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He wasn’t the least bit bothered by the fact that he wanted her and that their business arrangement might be affected by his desires. As they entered St. Peter’s and walked up the steps, he was aware that he’d do anything to keep Ainsley by his side. And he wondered just for a moment if he’d suggested the interviews, a gross invasion of his privacy, just to stay by her side.
“St. Peter’s?”
“Yes. I have arranged a private tour of the upper galleries.”
“Really? I’ve been dying to see them, but haven’t had a chance. Thank you, Steven.”
She hugged him and started to pull away quickly, but he brought his hands to her waist and held her there. This was what he’d been waiting for. This was what he wanted. He needed this woman in his arms.
He thought he’d wanted to unravel her mysteries but now he knew he just wanted her. He didn’t care if he unlocked the secrets she kept unless they were secrets about what she hoped he’d do to her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and tipped her head back to look up at him. Their gazes met and he couldn’t help but feel something pass between them. Something hard to define.
“Why haven’t you kissed me yet?” she asked.
He didn’t answer her, just brought his head down and took her lower lip between his teeth.
Her hands tightened on his shoulders as she tried to pull herself closer to him. This was why he’d waited to kiss her. They were like flint and steel when they touched, and the sparks of the flames they generated consumed both of them.
If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up taking Ainsley for the first time in some very public place. And he’d never been much for exhibitionism. She went to his head faster than his first sip of whiskey had and the results were unpredictable.
Tugging her off balance, he pulled her close and felt her settle against him—first her breasts to his chest, then her belly against his stomach. Then she canted her hips toward him so her feminine mound rested against his erection.
He cupped her bottom and held her there while he continued to thrust his tongue deep into her mouth. The sun set around the city and a cold, damp chill filled the air, but he wasn’t aware of anything but the woman in his arms.
Ainsley thought of nothing but that kiss for the rest of the evening. As they walked past the crypts of monarchs and poets and through the whispering gallery, all she could think of was Steven and how much she wanted to be alone with him. He had dialed back his attraction and seemed absorbed in what the guide was saying. She tried to listen, but she couldn’t help but remember the way his arms had felt against her.
The feeling of the firm grip of his hands on her waist lingered. She could taste him each time she licked her lips.
“Ainsley?”
“Hmm?”
“I was telling our guide how much we enjoyed our tour.”
She’d been standing there staring at Steven with a dazed expression. “Yes, we did. Thank you so much.”
Steven tipped the man and they left. It was cold outside now that night had fallen and she felt the chill settle over her. She’d left her raincoat at the office. “I forgot my coat.”
“I noticed. I thought you were a hardy American.”
“I am.”
She didn’t want him to know that he’d distracted her. While getting all the Devonshire heirs and their mothers to agree to be interviewed was a coup, she normally wouldn’t have been involved in the details of a story like this. She would have delegated it. But with Maurice’s interest in the story, she was reluctant to let any detail out of her hands. She wanted to be the one to make all the arrangements particularly so she would have an excuse to see Steven.
He shrugged out of his suit jacket and handed it to her. She reached for it, but he drew it out of her grasp.
“Let me help you,” he said.
She did, turning to face away from him as he held his jacket up. She slipped her arms inside and was immediately surrounded by his body heat and the scent of aftershave. It was a warm and welcoming feeling, and she was unnerved because as she turned back to Steven, he seemed to know how she felt.
He took her hand in his and continued leading them back toward her office building. His car was still parked on the street and he opened the door for her to get in. “Ready for dinner?”
“Yes,” she said. The feelings she had for him were starting to overwhelm her. She wanted to be alone with him. To take off his clothes and see his naked body. But she was also very afraid of that moment. Afraid he’d see past the shields she’d put in place to make the world think she was different from who she really was. Afraid that he would see her naked and turn away from her.
