By Chance Read online

  “You will do no such thing,” he whispered firmly, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. She inhaled sharply, and Seth let go of the last reserves of control he had. His mental walls collapsed as he set his lips against hers. He kissed Emma with everything he had, wanting to show her all that he felt for her; not just how much he wanted and desired her, but also how much he respected her. Emma melted against him as the world disappeared.

  Emma had no idea what to expect when she’d walked into Genesis that morning, but being in Seth’s arms hadn’t even been on her radar. She’d assumed she’d messed that up beyond repair. She’d told him that there was no hope, that there was no way they could be together. He’d accepted it, coolly and without argument, so she assumed he’d been on the same page.

  The entire weekend she’d fought calling or texting the number she had for him in the file, just to let him know she would be in his office on Monday.

  Feeling his lips against hers, having his hands tightly holding her body against his own, she was never so thankful that she’d been able to hold out. He’d taken her by surprise when he’d pulled her close, but she liked it. She liked him in control. She really liked kissing him. Emma heard herself groan as Seth lightened his grip on her waist and pulled back just enough so that their bodies were no longer touching. She searched his eyes, but got distracted by his words.

  “Have lunch with me.”

  Emma smiled. “Of course. Aren’t you supposed to be in that weekly meeting right now, though? Shouldn’t you go?”

  Seth scoffed a little and pressed a quick kiss against her lips. “I’m supposed to be there. I couldn’t let the first time I saw you again be in that room though. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to control myself.” He pulled her close once again. Tighter this time, with her suit jacket bunched in his fists. “As you can see, I wasn’t able to.” He finished by capturing her mouth, kissing her again until she was breathless.

  Seth finally pulled away, leaving Emma gasping and wanton. She’d never felt this way before. Never had a man’s kiss turned her to Jell-O. She was having trouble standing. She wasn’t sure she could go into that meeting.

  “Let’s both go in. I’m sure Aaron will come looking for one of us soon.”

  Emma nodded, trying to catch her breath. “You go ahead. I have a few papers to grab. I’ll be there in a second.”

  Seth smiled and took a step toward her.

  “No!” she told him, raising a hand to keep him back. “Don’t. I won’t be able to go in there if you touch me again.”

  Seth grinned at her, and she felt herself lose all the progress she’d made at solidifying her stance. Her legs wobbled, and her heart raced as Seth ignored her pleas. “Forget the meeting then,” he whispered as he took the hand she’d been trying to block him with, lifting it up over her head as he nudged her back against the wall. “Let’s. Just. Stay. Here. And. Let. Them. Fend. For. Themselves.” Seth spoke slowly, each gentle kiss he trailed across her jaw and down her neck punctuating every word. Emma’s body was overheating. Her suit jacket felt tight; it was constricting her breathing. Desire swirled and pooled in her belly as Seth stepped back and undid the two buttons that held her jacket closed.

  Emma lost all rational thought, forgetting where she was as she leaned her head against the wall and thrust her chest out, both arms now raised above her head. It was freeing not to be within the confines of her suit. Her nipples were hard against the lace of her bra, and every move Seth made against her chest brought overwhelming sensations through them that sparked a fire between her thighs. Seth trailed his hands down her arms and across her chest, finding skin where the top of her breasts swelled. Emma gasped, and the sound of it echoed through the room … just like the heavy throat clearing that followed it.

  “I had to fight Gid to be the one that came after you. He’s going to be so pissed I won, and he missed seeing this.”

  Emma felt Seth’s weight lift of her. She lowered her arms and tried to adjust her clothes.

  “Fuck off, prick,” she heard Seth say somewhere in the distance. Her mind was still reeling from his touch, the heat. She’d never felt like that before.

  “I’m just saying. You know how Gid is. He likes to watch. Just get your ass in here. Oh, and Ms. Dixon? We’d love for you to join us as well.”

  Suddenly Seth’s hands were holding hers. “I’m so sorry. I should have left when you told me too.”

