Incapable Read online

  “I’m ready.”

  Turning toward her, I grabbed her bag.

  “I can carry my bag.”

  “I never said you couldn’t.”

  I stood in the hallway while she locked the door, and then we headed for the stairways to the car. I placed her bag in the backseat, and we started on our way.

  The snow was falling more heavily. Glancing over, I realized she was counting her cash.

  “There’s a motel a few blocks away. I should have enough money for a room tonight.”

  I scowled. “Do you honestly think I would take you to something like a seedy motel? It’s bad enough you live in a very questionable apartment complex, which by the way, remind me to call the housing authority about the lack of security. Anyone could just walk in and do God knows what.”

  “You mean how you walked in and forced me from my place?”

  “That’s different, and you know it. You should’ve told me.”

  “Told you what? My life is none of your business, Grayson.”

  “Everything you do is my business, Emmalin!” Running my hand through my hair, I took a deep breath and reminded myself to moderate my tone. “Everything you do is my business. You’re my employee; I make sure my employees are always taken care of. I own five-star hotels, for fuck’s sake.”

  She sighed before saying, “It’s not something I’m comfortable with discussing.”

  I nodded and kept driving.

  Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to a gated area. I wasn’t sure why he didn’t drop me off at one of his hotels, since he didn’t want me at the motel around the corner from where I lived.

  By now, the snow was in full effect. I was amazed we made it to our destination without getting stuck. This was my first full-on Chicago storm.

  As we pulled into a garage, I counted seven cars. Why anyone needed that many cars was beyond me. Before I had a chance to unbuckle my seatbelt, he was already opening my door for me, helping me out, and grabbing my bag.

  We entered through a side door not too far from the front entrance of the house and into the foyer. Holy shit. This place was massive. I’d been in some big places before, but never like this.

  “You live here?”

  He turned to me and started unbuttoning my coat. I pushed his hands away, and he gave me a scowl.

  “Sometimes.”

  I wandered around the living room. There was a massive fireplace, which was big enough to be a room by itself. I glanced back at him. “What does that mean exactly?”

  “Sometimes, as in I don’t come to this home often, but it’s my favorite and the most comfortable.”

  I surveyed the living space again.

  “Exactly how many homes do you have?”

  “In the city? Three. Well, four if you count the one above my office.”

  I was speechless. We just stood there staring at each other.

  “Why is this your favorite?”

  He smirked. Him and that damn smirk. I wanted to wipe it off his face every time he did it. “Do you really want to talk about this or would you like to take off your coat and get comfortable?” He didn’t wait for me to answer and started unbuttoning my coat again. I pushed his hands away and did it myself. I took off my scarf and hat, and before I could ask where to hang them, he grabbed them from me and disappeared around the corner.

  I was contemplating if this was a bad idea and considered finding a way to Isabella’s when he crept up behind me.

  “Stop thinking about it.”

  I turned around and once again found him standing in my personal space—all 6’3” of him, wearing the sexiest cologne.

  “What?”

  “I know what you’re thinking, so stop thinking about it.” He placed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Also, you wouldn’t make it far with the way the snow’s piled up in the short amount of time we’ve been here.”

  I peered over his shoulder the best I could with his massive height, since he clearly wasn’t going to move out of my space. Damn. He was right.

  “Hungry?”

  While peering up at him, I stepped back for personal boundaries, and I felt myself falling backward. I’d forgotten about the three stairs that led down into the living area. Grayson’s strong arms wrapped around my waist, preventing me from making a complete fool of myself.

  “Always trying to get away,” he murmured before carrying me down the three steps into the living area. He set me down and again tucked loose hair behind my ear. “Come on. Let’s see what’s in the kitchen for dinner.” He laced my fingers in between his and walked us toward the kitchen, gesturing toward a barstool for me to sit at the kitchen island. “Are you allergic to anything?”

