His to Keep: A Billionaire Romance (His to Have Book 3) (7 page)

Window isn’t the right word for the floor to ceiling glass that makes up the two outer walls of Blake’s office. He has a low bookshelf that runs along the length of one, but the wall facing toward the water has a view clear across the Hudson. I think about the time Blake took me against the window of his apartment, and I feel dizzy beyond belief. “How high up are we?” I ask him.
 

“Almost a quarter mile,” he says.

“Want to join the quarter mile club?” I ask.

Blake walks over, grabs my hand and pulls me over to his desk. He wraps his arms around me and kisses my neck. A wonderful warmth radiates from his lips and spreads through my body. I can feel his hips against my ass as he leans me toward the desk. He slides his hand to my lower back and starts to unzip my skirt.

“Are you serious?” I ask.
 

“I don’t kid about pencil skirts,” he says. “Although, in truth, it’s the ass beneath it that truly holds my attention.
 

I roll my eyes and smile. I can’t believe we’re doing this, and of course I want him to continue. As soon as the skirt is around my knees, he gives my ass a light spank. A quick, involuntary gasp passes my lips. The imprint of his hand stings against my skin for half a second, but the dull ache leaves me wanting more. I let the skirt fall all the way to the floor and step out of it.
 

Blake notices and takes a step back. “Damn,” he says as he runs his hand down the back of my thigh. “Your legs look incredible.”

“Yeah?” I ask. The truth is I always feel sexier in heels. But heels, thigh highs and Blake’s touch make me feel like the sexiest woman alive. He slides his hand to the inside of my thigh and spreads my legs apart. He almost takes my breath away as he slides his hand closer to my core.

I realize I’m so turned on that I’m almost dripping, and when Blake presses his hand against my thong, I can’t help but moan. He pulls the thong aside and rubs my sex in slow strokes before sliding a finger inside my core. He strokes against my inner walls in a way that makes my knees weak. I feel a jolt of excitement through my entire body. “I want you hard against my desk,” he says. He won’t have any complaints from me.

I ache to feel him inside me. The hiss of his zipper drives me wild with anticipation, and then I hear his belt and his pants falling around his ankles. And then he’s against me. He pushes himself inside me in one quick, hard stroke. I gasp with delight, but all I hear is Blake’s moan of ecstasy as he sinks deep inside me.

I close my eyes and lean hard against the desk as Blake pushes against me with wonderful force, rocking me with each motion of his hips. He pulls back and holds himself at my entrance. I want him deep inside me again. I want that complete connection that only he can give me. He pushes in, and my body tenses as delight rolls through me.

“Let go, Cat,” he whispers as he runs a hand over my back and grabs my hair tight, pulling with a force that accentuates the pleasure.
 

I relax myself and push hard against him. His moan of delight drives me wild. This all feels so naughty and wrong, but with Blake it feels natural and right. I can hear his breathing grow heavy as he rocks against me, building the pleasure inside me. I can’t believe how in sync our bodies are as we race faster and faster. As he crashes against me, the pleasure builds, hard and powerful and raw.

It all feels so good that within a few moments he has me on the brink of climax. Blake keeps me there for minutes like he knows exactly how much I can handle. From his breathing, I can tell he’s close too. It’s incredible, the way we can hold each other right there on the brink for so long, but I know I can’t hold out for much longer.
 

Blake slaps his hands against my hips and thrusts harder and harder. He pushes so deep inside me that I cry out in bliss. He digs his fingers into my skin and says, “Now, Cat.” That’s all the permission I need. I feel the pleasure burst through my body as I come. Blake gives one last thrust, and I feel him crash into climax with me. He leans over me and kisses the back of my neck as climax rocks my body. “You are incredible,” he whispers.

A thin layer of sweat has formed beneath my blouse, and I’m wondering if I’ll need to find a change of clothes, but I don’t really care. This was worth a hundred wardrobe changes. I can still feel him inside me.

“That was very unexpected,” I tell him when we uncouple at last. He leans in again and kisses my cheek. I turn around and plant a kiss on his lips. “But it was very much enjoyed,” I add.

