8. Jade

CHAPTER 8

JADE

I t's been three weeks of wishing I could pull out my hair without going bald, but I'm finally making some progress.

At least, that's until Grayson walks into my office bright and early Wednesday morning, whistling to himself with his hands in his pockets.

I twist my hair up and put it in a clip. "Is there something I can help you with?"

He smirks and leans over the edge of my desk. "It seems like the website isn't going to get up and running the way you thought it would."

A cold chill runs through my body as I sit up straighter. "What the hell are you talking about, Grayson? I have Paloma building the site right now."

"Well, I thought that we should have a meeting about the design again. I'm not quite sold on it. I think there's still some tinkering that needs to be done."

Don't wring his neck. Don't wring his neck.

After twelve years, I still don't understand how a man as attractive as Grayson can be so annoying. He'd be so much more pleasant to be around if he caused chaos for me even a fraction less than he currently does.

He smirks and raps his knuckles on the desk. "You should pay attention to the things I'm going to talk to you about. We're supposed to be a team, remember?"

The snort that comes out of me is the most unladylike noise I think I've ever made. "When have you ever been on a functioning team with anyone?"

"That's not a very nice thing to say." He smirks and gets up, heading to the door. "I'll be in my office when you decide you want to cooperate."

He's only doing this to set me off. I know he is. It's written all over his face.

Monday, when the website design was approved, he was happy with everything except losing to me. He thought that it was a good design. He was willing to admit that.

Now, two days later, he's doing everything he can to get under my skin.

What I can't figure out is why.

He knocks on the glass separating us, a big smile stretching from one side of his face to the other.

It's then that the careful hold I've had over my temper finally snaps.

My hands are trembling as I get up and storm into his office. "I give up. What do you think you're doing? You've spent the last two days screwing with my head, and I'm over it. I know you still get paid from Daddy's trust fund if this all goes sideways, but the people at your company need this rebrand to work."

Grayson hums to himself as he gets up and closes the curtains to the two glass walls, hiding us from the sight of anyone else in the office.

He paces closer to me, his hands linked together behind his back. "I knew the polite smile was just a front. You're still the same Jade you've always been."

"You're wrong."

His hands drop to his side as he chuckles. "I don't think so. You came in here looking to take my job, just like you took the internship."

"I needed that internship."

As he invades my personal space, taking steps toward me until I'm trapped between him and his desk, my heart takes off like a runaway train.

He braces his hands against the desk on either side of my body, forcing me to sit on the edge and lean back slightly. "I'm not going to let you march in here and pull the same shit for a second time, Jade."

"I'm not trying to," I say. "I'm just here to do a job and then I'm going to leave. I have my own businesses to run."

I clench my thighs together as his lips hover closer to mine. His gaze drops to my mouth before flickering back up to my eyes.

"Sex was always the one thing we agreed on, wasn't it?" His voice is husky, heat radiating from his body.

Desire pools low in my stomach. "It might have been, at one point."

"I've been thinking that both of us have a lot of stress we need to let go of." He presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth, the scent of his spicy cologne wrapping around me.

"And what exactly do you think you're proposing right now?" I press my hands to his chest, but instead of pushing him back a step, I clench his shirt tighter, pulling him a little bit closer.

As much as I think this is a bad idea, things always did make more sense between the two of us when we were sleeping together.

It was easier to be friendly. We could work together.

There wasn't as much stress.

His mouth closes over mine, and with that kiss, I'm transported back in time.

Our mouths move together as his hands leave the desk to grab my hips, dragging me against him. He groans and nips at my bottom lip as my fingers sink into his hair.

A bulge presses between us as my lips part.

His tongue tangles with mine, drawing out a soft moan as fire ignites between us.

Fingers dig into my hips as he steps between my legs, the skirt climbing higher up my thighs to make room for him.

Grayson peppers kisses down my neck, his chest heaving as I tug on his hair, pulling him back to my mouth.

"You're going to get us caught if you don't stop moaning like that," he says, his voice low and raspy. He pulls my bottom lip between my teeth, drawing out another moan.

"If you don't stop doing that, then I'm going to keep moaning."

"What if I do this?" His hand slides beneath my skirt, knuckle grazing against my clit through the thin material that separates us. "You're already soaked."

"Been a long time." I arch my back as he pulls the collar of my blouse to the side, sucking on the sensitive flesh at my collarbone.

"Poor Jade. Not getting your needs met?" Grayson chuckles, grazing his teeth on my skin. "You still taste like sugar and sin."

