Nor did his mouth give a damn since the taste of her still lingered there, even after five days. She’d always had the sweetest mouth but it seemed that over the years it had gotten sweeter and so satisfyingly delicious.
Leaving his place by the window, he moved to sit down at the desk in the hotel room, deciding he needed to get some work done. Already he’d held a number of meetings with potential investors. The International Investors Summit had a tendency to draw hedge fund corporations from all over the world. For that reason, it was always a good policy to have appointments scheduled way in advance, like he’d done. He’d gotten positive feedback from the six investors he’d met with so far.
His thoughts shifted back to Kara and that kiss he couldn’t stop thinking about. And tasting. He leaned back in his chair and recalled the outfit she’d been wearing Saturday. It had been purple, his favorite color. Strolling around the amusement park, he’d noticed more than one man checking her out. She had legs that made any man want to take a second look and several had. More than once a streak of jealousy had raced through him. Why had he felt such possessiveness for a woman who wasn’t his?
He had forgotten how tight the compartments were for the rides, and more than once their bodies had been crammed together, which had kicked his testosterone into full gear. Then his horny mind had looked forward to the times he’d been squeezed against her backside or when their thighs had been all but plastered against each other.
Virgil figured that had to be the reason he’d gone crazy once he’d gotten hold of her mouth. He had kissed her like hers was destined to be the last mouth he’d ever taste. And she had kissed him back, meeting him greed for greed.
And then somehow through all that ravenous pleasure, he’d found his senses and pulled back. Surprising himself as much as he’d probably surprised her. There had been no logical reason for him and Kara to stand in the middle of her foyer and go at each other’s mouths like they’d been doing. No logical reason whatsoever.
That didn’t stop his body from yearning for her every day since. Or stop his mouth from feeling like it was missing something vital. Or stop his erection from swelling each and every time he thought about her.
Like now.
And although he hated admitting it, he would give anything to have another such opportunity to take her into his arms and kiss her. Unfortunately, he was finding out the hard way that when it came to Kara, out of sight and out of mind didn’t seem to work.
What he needed to do was what any successful businessman would do—come up with a game plan, some strategic move to eliminate the problem without alienating the source. He could tell before he’d left her place on Saturday that she hadn’t appreciated what he’d said about kissing her being a mistake. Had she considered that a blatant rejection of her? And why should it bother him if she had?
He knew the answer without thinking about it. It bothered him because it was far from the truth. As much as he wanted to continue to convince himself he was completely and totally over Kara, there was still this sexual connection between them. At times it was so strong it cloaked them in an air of intimacy so thick he felt as if he was smothered by it.
So the question of the hour was this: just what exactly was he going to do about it? Since seeing her was basically part of her plan—the one she’d put together to improve his image—he needed to come up with a plan of his own. One designed to save his sanity.
* * *
Kara looked at herself in the full-length mirror and smiled, pleased with what she saw. She didn’t think twice about why she had put so much time and effort into her appearance. If Virgil thought he could continue to resist her, then let him try. She would do everything in her power to make sure he didn’t succeed.
After spending time with him on Saturday and after that kiss he’d given her when he brought her home, she was convinced he wasn’t as immune to her as he claimed. Granted, initially she had been slightly peeved at how he’d abruptly ended their kiss and left her home last weekend, but her annoyance had dissipated when she realized what had happened. He had been running scared.
Virgil had enjoyed the kiss; she was sure of it. But something had made him pull back and break off the kiss, then go even further by saying crazy stuff like kissing her had been a mistake and wasn’t anything either of them wanted. He had tried replacing desire with logic. A person could do that only so many times, and she was determined to make sure the clock ran out on him. Her goal was to make sure he took off the blinders and realized they deserved another chance to get it right.
She turned slightly in the mirror and smiled again. The sophisticated-looking purple dress was one she’d purchased this week when she’d gone shopping. At first she’d thought that wearing his favorite color again might be a bit too much. However she decided, just in case he hadn’t realized her intent on Saturday, that today should leave no doubt in his mind what she was about.
Pleased by that very thought, she tossed her head, sending her shoulder-length hair swinging around her face. When she looked at herself again in the mirror she didn’t miss the seductive gleam in her eyes. Granted, she would behave herself around his parents, but later, when she got him alone, she would make it her business to find out just how scared he could run.
She hadn’t heard anything from him all week while he’d been in Orlando, but last evening she had gotten his text message advising her he would pick her up at nine this morning. A second text had followed a few hours later, indicating his parents had invited them to join them for brunch at Hammer’s, a popular restaurant in town, following the commencement ceremony.
Kara had texted him back to say she had no problem doing that and that she thought it was a great strategic idea that the four of them be seen together that way. He hadn’t responded and, if her guess was right, he might not have liked being reminded of their business arrangement. Oh, well.
