Page 27 of Second Chances
Concise and to the point, she wouldn’t expect anything different. His endearment though, awoke the butterflies in her stomach.
She couldn’t wait to see him.
Tossing her phone onto the bed, she pulled the dress off the hanger and slipped into it, careful not to catch her hair or smudge her make-up. After struggling for a minute to zip up the back of the dress on her own, she turned away from the bedroom door to face the full-length mirror on the closet door.
Holy shit.
She looked good, if she did say so herself. The deep navy of the dress highlighted her pale skin; the sections of lace on the front and sides of the dress were accentuated as her skin almost glowed through the intricate pattern. Her hairstyle was a perfect complement to the design of the dress - simple and elegant. She looked professional, elegant, and yet subtly sexy. Her mind wandered off into thoughts of what the night would hold as she stared blankly into the mirror. Warm electricity began to run up her spine and she blinked a few times to bring the image of herself in the mirror back into focus; except this time, she wasn’t the only one reflecting back in the glass.
Chapter Nine
Darcy.
She hadn’t even heard him come in. Her breathing was shallow as their eyes remained locked within the mirror. She felt frozen in his molten stare and even though it was only his reflection that she was looking at, she could clearly see the fire burning in his eyes. Then again, she knew that hers were glowing with just as much desire on seeing him.
He must have gotten ready at his office because he was fully dressed in a jet black, fitted tux; his hair was perfect,hell, he was perfect.He looked like he had walked right out of a GQ cover, emanating power and desire. She licked her lips and saw his jaw clench at her minute movement. Her momentary paralysis broken, she turned slowly to face the most gorgeous man she had ever seen.
His eyes caught hers again.
“God, Beth, you are gorgeous.” The compliment escaped hoarsely from his lips as he strode purposefully toward her.
“Darcy,” she replied in a whisper just before his lips came crashing down on hers.
Pulling her tightly against him, he drank deeply from her mouth, as though he had been starved all day and she was his only form of sustenance. Beth let herself get lost in his kiss, her tongue toying with his, moaning as he playfully bit and sucked on the soft fullness of her lower lip. Thankfully, or regretfully, she was getting better at controlling her desire to lose herself in him; when she felt the familiar warmth start to trickle between her thighs, she pulled her mouth back, gently pushing against his chest.
“Darcy,” she said, her voice thick with desire, “we have to go. I can’t be late for the event.”
“Fuck the event.” His response came out harshly, but she knew the outburst was from pent-up desire and not anger.And she couldn’t blame him.
“Later.”She uttered the word as both a plea and a promise as she reached up and placed the lightest kiss on his lips – the sweetest seal to her promise that more would follow.
His arms clamped like a vise around her as she tried to step back and out of his embrace. Her gaze shot questioningly to his, immediately fearing the worst.
Is he not going to let me go? Is he going to keep me here, tie me down, prevent me from going to my event, from doing my job?
As soon as the thoughts finished flying through her mind, her mouth began to open - whether to plead with him or berate him, she wasn’t quite sure. It looked like she would never know because, in that instant, she felt his arms relax from around her, his fingers trailing lightly up her bare arms, sending goosebumps all over her body. His hands came to rest gently on either side of her face, tilting it up to meet his as his mouth came within an inch of hers.
“I’m holding you to that, Princess.”
His tantalizing threat sent hot lightning right down to her core. Her eyelids dropped heavily, her breathing faltered, as she anticipated one last kiss to emphasize his warning. Suddenly, he was gone - walking out of the bedroom.
“I’m ready whenever you are,” he said with a devious smile on his face.
Wait, what? Where is the kiss?
She stood for a moment, processing what had just happened. Sure, she’d pulled away first because they did have to go, but she’d craved one last kiss to hold her over until later and he’d teased her with it and then left her hanging.Ok, maybe she had done the same to him.No, not maybe - she was sure, judging from her quick glimpse of the front of his pants, he was in the same tormented state of unfulfilled arousal as she was. For one second, if she was honest, she contemplated following through with her promise right now and saying‘screw it’to her job and the event, but that second passed swiftly.
Beth turned back to face the mirror, smoothing her dress and making sure she still looked presentable. She reapplied her lipstick and threw the tube into her purse.
Ready.
With a steadying breath, a contrast to the erratic beat of her heart and nerves, she turned and walked out of the bedroom.
She stopped short again in the hall when her eyes caught him reading something on his phone by the door, waiting for her.
It should be a crime to be that good looking.
She kept moving as he looked up from his phone, jaw clenching and eyes darkening again at the sight of her. At this rate, they would set the hotel on fire with the desire that burned, unquenched between them.
