Page 49 of Take 2
“Well, thank you for bringing me. Even if you hid your real intentions.” We stroll down the boardwalk as we get close to our hotel.
“Did I hide them so well?”
“Probably not. I chose to ignore logic.” Obviously, no one just invites a rival colleague they generally avoid on this kind of trip.
He stops and looks down at me. Familiarity washes over me at the sensation of craning my neck to meet his gaze.
“Why?” he says. “Did you approve of the more devious motivation?”
“Subconsciously, I suppose I did.”
All right, saying nice things might become a habit if it always results in him looking at me like this. His eyes are as warm and inviting as new soft grass in spring, and his smile doesn’t even piss me off when it’sforme rather thanatme.
He bends down, and I rise onto my toes. I tangle my hands into his hair and kiss him like all the time I spent not kissing him today was a terrible waste of time. My hunger is mirrored in his urgency—in the firmness of his grip, in the way his tongue claims my mouth. He lifts me and sits me on the boardwalk rail.
“I swear to God, if you drop me in—”
His kiss silences my empty threat. When he pulls his lips a breath away from mine, he replies, “Not even possible.”
I guess it wouldn’t be, what with him holding me so tightly. As much as I hate to stop … “We should get inside before we’re arrested for doing things that are not allowed in public.”
He drops his forehead to mine and takes a deep breath. “Yeah. Sorry, I …”
“Me too.” Got carried away? Forgot the world existed? Want you so bad I’m going to explode? Any of those are sentiments I have to agree with.
Preston slides his hands around my waist and gets my feet back on the ground—in a physical sense, anyway. I’m still floating a bit as we walk hand in hand the short distance to the hotel. In the elevator, my hand trembles in his. He lifts it to his lips to lay a gentle kiss on my knuckles.
“You had a pretty quick change of heart,” he says.
“Did I, though?” When I couldn’t keep my distance, verbal jabs were the only way to avoid this. It’s not so much a change of heart as proving I was lying to myself all along. Preston had mostly treated me like a predatory cat he wanted to befriend but knew could kill him until this year. Now that he seems to have moved past that fear, I realize it was probably protecting me more than him.
He squeezes my hand as the door opens, and we make our way down the hall. While I fish out my room key, he wraps his arms around me, pressing my back to his chest and stomach. When he nibbles my ear, I nearly drop the card. Finally, I get the door open.
Preston grasps my shoulders lightly as we walk in. “I guess a change of scenery really did help.”
I turn around and smile up at him. “It certainly didn’t hurt.” My fingers brush his neck as I start unbuttoning his shirt. “It kind of makes it not real, right? Like if worse comes to worst, there’s always thewhat happens in Monaco stays in Monacooption.”
His hand wraps around both of mine, and I look up to find his head cocked to the side. “You know that’s not what I’m trying to do.”
“Well, yeah. I’m nothopingfor that either, but I can’t make any promises.”
“I know, but …” He pinches the bridge of his nose and presses his eyes closed.
“Hey.” I slide my hand up to rest on his jaw. “I’m not saying this would be a one-night stand. Just that we need to take it a day at a time.”
He nods. “Yeah, of course. I’m sorry. That caught me off guard.” Apparently, he is capable of frowning, but being the cause of it sends a spiderweb of cracks through me.
“No need to apologize. I’m sorry for joking about it.” I link my fingers behind his neck, stretched up on my toes to reach. “I’ve avoided this because I’m afraid of it.” Oh, perfect. Just enough wine to bethathonest.
He slides his arms around me and pulls me against him. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I know.” I kind of hate that I can trust him, but I do.
We stand in silence for a moment in each other’s arms. Our momentum has been leading to sex, but I didn’t realize how much I needed this too.
“Well, that killed the mood.”
I snicker against him. “This is a nice mood too. Not that it would take much to rekindle the other one.” I arch back to look up at him. “Will you … stay with me?”
