I have to justify all my expenses to my boss when I get home.
“Erm, the Marquis, please,” I stutter, and bend to get in. The driver doesn’t close the door as I settle onto the spacious leather seat, taking in the amazingly opulent interior. Wow…this is the way to travel. After about a minute of wondering what the hold-up is, I hear a familiar voice thanking the driver for waiting. Aaron gets into the car, slumps into the seat next to me, and then turns and grins.
“What are you doing?” I ask frostily.
“This is my car.” His smile is devious, his eyes sparkling with defiance, and I have an overwhelming urge to punch him in the face. What the hell does he think he’s doing?
“Of course it is,” I say. I place my hand on the handle. “I’ll go back to reception and order a cab.”
Aaron’s hand clasps my wrist. “There’s no need for that, Nicole. I’m happy to take you back to your hotel.”
“I’m sure you are,” I say. “But I’m not. I told you that this isn’t what I wanted. This is completely out of order.”
“Just let me do this one thing,” he says softly. His change in tone and his earnest expression has my hand slipping from the door handle. Maybe this is his way of making up for being an ass today.
“Can you ask the driver to take me straight back to my hotel, please…no diversions?”
“He knows where he’s going,” Aaron says. “So, how was your meeting with Holden?”
“Fine.”
“So, we have a deal?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
After that terse exchange, we’re silent, and I stare out the window as the vehicle moves smoothly through the busy streets. My mind isn’t on the view, though. It’s wrapped up in the scent of his cologne. Everything is a reminder of how intimate we were. Everything is a reminder of the most amazing sexual experience of my life.
“You’re panting,” he whispers against my ear, and I freeze, feeling his breath against my skin. He’s close enough to kiss me. I shouldn’t want it, but I do – just a graze of his lips against my tender flesh.
“I’m just tired. Jet-lagged.”
“And you’re holding the handle of that purse so tightly your knuckles are white.”
“It’s got my laptop in it, and I don’t want it to fall.”
Aaron reaches out and runs a finger across the top of my hand in a feather-light caress and my nerves buzz, even as I will myself to remain unaffected. Then he presses a finger gently to the side of my neck. I can feel my pulse hammering against his skin as irrefutable evidence of what he’s doing to my heart.
“Why won’t you let yourself want me,” he murmurs. “Your body knows how good it will be.”
“My body isn’t in charge,” I whisper back, still not looking at him but so aware of how close he still is.
His finger moves, trailing down the column of my neck and over the fragile bones of my clavicle.
“Maybe not, but your mind is tempted too. It knows how I can make you feel, and it also knows that there’s no real risk involved. We’ve been together once. You know me and what I like. I know you. You’ll be leaving soon. It’s just one more night. One last chance to re-experience what you’ve been craving since I left your room last night.”
“You’re so full of yourself,” I hiss, and he chuckles.
“Maybe, but only because I want you, and I know how you make me feel too. We were amazing together. Don’t you want to do it again?”
I decide at this point that Aaron Harrington is an asshole. He knows the answer to his question isn’t a hard no. He can tell that my body is craving his, but I’m so conflicted. Even as my pulse beats to his rhythm, my mind cowers in fear.
He gently cups my cheek and turns my face, so I have no choice but to look into his mesmerizing green eyes. “I promise I’ll make it good for you, Nicole. I’ll give it to you just the way you like it. We’ll have fun, that’s all. Nothing heavy. Nothing to worry about.” I close my eyes against the intensity of his, and then he kisses me with perfectly firm and teasing lips.
What can I say? My moment of hesitation is fractional, but it’s enough to let him go further than he should. I shouldn’t kiss him back, but I can’t resist. My whole body sings for his, the memory