Her Perfect Match (Liaison #1) (5 page)

He still found ways to touch her and when she didn’t pull away from him, he felt he had been given a gift.
 
He yearned for those moments; he craved to touch more of her soft skin or her silky hair.
 
Each time he’d left her office, it left him with a need that wouldn’t be satisfied until he had her in his bed, in his life.

He had known how much he hurt her when he walked out of her office without a backward glance, and it pained him to do so.
 
But he was afraid that she would know the power she had over him if she looked into his eyes, and he thought of nothing but protecting himself.
 
Never did he think that she would pull away from him.

He glanced at his assistant, Thomas Anders, and mumbled an apology for his outburst.
 
Thomas was his seventh and final assistant since he started the company six years before, and he was grateful for the man’s efficiency.
 
He knew that he was pushing the limits of the job, his employees, and even himself, but he almost couldn’t control his frustration at the situation between himself and Rebecca.

“Three people almost quit because of your temper,
this week alone
, and I’m close to doing the same thing.” Thomas’s voice was low and harsh.

“I know,” he admitted.

Thomas softened his tone.
 
“You need to get her to see you, and truth be told, probably marry you.
 
I’ve never seen you fall for a woman before.”

“Hell, just because I can’t stop thinking about her doesn’t mean that I should marry her.”

Thomas scoffed.
 

He knew that his efficient assistant wasn’t done with his say yet.
 
Reluctantly, he walked around his desk and sat, unbuttoning his suit jacket, and waited.

“When was the last time you’ve wanted a woman this much?
 
When have you ever let a woman affect your work?”

He didn’t have to think about it.
 
“Never.”

“What’s different with Rebecca?” Thomas asked.

“I’m obsessed with her, everything about her,” he mumbled.
 
“I want to kill any man who even looks at her.”

The truth of his words registered deep within him.
 
He’d thought about nothing else other than her smile, her curvy body, her silky hair, her light scent.
 
He wanted to hear her laugh and talk to her about anything.
 

They had shared a passionate kiss, and yet, he couldn’t remember when something so innocent had an effect that powerful.
 
She had destroyed every wall he’d constructed to keep women at a distance, just by being herself.
 
She didn’t flirt with him nor did she bow to his every whim.
 
But she had burrowed her way into his head and if he could be honest with himself, into his heart.

A soft knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.
 
He stood as Thomas opened the door to reveal the woman who hadn’t been far from his mind since she reentered his life.
 
His heart thumped painfully in his chest, and with effort, he held back a growl as he spotted Thomas place his hand on her lower back, and escorted her in his office.
 
His anger receded when his gaze landed on her face.
 
Even from a distance of a few feet, he could tell that she was exhausted.
 
Jealousy surged again as she gave Thomas a smile of thanks.
 

With a quiet click, the door closed behind her and he was, for the first time in his life, speechless.
 
That was, until she walked toward him with obvious weariness.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded before she tucked a stray curl behind her ear that escaped her elegant twist.
 
A need to touch her jolted him out of his surprise.
 
He strode toward her and pulled her into his arms.
 
His tense body relaxed the moment she burrowed her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

“I’ve missed you, sweetheart.”
 
The words were out before he could stop them.

“I’ve…I’ve missed you, too.
 
It’s been hectic.”

He rubbed her back and pressed her closer to him.
 
He wanted to step in and help her with whatever she needed but he knew that she wouldn’t appreciate him trying to take over, so he just held her, grateful that she was in his arms.

“I thought you were avoiding me,” he grumbled.

She pulled back and studied him; he hoped his face revealed none of his thoughts.
 
He led her over to the overstuffed couch that had doubled as a bed on occasion for times he wasn’t able to go home for the night.
 
As they sat, he reached for her hand and interlaced their fingers.
 
He needed a connection to her, even if it was as small as this.

“I was at first.”

“Why?” he asked.

His gaze moved to her elegant neck as she swallowed with nervousness.
 
He was so close that he could see her pulse that beat in a rhythm that mesmerized him.
 
He wanted to feel the beat on his lips as he licked and suckled her there.
 
His hand gripped hers tighter as he leaned toward her, needing to taste her more than his next breath.
 
But before he could reach her, she stunned him.

“I want you,” she admitted on a whisper.
 
“I was avoiding you because of how much I want you.”

He closed his eyes as his breath hissed out of his clenched teeth.
 
It took everything in his power from stripping them both and making love to her in his office.
 
As he opened his eyes and again, noted the tiredness etched on her face, and his concern for her outweighed his need.
 
He wanted to take her home and take care of her, and when she was healthy, he would show her how much he wanted her.

“What are you doing this weekend?”
 
He looked at his watch and was grateful that it was past six on a Friday night.

Her brows drew down in confusion but she answered, “working.”

“Why don’t you take the weekend off and spend it with me?
 
You need some rest.”

“I’m—”

Without a thought that he might be moving too fast, he brushed a kiss against her soft lips.
 
When he heard her intake of breath, he pulled her onto his lap and deepened the kiss.
 
She tasted of mint with a hint of strawberries.
 
He loved the way she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and clung to him, as if she couldn’t stand to let him go.

The kiss turned heated, and as she opened her mouth, a growl escaped his throat and his tongue mated with hers.
 
His fingers combed through her hair until it fell in a long, beautiful curtain that cascaded down her back.
 
He could feel the bite of her nails on his shoulders, and his body ached with a need that drove his hips up until his hardness brushed against her core.
 
