Page 36 of Silver Fox's Christmas Scandal
The only thing I regretted about this entire trip was that I hadn't invited anyone else to see her in action.
They all deserved to see how spectacular she was at work.
Her smile was radiant, transforming her entire face. "I was terrified I'd embarrass you."
"Never. You were perfect."
Something shifted in her expression, a softness that made my pulse quicken.
When her shoulder brushed against my chest as we passed into the elevator, the thought of kissing her right there passed through my mind. I controlled myself, but it was challenging.
The elevator doors slid shut and I turned to her. "Dinner?" I asked.
"I'd love that," she said, then promptly changed the topic back to the meeting to discuss some numbers we'd have to compile for the client. That conversation carried us all the way to my hired limo and across town.
The restaurant I chose was tucked away in the North End, all exposed brick and candlelight, giving it an high-end industrial feel. Intimate without being obvious about it.
Neither of us was dressed for a fancy dinner, but the blue dress she wore—which she chose a lot lately—was stunning on her.
She ordered seafood risotto and savored every bite, her eyes closing with pleasure at particularly good forkfuls.
I found myself watching her mouth, the way she unconsciously licked her lips, and had to force my attention back to conversation.
"The clients seemed genuinely excited," she said between bites.
"They were. You convinced them." I lifted an eyebrow, barely touching my own dinner. I was too distracted by how impressed I found myself.
I saw in her things I didn't see in any other analyst working for the company. Tessa had drive and ambition that many others lacked. I felt like I was looking at a younger version of me.
"We convinced them," she said softly, tipping her wine glass up to her lips.
I reached across the table and touched her hand. "Don't diminish what you accomplished today. That success was yours."
Her fingers intertwined with mine, sending heat up my arm. But there was something deeper beneath the physical attraction—a fierce pride in her achievement that felt almost possessive.
It wasn't because I had recognized that and set it free. It was because something inside me claimed ownership over her now. I knew it was dangerous and risky to feel this way, but that first night in my arms, I'd known it would happen.
Lucian Cross gets what he wants. That'd always been my motto. But what I wanted was shifting now, morphing into a strange abstract desire that felt foreign to me. I wanted her—yes. But I wanted her to be happy too. It reminded me of the gift I purchased for her, a thank you for how hard she'd been working.
"I have something for you," I said, withdrawing a small, wrapped box from my jacket pocket.
"Lucian, you don't need to?—"
"Consider it a late Valentine's Day gift," I told her, which brought an instant flush of heat to her cheeks. It was completelyinappropriate, and following Viktoria's warning about the kids, I knew I shouldn't. Which was why I hid it from everyone and opted to give it to Tessa here in Boston instead of back home in Chicago.
She unwrapped it carefully, revealing a delicate gold bracelet set with small diamonds. Her breath caught. "It's so beautiful, Luci, but I can't accept this." I smiled at the way she used a pet name, something Viktoria had never done. Something I'd never have allowed her to do.
But when Tessa said it, it was so endearing, I couldn’t stop her. I wanted to hear it again.
"Why not?"
"It's too expensive." She stared at the necklace and her shoulders sagged.
It discouraged me for a moment because I thought it was appropriate, but I realized perhaps I'd been too forward.
I was letting my feelings get out of control. Still, she was worth it. She deserved good things.
"Nothing is too expensive for you," I told her, but I was willing to take it back if she protested strongly.
