He crossed the small office in three long strides, not waiting for an invitation she would never extend. Smart man. He dropped into the chair across from her desk and crossed his legs, right ankle over left knee. She noted that in addition to sleek Italian suits, he favored overly polished Italian leather shoes. Somehow he pulled it off without looking like a completely pretentious tool.
Loads of money and panty-dropping good looks? No wonder he thought he was God’s gift to the X chromosome. Her gaze travelled from the pristine shoe and halfway up his muscular leg before she caught herself. She was heading toward no man’s land, and nothing good would come from it.
“Suit yourself.” Olivia sighed and leaned back in her chair. She needed to put some distance between them. Like it wasn’t enough the man was walking sex, he even smelled irresistible. His scent, ginger and spice, was teasing her senses, reminding her of their night together, and chipping away at her resolve.
“I thought we should talk about the other night,” he began cautiously. “You know, clear the air, since we’ll be working together?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Folding her hands, she placed them on the desk. She needed to be firm about this, make sure he got the message the first time. No way did she have it in her to have this conversation twice. “We’re both adults.”
“I wouldn’t think it’s quite that simple.”
“Then you’d be wrong.” He was trying to be diplomatic, keep things professional. That was fine with her. She didn’t need his pity. “Look, the other night was fun, but it had nothing to do with this place, right? We both got what we wanted. Now we forget about it and move on.”
“You can’t seriously expect me to act like it never happened.” Cole’s words were carefully measured, his playful smile nowhere to be seen. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought he was offended. His words flowed like silk, but his gray eyes held a different emotion as he pinned her with his gaze. Was she imagining it or did he look… disappointed?
Shifting in her seat, she tried to quell her own warring emotions. They needed to be able to work together, at least until she could figure things out. And despite her racing pulse, she didn’t want him to know how hard this was for her. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Was it her fault she couldn’t look at him without her blood pressure spiking? Or that she couldn’t stop thinking about the smoking hot kisses he’d lavished upon her body?
“And it would be so easy for you to forget?” he challenged, forcing her to remember the feel of his sinful hands claiming her body and the way he’d made her come over and over again. Damn him!
“Yes,” she lied, struggling to keep her tone light. She stood and moved to the window. It was a desperate attempt to put more space between them. The room had grown insufferably hot, a fact that had little to do with the temperature and a lot to do with the way his gaze lingered on her mouth, like he was imagining all the dirty things she could do with it. Only he didn’t have to imagine, did he? He had firsthand knowledge.
“Olivia.”
She froze at the feel of his breath on her neck. With the protection of the desk gone, she was defenseless. His hand snaked around her waist, crushing her body to his. He leaned in, his breath hot on her cheek as he pressed her body to the cool glass of the window with his massive weight. His arousal found the swell of her ass and she melted against the hard muscles of his chest, an unexpected gasp escaping her lips as desire ripped through her. It was all the invitation he needed.
He turned her to face him, tipping her chin toward his lips. His mouth descended upon hers without hesitation, his tongue savagely forcing her lips apart. The five o’clock shadow she found so sexy scratched the tender flesh of her face once again, marking her. It was a deep kiss, the kind of sensual exploration she’d craved her whole life. The feel of his tongue sliding over hers, probing and thrusting, left her yearning as she rotated her hips, angling for a deeper connection. The cool glass at her back did little to regulate her temperature as Cole lifted her skirt, his hand sliding up her thigh with the promise of explosive pleasure.
She whimpered with anticipation when his hand reached the top of her leg and shifted. His palm pressed to her center with just enough pressure to send her body into overdrive. Unable to stop herself, she rotated her hips again, savoring the friction their joining created. The divine sensation did little to satisfy the growing need between her legs. If anything, it ignited a fresh spark of desire even greater than the last, tearing through her body like wildfire.