  I was busy looking around the huge kitchen, but at the same time, trying not to be obvious that everything in his house was overwhelming.

  “No, nothing at all.”

  He opened the fridge and peered in before grabbing several bowls and placing them on the counter.

  “Chicken okay?”

  “Chicken’s great.”

  I watched Grayson put on an apron and begin prepping dinner.

  “Anything I can help with?”

  “Yes, you sit there and look beautiful.” He smiled and grabbed a bottle of wine out of a walk-in wine pantry and poured us both a glass of red.

  I, of course, blushed. After a few moments of silence, I decided to make casual conversation.

  “Somehow, I imagined you with your own personal chef to prepare meals for you.”

  He smiled before looking up into my eyes. “Why is that?”

  “I don’t know. You’re Grayson Mandrake. I’m sure you have everything catered to you.”

  He shook his head. “I do have a chef, yes, but I also enjoy cooking. It’s relaxing. Besides, I’ve never had anyone to share my talents with, so this is actually an enjoyable experience for me right now.”

  I didn’t know how to take that. Before I knew it, he was setting a plate of delicious smelling chicken, with a side of asparagus, a side salad, and a basket of Italian bread with olive oil in front of me. He poured us more wine before taking the chair next to me.

  “Thank you, Grayson. This looks great.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Would you mind if I used the bathroom to wash my hands?”

  “Of course. Down the hall, third door on the right.”

  Grabbing my purse, I headed to the bathroom to take my medication.

  When that was done, I inspected myself in the mirror. He’s nice, I reassured myself. There is nothing to be scared of. I smoothed down my hair before making my way back to the kitchen.

  “You could’ve started without me.”

  “I wanted to wait. Also, you’re the first person I’ve cooked for in a very long time, so if it’s horrible, we can both not enjoy it together.”

  I laughed, and we dug in.

  “Oh my goodness, Grayson. This is really good.”

  He laughed. “Thank you, but a part of me is wondering if it’s really good or if you’re just saying that.”

  I took a sip of wine. “Actually, I was just saying that because you’re my boss.”

  He threw his hand across his chest. “And she wounded me.”

  We both laughed, and I threw a piece of bread at him. “It’s really good too. Thank you. I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone cook for me before.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” He shot me that panty-dropping smile, which I was sure every girl he’d ever come across fell for. I’d told myself I wouldn’t fall for it, but I was starting to believe I’d be one more statistic.

  “Would you like more wine?”

  “Why, Mr. Mandrake, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to get me drunk.” I held out my glass, graciously accepting more wine.

  “Is it working?”

  I shook my head. “Good try, though.”

  As he began clearing away the dishes, I again offered to help, but he told me no and to make myself c
omfortable, so I took my wine, headed into the living room, and settled on the huge leather sofa in front of the gigantic fireplace. He joined me shortly after with a fresh bottle of wine and a glass of amber liquid for him.

  “So why here?” I asked. He took a drink and raised his eyebrow, so I clarified. “I mean, you could’ve left me at my apartment, or dropped me off at a motel or, hell, even one of your hotels. So I’m asking why you brought me here.”

  He topped off my wine before answering. “Well, first of all, your apartment isn’t safe.” I began to interrupt, but he held his hand up. “It’s not safe, and frankly, I don’t like you living there, but that’s something we can discuss later. Secondly, I would never take you to a seedy motel. They’re full of drug dealers and prostitutes, and you are neither a drug dealer nor a prostitute. And third, I like you, and I wanted you here."

  I stared into my wine glass. Well, shit. How the hell was I supposed to respond to that? I sat my glass down because it was starting to make me fuzzy, and that usually only led to bad decisions. But maybe, for once, it was going to help me make a good decision. Was that even possible?

  “So you’re asking for one night? One night of us together?”

  He stared at me intently. “Are you giving me one night?”

