Page 58 of Dangerous Temptation
Breathless, she stared across the room at Alex.
He was bent over a raised workbench, looking at the shiny computer he’d shown her last night. At the sound of her panting, he raised his head. Their gazes locked for a long moment.
He frowned. ‘What’s wrong?’
The ache in her throat turned into a knot. She couldn’t tell him what she’d done. ‘My computer,’ she finally managed to squeak.
His eyes narrowed, but she braved the examination to cross the room. That intense grey gaze swept over her, and her body grew warm. She stopped next to him. Close. She laid her hand on his bare forearm and heat passed between them. Her fingers tightened. ‘Was it …’ She struggled for a moment to get her head on straight. ‘Was it salvageable?’
‘I think I saved your data, but you’re going to have to check.’
At the moment, she couldn’t have cared less.
Still, she took the wireless mouse from him and began looking through the file manager. Distracted as she was, it was hard to tell if anything was missing, but most of it seemed to be there. She opened a few files. Nothing looked corrupted.
She looked at him and their noses nearly brushed. She stared into his handsome face with his spiky hair and rough stubble. A complicated man with a prickly exterior.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
‘You’re welcome.’ That icy gaze slid to her mouth and then back up to her eyes. He was bracing himself against the table, and the position left him leaning over her. ‘It meant a lot to me that you trusted me with that. I know what that computer means to you.’ Unable to hold back any longer, Elena leaned into him. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around his middle and kissed him. Slow and deep. Everything she was feeling came out in the kiss, and she felt him rock back in surprise.
It didn’t take long before his arms wrapped around her. His hands fisted in her hair and their mouths locked. The heat turned into a slow smoulder. Her fingers dug into his back and he pressed closer. Her head dropped back and she clung to him.
When he finally pulled away, he was breathing hard. His eyes narrowed. ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’
She wasn’t sure of anything, other than the fact that she was going to stop fighting what was between them. Stop ignoring the need. ‘I’m just tired and stressed,’ she said honestly. ‘It’s all starting to get to me.’
He drew his thumb over her cheek. ‘Well, it’s a good thing I made plans for today,’ he replied softly.
‘Plans?’
‘To pamper you.’
She smiled softly. She’d already had the good food and the fine wine. All she wanted right now was to hold him. ‘There’s no need. The new laptop is more than enough.’
His face turned cloudy and his jaw hardened. It was the same expression he’d taken with him to bed. ‘That’s where you’re wrong. There is a need, pretty siren. There’s going to be no more settling for you.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘You’ve done without for too long, and it stops now.’ He punctuated the hard sentence with a kiss that seared her down to her toes. ‘I’ve invited some people over to change that.’
Elena didn’t understand. He sounded truly angry.
They’d been hiding out, trying to avoid people. They’d gone to great lengths not to be caught together. Tabitha hadn’t betrayed their trust, but they couldn’t keep taking chances like that. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, Alex. I appreciate the gesture, but the press will find out I’m here. Someone is bound to talk.’
‘Not at the rate I’m paying them. If they want to continue getting my business, they’ll keep their mouths shut. So get ready. You’re about to be pampered from the top of your shiny head to the tips of your pink toes.’
‘Alex.’
‘Deal with it.’ He looked at the Rolex on his wrist. ‘Now. They should be here.’
They?
He caught her hand and pulled her from the room.
‘But Alex,’ she protested as they rode the elevator down to the first floor. She tugged nervously at her T-shirt. When she’d called him down to the lake house yesterday, she’d been working. She wasn’t dressed for company – especially his type of company.
‘But nothing. You look fantastic.’ He lowered his head closer to hers. ‘Relax. You’re going to enjoy this.’
