Conflict of Interest

chapter 21


He rolled to one side, mouth still exploring her neck and throat, and his free hand dropped to her waist. He pushed her shirt aside enough to rest his fingers on her bare hip. “I’m not sure I remember how to do this.”

She snickered. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

His hand glided up her side, thumb on her stomach and then brushing the bottom of her breast.

She whimpered and arched her back.

“You know.” His breath was warm against her skin. “Private place, both of us in the same bed, no timers or threat of interruption.”

She pulled his face to hers and kissed him deeply, gasping when they broke apart. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re creative and resourceful.”

He trailed his mouth down her throat again and then pushed her shirt up, lips soft against her stomach. He followed a trail back up her bare chest, feather light kisses drawing a random pattern.

She let out a tiny sigh, the almost ticklish sensation making her lightheaded.

He kissed the bottom of one breast and then the other, moving back and forth until he reached a nipple. She inhaled sharply when his tongue flicked over one nub before taking it into his mouth.

He sucked and nibbled, and she squirmed closer, currents of enjoyment rippling through her like that single spot was attached to a string connected to every other erogenous zone on her body.

He sought out the other one with his hand, kneading the fleshy mound, the pad of his thumb brushing the swollen flesh.

She gasped under the attention but wanted more. Nudging his shoulder, she pushed him onto his back and then rolled so she was straddling him. His eyes raked over her appreciatively, smile widening when she pulled her shirt off and tossed it aside.

His hands glided up her sides, cupping her breasts again, pinching and pulling her nipples.

She whimpered and ground against him, his excitement pressing back through slacks and sweats. Sliding down his body, she undid each button on her way, pushing his shirt aside as her mouth explored his chest, his stomach, until she reached his waist.

He groaned when her fingers slid under his waistband. She raked her palms over his skin as she yanked off his pants and boxers, exploring every inch of his upper thighs except the eight or so begging for her attention.

His breathing grew more jagged, catching every time she drew closer. She stepped off the bed long enough to drop the rest of her clothes to the floor.

He propped himself up, eyes raking over her in appreciation. “You’re so beautiful.”

The compliment warmed her as much as his gaze did, heat flooding every inch of her.

He sat on the edge of the bed, tugging her to rest between his legs, but leaving her standing. He threw his shirt aside, and then his hands found her ass. He pulled her closer, lips pressing into her stomach, her hips, back up to her breasts. His fingers moved lower, parting her lips, drawing a moan as they glided along her already slippery slit.

He caught a swollen nipple between his teeth, scraping the flesh and flicking with his tongue. She shuddered and pressed closer, trying to focus on every touch at once. His thumb rested against her *, and she arched her back, grinding on his hand as he stroked.

From behind, his other hand found her eager opening, and she cried out when one finger slid inside, and then another. Her hips bucked against his expert attentions as he pumped, stroked, and sucked, and her gasps became short pants as pleasure washed through her. She cried out as she climaxed, riding the wave until he slowly pulled away.

She dipped her mouth to his, kissing him with hunger before pushing him onto his back again. He slid completely onto the bed, and she followed, hovering over him, straddling his legs.

His fingers tangled in her hair, and he pulled her close, breath hot on her ear. “Condoms, end table, top drawer.”

She shook her head, kissing him, teeth scraping his bottom lip. “You’re clean?”

His crooked smile looked wicked when it was tainted with lust. He nodded. “You? Birth control?”

“Yes and yes.” She wanted to feel all of him against her, inside her, with nothing in the way. She rocked against him, letting his hard length glide against her slit, her gasps mingling with his moans.

He moved his mouth along her throat, tongue tracing lines over her collarbone. “This is incredible.” A familiar growl cut through his pants. “But goddammit, please?”

She couldn’t hide her smile at the desperation, and it heightened her arousal that it was as intense as her own need. She sat straight up, pausing with his head hovering at the edge of her hole.

He grunted and thrust up. She cried out when he pushed inside her, a wave of intensity screaming through every inch of her.

His hands rested on her upper thighs, thumbs stroking the soft skin. She rocked slowly against him, sighing every time he drove deep inside her.

One of his hands moved higher, thumb finding her * again, and she almost recoiled at the touch on still-sensitive skin. He brushed lightly, and her pace increased. His hips slammed against her, and he stroked around the tender bud.

His shallow breathing matched her own. Her head grew light as climax rolled through her again, taking her right to the edge, but not letting go. He pounded hard inside her, and his thumb continued to work her over.

