Page 13 of Royal Pain

As I stood, he took my elbow, leading me away from the bar. “I enjoy spending time with a beautiful woman so thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I enjoyed getting to look past the rich façade.”

We were both laughing again as he continued walking me to the other side of the pool. All seemed quiet, very few guests remaining.

“Touché,” he said in a very husky voice.

“What a shame more people aren’t out enjoying the gorgeous stars in the sky.”

“Well, they are otherwise engaged.”

“Hmmm… Must be nice. Thank you for your time.” As soon as I started to walk away, he pulled me close, so much so the wafting scent of his aftershave became almost instantly intoxicating.

“As I said, enjoying time with a beautiful woman is rare in my world.” He was sincere about his statement, which is why I didn’t pull away.

When he cupped the side of my face, the hold slightly possessive yet not terrifying, I found myself leaning in. Maybe it was the stars overhead twinkling as if they were guiding me or the perfect amount of liquor in my system, but as he lowered his head, I knew I needed to push him away. But the attraction was too strong.

He captured my mouth, holding our lips in place. So much of me knew this was wrong, so very wrong but the feel of him, being able to cling to his shirt, the building heat was irresistible.

I was swooning, which meant I was lightheaded with my own set of colorful stars floating across my periphery of vision. I’d always made fun of women who acted as if a single kiss could rival all the rest of the moments of intimacy they’d had in their lives, but it was true.

As he swept his tongue inside, I was forced to accept I’d never been kissed like this, which meant it was as if I’d never been kissed at all. He was dominating yet longing to please me. I could sense that in the way he tasted me, exploring every inch of my mouth. For a precious few moments, I could let everything go in my life.

The court battle.

The threatening phone calls.

The wretched emails.

The worry that kept me awake at night.

Nothing mattered except right here and now. And it was joyous.

He shifted one arm around my waist, pulling me tightly against his overheated body. I’d known he was hard as a rock but feeling it, having it pressed into me was something else altogether. Electricity shot through us like wildfire, enough current to light up an entire city. A large city.

When he finally broke the kiss, he continued to hold my face close, both our breathing actions labored. I rolled one hand up to his shoulder, grasping it. He was even more muscular than I’d believed. Seeing him in shorts was a welcome sight. Or maybe I was just horny.

I enjoyed every second of being with him, but knew it was time to end this before it went too far. I wasn’t the kind of woman to run away from anything, but I was terrified of the need and desire furrowing deep inside. I pushed back, still taking ragged breaths.

We searched each other’s eyes and it was another moment where I knew if I even blinked, we would be going to his room.

So I didn’t.

There was no sense in risking my emotions, especially not my heart. This trip was about Heidi.

I pushed him away even further, touching my lips with one hand. After that, I did something that would forever surprise me.

I turned and ran.

Gage

To say I’d managed to drive Evangeline out of my mind would be a lie.

The kiss had been amazing, so much so I’d almost broken my own rule, escorting her to my suite. Even now, almost a full night later, I could still taste her.

Damn it. Being attracted to a guest wasn’t in my best interest. I had business to take care of before I left to hold in person meetings with some clients in San Diego. Rich men and women were funny. They didn’t appreciate or value Zoom meetings, especially when discussing their finances and investments. I couldn’t blame them.

Our firm had specialized in very personal care, and given Valerio’s and Braxton’s relationships, I’d been forced to pull back enough clients were grumbling.

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