Page 24 of Heart of Stone

“Laura, please reschedule my ten o’clock.”

Holy hell – he wants to keep me here?

I didn’t know if I could handle another minute in his presence. I wasn’t myself when I was near him. My careful guard, the walls that I tightly clung to whenever I was near another man, seemed to crumble to the wayside with just one look from him. I could feel my heart begin to race as I watched him move at a slow pace towards me, a predatory gleam shining in his eyes.

He took a step closer and reached for my hands. I would swear that my fluttering heart stilled at the contact.

“Why do you twist your hands the way that you do?” he asked, his sapphire eyes blazing into mine.

Was I fidgeting again?

I hadn’t even realized I was doing it.

“A nervous habit,” I explained. Incapable of withstanding his fiery gaze, I turned my head to the left and focused on the blue vases along the wall.

“Look at me, Krystina.” He reached one hand up to turn my chin so that I was forced to face him. Something dark smoldered in the depths of those ruthless cobalt blues, and I wondered if he was going to kiss me. My legs trembled and I cursed myself for wearing pumps rather than flats. “I make you nervous,” he said, his voice becoming deep and throaty.

I couldn’t talk. I was a wreck.

When I didn’t respond, Alexander removed his hand from my chin and slowly ran a thumb over my brow. My breathing suddenly became shallow, as the air seemed to turn thick and suffocating.

“Your bruise is healing nicely.”

“Yes it is,” I agreed, my voice barely above a whisper. He was way too close to me, clouding my senses so that I couldn’t think straight. I tried to step back but he still held my hand firmly in his.

He leaned in closer and I could feel his breath hot on my neck. I allowed the smell of him to envelop me – a mix of sandalwood and his natural male scent. The combination was deadly, like the sexy smell in the air that tempts you to stay outdoors right before a wicked thunderstorm. And at that moment, I was more than willing to be struck by a bolt of lightning.

“This will never work, Krystina. I’m a bad match for someone like you. If you were wise, you would leave my building and never look back,” he warned, his voice low and thick in my ear, causing a prickle at my nape.

The thought of why he might not be good for me had my toes curling in my shoes. I didn’t care how bad he was. I could be the judge of that later. I dismissed the pesky voice in my head that said all men were evil. The devil was out and he was doing a tap dance on my shoulder. The sudden need to taste Alexander’s lips on mine was overwhelming.

He moved his hands and softly traced the pads of his thumbs over my collarbone, causing a tremor to course through me. He placed his palms on each side of my neck and his fingers rested at the base of my skull, making a circular motion at my hairline.

I was coming apart at the seams.

I closed my eyes at the intimate contact and allowed a small moan to escape my lips. His mouth hovered temptingly over mine. I could only hold my breath in anticipation of the kiss that I knew was about to come.

The intercom buzzed again and Laura’s voice came through the speaker, loud and intrusive.

“I’m very sorry sir, but Ms. Andrews is insisting on keeping her appointment. She’s on her way up from the lobby now.”

Alexander let go of me suddenly, as if I had shocked him, causing me to stagger back a few steps. My knees wobbled and I had to work to steady myself. My head was reeling.

Damn you, Ms. Andrews!

I didn’t know who in the hell Ms. Andrews was, but I despised her at that moment.

I looked at him, now standing a good ten feet away from me. He closed his eyes and ran both hands through his hair. He gave his head a slight shake, as if he were attempting to clear it.

When he finally looked at me again, his expression was blank. There was nothing in his appearance that would have revealed what had happened in the last few minutes.

“I would like to finish your interview, Krystina,” he finally said, albeit rather abruptly.

“When would you like to reschedule, Mr. Stone?” I asked, my words sounding faint in my ears. I could barely get the words out, my body still swimming with unexplainable desire.

“I don’t know…” His voice trailed off, uncertainty briefly clouding his features. However, he regained his composure in an instant, once again adorning a poker face that showed no emotion. “It’s probably best for both of us if you leave now, Miss Cole.”

Formal. Back to business.

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