  Emma shook her head. “No. Don’t apologize. I will, though, to your partners. I can’t imagine what they must think of me.”

  Seth stepped away from her. “They don’t think anything you wouldn’t want them to. They aren’t like that.” Emma watched as he headed for the door. “Take a few minutes, I’ll go in first. Let me explain to them who you are.”

  Emma could only nod. As much as she felt like a cad for getting caught making out with Seth, it was exciting and fun. She loved that he hadn’t held back, hadn’t been able to stay away from her. It made her feel attractive and reassured her that he’d spent the weekend thinking about her as much as she’d been thinking about him. She let him leave and gathered herself. It had been an eventful morning, but certain things had become clear. One, she was going to have to prove to Seth’s colleagues that she was there to do the job and kick ass at it, not just to be with their partner. Two, she had feelings for Seth that she wasn’t going to shy away from any longer. She needed to be assertive. She would use all the teachings Amanda had given her about standing up for herself and not being intimidated. She wouldn’t let even her own actions intimidate her.

  Twelve

  Seth was straightening his tie as he walked into the conference room. Three sets of eyes were burning holes in his fancy suit. “We met on the train platform on my way to New York. I never got the opportunity to ask her out. I didn’t know until my meeting with Amanda that she worked for the firm. It took us both by surprise. We agreed to keep our relationship professional.”

  Seth went to sit down. He was greeted by a lot of sniffling, couching, and “yeah rights”.

  “Don’t believe me if you want, but I wasn’t expecting to see her here. I had no idea Amanda was sending a rep, and even if I did, I couldn’t have known it would be Emma. Can we please let this go and get on with the meeting?”

  “Why didn’t you tell us? Where were you this weekend?”

  Seth didn’t have a chance to answer. He was saved by Emma’s entrance into the room. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

  Seth stood and shook his head. “Not at all. I was just about to tell everyone about our meeting in New York.”

  Emma nodded and sat in the only empty seat at the table, straight across from Shannon. Seth started pulling papers and packaging from his bag. “Last week, when I met with Amanda and Ms. Dixon, Amanda told me that Lily and Oaks’ new approach to the suit was legit. She told me that we needed to dig up dirt. Anything at all we could find that we’d be able to use in court. I spent the better part of the weekend pouring over all of this.” He shifted all the things into piles as he spoke. “I haven’t found anything. We all know that Lily and Oak doesn’t operate completely in black and white. We need to find something gray. Something preferably pertaining to us.”

  Seth paused to look around the room. He scanned each of their faces. “Though Amanda didn’t mention sending a rep, I assume that Ms. Dixon is here because she needs to learn more about daily operations so she can find places for us to look.” He turned his attention to Emma.

  Seth watched as Emma nodded and started to go through papers of her own. She passed a few to her right where Aaron sat. “I’d like you all to look over the file I just handed to Mr. Cabot. It contains everything that Ms. Astor provided during her interviews. Basically, we need new places to look for info. We’ve looked in every place that links seemed to exist.”

  “Have you talked to models, employees, even loyal customers? Gotten an idea of when lines were released, etc.?”

  Seth was impressed that Emma kept her cool.
Didn’t seem even remotely phased. That was difficult for women to do around Gideon, usually. “Mr. Rees, I assure you we’ve spoken to each and every person we could find. I’ve spent the last two months going over every inch of their website. I can’t find anything, despite the fact that I know something is there.”

  Seth smirked a little as her tone turned flippant toward the end. She knew her shit, and it filled him with pride. “I’ve looked too, Gid. There’s something that they’ve hidden somewhere. Numbers or something. We’ll find it, we just have to figure out how.”

  Aaron was still looking through the file that Emma had given him. Shannon was staring at Emma like she was trying to see through her. Gid was looking at the ceiling, making his concentration face. Seth figured it was time to talk about something else for a minute. Something lighter. “Aside from waiting on paperwork for the new place in New York, I wanted to discuss AVN. We’re all registered, but it’s coming up fast. I’m wondering if we should decide on sending some staff to attend in our places so that we can concentrate on the case.”

