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Annie glanced anxiously at the box of fudge next to her. Despite her sudden stop at the unexpected light change, the box stayed firmly on the passenger seat of her car. Normally she was a careful driver who anticipated stops, but tonight she couldn’t seem to get herself together. Probably because Duncan had completely rattled her with his invitation to “drop by.”
They were in a lull—a four-day stretch with no parties—right before the last-minute craziness started. On Thursday, there was a party every night through Christmas Eve. When she’d first seen the party schedule, she’d been excited about the break, but now she found herself missing being around him. The four days, and nights, had seemed endless.
And then he’d called, inviting her over.
Why? She wanted it to be because he was missing her, too, but she couldn’t be sure. There was no reason to think anything about their relationship had changed—at least not from his end. She was in serious danger of falling desperately in love with him, which, if she’d thought things through at the beginning, shouldn’t be a surprise. Handsome, smart, funny, caring man suddenly in her life. What was there not to like?
If only, she thought, before shaking her said. No. She was going to be sensible. Falling in love might be inevitable, but she wasn’t going to let herself be swept away by her feelings. When this was over, pride might be the only thing she had left. She needed to remember that.
She parked in the guest spot, then took the elevator to his penthouse condo. Duncan opened the door right away.
“Thanks for coming,” he said, his gray eyes dark with a smoldering need that made her thighs tremble.
“Thanks for asking me.” She held out the box of fudge. “I made this. I don’t know if you like chocolate. If not, you could take it into the office or…”
Instead of taking the candy, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside. The second the door closed behind her, she was in his arms, his mouth on hers.
She hung on as the world began to spin. There was only the heat and the man and how she felt pressed up against his strength. He was already aroused, his hardness flexing against her belly. She managed to shove the fudge onto a table by the door and drop her purse, before hanging on to him with both hands.
She parted her lips and he deepened the kiss. Their tongues danced, touching, tracing, playing an erotic game. He bent her over slightly, then straightened, pulling her up off the floor.
Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his hips. Despite being up in the air, she felt safe. Duncan would never drop her. He carried her into the bedroom, then slowly lowered her to the carpet. When her feet touched solid ground, he drew back, put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face the room.
On the dresser there was a tiny Christmas tree. White lights twinkled, the only source of light in the huge room. She could see little angel ornaments on every branch.
Her throat got a little tight. “I thought you didn’t want a tree,” she whispered.
“I saw it and thought of you.”
The words, whispered in her ear, made her eyes burn. Telling herself he wouldn’t appreciate a girly show of emotion, she did her best to blink them away. He hugged her, pulling her close. She turned in his embrace and stared into his gray eyes.
Emotions raced through her. Not just desire, but love. There was no escaping the truth. She loved Duncan with all her heart. Whatever might happen, however it might end, she loved him.
The feeling was different, more powerful than anything she’d ever experienced. Getting over him would take a whole lot of time and effort, because as much as she wanted to believe everything would work out, she tried to be a realist. Her and Duncan? On what planet?
But for now there was the night and the man and she was determined to have as much as possible of both. She leaned into him, claiming him with a kiss. She couldn’t tell him how she felt, but she could show him, she thought as she traced the powerful muscles in his arms.
She raised the hem of his sweater and ran her fingers across his broad chest. He took the hint and pulled off the sweater, then tossed it away. She pressed her lips to his breastbone, tasting his warm skin.
For a second, he was passive, accepting her caress. Then he reached for her, cupping her face and kissing her.
