Emily’s eyes snapped open, heart pounding.
Shit. She was late for work.
Panic seized her as she fumbled for her phone, but found only rumpled sheets beside her. Where the hell was Lucas?
Then she heard it – muffled voices and the clatter of dishes from the kitchen. Was that… Sophia?
Emily groaned, dragging herself out of bed. Her muscles ached in places she’d forgotten existed. She tugged on Lucas’ discarded t-shirt, inhaling his lingering scent as she stumbled towards the kitchen.
“Well, look who finally decided to join the land of the living,” Lucas drawled as she appeared in the doorway. His eyes raked appreciatively over her bare legs.
Emily flipped him off, collapsing into a chair. “Why didn’t my alarm go off?”
“Relax, sleeping beauty. I turned it off. You were out cold,” Lucas said, sliding a steaming mug of coffee in front of her. “Figured you could use the rest.”
Heat crept up Emily’s neck as memories flooded back. She took a long sip of coffee, avoiding his smirk.
“Morning, Em!” Sophia chirped from the stove.
Emily’s head snapped up. “Soph? What the hell are you doing here?”
Sophia laughed, a mischievous glint in her hazel eyes. “We’re going into London with the leaflets for the gallery, remember? Did Lucas fuck your brains out or something?”
“Shit,” Emily muttered, nearly choking on her coffee. How could she have forgotten? The gallery opening was in two weeks, and they needed to distribute promotional materials all over the city.
Lucas chuckled, setting a plate with a bacon sandwich in front of Emily. “Don’t worry, I called Sophia to see if you could get away with starting a bit later. Figured she would know your schedule and you might need some time to… recover.”
Emily shot him a glare, but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at her lips. She took a bite of the sandwich, savouring the crispy bacon.
“You two can head out after you’ve had breakfast and a shower,” Lucas continued, leaning against the counter with his own mug of coffee.
Sophia wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Sounds like you had quite the night, huh?”
Emily felt her cheeks flush. She focused intently on her sandwich, avoiding Sophia’s knowing gaze. How the hell was she supposed to concentrate on work today when all she could think about was Lucas’ hands on her body, his voice in her ear…
“Earth to Emily,” Sophia teased, waving a hand in front of her face. “Are you still with us?”
Emily cleared her throat. “Yeah, sorry. Just… tired.”
“Uh-huh,” Sophia said, not buying it for a second. “Well, hurry up and eat. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
As Emily finished her breakfast, she couldn’t help but wonder how she was going to explain the marks on her neck to everyone they encountered in London today. She’d need to dig out her biggest scarf, that was for sure.
Emily stretched languidly, feeling the pleasant ache in her muscles. “Right, I’m gonna go have a shower and get dressed,” she announced, pushing back from the table.
Sophia smirked, her hazel eyes dancing with mischief. “And Lucas isn’t allowed to go with you,” she added quickly. “We’ve got stuff to do today, remember?”
Emily rolled her eyes, fighting the urge to glance at Lucas. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she muttered, heading towards the bathroom.
As she walked away, her mind raced. Part of her wanted nothing more than to drag Lucas into the shower with her, to feel his hands on her body again. But Sophia was right – they had work to do.
Emily closed the bathroom door behind her, leaning against it with a sigh. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and couldn’t help but grin at her reflection. Her hair was a tangled mess, and there were definitely a few tell-tale marks on her neck.
“Get it together, Carter,” she muttered to herself, turning on the shower. As the hot water cascaded over her, Emily tried to focus on the day ahead. They had stuff to do, and she needed to be on her A-game.
But as she lathered up, her thoughts kept drifting back to Lucas. His strong hands, his commanding voice, the way he’d made her feel last night…
Emily shook her head, forcing herself to snap out of it. There’d be time for that later. Right now, she had a job to do.
Emily emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, steam billowing out behind her. She rummaged through her wardrobe, settling on a sleek black dress that hugged her curves. Professional, but with just enough edge.
As she dragged a brush through her damp hair, Emily caught sight of the purplish marks dotting her neck. “Fuck’s sake, Lucas,” she muttered, half-annoyed and half-amused. She rummaged in her drawer for a scarf, settling on a silky emerald one that brought out the green in her eyes.
Giving herself a final once-over in the mirror, Emily nodded. “Showtime,” she murmured, heading downstairs.
Lucas and Sophia were chatting in the kitchen, both looking up as she entered. Lucas’ eyes darkened appreciatively, and Emily felt a rush of heat.
“Ready to go, boys and girls?” she asked, grabbing her bag.
Sophia grinned, heading for the door. “About time, sleeping beauty. Let’s roll.”
As they stepped outside, the crisp morning air hit Emily’s face. Sophia beelined for Emily’s car, sliding into the passenger seat with a wink.
Emily turned to Lucas, a smirk playing on her lips. “Goodbye, daddy,” she purred, low enough that only he could hear.
His eyes flashed with heat as he leaned in, brushing his lips against hers. “Text me later, baby girl,” he murmured, his voice sending shivers down her spine.
As Lucas headed to his own car, Emily took a deep breath. Time to switch gears and focus on work. But damn if she wasn’t already looking forward to seeing him again.
Emily slid into the driver’s seat, pointedly avoiding Sophia’s knowing gaze. She could practically feel her best friend’s smirk burning a hole in the side of her head.
“So,” Sophia drawled, her voice dripping with amusement. “How’s Daddy?”
Emily’s cheeks flushed as she jammed the key into the ignition. “Oh, shut it,” she grumbled, but there was no real heat behind her words.
Sophia cackled, clearly delighted. “Holy shit, Em. I haven’t seen you this worked up over a guy since… well, ever.”
Emily rolled her eyes as she pulled out of the driveway. “We’re not talking about this.”
“Oh, we absolutely are,” Sophia countered, her grin widening. “Come on, spill. How was it?”
For a moment, Emily considered deflecting, but then she caught sight of her scarf in the rearview mirror and couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at her lips. “It was… fucking amazing, as always,” she admitted, her voice low and a little husky.