Effortless

“You’re on my shit list. That’s not.”

Turning on my heel, I stalked back to my office.

CHAPTER SIX (#ulink_e0f11bbd-6c91-581b-848e-56bc508dcddc)

“Finally.”

I whipped around, startled by the voice and let the door slam behind me. I swear my heart skipped at least twenty beats. Leaning against the desk smiling, hands tucked in his pants pockets, was Alastair. The casual stance did not fool me at all. He leaned against that desk like he fucking owned it. The site of him knocked me for a loop.

“What the— Jesus, Holden. Stalk much?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I’m just waiting for my fiancée. Have you seen her? Pretty girl. American. Brown hair, amber eyes. Usually nice. Definitely cheeky.”

“You’re supposed to be in London. How did you get in here?”

“Sorry to disappoint you with my return.” He grinned. “The lovely young lady at reception let me in. I made her promise not to tell anyone I was waiting for you. Judging by the look of terror of your face, I’d say she kept her end of the bargain.”

My smile was artful as I placed my belongings on a small table next to the door. “I’m not terrified, smart ass. You surprised me.”

“Good.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“And miss this priceless reaction?” He unbuttoned his suit jacket. “I wanted to come here as fast as I could. The plane landed and I could only think of two things.”

Little shivers nipped at my skin as I watched him remove the jacket with calculated ease and drape it over the chair. “What were they?”

“You,” he said, pushing himself away from the desk.

“That’s only one thing.”

He positioned his well-dressed, great smelling body in front of me and played with a loose tendril of my hair. I steadied myself against the door. Being seduced in my office wasn’t quite what I’d expected to happen today. The crazy-sexy smile curling his sculpted mouth sent tremors down my spine. When he wanted something, he went after it with full force.

“Use your imagination for the second thing.”

“You are unreal with this charm and seduction combo thing you’ve got going for you.”

“I try.”

“So,” I said, looking up at him, “how long have you been snooping around my office?”

“Snooping? I’ve been waiting patiently for the last fifteen minutes. I even got to enjoy your show.”

Oh no. That meant he saw the…

“Garrison handled himself rather well when Archer tossed those questions at him,” he said, pausing to kiss the tip of my nose. “It’s a good thing nothing surprises me that much anymore.” He cocked his head to the side. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing.” I sighed.

“You’re a bad liar,” he whispered, brushing his lips to mine. I shoved my hands through his hair and kissed him with reckless abandon. I’d missed the warmth and softness of his mouth on mine. I deepened the kiss, tasting and savoring him. He groaned, placing his hand on my hip and pulling me closer. Heat radiated off his taut body. I loved the way he felt against me. He broke our mouths apart, sliding a hand along my jaw.

“Lia.” The animalistic way he said my name made my knees buckle. So did the way he looked at me with eyes as dark as night. “I want you.”

Not much separated us from the rest of the newsroom, just a door and some glass windows covered with blinds. The thought of having sex with him so close to the people who would give anything for a juicy exclusive turned me on in a way I didn’t expect.

“What are you waiting for?”

A low growl vibrated in the back of his throat as he flexed his hips into mine, the friction from his erection teasing me with the promise of what I knew was to come. “I can’t be quiet when I’m with you. They’ll all hear me shout your name. Do you want that?”

“I’ll be quiet if you will.”

Fisting his hand in my hair, he ran his tongue along the edge of my bottom lip. I let out a long, breathy moan.

“See? You can’t do it either.”

“Take me home. Now.”

The left corner of his mouth quirked up. “I will, as soon as you tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Alastair,” I exclaimed. “Don’t do that. Don’t rile me up with your irresistible kisses and touches and say those things to me and not follow through. You’re a fucking tease and I’ve had a long day. I’m not in the mood for your games.”

“You’re hot when you’re angry.”

“Ugh, you’re impossible,” I grumbled, pushing him away and stalking toward my desk. I didn’t make it far. He caught me by the waist and spun me around.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I don’t like seeing you stressed and knowing something’s bothering you. Is it Archer?” His eyes flashed. “Is he still hounding you for an exclusive on me?”

I exhaled, leaning my head back. “Yeah but now he wants the story to focus on me. Apparently I’m the public’s window into your life.”

The muscles in his jaw twitched as the rest of his body tensed. “Dammit. I knew this would happen. Th—”

I pressed a finger to his lips to halt whatever it was he wanted to say. “Drop it for now. It’s Friday night. I haven’t seen you in days. Let’s go home.”

Staring intently at me he remained quiet. I could almost see the cogs turning in his head.

“Have the paparazzi been on your tail? Paxton said there’s been more than usual this week.”

“Half a dozen photographers leapt out at me this morning when Stephanie and I were getting coffee down the street. The pictures ended up online with headlines about our engagement.”

“Then we should probably beat them at their own game. I’ll have Simone draft a release with an official announcement.”

I wrinkled my nose as his suggestion. “No. That sounds too impersonal and stuffy. Besides, don’t you think we should tell our families first before they read about it on the society pages?”

“My family already knows.” He paused. “And so does yours.”

My mouth dropped open. “What?”

His throaty laugh filled my office. “I called your parents last weekend and told them my intentions. I also made them promise not to say anything to you. Your mum is quite excitable.”