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He dismissed the dumb sentiment.
And the burst of pride and exhilaration at the thought of having Cassandra James on his arm at the product launch.
Still just a booty call.
‘Cool.’ He cradled her cheek, then swept his thumb across her bottom lip to stop her worrying it with her teeth—and driving him the rest of the way out of his mind. ‘How about we celebrate?’
He grinned at the flush that lit up her cheeks as she nodded. Damn, but she was adorable when she blushed. He tucked her hair back, pulled her in, then slanted his lips over hers, not able to wait a moment longer to taste her.
She opened for him instinctively and he feasted on the soft sob of pleasure, the gentle sigh of surrender. When they finally parted she looked dazed, arousal darkening her eyes.
‘You still want to sleep alone tonight, cher?’ he asked, glad he could tease her about it now.
She shook her head. ‘I never really did.’
His heart punched his ribcage the same way it had that afternoon, when she’d stood shaky but upright and ridden the wave towards him.
He stood, scooping her into his arms and heading up to his bedroom. Their bedroom.
Hunger flowed through him like the wave that afternoon—strong, steady, unstoppable—but, best of all, it destroyed all the other emotions in its path.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘YOU LOOK SPECTACULAR, cher.’ Luke’s arms wrapped around Cassie’s waist as he drew her into his embrace. ‘It’s a good thing this gown gives you a lot more coverage than the last one.’
She huffed out a laugh at the audacious comment. She’d bought the bronze silk creation at a luxury clothing consignment store in the Tenderloin yesterday, while channelling her inner Ashling. She hoped the dress was just as hip as the first, but Luke was right—it was a lot less revealing than the gold dress now tucked into her luggage in need of repair.
‘I don’t want to have to punch anyone for staring,’ he added.
He nuzzled her neck, his lips trailing to her earlobe. Her heartbeat hammered against her throat at the possessive comment—which was pretty much where it had remained for the last three days.
She cleared her throat and tried to smile as the mirrored reflection of his hot, mocking smile sent a heavy pulse deep into her abdomen. ‘Very funny,’ she said, sure he was just teasing her.
She stared at the shimmering silk. So much more demure than Ash’s dress. The dress that had caused her so much trouble... Although she was afraid this dress wasn’t going to make tonight any easier to negotiate.
She should never have agreed to Luke’s invitation to extend their affair for another week. Because after four more days with Luke this felt too much like a real relationship. And tonight... Tonight she was already losing her grip on reality. Thanks to the searing gaze making her cheeks burn.
She didn’t know what she’d expected, but somehow she hadn’t expected Luke to be quite so...attentive.
After flying them back to the city on Saturday morning, he’d had her luggage moved from the hotel to his apartment in the Presidio. Then he’d arranged meetings for her with a string of CEOs from a series of dynamic new start-ups. The information they’d given her was like gold dust for investors, and she knew Temple would be pleased with the report she had been working on while Luke was out of the apartment preparing for the product launch.
She had finally had the chance to speak to Temple yesterday, to update him on her progress. Thank goodness he hadn’t seemed remotely fazed when she’d told him Broussard Tech wasn’t looking for investment so she was lining up other prospects. The truth was he’d seemed surprisingly preoccupied.
She hoped it had nothing to do with the astonishing message she’d discovered from Ash after switching her phone on again when she’d got back to San Francisco—and her phone charger.
Gwen’s still off sick with her back issues. So I’m running errands for Temple.
Seriously? Ash was working for Temple? After being so reluctant even to deliver a tuxedo to him a week ago? And managing to screw that up, according to the last time she’d checked in with her friend?
But Cassie hadn’t really had time to investigate. Especially as Ash had seemed more than a little evasive about the arrangement when they’d spoken—and more interested in quizzing Cassie about developments with Luke. But as Cassie had no desire to talk about that topic, she’d decided not to press Ash on her new temporary job.
She had much bigger things to worry about right now than whether Ash was going to flake out on Temple again. Such as how she was going to keep her heart from shattering when she had to return to the UK in three days.
The product launch itself that morning had been a spectacular success. But she’d found it increasingly hard to concentrate on business with Luke never far from her side. She’d expected to be anonymous at the launch, one of the many invited guests. But she’d been anything but...
She shifted round. ‘Are you sure I should be going to this party tonight?’ she asked. ‘I haven’t told anyone except Ash about...about us. I don’t want to seem unprofessional,’ she said, knowing she was lying to herself as much as Luke.
She’d crossed that line twelve tumultuous days ago—and keeping their affair a secret had nothing to do with her job and everything to do with keeping her own feelings in check.
