Owned (Office Intrigue Book 8) by Nicole Edwards (bill gates book recommendations txt) 📕

it did back then. I had always loved seeing that dimple form in his left cheek. It usually meant…

I shook off the memories, focused on the here and now.

When he didn’t comment, I decided to hurry it up, finishing my examination. It wasn’t until I was pressing against his belly, shifting lower that Ransom moved. His hand curled around my wrist again, stopping my progression.

“I’d stop while you’re ahead, Doc,” Ransom warned.

“Something wrong?”

Ransom grunted.

“I just need to ensure there’s no internal swelling,” I explained.

“Oh, there’s swelling, but not the way you’re thinking. Go any lower and you’re gonna learn what the new problem is.”

That statement, said in that low voice, had my gaze swinging instantly to the fly of his slacks. Sure enough, the hard ridge of his erection was visible. My cock jerked in response, the fucker.

“Been a long time,” Ransom said softly, his eyes still closed.

Yeah, I knew the feeling. Too long.

Because I did not want this taking a turn it shouldn’t—any more than it already had, anyway—I pulled my hands back and focused on his face as I spoke. “Good news, I don’t think you’ve got any internal bleeding, no broken ribs. Bruised but not broken.”

“And the bad news?”

“That shoulder’s dislocated. It won’t be comfortable, but I can realign it pretty easily. It’ll offer some relief. Let me sit you up.”

As I sat the chair upright to its original position, I promised myself that once I was finished here, I would do my best to avoid Ransom Bishop.

Little did I know, when this plane landed in six hours, that would become impossible.

TEN

TALON

After leaving Braelyn with Ransom, I had returned to my office. I figured Ransom would keep her busy for a while, brother and sister catching up, and Ransom providing some explanations that were most certainly due. No doubt, once she laid her eyes on him, she would have plenty of questions.

Alone once again, I skimmed my emails, ensuring there wasn’t anything urgent that needed my attention. I found a couple of updates from Gideon Malone, the head trainer on Sapphire Island, but nothing that required me to intervene. There was another from Tiegan, informing me of the status of next week’s activities, as well as updates on operations, something she’d taken to doing now that she was vying for the chief operations officer position.

Again, nothing pressing.

Any other day, I would’ve found pleasure in addressing those messages, responding with actions and questions. That wasn’t the case tonight. In fact, I found I could hardly focus on anything other than Braelyn, how good she looked in my robe, how good she smelled with my soap on her skin. How nice it was to have her around, have someone to talk to, to get to know.

After only a few brief interactions with her, it appeared she had burrowed under my skin, something I’d never experienced before. She’d been plaguing me for the past year, more so now that she was here, close enough to touch. Needless to say, I was having a difficult time thinking of anything except for her. More accurately, I could not stop fantasizing about all the things I wanted to do to her, starting with returning to that shower and exploring every single inch of her long, lithe body. With my tongue.

That thought had me getting to my feet, doing my best to adjust my jeans to accommodate the hard-on she inspired simply by breathing. It was an unnatural reaction for me to have so quickly, so easily, but it was something I’d anticipated. I knew at some point in my life I would meet the one person who could satisfy the other part of me, the part that was looking for the same things vanilla—in other words, normal—people did. And I knew when I did, she’d catch me completely off guard.

She most certainly had.

But Braelyn couldn’t know that I was ready and eager to move things to the next level because I’d been waiting more than a year for this opportunity. And a year in my world felt like an eternity.

I’d never done the courting thing, never had long conversations that resulted in getting to know someone. My world revolved around sex, something I craved, something I needed. And I knew myself, knew if I didn’t tend to it now, it would become a nuisance later. The last thing I wanted was to put Braelyn in a position to deal with me in this state.

I returned to my private suite, considered closing the door I’d left opened. Not so much for privacy. Considering my estate housed close to one hundred people, including the house staff, Owned employees, my possessions, as well as the three dozen other possessions on-site, privacy was in short supply. Then again, exhibitionists and voyeurs alike tended to enjoy having others around. I had a penchant for both.

No, my brief consideration had to do with Braelyn. I wasn’t sure how she’d react if she returned to find me in the compromising position I intended to get myself in. On the other hand…

I opted to leave it open. If Braelyn did return and was offended, it would tell me all I needed to know.

Stopping in front of my possessions, I snapped my fingers once. Auberon and Rolphe immediately looked up, chins high, backs straight, hands sliding down to their sides, their lean, muscular torsos rippling. They would remain in that position until I gave them an order. At home, whether on the island or at one of my many other residences, they had duties that kept them busy day and night, but when we traveled or were at the office, they did nothing unless instructed specifically by me.

I shifted my attention to Rolphe, admiring his positioning, how graceful he was when he moved. He was an exquisite male specimen, as were the others. While they were each unique in many ways, they had one thing in common: their build. Due to my size, it had been imperative I find males who