Table for Two-epub Read online

  Liv couldn’t move a muscle. She didn’t try. So sated was she by James’s lovemaking, the most she could do was drape herself over his chest and lie there for a very, very long time.

  James was in no hurry to move either. He was slumped against the back of the couch, breathing as hard as she. His hands trailed a hypnotic path up and down her back, relaxing Liv even further.

  A million years later, or maybe just fifteen minutes, judging by the time on the kitchen clock—Liv checked, concerned Ava might walk in—she turned her head and nuzzled his neck.

  “Best sex of my life,” he murmured and moved a hand from her back to her head, encouraging her to nuzzle some more.

  “Mmm. Mine too.”

  “Got to move,” he said a couple minutes later. “My leg is going numb.”

  Liv scrambled to her knees, but James stopped her, simply rearranging her so his softened cock slipped out and there was less pressure on his booted leg.

  “Better?” she asked.

  “Perfect.”

  “We have about another forty-five minutes before Ava gets home.”

  “We’ll go to bed soon,” James promised. “I just want to hold you for a while.”

  Liv was content to just be held. In fact, there was nothing she wanted more. “I, er, kind of attacked you there,” she said with a shy smile.

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “You kinda did.” Then he grinned. “Why’d you wait so damn long?”

  “You’re injured.”

  “What you just did? Best medicine in the world.”

  “Happy I could help.”

  “So,” he said conversationally, “the pill…”

  “Don’t go getting all full of yourself,” Liv laughed. “I’ve been on it for years.”

  “Hmmph. You might have told me before now.”

  “I…” She took a deep breath. “I wasn’t ready before now.”

  He was quiet for a long time. “But you were ready tonight?”

  “I was.”

  “Liv?” His voice was so soft, she looked at him.

  “Yeah?”

  He gazed at her with an expression so tender, her heart skipped a beat.

  “I love you.”

  She slammed a hand over her heart.

  “I’m madly, crazy in love with you.”

  “Oh, God. Jimmy.”

  He smiled at her. “Surprised much?”

  Stupefied, she nodded.

  Yeah, she’d heard him talking to the nurse, heard him say it then. And she’d felt it in his kisses and in the way he made love to her. But she hadn’t expected to hear him say it to her. Hadn’t been at all prepared.

  “Yeah, me too,” he said with a bemused look on his face. “I’ve always been crazy about you, but I never thought I’d fall in love with you. You were just my friend, you know?”

  “I know.” Her heart raced wildly. “I’ve always been crazy about you too—as a friend. I never dreamed I’d be so desperate for your body I’d strip you every time I saw you, wherever the hell you stood.”

  “Or sat.”

  “Or sat,” she agreed, since he hadn’t gotten up once tonight.

  “I’ve never been scared of losing you before now,” she confessed quietly.

  James looked at her with eyes so full of love, Liv had to swallow down the emotion that welled in her throat.

  She was fully aware she hadn’t said the words back to him.

  Yeah, she adored James. She thought about him all the time, loved being with him, missed him when they weren’t together. James made her happy. Even in the middle of the worst crisis of her life, he made her smile.

  She couldn’t keep her hands off him. Making love to him was off-the-charts amazing. And since her friends had teased her about it, she’d done her fair share of fantasizing about what it would be like to be married to James. But was she in love with him?

  Liv just didn’t know.

  She’d spent so much time sorting out work and her career, she hadn’t had a chance to analyze her feelings. But Liv had been delighted when James agreed to stay at the flat. The thought of spending so much time with him—of living with him, no matter how temporary the arrangement—had made her heart race. The idea of spending every night with him, sleeping and waking up together in the same bed, had thrilled her.

  Hearing James say he loved her made Liv happier than she’d ever been, and seeing it in his eyes touched her deep inside. Somewhere no one else had ever touched her before.

  She leaned in and kissed him. A gentle kiss that left him sighing and her breathless.

  “Know what else I love?” he asked in the kiss-roughened voice that unfailingly made her nipples bead.

  “Uh-uh?”

  His hand left her back and moved between her legs. “I love making love to you bare.” He traced the seam of her pussy lips, and liquid spilled out of her.

  James groaned in her ear. “Love the wetness here. Love knowing it’s not just your come, it’s mine too.”

  God, she was getting aroused again. Her pussy, already sensitized by their wild lovemaking, throbbed with awareness once more.

  He rubbed his finger over her swollen folds, making her tremble.

  “Do you have any idea what it does to me, feeling this slickness?” His voice was a hoarse whisper. “Knowing my come is inside you?”

  “T-tell me.”

  “It makes me crazy. Makes me so fucking hard.” His cock, which a minute ago had been soft, now stood up proud. “It makes me want to feel that wetness all over my shaft.”

  He abandoned her folds to clasp the base of his cock and press the length of it against her pussy.

  Olivia shuddered. Her hips rocked before she even knew she’d reacted, rubbing herself over him, from the bottom of his cock to the top and back down again.

  God, it felt good. Sublime. Even better than his finger had, stroking her.

  “Christ, Liv.” His shoulders trembled. “You’re going to make me come again.”

