Page 54 of He Falls First

Her mouth melds with mine, enveloping me in the sensation of her—soft yet demanding, sweet, with a hint of something wild beneath the surface. My mind races with thoughts unbidden: how right she feels in my arms, how sincerely I could declare her mine and never let her go.

My hands trace the curve of her spine, fingers dancing over the fabric of her dress, and it makes it worse that I already know the feel of every inch of skin beneath it. Her own hands are not idle either, roving sinfully over my back, slipping under my jacket to pull me closer. I groan—the sound torn from deep in my chest—a primal admission of how much I want her.

We break apart, breathless, and the world sharpens into focus again. The flickering candlelight. The scent of jasmine in the air. The thud of my heart against my ribcage. And Elizabeth, flushed and beautiful and everything I’ve been trying to deny myself since this charade began.

“Damn it, Lizzy,” I mutter, voice coarse with hunger as she tilts her head back, inviting another kiss. One that would surely undo me. I give it to her, lips soft and tongue heavy.

Elizabeth tears her mouth from mine to gasp for air. I trail kisses along her jaw and down the side of her neck, nipping and sucking at her pulse point. Her fingernails dig into my shoulders as she tilts her head to give me better access.

Another growl rumbles in my chest. My restraint is in tatters, my desire for Elizabeth a raging inferno that threatens to consume us both.

I lift her off her feet, clutching her to me as I crush our mouths together again. Her legs wrap around my waist, her body undulating against my erection.

The friction sends a jolt of ecstasy through me. I stumble toward the nearest wall, bracing Elizabeth against it. She hitches higher on my body, her core sliding along my length.

“Elizabeth,” I groan, tearing my mouth from hers. I press my forehead to hers, squeezing my eyes shut as I struggle for control. “We have to stop.”

Her deep blue eyes, darkened now with desire, snap up to meet mine. “Why?”

Her breathless question is both plea and demand. Her hands frame my face, her thumbs tracing my cheekbones.

“Because we’re losing control of this thing,” I say, each word clipped and final. “There’s a reason we once agreed to keep things professional.” The reminder is as much for me as it is for her, even though you’d think I’d be plenty convinced by now.

She exhales a soft puff of air. “It’s getting harder to remember that,” she confesses with a tremor in her voice. “Harder to keep real feelings out of it.”

I need her to stop that—right now. She has no idea the dangerous territory she’s getting into with this line of thinking.

“Then maybe you don’t know what real feelings even are,” I snap. “You must fall for men far too easily if you’re feeling something for me.”

Her face falls, and I know I’ve struck a nerve. I hate myself for saying it, hate that I’m using these words as a shield against the truth—that I’m the one teetering on the edge of falling too damn hard. But it’s better this way. Better to end the night with sour regret than to wake up tomorrow tangled in complications we can’t undo.

“Goodnight, Hendrix,” she says. Her voice is small but edged with steel as she turns away from me, leaving the terrace.

The door clicks shut, somehow loud enough to fill up the whole expansive space around me. And I’m left there, alone with the flickering candles, the scent of jasmine, and the bitter realization that I’ve just pushed away the one person who might be worth breaking all my rules for.

Chapter 21

Hendrix

“Damn it, Matt!” A stack of papers tumbles off my desk—and yes, it’s my own hand that made them do so, but that doesn’t mean I can’t yell at someone else for it. “Can’t you see I’m drowning in work here?”

“Whoa, Hendrix.” Matt raises his hands defensively. “You’re even grumpier than usual. What’s going on?”

I run a hand through my hair. “I don’t know. Just stressed, I guess. All these expectations weighing on me to secure this company.”

Matt nods sympathetically. “Yeah, I can imagine. That’s a lot of pressure.” He pauses, then asks, “So how’s the whole fake engagement thing going? You and Lizzy getting along alright?”

I scowl at the nickname. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

He’d read too much into anything I have to say. The last thing I need is for Matt to get any ideas about me developing feelings for Elizabeth. She should be arriving here any minute now to join me for a lunch meeting, and Matt’s idea of being discreet is like a sledgehammer doing needlework.

“Alright, alright,” Matt concedes, though I can tell he’s still itching to dig deeper. He knows me too well. “Just trying to lighten the mood, man.”

“Let’s just stay focused, okay?”

“Sure thing, boss.” He grins as he turns back to his paperwork, knowing full well he’s gotten under my skin.

Just as I’m trying to reorganize the disaster that is my desk, I hear a voice that immediately makes me stand straight up.

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