“With Ethan Wyndham?”
Cole heard the surprise in her voice but didn’t trust it. It could be a diversionary tactic to buy her some time to think of a believable lie. He took two steps toward her and watched her sink into the kitchen wall. She didn’t look like a woman who was in love with her boss. She seemed almost appalled at the very notion. His heart started beating erratically, and he wondered for the first time if he’d misread the situation. He told himself not to be a fool. He told himself that he was only seeing what he wanted to see, but it didn’t matter. He was already a fool. “Are you in love with him?” he asked again, his voice soft.
As he waited for her answer, Cole realized that he’d never felt like this before in his entire life. She was the first woman who made him want more than a fun time in bed and decent conversation. He wanted to build something—to know her thoughts, to anticipate her desires, to discover what she liked to watch on TV or what she liked on a hamburger. It was humiliating to think she didn’t want to get to know him in the same way, that she didn’t care about his likes and desires because she was already in love with somebody else.
Eva stood straight and looked him in the eye. “God, no.”
Cole thought he saw her shiver as if revolted by the idea, but he couldn’t be sure. It was subtle, so subtle that it might have been his imagination—or wishful thinking. “What’s between you?”
“There is nothing between us,” she said.
The vehemence in her voice was strong, and he wanted to believe her. He needed to believe her. Cole walked across the room and stood a few inches away from her. “I’m not a fool, Eva. I can recognize a proprietary glint in a man’s eye. There’s something there. If nothing else, he wants you.”
Eva opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her lips moved as she tried unsuccessfully to pull together a sentence. She could only look at him speechless.
He watched her struggle for an answer and grew impatient with the entire scene. He didn’t want to talk about Ethan. He didn’t want to hear how she felt about her boss. All he wanted was to be close to Eva. And he was, only inches away. His control snapped and he pulled her into his arms. “Well, he can’t have you,” Cole muttered before his lips crushed hers in a searing kiss.
The second his lips touched hers, Eva woke as if from a trance. She’d wanted to say so much to Cole—to deny his crazy accusations, to explain the odd behavior of Wyndham, to tell him how happy she was that he was there—but she couldn’t form any sentences. There were too many thoughts racing through her head and all she could do was stare into his beautiful sapphire eyes.
But now everything was clear: She wanted Cole. She wanted to kiss him and hold him and absorb him through her skin. She was sick of the sharp pain of unfulfillment. Good God, this afternoon in his mother’s front parlor! The way he’d watched her with heavy-lidded eyes as she buttoned her blouse—she had almost cried with frustration.
Eva returned his heated kiss, excited by the rawness of his response. It wasn’t what she expected from him—pushing a girl against the kitchen stove wasn’t what one imagines the cool, urbane Cole Reed Hammond doing—but Eva delighted in it. His movements seemed honest, not practiced or skillful or adept. He trailed hot kisses down her throat and she moaned as her legs turned to jelly.
As if suddenly realizing that the stove dial was digging into her back, Cole picked her up. He carried her through the living room and into the bedroom. He deposited her on the bed, his lips never once breaking contact with her highly sensitized skin. Then he lay down beside her.
Although he was right there in the bed next to her, Eva thought he was too far away. With both of them in formal business attire—in their dress shirts and jackets—there were layers and layers of fabric between. She slipped his jacket over his shoulders and tossed it on the floor, unconcerned of its Italian pedigree and her dust bunnies. Then she turned her attention to his buttons, carefully undoing each with fingers almost jointless from desire.
Cole was similarly occupied, although once he’d removed her jacket he didn’t bother himself with anything so well mannered as undoing buttons. He tore the silk blouse down the middle, exposing her ivory flesh to his hot gaze. He stared at her for a moment, his impatient desire temporarily leashed. He ran a hand over her stomach, her shoulders, her breasts partially hidden from view behind black lace. He lifted her forward and undid the clasp. Now he took care, as if having torn the wrapping paper off a present, he was willing to gently remove the crêpe paper.
Done—at last!—with the buttons on his shirt, Eva shifted to the side so that Cole could remove the bra completely. She wanted nothing between them. She wanted to feel skin against skin and she pressed herself against his muscled chest. Cole groaned from somewhere deep inside him and captured her lips again with a force that took her by surprise. Eva molded her hands to his biceps and triceps and the wonderful washboard stomach that was half hidden by his pants. That was unacceptable. Nothing about him should be hidden from her.
With great effort, she pulled her mouth away from his. His kisses were too distracting, too engrossing to let her do anything save return them, but she had more on her mind. She lay soft kisses on his stomach while fumblingly removing his trousers. There was now a thin piece of cotton separating her from her heart’s desire—and his desire as well—and she took off his boxers quickly and efficiently.
Cole shuddered as she took him into her hands, and feeling bold and powerful, she kissed him. He dug his hands into her hair. Unable to withstand the glorious sensations, he pulled her up, reclaimed her mouth and flipped them so that she was now under him. Eva ran her hands over his smooth muscled back as Cole made short work of her skirt and panties. When she felt his hand cup the center of her desire, she moaned luxuriously and arched back. His touch was almost unbearably soft.
