Chapter 9

9

TALLULAH

N iall’s lips were soft but firm against mine, his kisses hard and hungry. I had no clue how we ended up here after just agreeing literally a few seconds ago that it wasn’t a good idea for me to stay, but that wasn’t enough to make me pull away.

The fact of the matter was that I’d wanted to kiss him, and I’d wanted him to kiss me. Those lips had been taunting me since the first time I’d seen him, and I’d been wanting to push my fingers into his hair for just as long.

Now that the moment had arrived, it didn’t disappoint. My hands moved of their own accord, my fingertips sliding across the strong contours of his face before I slid them into his hair. It was thick and longer than I’d ever realized, giving my fingers plenty of silky surface area to hang onto.

I moaned into his mouth as I kissed him back. Fireworks exploded in my nerve endings as I finally surrendered to the attraction I’d been feeling to him all along.

Niall was an even better kisser than I’d given him credit for, and I’d given him quite a lot of credit. There was just something so inherently confident about him that somehow I’d known he’d be good at it. The truth was that I hadn’t been able to give him enough credit because I hadn’t known it was possible for a kiss to be this good.

For all my bravado, I hadn’t kissed very many different men in my life. There had been Carter, of course, but only a couple others after him and none of those had been any good either.

At least, not when compared to Niall’s kiss. The man might’ve been reserved in other areas of his life, but he sure wasn’t holding anything back right now.

In fact, I’d never experienced this kind of head-on, all-consuming intensity with a man before. It was like as soon as his lips had crashed into mine, he’d forgotten that the rest of the world even existed, and in doing so, he was threatening to wipe its existence from my own mind in turn.

With those lips pressing so deliciously hard against my own, he captured my face in one of his hands and wrapped his fingers around the nape of my neck with the other. I’d worn my hair loose tonight, and he gathered the strands that had been in the way in his grip, holding them just hard enough to let me know he meant business.

We leaned into each other so far that our chests were pressed together. His biceps enveloped me in his arms even though I wasn’t technically wrapped up in them. If I’d known the other morning this was what it felt like to be kissed by him, I never would have let him think he was sneaking out of my bed.

I leaned into him even further, tightening my grip on his hair and giving myself over to him completely. He groaned in response. His tongue glided against my own as he slid an arm around my hips.

With my chest pressed against his, my nipples were so hard and sensitive that even just the fabric of my bra brushing against them sent tingles of pleasure skating through me. Niall’s fingers flexed on my hip, his hand moving until his fingertips touched a sliver of bare skin where my shirt had ridden up.

I jolted at the innocent little touch, like the pads of his fingers on my skin were delivering tiny but pleasurable shocks. On the other hand, it felt like both of us had been electrified and there were sparks coming off us as we kissed.

He adjusted his grip on me, and his arm was like a vise around my waist as he started lifting me. Instantly understanding what he wanted, I got up on my knees and climbed over the armrest between us, hooking a knee on either side of his hips.

Aware that I was now straddling him, I ran my fingers through his hair once more. Our lips parted only to allow each of us to take a deep breath before we came together once more. Whatever reservations I might’ve had about kissing him melted away. My body pressed against his, my panties completely soaked through as I lowered myself down on his lap.

At the first touch of the seam of my jeans against the hardness in his slacks, he hissed into my mouth, a slight tremble traveling through him. Strangely, feeling it made me moan, and I settled on his lap, adjusting my position to allow myself some friction where I needed it.

Niall’s entire body was tense against mine, practically thrumming. His hips started rocking underneath me. The motions were small, barely there, and yet, they were enough to make me feel like I was right on the edge.

I quivered on top of him, so into this that I lost track of where I was and who I was with for a moment. Right now, there was only him and me and this insane chemistry between us. I found my hands dropping lower on his back before I could think better of it.

I curled my fingers into the fabric of his shirt and tugged, intent on freeing it from his pants so I could get it off him. I was suddenly desperate to see more of him. To feel more of him against my skin. In response, he ran his own hands under the hem of my shirt, pressing the flat of his palms against my ribs. He elicited more moans from me when I felt his fingers skate against the underside of my bra.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, the last little bit of self-awareness I had left started screaming at me to stop. His shirt slid free of his waistband, and while most of me rejoiced at being one step closer to having him naked, that self-awareness reminded me who I was about to undress.

Niall Morrison is your boss, Tallulah. Your boss and your landlord. He’s a playboy who can have any woman he wants. You’re just going to be another notch on his bedpost, and then what?

