Iris

"These mobile units will be life changing in smaller communities where there isn't enough funding or infrastructure to ensure everyone has access to the internet or computers. Power Computers has already agreed to donate enough equipment to outfit two dozen units with the possibility of more down the road."

Garrett stood on the stage in front of the sizable crowd, looking like he was born for public speaking. His relaxed posture invited the audience to lean in and his tone convinced them they were the best of friends. He could read the dictionary, and it would enthrall them. It didn't hurt that he was easily the most handsome man in the room.

But while everyone else was hanging onto his words, I could only stare at his mouth. The mouth that an hour ago had been pressed against mine.

"Don't start that again," Garrett said.

His hands were so warm on mine. It was meant to be comforting, but I couldn't help but wonder how they would feel against other parts of my body. When Paul approached the bar, my hormones had already been whipped into a frenzy. The added rush of adrenaline telling him off had created only made things more dangerous. I felt brave and reckless.

We needed boundaries. Professional ones like last names. "Mr. J—"

Soul snatching. If I was writing this moment as a scene in a book, I would describe it as soul snatching. Every thought went out of my brain, and all my senses zeroed in on the small part of my body that was fused to his. Okay, maybe not all my senses... I was very, very aware of the throbbing between my legs as Garrett grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled my head back to give him a better angle to devour me.

I gripped his shoulders to hold myself upright, but quickly discovered the added bonus of closing the gap between the rest of our bodies. Garrett pressed against nearly every part of me now, and whatever fears I had before about not knowing what to do in this situation vanished at once as I instinctually moved against him, moaning into his mouth as the friction I created sent shivers through me.

The bed hit the back of my legs, and we tumbled backward. Garrett twisted at the last moment, landing on his back with me on top. He dropped my hair and lowered his hands to grip the back of my thighs. They didn't stay there long, and I no longer had to wonder how his touch would feel somewhere besides my hands as they glided upward in a demanding caress. This position already forced my skirt to ride up, but he shoved it higher, bunching it around my hips as he kneaded the round globes of my ass.

"Fuck."

The exclamation vibrated against my mouth, making me open up to him with a gasp. He took advantage and sucked my lower lip, dragging his teeth over the tender flesh at the same time he pressed down on my hips, striking the perfect spot between my legs against his erection. I whimpered and rocked against him, desperate to feel that spark again. Desperate for the release it promised.

"We will also offer counseling services, employing a staff of eight who will connect with individuals primarily through video calls and web chats."

I squeezed my legs together, but it only made the desire worse. Like scratching near an itch. He launched into the closing statements, and I forced myself to look around the room to gauge the impression our pitch had made. Even without personal bias, it was by far the best idea presented tonight, even more so than our original idea, which had been met with lackluster applause from the audience and judges.

"You lucky girl," a woman next to me whispered as we rose to clap.

"Excuse me?"

Oh, my god. Could she tell what happened between Garrett and me earlier? Did I smell like him? Ivy was going to kill me if everything thought she climbed the corporate ladder on her back... I snorted, remembering who my sister was. On that point, I was probably fine. She might even throw a parade if she found out.

"You work for Garrett James, right?" She picked up her purse and pamphlets from the seat behind her. "I've seen you with him a few times this weekend."

"I'm one of his admin assistants," I admitted, shuffling toward the aisle with her trailing behind.

"Interesting."

"What is interesting?"

My tone possessed an unfamiliar sharpness, and my lips—still swollen from Garrett's kisses—flattened in a disapproving line. This lady pressed every nerve with her questions and innuendos...and her long graceful limbs, glowing tawny skin, and lush wild curls.

A smirk twisted her pouty lips. I fought back a grimace. Why was I noticing her lips? They weren't a feature I typically envied on other women, considering my own were full and well-shaped. They were one of the few things I loved about myself because they were pretty bare or with makeup.

"I heard he didn't hire beautiful unattached women."

So maybe she wasn't that terrible. "Who said I'm unattached?"

Dark lashes cast a shadow over her high cheekbones as she narrowed her eyes. "Is it just you and Garrett here at the hotel?"

"Don't answer that." Lexi stepped between us and put a hand on my shoulder. "Ivy, this is Gemma Anderson. She's just mad because she's slept with all the major players here except for Garrett James and Parker Jones."

Gemma shrugged, not looking the least bit offended. "A girl has to have a bucket list. Oh, I see my colleagues waving me over. Better go. Please tell Garrett his pitch was phenomenal and a shoo-in to win the funding."

Lexi held me back as everyone pushed to leave the conference room. "Garrett will be a minute. Let's wait for him."

"Okay." I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around my waist and rock back on my heels. That little move was always the dead giveaway to our parents when Ivy and swapped places as kids, and they knew all they had to do was make me anxious.

"Did Gemma give you a hard time?"

I raised one shoulder and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The loose bun I twisted my hair into before leaving the hotel room was unraveling. But a messy bun was better than almost sex hair.

"She was fine."

"Please." The beautiful blonde snorted and leaned against the back of a chair. She assessed me with her cool blue eyes for several seconds. "Did she imply you were messing around with Garrett?"

What was with these people? Did losing your virginity give a person some sort of sex radar super power? Over thirty years without sex and not a single person ever suggested I'd been fooling around, and an hour after the hottest make-out session of my life, everyone I spoke to wanted to talk about it.

"I think she's just jealous. Sharing a room doesn't mean anything is going on between us. It's 2023. Men and women can be friends."

"Sure they can." Her fingers grazed my jaw and drifted down my neck. "But then again, people who aren't messing around don't go back to their hotel rooms without beard burn on their skin and come out with it."

I slapped a hand over the area she touched. Beard burn. When had he—

We rolled on the bed. Garrett hovered over me, his hair disheveled and eyes bright. The way his body fit between my spread legs felt scandalous... and perfect. Only there were too many clothes in the way. I rolled my hips against him and felt a surge of power go through me when his pupils expanded.

He dropped his weight against me, pinning me in place. Grabbing my wrists, he pressed them flat against the bed and put his mouth on my neck, kissing and nipping his way down my throat until I squirmed beneath him. This was heaven and hell. I was going to combust.

"Hmmm," Lexi hummed, bringing me out of the memory. I didn't mind because I didn't particularly care to relive what came next. "Curious and curiouser."

"You ladies ready for dinner?" Garrett asked as he approached us. He shook the hand of a man who walked by and then smiled at us. His gaze lingered on me longer than necessary, and I squirmed as Lexi's smug grin grew.

"You know what? I think I'm going to call it a night. I've spent as much time as I can handle schmoozing. Have to save what energy I have left for the party tomorrow night."

"Oh, that's too bad," I said, not bothering to reach for sincerity.

Garrett frowned, but before he could speak, another person walked up and praised him for his speech. I inched toward the door. This could be my one chance to escape and lock myself in the hotel room. There, at least, I could fantasize alone and pretend my steamy encounter ended with a popped cherry and not an awkward conversation.

"You and I should have breakfast in the morning," Lexi said, putting her purse under her arm and stepping close.

"Oh." I recoiled. "I planned on sleeping in."

She scrunched her nose and shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Meet me in the lobby at eight."

"Fine." I didn't have to show.

"Good. Looking forward to it." She leaned in to whisper in my ear. "See you then, Iris."