Beyond Business: Falling for the Boss / Her Best-Kept Secret / Mergers & Matrimony. Allison Leigh

more than ready for her.

      Their tongues moved against each other, echoing the drumbeat that was pounding within them. They were like a well-oiled machine whose sole purpose was to join their bodies and move them toward ecstasy.

      She started to move, and he stopped her. “Wait,” he said. “Let me. Relax.”

      So she did. She lay back against the cool, soft sheets and let herself sink into the magic that was making love with Evan.

      His hand moved across her stomach and her muscles tightened in anticipation. He took his sweet time to move his hand lower, and lower, grazing her pelvis and slowing tantalizingly before finally cupping over the part of her that wanted him so desperately.

      He paused for only a second, looking into her eyes, a moment that said more than words could, before slipping his fingers in and plunging her depths.

      Meredith’s hands clutched at the sheets beneath her as Evan brought her to heights she’d never even imagined before. She closed her eyes and let it happen, feeling waves of warm and cold wash over her while she writhed under his careful ministrations. She could barely breathe. Every time she reached the brink, he backed off, until finally he allowed her release.

      With perfect timing, Evan lowered his weight onto her, and she finally felt the satisfaction of being completely one with him.

      She’d dreamed of this moment.

      Breathlessly she opened her mouth, deepening their kisses. The sensation was exquisite: the weight of Evan on her, the feel of him inside her, the touch of his hands on her hair as he looked down into her eyes.

      Everything felt right.

      They both moaned in pleasure as her body accepted his again and again, and they moved together, slowly at first and then faster, until she heard him hold his breath for a moment, then give one final thrust as she felt herself float into ecstasy once again.

      Chapter Fifteen

      Evan just lay there, watching her sleep.

      He had waited a long time for this. Now that he and Meredith had finally made love again, it was clear to him that all the other women he’d met along the way had paled in comparison to Meredith.

      He didn’t know how long he watched her—it may have been an hour or more—but finally he decided to take a break and get a drink of water. It had been a long, exhausting night and he was thirsty.

      He crept down the stairs and went into the kitchen. Everything was still in the same place. Glasses in the cabinet to the right of the stove, cold water in a pitcher in the fridge. He poured a glass, drank it fast, then poured another one and sat down at the counter to drink it.

      That was when his own name caught his eye.

      The papers Meredith had been looking at earlier were still on the counter. He hadn’t meant to pry—if he hadn’t seen the words “Evan Hanson—wild card” from the corner of his eye, he might not have noticed them at all. Despite the fact that they had Hanson Media Group and the names of many of his family members and co-workers scrawled all over them.

      Jack Hanson—definite keep. Major asset, works well with Samantha.

      Parker Lemming—fishy accounting; look closer. Not sure if incompetent or dishonest.

      Lily Harper—keep for merger, very good worker, being headhunted by competition.

      David Hanson—good worker, trustworthy. Invested in own family but not to the detriment of HMG.

      Marla Cooper—very promising, on the fast track to success. Keep her!

      Andrew Hanson—on the right track, keep an eye on him. Looks like he’ll be okay.

      Stephen?? in mail room—real possibilities. Keep and promote.

      Evan Hanson—wild card.

      Stephen in the mail room hadn’t even needed a last name, and she thought he had “real possibilities,” but she had gone on to list pros and cons about Evan.

      Pros:

       Has Hanson name to protect.

       Capable when he puts his mind to it.

       Determined to succeed if only to prove everyone wrong about him.

       Is respected around the office and in the business, despite glaring inexperience.

      Cons:

       Doesn’t always seem to care if his father’s company goes down in flames.

       Could possibly be sabotaging efforts as “revenge.”

       No experience to see things through; might do some good things in starting up the broadcast enterprises but might not have the gumption to finish.

       A little immature, impulsive. Maybe not capable of being a professional?

       Tends to run away when the going gets tough.

      He read the lists a couple of times, shaking his head in disbelief. If this was what she thought of him, why on earth had she just slept with him?

      More to the point, why was she documenting everyone’s performance at Hanson Media Group? Why would she even care? She was a new hire, working in the PR department, for Pete’s sake. What that had to do with Jack or David or Samantha or Richard Warren or anyone else, he couldn’t imagine.

      Except … he looked at more of the papers. Numbers, flow charts, strengths, weaknesses, Wall Street Journal references, the assets of the competition and their interest in acquiring.

      It all became very clear, very fast.

      Meredith was a corporate spy.

      The revelation was stunning. A spy. Meredith, who had always prided herself on being so honest. Meredith, who held honesty in others to be the most important quality. Meredith, who had just melted in his arms and made him feel like the luckiest man on earth.