Merger (9 page)

“Let go
, baby. I’ve got you.” He said driving his fingers deeper into me.

“I’m scared.” I said looking into his eyes
. I was losing myself with every thrust of his hand. The gravitational pull of him, took me further and further away from what I knew was right. I had only met this man a day ago and here I was on the rooftop of my building with his fingers buried deep inside me. My mind said no, but my body wasn’t responding to reason. I didn’t know whether it was a fight or flight moment, or a surrender and stay moment. I stared into his blue eyes hoping to find the answers and I did. With one more stroke and thrust of his fingers, I was gone. I latched my arms around his shoulders and neck, as I trembled into his hand. My orgasm exploded from every part of my tightly coiled body. It ripped through me with a force l had never felt before. No one had ever come close to making me feel like I did in that one second.
I was in trouble. Deep, deep trouble.

Chapter 10

Joshua

She was giving me more than I expected, but all that I had wanted. She was beautiful and smart, witty and sexy as hell. I wanted to charm her. I wanted to please her, but mostly I just wanted her…all of her. Here on the roof, with the stars shining bright, the sounds of the city below us and me buried hand deep in the soft supple folds of her sex. I felt my body burning from the inside out. I needed to fuck her or run and masturbate. My balls were tight and achy, my cock hard as steel and fighting to break free from my jeans. I looked into her beautiful blue eyes and we both stood silent as she came in my hand. I licked her bottom lip and pried at the opening of her soft mouth with my tongue. She obliged and we kissed achingly with unbelievable desire.

“There’s so much I want to tell you.” I said.

I didn’t want to release her from my embrace the wetness of her on my fingers. I removed my hand and instantly missed the warmth of her. I wanted to bend her over the table and drive myself deep into her, but she still didn’t know who I really was and I was now truly nervous. I was so into her, I was melting.
I was so fucking screwed!

“Me too.” She replied
. “Joshua, I’m…”

I stopped her mid-sentence, “Please call me Josh
. I mean hell, you can call me whatever you want, but my family calls me Josh and I’d like for you to call me Josh as well.”

“Okay, since we’re talking names, my family and close friends call me K.K. I think we’ve moved past formalities, haven’t we?” She laughed sweetly.

“I guess we have,” I said. “Come with me.” I grabbed her hand as she straightened her dress. I grabbed the last of the wine from the table and started walking towards her penthouse, with her in tow.

She pulled on my hand, making me stop
. “Josh,” she said nervously. “I’m not this girl.”

I turned and looked at her
. She was confident and assured, but at that moment, I could see she was also small and vulnerable. I liked every side of her, but the fact that she was in unchartered waters with me, let me know this wasn’t an everyday occurrence, which made me want her more. My cock was tight from merely touching her and the way she looked at me made me want to pounce. It was all I could do to maintain my composure.

She didn’t have to tell me that she was innocent, or experienced
. I didn’t give a shit about anyone before me. God willing, nothing would ever replace this. Here we were forging ahead, her giving me everything and me the one with all the secrets. I needed to come clean and quick or risk the ultimate price—losing K.K. before I actually had her.
Losing her wasn’t an option.

I put my hands on both sides of her face and looked into her eyes
. “You don’t have to say anything. I already know you’re not that girl.”

“Then what am I doing
? What are we doing? I feel like I could lose myself here and I’m just not used to feeling so...reckless.”

“Trust me
,” I looked deep into her eyes, trying to quell her fears.

“Trust you
? I don’t really know you?”

“You
will, sweet girl, just give me a chance.” I kissed her forehead and pulled on her hand, gently easing her towards the door.

We entered her unit and as my feet hit the polished marble floor
, I took in the full wall of windows looking out into the amazing city below.

“Wow. I took you to the roof and I could have merely setup a fabulous dinner right here. This is awesome, K.K.” I said.

“Thanks
. I love it,” she said, pulling me around to meet her eyes. “So tell me more about Josh. I feel like you know so much about me, or at least what Google would reveal and what I’ve shared, but I don’t know that much about you.” She smiled at me and put her hand against my chest. “I know you’re beautiful and have magic hands.”

“Cute.” I laughed and pulled her into me
.

“Well, I work for my Dad, much like you
. I have a younger brother named Jacob and I live in California.” I said quickly. I looked at her and saw her expression change. It was the first blow of the night, as her body became rigid in my arms.

“California
? You don’t live in New York? You don’t live in this building?” she asked.

“No
,” I replied, then hesitated. “K.K., my last name is Crawford.”

She pulled away from me and took a step back.

“What?” The shock hit her hard. “What’s your last name?”

“Crawford
,” I replied.

“Crawford as is in…?” She said leading me to finish the sentence.

“Crawford as in Crawford Enterprises,” I completed, never taking my eyes from hers and starting to advance her to close the distance that she had put between us. I was now the one nervous and trying to smooth over the colossal fuck up.

“Joshua Crawford
. You’re telling me that you are Joshua Crawford? My soon to be business partner? The partner of my father and your Dad in one of the biggest mergers ever?” She looked at me dumbfounded like I had just thrown cold water over her head. I wasn’t surprised by her reaction, but I didn’t anticipate her anger. I knew I’d let things go too far too fast, but I was powerless to stop it, nor did I want to.

“Honestly, K.K., when you and I met in the gym I had no idea who you were
. You never shared your last name in the elevator, nor did I. Then when I found out your last name outside the limo, I never put it together. My friend Brian owns an apartment in this building and I asked to stay here when I knew that I was coming to New York. I’ve stayed here several times and it was only by chance that we never crossed paths before.” I moved a step forward and she took a step back. “Please understand, I’d never hurt you.” I needed her to know everything was okay, but I didn’t know what else to say. How could I hold on to the last few hours when they were slipping away before my eyes?               Think

She didn’t respond to me, but turned and took a step towards the full wall of windows that looked out into the glittering New York skyline. I came up behind her and wanted desperately to touch her
. I could feel the heat of her body in front of me, but stood frozen not knowing what to do or say next.

