“Oh, right, of course.” She smiled up at him. “Let me grab my coat.”
“And your bag. We’re going to be some time. There’s no reason for us to come back to the office.”
She nodded, sliding her bag on her shoulder. He frowned, making a note of the bag. It was old, and he saw pieces of thread that had clearly been used to sew it together. He hadn’t thought to buy her accessories when they last went shopping.
He’d make the time to replace her bag.
Rose deserved the very best of everything.
Without a word, she followed him toward the elevator. He smiled at several of his staff, giving them a nod.
“Do I need to look at any files?” Rose asked. “Be prepared for any questions with your client?”
“No, I have everything right here. You can read it in the car.”
“Yes, sir.”
He watched the numbers slowly start to descend, getting them closer to the parking lot.
Several people stepped on and off, acknowledging him. He spoke only briefly, answering any questions they had, and when he didn’t have the relevant answers, Rose did.
Didn’t she realize how … adept she was?
She was right for this job, and still, she allowed the haters to nearly push her away, and that pissed him off.
Once they were out of the elevator, he put a hand at her back, walking her toward his car. He took her bag and coat, placing them in the trunk, and then climbed behind the wheel.
“I thought you wanted me to look through the file?” Rose asked.
He pulled out of the parking lot, not saying a word, and then made his way onto the main road.
“Darius?” Rose asked.
“There is no file, Rose. There is no meeting. I couldn’t sit there with you looking so beautiful for another second.” He navigated the traffic.
He reached out, putting his hand on her thigh. The moment he touched her, she jumped a little, and he smiled. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“What will people think?” she asked.
“They don’t have a clue, Rose. No one cares what I do with my life, so long as I pay their salary and keep my company from falling apart, and I’m completely good at doing that.” He didn’t let go of her thigh, stroking the soft flesh right at her knee.
The tension slowly began to fade from her body.
The journey to his condo wasn’t a long one. He was parked within twenty minutes, helping Rose out of the car and grabbing their belongings from the back.
Darius took her hand, leading her toward the private elevator. He typed in the code that gained him access and then pressed the number for his floor. He admired Rose in their reflection.
Stroking a thumb across her knuckles, he couldn’t wait to hold her. To feel her naked body against his skin to skin.
She nibbled on her lip, watching the numbers as they moved toward their destination. Neither of them spoke as they got closer.
When the doors opened, he nudged Rose forward. After taking her to his home, he stepped inside, put their belongings near the front, and locked the door.
“What do you think?” he asked.
He noticed she kept her body tight, as if she was afraid to touch anything. “You have a beautiful place.”
Darius laughed. “You haven’t seen the whole place yet. For all you know, it could be a dump.”
“I highly doubt that.”
He winked at her. “Want a tour?” he asked.
Now that he finally had her in his apartment, he wasn’t in a rush to get her naked and fuck her. There was no way for her to escape, to run away, to pretend there wasn’t something going on between them.
He wasn’t going to fight it, not anymore.
Rose was his.
“I’d love the tour.”
He held both of her hands, then led her from room to room. He couldn’t take any credit for the décor. It was all down to a professional designer who listened to what he wanted and then worked his magic.
After showing her his office, he led her right toward his bedroom, and this time, he moved in behind her and then spun her into his arms. She set her purse on the night table. He kissed those sweet, lush lips.
“And this is my room,” he said, kissing her neck.
There were several large mirrors in the room, and he’d never cared for them before, but as he stared at Rose in several of the reflections, he suddenly knew they were perfect. He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close to him.
“What do you think?”
“You’ve got a wonderful home.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
But what he didn’t have was someone to share it with, and Rose was that woman. Slowly, he eased a hand up her body, cupping one of her large breasts in his hand, and he loved the sound of her gasp. He had no intention of letting Rose go.