Conflict of Interest - By Allyson Lindt Page 0,19

neck and pulled him back for another breathless kiss. There was hesitation on her face when they broke apart.

He didn’t know how to interpret the look. His brow furrowed in concern. “Is something wrong?”

She turned her gaze away, and she undid the button on his jeans. Her voice was quiet. “I want more. I want you.”

He growled with lust and relief when she slid his zipper down and wrapped her fingers around his cock. It took some fumbling on his part, but he managed to pull a condom from his wallet, unwrap it, and roll it on.

He nudged her legs farther apart, bulbous head hovering at her opening. She scooted forward, and her moan mingled with his gasp when he drove deep inside her. He rocked slowly against her, trying to prolong the moment, but she increased the pace.

His laugh was strained. “I won’t last long if you keep that up.”

She pushed harder against him. “I’m not worried about it.”

He couldn’t hold back anymore. She was so wet and tight around him. He sought out her clit again, thumb bumping against it as he pounded hard and fast inside her. Her short breaths told him she was close to peaking again, and he struggled to hold out. She screamed when she came, muscles tightening around him and milking him.

He grunted and thrust harder, orgasm building inside and washing over him suddenly, draining him as he came.

Her rhythm slowed with him until they stopped, but his pulse was still hammering. He leaned over her, brushing a loose strand of hair from her forehead. “That was amazing. You’re amazing.”

She laughed nervously, bottom lip catching between her teeth.

He kissed her softly before rolling to the side and landing on his back on the blanket. He stared up at the sky through the lack of roof.

She curled up next to him, head resting on his shoulder and hand on his chest. Her breath tickled his skin when she spoke. “So that’s what it’s like to let loose a little.”

He chuckled. It never had been before, but he sure as hell hoped it would be again. “No, that was better.”

Chapter 6

Kenzie perched on the edge of the overstuffed easy chair, careful not to sink into it. Why did so many places think it was a good idea to have seats that swallowed their guests and were impossible to stand from gracefully?

Men in expensive suits milled like cattle in the lobby of the steakhouse, chatting with the hostess, with each other, with acquaintances they were far nicer to now than they would be once they parted ways. It used to bother her that these lunches truly were one of the last great bastions of the boys club—very few women joined their counterparts here—but she’d gotten used to it over time.

“Hey.” Scott’s greeting startled her.

His voice sent her pulse racing. Every time she thought about the day before, heat flooded her. She tried to hide her reaction by glancing at her watch before she acknowledged him. That had been physical, this was business. They had both agreed. She could do this.

Right?

He took a seat on the arm of her chair, and she resisted the urge to lean into him. Now wasn’t the time, especially not in public. The trouble she’d get in if anyone knew she was intimate with a client—whether or not it was impacting her work. She scooted away, trying to mask it under the disguise of studying his wardrobe. He wore jeans with more holes than fabric and an Iron Maiden shirt that looked like he’d buffed his car with it.

The professional side of her climbed back into control. She pursed her lips. “What are you wearing?”

“Clothes.” He stood and offered her a hand.

She bit back a sigh at the familiar touch, pulling away as soon as was polite.

A tiny frown crossed his face and then vanished again. “Thing about places like this, they tend to frown on nudity.”

Places like this. One of the nicest restaurants in town. After spending hours the night before poring over Scott’s past—which seemed to start abruptly nine years ago, and she hadn’t figured out yet why he didn’t have a childhood—she’d realized he really didn’t have issues with the media or negative press except when it came to how he held himself professionally in public. Big surprise. He tended to offend people at trade shows, piss people off in interviews, and draw all the wrong crowds in hospitality suites.

She’d asked him to meet her here because the city’s