“K.K., please don’t shut me out
. We can make this work.” I moved my forehead to the back of her head and closed my eyes. The smell of her shampoo and perfume were taking over my senses. I wanted her so badly, my desire immense.

“How
, Josh? How can we make this work? It’s impossibly wrong.”

“How could anything that feels this right be impossibly wrong?” I replied
. “Please look at me. Don’t I deserve that?”

She turned to me with her back now against the glass windows
. “What about what I deserve?”

I was scared, but needed to close the space between us
. I moved impossibly close, so were now forehead to forehead and she was forced to meet my eyes. “Please give me a chance to make this right. I honestly found out who you were from my Dad, all right? I really hadn’t put it all together until Google and the conversation with him. I told him how I felt about you and that I had a date with you.”

“You did?” she replied
. “And how did he feel about that?”

“He told me to come clean and tell you who I was, and I did that
. Albeit, maybe I should have opened with that information, but really is it that big of a deal?” I asked, but already knew the answer…yes.

“You are kidding me, right?” She answered
. “We are days away from closing this deal. I left California, your father and brother, I might add, who sent me flowers and ‘misses my smile,’ to come clear across the country for a man I can’t get off my
mind and makes me physically crazy, but it’s really not a big deal.”

She was angry and confused and I couldn’t blame her, but I didn’t make a move to separate our closeness.

“I feel like such an idiot,” she said, moving around me and towards the door. I stood looking into the city lights wondering what I should do to fix this goddamned mess. How could I walk away? What could I say? I turned to move towards the elevator and toward the beautiful brunette that had claimed my every waking thought.

She stood against the wall by her door and stared at the ground
. I walked across the room, straight to her. I had no intention of letting her go. I pulled her chin up from staring at the floor and brought her eyes to mine. “I’m not sorry,” I said.

“What?” She
appeared shocked.

“I don’t care that we are days away from a merger
. It will happen regardless of what decision is made here tonight. I don’t care how other people will perceive you and me dating and I really don’t care that my brother sent you flowers.” I said, with a smirk.
I did care, but I’ll be damned if I’d show it.

“You should care
. There’s a lot at stake here.” She crossed her arms over her chest like a defiant child. I wanted to laugh, but thought better of it. She was worked up and I was the direct cause of her anger.

“Don’t think I don’t
. A lot of time and energy has gone into this merger, and it’s a good fit for your corporation and mine. Time and energy of both parties I might add,” I replied.

“Of course
, Josh. I never meant to imply any different. I’m sorry if it came across that way,” she said, softening. “Please don’t make this any harder on me than it has to be. I am super attracted to you. I wouldn’t be here right now if I wasn’t, and I agree, this is something else. I’m not sure what, but something different. I feel it too, but I just can’t do this.”

“What can’t you do?” I
asked, moving closer. “Don’t make me beg, K.K. Please just let this be whatever it is. Hell, maybe it’s a night, maybe it’s complicated. I don’t know, but I’m willing to try. I’ve never felt like this about anyone,” I said. It felt oddly like pleading, and even if it was, I didn’t care. I wasn’t leaving without a fight.

She stood quietly contemplating all that I had said and I knew now that she was a brooder
. She was so deep in thought that I swear I could see the cogs and gears spinning in her head. She was weighing everything. It would make for a great partnership in business, but right now I needed her to quit thinking so much and just let me in. I caressed her face and brought her back in the moment. “What are you thinking about?” I asked.

“You
,” she replied.

“What about me?”

“You’re painfully gorgeous, charming, interesting, and quite persuasive. You’re also painfully aggressive and stubborn,” she continued. “I don’t know what to do with you. I want to throw you out, but that’s not working out so well.”

“You think I’m gorgeous?” I
grinned and put my other hand on her cheek.

“Painfully
,” she said, smiling back. “Don’t forget aggressive and stubborn.”

I stopped her babbling with my mouth claiming hers
. She was reluctant to follow my lead, but then put the weight of her heart behind her soft lips and smooth, warm tongue to let me in. It was a dance of desire and understanding that I was so grateful to receive. I released her swollen lips and kissed the tip of her nose.

“You’re impossible, this is impossible
,” she said.

“Nothing is impossible
, beautiful.”

She brought her hands to my cheeks and brought her face within an inch of mine
. She started to speak, but the closeness of her had me crazy with lust. Before she could say another, word I plunged my lips back to hers. I was lost in her scent, the feel of her soft skin, the way she touched me, and the way she moaned into my mouth when I kissed her. The way she held onto me like she was afraid to let go.

I moved my hands around her small waist and hoisted her up so her legs were wrapped tightly around me
. I could feel the heel of her shoes on my back and the tension of her legs when she locked her feet together. My imagination was running wild and my cock was so hard I had to shift my feet to adjust it.

“You’re so fucking hot
,” I gasped. My breath was dense and my body was on fire.

She looked up into my eyes pleadingly
. I turned and walked with her wrapped around me up the stairs. I didn’t know where her bedroom was and was perfectly fine with driving into her, right there against the wall. No more contemplation, no more space. Just us together. Giving everything.

She tilted her head back and the arch of her neck in front of me was more than I could handle
. At the top of the stairs, I moved her back against the wall and licked my way up her neck. I kissed her neck softly, begging to have her mouth. She swept over my lips with her tongue then devoured my mouth with hers. Her dress was already lifted around her waist and she moved her hips up and slightly back to give me access to touch her. I already knew the sweet feel of her pussy and slick wet center. I moved my hand over her and she moaned into my mouth. “Please.”