Midnight Ballerina (26 page)

“What in the hell is that supposed to mean? And since you decided to bring up Monroe, why don’t we talk about the fact that you were so damn rude to her the other day. Did you really need to mention Tara? We went on three dates, Mamaw. That was it.”

“Rude? Well, I wasn’t being…I guess I sort of was being rude, but I’m just looking out for you. Tara told me how you really met that girl. Did you really think you could lie to me? That’s another reason that girl is no good for you; you shouldn’t need to lie about where you met her. She’s one of your dancers!” She pressed a hand to her chest and I rolled my eyes.

“Firstly, Monroe worked for me as a
waitress
, and secondly, I didn’t tell you the truth because I knew you would judge her exactly how you are right now. Tara should’ve kept her big mouth shut.”

“Miller Buchanan!”

“I don’t care, Mamaw. I have to get some sleep. You can let yourself out.”

I left her standing there, heading toward my bedroom, and slammed the door before collapsing on my bed and passing out, pushing that whole argument and the guilt straight out of my head. I would deal with it tomorrow.

All too soon, my alarm went off and I had to force myself to get out of bed. I just had to remind myself that I was free for the night and it would be nice. Plus, I planned on getting all of the guys out to their job sites quickly this morning, handling the few things that I had on my to-do list, and then being back in the office by the time Monroe got there this afternoon.

Just like I told her the other day, it was sort of a bad thing that she was there now, because that meant I could be out of the office more, getting my hands dirty, which I loved. I knew I couldn’t screw around all of the time, my business would suffer because of it, but I decided that today, once Monroe got there, I was going to take a sick day and get an early start for my night off.

I grabbed a much-needed coffee on the way into the office and frowned when Tanner walked in right after me with a big grin on his face. “What in the hell are you so cheerful about this morning?”

Tanner slapped my back before I collapsed on the chair behind my desk and propped my head up on one hand. These long nights and early mornings were starting to catch up with me.

“What? Am I supposed to be in a shitty mood like you all the time? No thanks. Well, that isn’t totally true. I think the only time I see you crack a smile is when Monroe is around.”

At the mention of her name, I perked up a little bit, and Tanner must have noticed because he laughed. “See? You have tonight to look forward to, so quit being a jackass. And why don’t you take a nap or something? I plan on being out nice and late.”

“I’m not a two-year-old. I don’t take naps. What are we doing exactly?” I asked, pressing my hands against my eyes. Tanner’s nap idea actually sounded pretty good. “I don’t think you ever mentioned it.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that. We’ll be having plenty of fun, you just need to show up. See ya, boss. I need to get to work.”

I don’t know how it happened, but I did end up falling asleep right at my desk, forgetting completely about everything I planned on doing that morning. I felt guilty when I woke up because I wasn’t the type of person to sleep in my office. That just wasn’t me. I must’ve really overworked myself lately.

I woke up, not quite ready to open my eyes yet, but heard a quiet tapping noise and smelled a familiar scent, one that I liked very much—a sweet, delicate blend of flowers with just a hint of vanilla.

Monroe.

I popped my lids open to find my chest covered by a jacket that I recognized as Monroe’s, and I inhaled deeply again, smelling her all over it. My eyes landed on the clock next and I was shocked as hell when I realized it was almost three in the afternoon. I ended up taking much more than a twenty minute nap.

I rubbed my eyes before standing up and walking out to the front office, grinning and feeling much more awake when I saw Monroe sitting there, typing away at her computer with the phone pressed to one ear. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head, revealing her slim neck that I loved to bury my nose against. The pair of glasses that she sometimes wore, and I think made her look even sexier, sat perched on the end of her nose, and her bare legs were peeking out from underneath her desk. She was shoeless too, I noticed, as she pointed her toes and flexed her feet back and forth while finishing up her conversation on the phone.

She turned and smiled when she spotted me, standing up quickly on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek, and I couldn’t help but look at the way her skirt bunched up high on her thighs when she sat back down and crossed her legs. Yeah, I decided right then that I was officially taking the rest of the day off, and so was Monroe. I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else but her. I ambled to the front and turned the sign over to
closed
.

“What are you doing?” Monroe asked, a puzzled look on her face when I turned around and walked over to her phone next, switching it to do not disturb, before turning off the screen to her computer.

“We’re taking the rest of the day off.”

“Oh, we are? Really?” Once I was standing in front of her, she reached up, pressing a hand to my forehead. “Nope, you don’t have a fever. Didn’t that sleep help you out?”

“It did. Thanks for letting me rest. I needed that. And now I have some much-needed energy for something else that’s been on my mind lately. Nonstop.”

Her eyebrows shot up and she bit down on her lip. “What’s that?”

“You,” I replied, before scooping her up into my arms and heading straight for my truck.

I RELEASED A deep breath once we pulled into Miller’s driveway. Okay, this was it. He must’ve sensed my nerves because he squeezed my thigh before hopping out of the truck and running around to open my door. I moved to get out myself, but he pulled me out and didn’t put me down again until we went through the front door, up the stairs, and into his bedroom. He set me down in the middle of his bed and then took a step back, licking his full lips as he looked down at me with a hungry expression and peeled his suit coat off.