  Liv covered his hand with hers, holding him against her. Then she pressed her forehead to his and dropped her gaze to watch as she thrust her hips, dragging her sodden folds up and down his length.

  James groaned her name.

  The sensation was sweet torture. She’d barely recovered from the last orgasm and was already climbing towards the next.

  But being here with James, both of them watching as she pleasured herself wantonly on his shaft—and knowing he loved her—was ridiculously sexy. He thought so too, telling her both in words and in wordless gasps. The tip of his cock was flushed red and coated in their juices.

  Her desire rose and expanded. Her clit throbbed. Bliss blossomed, and the bottom fell out beneath her.

  Olivia climaxed, pressed against James’s pulsing erection. She came, rubbing herself carnally over him. She orgasmed with a loud cry, the release reverberating through her whole body.

  And when the convulsions eased and Liv finally caught her breath, James shifted, arched his back and thrust deep inside her. Once, twice, three times before he too cried out, and for the second time, climaxed inside her, shooting his come into her already dripping pussy.

  Chapter Nine

  By the time Ava arrived home, they were both cozily ensconced beneath her doona, talking softly. James lay on his back with Liv curled into his good side. She rested her head on his shoulder and played her fingers lazily over his chest. He traced his hand up and down her side.

  Goosebumps rose over her skin.

  “I haven’t thanked you,” James said.

  “For what?”

  “Everything. Taking me in. Hosting my friends and family. Schlepping me around Sydney.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” It was. Apart from enjoying his company, she loved being able to help him whenever she could. Her inability to save a ruined company had left her feeling useless. Helping James gave her days purpose. It made her feel needed.

  He’d grown adept at using his crutches, so she was doing a lot less this week than s
he had last, but she took him to his physio appointments daily and over the last week, as he’d grown a little stronger and a little more capable, she’d insisted they go for lunch or coffee at least once a day, just to get out of the apartment.

  She and Ava had opened the flat to crowds of visitors, and over the weekend, the Sunday Night Dinner Club had moved from Chelsea’s to here. Levi and Spencer had arrived with heaps of bags filled with enough food to feed an army.

  Having James stay over was giving her plenty of exercise. She raced up the four floors at least twice a day to get him whatever he needed from his place,

  “Pretty one, you wash my clothes and cook my meals. You’ve even shown me sewing skills I never knew you had.”

  Liv laughed. “Slitting the leg of your tracky daks doesn’t count as sewing.” She’d cut five pairs of pants from the bottom to the knee so he could fit his cast/boot through them. “And Ava works just as hard as I do.”

  “True. But Ava didn’t offer to share her bed with me.”

  “Maybe. But if you think back, it was Ava who offered you my bed.” Generous soul that she was. The rest of the crew had jumped right in with their encouragement, reinforcing Ava’s super, brilliant idea.

  It was just fortunate James had no memory of their supposed engagement.

  He kissed the top of her head. “Remind me to thank her for that.”

  “No need,” Liv assured him. “She reminds me every day.”

  James laughed, then became more serious. “Any news about Beautiful Homes?”

  “Not really. The company’s officially in administration, and Marion is officially under investigation.”

  “As she should be,” James said.

  “Spencer told me today I probably won’t see any of my investment returned to me. Because I rank behind creditors, any money gained from selling off assets will go to them first.”

  “That’s a shitty deal for you.”

  She gave a resigned sigh. “It is.”

  “Yet you don’t sound devastated.”

  “I was, Jimmy. This entire experience almost destroyed me. But it’s been weeks now. I’ve had time to get used to it all. I guess I realized a while back the money was gone for good.”

  “So, where to now?”

  “Well, that’s the good news.” She smiled.

  “You have good news?”

  “I think so. I’m starting to explore my options. I’ve been talking to people in the industry, asking about job opportunities.” Baby steps. It was all she was up to for now.

  “Wait. You’re looking for a job? I thought you were tired of working for someone else.”

  “I am.” The thought of being employed by anyone again made her skin crawl. “But I have to start somewhere. And a job’s as good a place as any. At least it means a steady salary—which is more than I’ve had for the last eight weeks.” Butterflies flew through her belly. “But I’m exploring another option too.”

  “Tell me.”

  Liv sat up, suddenly too jumpy to lie still. “I have an appointment with the bank next week. I’ve decided to apply for a loan.” She’d broken out in a cold sweat when she made the appointment. That wasn’t such a baby step. It was a bold move, especially for a woman who’d been part owner of a business that had crashed and burned.

  “A loan for what?”

  Her heart pounded. If she were a nail biter, she’d have dug in to her thumbnail with a vengeance. “To start my own company.”

  It had taken a long time for Liv to make the call. Initially, she’d assumed no financial institution would give her a loan, but Spencer had convinced her she stood a fighting chance. Then she’d spent days convincing herself to take a risk. If her dreams of owning her own company were ever to come to fruition, she had to take a leap of faith—in herself.

  Nervous energy thrummed through her. For the first time in over a month, Liv stopped beating herself up for circumstances she had no influence over. She was taking back the control she’d lost to Marion, empowering herself, picking up the pieces of her broken career and moving forward.

