or touch.
Our tongues battle—swirling and thrusting—and everyone and everything happening around us disappears.
I want for nothing but for this moment to last, to revel in the feeling of having her in my arms and tasting her with each breath. Her arms wrap around my neck, and I pull her impossibly closer.
Kissing Blaire is like tasting freedom.
It’s everything I want. A beautiful, intelligent, fun woman who’s interested in me for me. Not for my name, not for my money. Not for what any of that can bring her.
I haven’t even kissed Jessica yet and can already tell it won’t be like this. Even if we develop the kind of connection and friendship Blaire and I have, I’ll always wonder what her true motives are, what lies beneath the pleasant, shy smile and care she shows me.
How will I ever know what’s real?
With Blaire, I know.
This is real.
This moment we shouldn’t be sharing.
She nips my bottom lip, and I groan, my cock approving of her oral skills. I adjust my stance to keep my growing interest from interrupting the fucking fantastic kiss.
Fuck.
I’m kissing Blaire.
I’m kissing my assistant, Blaire.
My tongue is in my secretary’s mouth.
Fuck. I’m kissing the hell out of Blaire!
What the hell was in those Grinches?
I can’t say I don’t enjoy the press of her body against mine. Truthfully, I’ve imagined it more than once recently, as completely inappropriate as it might be. And the reality is far better than anything I ever could have dreamed up.
Her hands twine into the back of my hair, and she tugs slightly, eliciting another groan and making me squeeze her tighter.
I’m definitely liking this side of Blaire. I never imagined kissing her would be this way. Hell, I didn’t even consider it a possibility. All the time we’ve spent together to find a suitable wife has brought us closer than I thought possible. Closer than is probably wise.
Who knew that beneath that gaudy Christmas sweater lurked a feisty, sexual woman waiting to be brought out?
Her small hand grips my ugly sweater. Her touch sends my heart racing and my mind soaring with possibilities.
Pointless possibilities because this, us…she and I can never be. Something a huge part of me wishes weren’t true.
But it’s reality, Archie.
Mustering up as much willpower as I can, I force myself to pull away, then go back for another last peck.
God, her kisses are like a drug.
I stroke her cheek, and she leans into my touch.
“Blaire.” Her name escapes my lips on a sigh, and I shake away the fog this moment has brought over my mind.
She looks at me dreamily with those forest-green eyes, and I get lost in her, in this moment, again. I lean in one last time and sweep my mouth against hers softly.
This is the last woman I’ll ever get to kiss before my marriage. In a few weeks, it’ll be a virtual stranger’s lips on mine.
Will she make me feel like Blaire is at this moment?
I can only hope. But something tells me this spark and feeling is all Blaire.
Her small hand brushes my cheek, and I want to devour her, but I don’t. Because this is Blaire, my friend, my employee, and inviting her home with me would be vastly unfair to her no matter how much I may want to.
I pull away, and the loss of her warmth hits me immediately. Like moving from the sun into an ice bath. I stare at her beautiful face and try to regain my bearings.
“Okay, let’s grab some air, shall we?” I smile at her and push open the door, but Blaire stands stock still. “Blaire?”
Shit. Have I ruined our friendship with my inability to control myself?
Her uncertain gaze darts between my face and the door. “Yeah, um, I actually need to go find Brandy.”
What? Okay.
I scrape my hand through my hair and sigh. She can’t wait to get away from me. Maybe I took things too far.
Did I misread the situation? We were having fun. Weren’t we?
I allow the heavy metal door to close, the sound symbolic, reminding me that a door has closed on my personal life and any ability I may have had to pursue anything I want in it. “Okay, Blaire. I’ll come with you.”
I’m not about to abandon her tonight or let her run away and let things get weird between us. I take her hand and guide us back into the fray.
I have to see this moment for what it was. Nothing more than a small escape from my looming