I didn’t know what Miller’s intentions were, but I was ready, at least that’s what I kept telling myself. The past few days working so closely with him, made me want him even more, and though he said he wasn’t going to be in the office that much, he seemed to always make sure he was there when I was.

I came in today, excited to see him since his truck was parked out front, loving the feeling of butterflies in my stomach every time that I thought about him and knew I would see him soon. And then I found him asleep, looking uncomfortable as hell with his head tipped back, his hands laced behind his head, and snoring. Loudly. Funny as it was, I was not sure if I would want to sleep next to that every night. But then I looked at him again and decided I could deal with some snoring if it meant being able to sleep next to him.

“Why exactly am I in the middle of your bed?” I asked and he laughed before crawling onto the bed himself and sliding up my body until he hovered directly over me.

“Because I decided we’re taking the rest of the day off so we can get our fun started early. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course,” I answered, just barely, before his mouth stole the words and his hands greedily landed on my body, stroking every inch within reach as his tongue tangled with mine. I fisted my hands in his hair, pulling him tighter against me, just letting myself enjoy Miller’s demanding, controlling kiss.

I wasn’t going to think about what this could lead to. And then I felt his hands touching the bottom of my skirt, and he pushed it up until it bunched around my hips. Thank goodness I wore pretty panties today, my prettiest in fact—lacy black ones with the tiny little pink bows on the sides. It’s like I knew something was going to happen today. I even had the matching bra on. That was quite an accomplishment for me.

I whimpered when his hands stroked my thighs, our mouths never breaking apart, and his fingers continued upward, landing on the outside of my panties. They didn’t stay there long enough though and I sighed loudly into his mouth as his hands abandoned the area I needed them the most.

He pulled away, smirking down at me. “I said I was taking things slow, remember?”

“Really?” I huffed. “You’re going to get me all worked up and leave me hanging again?”

Miller laughed before moving his hands again, this time to slide underneath my shirt and feather lightly against my sides and then my belly. “Not this time. I can’t. But I can still take my time exploring every inch of your body.”

“Okay,” I breathed out, my eyes rolling backward when his warm hands pushed my bra up and cupped my boobs before finding each of my nipples and squeezing them slightly at the same time.

His mouth was on my neck, sucking greedily on the sensitive skin, and I bucked my hips against him as he continued the slow, sweet torture he was inflicting on my body. His hands suddenly slipped back out from underneath my shirt, and I started to sit up only to have them right back there, lifting my shirt up and over my head. Once that was gone, he made quick work of my bra, and then I was pushed backward, his mouth landing on my nipple right away, sucking and teasing, lightly nipping before letting it go with a pop and moving to the next to give it the same treatment. I tugged at his shirt the whole time, my hands skimming along the smoothness of his back, and he stopped for one split second to pop the top two buttons and then threw his shirt on the floor right next to mine.

So then we were chest to chest, skin to skin, and I loved the sensation. It was so intimate, like we were taking this next step that was so big and could be a turning point in our relationship, and I was ready. Completely ready. And then I felt my skirt being slid down, my panties following it, and a little bit of nerves set back in as Miller stared down at me, lying there completely naked beneath him.

With the way he was looking at me, though, any shred of self-consciousness that I had, completely disappeared. “Beautiful,” he murmured, before sliding his body downward, landing at the end by my feet. He stood, pulling his pants off, leaving him in just his boxer briefs, and I couldn’t help but stare at the glory in front of me. Miller was lean in all of the right places. No, he didn’t have a perfect six-pack like a body builder or something but he certainly could be in the running.

Unfortunately, he didn’t remove his boxer briefs, but I quickly forgot that once he dropped his head down and started kissing me again, starting at my toes and working his way up. The anticipation of when things would finally happen was killing me, and I think that was the point. Once his face pressed in-between my inner thighs, my mind completely shut down as his warm mouth met my skin.

“Oh my….” My voice caught in my throat when his tongue licked a trail between my legs, and then his fingers joined along, first one and then two, pumping in and out of me. I groaned, pressing against his face, needing more, starting the climb that would help relieve the tension building in my belly. But then he abruptly pulled away, stopping the sweet torture that I didn’t want to end.

He mumbled something and I peeled my eyes open, tilting my head so I could look at him. “What’s wrong?”

He sat back on his knees, a sulky expression on his face. He was adorable when he got so pouty.

“I didn’t really plan this ahead of time.”

“Miller, it’s fine. I didn’t need you to plan anything out. I know you wanted to take things slow, but I’m ready. The spontaneity makes it that much better.” I sat up, pulling on his arm to bring him back down and finish what he started, but he wouldn’t budge.

“I don’t have protection, Monroe. That’s what I mean. I’m clean, but we need something.”

“Oh,” I dragged out, smiling as I tugged on his arm once again. “Don’t worry, I have that part taken care of, and I’m clean too, as long as you’re okay with going without one.”

“You’re on birth control?” His forehead crinkled and I groaned internally, not really wanting to get into the reason of why I was on birth control when I was never really sexually active.