An Act of Persuasion - By Stephanie Doyle Page 0,64
although he had a suspicion Madeleine had guessed there was something between them. To tell people who had never known them outside the context of work that they were now dating felt awkward.
Like people would suddenly see something in him they had never realized was there before. However, he had to admit it also felt good. Like he wanted Greg to know someone like Anna would choose to be with a man like him.
“You two? Seriously? In like a hundred years I wouldn’t have thought—” Greg shook his head. “Never mind.”
“Well, maybe we wouldn’t be dating, but the truth is he knocked me up.” Anna tilted her head in Ben’s direction and Greg’s eyes widened tenfold.
“Anna!” Ben shouted.
“What? In a couple of weeks it’s going to be very obvious. Were you planning to hide me away like some dirty little secret? Stuff me in some nunnery until the kid hatched?”
Of course he wasn’t. And it wasn’t like he wanted to keep anything about him and Anna secret. But if he thought he was giving something of himself away by admitting his attraction to Anna, then he was certainly offering all sorts of information by letting his colleagues know he’d slept with her.
“Uh... Congratulations,” Greg said. “To both of you. So you’re just...dating?”
“I offered marriage immediately, of course, but Anna wanted to take things slow,” Ben stated. Then he looked to Anna who seemed to be enjoying herself. “Do you see what you have done? People will think I’m a cad.”
“I don’t think cads actually exist anymore, but whatever.” She laughed and he knew for a fact the imp had enjoyed his awkwardness. Nothing pleased her like unsettling him. It was her favorite game.
“May I ask why you felt the need to come here and offer up our personal lives to your former coworker?”
“I knew you were in here with Greg and I wanted to say hello to him. Also, people should get used to me being around here in a non-professional capacity. I figure if Greg believes we’re dating, then everyone else will, as well. It’s not as though we could pull a fast one on him.”
“Well, I’ll be honest, you two don’t strike me as each other’s type. But if the look on Ben’s face when you kissed my cheek is any indication, I would say you are on the up-and-up.” Greg winked at Anna. “I’m out of here. Talk to you tomorrow, Ben.”
“Goodbye,” Ben said.
The door closed behind Greg and Anna smiled again. “Did you seriously give him a look just because I kissed his cheek?”
“I think it had to do more with the fact that you didn’t kiss mine.”
Anna set the straw bag she carried on the chair. Then with a casualness that Ben couldn’t tell if she truly felt, she moved around the desk and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. He got a hint of her shampoo, her scent.
Anna.
Since the kiss they had shared the other night, he’d been preoccupied with getting her in his arms again. More accurately, he’d been preoccupied with getting her in his bed again. The memories of their night together were no longer enough. He was starting to forget what her nipples felt like, forget how tight she’d been around his cock.
He needed reinforcement to keep those memories alive. And he needed new memories. He needed to be on top of her this time, where he could show her how strong he’d become the past few months. How capable he was of protecting her and the baby.
He imagined this was how cavemen must have done it. Impregnate the woman then convince her you are the caveman strong enough to hold on to her and the baby. Not really a bad plan.
She rocked back on her feet. “Happy?”
“No.” He turned and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her body against his. He could feel her surprise and her gasp of shock when he lowered his head and took her mouth in a searing kiss. It wasn’t sweet or light or intended to be a gesture of greeting. It was simply what he wanted from her.
What he realized he’d always wanted from her. With an effort that showcased the strength he knew he’d regained, he picked her up by the waist and turned her until she was sitting on his desk.
Her pink dress rode up revealing most of her legs from the thigh down. He stepped between them and put his hands on either side of her hips, trapping her there.