A sea of headlights and streetlamps crept past the tinted backseat window of the Range Rover. I chewed the side of my nail, a nervous habit I thought I’d rid myself of years ago but reared its ugly head anytime I lost myself in thought.
He hadn’t meant to upset me. I knew that. Fear for my safety had manifested as anger, and his anger was just another form of his passion. Loud voices rattled me, but more than that, his reaction to my taking the bus made me realize his flirting and advances weren’t just a lark. Things had turned serious, and the gravity of my situation with Marco had caught me off guard.
He wrapped his big, warm hand around mine, and interlaced our fingers. My lips parted in surprise, and I looked up. Guilt softened the hard lines of his handsome face, and the corner of his mouth tipped up as he brought our combined hands to his lips and gently kissed the backs of my fingers.
The safety and comfort I’d known in his presence returned, and my body relaxed. I smiled, accepting his silent apology, and he rested our joined hands on the center console, running his thumb along the back of mine while we made our way across the river to Cambridge.
He helped me out of the Range Rover, and we walked through the courtyard of my condo complex to my front door.
Standing on the porch, I was as nervous as when I’d gone on my first date in high school, and my palms unleashed their sweaty fury, refusing to be outdone by the butterflies attacking my stomach.
He leaned against the front door, still holding my hand. “Thank you,” he said. “For agreeing to be my date next weekend.”
I let out a huff and couldn’t help but smirk. “You’ve never said that to me before.”
“What?”
“Thank you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to laugh, and shook my head.
His expression turned serious. He released my hand, pushed off the door, and threaded his fingers into my hair. His grip was gentle but urgent, and my head tilted up in response. Resting his forehead against mine, his eyes fluttered closed, and his warm, sweet breath caressed my face. My own eyes shuttered in response.
“Thank you,” he breathed. “Thank you for being brilliant. Thank you for being brave. Thank you for not giving up. Not on this job and not on me.” He tightened his grip in my hair, holding on like he thought I might disappear. “Thank you for making me feel.”
My chest ached under the pressure of my expanding heart, his words destroying any remaining doubt I had feelings for the man who held me so desperately. I placed my hands on his forearms and squeezed.
We clung to each other, unmoving, breathing the same air, sharing the same space. Bonded by our need to feel and not wanting our connection to end. Two souls, adrift, drawn together by fate at the right place and the right time to show the other what was missing, to be what the other was missing. And in that moment, we existed as partners, even if only for the night.
He lifted his head and pressed his lips to my forehead. He let go of my hair and ran his hands down my arms until they enveloped my clammy, shaking fingers.
“You’re gone this weekend, and next week I won’t be in the office. I have the quarterly with my COOs. We likely won’t see each other till the gala. But I always keep my promises.” His voice was low and filled with intent. “You know that, right?”
I managed a slight nod.
“I told you I couldn’t be held responsible for my actions if you didn’t wear a turtleneck.” The sexy, sly grin he’d worn while naked in the spa crept across his handsome face. Excitement and expectation zipped through me, collecting between my legs. “Lucky for you, I have a meeting tonight and can’t be late.”
Disappointment slammed into my chest and knocked the breath from my lungs. I forced myself to breathe, determined to be as bold as I felt inside. “Maybe—” I swallowed. “Maybe I don’t want to be lucky.”
“Hmm,” he purred, a satisfied rumble as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He brushed his lips in featherlight kisses down my temple until he reached my ear. I tilted my head to the side, offering more. “This is going to be the longest week of my life.”
“I feel special. That’s a lot of weeks, old man.” I squeezed his bicep.
He hugged me closer. “You have no idea.”
I pulled back so I could look into his obsidian eyes and he could kiss me. More than anything in the world, I was desperate for him to kiss me. His gaze dipped to my lips, and they parted for him in silent invitation.
“I’d kiss you in earnest, but I can’t. I won’t be able to stop. Not till I possess every inch of your body. For now, this—” He took my top lip between his, and the light touch of his soft lips stirred my desire. Currents of sensation tingled up my legs, and my eyes fluttered closed as I relaxed into his embrace. He touched my mouth with the tip of his tongue before moving to take my bottom lip in another tender kiss. The gentle pressure made me shiver, and he hugged me close while lingering there for several heartbeats. He pulled back. “—will have to do.”
He released me, and his absence tugged on my heart. “I’ll see you next Saturday, mia bellissima Anna.” He brushed his thumb across my cheek and spun away, taking long, quick strides across the courtyard to his Range Rover. He climbed into the backseat, and the black SUV sped away.
In a daze, I opened my front door and went through the motions of taking off my shoes, hanging up my coat, and setting my purse on the dining room table. I wandered upstairs to my room and sat on the edge of my bed. Sophie jumped up next to me and bumped her head into my arm until I relented and gave her the attention she thought she deserved.
My lips still tingled from Marco’s gentle caress, and my body floated on a cloud of affection and desire. Yes, he was overbearing and demanding, but he was also caring and generous, tender and passionate. My misgivings dissolved in the wake of his kiss, and I lay back on the bed, letting my trust and belief in his virtue take control. I closed my eyes and placed my hands over my heart, relishing the warmth he’d placed there and allowing myself to tumble headfirst into a romance I could no longer deny.