I fall silent for a moment, my eyes gazing through the glass walls. The lotus flowers floating on the calm waters of the pond are in bloom. My mouth breaks into a smile when I finally understand what Derik is talking about. I feel my heart swelling with happiness.
Is he jealous?
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mr. Lewis,” I say, feigning ignorance.
“Stay away from that bastard, mmmh?”
“Who?”
“Mason Moore.”
I laugh, combing my fingers through his dark hair.
“Why? Are you jealous?” I tease.
He scoffs.
“Me? Derik Lewis? Hell no!”
I giggle and roll my eyes, tickled by his childishness. Knowing his personality, spitting out the actual words would be like swallowing needles. A proud man like him would never admit something so vulnerable as jealousy.
Still… I feel happy.
It’s enough for me to know that I have a space in his thorny heart.
“Mason is a senior engineer at Quinn Industries. He’s been a good mentor to me. Whatever you saw, it meant nothing. He was driving like a madman and I was nauseous when I got out of the car. He was just supporting me when I lost my balance.”
He looks up at me with a frown and disgust on his face. His eyes are a little droopy.
“You don’t know him. Keep your distance. He’s a dangerous man.”
I raise a brow, throwing him a suspicious look. Derik may come off as a jackass when it comes to his words, but he never says anything he doesn’t mean.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you soon enough,” he says softly. His hands move across my back, expertly snapping open the hook of my bra with a single move. “Now, can I please get my meal? I’m starving.”
Wide-eyed, I gape at his face only to realize that he was just laying his trap all along. His eyes glow with desire. How could I have fallen into this unscrupulous plot?
I sneer.
“Tell me, Mr. Lewis, have you been having a dry spell?” I mock him mischievously, pushing his large figure back onto his chair. I slip off the desk and straddle his lap. “Did you rush your work to fly back here?”
His jaw clenches as a tinge of red creeps to the tip of his ears.
“I’m an efficient worker. Finishing early is a given,” he replies matter of fact.
Squirming against his wide chest, I rotate my hips slowly, brushing my crotch against his as my arms link around his neck. When I feel him tense up, I lean closer so that my lips swiftly brush his jawline.
“Did you miss me that much?” I tease, meeting his gaze.
“Shut up,” he mumbles as he reaches up to loosen his tie.
“Did your heart ache when you saw me cry?”
“Shut up.”
“Were you jealous when you saw me with Mason?”
“Shut up.”
“Surely, you don’t mean that.”
“Woman, stop this nonsense!” he protests.
“You don’t mean that either,” I chuckle, feeling him growing hard against my jeans. His breathing is hot and heavy. I smile and muster the courage to take the initiative. I grasp his tie and pull him in, eagerly kissing his lips, expressing my longing and anticipation. I move my body to create friction against his clothes as I take his hand and guide it beneath my shirt, softly biting his bottom lip.
“Touch me,” I murmur against his mouth.
With my consent, Derik hoists me up. He wraps one hand around my waist, the other under my ass, as he rises from his seat. Nibbling against my neck, he smoothly strides across the room and hall, making his way to the master bedroom. After laying me on his large bed, he admires the throbbing area of skin on my neck where he’s just marked me, as if he’s completed a work of art.
Impatiently, he undresses me, his eyes roaming across my nakedness, his gaze burning with lust as if he’s ready to devour me witless. I shiver at the thought, gaping at his hard pecks when he strips his shirt off.
I gulp. His abs are a level of perfection that even billboard models can’t hold a candle to.
“Like what you see?” he asks gruffly.
I look away, my cheeks heated from embarrassment. Sure, we’ve made love once before, but we’re in broad daylight now, the sun tossing beams across the bed like spotlights. Every part of his body, every movement he makes, is illuminated. It feels sinful to witness such a beautifully sculpted creature standing before me, now fully nude.
