Dropping The Ball - A New Year’s Billionaire Romance - Weston Parker Page 0,34

not supposed to think you look hot.”

I leaned into him, gently placing my hand on his chest and feeling his heart racing underneath my palm. “We’re in public, which means you’re my boyfriend. I’m not a client out here.”

Those glittering dark eyes of his drank me in before he nodded. “Fine, but we’re on very thin ice here.”

“Would you look at that? Thin ice is one of my favorite places to be.” While I wasn’t exactly risk averse or the most dedicated rule-follower in the world, I also wasn’t an outright rebel who liked to take massive risks every day.

I liked to think of myself as well balanced in that respect. Most rules I came across were fine with me, and therefore I followed them. I’d flaunted a few in my day but nothing serious.

Going after Carter would be breaking a pretty big rule, though. It might also put both of us at risk, since I wasn’t sure what the consequences of something like that might be. I doubted he’d get fired for it, but I was almost sure he’d get yanked from my detail.

I didn’t want that, but I felt a pull to him I couldn’t explain. Which was why when he followed me into a dressing room at the first boutique we went into, I decided to be a little bold.

There was something brewing between us, the likes of which I’d never felt before. Something deep inside was pushing me to at least bend the rule instead of directly breaking it.

Besides, I still didn’t know for a fact he was interested in me the same way I was in him. The rules said no kissing or touching, but they were silent on showing.

Carter stood on one side of the spacious dressing room, his back turned while I hung the dresses I’d picked out over a rail. Unlike so many of the changing areas in department stores, the lighting in here wasn’t fluorescent and unflattering.

It was soft and warm, and a heavy purple curtain separated us from the prying eyes of any others who might come back here. Mentally fortifying myself for what I was about to do, I straightened up and slowly pulled down the zipper of my jacket.

His broad shoulders tensed when the soft sound rang out in the quiet cubicle. There were mirrors all around, and I could see his profile in them. His eyes were closed and his head turned slightly down.

There was a rustling of my clothes when my scarf and jacket dropped to the floor. Then I undid the short zips on my ankle boots. When I looked up again after kicking them off, his eyes were open and he was facing me.

A storm was brewing in the dark brown depths of his eyes, and his fists were clenched at his sides. The way he was looking at me made me feel all gooey again, like molten heat was flowing through my bloodstream and obliterating everything except the need I felt for him.

“I love it when you look at me like that,” I whispered, but I knew he’d heard me loud and clear when his breathing became heavier.

With my gaze on his, I continued stripping down to my bra and panties. I hadn’t thought he’d see them when I’d chosen them this morning, but I was glad I’d put in the extra effort in order to make myself feel confident and sexy.

Carter’s lips parted and he sucked in a sharp breath when his gaze swept across the matching, lacy, navy set I was wearing. His eyes flashed in warning when he finally dragged them back up to mine.

“This isn’t smart, Rylee,” he bit out, his deep voice rough and a little hoarse.

“Why not?” I let my shirt, which had been the last item I’d taken off, drop to the floor and stood in front of him. “You don’t like what you see?”

A quiet scoff came out of him. “Quite the opposite. I’m a man with a beating heart and you’re everything I want in my bed. Let’s not push this, shall we?”

“I wouldn’t mind playing house together,” I said before an awkward laugh came out of me. “I know how that sounded, but I really want to kiss you, and unless I’ve misread the situation entirely, you want to kiss me too.”

“You haven’t misread the situation,” he admitted, taking a step closer to me as if he had no choice in the matter.

Large, muscular hands came up to catch my face between them,