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“Did it ever occur to you I like doing things for you?”
“I know. You really are a good person—a generous person. You really are sweet.” She gave a hardy nod.
“You’ve got to be the most infuriating woman on the planet!” He jabbed his fingers through his hair until he appeared to have been in a hurricane. Then he looked at her, piercing her with his cold steel-blue eyes. She was caught like a deer in headlights—she couldn’t look away.
Slowly, one hand came up to brush her cheek. Then his fingers dropped, trailing along her chin and down to her neck. She held her breath, afraid to move. Her skin scalded beneath his touch. His hand slid gently around the side of her neck until his fingers splayed on the back of her head.
His face was close. She could feel him breathing. She had to stop him now. Just a word and she knew he would retreat. His questioning eyes searched hers. She squeezed them tight lest he read the desire she couldn’t hide.
His fingers twisted in her hair, and he pulled her face toward his until their foreheads pressed together, their lips almost touching. Her breath came faster, almost panting. She trembled from head to toe. The waiting was torture.
She lifted her hand and tentatively touched his neck. What was she doing? This was a bad idea. He was her boss. If she couldn’t stop him from kissing her, how would she stop him when he wanted more? Yet she moved her mouth toward him, like parched lips seeking water. Her lips parted as she touched them to his—shy, timid, seeking.
He spoke to her in a stilted groan, breathing the words into her mouth. “I… am… not… sweet!” His hand tightened behind her neck and he pressed his lips firmly into hers. He kissed her thoroughly, like nothing she could ever remember in her life.
Then he pulled away with an expletive and sat back against the seat, his chest rising and falling with heavy rapid breaths. She felt bereft—empty—with the departure of his lips. A pain as if a bandage had been torn away from a wound.
He turned to capture her gaze again. “And this time, you kissed me.”
They didn’t speak the rest of the way home. He seemed as lost in his own thoughts as she was in hers. Her emotions were in turmoil. What did this mean? He’d as much as told her he wasn’t trying to sleep with her. Yet, his kiss said something entirely different. And the way her body reacted to him, she knew she was standing on a slippery slope. Hadn’t she warned her own girls not to put themselves in a position where they had to make important decisions in the heat of passion? No one was that strong. And she certainly wasn’t that strong after denying herself for fifteen years.
Only one thing was certain, Steven Gherring wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship with her. If he were, he would have told her. He’d had plenty of opportunities, but he’d never said anything. Even now, in the car, he sat in brooding silence next to her. He seemed to be physically attracted to her. He couldn’t fake his reaction any more than she could. But that’s where it ended. He cared for her, and he was concerned for her, but no more.
More than anything else, she wanted him to find happiness and love. But as much as she might wish it were otherwise, it couldn’t be with her. At least she’d managed to keep her attraction to a physical level.
Good thing I’m not in love with him, or I’d really be a mess!
The car stopped in front of the apartment, and she climbed out. He followed her, carrying both bags. On the elevator, they stared silently at the numbers above the door until they arrived at the tenth floor. She started to take her bags, but he deftly scooped them up and led the way toward her apartment. She had no choice but to follow him and unlock her door. She turned to take her luggage from him, but he pushed his way through the door and deposited her bags on the living room floor. Then he walked back to where she stood just inside the door, watching him with wary eyes.
“I see from your expression you still don’t trust me. What did you think? That I would come in here and kiss you again?” He leaned in close and his voice became coarse. “And then did you think I would wait until you were limp with desire and take you to your bed?”
Shocked by his words, she couldn’t respond. She couldn’t even think.
“Maybe you’re right not to trust me. Because, believe me, I thought about it. It would be so easy, so good… I would kiss your lips.” His hand caressed her face and his thumb slid lightly back and forth, tracing her lips. “And then I would kiss your neck right here under your jaw where your blood is pulsing.” His fingers trailed down, following the path of his words. “And then I would shower kisses here.” Now his hand seared a path to explore the hidden hollow on her shoulder.
She was barely breathing, her eyes closed. She should stop him now, but instead she stood frozen in place—waiting, anticipating. Abruptly, he withdrew his hand. A small cry escaped her lips, and her eyes flew open. His face was inches from hers.
“And afterward, you would look at me with regret and disappointment. I’d become the man you accused me of being earlier tonight. So—” He pressed his lips in a gentle caress to her forehead. “I’ll earn your trust, instead.” He slipped to the door and waited to catch her eyes. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
She’d worked so hard to fight her attraction to Steven, and he’d undone all her efforts in a matter of minutes. And for what purpose?
Why had he kissed her? To tease her? To toy with her emotions? To prevent her from falling in love with Henri? Or had it simply been because he’d felt like doing it, and he was accustomed to getting what he wanted?
All these things had been accomplished, even if they weren’t his ultimate goals. But even if Steven was just teasing her with these physical episodes, she still wanted him to be happy. She still wanted to find a match for him.
She wanted him to find true love, though she would probably never experience it again. Especially now that she would spend the rest of her life comparing every other man to Steven Gherring.
If Anne hadn’t been so exhausted from traveling, sleep would’ve been impossible. As it was, her sleep was fitful and full of disturbing dreams, with her teeth getting loose, one by one, and falling out into her hand.
The next d
ay, Steven appeared to be totally unaffected by their physical encounters, addressing her as Ms. Best and keeping a healthy distance throughout the entire morning. As lunchtime approached, she casually asked him if he’d like to join her for lunch at Papa’s Place. She didn’t mention the fact that Ellen was coming.
His entire face brightened. His eyes sparkled and his dimples danced as he accepted her offer. “I’d love to eat lunch with you, Anne.”
“I need to go down a few minutes early and talk to May about something. Would you mind meeting me down there? May will give us a table in the private room.”
“Sure. What time?”