“Welcome to the company,” he says with a smile. He reaches down and tosses me my skirt. “I’ve changed my mind about the office,” he adds. “You can have any office you’d like, so long as you share it with me.”

“So if I come in every day, I’ll get this same treatment?” I ask. Blake grins. “I might never leave,” I say.
 

“Well, I have a few meetings I have to take, and then you can come back in and get settled,” he says.
 

CHAPTER 13

CATHERINE

I see Ben head into Blake’s office shortly after I head out. I’m in the break room making myself a cappuccino when Blake steps out to greet him. I catch a glimpse of the two of them disappearing into Blake’s office. I decide that I’ll be nice and make each of them a drink too. It takes a few minutes to get everything together, and I have to do a delicate balancing act to hold the three mugs at once, but I manage to get to his secretary’s desk before I hear the heated argument between Ben and Blake. It’s muffled, but I can make out what they’re saying well enough. His secretary still isn’t in, so I sit at her desk and listen for a break in the conversation that would allow me to step in without intruding.

“I swear I had nothing to do with this,” Ben says. “Did she really do that?”

“It doesn’t matter who did what,” Blake says. “We’re finding another plan. He threatened her. I swear, if you don’t help me find a way to take care of him, I’m going to do it myself.”
 

“Remember who you’re talking to,” Ben snaps back. “I’m not one of your employees. I am a federal agent.”
 

“Are you not listening? He threatened her. If you give a damn about her, you’d be as angry as I am,” Blake says. He’s practically shouting.
 

“You know I care about her,” Ben says. “She’s the only reason I’m helping you. If it weren’t for her insistence, you’d be behind bars right now. I didn’t come here to get yelled at. I think you forget that you came to me.”
 

“I won’t let anything happen to her,” Blake says. “I will do whatever it takes.”

“Stick to the plan,” Ben says. “A few months, and we should have everything we need.”
 

“You’re not listening!” Blake shouts. I can picture him pacing back and forth across his office, his hands balled into fists as he gets more and more worked up. I look down at the drinks. There’s no chance I’m stepping into that room.

“Neither are you,” Ben says. “This is beyond my control.”

“Then I’ll find another way.”
 

“Think carefully about what you do next,” Ben says. “If you care about her as much as you say, you won’t throw away your future to take down Jacob Fletcher.” His voice gets clearer as he finishes the sentence.
He’s heading to the door
. I jump up from the desk and head across the office. When I’m halfway back to the break room, I turn back around. I catch Ben on his way to the elevator.
 

“Cat?” he says. “What are you doing here?”

“I might ask you the same thing,” I say. “Can I have a word with you?”
 

“Something tells me you’re not looking to reminisce,” he says.
 

“I’m worried about Blake.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Damien heading into Blake’s office, and I can’t help but wonder what he’s doing.

“That might be the most reasonable thing I’ve heard this morning,” he says. “But I don’t want to get between the two of you.”

“I’m not asking you to do that. I’ll walk you out. If you don’t like what I have to say, we’ll pretend this conversation never happened.”
 

As we wait for the elevator, Ben says, “Blake told me about the stunt you pulled this weekend to get him away from Jacob. I kind of like this new, cunning you. So what did you want to discuss?”
 

I wait until we’re in the elevator. “I want to end this Jacob Fletcher thing,” I tell him. “I’m worried Blake is going to do something stupid.”
 

“We’re both worried about that,” Ben says. “I went way out on a limb agreeing to work a deal with Blake, and he’s threatening to blow the whole thing up. This could mean my job.”

“It could mean his freedom,” I remind Ben.
 

“True,” he says. “So what’s your idea?”
 

I don’t have one yet, but I know I need to come up with one fast. “I can’t tell you,” I say. “But if I can find a way to incriminate Jacob without involving Blake, what would happen to Blake’s deal with you?”
 

“As long as he provided all the necessary information, it would stand,” he says. “I’m not sure getting involved in this is a good idea.”

