"You're a lucky man, Moore." He slowly pulls himself from the chair.
I don't respond. I don't move an inch. I refuse to give him the satisfaction.
"I've yet to meet a woman who knew how to blow me the way she did." The words are clear, cold and meant to rile me.
I rush to my feet. My hands knot into fists at my sides. "Get the fuck out," I hiss through clenched teeth.
He raises a hand. "When you see her, tell her I miss her."
"Shut the hell up you bastard," I call after him as he opens the door and steps through it without looking back.
Chapter 14
"Jessica," I call her name before I've even got the door to the apartment open. "Jessica."
I step through into the entryway and realize immediately that she's already here. Her black flats rest near the doorway, her coat is tossed recklessly over the back of the couch and her purse is sitting on the small table next to the door.
My intention was to come home immediately after that fucking asshole, Thomas, left my office. I wanted to come here and decompress before I went to the restaurant. In my mind, I saw myself confronting her there, at work. It was a plan with no merit. Thankfully, I was called into a meeting about the Wilkinson case. I've spent the past three hours listening to numbers being tossed around, along with terms. I'm getting close to a settlement. I should be happy but the only thought that has been running through my mind is what Jessica agreed to be quiet about. What the fuck happened between her and the Governor?
I slide my suit jacket off before I call her name once more. I'm greeted with nothing but dead silence. She's somewhere in this apartment ignoring me. I bet that asshole called her after leaving my office to give her a heads-up. She knows I know about their agreement. She's going to be ready, with emotional guns blazing, to counter everything I say.
I head down the hallway, stopping first at the master bedroom. The bed is made. She pulled the linens back into place this morning after we'd gotten up. I wanted to fuck her the moment she opened her eyes, but she had lazily rolled out of the bed to make coffee. I didn't want to believe that she was avoiding sex on purpose, but it was feeling more and more like that every day.
I turn on my heel and dart my eyes into my office. She's not there either. It doubles as a guest room and that bed looks untouched too. I stand in place, listening intently. I hear the faint sound of water running. I bolt down the hallway towards the guest bathroom. I swing open the door to a haze of steam.
"Jessica," I say her name blindly into the space. "Jessica, I'm here."
The only response is the veiled sound of sobbing. She's crying. I can hear her labored breaths. Christ, what the fuck has got her so torn up? What is Thomas holding over her head?
I step closer to the marble shower stall. I look down to where her chef's jacket and black pants are tossed on the floor. Her bra and panties are settled on the floor nearby. "Jessica," I whisper her name into the space. I don't want to alarm her. I don't want to scare her back into herself. She's vulnerable right now. She's open and raw. I need to get her to trust me. I want an explanation for what's going on with her and that fucking Governor.
"I'm home," I call into the stall. I can see the outline of her body through the fogged glass of the door. "Jessica, I'm here."
The sobbing stops abruptly. "I'm just having a shower." Her voice is muted. I can tell she's covering her mouth with her hand, trying to curb her emotions.
I swing open the door. She's not facing me. Her hands are gathered over her face. She's pressing her body into the damp wall, the water beating a path down her bareback.
"Jessica," I reach through the spray to touch her skin, not caring that the arm of my shirt is now drenched. "Please, Jessica, tell me what's going on."
She recoils when my fingers brush over her skin. She steps to the side knowing that she's out of my reach. "I just need a few more minutes." The words are soft and steady.
"No." I step into the shower, the water barreling down on me, soaking all my clothes instantly. My hands are on her back, pulling her into my chest. "You're falling apart inside, Jessica. Let me help you."
Any resistance she may have felt washes down the drain with the water. She falls into my body, her hands grasping tightly to mine as they circle her waist.
"Tell me, Jessica," I whisper into her ear. "Tell me what's happening."
She turns instantly and her hands are on my shirt. She's pulling at the buttons, trying desperately to rid me of my clothes. I try to catch her hands. I need her to stop. I can't want her right now. My cock can't respond the way it is. I'm hard just from staring at her nude, wet body.
"Don't." I grip tightly to her wrists. "Don't make this about sex."
Her eyes catch mine with a heated gaze. "You want me," she whispers against my lips. "You want me, Nathan."
I do. I can't deny that. It would be an obvious lie. My cock is straining against my pants. I want to push her against the shower wall, pull her thighs around my waist and drill my cock into her until she's screaming my name. I want that more than anything in this moment.
Her lips are on mine before I have time to think. She slides her tongue over my bottom lip, forcing its way into my mouth. I grip her hair, tilting her head so I can claim more of her with the kiss. She melts into my touch.
"Please, fuck me, Nathan." The words fall from her lips into mine. "I need to feel you inside of me."