  Gid stood faster than Seth could finish his thought. “Hell to the no. AVN is where we test new products, schmooze with industry heads. That convention could make or break our year.”

  “Calm down, dude. I know you love Vegas. but this case could make or break the next several years not just one.”

  “It could bankrupt you actually.” Emma spoke up.

  Aaron and Gideon turned on her at the same moment Seth did. He was the one who spoke, however. “Yeah, thanks for that. Not helping.” Seth tried to scowl at her but failed as she started to giggle. He’d never heard her giggle. It was distracting and cute.

  “Wait. Wait. That’s it.”

  Gideon pulled Seth from his haze. “What’s it?”

  “AVN. That’s where we’ll find it. Lily and Oak will for sure be there. You know how people get at these things. What if I wine and dine one of their newbies?”

  Seth scrutinized Gideon, then turned his attention to Aaron, who nodded, and then to Emma. She seemed less convinced.

  “Gid, I’m not sure. What if they’ve plastered our faces all over? You think they’d send someone to AVN that would be green enough not to know you, but seasoned enough to know something that would help?”

  Gideon leaned across the table and gave Seth his I dare you look. “Got a better idea?”

  Seth had to admit he had him there. It was the only plan they had at the moment. “Fine. You go, but Aaron and I are staying. You can take other staff with you. Shannon maybe, and one other. We’ll need them to man the table.”

  Gideon nodded. “Sweet. So, can we be done now? I’m hungry.”

  Seth laughed and even though he had a few other things to go over he didn’t argue. He had a lunch date. “Go. Eat. We can finish this later.”

  “Ready to go?”

  Emma nodded.

  “Great. The car is waiting downstairs.”

  Seth took Emma’s hand in his own and led her to the elevator. He was a tad surprised they didn’t pass anyone on their way out. Shannon almost never left while the guys were still there. She had a thing about making sure she was first in and last out. Thought it was more professional.

  As soon as the elevator doors closed Seth made his move. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled Emma close, kissing her as they rode down to the lobby. Seth struggled to keep his hands to himself, desperate to use them to trace her body. They arrived in the lobby too soon, and yet not soon enough. Both were breathless as they rushed through the marbled space to the car waiting for them at the curb.

  “Where to?”

  Seth had lost his appetite for anything other than her. He brought her close, whispering in her ear while he ran the hand he’d rested on her knee up her thigh, waiting for her response.

  Seth used every ounce of control he had not to jump from his seat when Emma reached over and ran her delicate hand over the front of his pants as she whispered, “Let’s go,” in his ear.

  “My place, please,” he told the driver before he turned and silenced Emma, covering her mouth with his own.

  Seth wasn’t going to take one second of being with Emma for granted. They’d arrived at his apartment before he remembered that the place looked like a frat house inside. He’d binged all weekend, barely showering, and left the place looking like a hovel. Putting his key in the lock, his stomach started to turn with jitters. Maybe he should wait. Maybe they should go to a restaurant for lunch.

  “Are we going in?” a soft voice asked from behind him.

  Seth could feel her breath on his neck. It sent chills down his spine that traveled directly to his cock. He could feel himself swelling. He turned around. “Yes. But first, a warning. I didn’t exactly have a happy weekend. The place is kind of a mess.”

  Emma kissed him softly. “I don’t care.”

  Seth reluctantly opened the door and looked around, trying to see the place as Emma would. He was quickly reminded of his thought to call in a decorator; the place felt cold and unlived in. Seth stepped aside to let Emma pass. She started to wander the apartment freely. “How long have you lived here?”

  “Not that long. I used to live with Aaron and Gideon, but then Aaron met Julie and we decided it was probably time for us to get our own places.”

  Seth followed Emma into the main living space. He was more than pleased to see that the mess he’d left had already been tidied. He was going to have to make sure to way over-tip Sheryl this week.

