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Pressing my hand to my lips, I mumbled, “That was a very garlicky meal.”
“Then I guess it’s good that we both ate the same things.” Reaching out, he cupped my cheek with his big palm and stepped closer. I leaned into his touch, my eyes going wide as I stared up at him and lowered my arm. A shiver raced up my spine when he slid his hand to the back of my neck, and my lips parted in anticipation of his kiss when he leaned in until his mouth was barely an inch from mine.
I didn’t want to wait another second, so I fisted the front of his dress shirt and made a breathy sound of encouragement as I went up on my toes to close that gap. With my lips resting against his, I whispered, “Kiss me.”
“Whatever you want, baby.”
Our mouths crashed together in a firestorm of need, his tongue sweeping inside to tangle with mine. The chemistry between us blazed out of control, and I clutched his shoulders, holding on for the ride as I melted in his arms like warm honey. Each swipe of his tongue sent a jolt of sexual awareness through my body, until my knees were weak.
I let out a little whimper of protest when he finally ripped his mouth from mine, staring down at me as both our chests heaved. Taking a step back, he lowered his hand to his side, fisting it as he rumbled, “You need to go to bed before I lose control.”
I wanted to argue, but I knew that I wasn’t thinking clearly because my mind was cloudy with passion. Pressing trembling fingers against my lips, I nodded. “Uh-huh.”
Walking away from him was one of the most difficult things I had ever done, but I forced my legs to keep moving until I reached the room that he’d put me in. I reminded myself along the way that I was here for work, not romance. That James was a billionaire, while my net worth was in the five-digit area. Which wasn’t bad for a twenty-two-year-old who decided college wasn’t for them, but nowhere near what James and his brothers had accomplished for themselves by the time they were my age.
When the door shut behind me, I glanced at the wall that would separate us while we slept and groaned. I had a feeling that it was going to be a long, sleepless night.
4
JAMES
I’d had years of practice working late nights, followed by early mornings. I didn’t need a whole lot of sleep to be firing on all cylinders.
It was a good fucking thing, because I’d spent most of my night awake and restless in my bed. When I did manage to sleep, I dreamed of Samantha’s hot little body and all the things I wanted to do to it.
At four in the morning, I’d finally given in and thrown on a pair of pajama bottoms and went to my home office to get some work done. I’d brought home the paperwork that we were supposed to go over before the inspection, so we didn’t need to leave for the site until eight-thirty.
My office was across the hall from the room where Samantha was sleeping, so I kept an ear out, and when I heard her moving around, I set my glasses on my desk and padded out to the kitchen to make breakfast.
When Samantha found me, the bacon was on a plate in the warming oven, I was almost done with a couple of omelets, and the bread was sitting in the toaster, ready for me to hit the button.
The kitchen was filled with delicious smells, but it was Samantha that had my mouth watering. Her blond curls had been twisted into a bun on her head, and while I missed the soft tresses floating around her, the hair style made her look like a naughty librarian. I’d never fantasized about one before, but seeing Samantha in another snug pencil skirt, with a pink, satin blouse with long sleeves and a high collar that was closed with a black ribbon, and black stilettos, I suddenly understood the appeal.
Her crystal blue eyes were locked on my naked chest, then her gaze dropped to take in the rest of my body, and I nearly groaned. Flames licked my skin in the wake of her perusal, and when she looked at my face, the desire churning in her bright orbs sent a wave of satisfaction rolling through me. I’d been confident that she was attracted to me, but from her reaction, I knew she was affected by me as much as I was her.
“Morning, baby.” My voice was gritty from the effort it was taking to hold back, but when her irises darkened, it was obvious that my growly tone turned her on. I filed that away for future use. “Did you sleep well?”
She didn’t say anything at first, so I said her name and that jolted her out of whatever stupor she’d been in. “Sleep? Oh, um, the bed was very comfortable. Thank you.”
I noticed she hadn’t actually answered my question and wondered if it was because she’d spent her night in the same condition as me. “But did you sleep well?” I pressed, holding back a smirk when her cheeks bloomed with a deep blush.
“Um, I had a little trouble sleeping,” she admitted, her gaze sliding away to look over my shoulder. “Nerves about the inspection today, I guess.”
Sure it was.
“Do I smell bacon?”
“It is,” I confirmed, letting her get away with her deflection for the moment. “Have a seat. I made omelets, too.” After popping the toast down into the toaster, I pulled the bacon from the warming oven, then fixed each of us a plate. A large island sat there with stools, but I carried our breakfast over to a little nook with a table and four chairs surrounded by tall glass windows.
The toaster dinged, and I gathered the butter and jam before taking it and the bread to the table.
“Wow,” Samantha breathed as she sat at the table and stared at the grounds behind the house with wide eyes. They were vast and included an Olympic-sized pool—there was a smaller indoor pool in the basement—an area with an outdoor kitchen, and a setup that was clearly meant for entertaining a crowd, several grassy sections with lawn sports, as well as tennis and basketball courts. But as she scanned the backyard, her gaze stopped on a playground that looked plucked from a public park. Some activities would entertain kids from toddlers up to tweens, including a rainforest-themed splash pad.
Samantha raised an eyebrow as she turned to observe me rather than the outside. “Do you have a wife and a gaggle of children we don’t know about?” she teased, although I could tell she wasn’t entirely certain of my answer.
I chuckled and shook my head. “The previous owners had six kids and a large extended family.” I grinned and crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned back in my chair and watched her closely. “No wife. No gaggle of cute little rug rats.”Yet.
“Ah. That explains it,” she murmured as she sank into her chair. A spark of relief flashed in her eyes before she covered it up and tucked into her meal.