I finally wrenched my mouth away from his, panting and flustered. I shook my head. “I have to leave. I’m so sorry. I crossed a line.”

“No, I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely, his voice rough with what sounded like raw need.

It made my heart skip and another rush of heat pooled between my legs, but I forced myself to ignore it. Seeing as how I was more turned on than I’d ever been, it wasn’t easy, but I finally starting scooting backward on his lap. “No, really. This was my fault. I shouldn’t have?—”

“Tallulah, I?—”

“I really should go.” I stood up like a shot, just about ready to leave this tangled mess of apologies and the giant mistake I’d just made in my wake. “Thank you for watching the movies with me. I?—”

“Let me call my driver.”

“I’ll just get an Uber.” I grabbed my purse and blindly rummaged through it with one hand as I tried my best to fix my clothing with the other. “I’m sure I’ll get one.”

“That’s really not necessary,” he protested, but my phone was already in my hand and I waved him off, stumbling backward as I hit the button to request a ride. “My driver is?—”

“It’s done.” I blinked hard and drew in a deep breath, searching for some semblance of either calm or my center, but my body was still raring to go and my heart was still racing like mad. “I’ll see you.”

I spun around. My footsteps fell hard against the wooden floors as I rushed down the hall. A moment later, I heard him behind me. “Tallulah, wait. Can we just talk about this?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said quickly, my head swimming. “Really. It’s fine. I’m sorry.”

Just leave me alone! Let me go.

Tears stung the backs of my eyes and I swallowed hard. I was already embarrassed enough. The last thing I needed was for him to see me crying on top of everything else.

Why the hell did I have to go and do that? This job is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I almost ruined it by kissing my boss? Better yet, why did he kiss me back?

I’d known the guy was rich. The billionaire word had been slung around a few times since I’d met him, but somehow, it had been seeing the actual theater room in his house that had driven it home for me. As soon as I’d walked in there, I’d realized the implications of that word.

The amount of money he had could buy him everything. Anything.

And me?

I was just a lowly employee who, fine, wasn’t bordering on completely broke anymore, but I couldn’t even afford to buy a used car. Not yet anyway. Soon, I would be able to, but that was the level I was at. Having to save to be able to buy even a cheap used car.

Aside from the money, which was no small thing when the income gap was as big as it was between him and me, the man was gorgeous. When the genetic fairy had been handing out her blessings, her wand must’ve glitched while it’d been pointed at him, bestowing upon just one man so many of the very best qualities out there.

The sparkling blue eyes. The thick, luscious blond hair. The ability to develop such lean, strong muscles. Those high cheekbones and the regal bone structure. God, after all that, would it have killed the damn fairy to make him really short? Or just something that would’ve made him at least a little bit resistible?

At least to me.

Instead, she’d given him every last one of the physical traits I’d always only admired in men from afar. She’d even given him beautiful but masculine hands, with fingers that were long but not freakishly so.

The tears pressed past the backs of my eyes, welling on my lids. I fled through his foyer, checking my phone to see that my Uber driver was only a minute away. How could I have been so stupid? This man is way out of my league. What was I thinking?

To add the very worst kind of insult to injury, I’d also come to realize that beneath that prickly exterior, the mountains of money, and the pretty face, he was a real boy. He was nice. He had feelings. Emotions. He got scared. He got defensive.

And he cared.

That was a big one for me. He cared about shit like his new employee being alone in a haunted house during a storm on her first night there. Hell, he cared enough to offer a brand new, possibly temporary employee a house simply so she wouldn’t have to walk around a dodgy neighborhood at night.

“Tallulah, please wait,” he called from behind me when I yanked open his front door, but I simply threw my hand up in a wave instead of turning to face him.

“It’s really fine. Can’t stop right now. My driver is basically here. I’ll see you, Niall. Have a good night.” With that rush of tightly spoken words, I burst out of his house and took the few steps down to the street at double time, choking on a sob when I finally reached the sidewalk.

I couldn’t stand showing people any weakness or vulnerability. I knew just how damn strong I was to have made it through what I had and to have built a wonderful life for myself on the other side—and it was wonderful. I loved where I was right now.

A big part of that was working for the Morrison Group and all the promise this job held for the future.

I couldn’t mess it up by hooking up with my boss.

Even if he was the very best kisser ever and even if he had made me feel so very many things. I couldn’t allow this to happen again. I needed to get a damn grip on myself and I needed to get it right the hell now.