Fool Me Once (First Wives #1)

“You’re upset.”

“Of course I’m upset. I don’t like people telling me how I need to live my life.”

“Even those people that care about you?”

Reed took her briefcase from her a second time and stepped into her personal space. “I care, Lori. And unless you want to fire me, too, I’m going to make sure you get home safely.”

“In separate cars?”

He kissed her lips in the briefest peck. “I dropped my car at your place and Ubered over.”

It was hard to be mad at him when he’d gone through so much effort just to drive her home.

He nodded toward the door to the office. “C’mon. I’ll drive so you can relax.”

“I am relaxed!” she snapped.

Reed tossed both hands in the air. “If you insist. I’ll drive because I value my—”

She glared at him.

“Because you have work to do, and you can do it on the five-mile drive home,” he teased.

Her glare softened.

“Fine,” she said as she marched by him and waited at the door to lock it. Once she did, she handed him her keys and kept pace until she reached the elevators.

Reed brushed against her as other people in the building piled into the small space, but he didn’t say any more.

She was a mixture of ticked, touched, and strangely turned on.

He cared. Said it out loud as if it was a dedication of some sort. Those words, along with the fact that he hadn’t asked permission but just showed up to stand in for the bodyguard she’d told to go home, said something more than any man before him.

They walked through the parking lot in silence.

Reed unlocked the doors to her Mercedes.

Lori climbed into the passenger seat, put her belt on, and stared out the window.

She needed to start taking some control back in her life. The morning had started out with that in mind. Let Cooper go, find out what Petrov was looking for, and turn the tables by finding out where he was. She’d learned he was in Germany an hour before Reed showed up.

Reed climbed behind the wheel and pulled out of the parking spot.

He took her lead and kept quiet.

Lori found herself staring at his hands on the wheel of her car. Large hands, capable hands. She shifted in her seat and sucked in a breath through her nose.

Aftershave. Something unique to him that had her licking her lips.

He concentrated on driving, not at all realizing she was tapping her toes against the floor of the car and wishing he’d drive just a little faster.

Did he really think she was incapable of taking care of herself? Was it a macho thing, or was it some kind of you silly girl thing?

I care, Lori.

It wasn’t an admission of love or promise for tomorrow, but it was more than she’d had an hour before.

The final light and around the corner they pulled into the parking garage and got out.

Reed reversed his earlier movements and brought out her briefcase and rode up to her condo in silence.

It was quiet, and dark.

Danny must be out.

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked after dropping her case on the foyer table.

She turned on him, pushed him against the closed door, and latched on to his lips.

A few stunned seconds went by before Reed clued in and kissed her back.

Those capable hands reached into her hair and pulled enough to make her break off the kiss. Her reward was his lips on her neck and the grazing of his teeth on her collarbone.

“I want you.”

He filled his hand with her breast and squeezed hard. “I couldn’t tell.”

Lori filled her hand with his cock through his pants. “Liar.”

Reed turned them around, shoved her against the door, and pushed his hips into hers.

She lifted one leg until he grabbed a hold of her thigh, then she tightened every muscle she had, used the door as leverage, and wrapped her legs around his hips.

Reed repositioned himself, her skirt rode high, exposing her panties to the cool air.

Their tongues fought for dominance, her hips grinding against the bulge in his pants.

One hand around his neck to help hold her in place, Lori reached for him. “Now.”

“Here?”

She couldn’t talk, instead she tugged at the zipper of his pants.

“The cameras,” he reminded her.

“Don’t care.” And she didn’t. Only one thought ran through her head. Reed, inside her, right then, right now.

“Okay, baby. I’m setting you down.”

She held tighter.

“Just for a second.”

He placed her legs on the floor, her head buried in his neck, her teeth marking him behind his ear.

Reed kicked his pants away and lifted her skirt until it was on her hips. Instead of removing her thong, he moved it aside and buried a finger in her slick center. “Jesus, Lori.”

She bucked against him. “Please, Reed.”

He chuckled and lifted one of her legs to his hip again, his erection already teasing her. “I hope we can do this without a trip to the ER.”

With her grip on his shoulders, she wrapped her other leg around his waist, forcing his cock deep inside her. “Yes.”

“Hold on, Lori.”

She did, and he did all the work. The depth, the angle, the fact he was taking her with her clothes still on against the door. All of it hit several sexual fantasies all at once. Even the thought of someone possibly watching on the other end of those cameras all over her home added to the excitement.

Everything contracted inside her, and Reed cussed.

She pulled his lips back to hers and he thrust harder, faster, until she couldn’t breathe. So close, so very close.

“Come for me,” he breathed in her ear.

Her head fell back, her body arched. “Now, let go, Reed.”

He did, right then, and together they reached that place they fought hard to find. As they floated down, Lori’s body spasmed and took more than Reed willingly gave the first time.

Lori wilted. One leg dropped before Reed recovered enough to capture the other.

He swung her into his arms and walked her to her bedroom, followed her down as he laid her on the bed.

“I feel so much better,” she muttered.

He collapsed to her side. “I think you killed me.”

Something in her back hurt more than a little. The molding on the door probably left a mark. It didn’t matter, she’d do it again if given the chance. “That was fabulous.”

“Outside your wheelhouse?” he asked, teasing.

“So far outside I don’t recognize me.”

“I like this version of you.”

She opened her eyes to find him staring at her. “I like it, too.”

“Next time I’ll make it last longer. Maybe I’ll take you against that big glass window of yours.”

“At night, with the lights below.”

Reed shook his head. “Broad daylight, for everyone to see.”

God help her.

“Ohhh, Lori likes that.”

She ran her hand down his hip, dragged her fingernails along his thigh, felt him twitch. “You like it, too.”

“I can be convinced.”

“Convinced? And what kind of prodding am I going to have to do to achieve that?”

He turned away, lay on his back. “I’m sure you can come up with something.”