His grunts filled the room, mingling with her gasps. His pace quickened, and he slammed into her. She hovered near orgasm, pleasure stealing her oxygen, making her head swim.

His hand tightened on her thigh when he came, but his pace didn’t slow. Her body relented, and she peaked, climax screaming through her.

She slowed and then stopped as he did, dropping her cheek onto his chest, struggling to catch her breath, and letting his hammering heart and raspy gasps echo in her head.

His fingers raked through her hair, his other hand tracing soft patterns along her spine. She giggled at the ticklish sensation.

“You’re so incredible.” His words rumbled through her ear. “I don’t know what I would have done if you’d told me to go to hell when I showed up at your door.”

She smiled, sitting up enough to brush her lips over his, and then rolled off to lie next to him before resting her cheek on his chest again. “Honestly? The thought never even crossed my mind.”

“Never?”

“Not even for a millisecond.” She complied when he pulled her closer, pressing completely against him and wrapping her leg over his.

* * * *

Kenzie snuggled into the bare chest behind her, enjoying his skin against hers, and pulled his arm over her, kissing his knuckles. She hadn’t slept that well in forever. She could get used to waking up like this. In his bed, wrapped in his arms and flannel sheets.

His low chuckle rumbled through her back. “That’s nice.”

“Mhm.” She brushed her lips over the pads of his fingers. “You know what else would be nice?”

His teeth grazed her shoulder. “I can think of a few things.”

She moaned and squirmed against him, his arousal pressing into her butt. “I was thinking something of an entirely different nature, but my idea can wait.”

“Nope.” He pulled her close, breath warm on her neck. “Tell me.”

She was almost reluctant to lose the moment. Except she suspected she wouldn’t. “I think it would be nice if you bought me breakfast.”

“I already told you.” His words vibrated against her skin. “I don’t get room service. It’s a condo, not a hotel.”

She smiled at the hint of hesitation in his tease. “I know. But at some point you mentioned a diner. And I love French toast.”

“Yeah?”

She rolled onto her back so she could look up at him. “Yup.”

“You’d suffer the public humiliation of going out in my clothes, with scruffy me, for free breakfast?” A smile danced behind his eyes, destroying his otherwise serious expression.

“I’d suffer the possibility of bad French toast to let the world know what an amazing man I’m dating.”

“Are we?” He studied her.

“Dating? Gawd I hope so.” She lifted her head long enough to press her lips to his before flopping back again. “I’m entirely too smitten to settle for anything less.”

“Plus I’m amazing in bed.” He brushed the outside of her ear with his fingers.

Her laugh faded to a happy sigh as she sank into the gesture. “Plus that.”

He rested a hand on her stomach. “Okay, breakfast on one condition.”

She tried to give him a look of disbelief, but she knew her smile was ruining it. “Which is?”

He sat and took her hands in his. “Move in with me.”

Her laugh was cut short when she realized he was serious. She sat also, not sure how she felt about the idea. “I … but … you can’t just ask something like that out of the blue.”

He shrugged. “Why not? Let Riley take over your place or something. It’ll make things easier until you get work straightened out.”

For some reason his logic dug at her insecurities. This wasn’t because he felt guilty about her job was it? “Is that the only reason you’re offering?”

He faltered, pink creeping over his face, and he turned away. His “No” was so soft she wasn’t sure she heard it.

His shoulders rose and fell, and he met her gaze again. “I want you here. I adore you, I need you, I don’t want to send you home at night, and I love you.”

Those last three words caught her off guard, and she slid into a defensive response. “You don’t know me.” The hurt on his face told her that hadn’t been the best approach. She kept talking, hoping to make him understand. “I don’t know you. It’s only been a couple months.”

He raised an eyebrow. “With the size of that file your agency has on me, you know more about me than my mother.”

Why was she fighting this? Part of her was screaming at her to say yes, but she couldn’t force the words out. “But not more about you than your friends. Not more than Zach or Rae.”

“Bullshit.” He scooted closer, resting his hands on her knees. “I mean, okay sure, there’s probably little things you know that they don’t and vice versa. Rae doesn’t know about the mole on my ass.”

Kenzie laughed, part of her hating that the rest of her relaxed at that comment. “But Zach does?”

“Maybe.” He traced a finger over her bottom lip.

She wanted to close her eyes and lean into the gesture, but she wouldn’t be distracted. “They know when you lost your virginity.”

Scott raised an eyebrow. “They think they know. They don’t.”