“I don’t think I have a choice,” I tell him. One way or another, my fate with Blake will be decided in the next few weeks. I’d rather have a hand in it than sit by idly and hope that everything works out. “I’m going to do whatever it takes.”
Whatever it takes.
It sounds like something Blake would say or something my father would say. My father must be having the time of his life knowing that Blake’s world has been thrown into chaos. After all, he has almost as much reason as anyone to want Blake to fail. All he’d have to do is sell off his stake in Blake’s company and watch the carnage.

An idea starts to form in my mind. It’s so improbable that it just might work. I work through each part of a potential plan. It would take a miracle to make everything work, but I can’t think of any other way.

 
“As angry as Blake is, he’s not wrong about Jacob Fletcher. He’s a supremely bad man, and from what I can tell, he really does have it out for Blake.”

“That might be exactly what we need,” I tell him as the elevator doors open to the lobby. I step out and start walking. “Where are you headed?” Ben asks.
 

“Connecticut,” I tell him. “I think it’s time I have a heart to heart with my father.”
 

CHAPTER 14

CATHERINE

“Why would I do this?” my father asks. We are sitting in his study. Large, custom bookshelves line the walls. There’s an unlit fireplace, a plaid rug, and a view of the gardens through the windows. It’s a bright day, but it’s cold outside, and all of the flowers have been gone for months. My father is sitting behind his desk. He has his sleeves rolled up to his elbow. “I enjoyed our little charade last weekend, but this is something else entirely.”

“Why even agree to see me then?” I ask him.
 

“Because you’re my daughter, and I’ll take any chance to see you,” he said. “I meant what I said about making up for lost time, Catherine.”

“But you won’t do this?”

“I didn’t say that. I asked you why I would consider doing something that is so squarely against my self-interests.”

“Well, how did you leave things with Jacob Fletcher?” I ask.
 

“I left things open,” he says. “I didn’t care much more for the man, but his distaste for your boyfriend is endearing. What do you see in him anyway?”

“In Blake?” I ask.

“I doubt you see much in Jacob,” my father replies.

“He’s an adult,” I say. “The guys I’ve dated have all been immature. Blake isn’t like that at all. He understands responsibility. He works hard, and he respects me.”
 

“Even if those things are true, that’s no reason to stick your neck out for someone you barely know.”
 

“I know him better than I’ve ever known anyone. And he knows me. I’d do anything for him because he loves me for who I am. He loves me in spite of my last name, not because of it. Everything he’s ever done in our relationship has been for me. He’s not perfect, but neither am I. I love him. I need you to know that. I love him, and nothing can change that fact. I don’t care about his money or his power or any of it. I don’t care where he’s from or any of that stuff. We love each other, and that’s all that matters.”

“I see,” my father says. He gets up from behind the desk and walks over to the window. “Would you like to see the gardens?”
 
he asks.
 

“It’s a bit late in the season for that, don’t you think?” Late is an understatement.

“I’ve never gotten to show you the gardens,” he says. “I think it might do us both good to see the gardens.”

“Fine,” I tell him, “I’ll go with you, but only if you hear me out.”
 

“I see you’re quickly learning how to negotiate,” he says.

“I’m a quick learner,” I reply.

We make our way through the halls to one of the side entrances of the house. My father lives here alone. There are workers who keep the place clean and a chef who cooks his meals, but the house feels like a combination of a museum and a tomb. The air in the large rooms is still and stale. The furniture looks unused.

The side entrance is in a mudroom with a pristine brick floor. “I’ve been thinking about getting a dog,” my father says. “Something dignified, a Great Dane perhaps.
 

“That’s good,” I tell him. Given how lonely the house seems, it isn’t a bad idea. He hands me a jacket by the door and leads me outside. He leads me across a patio through the hedgerows that lead to the sunken garden. There’s a water feature in the middle that’s been turned off for the season and a brick pathway that winds through the garden maze.

“Why are we out here?” I ask.
 

“I told you, I wanted you to see the garden.”

“It’s lovely,” I tell him. It’s freezing outside, and a cold wind cuts right through the jacket, chilling me to the bone.

“It’s dormant,” he says. “I told myself that this garden would be my retirement. I’d grow prized flowers and learn the name of every bush and bud.”