Seduce (8 page)
“It sounds like you really do look af
ter your employees.” She smiled.
S
he was breathtaking. Just watching her made me lose my train of thought.
“Michael?”
I was sitting and gazing at her, again! “Sorry, where were we? Oh, yes. Yes we do take care of our employees. After all, we wouldn’t be where we are without them.” I could see approval flash in her eyes, which made me feel so damn tall.
“That’s great. Is everything already arranged?” she ask
ed as she wrapped a piece of hair around her finger.
“Who will you bring?”
I asked before I could stop myself.
She looked
uncertain. “I don’t know, David, maybe.”
I really want
ed her to be there with me, as my partner.
I stoo
d up and walked around the table to offer her the piece of paper in my hand. “This is a list of companies along with contact numbers and a list of their commitments on the day. They need to be chased up to make sure there are no last minute problems.”
“Okay, I’ll get on
that right away.” She pushed away slightly from the table and stood up.
“Just one more thing. T
omorrow, can you dress casual? I’m taking you to my parents place. You’ll get more of a feel for how everything will be laid out on the day.”
She whipped
her head around to look at me. The movement sent the clip that was holding the hair on top of her head, flying. All I saw was the dark curls cascading down her back. Without thinking, I reached out and watched my fingers run through the length. I heard her gasp, which dragged my eyes back to her face. She looked flushed and her eyes filled with desire.
I held her gaze and
slipped my hands underneath the hair at the nape of her neck. I brought her head against my chest. She placed her hands on my hips and held me tight. I shivered from the contact.
“Lily,
” I breathed heavily, wanting so much to kiss her. But I couldn’t, not until she was free from David.
“Michael.” She rested
her cheek against my chest. “Why does this feel so right?” she whispered.
I ra
n one of my hands down her back to her bottom and pressed her in to me, so she knew exactly how I reacted to her. My cock was throbbing in my trousers and as I pulled her in even tighter against me, it jumped for joy.
I took
some deep breaths while I rested my chin on the top of her head. We stayed like that for the longest time. “I don’t want to let you go.”
She moved
her head to look at me and lifted one of her hands and placed it on my face in a caress. “You’re my boss, Michael.”
After a
bout a minute, I leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, before I stepped back. I walked to the end of the conference table to retrieve her clip, then handed it to her. “That isn’t the reason I didn’t kiss you and you know that.”
She started to
walk towards the door with the papers in her hand. “I know,” she whispered.
I heard
the door click back into place as Lily exited. Sitting back down at my desk, I just gazed into space. She was driving me totally crazy, and it wasn’t going to be long before I gave in to my craving and tasted her. I hoped to hell she got rid of the bastard she called a boyfriend soon. I’d never been obsessed with a woman like I was with Lily, and knowing she was still with him made me a jealous idiot.
Tomorrow we woul
d be together for most of the day at my parent’s ranch. The trip didn’t have to take place, it was just an excuse to spend more time with her. I figured if my mother was around I’d have no choice, but to keep my hands to myself, at least that was the plan. My only hope was that Ruben and Ramon had other plans so I didn’t have to punch them for flirting with her. Well, at least Ruben. Ramon’s the quiet one of the family, and if I thought my life was private, then Ramon’s was top secret. Trying to get any information out of him was like trying to get blood from a stone.
Chapter 17
~~ LILY ~~
Sitting
in the car with Michael had my heart pounding. George was driving us to the McKenzie ranch and to say I was nervous was an understatement. I was terrified, because I would soon be meeting Michael’s parents. As I watched the world go by through the window, I could see Michael’s reflection. So far he hadn’t taken his eyes from me, which had me all hot and bothered.
All
I could think about when I’d arrived home from the club with David, was Michael. While David went on and on about his boss’s daughter being a pain in his ass, it was Michael who’d held my full attention. I just sat lost in my own thoughts for over an hour and David didn’t have a clue that he’d lost me seconds after opening his mouth.
I turned to look at Michael and
brushed against the hand resting against the back of my seat. I couldn’t take my eyes from him. He was sprawled out in the seat beside me, wearing faded jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. He looked good enough to eat. My heart pounded and I licked my lips. His eyes darkened as he followed the movement of my tongue.
I took a steadying breath and m
et his eyes again. “Michael,” I said, which came out huskily.
“Lily,” he replied
, just as huskily with a smile.
“Will you tell me about your family? Who will I be meeting today?
” I turned in my seat so that I faced him.
He reached down and took
hold of my hand, then slid his fingers through mine. I held on tight. “You’ll meet my mother Pippa and my father, Elias, and maybe my brother, Ramon. Of course you’ve already met Ruben. Sebastian is with our other brother, Lucien, in Denver, so you won’t meet them until the picnic.”
We s
till held hands and Michael started to caress my thumb. “Is your father Spanish? There are a few Spanish names in the family, although McKenzie isn’t a Spanish name.” I turned to sit more comfortably in the seat and moved closer to Michael, placing our joined hands in my lap.
“My grandmother was Spanish
, and my grandfather was American, hence the name McKenzie. My mother is Spanish, even though her name is Pippa. Both her parents were from Barcelona.”
“So
you’re a large Spanish family? I bet you five boys drove your poor mother up the wall when you were younger.”
“You could say that.” He laugh
ed. “We still do.” Michael lifted my hand and placed a kiss on my knuckles, moving our joined hands on to his lap. “Tell me about Lily.”
