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With the eyes of a roomful of directors on us, I know she can't sayno, and I'm grateful for it.
She smiles sweetly at me. “Why don’t you give my office a call so we can arrange something?”
I smirk at her. Okay, fine. She is used to dealing with demands firmly but gracefully. I see that now. I should have known. After all, she is as much a CEO as I am.
She is good at deflecting, but I’m not so bad at countering myself.
I wave her reply away. “If I do that, God only knows when we would manage to firm our plans up. I’m a very busy man, Miss Preston, and I’m told you are a very busy woman. I’m sure we both can spare a quarter of an hour of our time right now. Especially in light of the fact that this meeting should have run for another twenty minutes at least anyway. No one is expecting you. Shall we?”
I know I have her now, and I give her my most arrogant grin for the sake of seeing her flush a radiant pink.
I see her mother’s eyebrows fly up as she stares at her.
I can practically read the scolding in the flashing of her eyes. You don't saynoto the chairman of the foundation you just got a seat in when he invites you to have coffee with him.
Carina sighs, throwing silent daggers at me with her luminous and expressive forest green eyes. “Of course, Mr. Anderson. Lead the way.”
I guide her out, placing one hand on the small of her back, and I feel her jump a little, a mixture of weariness and desire on her beautiful blushing cheeks.
I let myBoardroom Warriormask drop and smile down at her, trying to make her see how much she means to me and how very safe she is at my side, but it's not difficult to surmise from her defensive stance that she doesn't believe me in the slightest.
It doesn’t matter. I’ll change her mind. I’ll make her see that she has no reason to be scared of me. I could never hurt her.
I will convince Carina she can trust me with everything of hers, especially her heart.
CHAPTER9
Carina
Before I know what happened, I’m buckled in the front seat of Derek's metallic gray Aston Martin, we're speeding away from the private parking area of Avalon, and I'm staring at his determined mien as I try to make my tongue unglue from the roof of my mouth in the hope of saying something, anything. Really, a single syllable would do.
I feel one of his large hands graze mine, and I almost jump a little, my back tensing as I sit up and squeeze my legs together. The part of my brain that is not focused on finding intelligent words to utter is attempting in vain to stifle the tingle of arousal pulsing in my core.
"Relax, sweetheart. I promise I don't bite unless you want me to," he whispers softly to me, a seductive grin on his full lips, his throaty, rough voice sending shivers down my body.
My eyes widen at the implication behind his words, and a flashback of his lips, teeth, and dark beard gently chafing the sensitive skin of my neck while we went at it against the wall the other night lightens up in my murky brain.
The flicker of arousal becomes a little budding flame, and I feel my hands start to shake.
One of his long, tapered fingers strokes the back of my hand. The big, squared fingertip tickling me in a way that gives me the most delicious goosebumps all over.
He turns a little to look at me, his deep gray eyes boring into my soul. “Carina, why did you run from me?”
I close my eyes and shake my head.
He sighs, returning his eyes to the road. "I know for certain that you did not want to, but you did run… what made you leave like that without a word?"
I train my gaze outside the window when I feel the prickle of tears behind my eyes, but I push them back. I amnotgoing to cry. Not in front of him, anyway. I’m never going to cry in front of a man again in my life.
I take a shaky breath and force myself to look at him again.
God, why does he have to be so drop-dead gorgeous?
And why the hell does his presence has to have such an effect on me?
I feel like I want to curl up against his side and throw the door open and launch myself out of the car all at the same time.
I know what I need to do.