My knees lock against his hips as I grind into him, needing relief for some of the heat building at my core. "Stop talking."

Grayson's chuckle sends a shiver down my spine. "Not going to happen. I remember how much you liked dirty talk. It had you dripping for me."

My arousal coats my inner thighs as he hooks my thong to the side, his fingers slipping against my slick folds.

He dips two fingers into my pussy, groaning as he claims my lips again.

As his tongue sweeps across my bottom lip, his fingers inch deeper into me. He takes his time as he massages my inner walls. Each thrust of his fingers has my body coiling tighter.

His thumb presses against my clit. My hips rock forward, grinding into his hand as I grip his shoulders.

Grayson breaks the kiss, breathless as he reaches for the buttons on my blouse with his free hand. He pops the buttons open, and the satin falls away from me, fabric draped around my elbows as he looks down at my breasts.

I reach for the front clasp of my bra, popping it open and allowing it and the shirt to fall away.

He cups my breast with one hand, thumb brushing over my nipple as it stiffens into a tight peak.

When he takes the other in his mouth, I bite down on another moan.

His fingers thrust faster into me as his tongue flicks over my nipple. He sucks harder, teasing me before switching his attention to the other.

As his fingers rock faster, my legs start to shake. I roll my hips in time with his thrusts, taking everything he has to give as waves of pleasure crash over me.

"Grayson." His name is on my lips as I come, wetness coating my thighs as my inner walls pulse hard around him.

He groans and unzips his pants, pulling out his hard cock. My tongue darts out to lick my bottom lip as he strokes his cock twice before replacing his fingers with it.

As he enters me with one smooth thrust, his head drops to my shoulder.

"You're so damn tight." He rocks his hips slowly, giving me time to adjust to the way he stretches me.

"More." I unbutton his shirt, needing to run my hands over his flexing muscles as he drives into me.

My nails rake down his chest as he thrusts harder and faster into me, his cock throbbing.

"Yes. Don't stop."

Grayson claims my mouth again in a searing kiss, nipping and sucking while he slips one hand between us to toy with my clit.

"Yes, yes, yes."

My legs lock behind his back. He thrusts deeper, burying himself to the hilt as my inner walls clamp down around him.

"So good." He grazes my earlobe with his teeth. "Take me like the good girl we both know you want to be."

My body tenses as his fingers work faster over my clit, in time with his cock as he drives deeper into me.

Another hard press to the sensitive bud is all it takes to send me over the edge, squeezing down around Grayson as I come.

He stiffens, his thrusts slowing as he finishes, his head dropping to my shoulder with a groan.

As he grinds into me, I'm breathless, stars dancing across my vision.

When he pulls out, he looks at me as if he's seeing me for the first time.

I take a deep breath and slide off the desk, pulling on my bra and shirt before heading for the door.

I don't know what the hell took hold of me, and I'm not going to let it happen again.

This was a catastrophic error in judgment. I never should have come in here when I was angry. He's always had a way of leveraging our emotions against me until I end up naked in his bed.

And as much as I like that, I don't want to repeat history.

Grayson's hand wraps around my wrist and he pulls me back to him. "You can't go out there right now. People are going to take one look at you and know exactly what happened in here."

"This should have never happened." I glare at him, crossing my arms and trying to preserve what's left of my dignity as he puts his cock away. "I got carried away."

"You enjoyed it just as much as I did. Hell, I'm sure that it's what you came in here looking for, even if you don't want to admit it to yourself."

"I wouldn't come in here looking to sleep with you. That part of my life has been over for twelve years."

He shrugs, standing up and moving closer to me. "Have you ever thought about revisiting that time?"

I hate it when he's this close to me. He makes it hard to think clearly, especially in the post-sex haze. "No. I haven't."

"Well, I might have. The sex was the only good thing between us."

My teeth sink into my cheek as I try not to react.

I don't think the sex was the only good thing between us, but I know why he would. He's forgotten everything else in favor of hating me, and I can't blame him for that.

I hate him for the way everything happened, too.

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, laughing when I bat his hand away. "Don't be like that, Jade. I have a proposal."

Alarm bells ring in my head, telling me to get the hell out, now.

Instead, I arch an eyebrow and wait for him to say more.

He chuckles, twirling another strand of my hair around his finger and using it to gently tug me another step closer.

Grayson brushes his lips over mine, sparks surging to the surface. "You and me. No strings attached. Just having fun and blowing off some stress until you leave and I get the CEO position."