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Before she could say anything, he picked her up in his arms once more and carried her inside the villa. He carried her to his room and into his shower. He undressed her, then himself, tossing their soaking wet clothes into a pile on the floor. Each caress, each stroke of his hand, stoked her desire once more so that she was wet and panting when he slid inside her. He made love to her slowly against the wall of the shower, swallowed her cries with a kiss that burned itself into her heart.
As she drifted off that night, secure in the circle of his arms, an exciting and terrifying thought drifted through her mind.
If she wasn’t in love with Edward Charles Damon Bradford, she was damned close.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DAMONSTOODATthe window of his office. The sun rose over New York City, casting a rosy golden glow on buildings that had stood for over a century, on new construction, on early morning commuters and joggers and tourists walking the maze of sidewalks, subway tunnels and avenues.
The city that never slept. He’d never been in his office early enough to see the sun rise, and now, seeing its beauty firsthand, he couldn’t fathom why.
Even though he had arrived at a quarter till five in the morning, which would have put Bryant Bengtsson at just before five in the afternoon in Bali, to take the most important call of his career so far, he’d carved out an additional hour to watch the sun rise.
Because of Evolet. Because she had stood at the window and talked about how beautiful the sunrise must be on the city.
Like so many things, Evolet had made him see the city differently. He’d always prided himself on how he ran his company, the relationships he maintained with his employees. Yet work had ruled his life. She had made him stop so many times over the last few weeks, savor, relax, enjoy, like he never had.
And now...he cast a glance back at his desk, at the printout of the initial contract Bengtsson had sent over.
The contract naming Bradford Global as manufacturer of Royal Air’s new fleet.
It meant something that his first reaction hadn’t been pride in his company or satisfaction in the achievement of his employees. No, it had been excitement at the prospect of sharing with Evolet what their hard work had achieved.
Unsettled, he crossed the room to pick up the contract. Never had he wanted to share something so important with another person since his parents had passed. The most important thing in his life had been Bradford Global.
His rational side urged him to terminate their arrangement. She had become too significant far too quickly. His walls were coming down. He found himself anticipating not only their nights spent in his bed but what she would think about this decision, what witty remark she would have for him following a contentious meeting. He didn’t just want sex.
He wanted her.
But the pleasure he found, both in bed and in her company, was coming at a price. They’d departed Bali and, with the time change, arrived in New York on Sunday morning. Evolet had been oddly quiet on the flight, opting to go back to her apartment when they’d landed and insisting she just wanted some time to decompress. He’d disliked how much he’d wanted her to stay, so he’d let her go. When he’d awoken in the night tangled in his sheets with sweat cooling on his skin and the imagined screams of his parents in their final moments echoing in his ears, he’d been grateful she hadn’t been there to see his past rising up to claim him once more.
This was what happened when he let go of his control, when he entertained thoughts of his past and gave in to the craving for the woman who had become important to him. It had been years since he’d had a nightmare about the night his life had changed. He was perched on the edge of a very slippery slope.
He needed to step back.
A crackling sound drew his attention downward. The contract, now wrinkled, was clutched in his fingers. Slowly, he set it down, smoothed it out. He’d print off a new copy before anyone arrived.
With a heavy sigh, he sat in his chair and spun around again to watch the city come to life under the early morning light. The reasonable course of action was to end things with her. She’d told him that night on his balcony that one day she might want something more, a husband and a family of her own. He had opened up to her more than he had to anyone else since he’d lost his parents. But that didn’t mean he was anywhere close to wanting a relationship. Evolet deserved to be with someone who could let himself feel without reservation, who could love her.
Except that every time he even contemplated the possibility of another man touching Evolet, to hear her whispered murmurings and havehisname on her lips, Damon wanted to hurl his desk chair out the window.
No more.
It would hurt, yes, far more than he had expected when he’d first agreed to this insane arrangement. But it was for the best. He couldn’t love and lose another person. He wasn’t capable.
A weight pressed on his chest. He wanted to be capable. He wanted to be strong enough. For himself. For her. But what if he failed? What if he spiraled downward, back into that ugly hole he’d barely crawled out of the first time? A pit filled with anger and hate?
No.It wasn’t worth the risk. Before Evolet, it had been about protecting his own heart.
But now...now it was about protecting her. About setting her free.
He had arranged a surprise for her for this weekend, either a conciliation getaway if they didn’t receive the contract or a celebration if they did. One more weekend, and then they would go their separate ways.
It would be enough. It had to be enough.
Dimly, he heard the sound of heels clicking on the tile. He frowned and turned his head toward the door. Julie must be exceptionally early today. A surprise, given that he had seen her on several occasions before her morning coffee. The cheery side of her personality was decidedly enhanced by several shots of espresso.
A tentative knock sounded on the doorframe. He stood. “It’s open.”
