Page 37 of Greed
His fingers slid around her neck to grasp her nape while his thumb brushed her jaw in a single sweep that stopped firmly at her cheekbone. He fought the tingles now drilling into his body. His muscles locked tight in anticipation and he waited for the surge of anxiety to hit him.
Two glazed eyes stared back at him, pupils dilating, as she turned her awareness inwards.
Her lips opened, and she inhaled.
“Like this?” She lifted her own hand to slide around his neck in a firm grasp.
He tensed as the touch hit him. More sensations shot along his spine. But where he usually felt anxiety, this was different. He wanted it. His body reacted with heat and longing.
His lids shuttered as he immersed himself in the moment. It had been so long since he’d simply been like this with another person. With a woman. He dipped his forehead until it met hers and exhaled, letting his breath take away his discomposure, replacing it with peace.
“Yes,” he murmured. “Perfect.”
While icy gusts blew against the windows of his office, they stood leaning into each other for what felt like minutes. Minutes filled with steady breathing and heat soaking through his palm, slowly melting away the tension that often held him hostage. He sensed movement as flurries of wind hit the pane. Light flickered with the fading light outside.
Slowly he opened his eyes; her own were shuttered. The wrinkles between her forehead had smoothed, and her pink lips tipped up one side, happy. He’d done that, given her a smile… made her feel good just like she’d eased him through touch. That revelation battered against the logical preconceptions he’d held so dear. She shouldn’t make him feel so good simply by being there, but she did, and he didn’t want to let go.
He disengaged and stepped back.
“I apologize Lilo. That was inappropriate.” Clearly he wasn’t thinking straight. He was at work. He cleared his throat and tucked his shirt which had somehow pulled clear of his pants when he stretched. “Please forgive me.”
She flashed a brief smile. “Believe me, nothing to forgive. It was nice. In fact, I’d be open to doing that again. Any time. I mean.” Her eyes widened. “I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m embarrassing myself, aren’t I? Oh goodness, this is as bad as your butt. I mean, your butt wasn’t bad, it was good. I’m talking about it being nice. And your sister’s.” She clapped her hands over her mouth. “I’m sorry.”
A small smile touched his lips. He liked it when she couldn’t hide her thoughts. It was refreshing to have someone so open in a world ruled by lies and greed. He had a sudden urge to kiss that honest mouth and his emotions frightened him. He wasn’t the kind of man to spontaneously kiss a woman. He was planned and prepared.
The metal objects on his desk began rattling and Lilo looked over, confused.Shit. He turned away and calmed his beating heart. God, he was awful at controlling his urges around her. Until he was, she wouldn’t be safe near him.
“We should probably get back to work before the day is done.” He gestured at the closed door leading to the rest of the office.
“Yes. Right. You’re right. I need to get back to my desk.” She sidestepped Griffin and went to open the door.
“Wait,” he blurted.
She stopped.
“In your message, you mentioned another investigation.”
Lilo turned, paling. “Yes.”
“Do you have a lead?”
“Maybe. I think speaking with my mother is a good start.”
“I’ll come with you.”
A blush tinged her cheeks. “You will?”
She stepped forward. He wanted to kiss her again. And that was wrong. So wrong. He wasn’t in control around her. This couldn’t be about him wanting to be near her, it had to be about work.
“It would all be part of your process and something I should learn to understand before I move onto the next employee.”
“Oh. The process. Of course.” Her demeanor changed from relaxed to tense. The mood in the room darkened. She opened the door stiffly. “Thank you for the offer, but this is personal. I’ll manage on my own.”
Griffin followed her through the door and frowned as she walked along the corridor. He must have said something wrong, or maybe he’d overstepped personal boundaries when he’d touched her.
To make matters worse, in all the confusion, he’d failed to check his bio-indicator for a control marker and neglected to stop his timer. Frustrated, he flicked out his arm to reveal his wrist and viewed the tattoo. Completely balanced after skin-on-skin contact. It had only been a few minutes, but when writing a new protocol, seconds could make the world of difference. Now, the question was whether to do something selfish or generous and record the effect, or to start over. He should probably start a spreadsheet.
Sitting at his desk, he moved the newspapers he’d been looking at earlier to the side and stacked them in a neat pile.