The doorbell sounded. Quickly moving from her bedroom, she grabbed her purse and jacket as she headed for the door. It was time to put Operation Virgil Bougard in full swing.
* * *
“Welcome back, Virgil,” Kara said, smiling before placing a quick kiss on his lips. “I’m ready.” She then closed the door and strolled past him, moving briskly down the walkway.
Virgil almost stopped breathing for the thickness of the air settling in his lungs. Dammit, where was the fire? Why was she moving so fast? He quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. “Whoa. What’s going on?”
She glanced back at him. “What do you mean what’s going on?”
“Usually when I pick you up there’s a last-minute item you’ve got to grab and I have to wait inside a minute or two,” he said. Come to think of it, that’s how it worked with most women, he thought.
“Not this time. I’ve got everything and I’m ready. No need for you to have to wait on me for anything.”
“Oh,” he said, releasing her hand to walk beside her toward the car. He tried not to check out her dress. She was wearing purple again and he liked it. But it wasn’t the color of the dress that had grabbed his total awareness of her this morning. It was the style. On anyone else it probably would look okay, but on her it elicited some thoughtful cravings. Not only that, a hot rush of desire was sending shivers through his body.
It wasn’t that the dress was too over-the-top for the event they would be attending because it wasn’t. In fact it was perfect for the occasion. But did it have to emphasize the svelte lines of her curves and the gracefulness of her long, gorgeous legs? And did it have to show off her small waist and generous breasts? The effect was so mind-blowing that he felt it all the way to his groin.
“Is there a problem?”
A frown marred his brow. “No, there’s no problem,” he said, opening the car door for her.
A spike of heat exploded in his gut when the dress flashed a portion of her thigh as she sli
d down into the car seat. Seeing her naked flesh could arouse him in a way nothing else could. And speaking of arousal...she could pretend nonchalance all she wanted, but he hadn’t missed that crackle of sensual energy that flowed between them when they’d walked beside each other. And he was certain she felt it, as well.
“You can close the car door now.”
He’d been caught staring. Trying to keep his features neutral, he closed the door and walked around to the other side of the car. After getting in and buckling his seat belt, he glanced over at her. “You look nice.”
“Thanks.”
“And your dress is purple.”
She looked over at him, tilted her head back a little as if she needed to study his face. “I know what color my dress is, Virgil.”
He stared at her, unable to figure out if she meant anything by that. Grabbing his sunglasses off the dash, he said, “Mom is looking forward to your joining us today.”
“She knows the truth, right?”
“Yes, she knows the truth.”
“Good.”
As he backed the car out of her driveway, Virgil wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not.
* * *
“Rhona’s speech was simply wonderful,” Kara said to the two men at her side.
“Yes, it was,” Matthew agreed. “She did an outstanding job, but then she always does,” he added proudly.
Kara had always admired Virgil’s parents’ close relationship. It was obvious from the huge smile on Matthew’s face that he was very proud of his wife. And, although she was certain Virgil was equally as proud, he hadn’t said anything. In fact he hadn’t said much to her since leaving her place. He had taken her hand as they had found their seats beside his father. The entire time her hand had been encased in his, she felt flutters that stirred deep in the pit of her stomach. When they sat down and he released her hand, the stirrings continued for a while. More than once she had glanced over at him to find him staring at her, making her wonder if he’d had a similar reaction.
It was hard not to stare back at him. He exuded that Virgil Bougard level of charismatic and sexual power. He looked good in his charcoal-gray suit. Blatantly sexy would be one way to describe him but not the only way. There was this indescribable masculine aura surrounding him and Kara was certain she wasn’t the only female who noticed it. More than once she’d observed several others looking his way.
“There’s my queen,” Matthew said in a joyous tone, interrupting Kara’s thoughts when Rhona could finally be seen among the throng of graduates and their families. Kara had always thought Rhona was a beautiful woman, one who didn’t look a day over forty. Her honey-brown complexion was flawless, not a wrinkle in sight. And Kara knew Rhona credited her young features and slender form to a healthy diet and regular exercise.
“Come on, let’s go meet her,” Matthew said, leading the way.
Virgil surprised Kara when he captured her hand in his again. It took everything she had to ignore the spike of hot sensuality that raced up her spine. There were a lot of media in attendance, so she knew they had to play their roles convincingly.
When they met up with Rhona, Kara wasn’t sure what to expect. She and Virgil’s mother had run into each other several times over the past four years, either while out shopping or attending various social functions. The Bougards had always been kind to her whenever their paths had crossed. So kind that for a long while she’d wondered if Virgil had told them why they’d broken up.
After accepting a kiss from her husband, Rhona then turned smiling eyes toward Kara, reached out and gave her a hug. “Kara, it’s good seeing you. Glad you could join us today.”