Cole felt her moan and reacted instinctively, driving himself into her quick and hard. Eva wrapped her legs around him and gloried in his power. She had never felt so full before. The waves of desire had never been so intense before. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold on. She didn’t want to hold on—she wanted to give in to the remarkable feelings he was creating within her—but she also didn’t want this closeness to end. She loved the feel of Cole, every inch of him.
But some things were too powerful to fight, and before she knew it, she was feeling wave after wave of dizzying sensation. She didn’t know how long it went on—it could have been one minute, it could have been ten—but it felt heavenly and she let Cole know it.
She knew he was close to reaching his peak and she clenched her muscles.
“Oh, God,” he said, his voice a guttural moan, before he went over the edge. “Oh, God, Eva.”
She smiled dreamily as she watched pleasure overtake his expression. His sapphire eyes were glittering and the skin was tight over his cheekbones. He was unspeakably beautiful.
There were no sounds to be heard in the room for a long while except their heavy breathing. Eva was too content and relaxed to do anything other than enjoy the weight of him. Although she knew he couldn’t stay there forever, she wanted to savor the moment for as long as possible. She wasn’t quite sure what all this meant—other than that they were fantastically compatible—but she refused to start questioning it yet. This was a gift horse into whose mouth she certainly would not be looking.
Cole felt Eva’s arms slacken and he wondered what would happen next. He had never done that to a woman before—assault her with kisses and drive into her fast and furiously like a animal. Control was something he valued very highly and something he’d never before lost while making love. For him sex was unhurried, with him constantly aware of what his partner was feeling. Cole always made sure that a woman had her pleasure before he had his, but this time it was different. He had been hanging on by a thread when Eva had her orgasm. It could have very easily have gone the other way.
Having never before been in this situation, Cole wasn’t sure how to behave.
Should he apologize?
Eva felt him withdraw, even before he rolled off her mumbling something about being sorry.
Sorry? she thought, baffled and bereft, what was he sorry for?
When Eva didn’t respond, Cole said, “That was a mistake.”
Eva tensed at his words. That was a mistake. She was a mistake. “All right,” she agreed, determined not to show any more emotion than he. She wouldn’t cling or cry or do anything that might embarrass her. Not while he was here. She’d wait until he had gone-it wouldn’t be long now—before falling apart.
“I was rough,” he added. “Our first time should have been gentle.”
Eva froze, afraid that she’d heard wrong. But her ears had not deceived her: He’d said first time. First time, as in other times. “The only reason you have to apologize is if you don’t do it again,” she said, amazed at how calm her voice was. Her heart was beating erratically and her limbs were still vibrating from pleasure.
Cole raised himself up on a bent elbow and looked at her to verify the truth of her statement. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair wild and there was a smile on her lips. Eva Butler looked happy and satisfied and as smug as the cat who ate the canary. He could scarcely believe it. “I hope there’s no time limit on that request because despite the press releases my office sends out, I’m not Superman.”
Brushing a hand along the side of his face, she laughed. “The offer doesn’t have an expiration date.”
This was exactly what he wanted to hear—her laughter and the promise that this thing between them had a future—but there were still misunderstandings that needed to be cleared up. Although possessing Eva was everything he’d dreamed of and more, he needed to know where he stood, and to know for a fact that she wasn’t seeing anyone else. He kissed her deeply, then pulled away before matters got out of hand. “We need to talk,” he said dampeningly.
Eva groaned and prepared for the worst. She had known there were issues still to be discussed; she just didn’t want to do it now while she was glowing from his touch. Why couldn’t they do this tomorrow when they were both running out of there to get to work on time? “All right,” she said, arranging the pillow comfortably under her head.
Cole took a deep breath. “What’s going on between you and your boss?” She opened her mouth to protest, but he forestalled her. “Look, I realize that you’re not having an affair. You’re too honest to sleep with me if you’re already sleeping with someone else, but something was going on at that table tonight. What was it?”
“I don’t know,” she stated flatly.
He raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
“I really don’t,” she said. “Nothing has ever happened between me and Ethan. For god’s sake, tonight was the first time I’d ever talked with him one-on-one. Yes, he seemed interested in me tonight, but I swear I have no idea where that came from.”
Now he gave her a speaking look.
“All right,” she conceded with an ironic smile, “I have some idea, but he’s never expressed an interest before. I assure you I was as shocked as you by his behavior. It came completely out of left field and was thoroughly inappropriate and I told him the second you left that there wasn’t a chance in hell of anything developing between us. I made it extremely clear. You do believe me, don’t you?”
Cole kissed her brow, which was furled with concern. “Yes, of course I do. I’m sorry that I lost my temper. Just seeing you with him…. I was almost okay until he kissed you. But I didn’t mean to wait for you at the top of your stairs like some sort of stalker.”
“I was happy to see you, a little nervous, of course, since you’re so very formidable when you’re angry, but also happy and tremendously relieved. I thought it was over,” she said, surprised how easy it was to be honest with him, “when you walked away with such indifference. I have my pride. I wasn’t going to run after you with an explanation and beg you to listen, but I was so happy that you came here.” She paused for a moment. “You haven’t asked about the Hammond collection.”