  Suddenly, my hands seemed mighty intriguing as I attempted to avoid eye contact, but he wasn’t having that. With a hand under my chin, he lifted my face. Before I could say anything, his phone rang. Without breaking eye contact, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and turned the volume off before laying it on the table.

  I glanced at the phone as it buzzed again.

  “Did you need to get that?”

  “No.”

  Suddenly I needed to stand up. Damn, this was awkward. I kept telling myself this was my boss. Hell, he’d probably slept with plenty of his staff. I walked toward the built-in bookshelf and grazed my hand along the books, taking in the titles. Shit, it was getting hot. I couldn’t tell if it was from the fire, the wine, or the fact that Grayson was standing behind me, generating a ridiculous amount of heat and taking up all my air.

  I turned to face him but didn’t expect him to be so close. All he had to do was move half an inch, and his lips would’ve been on mine. God, he smelled good. All I could think about were his lips on mine and his hands touching me. His phone vibrated again, drawing my attention, and I took a deep breath.

  “Are you sure you don’t need to get that?”

  He brought his hand up and gently stroked my cheek.

  “I’m sure.” Breathing became difficult, and he’d barely touched me.

  “What if it’s important?” My voice was husky and barely audible.

  “If it’s important now, it’ll still be important tomorrow,” he whispered, his lips barely touching mine. Just a tickle. Ever so quietly, I heard him say, “Breathe.”

  Then his mouth crashed against mine.

  My hands flew into his hair; I already wanted more of him. That was all I needed. My lips crushed into his, hungry for his mouth. For his touch. My hands fisted in his hair, pulling it as well as yanking him toward me. His hands traveled higher up my skirt and gripped the side of my panties, and I felt a snap. One side had ripped, and he was already starting on the other side. Another rip. Before I could come to my senses, his hand had traveled up my thigh and found my clit. Soaked. It was the lightest touch, but it made me shudder. I groaned into his mouth, wanting him to do that again.

  He reached down, grabbed one of my legs, and wrapped it around him. I was vaguely aware when my other foot left the ground, and I was immediately lifted. Now was the time to say stop. Now was the time to say I couldn’t do this. Now was the time to say so many things, and yet, all I wanted was his body pressed against mine.

  One night.

  I remembered him walking us up the stairs and into his room. I remembered the way he kissed down my neck and laid me on the bed, gently. I remembered him ripping off my blouse and buttons flying every which way. I remembered his hands touching me all over as if he wanted to remember every part of me.

  He unhooked my bra, and for a split second, I became self-conscious. That went away the moment he put his mouth on my nipple. My back arched off the bed, which only urged him to suck and tease me more.

  Seeing that he was still fully dressed, I went to lift his shirt off. I needed to touch him. He grabbed my hands and held them on either side of my head.

  “Not yet,” he whispered.

  He sucked more on my nipples then moved slightly to the side and sucked harder on the skin, almost as if he was determined to leave a mark. As he moved down further, I became nervous. He must have felt my body tense, and he froze.

  “If you want me to stop, I promise, I’ll stop.” He held my gaze. I didn’t want him to stop, but I was too embarrassed to tell him no guy had ever done that.

  “Do you want me to stop?” I shook my head. “The words, Emmalin. I need to hear you say the words.”

  I took a breath.

  “I don’t want you to stop, Grayson.” I saw lust in his eyes. He sat up, pulling his shirt over his head. God he was beautiful.

  “Do you have any idea how beautiful you look here in my bed?” Before I could react, his tongue swiped on my clit, and I jumped. He rested a hand firmly on my stomach to hold me down.

  I had never seen a more beautiful sight. Emmalin in my bed, naked and open to me. She was exquisite, and I wanted nothing more than to make her come in my mouth. I’d been dying to taste her, to have her since the moment I laid eyes on her. I sucked on her clit like a man starved before tonguing her entrance while gently massaging her clit with my thumb.

  She was so close. I wanted more. While keeping my mouth on her delicious cunt, I moved a hand up her soft body until it found its prize. I teased her nipples as she grew wetter against my tongue.

