Seven
They were three blocks away from the office, and Darci was growing more jumpy by the second. Suddenly, their cab pulled to the curb behind a black SUV.
“We’re evading the press by taking a cab and going the back way,” said Shane, taking her hand in his and whisking her from one vehicle to the other. “I think it’s overkill, but they were camped out at the front entrance.”
He hadn’t asked any questions yet, and she’d done nothing but try to keep all-out panic at bay.
Her mind was whirling a million miles a minute. She was caught. It was over. And Shane had to be furious.
“I was on my way to a meeting,” he said. “But Justin will cancel.”
She realized Justin had stayed in the taxi, and the SUV was in motion. Shane deployed the privacy screen to separate them from the driver.
Darci’s throat went dry, and sweat prickled her skin as Jennifer’s dire warnings flashed through her mind. She couldn’t believe Shane would harm her. Then again, if he thought his family fortune was at stake, could she be sure?
She battled an urge to escape, to jump from the vehicle, onto the sidewalk and flee. She could do that at the next red light. She spied the door handle, only a foot from her right hand.
“Time to come clean,” he said.
She swallowed.
“Is that what this is all about?” His voice seemed to boom in the small space.
She turned her head, shrinking back toward the door.
His waited, and his brow creased in annoyance. “Was it?”
She opened her mouth, but all she could manage was an inarticulate rasp.
“I get it,” he said, in a now softer voice. “Okay, I get it.”
Heart pounding loudly in her chest, she tried to make sense of his words.
“But I hate that you lied,” he continued. “You should have been straight with me.”
“I...” She struggled to speak, trying to decide where to start.
“That first night, sure. But afterward?”
“I was afraid,” she managed.
“I get that you don’t want to sleep with the boss. I would have understood that. But I can’t help you, we can’t work this out if I don’t even know the problem.”
Did he know the problem? If he knew the real problem, he surely wouldn’t be suggesting they could work things out.
“You had me second-guessing everything.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh.
“I didn’t mean to do that.” She waited on pins and needles, afraid to even hope this was only about her job.
“I don’t know why Tuck didn’t tell me you worked for Colborn.”
“Tuck didn’t know,” she said, still waiting for Shane to call her out for spying.
“How could he not know?”
“I didn’t tell him. I don’t really know him all that well.”
“He said you had your own business, a website-design company.”
“I do. But that’s only part-time.” Her heart rate began to moderate, and she tried to even out her breathing.
Shane thought the fact that she worked for him explained her erratic behavior. And it did. Or it could.
He shifted in his seat, angling more fully toward her. “Let’s start over.”
She didn’t understand. “With this conversation?”
“With this relationship.”
They didn’t have a relationship. She didn’t want a relationship. But she gave a hesitant nod anyway, knowing it was her way out for the moment. Relief warred with guilt inside her chest.
“What worries you most?” he asked, the concern in his expression ratcheting up the guilt side of the equation. “Publicity, job security, gossip?”
She tried to frame an answer. If she was a regular employee getting involved with the president, all of those things would worry her. But in her true circumstance, none of them mattered.
Then a sudden grin burst out on Shane’s face. “I’ve got it. It’s perfect.”
“What?”
“Tuck can give you a job.”
“What?”
“That’ll fix everything.” Shane spoke with mounting enthusiasm. “You won’t work for me anymore, so our personal relationship can’t ever impact your employment. It’ll take care of the gossip, though we can still be as discreet as you like.”
“Whoa.” She had to shut this down right away. “I don’t want to work for Tuck.”
“Why not?” Shane looked confused. “You keep saying you never had a relationship with him.”
“I didn’t have a relationship with him.”
“Then why don’t you want to work for him? I can easily get you a substantial raise. I’ll make sure you don’t lose out on any benefits or vacation time.”
She knew it was a reasonable solution. And she didn’t have a credible answer. As a lowly file clerk, what did it matter which large conglomerate employed her?
Luckily, the car pulled to a halt at the curb, giving her a reprieve.
“Where are we?” she asked, to change the subject, making a show of peering out the window.
“The penthouse.” He reached for the door handle. “We can talk up there.”
“Your penthouse?”
“Who else’s? We can’t go out together in public. I understand that. I have to say I wondered why you seemed to like the mansion so much. Good call on your part.”
Fear of publicity wasn’t why she liked the mansion. But Shane seemed incredibly adroit at making this new cover story work for her.
He took her hands in his, capturing her gaze. His eyes were deep, dark and sincere, his baritone voice soothing. “I’m not going to press you, Darci. This isn’t about sleeping together. But we either work this out, or we have to walk away from each other. And I can’t simply walk away from you.”
Once again, guilt threatened to engulf her. “You shouldn’t be like this.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know... So...compassionate.”
