Page 46 of Tempt

“Oh fuck… I can’t think straight.” His hands dropped to my hips and he started pumping harder. “Whatever you want, I’ll do. Just don’t leave me. Not yet. Give me some time to figure things out.”

I was tired and I was close. So close to the orgasm I needed. I grabbed Theo’s hand and pulled it up to my breast. He followed my silent command and took my nipple between his fingers. He rolled lightly at first, then harder and faster until my hips started to jerk.

I grabbed my other nipple and rolled as I remembered what it had felt like to have Theo’s cock in my mouth. It had only been a few minutes since my tongue had slid down his length and his head had knocked the back of my throat.

That memory did it. Something about being completely consumed by Theo. Inside and out. Top to bottom. I liked it. I craved it.

He called out as my orgasm squeezed and pleased him. His hand faltered and then moved back to my hip, hanging on for dear life. When we were both completely pleasured and spent, I kissed him lightly on his lips. “The only place I’m going is your bed. You can either carry me, or I can crawl. I don’t think I can walk.”

He took my chin between his thumb and forefinger, resting his forehead against mine. “It would be my pleasure.”

Chapter 17

We fell into an easy comfort that weekend: sex mixed with more serious conversations and a bit of working from the couch. It was sexy and lazy and surprisingly easy now that we’d removed the barrier from between us. I was free to admit I enjoyed Theo’s company, and Theo felt comfortable confessing his feelings for me were more serious than sex.

It was like invisible handcuffs had been removed and we were free to fall however hard we wanted to.

Construction had gotten underway that week for Theo’s building, and I was only on hand for emergencies and redesigns as things moved along from here on out.

Which was why I was doing a site visit—getting a look before the old became new. The building was fantastic and I was pretty surprised no one had taken it on before Theo. Of course cities always had their random abandoned buildings that stuck out like sore thumbs, but this one was gorgeous, even under all the neglect. In a few months she’d be as glorious as ever.

I waited at the entrance as the site manager, Sam, had a word with one of the crew. Between the years of neglect and the early work already being done, this wasn’t the type of place anyone should be wandering aimlessly, least of all me. I was dressed appropriately, though. No dresses or heels today. Instead I was in jeans and sneakers, with a white hardhat on my head.

“Sorry, ‘bout that,” Sam said as he returned, a clipboard shoved up under his armpit. “We’re all still getting our bearings.”

“Of course. I just wanted a quick run-through before you guys changed everything. I’ll be out of your hair before you know it.”

He waved his hand at me. “Don’t be ridiculous. We all got a little excited about showing off the building for the lady who designed all this.”

Sam was adorable. A good decade older than me with tight curly hair and bright blue eyes, his skin showed the wear of hard work, but his smile was permanent and infectious.

“The iON blokes are installing the machine behind this wall. It will run the temperature management system for the whole building.”

“And the baseboards?” Theo’s research and development team had designed special baseboards to maximize the heat retention against the surface of the travertine floors. The first floor was going to be the least energy efficient floor in all of iON Innovations, but it was going to maintain most of its historic integrity. I couldn’t wait to show Elizabeth, who, as a special favor to me, was doing an extensive background research project on the building. I wanted to give it to Theo as a present when the building was done. Lucky for me, my best friend was one of the best historic preservation specialists in the world.

I paused as a strange chill cut through my sweater. At first I attributed it to a draft in the building, but as a feeling of dread started to wash over me I realized it wasn’t the air that was making me cold, it was the same feeling I’d gotten on the street last week. It felt like someone was watching me.

I looked around but all I saw were men in hardhats, busy working. No one looked out of place and everyone seemed to know exactly what they were doing.

And no one was looking at me.

I shook it off and followed Sam as he walked me through the window restoration and the reconfiguring of the other ten floors, before taking me out back to where the new foundation was being prepared. I kept checking over my shoulder and studying the crews working around the building, but I couldn’t figure out where the strange vibe was coming from.

“So that’s what it looks like when you dig twenty-five feet into the ground,” I said as I looked down at the crew shoring up the freshly dug earth with cages of rebar.

Sam nodded. “We’ll start pouring on Monday.”

A brand new fourteen-story building was being erected behind, and connected to, the original building. Theo, as usual, needed as much space as possible, so we chose to take the foundation down twenty feet in order to give him an extra two stories. One completely below the ground, one two-thirds. This neighborhood had height restrictions and twelve floors was as high as we could go.

“I’m pretty excited to see this come together, Sam.”

“So are we. This isn’t exactly a boring project. It will have us on our toes and, quite frankly, we’re the kind of crew that likes that.”

Which made me excited to work with them. “I’ll be back in two months to see the progress.” I followed Sam inside.

“It’ll be a mess,” he warned.

I shrugged. “I love seeing the mess. It makes you appreciate the beauty even more.”

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