hurt sometimes.
Like right now!
Blinking back the tears, she focused on her computer, needing to find the peace that usually came from her job. From controlling this small portion of her world. She loved her job and how she organized everyone in this office, took care of them, ensured that they had what that they needed. Especially Josh.
Would he fire her now that they’d…?
No, he wouldn’t, but their relationship would change. It had to. They’d done…things. So many things with and to each other last night. Goodness, she felt her cheeks heat up at the memory!
“You left me!”
Sloane jerked backwards, startled.
Looking up at Josh, she was startled by how angry he appeared. Sloane couldn’t remember another time when he’d looked so furious!
He moved silently over the plush carpeting until he stood on the other side of her desk. Then he leaned over, bracing his fists on her desk until he was less than a foot away from her face. “You left me, Sloane. And I’m not happy about it.”
Sloane took in his angry, glittering eyes, and saw that muscle twitching along his jawline. Not good, she thought, unconsciously licking her lips.
“I just thought…that…well, that we would be more comfortable if we pretended that last night hadn’t happened,” she whispered, wishing that her voice sounded more confident. But with him this close, all she wanted to do was reach out and run a finger along his jaw. Maybe lean forward and kiss him, feel the power of his lips teasing hers. She wanted to press her body against his and feel that sensation of happiness when his arms wrapped around her body.
His eyes moved over her features, as if he were thinking the same things.
“Is that what you really want?”
She swallowed back the pain at the thought of never feeling his arms around her. “That’s probably the best idea,” she replied, hiding her hands under the desk so that he wouldn’t see her fingers. They were trembling with the need to touch him.
“You’re right, that’s probably the best course of action,” he agreed. Then his head slowly turned to the left and right. “Unfortunately, that’s not what’s going to happen between us, Sloane.”
“It’s not?” she croaked out.
“No.” He straightened his tall, powerful body and came around to the other side of the desk. “We’ve ignored this sexual attraction for each other for too long,” he explained in an almost conversational tone. “And it hasn’t dissipated. Not for me at least.” He took her hand, tugging her to her feet. “After last night,” he pulled her closer and closer, leaning back against her desk and pulling her between his thighs, “I know that you feel the same way. We are going to explore this.”
He didn’t give her a chance to argue. He simply covered her lips with his and, after a fraction of a second when she tried to resist, she exploded with the need to kiss him back. It wasn’t a conscious decision to let her hands slide up his perfectly tailored suit jacket and press herself against him until she could feel all of him against her softness. It was more like a growing need to touch and be touched that overwhelmed her and there was no decision to be made. It was just need and desire and desperate moans. The pins she’d carefully placed in her hair this morning were dislodged as his hand wove into her hair, pulling her head back so that he could deepen the kiss.
And then he stopped. Sloane looked up at him, startled that he would dare to stop! She whimpered and tightened her fingers on his hair.
“I knew it!” he growled, his hands tightening on her bottom as he lifted her against his erection. “I knew that this wasn’t over! But damn it, Sloane, I was so furious when I woke up and you weren’t there this morning!” He sighed, nipping at her lip in a sort of sensual punishment. “Don’t you dare ever leave me like that again without telling me goodbye!”
She shivered, feeling as if she were flying high on sexual need. “Okay,” she finally replied, not sure what else to say. Then his words hit her. The meaning behind the words meant…did he…?
“Um…does that mean that…you want…?” she couldn’t finish that question, too embarrassed to ask and too afraid of the potential answers.
“Hell yes, I want another night with you. Not just one more night though.” He eyed her carefully. “What do you want?”
Wasn’t that the million dollar question? “I don’t