any goodbye, leaning over to hang up the phone. His face is right near my waist, and I can see the devious smile curve his mouth the closer he gets to me.
Grabbing his face in my hands, I tilt his head back to look up at me. “Eyes up here, Thorne.”
He slides his hand across the desk over my ass, gripping it and pulling me closer.
“I like this color on you.” He smiles. “It makes your eyes stand out.”
His fingers trail over my hip, dipping under my shirt, pushing it up to expose the tan skin on my stomach.
“Don’t you think you should wait until later tonight? I didn’t even lock the door when I came in.”
“Tessa knows better than to come in here without permission when you’re here.”
I raise my brow in question. “Oh, really? Is this a conversation the two of you had?”
“No, I’ve just made it clear that when you’re here, I’m not to be bothered.”
I choke out a laugh, letting out an exasperated sigh. Of course, he’d warn his assistant not to trouble him when I’m here.
He leans forward, pressing a soft kiss against my stomach. The slight touch of his lips against my skin has my body trembling. While I’ve appreciated having FaceTime on those nights when Claudia was away and I was missing Merric too much, nothing compares to having his hands and mouth on my body.
In the beginning, we took things at our own pace. We didn’t put any labels on our relationship, not wanting to add any pressure. We already added so much with the fear of what would happen if things didn’t work out.
I would often head down to Myrtle Beach after class on Friday and stay with him through Monday morning when he left for work, then I’d make the drive back. It worked out perfectly because I could leave when he was heading out the door and be right on time for my first lecture.
Merric often spent late nights at the office, so while I hated not going to sleep next to him, I knew he was able to focus on his job.
When we made the trip back a couple of weeks ago for the Fourth of July weekend to see my mom, we did so with the plan of also coming clean about our relationship. Merric and I have both joked about how our family would respond, only for us to realize the stress it added was unnecessary.
Neither of us knew what to expect, but the amount of support my mom has shown us put any worries to rest.
I still remember when she pulled me aside at our family barbeque and asked how I was doing. I know she just wanted to check in on her only daughter to see how I was handling things.
I glanced over at Merric while he talked to Penelope, who was now four months pregnant, and told her how Merric had shown me a different side of himself. Tears filled my eyes when I told her how he had broken down all his walls for me, showing me more than the hard exterior he had toward the rest of the world and how well he took care of me.
“Those were all the same reasons I had fallen in love with Maxwell, too.”
I grab his face between my hands, bending forward to kiss him. He pulls back to whisper, “I missed those lips.”
“I bet you did.” I smack him playfully on the chest. He grips my hips, pulling me to straddle his lap, and I wrap my arms around his neck.
“How did your interview go?”
“Ugh…” I sigh. “I honestly don’t want to even think about it. I left twenty minutes early and still managed to be late. Stupid train!”
I swear, it seems like every time I think I’m getting my life together, something sends me falling on my ass again. I’ve applied for three other creative marketing jobs. Anything to get my foot in the door now that I’ve graduated with my degree.
“Well, job or no job, I’m done waiting for you to get your ass here. You can still move and find a job while you’re living with me.”
We’ve argued about this topic a few times now, but I don’t want to be dependent on any man. My student housing lease isn’t up until the end of next month.
“You do realize there’s going to come a day when you’re my wife, and it’s all going to be your money anyway.”
I glare at him