“I know,” he replied, crawling up my body and kissing me once more. “I don’t want you to get off just yet, though. I want to make this last…and I want to be inside you when you do come.”
I felt my cheeks flush at his words and my heart was beating so hard, I thought he had to hear it. He reached down to undo his pants and release his erection. I parted my legs wider and wrapped my arms around his neck, leaving myself completely open and vulnerable to him. He stared down at me, his eyes swirling with a heady mixture of lust and tenderness, as he slowly sank into me.
My lips parted, and I gasped as he filled me, the sensation overwhelming and pleasurable but familiar at the same time. My body had grown used to his by that point. It welcomed his invasion with no resistance. When Cyrus had sunk into the hilt, he stopped and held himself still for several moments, his gaze never wavering from mine.
“You feel so perfect,” he murmured. “Like you were made for me.”
“When you say things like that, you make me wonder if this is real,” I softly said in reply. I ran my hand down the side of his face. There was stubble along his jaw. I scratched my fingertips along it, enjoying the rough feel.
He grabbed my wrist and turned my hand to place a kiss on my palm.
“This is real,” he assured me. “I promise you, it’s very real.”
I nodded. “I believe you.”
He smiled and then moved his hips. I moaned, hooking my legs around his waist.
Cyrus kept the pace slow and steady. It felt as though he were savoring this moment. I wanted to savor it as well. I wanted it to last, but at the same time, I was craving release. He’d gotten me to the edge already, and now, he was just holding me there. Dangling my orgasm just out of my reach.
“Cyrus,” I breathed. “Harder, please.”
His grin was strained. “You want it harder? Is this not enough for you?”
“You’re teasing me,” I growled.
He chuckled. “I’m not teasing you. I’m making it last.”
“You’re torturing me,” I moaned.
“Mmmm, but isn’t it the sweetest kind of torture?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that, though it came out as more of a groan.
“Just do it, please,” I begged.
“Well, how can I resist when you ask so nicely?”
Finally, he began to move faster. I let out a cry of relief and clung to him as his hips moved harder and harder against me.
It was just what I needed. Within moments, I felt myself hurtling toward the edge of release. I threw my head back and shouted Cyrus’s name as he drove me to orgasm.
“Sadie,” Cyrus growled. “I’m…I’m going to…”
“Do it, Cyrus,” I urged him, even as my own release continued rushing through me. “Please!”
He buried his face against my neck and released a guttural snarl as his body seized and shook over me.
I don’t know how much later it was, but once the pleasure had faded to a comforting sizzle inside me, Cyrus and I lay together on the blanket. I laid with my head on his chest, and he had his arm wrapped around me, holding me tight to him. My heartbeat started to calm down, and I was catching my breath as I basked in the afterglow and soaked in his warmth.
“How do you feel?” he suddenly asked, sounding breathless.
I turned my head and looked up at him with a smile. “I feel good. How do you feel?”
His grin was slow and lazy. “Exhausted, but satisfied…for the moment.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Are you ever truly satisfied?”
“When it comes to you? Never.”
My cheeks heated and my thoughts scrambled. I didn’t know how to respond to something like that.
“Do you know how much you throw me off balance?” I murmured, resting my chin on his chest, so I could look up at him.
He brushed his fingers through my hair, gently pushing a lock off my forehead.
“If it’s half as much as you throw me off balance, the world probably seems upside down,” he said.
I leaned into his touch, letting my eyes fall shut as my body relaxed against his.
“I wish we could stay like this,” I whispered. “Just like this.”
“I know,” he replied with a sigh. “I wish we could as well. I promise, though, I’ll make sure to clean up this entire mess. Things will calm down, and we’ll be able to relax and just live our lives at last.”
I wondered what that meant, exactly, but I didn’t ask. Part of me was worried what he might say.
But once this mess was all over…once Ralph was taken care of…what would happen to us? Would I continue to just be his employee? Or would we try to become more?
