“Of course, sir.”
The secretary stepped back and closed the door. Everything went still again. A heavy silence hung in the air and seemed to occupy every inch of the room.
Kat felt the pressing need to speak. This time she spoke calmly. “I’m sorry. I can go. You have things to deal with.”
She picked up her bag and began collecting her things.
“No. Stay. I want you to stay.” He grabbed her hand before she could put her bag over her shoulder.
She had managed to cage the butterflies in her chest from earlier, but with one touch, he set them free again. Her whole body trembled.
“I want to see you again,” he said. His eyes went to hers and she froze, unable to do anything but stare into their beauty. She felt her cheeks beginning to flush but she hoped she didn’t show it.
“I can talk to your secretary about setting up another meeting...” she murmured. Though, honestly, it had taken months to get this meeting. She wasn’t sure if she could set up another one.
“Not about this.” He used his thumb to point to the folder on his filing cabinet. He paused for a short beat. “I do like your idea, though.”
“You do? You like it?” Surprised pleasure filled her. “I’d love to hear your thoughts on the marketing.”
“All business, aren’t you?” he said with a chuckle. His hand was still holding hers. He smiled and paused again, this time slightly longer. “I looked at the preliminary proposal and agree with it. I do have some questions, but… they aren’t for right now.”
She smiled back at him, fighting her happiness of his approval with her embarrassment of being so pushy with her idea. “I understand.”
“Right now, I’m just glad I found you.” His fingers caressed her wrist, giving her heart palpitations.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she said, allowing her relief to come through as she spoke.
“Me neither.” He was staring into her eyes. It was a stare that was as passionate as it was comforting.
“And to think, you were just upstairs the whole time,” she said with a small laugh.
Another smile lit up his face. It fit his jaw line perfectly. She loved when he smiled and loved being the cause of it even more.
“If I had known, I would have been downstairs first thing Monday morning.”
She marveled at his charisma and the way he could flirt with charming confidence. He really was something. It was no wonder he was CEO of his own company.
With one hand still holding hers, AJ reached up and held behind her neck. He pulled her closer and his thumb gently glided to her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her.
Their lips connected with graceful ease. Everything she had dreamed of for the past two weeks came to life. His lips fit on hers like they had never left. He bit lightly on her bottom lip and released an energy in her she couldn’t remember bottling.
The images of their last night together were still vivid behind her closed eyes. All she could imagine was ripping off every article of clothing—starting with his tie—and heaving herself into his arms. She wished he would just take her on the desk and relieve the burning desire in her.
He slowly let go of her hand and moved to her waist. Instinctively, she took her empty hand and rested her palm against his chest. He gave one more brush of his thumb on her cheek and then slowly moved down, joining his other hand at the bottom of her back.
And then he pulled her even closer. Their bodies were pressed together and felt like one. The moment was perfect, better than anything she had imagined.
15
AJ
AJ could barely believe he was kissing her. He could barely believe she was really here. Her lips were soft and tender, while her body pressed into his. She was better than he remembered. She tasted warm and sweet. AJ felt himself savoring her taste as he held her bottom lip between his teeth.
In its entirety, the kiss was spectacular. The moment had begun slowly, but she increasingly responded to his every sensual maneuver, which only made him crave more. After settling for a moment on her waist, his hands had started to wander. They caressed the top of her butt, then slowly crept upward until he palmed her breasts.
The kiss had sparked a wildfire of sexual enthusiasm that he remembered from their night together. It began in his chest but quickly moved to the tips of his fingers and down through his legs. His movements intensified with every second; he pushed on her breasts only to seize her shirt and pull her close a
gain.