Page 46 of The Merger
“Woman,” he grunted and swatted my ass. See? Total caveman. “I am not putting you down until we are in my office.”
I swear he paused right in the middle of the gawking crowd just to make sure I felt the total scope of the embarrassment of being carried over the shoulder and spanked like a child for all my subordinates to see.
In a lower voice only I could hear, he whispered, “Unless there’s an announcement you’re ready to make.”
My jaw snapped shut with such force if my tongue had been in the way I risked losing it. I should have known that was what this was about. This morning I hesitated in telling the office about our marriage as we had discussed. In all fairness though, we never decided that I would be the one to bring it up. He was the acting CEO, it seemed more fitting he would be the one to broach the subject.
Not that I wasn’t a bit relieved when he kept his mouth shut. A part of me was hoping they’d move past any curiosity about what the status of our relationship was and give us some space to figure it out ourselves. Well, me, give me the space I needed since Stryker seemed to be one hundred percent pro staying married until we died. Or at least, he was before I pissed him off. Right now he might be more on the side of the death part.
“That’s what I thought,” he scoffed as I continued to remain silent. Finally, he moved us the last few feet into his office and kicked the door closed.
When he set me on my feet I moved around his desk to keep some space and furniture between us.
I don’t know how he managed it, but his eyes seemed to reflect both irritation and desire as they moved slowly up my body. Each step he took toward me was both a threat and a promise. My heart kicked up in a mixture of fear and anticipation.
I wanted him. I wouldn’t lie about that, at least not to myself, but I didn’t want to want him at this moment.
He continued to stalk toward me, and I kept trying to move away keeping the desk between us.
“If you think keeping a piece of furniture between us is going to stop me, then consider that lesson one on getting to know me.”
Stryker lunged across the desk, knocking off everything in his way. Thanks to the stupid heels, I wasn’t able to get away fast enough, and he managed to press me down over the top of the desk. It was possible I wasn’t trying very hard, but at least I gave it some effort.
With his hand on the back of my neck, he kept me bent over the cold surface, my cheek flat against the glossy wood. His free hand slid up my thigh, and my breathing picked up causing the shiny surface to fog up with each exhale.
I was confused and aroused. It was plain to see why I wanted him. He was like every one of my fantasies made flesh. What had me baffled was that I found his dominance hot. The way he towered over me, combined with the heat of his body as he caged me in made my heart race. But, I had a type. Or at least I thought I had. Every man I’d previously dated had always been extremely respectful.
They all made the appropriate romantic gestures. Dinner at a fancy restaurant, flowers when they picked me up, and a kiss on the cheek to end the evening. It was all so predictable, and boring. Until right now I’d thought it was what I wanted. The fact I didn’t feel anything on any of those dates, not that there had been a lot of them, was because I hadn’t foundthe one. Or so I had thought, at least.
Stryker managed to make me feel like a current pulsed through my entire body, all without treating me like I was delicate. He certainly didn’t follow any rules on dating, but I guess we’d skipped the dating phase of a relationship. He was a stranger even if he was my husband. But the reservations holding me back didn’t appear to affect him. No, Stryker touched my body like he owned it. And, while I was a feminist to my core, a part of me was getting off on giving in.
I knew without a doubt if I told him to stop, he would. Even though he was exerting control, I realized It was me who really held the power in this exchange. Knowing that didn’t erase the feeling of being dominated by him. If anything, the fact that I was choosing to submit, even subconsciously, seemed to help me relax. The war inside my head over wanting to maintain my autonomy and the fact I was enjoying being under Stryker’s authority disappeared. There was enormous power in choice. It meant I was actively participating in what occurred between us, rather than seeing this encounter as something happening to me.
Stryker’s hand continued to venture up my thigh, and my flesh tingled where his fingers touched. There were calluses on his hands, and the scrape of them against the tender flesh of my thighs made me shiver. When he finally reached my lace-covered pussy, my entire body trembled and I sucked in air.
His warm breath fanned across my face as he whispered in my ear. “You can keep fighting me if you need to, but you can’t lie about how you feel. I’m on to you now. You want me, but you don’t want to make the decision. I’m not going to make it easy on you. When the office finds out what we are to each other, it’ll be from your lips.”
“What does it matter if a bunch of people we work with know we’re legally married? You don’t even like them,” I muttered.
A rumbling growl vibrated from his chest. “I won’t be your dirty secret. I’ve lived that way once, and I swore I’d never do it again.”
“Everyone that matters to me knows. I’m not keeping us a secret. I just want a chance to figure out what we are,” I replied. I wanted to demand why we were talking about this instead of packing up to leave. “So, are we going to go back to your hotel room to continue this conversation?”
A dark chuckle rumbled against my back, and a jolt of fear raced through me. If someone had told me that a little fear could heighten arousal, I’d have called them a liar. I was wrong. My pulse relocated between my legs, making my clit pound insistently until the only thought in my head was a screaming need for him to relieve the ache.
His tongue slowly traced the artery in my neck until he reached the sensitive skin under my ear. He sucked hard and I felt the throbbing increase in my core. An embarrassing whimper escaped my throat, drawing another quiet laugh from him.
Slowly his free hand trailed up my chest, brushing between my breasts with a featherlight touch until he reached my neck. His hand wrapped around my throat, but he didn’t squeeze. It felt like a reminder and a warning. He only paused for a moment, then he continued the journey, only now I could feel the scrape of his callused hands moving up until his hand gripped my jaw.
He turned my head to the side to face him. The soft brush of his lips against my cheek elicited another shiver from me. “Do you really think I can walk out of here like this?”
I was going to ask him what he meant, but then he pushed against me. I felt his very obvious erection against my ass. He correctly read my silence as agreement. The hand under my chin moved to cover my mouth. “You’re going to have to be very quiet. Can you do that?”
Without meaning to, a whimper escaped my mouth. Stryker tsked. “Naughty girl. I think you want me to punish you.”
The hand between my legs moved up to my hips to raise my skirt. “I think I might enjoy punishing you. For all of the nights I’ve spent alone, every date you went on while we were apart, and for going out with my brother.”
My breath caught as I waited for his next move. I didn’t anticipate him stepping back from me.