He smiled. “I’m not compassionate. You’ve read the book.”
“You don’t sync with the book.” He didn’t sync with any of her expectations.
“Can I quote you on that?”
“Sure, you can. ‘Colborn Aerospace file clerk defends reputation of its president.’ I think that’ll change a lot of minds.”
His smile widened. “Let’s go up and talk.”
She didn’t seem to have a choice but to go to his penthouse. She scrambled to make it okay in her mind. She told herself she could gather more information. There could be clues in his penthouse, corporate secrets, company history.
A doorman let them into the opulent building, then Shane swiped a key card inside the elevator. They were swept up thirty-two floors, where the doors opened onto a private, marble-floored foyer.
As they walked inside, Darci gazed around an expansive living room with two entire walls of glass overlooking the lake. The sofas were cream-colored leather, which contrasted with a pair of matching black armchairs. The tables were glass topped, and the space was accented with simple, but expensive-looking lamps and earthy, ceramic art.
“Nice view,” she said as her feet sank into the plush carpet. She felt pulled toward the huge windows.
“It’s great on a clear night,” he answered. “Not so great in the fog.”
“I’m sure you suffer greatly in inclement weather.”
He came up behind her. “Are you mocking me?”
“I am.”
“Fair enough. I have nothing to complain about. The view is great any time of day.” His tone softened. “I’d love for you to see the sunrise.”
She knew she should counter, come back with a stinging retort. But she couldn’t think of
anything.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
For an indulgent moment, she didn’t care. She wanted to turn into his arms, kiss him deeply, get swept away with passion until the sun came up in the morning.
His hands now rested on her shoulders. The touch was light, but she felt the urgent desire right to her toes. She couldn’t bring herself to shrug away.
He stroked her hair. His lips met her neck, kissing once, then twice.
“I’m lying,” he muttered. “I’m not at all sorry. You are so beautiful.”
She closed her eyes and relaxed against him, feeling his heat and the strength that supported her body. Resistance left her.
His kisses grew bolder, hotter, leaving damp circles in their wake.
She moved her head to one side, giving him better access, letting colors glide behind her eyes. He tugged her blazer down her arms, tossing it aside.
He moved to be in front of her and then cradled her face in his palms.
She opened her eyes to meet his gaze.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
“We’re going to regret this.” She had to say it out loud.
“Maybe someday.” His voice was a low growl. “But it’s going to take a while.”
His lips captured hers, and she melted into the sensations. He was pure male heat and she didn’t want to stop. She didn’t want to question. She kissed him back, her tongue tangling with his in a way that already felt familiar.
His hand delved into her hair. The other went to her waist, drawing her closer, pressing them intimately together.
Between them, his phone vibrated and rang.
She jumped.
“Forget it,” he rasped and resumed kissing her.
“Do you—?”
“No.” He shrugged out of his jacket, dropping it, phone and all onto a chair. “There’s nothing in the world more important than you.”
Her last scrap of resistance fled. She ran her palms along his chest.
He smoothed back her hair and again cradled her face, his voice a breathless whisper. “Darci.”
“Shane.”
“Is this okay? Do you want to say no?”
“I’m not saying no. I’m through saying no.” This was what she wanted, she knew it absolutely.
“Thank goodness.”
She expected him to kiss her, but he gazed into her eyes instead.
“What?” she finally asked.
“Just savoring the moment.”
She found herself smiling in return. “You risk me having second thoughts.”
“No, I don’t.” He popped the top button on her blouse. “You’re not going to have second thoughts.”
“What an ego.”
He popped the next one. He ran his other hand around the back of her neck. “You’ve made up your mind. This is real.”
She shivered with reaction.
“When I touch you, you light up. Your eyes glow like emeralds. Your cheeks flush pink. And you get these amazing little goose bumps all over your skin. I’ve had women fake it before...” He kissed her.
She opened to his taste, reveling in the tiny shockwaves moving through her body, setting off pulses of desire deep in her core.
Before she knew it, her blouse was off. It was followed by his shirt and then her bra. They were skin to skin, their hands enthusiastically exploring each other.
He was rock-solid muscle, from his biceps and shoulders to his chest and abs. The musk of his skin teased her senses while his touch ignited every spot his fingers encountered.
His hand closed over her bare breast, and she moaned with deep satisfaction. His mouth followed the path of his hand, and she struggled to stay balanced. He kissed her belly, unbuttoning her slacks and slipping them down.
She stepped out of her shoes, and he peeled off her panties.
He kissed the inside of her thigh, and she grasped his shoulders for support, her grip on reality truly slipping away.
By the time he rose, she was entranced.
He quickly got rid of the rest of his clothes, found a condom and then he lowered himself to a sofa, drawing her down to straddle his lap. Their bodies met intimately.
