Hooked Page 25

  “Your projects are my favorite ones.”

  “You know, we’re considering hiring an in-house design team.”

  “Really?” I asked, disappointed. If Legend Records dropped William Stone Media, I could kiss all the fun CD covers goodbye. “Is there something you don’t like about the designs? I thought you were happy so far.”

  “Oh, no you misunderstand me. We love the work you’re doing for us. It’s just that the higher ups are always looking for ways to cut costs, and they thought an in-house design team would help. That’s why I’m hoping you’ll apply for the Art Director position if we go that route.”

  There was a battle raging inside my chest. I was bursting with pride that Holly and Jason liked my work so much that they were willing to hire me on as Art Director even though I was so young. But there was another part of me that was full of shame that I was so pleased with the idea. I’d been with William Stone Media since my senior year of college, when I did an internship with them, and they’d been good to me. I might not have always liked the people I worked with, but I was treated well and given more creative freedom and opportunity than a person my age could usually expect. Could I really just abandon my job and steal their star client? Could I do that to Huck? Because, honestly, whatever I did to the company, I did to Huck tenfold—the company was basically his inheritance, wasn’t it?

  “I’m so flattered that you’d want to give me such an impressive position,” I answered. “And as much as I’d like to continue working with you, and on projects for Legend Records, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to apply.”

  “Did you sign a non-compete agreement? Because those aren’t legal in California. I know William Stone Media is based in Maryland, but your office is here on the west coast. There are ways around it.”

  “No. I didn’t sign an agreement. I didn’t mean that I couldn’t legally take the position, I just meant that I don’t think I could morally do that to my employer. I couldn’t quit and steal their client.”

  Holly laughed. “Oh Cate, this is LA. Out here, morals are fairytales. Come, let me at least try to convince you. I think once you meet some of our new clients, it’ll be an offer you can’t refuse.”

  She made true to her promise for introductions. There was no time for dancing, because Holly was too busy walking my glitter ball ass all over the party and introducing me to some of their best and brightest clients. Some of the bands or artists I’d heard about in the local music scene, but others were new and fresh off the plane from the east coast. And there were still others that had already made names for themselves and needed no introduction at all.

  At some point Huck returned with my water, and although I was aware he was by my side, I found it hard to resist the lure of conversations with all of the people I was meeting. I think I was a little star struck at the thought that I could be part of the rise to fame that some of them would be making. Album artwork, t-shirt designs, release posters—I could be a part of that. The thought was intoxicating.

  “What do you think?” Holly asked as we finished talking to It Goes On, an alternative rock band from Virginia.

  “Overwhelmed,” I admitted. “I think I’m actually fangirling a little bit. I saw Chasing My Shadow play a few months ago and they were amazing. I can’t believe I actually got to meet and talk to them tonight. It’s such an incredible opportunity to work with such talent, to feel so passionately about what I’ll be designing.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” she said, casting a knowing glance at Huck who was still talking to the lead singer from It Goes On.

  She was confident that I’d say yes, that I’d just turn my back on William Stone Media and lead the in-house design team if that’s what Legend Records decided to do. I wasn’t confident about anything. And until a choice had to be made, I wasn’t even going to consider the implications of a decision either way. I had much more important things to concentrate on, like my mom. And the fact that I hadn’t had a chance to do any dancing at this party. As fun as it was meeting people, all I really wanted to do was take Huck back to my condo and see that fine suit of his crumpled up on the floor of my bedroom.

  He must have been having the same thought, because as soon as Holly kissed my cheek and left to make her way to the bar, Huck leaned in to press his lips to my ear. “Ready to go?”

  “Yes. I need to get out of this dress.”

  “Agreed. I need you out of that dress, too.”

  “What are you waiting for? Take me home.”

  “I’m taking you to my place tonight.”

  “My question hasn’t changed. What are you waiting for?”

  — HUCK —

  26. HOMECOMING

  “I knew Jay forgot something when he was redecorating this place,” I said, burying my hand in Cat’s hair, curling my fingers around the back of her head, and pulling her forward until her mouth met mine. Her lips were soft and yielding, and I decided in that moment, they were my favorite thing in the world. And then she pressed her naked body against mine, still slick with sweat from our recent toss in the bed, and I reconsidered. I couldn’t choose just one thing. Her sense of humor, her creativity, her rocking body, her fearlessness, her crassness, her bossiness. I had to admit that pretty much everything about Cat was my favorite thing in the world.

  Not that’d I’d tell her. That was just the sort of thing to cause her to run off scared. I wasn’t sure she was ready for any form of commitment beyond just a weekend of fun. Not yet. But things could change. Things would change.

  “What’s that?” Cat asked when the kiss finally ended several breathless minutes later.

  “What’s what?” My lips found the spot just beneath her chin that caused her head to roll back, giving me access to the sweet arch of her neck.

  “What did Jay forget when he was redecorating?”

  I kissed up the side of her neck until my mouth was flush against her ear. “Putting you in my bed,” I murmured.

  “I think I should be offended,” she said. “You act like I’m an object to possess.”

