She leaned on the doorframe. “You’re welcome to sleep in your large bed by yourself.”
“Really?” he asked, not even looking wounded. “Because I think having you in it would be so much more fun. Your bed or mine? Decide. One… two… three.”
When she didn’t immediately respond, he bent and picked her up, hefting her over his shoulder, holding her still with one hand on her barely covered backside. “Mine it is,” he said, and headed for his room.
“Lucas! Put me down!” She clung to the top of his sweat pants, well aware her knuckles were brushing his bare ass.
“Okay.” He flipped her over, her back hitting the mattress, and she shut her eyes to get her bearings.
“You’re insane!”
“I’m just clarifying how things are going to be.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Didn’t I say I wanted to be in charge of my own life?”
He grinned. The one that showed all those white teeth and was impossible to resist. “You are most definitely in charge of your own life. It’s just that I’m in charge in the bedroom. Did I forget to mention that during our negotiation?”
“Negotiation? You’re making me crazy,” she muttered.
He dove onto the bed and rolled on top of her. “That’s the point. Can’t you just shut down the worry and enjoy?” He kissed the tip of her nose. One eyelid. Then the other.
“Can you do that for me?”
“Mmm. You make it sound so easy.”
“That’s because it is.” He rolled to the side and she did the same. “Go with the flow.”
“It’s been years since I’ve had that luxury.”
“Then let me give that to you.” He rubbed his cheek against hers. “Okay? Can you do that?”
“Yeah, I can.” Because she wanted to be with him, and for now that’s what mattered.
He yawned and she smiled. “Tired?”
“You have no idea.” He hooked their legs together and curled his big body around hers. “You wore me out earlier today.” He wrapped an arm around her, pulled her tighter, and began to breathe easily in and out.
Sleep didn’t come as quickly for Maxie. She wasn’t used to sleeping with someone else. Not even when she’d been married. Keith had been a take what he wanted, roll over, and go to sleep kind of guy. At first it had hurt her feelings but as things degenerated, she’d been grateful for the distance.
Lucas, it seemed, had no intention of allowing her space.
* * *
A week later, the assistants, Tessa, Becky, and Kade’s wife, Lexie, had called a morning meeting, asking the three bosses to attend. They’d plied the men with coffee before giving their pitch.
“I’m not doing a Halloween party here,” Derek said with a shake of his head.
“Why not?” Becky, Derek’s assistant, asked. “It’ll be good for morale. You know the tech guys downstairs would love to come dressed up.”
Tessa glanced at Lucas. “And you’d be giving them a chance to bring a significant other to meet their coworkers.”
“Oh, now we’re paying for significant others?” Kade asked, his gaze on his wife.
Lexie shot him a pleading glance. “Please? It’ll be so much fun.” She turned to face Lucas. “I called Maxie this morning and made lunch plans. I thought it would be nice to get to know her better. And I might have mentioned something about a fun Halloween party here,” she said in a rush, then turned her gaze back to Kade.
“You know you need to rein her in,” Lucas said.
Kade burst out laughing. “Let’s have this conversation in another month or so. Let’s see how much reining in you’re doing then.”