“I’m glad to hear it,” she said, taking his hand once more and smiling. The slight tension melted between them instantly.
“So then, would you be my date at the Philbrook? We would go separate from Dad and Matilda.”
“I will definitely be your date,” Rowan smiled. She felt warmth blossom in her chest. Will smiled, clearly excited about an evening date after their lunches.
The fact that her kneejerk reaction was to say no was the impetus to accept.
Moving on was a real bitch.
Since it was a beautiful day, Will walked Rowan back to the boutique after lunch. She had a few more hours of work before she could call it a day. Will surprised her by sliding his hand down her bare arm and twining their fingers together. That sped her heart rate up. Rowan could feel his gaze, and she looked up and smiled slowly.
It looked like their dating status triggered Will’s need to mark his territory, which in this case was her. She was wellaware of the varying methods a man might take to show others what they considered theirs; an arm around the shoulder, handholding, and her favorite, a hand pressed against the small of a woman’s back—subtle but effective.
Hugh had made her an expert on alpha attitudes. He didn’t need to physically touch her to warn off possible competition. It was all in his dark stare. She shivered, remembering how it felt when he turned his intense eyes on her.
Rowan cringed. Damn her wandering mind.
She was walking hand in hand with a man that might one day hold boyfriend status in her life. She led him to the back of the shop, where there was a small, covered pergola with seating for future clients who, weather permitting, wanted to comfortably wait for their rides after spending an exorbitant amount of money inside.
Rowan walked them under the shaded pergola to the left of the back entrance. She could hear men and women working inside, but even if any of them stepped out to gather more tools or materials, they wouldn’t notice her and Will. Once they stopped walking, Rowan let go of his hand so she could position her body in front of his.
“Thank you for lunch.” Rowan could see Will was considering his chances of whether or not Rowan would allow him to kiss her.
If Hugh wanted to kiss a woman, he would simply say, “I want to kiss you.” Damn. Damn. Double damn.
She started mentally ticking the pros and cons of hypnotherapy when Will gently placed his hands on her hips. His palms were warm through the light cotton of her rusty orange sundress. The material was lined but thin enough Rowan knew he could feel the thin bands of her panties. She didn’t say a word as he used the purchase to move their bodies just that little bit closer.
“I won’t see you until I pick you up for our date tomorrow night. I have meetings all day tomorrow with an up-and-coming tech firm. They believe our company might be interested in buying them out. Supposedly, they have some genius new tech they think Dad and I won’t be able to pass up.” Will smirked, probably having heard that line a million times before.
“We didn’t make the trip from Houston to specifically meet with them, but since we were in town, we decided to give them some time. Dad loves dissecting any new technology and its potential pitfalls and usefulness.”
Rowan laughed, imagining Owen looking at boring data and prototypes like a child at a toy store. “Are your children involved in the family business?”
“They are,” he grinned proudly. He paused before asking, “Would you let me kiss you?”
Rowan was green but she’d known this was coming, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious. “Yes.” He ran one of his hands gently up her back until his fingers slid up her nape to tangle in her hair, essentially holding her head steady while he bent low enough to breathe against her lips.
Rowan’s stomach was doing somersaults. He didn’t care that they were in public. He didn’t care if the world knew he was interested in a younger woman. He only cared, at this moment, that they shared the intimacy of kissing.
“I’ve wanted to taste you since the first night we met,” he admitted against her lips.
Rowan’s toes curled at how good it felt. “Taste me then,” she urged as she slid her hands up his chest to his firm pecs and hardened nipples. He took her mouth on a groan, her own moan mingling with his tongue.
Rowan wasn’t sure how long they kissed, but when Will finally broke away, her body was flush with his. Both were out of breath.
“That…that was…meant to be a small kiss,” he admitted with a sheepish look on his face.
“Would you say it was the best kiss you have to offer?” Rowan raised her brows in question.
“Not even close.”
“Thank God, you didn’t give it your all then. I would have burst into flames if you’d put some effort into it,” Rowan laughed, a husky note in her voice that immediately had Will focusing on her mouth again.
“If you let me kiss you again, I’m afraid you won’t make it back to work.”
Rowan touched her tongue to her bottom lip, feeling its fullness. She liked how that felt. A man wanting her like that felt delicious.
“I’m letting you go now.” Putting action to his words, he let his hands fall from her body and took two steps back. “Go while the getting’s good, Miss Byrne. Friday night can’t come soon enough.”