  I didn’t respond because we both knew that wasn’t true. My hands roamed over her, and she sighed as my fingertips found nothing but bare skin to touch. We came straight back to my house after the Gala a few hours ago, so Cat had nothing but the silver dress to put back on. And since I knew she was in no hurry to wear it again, it was a pretty good bet that I could keep her entirely naked the entire time she was at my place. And I didn’t plan to let her leave any time soon, so that meant plenty of time with a very naked Cat. She didn’t seem to mind. She kissed me again, slow and hot, her tongue slipping inside my mouth to tangle with mine. With each dip of her tongue, she rubbed her body against me, feeding the hunger between us that never seemed to be satisfied.

  “Again?” I asked her.

  “Again,” she confirmed. “If you know what’s good for you.”

  “A promise first.”

  “You know me better than that,” she said playfully, snatching another swift kiss from me.

  “Come home with me for Christmas, back to Maryland.”

  Cat pulled back to glare at me. “To visit your family? Please tell me you’re joking.”

  “I’m serious. I’m inviting Jay, and since your mom is out of town, you should come, too.”

  “That is the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” she said, trying to ease her way out of my embrace. Her eyes had a flash of panic in them, and I could tell she was ready to bolt. Just as I thought. Definitely not ready for commitment. I was lucky she hadn’t been spooked sooner. I’d pretty much had her to myself since Friday night, which was a damn miracle. And a satisfying one at that.

  “Why?” I held on tightly to her, skimming my fingertips lightly over her skin to reassure her, just the way I’d learned she liked. She didn’t quite relax, but she wasn’t trying to escape anymore.

  “Because your father owns the company we both work for.”

  “My father owns a lot of companies,” I countered
.

  She gave me a dark look. “We haven’t even discussed how we’re going to deal with this,” she motioned between us with her hand. “We have to have a conversation about this, Huck. What are we going to do about work? We certainly can’t go parading it around your family. I mean, is there even an ‘it’ to parade?”

  “Of course there’s an ‘it.’ And we won’t parade it around my family. For now, you and Jay will come home as my friends.” I wasn’t sure if this suggestion would be a relief or an offense to her.

  Cat bit her bottom lip in thought. “How long would we be there?”

  “Christmas Eve to Sunday. A long weekend.”

  “And you think we’re going to be able to keep our hands off each other that long?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, I didn’t say that.” In response, my hands slipped over her bare skin again, greedily touching every part I could reach.

  “Huck,” she warned.

  “They won’t suspect anything. Thanks to your little conversation with Jackie, my mother thinks I’m with Jay, remember?”

  Cat allowed a small, wicked smile to grace her lips. “And you’re not going to correct her?”

  “I will, just maybe not right away. We’ll figure out what to do with us and the company and all that. Later. But for now, let’s just enjoy spending time together. I have to go home in a few days, and I want you and Jay to go with me.”

  “I don’t know . . .”

  “Jay already said yes.”

  “You asked him first?”

  “Jealous?” I laughed.

  “Maybe. I’m just not sure who I’m more upset with, him for choosing to go home with you without talking to me, or you for asking him first.”

  “Well, the general opinion was that you’d be going with us. Besides, I’ll make it up to you,” I promised, moving my hands down over her backside and pulling her hips into me.

  “Really?” A devious smile crossed her mouth. “I know just where you can start,” she said. She put her hand on my shoulder and urged me under the sheets to where her legs fell open for me. She didn’t have to ask twice. I was more than happy to worship at the altar of Cat. I settled between her knees and at the first touch of my tongue, the small moan at the back of her throat was all I needed to hear.

  She was coming home with me.

  ***

  We stopped by Cat’s condo briefly on Sunday afternoon, only to be kicked out by Jay who said he was having a date over that night and wanted the place to himself. I think both of us knew he was probably lying, but we pretended to believe him because it gave us an excuse to go back to my place and shut ourselves in again. Cat grabbed some clothes and an overnight bag, and we hurried back through the sunshine, hand in hand, toward my condo.

  “Do you want to go do something?” I asked, hoping she would say no, but willing to do whatever it took to keep her to myself for the day.

  Cat turned to look at me, starting at my feet, and letting her eyes slowly inspect me as they moved up my body. Her gaze finally landed on my face, but stayed only for a second before it settled back below my waist and she raised an eyebrow. She didn’t say a word.

  “Again?” I asked. “Don’t you need a break?”

  “It sounds like you do,” she challenged.

  “I’m not the one having trouble walking,” I countered.

  “I’m walking just fine.”

  “Well, let’s see what we can do about that,” I said.

  We didn’t leave my bed for the rest of the night.

  ***

  I drove Cat to work the next morning since her car was still in the shop. Neither of us had bothered to bring up the subject again about what was going on between us and how it would affect work. Or rather, how work would affect whatever was happening between us. I think we were both afraid that bringing up the topic would lead us to issues we didn’t want to deal with just yet.

  I might have been driving Cat to the office, but I knew she expected me to act as if nothing had changed, that we still hated each other. And until we could talk things through and come up with a solution, I knew it was the best course of action.

