Page 39 of Finding Love

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Ryder wrapped his arm around Brook as he walked with her up the stairs. He wanted to carry her up, but he was too exhausted. Mentally and physically.

Brook continued to talk to him as they moved back up to their room. Her soothing voice helped relax him more than the two glasses of champagne had.

“Here,” she said as they stepped into the bedroom, “let me help you.” Brook started pulling off his tie. He stood there, allowing her to remove it and his jacket and hang them over the back of the chair by the bed. Then she was back in front of him, her eyes locked with his as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy pulse through him. When he reached to pull the skinny straps of her dress off her shoulders, she arched into his hands. The soft material swiftly flowed down her body to pool at her feet. Beneath, she’d worn nothing.

His entire body jumped as his eyes ran over her silky skin.

“Had I known you weren’t wearing anything under your dress, we wouldn’t have eaten dinner first.” He took a step back from her to quickly toe off his shoes. When he reached for his belt, however, Brook stepped forward and placed her hands over his.

He stilled while she removed the rest of his layers until they stood completely bared to one another.

“Did you mean it?” she asked softly.

“Hm?” he said, lifting his hand to brush his fingertips across her bare skin.

She sighed and arched into his touch.

“That I’m more than just a friend?”

His eyes snapped to hers. “Yes,” he answered quickly. “This…” He took a step towards her and pressed their bodies against one another. “And this.” He leaned his head down to brush his lips across hers, making the brief kiss passionate. “And this,” he said, laying his hand over her heart, “mean more to me than anything that came before.”

She smiled. “I feel the same.” She kissed him.

With his new energy, he easily lifted her from the ground and carried her to the edge of the bed. There, he laid her down gently and covered her with his own body.

He wanted to take his time. To show Brook exactly what he felt for her. But the drive he felt for her consumed him and drove him to take what he wanted, what he needed after the day he’d had.

So much meaning was behind each kiss. So much passion.

He ran his hands and mouth over every inch of her until he felt on the verge of bursting. Only after watching her sexy release and tasting her on his tongue did he finally return and slip inside her, allowing his own desires to build and fall when, once more, she convulsed around him.

They lay in bed, their bodies cooling, their breathing slowing, until he thought she was asleep. But when he moved to cover her with a blanket, she reached for him. She sat up and looked down at him, comfortably naked.

“Want to talk about today?” she asked.

He shifted until he was sitting with his back against the headboard, then he pulled her to his side and held on to her as he filled her in.

“Mark claimed that the board wanted to vote me out. I think he wants to be voted into the position permanently.” His eyes zeroed in on a spot across the room as his fingers lazily played with Brook’s hair.

“He currently is the CEO?” she asked.

“He was, temporarily, while I was gone. It was agreed that he would play the role until I returned,” he answered. “It was a risky move, but since I hold the majority of shares, the board was willing to gamble. For a while.”

“And now that you’re back?” she asked.

“Now, the board has made it clear, they want Mark out.” He remembered the urgency in some of the board members’ pleas.

“Were things that bad this last year?” she asked.

“No, profits were steady. Not higher, just… steady. Work ethics and overall morale around the company took a huge dive, though. I plan to speak with some of the staff directly tomorrow. If some of the rumors are true, I may even have to let Mark go.”

She sat up and leaned back so she could look at him. “That bad?”

He nodded. “Yeah, apparently there have been more than half a dozen HR complaints filed against him since I took my leave.”