Page 4 of Heart of The Night

He nodded in acknowledgement and pushed away from the lamp post. As he crossed the street, the sheer view of him accelerated the beats of my heart. I wanted to jump on him, lavish him with kisses, rip his shirt off and worship his beautiful body.

He had nearly reached me when he withdrew something from his back pocket – a red rose. My breath quickened, my cheeks flushing with heat. The air between us crackled with the raw, potent energy of our chemistry, and I could practically taste the electric charge that pulsed between us.

A foot in front of me, he stopped. Taking off his sunglasses, he let them hang from the collar of his white T-shirt. Then he raised the rose and, with a delicate touch, tucked the short, thornless stem behind my left ear.

‘Hi,’ he said tenderly, wearing the crooked smile that always stirred something deep within me.

‘Hi,’ I replied softly, utterly taken with him.

‘I actually wanted to give you a bouquet, but I thought it would just be a hassle to have to carry it around,’ he said, as if I had expected more than this.

I could barely breathe. His romantic side was blowing my mind. I wasn’t remotely accustomed to being treated like this, so I had no idea how to react.

‘I wasn’t expecting flowers at all.’

Chuckling, he curled his forefinger and placed it under my chin, tilting my head back. He pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, his lips burning straight through my skin. Even when he pulled away, the spot still tingled.

‘Is it just me or does this feel a bit different?’ he asked, his luminous blue eyes spilling with affection.

Swallowing, I shook my head. ‘It feels very different.’

‘In a good way, though.’

‘I think so.’ I nodded. ‘It feels good.’

He grinned, and the view took my breath away. I grew weak at the knees.

‘I saw you hours ago,’ he said, ‘and yet, somehow, I feel like I’m seeing you for the first time.’

‘I know what you mean.’

‘Like the confines are finally gone.’

That was exactly it. After everything we had been through, this was the first time I was seeing him without worrying about potential repercussions. There were no colleagues here to inhibit me from kissing him, Jason had already given us his blessing, and Aaron was no longer a factor. And, perhaps most importantly, I was finally allowing myself to consider what my feelings wanted.

‘Ready, then?’ William asked.

‘Yes.’ Feeling nervous, I adjusted the strap of my purse on my bare shoulder.

‘You look edible,’ he said, his eyes devouring my body. ‘So much, in fact, that I’m seriously considering whether I should just have you for dinner instead.’

I had no idea what my facial expression conveyed when his gaze returned to mine. My mind had resigned from the present. Instead, it was entertaining sensuous scenes in his penthouse, a place I hadn’t seen for months but remembered vividly – his naked body above mine, glistening with sweat in the dim light of his living room while he thrust me into total delirium upon his dining table.

Suddenly he clasped my hand, and a jolt of electricity surged through me.

‘I’m clammy,’ I said, my tone apologetic.

He squeezed my hand, his tempting lips twitching upward at the corners. ‘Are you nervous?’ He raised a brow.

‘Of course,’ I said without shame.

‘Don’t be. You’re everything I want.’

My breath hitched, and my heart felt like it was about to burst – it hurt.

‘Right back at you,’ I said and looked away, feeling shy. I couldn’t help it. This whole experience was nothing short of overwhelming. I didn’t know what to expect or how to behave.

‘Fancy seeing me out of my suit, do you?’ he teased, clearly alluding to the question I had asked him in his office a few days ago – if I would be seeing him in less formal clothes for a change.

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