Hostile Takeover by Hill, W (best novels to read for students .TXT) 📕

clothes Ben had taken off her, a vision she couldn’t forget. Her nipples became erect at the least brush of contact.

He must have found her panties in the drawer and brought them along last night, because they were part of what Rachel had included with the clothes. Along with a silk blouse of Rachel’s, a pretty pale pink that went well with the skirt and was thick enough the tan bra with its mesh top, though faintly visible, didn’t look out of place beneath it

Ben had told Marcie she wasn’t going to work, in front of Rachel, but Rachel had provided her a new blouse. If Marcie decided to go into work, she wouldn’t be wearing the same top she’d worn yesterday. Did Rachel understand her that well? Probably.

Marcie’s lips twisted. Should she do it, go on in to the office, even though he’d forbidden her to do it? He had hard limits, but she hadn’t quite figured out the shape of that line. He’d committed himself to mentoring, so that was progress. However, if she broke the rules too stringently, would he use that as an out? The mentoring was the only true foothold she had right now.

Sighing, she left the guest bedroom and headed to the main floor. Jon was still here, sitting at the kitchen island, working his way through scrambled eggs, tomatoes and toast. He had one foot propped on the opposite chair, elbow resting on the counter as he held a piece of toast in that hand and an engineering drawing in the other. Though he was wearing slacks, his dress shirt had been shrugged on but not yet buttoned, the tie draped over the back of the chair where his foot was propped.

As a woman, she was obligated to pause, appreciate that view. Every one of the K&A men was an utterly edible male and Jon was no exception, with his jewel-blue eyes, dark hair to his shoulders and his lean grace. His current pose demonstrated the casual flexibility that came from advanced yoga, something he and Rachel did together. The smooth pecs and ridged abdomen, the shape of his tight ass in the slacks, made her an absolute fan of the ancient practice to sculpt the male form.

Rachel was dressed for her work as a physical therapist, in attractive black slacks and a shirt that clung to her curves in a sexy but professional way. As Marcie came down the stairs, Jon glanced up. It was unsettling, how he assessed her physical and emotional state in a series of steady blinks.

But Jon was a Dom, and this was the world she wanted to inhabit. So she kept her chin up, her walk steady. When she met his gaze, she lowered her eyes, nodded, acknowledging what he was before she lifted them again.

He was a Master, but not her Master.

“Toast and eggs, love,” Rachel said, sliding another plate next to Jon’s. “The jelly is fresh, from the berries in our garden. I need to get to an early PT appointment, but Jon said he’ll stay here with you until Ben arrives.”

“Ben’s coming here?”

“When he left last night, he said he’d be back for you in the morning.” Jon caught Rachel’s hand when she was picking up his orange juice glass to top it off. He held her there as he dipped his knife in the jelly, put a bit of it on her wrist. Bringing it to his mouth, he licked it off, considered the taste thoughtfully. Rachel held still, and Marcie saw the pulse leap in her throat, her gaze riveted on her Master.

“Hmm. It’s good on toast, but better on you. Leave some of that out so it can get room temperature. I’ll want to see what else I can spread it on tonight.”

Rachel gave him a smile, then glanced at Marcie. “Do you want some juice, love?”

Wow. Just like that. She’d wanted to be at the adults’ table, and suddenly they were doing things in front of her they never would have done before. Of course, she had nearly shattered their glassware with her screaming last night. Regardless, the change was both exhilarating and a bit unnerving.

“Yes. I can get it.”

“No, you sit.” Rachel gestured to the stool next to the one Jon was using as a prop for his foot. “Relax a little bit, since you have the day off.”

“I guess so.” Marcie pressed her lips together, glanced at Jon. “I’m sure Ben will go to the office first before he comes here. It’s silly for you to be late. Just take me to the office. I can meet him there, and if he’s not quite ready to leave, I can finish up a few details I left yesterday.”

It wasn’t like she was disobeying him. She was just making it easier for him to find her. Or less easy to change his mind about coming for her personally.

Jon gave her a level glance. “You sure you want to do that, Marcie?”

Busted. She didn’t flinch though. “I won’t let him avoid me, Jon. Last night, he told you he’d pick me up today. But he’s going to just send a car, and the driver of that car will be instructed to drop me at Cass’. Then I’ll go back into work tomorrow, and he’ll be on a flight halfway across the world, dealing with some unexpected legal problem. By the time he returns, my two-week internship will be over.”

Rachel made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a dry chuckle, an I-told-you-so. Jon gave her a fond and amused glance, but when he looked back at Marcie, he’d sobered.

“It’s his decision. You need to accept that.”

“It’s his decision if he’s making it for the right reasons,” she said. “Not because he thinks I can’t handle what he wants.”

“Can you handle what he wants? Stop.” Jon’s tone sharpened enough to startle her, make her hold her tongue. “Don’t simply react. Think it through.”

Marcie glanced at Rachel. She was standing at the sink, watching