Her curiosity was piqued. “Do tell.”

He ducked his head again, but only for a moment before looking her in the eye. “Zach will tell you it was when I was fifteen. Some party at my parents’ house while they were out of town. He set me up, I was too nervous and told her no, and she had already bragged to her friends and didn’t want to take it back. So I let people believe it too.”

She had to know. “Tell me it wasn’t Rae.”

He shook his head, face twisted in a smirk. “No, we don’t have that kind of relationship. It happened when I was twenty-one.”

“Bullshit.” She mimicked his earlier objection. “You were gorgeous and popular in high school. There’s no way women weren’t throwing themselves at you.”

He shrugged. “To be fair, I wasn’t inexperienced by that point. ‘Losing my virginity’ is a technicality. Besides, I was miserable as a teenager, uncomfortable with who I was pretending to be, and frequently drunk.”

The story was captivating. She had to know more. “How did it happen?”

“It was my twenty-first birthday, and the first one in almost a decade where I wasn’t completely wasted off my ass. I was in a bar, staring at a bottle of beer, wondering if turning twenty-one was a good excuse to break five months on the wagon.”

She bit back her comments about being the only person she’d ever met who intentionally stayed sober on his twenty-first birthday.

He continued. “There was a woman there, and she wasn’t having such a great time either. We started talking, she ditched her friends, and I ended up in her bed. I couldn’t tell you her name, but I can tell you I wasn’t her first by any stretch of the imagination.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond. She liked seeing this side of Scott. Open, vulnerable, but when she thought about it, he’d always been open with her.

“So you almost managed to change the subject.” He scooted away, breaking any contact between them. “Is that your way of telling me no without actually having to say it?”

She shook her head and closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck. “It’s not. My answer is yes. I’d love to not have to go home at night. And I…” she hesitated on the words, and then realized the normal terror that went with them wasn’t there. “I love you too.”

* * * *

“Is this seat taken?” A familiar voice cut through the din of the coffee shop.

Scott looked up from his game, not that he’d been able to focus anyway, frowning when he couldn’t read Kenzie’s expression. He rose enough to brush his lips over hers, heartbeat increasing when she let the kiss linger. He still hadn’t gotten used to that, and with any luck he never would.

He locked his gaze on hers as she took the chair next to him, still not able to read her. She’d stepped away to take a call from work. Before she’d left, he managed to gather they’d finally made a decision about how to handle the public embarrassment he’d stuck her—and them—with.

The corners of her mouth turned down, and she looked away. She ignored the tea he’d ordered for her, stealing his coffee instead and taking a long drink before handing it back. She wouldn’t meet his gaze.

His stomach sank, mind already racing through lists of contacts who might be able to hook her up. Not that she needed him to call in any favors; she had an amazing résumé, but he had to do something to help. “How bad is it?”

Her somber expression cracked, and she giggled.

Uncertain relief nudged some of his dread aside.

She kissed him deeply, hand resting on his knee for balance, tongue dancing around his. When she broke away, her entire face was smiling, pink tingeing her cheeks.

“You’re a pest.” He couldn’t force any irritation into his voice. “Tell me.”

She took another sip of his coffee. “This is good. Hazelnut? I would have pegged you as too manly for anything but straight, black, harsh-as-tar coffee.”

“Yes. I’ve got a soft, gooey center that no one knows about except anyone who’s ever talked to me for longer than a few minutes, which means I like my coffee sweet.” He rested his palms on either side of her face, holding it in place. “You’re killing me, you know that, right?”

She laughed. “I’m sorry. It went fantastically. I’m still on probation, but Greta is putting me back in the queue for new clients. They’re being lenient, enforcing the spirit of the law instead of the letter, because one, I’ve never done it before, and two, now that I have someone amazing around to keep me in line, I’m not going to do it again.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You never told me it was my job to keep you in line. I don’t even do that for myself.”

“I’ve noticed.” She shook her head with amusement, tracing a finger over the bare skin peeking through his ripped jeans.

He growled at the light touch, teeth grazing her neck. “Maybe we should take off. Go somewhere less public.”

She tilted her head to the side, bottom lip caught between her teeth as she studied him. “The back of the love van?”

The playful expression taunted and relieved him. “I was thinking home, but I guess that depends on if I can keep my hands to myself for that long.”

She stood and tugged his arm. “Sounds like a challenge.”

His pulse screamed. She didn’t strike him as the kind of woman to back away from a challenge.

The End