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She gulped in air as if she hadn’t had a decent breath in hours.
“Be right back,” he said.
♥♥♥
Anna’s senses reeled until she could barely think. Skylar’s kisses had that effect on her. She was still trying to get used to that. Heat warmed her skin from the inside, making it glow, and she paced next to her car, waiting for his return. The logical side of her brain argued with her emotions. What must his mother think of her? She should go upstairs and apologize for ruining the evening. At the very least she owed Skylar’s family an explanation.
Before she could decide what she wanted to do, he returned with her bag and her coat. She winced. “What did your mom say?”
“She told me to tell you that it’s your birthday and you can cry if you want to.” He grinned. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. My mother is one of the most understanding people you will ever meet.”
That didn’t make Anna feel better. “Remind me to send her flowers as a thank you for the surprise party.”
Skylar plucked the car keys from her fingers. “I’ll drive you home.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’m fine. I can drive.”
“I want to take you home.”
He pulled her close for another passionate kiss. Her arms went around his neck while his hands remained on her waist. His lips were warm and tasted like coffee. The intoxicating scent of his cologne made her want to melt into him.
“They’re sleeping here tonight,” he said. “We can share a room again if you want to stay.”
“Better idea.” She took his hands in hers and pulled him in the direction of the car door. “Come to my house. We can have total privacy there.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”
She nodded and spelled it out for him. “The chemistry between us is explosive. Why bother denying it? I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you. Come home with me. Make love to me, Skylar.”
His eyes mirrored the desire she felt igniting inside her. He held her coat for her as she slipped her arms into the sleeves. A nagging little voice told her it was impolite to leave without thanking his family and saying goodbye. But Skylar’s arm was around her. That made thinking nearly impossible. He climbed into her driver’s seat and drove her home.
♥♥♥
Mixed emotions tore at her sanity as she crossed the threshold into her home with Skylar a step behind. Second thoughts begged for attention. Although going to bed with him had been her idea, logic threw several roadblocks into her path. As her boss, Skylar could make life miserable for her at work. She had enough clients to keep her busy for months, and free time was a rare commodity worth more than gold. How could she possibly add a relationship to that load?
Her heels clicked against the foyer’s polished wood floor. The sound made her nervous even though she was the one creating it, so she stopped halfway between the door and the stairs. What now? Should she invite Skylar up to her bedroom or offer him a glass of wine first?
Her cheeks burned at the stupid mistake she’d almost made. Skylar was a recovering alcoholic. He didn’t drink. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she think straight?
So what if he was the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on? They had shared a bed in Vermont. She probably knew things about him that no one else at the law firm did. Being nervous now seemed ridiculous. She took a shaky breath and said, “I had a great time with you and your family tonight.”
Still standing behind her, Skylar slipped her coat down her arms. She considered pointing out the coat rack in the corner, but her limbs froze. She tried in vain to swallow the lump in her throat.
His husky voice spoke over her shoulder. “They love you, in case you couldn’t tell.”
“It’s going to break their hearts when they find out we’ve been lying to them.” Guilt weighed her down and temporarily pushed the thought of sex to the side. No longer nervous, she swung around to face him. “We are terrible people. We never should have set out to fool them.”
“We had our reasons.”
“What reasons?” She sighed and set both engagement rings on a nearby table. “You wanted to run the firm, and I wanted people to stop calling me a slut behind my back? It all seems petty and selfish now.”
“My father’s chair was an extra perk,” he said. “I did it to stop them from worrying about me. The happy people you spent the evening with haven’t existed for years. They walked on tip-toe around me, afraid to say the wrong thing and remind me of my loss. It got to where I couldn’t stand to spend an hour with them, let alone an entire holiday.” He took her by the shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. “You helped us reconnect. Because of you, we are a family again. When your conscience starts bothering you, think about that.”
Sounded noble, but she knew the truth. They had deceived wonderful people. The reasons didn’t matter. They were guilty of deceiving his family with a twisted lie. “Someday they’ll find out,” she said. “They’ll be hurt.”
His hands smoothed down her arms to clasp her hands, his fingers sliding between hers. “Stop worrying. I won’t tell them if you don’t, and we are the only people who know the truth.” He leaned down to kiss her. Full lips pressed against hers. Then he added, “And we aren’t technically lying now. We may not be engaged, but we are dating, sort of. Aren’t we?”
He took her into his arms and kissed her with a growing passion that matched her own. The intensity scared her a little. It was new to her, something she hadn’t experienced with any of the men she’d dated. Her arms slid up to circle his neck, and she pulled his head down for a deeper kiss. She couldn’t seem to get close enough to him.
