Page 46 of Coldhearted King

Her face falls. “Should I stop making structural changes? I—”

I let my smile escape. “I’m kidding, Delilah. Why do you think you’re here? Draw up any modifications and send them for estimates.”

She stares at me, then lets out a short laugh. “I think that’s the first time you’ve made a joke. I mean, it was an awful one. But I like that you tried.” She throws a smirk over her shoulder as she turns to walk further onto the plot.

The curve of her lips and the sway of her ass merge together to make me want to bend her over the hood of the car and fuck her. Apart from the company not needing its COO getting arrested for public indecency, if I get the chance to have Delilah again, it won’t be on the hood of a car in the middle of a busy street.

But the way the urge to touch her is taking over my mind, I’m not sure how reckless I might get.

CHAPTERNINETEEN

DELILAH

Icheck my reflection in the mirror one more time, smoothing my fingers over the silky material of the floor-length red dress I’m wearing. Hopefully with an outfit this gorgeous,andexpensive, I should fit in with all the other guests at the gala.

I turn away from the mirror and check the time. Cole will be here soon to collect me. The thought has a whole kaleidoscope of butterflies beating their wings in my stomach. I haven’t seen him since we got back from the hotel site. He’d told me I could do whatever I wanted for the rest of the day, then disappeared into his room for a conference call with his brothers.

I spent a couple of hours wandering around and indulged in a delicious deep-dish pizza for lunch, then returned to my hotel room and distracted myself by sketching out my ideas for the hotel’s revised design.

I’ve tried hard to forget about what happened in his office, but it’s been on repeat in my mind since I slid into the car this morning and saw him looking so gorgeous. Images of what could happen tonight flash through my head at high speed, and heat pools low inside me.

Not that he’s suggested anything of the sort to me, but the way his eyes lingered on me this morning tells me he probably wouldn’t say no if I offered. I just don’t know if offering is something I should do.

The rap of his knuckles on the door startles me, and I take a deep breath before opening it. Cole’s brilliant blue eyes take a long, slow sweep down my body and back up again, catching on the plunging neckline of my dress. He doesn’t even bother to hide the desire that sharpens his gaze.

Part of me wants to grab him by his crisp white shirt and drag him into my room. Make him remind me how his body feels moving with mine. But the more sensible part holds me back. The risk is too high, and despite recent evidence to the contrary, I’m not someone who regularly throws caution to the wind. While the reward would be great, it would also be fleeting. I have to be smart and keep my focus on my long-term goals, and they don’t include ruining my career by sleeping with my company’s biggest client.

Again.

I step out to join Cole, pulling the door firmly shut behind me. Before I can ask how the rest of his day was, his hand goes to my back, his fingers sliding around to my waist.

He leans down, his breath fluttering the tendrils of hair at my neck. “You look beautiful, kitten.”

Goose bumps erupt over every inch of me, and I let out a shaky breath. “You look very...uh, handsome, too.”

It’s a gross understatement. I’ve seen Cole in a business suit, but this is the first time I’ve seen him up close in a tuxedo, and he is the definition of a sexy, powerful, rich man. His black jacket is perfectly tailored to show off his height and broad shoulders. The heat of his gaze scorches over my exposed skin, and the curve of his seductive, masculine lips reminds me exactly what he can do with them.

When I lick my own suddenly dry lips, his fingers tighten on my waist, sending an excited little quiver running through me. God, why is it so hard for me to ignore him? After all, I managed to ignore plenty of men during college, and those men were far more my type than Cole—kind, considerate, respectful.

Exactly the way Paul was at first.

I turn away from Cole’s too-hot perusal and make for the elevator.

The gala is being held at the Lakefront Plaza, another King Group property, so a limo is waiting outside to take us there. The driver opens the door for us, and I slide in first, Cole following me.

During the drive, tension swirls in the air. Neither of us speaks, but instead of it being awkward, the temperature only rises. All I can seem to think about is the way he’s touched me, the feel of his muscles under my fingertips, how hard he’s made me come.

The spacious car isn’t big enough to give me the distance my body needs. I can almost feel his gaze burning into the side of my face, but I refuse to look at him. If I do, there’s a chance I might decide to embrace the previously undiscovered reckless side of me—the side that only seems to come out around Cole—and unbuckle my seatbelt so I can straddle him. There’s no mistaking how damp my panties are already. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

“Delilah, look at me.” Cole’s deep voice is commanding enough to get me to turn toward him. “I told you back in New York that I don’t have to manipulate women into having sex with me, and that’s true. I brought you here because it made sense for you to join me. But I’m not going to lie, either. I want to fuck you again. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since you walked into the meeting room that first day, and I’m tired of fighting it.”

I inhale sharply, my nipples immediately hardening under the thin material of my dress.

He notices, and a muscle leaps in his jaw. “I want you tonight, Delilah. Tell me I can have you.”

My heart hammers. My mouth opens to respond, but nothing comes out. I’m frozen, torn between wanting to experience what I know he can give me and my awareness of just how horrendously wrong this could go.

Cole reaches out and brushes his thumb across my lower lip. “I want to see this lipstick smeared all over my cock. I want my tongue deep in your pussy. I want to make you come until you physically can’t anymore. And I want it tonight. Just one night and then we go back to New York and the way things are now. But if you agree, you’re mine until morning. And Delilah,” he says, gripping my jaw and forcing me to focus on his words over the pounding of blood in my ears. “If you say yes, I plan to make you forget Paul ever existed.”

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