I told myself to focus on one thing at a time. First, Ralph and making sure Megan was safe, then I could worry about what was happening between Cyrus and me.
Unfortunately, I knew that was going to be much easier said than done.
Chapter 51
Cyrus
Two days after my picnic with Sadie, I was working in my office on the estate, trying to focus on my work and not on how much I wanted to hunt her down right that moment and bend her over. I was coming to realize that I could grow dangerously addicted to the woman…and I didn’t want to do a damn thing about it. I was happy to be addicted to Sadie.
Just as I was deciding to give into my desire to go and find her, my phone rang. It seemed as though Sadie was being saved by the bell…for the moment.
Picking up my phone, I saw that it was my assistant back at the New York office.
“Hello?” I answered the call. “What can I do for you, Brenda?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, sir,” she replied in her usual no-nonsense tone. “But I’m afraid we’ve had an issue arise, and we need you to come back to the city.”
“What? What are you talking about?” I growled. “What’s going on?”
“I’m afraid the executives over at Micourt are stalling in the merger deal,” she told me. “They’re refusing to move forward unless you come in to meet with them personally.”
I clenched my jaw as frustration welled within me.
“What the hell, Brenda?” I snarled. “I thought this deal was as good as done.”
“I know,” she said and sighed. “From what they’ve told us, they’re wavering because they’re no longer confident of your commitment since you’ve been away for so long.”
“I’m still working. I’m just not in the office.”
“I think it’s a ploy,” she told me. “I think they’re getting cold feet and looking for any excuse to get out of things, so they can claim we’re at fault for breach of contract and not them.”
“Assholes,” I hissed. “I should’ve known they’d try something like this.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Brenda said. “I know you said that you wouldn’t come into the city for any reason until further notice, but…”
“There’s no way it can be handled without me?” I asked. The last thing I wanted was to go back to the city with Ralph still on the loose, but this deal was too important for me to simply ignore this issue.
“I’m afraid not,” Brenda answered. “We’ve tried to convince them to meet and figure this out without you, but they are refusing. They’re threatening to involve lawyers.”
“What the hell for?” I growled. “Are they going to sue me to get me to come back?”
“Honestly? I wouldn’t put it past them at this point.”
“Jesus,” I huffed, releasing a frustrated breath. “If it was any other deal, I’d just tell you to cut things off. But this one is too big.”
“I know, sir,” Brenda replied, her tone sympathetic.
What was I going to do? I tried to think of an alternate solution, but nothing came to mind. It seemed as though I had no choice in the matter. I’d have to go in and handle this mess before things got any worse, but that meant leaving Sadie and Megan behind because there was no way in hell that I was taking them back with Ralph still a looming threat.
“Very well,” I said. “I’ll be there tomorrow. Set up a meeting, and if they try to get out of it, threaten them with every legal tool we have. I won’t put up with this bullshit.”
“Yes, sir,” Brenda said without hesitation. “I’ll have it all arranged.”
“Good.” I hung up without saying goodbye, but Brenda was used to my abruptness. I leaned back in my chair and groaned, rubbing my hands over my eyes. I felt a tightening in my chest that might have been a combination of anger and anxiety. Shoving to my feet, I marched out of my office. I needed to find Sadie and tell her what would happen. At that point in the day, she was likely putting Megan down for a nap, so I headed to my niece’s room.
Sure enough, just as I reached the bedroom door, Sadie stepped out into the hallway, pulling it closed behind her.
“Oh!” she gasped when she saw me. Then, her lips curled into a smile. “Hey, you. You startled me. What’s up?”
I didn’t say a word, instead reaching out to take her hand and pull her to me. Cupping the side of her face, I angled her head, so I could kiss her deeply. She released a breathy whimper and sank against me, her fingers curling into my shoulders. I loved how she clung to me whenever I kissed her, as if she didn’t want me to get away from her.