It was more to remind myself than him. But that didn’t stop the wetness from soaking through my panties or my nipples from tightening into diamonds and trying to cut through my bra and shirt, seeking even a small graze of his skin against them.
“Never again, baby,” he vowed, his lips so close they skimmed over mine.
Without thinking, I licked my lips, wanting to taste him. The next thing I knew, his mouth was sealed to mine. I whimpered, his tongue teasing me, and kissed him back. Every thought in my head faded, along with the world around us. It was as if he’d encased us in a dark bubble and my senses were overloaded with him. His scent, his taste, the feel of him against me, the sounds of our heavy breathing mixed together. There was just him and me and the best kiss I’d had in years…
A sharp tap tried to invade our little world, but I blocked it out. Tilting my head, I silently begged him to deepen his possession of my mouth. Keeping one arm locked around my waist, he lifted the other into my hair, tangling his fingers in my long locks. I pressed my chest into his, rubbing my nipples against him through our layers of clothes in search of relief from the ache in the tight points.
The taps grew louder, more insistent.
Nolan growled against my mouth, his teeth scraping over my swollen bottom lip before traveling down my neck. “Missed you so damn bad, Red. I swear I haven’t touched another woman since I met you. My cock is weeping for you right now. One graze of your hand across my shaft and I’ll explode.”
“Why?” I panted. My chest heaved, but I liked how it rubbed my breasts against him. “Why didn’t you fuck anyone else? We weren’t together.”
His lips paused at the base of my throat, his tongue pressed into the erratic pulse beating there before lifting his head. “Because, to me, we have always been together. In my heart, there was only you.”
My body felt like it was on fire. I needed relief—or a reality check. Either, as long as it happened fast.
Another hard tap sounded, and I blinked, realizing someone was outside my office door. “Zariah?” Tony called out. “Are you ready to go?”
My brain scrambled to catch up and remember where I was supposed to be. I’d made plans for lunch, but with Nolan so close, I couldn’t think. Then it hit me, and I groaned. “Give me a minute, Tony,” I called back.
Nolan glared over his shoulder at the door. “Ready for what?” he demanded when he shifted his gaze back to me.
“I…” I sucked in a deep breath, trying to cool my body down, but it was no use. Not when he was still pressed up against me and my hands were trapped between us. “I have a lunch date.”
Jealousy blazed in his eyes. “Cancel it.”
“No.” I lifted my chin stubbornly.
“Red,” he gritted through clenched teeth, but I cocked a brow at him, causing him to actually bare his teeth at me. “Who is this date with?”
I shrugged as best I could with my arms still trapped. “A guy I met on a dating app.”
His jealousy shifted, and something feral flared in his gaze. That was my only warning before he tossed me over his shoulder and stomped over to the door. I heard the lock flip, and he swung it open. I could only imagine the look on Tony’s face when he saw Nolan standing there, practically seething. My skirt had lifted up the backs of my thighs, and I didn’t doubt the edges of my panties were showing.
“She had a change of plans,” Nolan informed my bodyguard. “She’s going to be staying in for lunch today.”
“I need to hear that from her,” Tony said, his voice impassive as usual.
Nolan turned so that his back was to the other man and I was somewhat facing him. As best as anyone could face another person while hanging upside down over someone’s shoulder. “Tell him, Red.”
I pushed my hair out of my face so I could see Tony’s face as I lifted my head. His tone may have been emotionless when he’d spoken, but his eyes were blazing. I just couldn’t tell if it was with amusement or something else. “I’m going to need a few more minutes, T,” I told him, only to feel Nolan’s chest literally vibrate with his next growl. “Um…if my parents orZiocome looking for me—”
“Do you need me to show Krenshaw out?” he asked, interrupting me.
I blew out a puff of air in an attempt to get a few wayward strands of hair out of my eyes. “I’ve got this. But we will definitely be late for lunch. Wait for me at reception.”
He gave me a long look before nodding. Once the door was closed, Nolan placed me on my feet and backed me up against it, his hands trapping me against the hard wood as he leaned his face into my personal space. “You go on many of these dates, Zariah?”
His eyes darkened, and damn it, but that was sexy as hell. I’d always liked it when he got jealous. Obviously, nothing had changed about how my mind and body responded to this man, which was why I found myself rattling the beast’s cage. “I’ve been on a few…hundred over the years.”
Even through the glow of his jealousy, he couldn’t hide the hurt flashing across his face. “You cheated on me?”
“We weren’t together!” I half whispered, half screeched. “You and I broke up, Nolan. That means I was free to do whatever the hell I wanted, just as you were.”
“Free?” he snarled. “Tell me that you, for one minute, have felt free of me, Zariah. Because I sure as fuck have never felt as if I were free of you. A part of you lives inside me. There is a heart in my chest that beats, but it doesn’t belong to me. You own it. Just as I own yours.”
“Presumptuous much, ballplayer?” I shot back, but in the back of my mind, I knew he wasn’t wrong. At least not on my end. My heart wasn’t my own, because he had always possessed it. Even when I hated him…