His room was even larger than mine, and he had a balcony. He’d told me he loved to eat out there, but it was far too chilly for us to do so the previous night. We’d talked and laughed, and I’d felt at ease with him. When he was relaxed, it was easy to forget how scary he could be in his office. I stopped thinking about all the things he’d done and the illegal businesses he was involved in. He was just a gorgeous man sharing stories about his childhood.
When Lucien’s alarm went off in the morning, it woke me with a start. I felt like I’d only been asleep for a few hours, and honestly it hadn’t been much longer than that. Lucien and I had spent longer talking than we should have, and it was very late when we went to bed. Lucien shut the alarm off and stood, seeming to go from sound asleep to awake in seconds.
“Couldn’t we snooze that?” I asked.
He just laughed. “I’ll get in the shower first. You stay there until I’m done.”
What felt like only seconds later, Lucien shook my shoulder. “Come on, sleepyhead. It’s your turn in the shower. I’ve got a hell of a day ahead of me, and I can’t be late.”
I bit back the response that since he was my boss, he could give me permission to be late and dragged myself from the bed. When I stepped out of the shower, Lucien was standing at the long bathroom counter shaving. I wrapped a towel around my waist, leaned against the counter, and used my hands to hoist myself up so I could sit and watch him. His gaze met mine. “What’s so interesting?”
“You. I’d enjoy watching you do just about anything.” I reached out and touched his cheek. “You missed a spot.”
He held his razor out to me. I took it and scooted closer to him. I held his chin with one hand, wanting to be sure he stayed still, then I very carefully slid the razor down his cheek, scraping away the shaving cream and leaving behind smooth skin. His hand wrapped around my wrist. I looked up and saw intense heat in his eyes, but there was something else there too, something softer that made my heart flutter.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” My voice trembled, and I held out the razor to him. He took it from me and rinsed it in the sink.
“Sometimes I wonder if there’s any point to this. I’ll need to shave again by lunchtime.”
I smiled. “I wouldn’t mind you all scruffy.”
“I had a feeling you wouldn’t.”
A few moments later, I was dressed in a blue shirt and gray dress pants which Lucien had picked out for me while I showered. I was almost ready, but I couldn’t get my tie right. I was tying it for probably the fifth time when Lucien stepped up behind me, his body close but not quite touching me.
Seeing him in the mirror and feeling his warmth sent need zinging through me. I wanted him to fuck me again and then stay here with me all day. He’d be different at the office, harder, and I wanted him to stay like he’d been the night before. He reached around me and captured my wrists, pulling my hands down to my sides. “Let me.”
He pressed himself fully against me as he reached for the ends of my tie. The way he held me felt as intimate as everything we’d done the night before. I held my breath as he effortlessly tied a perfect knot. “That’s better.”
I nodded mutely as I watched him in the mirror. The look on his face wasn’t predatory at all now. It was tender and… caring? I shouldn’t let myself think that way, but as he leaned into me and slid his lips over my temple and down along the line of my jaw, I shivered. My cock began to swell as I imagined him doing what I’d longed for last night but hadn’t gotten, kissing on the lips. I’d dreamed about Lucien’s mouth on mine since the first time I’d seen him.
“Come on. I told you we can’t be late today.”
His voice jolted me from my thoughts. “Oh, right. Sorry, sir.”
“You’re way too fucking tempting. I don’t know how I’m going to get any work done with you there.”
“I can always go back to—”
“The fuck you can.” His arms tightened around me. “You aren’t leaving. You made a choice.”
“I just meant that I don’t have to work in your office.”
“Yes, you do. I made a promise to protect you. Keeping you with me is part of it.”
“Okay.” He took my hand and tugged me along behind him. “I need my bag, and wh-what about breakfast?”
“You’re bag will be waiting for you by the door, and I never skip breakfast. I prefer to eviscerate my enemies on a full stomach.”