Page 45 of Seducing the Billionaire

“Emma.” He steps away, my hand curling in frustration as I return it to my side. There’s regret on his face, but it doesn’t change the rejection that stabs at me. “I’m not that guy. The boss who takes advantage of those under him. Our situation—” He sighs heavily. “My situation… You deserve someone who can be with you freely.”

I swallow, my mouth incredibly dry. Is he suggesting… “So you’re saying you’d want to be with me? If you could?”

“No, I—” He pulls at his hair again, turning away from me. “What I want doesn’t matter.”

The despair in his voice tugs at my heart. A part of me wants to leave him in peace and respect his wishes. There’s a chance I could blow it all if I push too hard. But I fear we’ll never get anywhere if I give up now.

I walk around him until he has no choice but to look at me, and step close, sliding my hands up his chest, over those broad shoulders, intertwining them around the back of his neck. I take note of the way he quickly inhales, the involuntary flash of desire in his eyes, his focus on my mouth. “What you want matters. And if you want me, well, I want you too.”

He bites his lip, gaze flicking over my face, indecision waging a war within him. He wants this. I know he does.

He just needs a push to get there.

Chapter Sixteen

Connor

I’m helpless against this dominant side of Emma, her words sending a rush of arousal through me, closing my eyes as she reaches up on tiptoes, drawing my head down for a hot kiss. As our lips meet, everything in my world goes right again, the same way it did last night. The same way it does every time I’m around her. I can’t fight this attraction when she’s this close, her arms looped over my shoulders, invading my senses.

She makes a sound of pleasure, the noise kick-starting something within me, and I move too, my body acting before my brain does, guiding her to the closest wall. I settle my hands on her waist, squeezing her as I fully return her kiss, learning the shape of her mouth. Breathing in her delicious scent. Reveling in the softness of her.

I’m weak against this woman, letting her overtake me, not worrying about what’s right and wrong for the moment. I let her consume me, her nails digging into my skin the slightest bit, a pleasure I wasn’t aware I needed till now. My thumbs draw circles over her hipbones, my fingers restless, wanting more of her.

I press her further against the wall, shifting my hips to make contact with hers, letting out a groan as I nestle in where I want. Her breath hitches, hold on me tightening, and I grind softly against her, the low whimpers she makes in the back of her throat spurring me on, a desire stronger than I’ve ever known filling me.

She breaks her mouth from mine just long enough to whisper, “Touch me, Connor,” her voice breathless, begging.

I can’t deny her what she wants, sliding my hands up those seductive curves, shaping my palms over the heavy weight of her breasts, my body revved and ready to go at the feel of her.

I trail kisses down her neck, nipping at the soft skin, and she arches to give me better access, her breaths coming faster. I eye her Oxford shirt, overwhelmingly tempted to undo the buttons, wanting to see for myself what’s underneath.

I toy with a button, gauging her reaction, and she lifts her head from where it’s thrown back against the wall, noticing where my attention has gone. She untwines her hands from around my neck, bringing them down to unbutton the first button, a sliver of creamy skin revealing itself. She moves down to the next one, drawing it out, the button slowly slipping out of place, a hint of cleavage exposed. The third is undone even slower, my gaze glued to the area soon to be uncovered, my breaths harsh as she parts the neckline of her shirt and runs a finger between the valley of her breasts. God, I can’t wait to get my hands on her.

There’s a distant ringing, my mind too focused on what’s to come to recognize it at first until she looks up at me, some of the sensual daze leaving her eyes. Oh, shit. That’s my phone.

I release her, shaking my head, unable to believe I let myself get that far into it. While at work of all places. And after I just committed to being more professional, determined to never get caught in a compromising situation with her again.

I pull my phone out of my pocket, seeing it’s Gabriel, but don’t answer it yet. She’s still staring at me, her shirt half open, lips swollen from my kisses, everything about her screaming that she wants to be fucked. By me. The one person who can’t do anything with her.

This wasn’t simply a mistake. This was a fuckup beyond belief. Now that I know the taste of her, the feel of her, how can I go back to working with her platonically, knowing what I’m missing? Knowing she wants it as much as I do?

“I—” I struggle, nothing to say that’ll make this situation right. I hold up my phone, using it as a weak excuse as I say, “I have to take this.”

I spin around, leaving her there, a brick settling in my stomach as I answer the phone and stride down the hall, praying there’s no one outside my office to witness my hard-on, clearly visible in these pants. I’m perfectly aware it’s a shitty move to abandon her, but if I stayed, it was only a matter of time before I pushed up her skirt and fucked her for real. That’s where things were headed. And it can’t be like that between us.

I listen to Gabriel tell me how good it was for everyone to get together last night, how he’d like to meet up more often, asking if I’m free for lunch today.

“Uh, sure.” I shut my office door behind me, locking it, a part of me afraid that if Emma comes in here, I won’t be able to resist her again. My willpower is shot.

“Great. What time?”

“I have a meeting.” When is it? Emma and I never went over the schedule. And I’m sure as hell not going back out there to discuss it with her now. “It ends at one or one-thirty, I’m not sure.”

“No problem. How about I meet you at your office at one? And if you’re not done yet, I’ll just chill here. I’ve got the afternoon clear until four.”

“Yeah, sounds good. See you then.”

I hang up, staring down at the erection still straining at the fly of my pants. There’s no way I’m relieving it. If I do, I’ll have to think of Emma. And inviting her into my thoughts is only a recipe for disaster.

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