Page 43 of Love In The Spotlight

“Then are you sorry it happened?”

“No,” she said. “I’m confused.”

“Not surprising. I am a bit too,” he said. “But I’m glad I brought it up to talk about. No reason to have it be this air of tension between us when we’ve got to work together.”

“That’s the problem,” she said. “We work together.”

“Short term,” he said. “I can be mature and professional about this. I’m positive you don’t know any other way than to put work first and keep it on that level.”

“I feel an insult in there,” she said.

If she wasn’t smiling he would have apologized. “It’s a compliment more than anything. You’re a strong enough person to compartmentalize things.”

“Complimenting me isn’t going to necessarily give you the answer you're hoping to get.”

“You don’t know the answer I’m hoping to get, do you?” he asked, lifting and eyebrow.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say, since you brought this conversation up, you’d like more than that kiss. I’m not a casual person when it comes to sex.”

He knew this would be part of it. “I didn’t have the best reputation when it came to women. Not for years. I can tell you right now my priorities have shifted a ton. I rarely go out, and when I do, I don’t end up with random one-night stands.”

“Meaning that was normally what you did before?”

“I’ve been in relationships, but they didn’t last for long. I wasn’t looking to settle down for years. My career was my focus, women were an outlet for release.”

“That’s crude,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Being honest. That is how I was. Then my life changed on more than one level. I don’t drink much. I don’t hang out with those I used to. I’ve got something more important for me at home and every decision I make is based on that.”

She nodded her head. “What is it you are looking for?” she asked.

“A chance,” he said. “Nothing more. What comes out of it will be between us. We don’t need to put a title on it.”

“Can I get another kiss first?” she asked.

He laughed and stood up, held his hand out to her for her to do the same. He pulled her close and held her softly. No reason to show her the urgency he was feeling. He didn’t want to scare her off.

Not that he thought Laken was someone that scared easily, but she sure the hell was acting timid on a few levels.

He dipped his head down and kissed her softly, not opening his mouth.

She grunted and put her arms around his neck and pushed his head down closer to hers, her mouth opening, her tongue going into his mouth and the two of them making out as if they were on homecoming night in a dark corner and didn’t want witnesses.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed kissing like that, but his dick decided to join the party because there was just no way it couldn’t with as long as it’d been since he’d been with a woman.

He wasn’t sure she’d believe him, but it was the truth.

She ended the kiss before he wanted, but he was letting her call the plays.

She stepped back and sat down, her hand fanning her face. “Phew, that was intense.”

“On your part,” he said. “Or your doing. I was trying to be gentlemanly. Now if you tell me you’re not interested I’ll know it’s not the truth. Want to explain what that was about?”

“I’m interested,” she said. “I never said I wasn’t. Just trying to wrap my head around this. I haven’t dated much in years. No relationships either. I didn’t know what you were looking for or what I might even want. But the one thing I needed to know is if that sample kiss we had the other day was all there is or I’d feel more.”

He raised his eyebrows at her. “Don’t tell me you didn’t feel more because I know you did.”

“I wouldn’t lie any more than your body didn’t about how you felt. A woman can get away with not letting that show though.”

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