“I want you,” he rasped. “So, so bad.”
Their gazes locked, and slowly he flexed his hips, going deeper and deeper. Her body claimed his, her heart thudding hard as she gasped for breath.
He paused and his hands slid up her thighs, sending a pulse ricocheting through her.
He leaned up and captured her lips. She wanted more, so much more, and wrapped her arms around him to hold him close.
“I’ll want you always and forever,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Sure,” she agreed, and suddenly shifted her body against his, moving over him.
He groaned in reaction. With his hands bracing her, he pulled her to him, his own body arching.
The world blurred out, as she lost track of time. Nothing mattered, nothing existed outside of their lovemaking.
He kissed her lips, her cheek, her chin, her neck.
She held on tight, inhaling the dusky scent of his hair.
His rhythm increased. Her body sang and stiffened.
He deftly shifted her onto her back. Sensation spun onto a whole new level. Too soon, she was calling his name and diving over the edge to oblivion.
“Darci,” he gasped. “Darci, Darci.”
He slowed and went still, his weight satisfying on top of her. Aftershocks twitched over her skin while her lungs struggled for air.
She could feel his heartbeat, his lungs expanding in his chest.
His breath puffed against her ear.
Reality was out there somewhere, but she was in no hurry to find it.
* * *
Darci’s body was sweet and slick beneath his own, her soft curves cradling him. His breathing returned to normal, and his heart rate stabilized. But he had no desire to move.
He felt an urge to apologize. This wasn’t what he’d planned. He knew he hadn’t pressured her, but they hadn’t talked much at all, more like leaped into each other’s arms.
He eased back to look at her. Her lips were bright red, slightly swollen, and her eyes were still luminous beneath her dark lashes. He brushed the pad of his thumb across her flushed cheek.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“Hey,” she returned, a hesitant smile on her face.
“I didn’t mean it to happen that way.”
“What way did you mean it to happen?”
“Candlelight, wine, a bed, maybe some flowers.”
“Maybe stay dressed for more than three minutes after the penthouse door closed behind us?”
“Maybe,” he admitted, then gave in to a smile. “Maybe not.”
Tenderly, he touched his forehead to hers. “Ah, Darci. What do you do to me?”
“I wasn’t trying to do anything.” There was a note of unease in her voice.
He drew back. “I know that. You simply breathe and I want you.”
“I could stop.”
“Not advisable.”
He knew he had to get up. He had to be heavy on top of her. What he really wanted to do was kiss her all over again and let passion take them where it would. But he’d be a gentleman.
A little late, but he’d give it a shot.
“I have a very roomy shower,” he said, “or a couple of robes, or a hot tub on the deck and some very fine wine.”
It was a moment before she spoke. “I do like a fine wine.”
He smiled as his phone rang again.
“I should have thrown that thing against the wall.”
“It might be important,” she said.
&
nbsp; “I don’t care.”
It rang again.
She craned her neck to look behind them. “Can you reach it?”
He wasn’t about to try. “Am I too heavy? Should I move?”
“You’re going to miss the call.”
“That’s true. Am I hurting you?”
“I can’t tell. I’ve gone numb.”
He quickly removed his weight.
But she smiled, clearly teasing.
He scooped her onto his lap. “My vote is for the hot tub and wine.”
There was reluctance in her expression, but after a minute, she nodded.
He took her hand, and they rose. They moved to the section of his patio screened by a stone wall, plants and lattice work. There, he helped her into the water and turned the switch for the jets.
“Wait here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
She sank down into the frothy blue water. “I doubt I’ll be going anywhere.”
She looked relaxed, and he relaxed, too.
While he was opening the wine, his phone rang again. This time, he checked the display. It was Justin.
He put it on speaker and continued twisting the corkscrew. “What’s up?”
“Hi. How’d it go?”
“Fine. We’re talking.” He popped the cork out of the bottle.
“Still?” Justin sounded surprised.
Shane checked his watch—nearly six. “There’s a lot to say.”
“Like what?”
“Yeah, right. What do you need?” Shane took two long-stemmed glasses from the hanging rack above the countertop.
“Jet’s all set up for tomorrow.”
Shane had forgotten about the trip to France. “Damn.”
“Why damn? What’s going on there?”
“Nothing. I just don’t feel like spending the next nine hours on a plane.”
“The jet has a bedroom. You can overnight and sleep en route.”
Shane’s gaze strayed to Darci. He could just make out the back of her head in the tub. He wondered if she’d like to come to France.
“Anything else you need from me?” he asked Justin.
“Other than saving the Beaumont deal and possibly the future of Colborn Aerospace?”
Sex, Lies and the CEO Page 11