you’d gotten here on time.”
Eva laughed, as much a release of the tension as it was about his admonition of her repeated tardiness.
“What’s that guy’s position in your company?”
“He’s some sort of accountant. Or at least he was. He’s history now.”
“You’re not going to fire him over this, are you?”
“Of course I am.”
“He made a mistake, Damon. This isn’t job related.”
He shook his head and glared down at her. “He had poor judgment and his morals aren’t up to my standards. He’ll be gone Monday morning.”
She put a hand on his chest and turned more fully towards him. “Don’t fire him because of me. And ask yourself if perhaps the man might need a bit of mentoring instead of termination. If you fire him, he’s just going to go off and be bitter, not sure of exactly what he did wrong except to make a pass at his boss’s girlfriend.”
“Fiancée,” he corrected with a squeeze around her waist.
“I’m giving you a lot to even refer to myself as a girlfriend.”
He watched her for a long moment, then twisted her around. “And what rights do I have with that role?”
Eva knew what he was asking and she bit her lip. “I don’t know if you have any rights. But you might have a few privileges.”
She felt his hands tighten on her waist and she grinned. “What might those privileges entail?”
She shrugged and looked at the middle of his chest, holding her breath before she continued. “How about if we relax and enjoy the evening?”
“Am I going to enjoy the evening?”
She hesitated once again. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
His mouth curved into a sensuous, sexy smile that sped up her heart rate and made her stomach do those silly little flips.
“Let’s go mingle,” he growled. “You would choose a night when I have a house full of guests to do this to me, wouldn’t you?”
“Do what?”
“Torment me with possibilities,” he snapped before he pulled her over to the first group of guests. He didn’t introduce her as his fiancée, but he also refused to call her his girlfriend. Eva supposed that the term was a bit too tame for him, being the moderately tame panther that he appeared to be most of the time. His energy was barely controlled, and always under the surface. As he led her around the room, introducing her to his various vice presidents, that energy, and that barely controlled power, was one of the things about him that both terrified and attracted her.
The evening was nice and Damon kept her by his side during the whole event. But as people started to filter out, her nervousness increased. She’d committed to something and now she had to follow through, despite any second thoughts she might be having.
When the last person left, Damon closed the door and looked back at her. “Do you want me to take you home?” he asked softly, ignoring the catering and wait staff who were still bustling around, picking up glasses and plates from the area.
That question relieved so much of her tension. It was a get out of jail free card and she took a deep breath. As she let it out, she shook her head and watched him. As the heat lit up his golden eyes, she knew she’d made the right decision.
Her mind jumped back to the accusations of that angry woman at the opera last week, but she pushed it aside. This man couldn’t have done those things without a reason, she told herself. There was more to the story and tomorrow, she would discover what had happened. Right now, she wanted to rediscover what it was like to be held in Damon’s arms, to feel him make love to her like he had two nights ago.
Damon looked down at the nervous woman that had just given herself to him, at least in her mind. He wanted to claim her completely, but he pulled back from demanding she marry him one more time. At some point in the past week, he’d moved away from simply wanting her because she would be a good hostess and mother of his children. He now wanted all of her, mind, body and soul.
He had her body tonight and that would have to be enough. He’d work on the next two tomorrow.
He pulled her closer, bending down and capturing her lips with his. He tried to be gentle. As he coaxed her trembling mouth to respond, he reigned in the powerful desire that surged through him