Kara returned the smile. “I’m glad, as well.”
Rhona then turned to her son. She placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for coming, Virgil.”
He smiled down at her. “There’s no way I was going to miss it. You did us proud as usual, Mom.”
“Thanks.” She then glanced back and forth between Kara and Virgil before leaning over and whispering, “Playacting or not, the two of you look good together.”
Before either of them could say anything—Kara wasn’t sure what she would have said anyway—Matthew spoke up. “We might as well beat the crowd and head over to Hammer’s.”
“I agree,” Virgil said, taking Kara’s hand once again. And when he did, he felt it. That tingling sensation whenever he touched her. He was sure she felt it, too, which was why she glanced up at him. Their gazes connected and held until she broke eye contact when his father spoke.
“We’re parked on the other side,” Matthew said. “We’ll see you guys at the restaurant.”
“Okay.” Virgil glanced around. Just as he’d figured, eyes were on them. More than a dozen people he didn’t know had approached him and Kara, unashamedly confessing they were ardent readers of Flo’s column and basically giving them the same compliment that his mother had given about how good they looked together.
“Don’t forget about next Saturday, Virgil,” Kara said as they walked to where his car was parked.
He looked down at her. “What about next Saturday?”
“The back-to-school drive. Your company is one of the major sponsors and is giving away over three hundred book bags. You agreed to be there to help give them out.”
He nodded, remembering. “Will you be there?”
“There’s no reason why I should. Your company has been doing it for years but this will be the first time you’ve made an appearance.”
She was right. It would be. His father had always participated in such community events and more times than not, his mother had been there, as well. His parents had made a great team and always worked well together for the benefit of Bougard Enterprises.
He glanced at the woman walking beside him. He was still holding her hand, and for the time being, he had no inclination to release it.
Chapter 13
“I had a nice time with your parents, Virgil,” Kara said the moment he brought his car to a stop in her driveway.
He turned toward her. “And I’m sure they had an equally nice time with you since they’ve always liked you.”
He sounded a little annoyed by that, Kara thought. “I take it you think that’s a bad thing.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter one way or the other to me. Since you were the first woman I ever brought home for them to meet, it would make sense for you to have made a lasting impression.”
She decided not to remind him that, according to his mother at dinner, she had been the only woman he’d ever brought home for them to meet. She could tell from the expression that had crossed Virgil’s face that he hadn’t particularly appreciated Rhona’s mentioning that to her.
“I agree, it doesn’t matter,” she said. What does matter, Virgil Bougard, is that you pretty much haven’t taken your eyes off me all day.
“Again, thanks for a nice day and you don’t have to walk me to the door.”
Her front porch was bathed in moonlight and she could clearly see his frown by the light shining into the car. “I wish you wouldn’t do that,” he said gruffly.
“Do what?” she asked, unbuckling her seat belt.
“Tell me what I don’t have to do. I intend to walk you to your door, Kara.”
“Okay. I was just trying to save you the bother.”
When she reached to open her car door, he said, “And I’ll get your door.”
She pulled her hand back. “All right.”
He unbuckled his seat belt, got out of the car and walked around the front of it to the passenger side. Sexiness was oozing from every part of his body—it was in his walk as well as his clothes. Earlier he had removed his suit jacket and she enjoyed looking at his broad shoulders and tight muscular chest outlined in his fitted dress shirt. Kara would admi
t that she’d kept a close eye on him today, just as he’d been doing with her.
He opened her car door and extended his hand out to her. She took it and immediately sucked in a deep breath when a hot, raw and sensual spark of energy passed between them. That had been happening a lot today, especially when their hands touched.
Because he didn’t step back, her body was nearly plastered to his when she got out of the car. Desire quickly soaked into her skin in a heated rush and she didn’t have to be told what he was doing was deliberate. If his intent was a plan of seduction, she was one up on him. She had a plan of her own.
“You’re blocking my way, Virgil.”
He held her gaze. “Am I?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry.” He took a step back and then strolled beside her to the front door.
When they reached their destination, she turned to him. “Well, this where we say goodbye. It was a longer day than either of us anticipated.”
She was certain neither of them expected his parents to suggest at dinner they go back to their place for dessert since Rhona had baked her famous chocolate cake the day before. They had sat around laughing and talking while eating dessert, and the next thing she knew they were watching several movies on Matthew’s new ninety-inch flat-screen television. Although the additional time spent with Virgil’s parents had been unexpected, she had definitely enjoyed herself.
“You’re not going to invite me in?”
“Why, do you want to come in?” Like I don’t know.
His gaze slid down her body before moving back up to her face. His eyes met hers. “What if I told you I think we need to talk?”
From the look in his eyes, she knew talking was the last thing on his mind. She recognized that I-want-some-of-you look in his eyes. “Talk about what?”
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