  I nipped harder at her clit. Just a little more pressure, and I knew she was gone. I inserted two fingers while keeping my mouth in place. Her pussy was so tight, I could only imagine what it would feel like with my dick. As I curled my fingers upward, she arched off the bed and came in my mouth. Heaven.

  I gently lapped up her juices to bring her down from her orgasm. Discarding the rest of my clothes, I kissed my way up her body until I settled over her. She looked at me with lust in her eyes. A want. A need. I needed her too. Reaching into the nightstand, I pulled out a condom and rolled it on. I had never loathed a condom so much in my entire life than I did at that moment. As much as I didn’t want anything between us, I knew I couldn’t be careless.

  I rubbed my cock between her folds, knowing damn well she was beyond ready. She was whimpering as I teased her. Staring into her eyes, I brought my head down to kiss her and I sank inside. Holy fucking shit. She was so wet and so fucking tight, I knew I wouldn’t be able to last long. Her pussy squeezed my cock like a fist. I definitely wasn’t going to last.

  “Grayson.” The only name on her lips. Fuck it. Reaching down to her clit, I gave it a light pinch. She was coming around my cock in waves. I bit down on her shoulder to muffle a cry as I had one of the most intense orgasms I had ever experienced.

  The room was quiet except for our heavy breathing. I was still buried in her, not wanting to let her go. Her hands were on my head, gently massaging.

  “Grayson…” She gently said my name. I knew what she was going to say—something about how we shouldn’t have done this, or that this could never happen again. Before she could say anything, I kissed her. I kissed her hard until she opened up and let me in.

  Those words would never leave her mouth if I had anything to do with it.

  She was mine.

  Pressure. All I felt was pressure on my body. My heart rapidly slammed inside my chest, and I tensed, knowing what was to come. I waited. Nothing. How could that be? It had never been nothing. Prying open my eyes, I saw the arm across me was Grayson’s. I took a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart. It was just Grayson nestled in next to me. Shifting s
lightly, I took him in, really looking at him. He was beautiful and way out of my league.

  I deftly untangled myself from his body, careful not to wake him. I glanced around the room and realized I had no idea where my clothes were. I spotted his shirt on the floor, put that on, and silently tiptoed out of the room.

  As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I scanned my surroundings. Goodness, this place was huge. Why would just one person need all this space? In the kitchen, I noticed the stove clock. It was a little after three in the morning. Sounded about right, being the normal time my body woke me up. I walked over to the window and saw the snow had accumulated at least six inches in the few short hours I’d been here. I made my way over to the island and grabbed the remote for the TV. Surely something was on to pass the time.

  I turned to pull Emmalin closer to me, but my arm grabbed nothing. What? I looked around the room and back to her spot. It wasn’t even warm. I glanced at my watch: 5:30 a.m. I rubbed my eyes. Surely she didn’t leave. She couldn’t have with all this snow. Although, I wouldn’t put it past her to try. Fuck.

  I grabbed a pair of shorts and made my way downstairs. It was dark. Fuck, what if she did leave? I ran my hand through my hair and walked to the front door, but before I got there, I heard a noise. Turning toward the hall that led to the kitchen, I saw a faint glow and peered around the corner. There she was, sitting at the kitchen island, looking even more beautiful, if that was possible. I recognized she had my shirt on. That and the tousled hair made my dick twitch. God, she was gorgeous.

  She was watching a lame infomercial and silently giggling at something someone said. Even though the volume was low, she didn’t know I was at the entryway, just watching her as she nibbled on a piece of toast.

  Lucky toast.

  “I thought you left.”

  She jumped and immediately turned around and stepped away from the island.

  I took that moment to let my gaze inspect her. The shirt barely reached her mid thigh. Her nipples were hard against the shirt. How I wanted those nipples in my mouth. I licked my lips.