Any Way You Want Me (18 page)

Five Months Later

Y
ASMINE HAD BEEN BREATHING
paint fumes for the past few days, and now she liked to think she’d become immune to their side effects. That they were no longer killing off her brain cells one by one.

“Nice work,” Alex said from behind her, startling her out of what was likely a paint-fume-induced stupor. “I can’t believe you’ve already finished the whole room.”

She turned to see him admiring the shade of gray blue she’d just painted their front office. DiCarlo Consulting and Investigations’ new business office officially opened tomorrow, though they already had enough clients to keep them busy for several months.

Yasmine had been freaked out at first by the idea of going into business with Alex, doing independent security consulting and investigations. But once she settled into the idea, she knew it was exactly the change she’d needed.

The sex game industry had been fun, but she wanted a different challenge, and she loved the idea of working closely with her soon-to-be husband.

People had warned her about working with a spouse, but she couldn’t think of anyone else she’d rather be with all day. They needed to make up for lost time.

“I didn’t want you to think I’d grown soft during those two weeks in the South Pacific.”

They’d taken a vacation together last month, a cruise during which Alex had proposed to her. Those blissful days and nights aboard the ship and in Tahiti had been two of the best weeks of Yasmine’s life, but what she’d been looking forward to most was now. The everyday routines together, the day-to-day hum-drum life. She’d had enough of excitement, and she’d traveled enough to last her a while. What she’d never had, and what she craved, was this closeness, this intimacy that came only with living your life with another person.

They hadn’t picked a wedding date yet, but it didn’t matter to Yasmine. She’d already given herself to Alex heart and soul. The formal part could wait a few months.

“What I think is, you’re working too damn hard. You need to save your energy for me.”

“Oh?” She turned and slipped her hands around his waist and up the hard planes of his back.

“I’m a man with certain needs, you know.”

“Believe me, I know.” Every night, he had needs—needs she loved fulfilling.

He dipped his head down to kiss her, and she felt him grow hard against her abdomen. A few feet away, the soon-to-be receptionist’s desk sat covered in a drop cloth, the perfect destination for them.

“I’ll just close these blinds,” Alex said, letting go of her for a moment.

“Is the door locked?”

“Yep, just locked it.”

“So you had no intention of helping me clean up
when you came in here,” she said as he lifted her onto the desk and nestled between her legs.

“Well, I did, but then I saw you bent over that paint can, and—”

“You’re so predictable.”

“I’ll do all the clean-up,” he said, “if you’ll do me.”

Afternoon sex breaks were definitely an unexpected and most welcome benefit of working together.