The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 18

Nora's eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings with intense curiosity.

Suddenly, she spotted a bright pink ornament sitting squarely in the center of an otherwise imposing black bookshelf.

It clashed violently with the rest of the austere decor, sticking out like a sore thumb.

She was just about to go over and get a closer look.

At that exact moment, Maloney kicked the heavy office door shut behind him. The rush of air fluttered the stray hairs around Nora's face. Before she could even process what was happening, her feet left the ground.

Maloney had scooped her up into his arms.

Startled, Nora gasped. "...What are you doing?"

Maloney strode purposefully toward his massive desk. He sank into his sprawling leather executive chair, bringing Nora down with him, securely settling her onto his lap. His arms naturally snaked around her waist, locking her against his chest as his index finger slowly hooked onto the hem of her skirt.

Because they were visiting the office, Nora had specifically chosen a more formal, tangerine-colored velvet dress. The fabric was incredibly soft and smooth, naturally riding up a bit when she sat down. With Maloney's tug, the hem was instantly pulled all the way up to her upper thighs.

Nora frantically yanked the fabric down, her tone sharpening. "What are you doing!"

She was a mix of mortification and anger. Her big, expressive eyes glared at him, and her cheeks puffed out slightly, making her look like a furious little hamster.

Absolutely adorable.

Maloney leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her eyelids.

Nora reflexively squeezed her eyes shut. Her long, thick eyelashes fluttered like delicate butterfly wings, brushing against Maloney's skin and sending a wildly addictive jolt of heat straight to his core.

Maloney resumed exactly what he had been doing seconds ago.

Nora seized his wrist. "We're in public!"

Maloney murmured directly into her ear, "We're at my office."

"The office counts as public!" Nora argued. "By 'public', I mean anywhere that isn't our house!"

Maloney gave a casual push with his foot, and the heavy leather chair glided smoothly over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. He tipped his chin toward the glass, signaling for her to look out.

"Nice view?"

"...It's fine."

Forget the office—he wanted her in the car, in the elevator, in the hallways. He wanted her everywhere.

But he reined it in.

Looking back, Maloney had originally cranked up their intimacy levels under the assumption that he was fulfilling Nora's desires.

Now, it had clearly devolved into him just satisfying his own cravings.

Which was probably a miscalculation.

Seeing Nora's furious, flushed face, Maloney realized he was about to push her too far. He stopped his advances, slowly withdrawing his hand and meticulously smoothing her skirt back down into place.

Lowering his gaze, he said smoothly, "Alright, let's get down to business."

Nora glared at him, highly suspicious and completely on edge.

Whenever he said 'business', it rarely meant anything good.

Maloney hit a button on his desk phone and stated flatly, "Mr. Hudson, get in here."