“If you ride my hand like this, you can.”
White, scorching heat flares through me at his words. I love his filthy mouth.
We both look behind him, but no one can see us in our corner—and if they were to look over, it looks as though Anderson is just leaning over and talking to me.
“Challenge accepted,” I murmur, moving against him so that I’m riding the round, soft part of his palm. “Fuck,” I whisper, my voice ragged. Watching him in the car and now seeing how his eyes darken as they look down at me rocking against his palm in my suit—I don’t need much time. I thought him fucking me against the vines was the hottest moment of my life. But this is climbing the ranks, too.
I whimper softly as he angles his hand differently, hitting just the right spot, causing my legs to tremble as I circle my hips against him. Someone walks into the lounge room, and I pause for a second—but Anderson nudges his hand closer, and I unconsciously ride his hand, not caring. Heat flares through me when I realize how exposed we are, how if anyone were to look at me for longer than a second, they’d see my hips undulating against his hand and know exactly what we were doing here, in public.
“Fuck, I’m—” I manage to get out.
As the orgasm builds—coiled tight in my core and ready to release—Anderson pulls his hand away.
“What the fuck,” I say, my voice a little too loud. Several people look over at us, and Anderson leans back, smiling innocently with his hands clasped together.
“You must’ve seen that coming,” he drones, looking behind him and smiling as Luca brings our wine glasses over, sitting in the chair next to me.
Anderson sits up straighter and runs his fingers under his nose. “Have you tried the soap in the bathroom, Luc? The scent is exquisite.”
My mouth drops open, and I swear to god, I’m a feral animal right now—like I might actually kill him.
“Hmm, no. My hands are really dry lately. I think it’s from the Santa Ana’s,” he adds, referring to the hot, off-season winds that Los Angeles experiences a few times a year.
Anderson sips his wine and looks away.
“How did you two meet? I don’t think you ever told me,” I ask, gulping my wine to calm my nerves.
“Oh, I’m good friends with his ex,” Luca admits nonchalantly.
I nearly spit my wine out. “Rosalina?”
Anderson’s head whips around. “How do you know my ex’s name?”
My cheeks flame.Well, this is embarrassing.
I shrug casually. “I Googled you when we were in Maui. I didn’t trust you. I’m still not sure I do.”
Luca whistles and looks away uncomfortably. Anderson’s eyes pin me, the cerulean irises darkening ever so slightly as he tilts his head and flexes his fingers.
“Luca found me years ago and begged me to work for Gather, but I turned him down.”
Luca laughs. “You know the art piece above my living room fireplace?” Luca asks me, and I have a sinking feeling I know exactly what he’s about to say. “Rosalina,” he confirms. “She’s so talented. Anyway, a little over a year ago, we were having lunch, and she mentioned that Anderson had sold his most recent company. I’d been emailing him for years, so she finally gave me his number and the rest is history. It’s too bad about the affair. You guys would’ve made cute kids.”
“The affair?” I blurt before I realize I’ve spoken. I think back to when I Googled him, but there was no mention of an affair. I knew he was divorced, but I never realized he was cheated on. I just assumed he was at fault for one reason or another.
“She left me for my best friend,” Anderson replies, and there’s a hint of something on his face—regret, pain. My heart clenches. I’ve never seen him look so afflicted. “But it was a long time ago, and we’re cordial now.”
“The alimony payments don’t help,” Luca chimes, shaking his head.
I look back at Anderson. “Your best friend?”
He nods solemnly. “Since we were five, living in Sweden.”Ouch.“To be fair, I was and probably still am a workaholic. I saw the signs, and I didn’t do anything. I practically forced her into his lap.” He shrugs. “Like I said, it’s history now.” He takes a large gulp of wine, finishing his glass. “This was lovely, but I’m exhausted. I’ll see you both in the morning.”
He doesn’t look back before walking away. His face had fallen when he talked about her, like the entire day before this had been wiped from his memory.
“What’s going on with you guys?” Luca asks quietly.
His question startles me, and I shake my head. “Nothing. Why?”