  And if the bank refused the loan, then she could hopefully fall back on the buffer of a paying job—if anyone would employ her.

  “I even have a name.” Now that she’d shared her news with him, she wanted to share everything.

  “For what?”

  “My new company.”

  “What is it?”

  “Taylor Made.” The sound of it rolling off her tongue gave Liv excited tingles. Or maybe they were nervous convulsions. “What do you think?”

  James pushed himself up to sit beside her. It took a while, as he had to maneuver his leg carefully. “I have another name for you.”

  “You do?” Corny as it was, she really liked Taylor Made.

  “What do you think about Elliot Designs?”

  “Uh, it’s…nice?” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m afraid you’ve lost me, though. What is it?”

  “A possible new division of Elliot Construction. We’re deciding whether to open it or not.”

  “It’s an…interior design company?”

  “Yep.”

  “Elliot Construction is opening an interior design division?”

  James nodded. “Dad and I have discussed the idea.”

  “Oh, uh, well, in that case I think Elliot Designs is the perfect name.” Confused, she looked at him. “But why on earth would a construction company open a design division?”

  “We build dream homes. Imagine if we could then go the distance and decorate the house exactly how the customer wants it. We could offer them a one-stop service, from start to finish. That’s a pretty comprehensive package. And hopefully attractive enough to draw in more clients.”

  His explanation made perfect sense. “It’s a brilliant idea.”

  “You think so?”

  “Absolutely.” She nodded her conviction. “And if you’re looking for interior designers, I have a few names for you. They’re great. Their work is fabulous.”

  “We are looking for an interior designer. But we only need one—to start with, anyway.”

  “Okay. Selena Felstead would be my first choice. She has a great name in the industry. Or there’s Kerry, who worked with me at Beautiful Homes. I’m not sure how well she’ll work independently, but her finished products are unfailingly beautiful.” Selena was probably the better option, especially if she’d be working alone.

  “Liv, there’s only one person I’d consider for the job.” He settled his gaze on her face as though waiting for her to connect the dots.

  It didn’t take long. “Wait. Me?”

  “Of course you.”

  “W-why would you want me?”

  “Because you’re a genius with your decorations. And you’d be a welcome addition to Elliot Construction. You’re the only one we’d consider to head up the division.”

  She blinked several times, trying to gather her thoughts. A sense of uneasiness slithered through her belly. “Okay, let me get this straight. You’re opening a new arm of your company and you want me to…run it?”

  “In a nutshell.”

  She frowned. “When did you decide all of this?”

  “Recently. Over the last few weeks.”

  “After you learned about Marion and Beautiful Homes?”

  “Yep. Ever since you told me what happened, I’ve been thinking about it. This is the obvious solution.”

  Like she’d just dipped down on a rollercoaster, Liv’s stomach dropped. “Y-you’re opening up a whole new division of your company to…help me?”

  James grinned. “It’s a brilliant idea, right? You get to work again—as your own boss, running a company—and we get to grow Elliot Construction.”

  “But you’d never have come up with the idea if I hadn’t lost everything through Beautiful Homes?”

  “Nope.” He shook his head. “It never occurred to me before then.”

  She had to unclench her teeth to ask, “So you came up with the idea out of pity?�
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  “What?”

  Feeling suddenly claustrophobic in the confines of her queen-size bed, Liv pushed the covers aside and climbed out. “I tell you I’m out of work and in crisis, and you decide it’s your job to solve my problems?” Just like Anton had, and her parents before him.

  Apparently, Liv was unable to find solutions to her own problems. Everyone else—including James—had to do it for her.

  “Shit, no, Liv. I found out you were going through a crappy time, and I thought I could help you and me at the same time.”

  “By starting a whole new business? One you know nothing about?”

  “We don’t need experience in interior design if you’re going to run the division. You’d provide all the necessary expertise.”

  Olivia gaped at James, too horrified to answer. Marion’s gambling addiction had destroyed the business and left Liv gutted. It had taken five weeks to begin finding her feet again. Five weeks of crying and railing and swearing and feeling utterly disempowered. Useless. Helpless.

  But she was getting over it. She was taking those baby steps and looking for a job. She was capable of taking care of herself. All she’d needed was time to come to terms with her shocking situation. Weeks to grieve everything she’d lost, and then more weeks to pull herself together. She wasn’t there yet. Hell, she’d only just begun, but damn it, she was making progress. Slowly she’d climb back to her previous glory.

  James’s offer was akin to a slap in the face. In one fell swoop, he’d knocked her right back down. Instead of giving her a chance to save herself, he was saving her.

  And damned if that didn’t feel just as disempowering as Beautiful Homes going into administration. Or as Fix-it Felix changing her light bulbs. Or her parents making decisions for her.

  “We’ve had fun, James. The sex has been good. Spectacular, actually, but I don’t need you riding in on your white horse to save my ass. I’m perfectly capable of saving it by myself.”

  Talking about her ass, it felt altogether too exposed. She grabbed the first thing she could find and put it on—James’s T-shirt. It fell down past her knees, but at least it covered her.

  “Christ, Liv, that’s not what I’m doing.” He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, as though intent on walking to her, but grimaced and hissed out a pained breath.