He swallowed her moan as she sank onto him, trying to get closer through all their layers of clothing.
 
Her moans were even better than his fantasies of the last few weeks.

He had never known a simple kiss to be as erotic as it was with Bec.
 
Everything about her called to him.
 
He ran his hands over her curves, drawing them up until his thumbs caressed the bottom of her breasts.
 
As she rubbed against his cock, he wanted to strip her and sink inside her, but his common sense kicked in and his hands gripped her hips and slowed her movements.
 
He broke the kiss before he grew more out of control and placed his forehead against hers as they caught their breath.

“I want you too, sweetheart, more than you can possibly imagine, but I’m worried about you.
 
You need sleep and I’ll cook for you.
 
You look like you’ve lost weight.
 
Let me take care of you this weekend.”

She nodded and took him by surprise when she brushed a kiss over his mouth, initiating a kiss between them for the first time.

“I would like that,” she whispered.

Chapter Six

She looked around at Gabriel’s opulent loft with pale but shined hardwood floors, painted white ceilings that sharply contrasted the dark-gray walls, and black-and-white photos of the city placed strategically around his living room.

Gabriel’s place felt like a world unto itself.
 
He owned the penthouse with a private elevator, but what she enjoyed most of all was the absolute silence she walked into.
 
There were no phones ringing, no traffic noise from the streets below, no screaming children or loud laughs—just quiet—and she was grateful that he had invited her to stay the weekend with him.

More than being away from the chaos, she wanted to spend time with Gabriel.
 
She had skipped their business dinners together for legitimate reasons, but she had missed talking with him.
 
If she had to admit the truth to herself, she wanted the possibility of more.
 

Other than a handful of times they were together for business, they hadn’t gotten to know each other in a way she truly wanted.
 
His touches excited her, made her feel alive for the first time, and she knew that if he wanted her, for even a short amount of time, she wouldn’t deny herself the chance to be with him.

He had excused himself to go and change once they arrived; she’d already done so when they stopped by her apartment in Brooklyn to grab some clothes and essentials for the weekend.
 
As he stepped into his bedroom, her mind wandered back to the moment in his office when his concern for her caught her off guard.
 
But more than that, she thought there might be more to their relationship than an intense sexual awareness, because of that concern that shone from his eyes.
 
She had prepared herself before she had stepped in his office for his flirting nature, but his worry for her had destroyed the last of her defenses.
 
So when he invited her home, she’d readily accepted.

More than that, she liked the heated gaze that found her every time she walked into a room.
 
She could feel the heat and the promise of pleasure to come whenever she looked at him.
 
She could feel the blush on her cheeks and decided to shift her awareness to his home.
 

As she glanced around, she tried to remember the last time she’d seen him relaxed, with his concentration elsewhere, and realized that she couldn’t.
 
When she’d met him, he’d been serious and studious.
 
His attitude hinted at danger if you drifted too close, but he’d attracted women with no effort on his part.
 
She had never shown interest in him.
 
She figured that he’d never once been serious about a woman, and she wasn’t going to risk her heart in the pursuit when she knew what the end would hold.
 
Even now, she knew he was dangerous to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to care any longer.

Since she had started her escort business, she’d worked sixteen-hour days to get it off the ground, and in doing so, tried to purge him from her mind.
 
It exhausted her more than she realized.
 

Standing in the quiet, she still felt more than a little guilty for taking this weekend off.
 
She had called Tilda after Gabriel’s insistence, and asked her to cover for her for the weekend.
 
They had already scheduled all the dates that had been requested for both Friday and Saturday nights and other than paperwork, which could wait until Monday, they had nothing pressing.
 

Tilda agreed with Gabriel that she needed a break.
 
Tilda assured her that Nathan would keep her company in the office for a couple of hours on Saturday and nothing would fall through the cracks.
 
She trusted her assistant and as she made a mental note to talk to Tilda about a partnership at Liaison when a movement from the corner of her eye scattered her thoughts.

Her eyes met his as he came out of the bedroom, dressed in a soft gray heather sweater that emphasized the width of his shoulders and the hard muscles of his arms and chest.
 
She knew that he could see her eyes widen and hear her breath catch as her gaze traveled over him, but she was tired of fighting her attraction to him.
 
Her gaze dropped farther onto well-worn jeans that fit him perfectly and then farther down onto his bare feet.
 
She even thought his feet were sexy.
 
She jerked her gaze back up to his face, and noticed that his eyes softened.
 
A smile played on his lips.

“Hungry?” he asked.

She nodded and when he held out a hand, she laced her fingers with his and walked with him to the kitchen.
 
Instead of taking the opportunity to glance around, her gaze was held by his until he pushed her back against the counter next to the sink and leaned against her as his arms caged her in.
 
She glanced at his lips and without conscious thought, she licked hers in anticipation.

He closed his eyes and leaned into her, and she shivered as a growl rose from deep in his chest.
 
His lips brushed against hers, once and then again, leaving her out of breath and shaking.
 
A hard shiver racked her body as his hand cupped the back of her neck and brought her closer as he nibbled on her mouth.
 
She opened for him, wanting to taste him, and he didn’t disappoint.
 

He swept his tongue inside, touching hers and drawing a moan from her as she clenched his shoulders in her grip, holding on as his kisses drugged her.
 
Her body slumped, loving the feeling of the hard muscles of his chest and hips pressed to hers.
 
When she felt his erection against her stomach, she shivered as he swallowed her moan.