  Thank God it was Monday and I had my usual working lunch scheduled with Cat. An entire hour alone with her in my office . . . I was going to need it. As I sat at my desk with my cup of coffee, answering emails, I found myself checking the clock every thirty seconds. It was taking fucking forever for noon to get here.

  After I plowed through all of the emails, I rewarded myself by picking up the phone and dialing Cat’s number.

  “Hello?” Cat answered the phone.

  “Ms. Maverick, I need to see you in my office. Now.”

  There was a pause. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Just come to my office, please.” I was acting like an ass, but I knew that was the only way I’d get her to listen. If she thought my request was work-related, she’d come, no questions asked.

  “Sure.” The friendliness was gone from her voice and knowing Cat, she was imagining a hundred different emergencies that might be going on with one of her projects.

  A minute later, there was a knock on my door.

  “Come in,” I told her. She entered the room, her chin held high and her expression wary. “Close the door behind you,” I said.

  She did as I said, and I motioned for her to come over to stand next to me, gesturing to my computer screen for her to take a look. Cat crossed the room and when she was next to me, she placed one hand on the back of my chair and the other on the desk so she could lean forward and see what was on my screen. Damn, she smelled good, like coconut and the beach.

  “What is it?” she asked, looking from the screen to me in confusion.

  I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto my lap, kissing her as if I hadn’t seen her in two months rather than just two hours.

  “I told you I needed to see you,” I growled.

  “Huck, we can’t do this here.” She pushed at my chest and tried to stand, but I pulled her back to my lap and kissed her again. She didn’t resist much. She let me kiss her for a little longer, but as soon as my fingers toyed with the buttons of her shirt, she shot to her feet and moved quickly around the desk, straightening her clothes.

  “If you can’t behave yourself at work,” she warned, “there will be no more kissing tonight.” She had the audacity to wag her finger at me like an angry teacher as she backed toward the door.

  Tonight? She was already planning on being with me tonight? Perfect, I wouldn’t have to do much to convince her to stay at my place again.

  “Don’t make threats you won’t follow through on, Ms. Maverick.” I stood and followed her to the door. For once, she wasn’t panicking. Cat was backing up slowly, watching as I stalked her, but she actually looked like she was enjoying the chase.

  “Stay where you are, Stone,” she said, pointing at me. “I’m going back to work.” She reached behind her, searching for the doorknob.

  “Come on. Just a goodbye kiss,” I pleaded. I was a foot away from her now. She let me close the rest of the distance between us, so we were standing chest to chest.

  “Fine. One,” she agreed, holding up a finger between us.

  “That’s all I need.”

  I reached for her, snaking my left arm around her waist and pulling her close while my other hand slid around the back of her head and curled into her hair. My fingers tightened around the silky strands, gripping them in my fist as I tugged gently, tilting her head up. Cat’s mouth parted slightly, and the tip of her tongue darted out to wet her lower lip. I could see a dare in her eyes, and even though she would say she was daring me not to kiss her, I knew better. She wanted me as badly as I wanted her.

  I lowered my head to steal a kiss and Cat’s lips hungrily crashed against mine as I pulled her to my chest. She began to move slightly, pressing her body into me with the rhythm of her tongue. I’m not even sure she realized her hips were grinding into mine, but I certainly wasn’t going to tell her to s
top. Or maybe she knew exactly what she was doing. Maybe she was doing it on purpose to punish me for calling her into my office under false pretenses. If that’s what it was, I’d gladly take my punishment.

  It didn’t take long for my left hand to slide from her waist, down her thigh, and to find the hem of her skirt.

  “Stone,” she warned against my lips.

  “Shhh.”

  My hand snuck under the fabric of her skirt, skimmed the soft skin of her leg, and was soon exploring the lace of her panties. I slid my fingers along the edge of the lace, dipping inside and lightly touching her naked waist with my fingertips. I nudged her leg wider with my knee, and she sucked in a sharp breath as I traced the fringe of the lace as I followed along her inner thigh. Easing her panties to the side, my fingertips slid across her skin a few times exploring the wetness before I easily pushed two fingers inside the warmth of her body. Cat bucked up against me, her hips begging me to keep going even though she was still warning me off with half-hearted murmurs of my name. With each movement of my hand, those warnings turned into desperate demands. I moved my fingers in and out, using my thumb to circle where she liked it best. Cat’s palms were on my chest as she rocked her body into me.

  “Huck,” she pleaded. Her head was thrown back, her eyes closed, and my mouth dropped to her collarbone, seeking the cleavage that was just visible in the plunge of her neckline.

  Cat’s hands carved a path up my body and were soon locked to the sides of my face, pulling me up from her chest so that our tongues and lips could meet again. The kiss was hot and furious, fueled with the possibility that we could be discovered at any moment. Ignited by the fact that we were breaking rules.

  My right hand released her hair and traveled down her body. I grabbed behind her thigh, dragging my fingers lightly along the sensitive skin of the back of her leg until I reached behind her knee. I knew she loved it when I touched her there. Her eyelids fluttered, and she attempted to swallow a moan as the fingers of my left hand continued to thrust into her. I lifted her leg and hooked it around my waist, giving me a better angle to please her.