He looked at her. “What about it?”
“Tonight, the way Ethan implied that I set out to seduce you to get the Hammond collection. It’s not true,” she said quietly.
Even before she made the statement, he’d known it wasn’t true. Earlier, in the car, when he had considered the possibility, his ability to think clearly had been jammed by Ethan’s possessiveness. “Of course not.”
The conviction in his voice made her smile. “I was afraid you’d believe it. You’ll recall you made a similar implication the first time we met.”
“I did, yes, and I’m sorry for it. I was trying to figure you out. And myself.”
“I appreciate your faith in me.”
Cole shrugged it off. He didn’t want her gratitude, especially because he hadn’t earned it, not really. He had eventually come to his senses, but for a few minutes this evening he had been entirely lost to reason. God, to think that he’d actually called Lucy. What a tragedy that would have been! “I think we need to strike a deal, to avoid a repeat of tonight,” he said sensibly. He needed to apply his business acumen to this problem like he did all others.
Eva couldn’t imagine what kind of deal would achieve that, but she was open to suggestions. “All right.”
“I want us to be exclusive.”
Eva sat up in the bed and looked at him. This was the last thing she expected. Since when did international playboys make requests like that? “What?”
“While we’re dating, I won’t see anyone else and you won’t see anyone else,” he explained. “How does that sound?”
Except for the implied temporaries of “while we’re dating,” it sounded wonderful. “Fair enough.”
“Now that that’s settled,” he said, pushing the blanket aside and exposing her breasts to his greedy gaze, “let’s see if I can make up for before.”
“I promise you there’s nothing to make up for,” she said with deep conviction.
Cole ran his tongue over her breast and ran his fingers down her body. “Are you sure?” he whispered, his clever fingers playing with her soft feminine folds.
She sighed. “Well, maybe a little something.”
***
Eva woke to a ringing she’d never heard before. For a moment she thought the sound was the much-vaunted bells and whistles that people in love talk about but then she realized it was Cole’s cell phone.
She looked at the clock: 6:26. Who in their right mind called before 7 A.M.?
Feeling Cole stir, she lifted her head from where it lay in the hollow of his shoulder and looked at him. His eyes were closed as if still asleep, but his lips were turned up in the pleased smile of an awake man. “I believe that’s for you,” she said softly.
“It’s not important,” he said while his other hand, the one not imprisoned by her head, roamed her body freely. He caressed her stomach and thighs and delighted in the beautiful, soft feel of her.
“How do you know?” she asked, her senses awaking slowly to the sensuous tug of him. It was amazing how well he knew which buttons to press. If he hands kept roaming, she would be purring in a matter of seconds.
“It’s Mrs. Hemingway. She calls me every morning at 6:30 to go over my schedule for the day.”
“It’s not yet six-thirty.”
“Obviously your clock is slow. I assure you, Mrs. Hemingway is never wrong.”
Eva thought of the tight-lipped secretary and laughed. “What would she say if I answered the phone?”
“Feel free to find out,” he offered, not the least bit concerned by the prospect.
But his hand had reached her breast now, all but guaranteeing that she would do nothing of the kind. There were more interesting things happening this morning than the sound of shocked disapproval emanating from one gatekeeper–old family retainer. Besides, she wasn’t brave enough. Eva muttered something about forgoing the pleasure just as Cole captured her lips in a consuming kiss. In no time, Eva forgot all about Mrs. Hem
ingway.
The next time an electronic device started beeping, it was Eva’s alarm. “Now, that is important,” she said, wondering if she would have the strength to pull herself free from the warmth of his embrace. Why couldn’t he have gotten all jealous over Ethan on a Friday night? Then they could have spent the whole day in her apartment discovering things about each other.
Cole tightened his hold on her while conceding that it was indeed time they got up. “I have a long boring day of meetings from breakfast to dinner. Not one devastatingly beautiful redhead who makes my knees go weak on the entire schedule.”
“Not that Mrs. Hemingway would have a record of it if she were,” she pointed out.
Cole laughed and insisted that things had worked out for the best. “No doubt I would have been interested in you any way we met, but you wouldn’t have charmed me so thoroughly under any other circumstance.”
“Yes, me holding on to my temper while insisting she make the note in ink—very charming indeed.”
Cole wasn’t put off by the self-deprecating sarcasm in her voice and captured her lips to demonstrate once again how charmed he was. The alarm continued to sound, and as much as they both didn’t want to admit it, they conceded it was time for showers and coffee and rides uptown.
“Although I suppose you have to go home and change first,” Eva said as she climbed out of bed. Suddenly her head was filled with visions of his stuff lying around: his shaving cream in her bathroom, his dress shirts in her closet.
“Not at all. I keep some clothes on hand at the office,” he said. “I’ll change there.”
“Of course you do,” she muttered as she walked to the bathroom. She realized she was being irrational—there were reasons to keep a change of clothes at the office other than the obvious one—but she couldn’t help it. Despite her best intentions, Cole’s reputation was always foremost in her mind. Now she determinedly pushed it back yet again. There was no point in ruining a perfectly wonderful morning after with doubts.
Winner Takes All Page 17