it!” he growled. With a jerk, he pulled her into his arms, his mouth smothering her objections as he kissed her, grinding his mouth into hers and hurting her.
It took him several moments before he realized that she wasn’t just resisting him. She was actually fighting him. And there were tears in her eyes and her small hands were pounding against his chest. When the reality of what he was doing hit him, he stopped and looked down at her, his thumbs reaching up to wipe the tears away.
Elana saw the surprise in his eyes and she took a deep breath, relieved that he’d finally stopped. And then she saw the light in his eyes change. It wasn’t so much that he was happy. He was still furious, but this time when he kissed her, it wasn’t hard. But it was just as terrifying, although in a completely different way. His tongue invaded her mouth, mastering her, controlling her with the desire he was igniting inside of her body instead of by brute strength. She didn’t want this, she told herself. But her hands were no longer pounding against his strong muscles. Instead, they were grabbing onto his sweater, fisting in the fabric and holding him in place, afraid he might let her go and she would fall to the floor in a puddle of pathetic desire.
“Why?” she whispered, but even she wasn’t sure what she was asking. Why was he here? Why was he kissing her? Or why had he left the first time? Or the question that kept racing through her mind, why should she trust him this time?
She shouldn’t trust him, her brain kept telling her. But her body was asking how a man could be so tender and passionate when he felt nothing for her. And how could she feel such intensity when she didn’t even like the man or trust him?
These were all questions that kept racing through her mind, pulling her back from the insanity that usually ensued whenever he touched her. For the first time, she found the inner strength to pull out of his arms. She was so proud of herself, feeling as if she’d conquered something as she looked up at him, her lips still tingling with the need to continue kissing him but she took a deep breath and stepped backwards. “I have a lot of work to do,” she whispered, trying to put more strength into her words but it was hard with him standing there in front of her looking like he wanted nothing more than to take her into her bedroom.
Gaston knew that she was right. It was just hard to think with her looking like the most incredibly soft, delicate and attractive woman in the world. Without makeup, she looked lush and beautiful, even more stunning than normal and he ached to hold her again.
But he had to get a grip on his lust. He had a new plan, one that he’d developed last night after their abbreviated phone call. He’d lain in his huge bed last night, aching to have her next to him. But once he’d gotten his body under control, he knew that it was a good thing she’d left the party. He didn’t want things between them to get out of hand. He wanted her in his bed, absolutely, but he wanted to control the night. He wanted her to be the one swept away so that he could nudge her towards marriage.
Yes, it sounded manipulative, but he’d remembered that he didn’t really like or respect her. He kept forgetting that every time they were together. Sure, she could talk a great game. When he was around her, he loved to make her laugh and hear her talk about her work, or just watch the excitement in her eyes as she discussed any subject with another person. Elana was one of those people who found enjoyment just being with people and found everyone interesting. It was fascinating to watch her draw someone out and find out what made the other person tick.
It was all an act, he now knew. It took time away from her to remember that. He’d been sucked in by that strange habit of hers where she made a person feel as if they were the only person in the universe that mattered. But last night, he’d seen everyone become equally charmed by her. When he was close, he thought it was fascinating. When he had distance, he knew