"They were my ideas to begin—" he points out.
"Yes, but I fleshed them out further."
"And now I’m folding them into the presentation. This won’t take long and you look beat."
"I am." I yawn again.
"Go on." He nods toward the settee in the corner of his office.
"You sure?" I say doubtfully.
"Relax, I’m not going to make a move on you while you’re asleep, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He smirks.
I scoff, "That’s not what I’m worried about. It’s just... I don’t want you to think I’m slacking off or anything. After all, I was supposed to complete the pitch."
"And we did it together."
"You won’t hold it against me or anything, will you?" I shuffle my feet.
"Are you doubting my word?"
"No, it’s just... It doesn’t feel right for me to sleep while you’re still working." I yawn, this time so loudly my jaw cracks.
"Go on," he chuckles, "it’s nap time for you, young lady."
"Hmm." He does think of me as someone much younger than him. At other times, it feels like he treats me as his equal. And this chemistry between us? It’s so unexpected. Somehow, his age and his maturity, not to mention his confidence and complete assurance in everything he does, is so appealing. And it’s not just his looks, which of course, are not a deterrent. There’s something else about him, something lost, something wounded inside of him that seems to call to me every time I see him. It’s the same thing I’d sensed in Isaac. Only, there’s a lot more anger in Isaac. In JJ, though, it’s settled into something darker, edgier inside of him. Something that identifies him as a predator. A person who doesn’t trust anyone easily due to his experience.
"Lena?"
His voice cuts through my thoughts.
"Yeah, okay. I’ll take a short nap. Wake me up when you’re done, okay?"
25
JJ
"Lena? Lena." I stand over the sleeping girl.
She’s sprawled out on her side on the settee, her thick auburn hair around her shoulders. Her palm tucked under her face. Dark eyelashes fan her cheeks. There are smudges under her eyes.
So far, she’s managed to rise to every challenge I’ve thrown her way. I hadn’t meant to help her out with this presentation, but when I heard her and Isaac arguing I felt… Angry. With him. With myself.
It’s not right that she’s being pulled between us. It’s not right that I’m still entertaining thoughts of her. I tried to distance myself, but look how well that turned out. She feels the pull between us and is as helpless against it as I am. Yet, she doesn’t want to acknowledge it. And I get it. I really do. Isaac has youth on his side. He has his future ahead of him. Me? I’m set in my ways. I’m in the stage of my life where I should be thinking of my son’s wedding. Instead, I’m eyeing his girlfriend. But it’s not my fault.
I wasn’t looking for this kind of attraction. I wasn’t searching for something to add depth to my life. I wasn’t looking to find someone who’d occupy my thoughts. Someone I yearn to catch sight of every day. Someone I want to hold in my arms and kiss, then throw down and fuck until she can’t remember the name of any other man but me. She brings out a possessiveness in me, the likes of which I’ve never felt before. Not with any woman. Definitely not with the mother of my children. Not even when she was pregnant with them, and that’s just wrong. How can I have such visceral feelings for a stranger? How can I feel so possessive about her, to the extent that I’m ready to fight my own son for her affections. This is insane.
I drop down on my haunches and whisper, "Lena?"
She doesn’t stir. It’s been two hours since she crashed. Two hours since I continued to work on the presentation while shooting glances at her, and throughout that time, she hasn’t moved. Her lips are parted; her chest rises and falls in her sleep. I rake my gaze down her shoulders, the curves of her tiny waist, the flare of her voluptuous hips which ensnared me from the moment I set eyes on them. I push a strand of hair that’s fallen over her cheek behind her ear. She continues sleeping. I reach out to touch her, then hesitate.
Yes, I touched her when she was in bed, under my roof. And no, I’m not going to apologize for that. My fingers tingle. My skin feels too tight for my body. I lean in closer, until my nose is at the hollow of her throat. I draw in a deep breath, and the scent of strawberries and passionfruit goes straight to my groin. My cock stirs and my heartbeat accelerates.Jesus fucking Christ, how could smelling her turn me on so much?
I lean back on my heels, then lower my head to the apex of her thighs and draw in another breath. The sweet scent of her pussy, combined with that deeper scent of her arousal, sinks into my blood. My dick instantly stands to attention.Fucking fuck.I shouldn’t have done that. Shouldn’t. She’s asleep in my office. I told her I wouldn’t move in on her while she was asleep.I lied.
She’s never going to be mine. She’s never going to leave Isaac. The only way I’ll get to be a part of her life is through deceit. There, I’ve admitted it. It doesn’t excuse what I’m about to do, but fuck that. I flip up her skirt. Her thighs are that rich warm brown that make my mouth water, and her panties are pink. Of course she wears pink panties with little white hearts on it. My dick lengthens. Jesus-fucking-Christ I’m going to hell for this. I brush my fingertips over the shadowy cleft between her butt that’s visible through the fabric. She doesn’t stir.Nice one Kane. This is what you’ve been reduced to. Feeling up your son’s girlfriend while she’s fast asleep on your couch in your office. And I’m a dirty old man. Might as well conform to the stereotype fully.
I ease my hand under the waistband of her panties, cup her pussy, and she moans. I freeze, stare at her features. That’s when she turns on her back. She turns her head in my direction, her eyes still closed. Then she parts her legs. I stay where I am with my fingers up her skirt and in her knickers.