ass clenched around the intrusion even though she wanted it—needed it.

  This. Yes. This.

  The invasion rang of everything that wasn’t proper and good. Of the freedom to take it anyway. To revel in the fullness unlike any other. To know she owned this.

  And she wasn’t ashamed.

  “Damn.” Drake gripped her hips, his rumbled exclamation echoing her own. “So good.” The tortured element in his voice matched the desire begging to burst from her. Just a little deeper. Fuller.

  Their mutual groans tumbled through the room when he finally bottomed out. Her muscles flexed, which pulled another curse from Drake. Her own power soared with the knowledge that she owned him too.

  His thrusts started slow, but quickly increased. Each drive became another note in their connection until it hummed within her on the rapid pace of her heart. She reached for the orgasm that tightened just below her clit.

  He leaned over her, his warmth blanketing her in security, in the connection that continued to entwine them tighter. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and rubbed her clit, his hips slowing to a taunting glide. Her needy keen would’ve been embarrassing in any other situation but wasn’t here.

  “I love this,” Drake mumbled against her shoulder. “Love your strength. Your acceptance and the crazy shy side that makes discovering your secrets so damn fun.”

  He drove his words home with a rapid series of thrusts timed with the persistent pressure on her clit until her orgasm broke. Tension held her muscles tight through the first rush and hit. She gasped, stretched, only to sink into the relief when it finally broke. Wave after crushing wave of joy shattered her thoughts.

  “Drake.” Her mumbled cry tore free as the intensity subsided. “Drake.”

  He gripped her to him as he came in a harsh round of grunts and drives that left his breaths ragged. He rolled his forehead against her shoulder, sucking in air at a pace that matched her own, his curse a duplicate of her thoughts.

  Her legs shook, her ass ached, but she didn’t want to move. The entire night had been too much, and so much more than she’d dared hope for. He took care of her, though. Cleaning up, turning off the lights, drawing
the duvet over her.

  Her mind fuzzed out, the endorphins loosening everything until she drifted on a cloud of contentment. The sense of peace grew when Drake snuggled in behind her, drawing her to his chest. He tangled his leg with hers in that perfect way that spoke of familiarity and permanence.

  “Thank you.” She laced her fingers with his where they rested on her abdomen.

  He nuzzled into her hair. “Don’t thank me.” He dropped a kiss on her head and hugged her tight. “It sounds too much like goodbye.”

  Her heart did a strange, fluttery leap as a smile broke across her face. She turned in his arms and cupped his cheek, feeling closer to him than she’d ever felt to anyone. Darkness hid his expression, but the gentle glide of his hand down her side spoke of the same tenderness swelling in her.

  “I think this is more of a hello,” she told him quietly.

  His soft chuckle teased her lips. “I think we passed hello a few years back.” He held a kiss to her forehead that managed to sink straight to her heart.

  Her bubble of laughter mingled quietly with his. She snuggled into his side, finding the perfect spot within his arms. This was the beginning of something good. She trusted that despite every piece of her history that told her not to.

  Sometimes, leaping was required in order to find something better. And everything in her said this thing with Drake was worth leaping for.

  Epilogue

  Something tickled his cheek. Something soft.

  Drake woke on a lazy blink and yawn that brought a dose of sunshine and warmth. His appreciative hmm spread through him as he tightened his arm around Shelly. He still held her in his arms, the length of her body fitting with his like she was meant to be there. Here.

  She is.

  That truth hummed its own chord in his heart. Her head rested on his chest, each soft breath drifting over his skin in confirming wisps. Peace settled around him in a quiet hush of acceptance. Shelly owned him now.

  He smiled at that. He’d spent his entire adult life refusing to be owned by anyone. Defining his own success. Proving himself to any number of people who claimed he couldn’t do it, be it, achieve it. But it’d brought him to this moment and maybe that was the point.