Page 26 of Their Diamond Ring Ruse

He pressed the button to go down and the doors slid open instantly. He let her enter first, then pressed the button for the ground floor. Smoothly the doors slid shut, and with every moment that passed Julian’s willpower slipped just that little bit more, until her nearness and her scent and the current running between them made it snap altogether.

He punched the red button on the panel, bringing the elevator to a jerking halt, and crashed his lips down upon Lily’s, slamming her back against the black mirrored wall. There wasn’t even the tiniest hint of hesitation from her as she kissed him back, her hands coming up to cradle his face. Their lips slid together as his body pressed up against hers, and a tidal wave of arousal crashed through Julian, burning him up from the inside out.

His hands slid down her body and she whimpered, the sound slicing through him. He grasped her wrists, pinning them above her head in one of his large hands, with the other pulling her thigh up around his hips, letting his arousal grind against her. A moan fell from her mouth and he growled. Beastly. Hungry. He kissed a path to her jaw, down her neck. His tongue tasted the sweetness of her skin. The scent of her flowery perfume and vanilla was on every inch of her.

‘Julian...’ she breathed against his ear. ‘We can’t do this here.’

Here?

In a lift. In his office.

He let his forehead fall to the crook of her neck, taking a breath. He eased her leg down, but his breathing still hadn’t returned to normal.

‘It might be a bit inappropriate to make out with the boss at his office,’ she said.

He appreciated her trying to get them back on solid ground, but he could see the glazed look in her eyes, just the same as his.

He pulled himself up to his full height and dropped a kiss on her forehead. ‘There’s nothing inappropriate about me kissing my fiancée.’

He pressed the button once more and the elevator continued its descent. He walked her to her car and watched her drive away, cursing the way she threatened his perfectly ordered world.

CHAPTER SEVEN

HEADS TURNED AS a loud roar echoed through the streets of Fisherman’s Wharf. Julian brought the car to a stop outside Crème but didn’t immediately get out. Instead, he stayed where he was and looked through the large windows at the dimly lit store. He was dreading this date.

He had been irritated with himself since the incident in the elevator. Lily was challenging his control, and that wasn’t something he could tolerate—because who would he become without it?

Images of his stepfather flashed through his mind. The man’s violence. His own. Julian couldn’t let his control be challenged because he refused to turn into the kind of man that his mother had loved despite all he had done to her. Refused to be the kind of person to fall in love.

The leather on the steering wheel complained at his wringing grip.

He had to reinforce his walls because he knew Lily had the potential to pass through those barriers. He didn’t invite love or affection into his life. They were temporary. Inevitably ripped away by circumstance or time, leaving you battered and broken. Julian couldn’t afford that. He had to guard himself against her.

Their touches in the office had been for show, calculated for the most part, so kissing her fingers, wanting for his own moment with her in the elevator—all that had to stop.

Julian got out of the car, shut the door and walked into Crème. The lights were low. A candle burned on one table that was perfectly set with shiny cutlery and tall glasses.

The table, while not directly in front of the window, was within perfect view of the street. Perfect to sell the idea of an intimate dinner with a bit of privacy. No doubt there would be pictures taken through the window.

Julian felt Lily enter before he saw her. He had to stave off annoyance with himself as he turned around. She wore a flowing red dress that tied around her neck. Her hair was loose, falling in a straight, silky sheath down her back. Diamonds sparkled in her earlobes. The punch of her beauty knocked the air from his lungs.

‘Hi, Julian.’

She smiled, kissing him lightly on the cheek. He thought the kiss was far too fleeting—which was ridiculous, given that he had decided to keep his walls up around her.

‘Have a seat. I’ll be right back.’

She was gone before he had a chance to respond.

He took his seat and waited for Lily to return. This space felt too intimate. He should have insisted on planning this date. Then they would be elsewhere. Somewhere more public.

Lily returned with two large white bowls. The aroma emanating from them was heavenly.

‘Here you go,’ she said brightly, setting one bowl in front of him before placing the other on the table and taking her seat.

‘You made this?’

Of course she had. Julian had thoroughly researched her before he’d ever set foot in Crème.

---