Page 81 of The Write Midlife

His mouth was on her again, devouring her as her fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt, fumbling in her haste until it fell open, revealing the broad expanse of his chest. She ran her nails down his skin, and he reveled in the way his muscles flexed under her touch.

"You're driving me insane," he murmured, his voice thick with lust as his hands pushed up her skirt, his fingers grazing over the lace of her underwear. She shivered, and he could feel the warmth of her skin.

“Good," she managed to say, her voice shaky but teasing. "Now do something about it."

In one swift motion, he tore the fabric away, the sound of ripping lace sending a thrill through him. His fingers slid between her thighs, and she gasped, throwing her head back as he stroked her.

"You're so amazing,” he murmured, his voice filled with equal parts awe and hunger. “Jesus, Melody..."

"Nate," she pleaded, her body arching into him, needing more, needing everything.

He stepped between her legs, his slacks hitting the floor in a blur of movement, and then he was there, pressing into her,filling her in a way that made fireworks explode beneath his skin. She clutched at his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin as he moved, each thrust deliberate, commanding—raw. The table creaked beneath them, but he was beyond caring.

The conference room faded away. And there was only her, only them, their bodies moving together in a rhythm that felt both frantic and perfect. His hands gripped her hips, holding her steady as he drove into her, his breath hot against her ear as he murmured her name like a prayer, a curse, a promise.

"Melody," he groaned, his voice breaking, and it was the sound of her, the sheer need in it, that sent him over the edge. She cried out, her body trembling as her own orgasm ripped through her, and he followed moments later.

Moments later, his movements slowed, his forehead resting against hers as they both caught their breath.

For a moment, the only sound was the soft hum of the office A/C and their ragged breathing. Then Nate lifted his head, his eyes locking onto hers, full of something he couldn’t quite name but felt all the way to his core.

“I didn’t mean to do that without a condom,” he laughed low. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” She licked her lips. “I like you in the flesh.”

“Jesus, woman, you trying to kill me?”

“Thought about it a few times, but no.”

He grabbed her, kissing her—rough and tender, both at once.

“Mel, I swear, you," he said, his voice low and rough, "are everything I didn’t know I needed."

She laughed, her fingers brushing a damp strand of hair from his forehead. "And you," she whispered, "are completely insane for thinking we’d never get here."

He grinned, leaning down to kiss her again, slower this time but no less consuming. As they untangled themselves andstarted gathering their discarded clothes, he couldn’t help but glance around the cafe and laugh.

"What’s so funny?" she asked, pulling his shirt back on, his hair a mess from her hands.

He gestured to the table they had just thoroughly christened. "This. Us. Doing this in the conference room. It’s like something out of that Olivia-Jack novel we made. Though, I hadn’t planned for us to…finish like this.” He glanced over at the container a few feet away from the table. “And speaking of ‘finishing’…you hungry, by any chance?”

She grinned, nipping his shoulder. “Starving.”

As they settled at the conference table, contracts pushed aside to make room for two plates and Melody's sauce, neither of them could stop smiling. Nate watched as she served the pasta, the simple act somehow more intimate than even the last thirty minutes.

“You know," he said, half-dressed, tendrils of pasta on his fork, "Alex is never going to let me live this down. He's been texting all night about how I should be chasing after you instead of brooding in my office."

"Funny. Hannah, Zoe, and Carmen staged an intervention at cooking class to make me chase after you. Though I think they were more interested in the drama than the actual cooking."

"Wait—Carmen was at your cooking class?"

"Apparently she knows the instructor from yoga. And may have bribed him with expensive wine." She watched as he took his first bite. "So? How is it?"

"This is incredible.” The blush on her face at his words made his heart skip.You really created this recipe yourself?"

"I did." She reached for his free hand. "Turns out I'm pretty good at creating things when I'm not too scared to try."

"Well then," he squeezed her fingers, "here's to creating something new.”