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He unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and rolled up the sleeves, feeling as on top of the world as he’d felt in a long time. He’d kicked ass tonight, but more important, he and Melanie had kicked ass together. “Thank you, but it was all your doing. If you hadn’t gotten me centered before I went on, I could’ve easily flopped.” He trailed Melanie as she wandered into the living room.
“I knew you were going to be great.” She waved off his comment. “I always had complete confidence in you. We might disagree from time to time, but I always know one thing. When you say you’re going to do something, you do it.”
Whenever life or work got messy, a lot of people’s confidence in him seemed to waver—his father, the board of directors, even his own company had been tough on him lately. When it came right down to it, when push came to shove, Melanie had unequivocal faith in him. It was like a universal truth to her, a closely held belief.
She leaned against the frame of one of the tall windows, the city lights bringing out her singular radiance.
“And what if I said that I was going to kiss you?” he asked, acutely aware of his breathing. “Would you believe that, too?”
“Adam. You know that’s not what I meant.”
“But I want to. That’s all I can think about. That’s all I’ve thought about since we went to Flaherty’s. And now, looking at you in the moonlight, seeing you in that dress, remembering exactly how well my hand fits in the curve of your back...”
“That sounds like a lot more than a kiss.”
“If we do it right, then yes.”
She kept her eyes set on the city. “What about Julia?”
“She isn’t what I want.”
She laughed in a sweet, hushed tone. “I’m going to need more champagne to believe that. You said it yourself tonight. Any man would be a fool not to want to be with her.”
He shook his head. “No. I said that any man would be lucky to spend time with her. It’s not the same thing.”
“You’ve learned the art of the spin all too well.”
He grasped her shoulder, urging her to look at him. “Please tell me that you know it isn’t real. This was your idea. It was all your plan.”
She turned and studied his face, as if searching for the answer, when he was already giving her everything exactly as it was. “You said it yourself. You aren’t good at pretending. I’ve seen you two together. It looks real.”
“Pictures are only as real as the newspapers want them to be. You should know that better than anyone.”
She knocked her head to the side, releasing a wisp of her delicate scent. “I guess.”
“Pictures in a newspaper don’t make a relationship. You need a connection.”
“I know that. I do.” She nodded, but her eyes still showed doubt. “It’s just that it’s so convincing.”
He shook his head again. How would he get her to believe? “It’s all Julia’s doing. I’m only following her cues. She’s not the one I want. You are.”
Melanie reached out and took his hand. It was as if the earth stopped moving. “Maybe it’s the words that are tripping me up. Maybe I need you to show me.”
He took the champagne glass from her other hand and set it on the table, never taking his eyes off her. “I’ve been waiting to show you. All I want to do is show you.” He cupped the sides of her face with both hands, cradling it and gazing deeply into her eyes as his fingers caressed the silky skin of her neck. The blood was coursing through his body like a raging river. If there was any justice in the world, he would have her. It was the most basic and undeniable need he’d ever endured. “Let me show you all night long.”
* * *
Melanie’s breath caught when Adam lowered his head and kissed her. His mouth on hers was arresting. There was no mistaking what he wanted. He claimed her, and it electrified her, right down to her toes. She needed him closer and she pressed into him, craving his heat, arching into him, molding her lips to his as their tongues circled.
Weeks of holding back had her about to jump out of her own skin. She wanted to savor every touch, and at the same time nothing was happening fast enough. She frantically unbuttoned his shirt. “Watching you change tonight was torture.” She dragged her fingers across the flat plane of his abs, spreading her hands upward to his chest, eagerly crossing the small patch of hair and across to his firm shoulders, pushing the shirt to the floor. Even just having her hands on his skin was heaven. “All I wanted to do was touch you.”
“Just being around you is torture. I can’t think straight half of the time.”