I smile
d. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
I rested my head against the back of the seat, as I became sleepy. I turned my head to look at Michael and I was sure my heart stuttered. He was looking at me with so much yearning.
I o
ffered him a wry smile. “I’m twenty four years old, and spent most of my life living in Vermont until I left for college. I met David in my last year of high school, and we’ve been together ever since. My parents died during my second year of college, and David was right there to hold me together.” I looked at our joined hands. “Before I lost my job, I was looking for another one, but I hadn’t told David because a part of me was nervous to tell him. Losing my job gave me the courage I needed to find myself that new job.” I turned to look back at Michael. “It brought me to you,” I whispered.
He sucked
in a breath and released my hand, only to put his arm around me and pull me to his chest. My arm slipped to his side and his hand rested on my hip. “We only have about forty minutes before we reach the ranch, let me pretend you’re mine.”
I could
n’t stop the shudder that went through me at his words and closeness. What I wanted to do was climb astride him and feel his hardness between my legs, but instead I bent my head and kissed his chest, causing him to shiver. I snuggled closer to him and placed my other hand on his chest. He reached up and covered my hand with his. I wanted to stay like that forever. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I felt safe, cherished – and so aroused. He sighed and pulled me closer.
~~ MICHAEL ~~
Lily wa
s asleep. Sitting back in the car, I held her real close, which had me hard as hell. She belonged in my arms and in my life. She was mine. All I wanted was for her to realize that. George in the front seat kept passing quick glances at us through the mirror. He was curious and I couldn’t blame him. It was the first time in six years that he’d seen me with a woman.
I was falling into
something with Lily, I just wasn’t sure what. I felt too damn protective of her, which was why I was dreading Ruben and Ramon being at the ranch today. More so Ruben, who would flirt with her just to annoy me. He knew it would get my back up. In fact, he may end up with a black eye before the day was over. I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on with Ramon, for some reason I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about him flirting with her. He would be friendly, but he didn’t flirt or actually date, from what I’d seen and been told by my brothers. Something was odd, and when I had more time, I was going to find out just what.
George pulled
through the entrance to the ranch, which gave me five more minutes to hold Lily in my arms. I wasn’t ready to let her go just yet.
I looked down and noticed
she had her long curls tied up in a ponytail, making her look younger. She was also dressed as casual as I was with faded low-cut jeans with a lilac t-shirt underneath her tan leather jacket that was soft to the touch. I lifted my hand from on top of hers and moved it up to cup the back of Lily’s head and just held her, not wanting to wake her up yet.
We ca
me to a stop to the right of the house where my father made us park, so that our mother could see the wildlife that wandered onto the front lawn from the forest beyond.
“Give us a
few minutes, George,” I whispered.
I couldn’t take my
eyes from the woman in my arms. I heard George exit and close the door behind him. He walked over to way-lay my mother, to give me more time with Lily.
For a few minu
tes I just sat back and caressed her face, then ran my fingers through her ponytail, which felt so soft. “Lily, we’re here. You need to wake up.” I continued to caress her face with one hand and rubbed against her hip with my other. “Lily, love. Wake up.”
Sh
e started to move out of my arms as she gradually woke and I let her go, somewhat, reluctantly.
“I can’t be
lieve I fell asleep.” She looked at me and started to blush. I moved closer and took her face into my hands. “You make me feel safe,” she admitted.
“You can sleep in my arms anytime. I enjoyed
having you there. If my mother wasn’t hovering on the porch, I would have let you sleep all afternoon, if it meant I got to hold you.”
“
Michael,” she said. Tears had started to slip down her cheeks, so I quickly wiped them away with my thumbs.
“Hey, I didn’
t mean to make you cry.” I had to hold her. I removed my hands from her face and took hold of her waist, lifting her on to my lap. She turned to me and wrapped her arms around my neck while mine went around her waist. She buried her face into my neck, causing me to tighten my hold on her.
Sh
e felt damn good wrapped around me. The only problem was the erection I was unable to hide. There was no way she could miss how aroused I was with it pressed up between the apex of her thighs.
“You
didn’t make me cry.” She pulled slightly away and wiped her eyes with the tissue I passed to her. “I can’t hide my attraction to you. It kills me knowing you want me too, but that we can’t be together – yet.”
I grin
ned at her. “I guess it’s kind of obvious that I want you. I can’t hide my arousal as well as you can,” I told her, and watched her blush even more.
She smiled and
moved from my lap with a quick dab at her eyes. She collected her purse from the floor. “Do you feel ready to move? Because I think we would be safer out there than in here.” She quickly glanced into my lap and then looked back up to my face, and I actually felt myself blush.
Shit – that was a first.
I cleared my throat and
climbed out of the car, then held my hand out to Lily. She took my hand and I wrapped it around hers, pulling her out just in time to see my mother rush towards us. Lily leaned briefly into me. “You can’t see my arousal, but my panties are soaked,” she whispered and left me standing speechless beside the car as she walked forward to greet my mother.
What the he
ll was that? Where the hell had sexy-tease-Lily come from? Never in a million years would I have thought she would come out with something like that. The erection I was trying to get to deflate had shot back up and was pressed against my zipper. I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up with zipper marks imprinted along my cock.
Thank god my t-shirt covered the evidence.