  “I thought you said it was a mess. It looks to me like you are rarely here,” she told him as she followed the flow through the space, heading toward Seth’s bedroom.

  Seth smiled to himself. “It was a mess. Thankfully, I have an amazing lady that takes care of the place for me. She comes in once a week, and I got very lucky she came today.” They reached the door to the bedroom and Emma stopped, leaning against the doorframe.

  Seth stopped too, but not before he made sure they were touching, his body against hers. “Something wrong?”

  Emma shook her head, but looked sad.

  Seth leaned in to kiss her gently. His lips touching hers was all it took … Emma all but attacked him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him tight against her, crushing her mouth to his. Seth reached down, cupping her bottom and lifting her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. He clumsily carried her into the room, their backs alternating hitting walls before Seth was able to set her on the bed.

  Gasping and trying not to put too much pressure on her body beneath him, Seth lifted himself on one arm. “You sure about this?”

  Emma smiled, weaving a hand in his hair. She used her hold to pull him to her once again. After kissing him deeply, she let him go and shifted her hands to her blouse where she started to slowly unbutton it. “Not even a little, but that’s part of the fun.”

  Seth had so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted her to know, but he couldn’t concentrate as Emma slowly revealed her lace-covered breasts beneath him. Seth couldn’t help himself. His body was no longer obeying the part of his brain that controlled rational thinking. He watched, rapt, as his hand moved, lightly tracing the edge of the lace against her creamy skin. Emma inhaled deeply as her body arched, and Seth slipped a hand beneath the small of her back.

  Seth lavished her body, touching and kissing every inch of skin until Emma was desperate and thrashing under him. He lifted himself off of her, and she moved up to sit in his absence. “Don’t …” she started, but didn’t finish when she noticed that his shirt was sliding down his arms and hit the floor.

  The sight of his bare chest made her mouth water. She had to taste him. Emma got to her knees on the bed and crawled to the edge. She raked her nails slowly down Seth’s front, tracing every hard line and muscle before putting her mouth against his skin. It was smooth against her tongue, and his scent washed over her. Emma heard Seth groan as she moved her hands to his belt and began to undo the buckle.

  Seth’s hands found her shou
lders, and Emma felt herself hesitate with his zipper as his hands moved over her back, and she felt her bra let go. She leaned back, allowing Seth to slide the straps down her arms, in a frenzy to feel her skin against his. But he didn’t pull her close, he just kept his eyes on her. Emma felt a tightness forming in her belly as she watched him watch her. She reached behind her waist and stood on the bed to remove her skirt. Left in only her panties, she stood before him.

  “You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen,” he said softly as he put his hands on her hips and pulled her to him, his mouth caressing her most vulnerable area as he nipped her panties between his teeth.

  Emma gasped as his breath filtered through the delicate fabric and teased her clit. She arched and leaned back against Seth’s hands as he laid his tongue flat against her center, licking her through the fabric. Emma was lost, the tightness in her belly clouding her head and making her dizzy. Seth straightened her to standing and traced his hands down her sides, hooking a finger on either side of her panties to slide them over her hips and down her thighs. Once they were off, Seth scooped her up and laid her back against the mattress.

  Emma closed her eyes as he overwhelmed her lips with his. He slid a hand between her thighs, moving his fingers slowly against her slick skin. Emma couldn’t think straight enough to continue kissing him, so in a moment of wanton abandon, grabbed a hold of his head and pushed it to her breast, shocking herself as he went willingly and sucked a hard nipple into his warm mouth. Emma threw her hands above her head and gripped the sheets tightly in her fist as she felt Seth slide a finger slowly and gently into her core. He moved it in and out of her excruciatingly slowly as heat licked at her center. She thrust herself high off the bed and cried out with need, begging for him to take her.

  And suddenly his touch was completely gone—but every one of her nerve-endings was still assaulting her. She tossed and turned in the sheets, crying out for Seth.