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Her hands are icy in my grip as she stares up at me. “Why?”
“Because I want you—and you want me too.” Isn’t it obvious to her? “The chemistry we have is rare, kitten. So rare that I’ve never felt it before. I want you all the time, to the point of obsession. I’ve fought against it, tried to resist, but it’s useless. I want you—and I don’t want the bridges and tunnels getting in the way of our time together. Move in with me, Emma. It makes so much sense.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see two men in business suits whispering to one another a dozen feet away, and a woman pointing a phone at me from behind them. They’ve probably recognized me from CNBC or someplace. Normally, I’d get annoyed and step away, but this is too important to get distracted.
“Move in with me,” I say again when Emma remains silent, staring up at me in mute shock. “It will be good, you know it. I’ll take care of all the moving logistics. All you have to do is say yes.” And to remind her of just how good it will be, I curve my palm over her jaw and bend my head to kiss her.
I meant for it to be a light, casual kiss, something befitting the public venue, but the moment our lips touch, a violent hunger takes hold of me. Three days I haven’t tasted her, three nights I’ve stayed away. Forgetting all about the onlookers, I wrap my arm around her waist, hauling her closer, and slide my other hand into her hair, gripping the curls to hold her in place as my tongue sweeps into her mouth. She tastes like bubblegum and luscious heat, like all my dreams wrapped in one sweet little package. My blood is like lava in my veins, and my cock throbs in my jeans, desperate for her slick warmth. I can’t get enough of her, will never get enough of her, and for the first time, that doesn’t scare me.
I’m going to enjoy her, all of her, for as long as this lasts.
A tiny moan escapes her lips, adding to the dark hunger beating at me, and I deepen the kiss, devouring her, sharing her breath. I can feel her small hands gripping my shoulders, can sense her arousal in the way she arches against me, and—
“Last call. Last call for United Flight 1528 to Orlando. All passengers, please proceed to the gate.”
The announcer’s strident voice is like a snowball hitting me in the face. Jolted out of the trance, I raise my head and, remembering the onlookers, let go of Emma. She steps back shakily, fingers pressed to her swollen lips.
Breathing heavily, we stare at each other. Then her left hand jerkily gropes in the air, landing on the handle of her suitcase.
“I can’t,” she says raggedly. “Marcus, I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
A dark mist veils my vision as a dull ringing starts in my ears. I must’ve misheard what she said. “What the fuck do you mean, you can’t?” My voice is low and tight, a warning in every syllable.
Her face twists, her eyes glittering with painful brightness. “I can’t do it. I can’t… can’t move in with you. I’m sorry, Marcus. What I said earlier, I meant it. It’s over. I never want to see you again.”
And as I reel from the gut-wrenching blow, she rushes around me, dragging her suitcase to the gate.
* * *
I don’t know how long I sit at the gate, staring blindly at the door through which she disappeared. All my life, I’ve set goals and achieved them, refusing to accept failure as an option. I’ve gone after what I want with determination and ruthlessness, and it’s always yielded results.
Except with Emma.
I’ve fought for her like I have for no other woman, and nothing.
I’ve offered her everything, and she’s thrown it back in my face.
The pain of the rejection is breathtaking, like someone ripped out my lungs. When she told me to leave after the broken door incident, I’d barely known her, and all I’d been after was sex. It had still smarted, being sent away after those scorching hot kisses, but it had been nothing compared to the devastation I feel now.
I’d been so certain she’d accept my proposal to move in that I’d never considered the alternative, much less that she’d refuse to date me at all.
As the shock of her words recedes, the hurt intensifies, and with it comes anger. Dark and hot, it builds within me, until I feel like it will boil me alive. I want to hurt her, to make her feel some of the pain she’s inflicted, and at the same time, I just want her.
I miss her so much I’d kill to hold her one more night.
