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

Talon did the same, banding his arms around me as he drove up into me one final time, that rumble escaping him through clenched teeth.

And then there we were, hanging on to one another, our labored breaths loud enough to rival the sound of the rushing water still raining down around us.

Figuring he was holding on to me because I was holding on to him, I let my arms fall, intending to pull back, but Talon didn’t let go. Something warm filled my insides when he buried his face in my neck, still holding me while I slumped bonelessly against him.

I had no idea what was going on between us, but I did know it was powerful. So much so, I had to wonder whether or not we would survive this.

A few minutes passed, my heartbeat returning to a normal rhythm. When Talon’s arms loosened, I pulled back, still impaled on his cock. I realized then he was still hard, and I briefly wondered if he’d come or if it was just my imagination.

“Don’t move,” he whispered before he leaned in and kissed me. “I’m not done with you yet.”

I smiled against his mouth, but it fell away as my eyes rolled back when he began to rock his hips gently. Every nerve ending inside me came to life again.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be done with you,” he said, his words spoken so softly they barely registered.

Content to stay right there, I rocked on top of him, the friction causing mind-numbing sensation to bloom into a delicious heat, this time building slowly, sweetly. It was an amazing feeling, being held like this, kissed like this. And while I never wanted it to stop, I felt something else, something that scared me.

If I wasn’t careful, I would fall for this man, and where would that leave me?

Talon gave me no time to ponder that when he stood, holding me to him as he barked a command for the shower to turn off, the automated system handling it for us.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, held on as he carried me out of the shower, through the bathroom, and into the bedroom. He eased me onto the bed, our bodies separating only long enough for him to move over me, his hands braced on the bed on each side of my head. He took over from there, our eyes locked as he filled me again, slowing his pace to near excruciating. My skin began to tingle, my nipples pebbling as I felt the electric current reignite, getting stronger with every passing second.

“Come for me again,” he commanded, his gray eyes dark with passion. “Let me feel you come, Braelyn.”

My name on his lips was what did me in. It solidified the connection, at least for me.

Throwing my head back, I let the waves crash through me.

This time, when he came, when he filled me so completely, it was with my name on his lips.

And my heart in the palm of his hand.

TWENTY-THREE

TALON

It would’ve been easy to shirk my responsibilities and stay in bed with Braelyn for the rest of the afternoon. Too easy.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the sort of man who could ignore pressing matters, so I forced myself out of her bed, kissed her gently, then padded naked out of her room, leaving her soft and warm in that rumpled bed while I took a detour to grab dry clothes before returning to my office to finalize a few details and confirm the fires had been put out.

I tied off loose ends with my Zafiro staff, reviewed and signed off on the seven Owners we’d welcome tomorrow morning, and listened to three voicemails from Trent Ramsey, who, growing increasingly angry with every message, demanded I returned his call, before venturing over to the Owners’ Retreat to check on the three new possessions we’d acquired.

“Any issues?” I asked Gideon and Memphis when I joined them in the resort’s intimate yet spacious dining room.

Both men had finished their dinners, their empty plates sitting in front of them, both nursing beers.

“All three have been catalogued and are put away for the evening,” Gideon explained.

“Plans for the week?” I inquired as I took a seat at their table, motioning for Auberon to bring me a beer.

Gideon was quick to walk me through the initial plans to integrate them into the training program, who was assigned to which trainer, and so forth.

“How’d the others do?” I asked. “Any disruption to their routine due to my request?”

A smile curved Gideon’s full lips. “Not at all. We run a tight ship, boss. All’s well.”

“It’s going to be a busy week.”

Memphis nodded. “That it is. Zion informed us he’s got three additional trainers coming in.”

“Yes. That should be enough. Just assign possessions to various tasks related to caring for the guests, and I think we’ll do fine.”

“It’ll help,” Gideon agreed. “I plan to have them manage the new possessions while we work with each Owner and their potential possession.”

“Twelve possibilities?” I asked. While an Owner was only permitted to acquire one possession at a time, they tended to entertain more than one during the selection process.

“Correct. Three I see as pretty much guaranteed,” he said after taking a pull on his beer. “Two of the Owners are returning for a second time, one of whom I don’t see making a final decision this go around, either.”

I knew exactly who he was referring to and I agreed. It wasn’t rare for Owners to be discriminating. After all, they paid a pretty penny to acquire the perfect possession.

“I might be overstepping,” Memphis prefaced, “but is there any word on what Ransom’s role will be here?”

I leaned back, took a drink. “I want him to take his time adapting. I figure it’ll be a month or two before he finds his footing. Ultimately, I’d like him to take on the role as chief operations officer.”

Memphis was the one who seemed surprised, but I knew that