Just One Night, Carly Phillips [read me like a book txt] 📗

time she understood she’d never be good enough for anyone with wealth. Fine. She didn’t want the upscale, hoity-toity kind of life anyway. She just desired a normal existence with a job she enjoyed, a man she loved, and eventually a family of her own.

She’d taken the job at Kingston Enterprises, refusing to give up a great opportunity because Linc’s father was an asshole. Besides, the older man’s office had been a long hall away from Linc’s. Once she’d been hired, she’d rarely seen him. And she and Linc had fallen into a special work dynamic. She’d be a fool to think about him as anything other than her boss and friend.

A friend she treasured and didn’t want to lose by adding sex to their relationship. No more wealthy men for her. Plus she saw the kind of women Linc dated, the type of families they came from, the approval his mother gave those women, all proof her own her mother’s words still held true. Jordan wasn’t in his league and didn’t belong there.

“I need a plan,” he said, speaking up out of the blue.

She’d actually thought he’d fallen asleep.

“Do I go meet my sister? Or do I let it go because knowing the truth about her father might be too painful for her?” His words sounded slurred, and he was obviously in no position to talk tonight.

“I think we should discuss this in the morning. You need a clear head to make those kinds of decisions.” She pushed herself off him and rose to her feet.

“Stay with me,” he said, and when she glanced at him, his lips were set in a little-boy pout.

This was the Linc not many people saw. The vulnerable man beneath the businessman he presented to the world. “You need sleep. Do you have a car waiting?” she asked because he used a driver to get around the city.

“I sent him home.” He stretched his feet out on her couch, and she realized he was settling in for the night.

“Kick off your shoes,” she said. No way could he sleep on the couch in his work clothes.

He did as she instructed, and his black dress shoes fell to the floor.

“Now take off your tie and shirt so you’re comfortable.”

“Bossy,” he muttered and began to undo the buttons. He worked his way down, revealing his muscled chest and defined abs from time with a professional trainer. He shrugged out of the shirt, struggling with the buttons on the cuffs, but he managed to release them.

Swallowing hard, she took the shirt and tie from him and put them aside, planning to hang them up so they didn’t wrinkle even more. He’d need them to wear home in the morning.

Despite herself, she couldn’t help but stare at his naked chest. It had been years since they were kids swimming together in his family’s pool, and the man in front of her now was a far cry from the boy he’d been.

How could she look at him and not drool? “Do you want to wash up before you settle in for the night?” she asked in a husky voice.

She reached out a hand to help him to his feet, and without warning, he pulled her forward. She tumbled, twisting herself so she landed on top of his hard body.

“Linc, what are you doing?” She lifted herself up, intending to climb off him when a firm arm around her back locked her in place.

“I need you,” he said, his voice full of longing.

His words took her off guard. Heart pounding, she looked up, and his gaze, hazy with alcohol but no less compelling, met hers. Everything inside her twisted with need. Need for this man and everything he was.

“Kiss me, Jordan.”

A moan escaped her throat because she wanted desperately to press her lips to his. She stilled, her heart debating with her mind.

Just as she decided to make light of the moment, to treat it as a joke, he cupped the back of her head, and with a little pressure from his hand, her mouth met his. Sparks flew through her body, the warmth and feel of him utter perfection. She sighed, wanting to get closer, and in response, his tongue pushed past her lips and curled around hers.

Unable to stop herself, she slid her hands into his hair and deepened the kiss. His breath tasted malty from alcohol, but nothing mattered except the feel of him devouring her mouth. His other hand slipped beneath the back of her shirt, his large, warm palm covering her skin. Her nipples grew tight, and she rubbed herself against him, enjoying their closeness.

The sound of her phone ringing penetrated her consciousness, popping the desire-filled bubble she’d been in, and brought her out of her fantasy moment. Reality came crashing in, and the reality was, Linc would never cross this line sober. She shouldn’t have crossed it at all.

Ignoring the call, she pushed herself up, breaking their connection. With a groan, he met her gaze. “I’m not sorry,” he said.

But he would be in the morning. If he even remembered the kiss. She shook her head, knowing she would never forget.

She stepped to the other end of the sofa, picked up the blanket, and as she draped it over him, a light snore escaped his parted lips.

She gently tucked the knitted covering around him, and because he was sleeping, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his forehead, closing her eyes and savoring his warmth and masculine scent.

Then, with one last glance at the man on her couch, she picked up his clothes and headed to her room alone.

Chapter Two

Sunlight streamed through a window, waking Linc. With a groan, he rolled over and nearly fell off what he quickly realized was a couch. Opening his eyes slowly, he took in his surroundings. Jordan’s living room, he thought, and the events of last night came back to him in too vivid detail considering how shitty he felt after overindulging—talking to Xander about