Page 30 of Her Prince in Disguise
“Oh?” Her gaze turned wary.
The food arrived faster than he’d expected. Apparently, Andi was ravenous because she dove into the food, closing her eyes at the greasy treat. “Oh, this is good!”
Laith could see the stress in her shoulders and the anxious look in her eyes. So instead of continuing to ask about who was harassing her, he decided to ease into the topic more casually. However, once he started talking about his visit back home with his family, Andi started asking him questions about his aunts and uncles. Before he knew it, they were sharing stories about family squabbles and laughing about the pros and cons of siblings.
It was one of the nicest breaks he’d had since…the last time he’d eaten with her. But before he could raise the topic of her harasser again, the meal ended. Without ceremony or warning, Andi stood up and leaned over the table, bracing her hands on the rough wood as she looked down at him with thosebeautiful, blue eyes. “Thank you for lunch. I need to get back to work.” She kissed him lightly, then turned and hurried towards the door. But before she’d taken two steps, she paused. “Don’t follow me,” she called back over her shoulder, then hurried forward and pushed through the pub’s heavy, wooden door.
Laith was so startled by the sweetness of the kiss, it took him several seconds to understand what had just happened. That sweet, almost innocent kiss was the first time that Andi had initiated any physical contact between them, which made it so much more powerful.
Unaware of his expression of stunned surprise, Laith looked over at the two guards who were stationed inside. Both were smirking at him. Stiffening, Laith grumbled something under his breath that made the guards laugh, then he stood up and followed his woman out the door.
One question suddenly popped into his mind; why didn’t she want him to follow her?
Chapter 21
Andi stepped back into the conference room, a stupid grin on her face. There were empty lunch cartons in the garbage with one left untouched still sitting on the conference room table. Andi rolled her eyes and tossed the broccoli infested food into the trash with the others, wondering what she’d done to Jonas to make him hate her so much.
Was it just because he suspected she was having a fling with Laith? She hadn’t done anything else to the man. Good grief, other than discussing travel arrangements and meeting times, Andi hadn’t had any other contact with Jonas!
Still, she didn’t want to concern herself with the shorter man. Especially not after such a lovely lunch with Laith. They’d argued, laughed, and debated about the stupidest stuff and she felt…happy.
For the rest of the afternoon, Andi blissfully worked on the financial reports in the conference room. Lawrence was often with her, but Tom spent all of his time with the creative people in the London office while Jennifer was out at the factory sites.
Several people came into the conference room to speak with Lawrence. He wasn’t respectful about the conversations, which was odd. When they’d worked in Singapore, everyone had been very considerate of the other people working in the small room. If someone needed to have a conversation, the team member would take the discussion to another area of the office, outside of the team room, where they wouldn’t disturb the others.
Of course, Andi acknowledged that the problem wasn’t the continuous comings and goings of various people in the conference room. She was able to block out most of the voices. The real problem was the moments when Laith came in. He would softly speak with Lawrence or herself, which, on the surface, was fine. He kept all conversations completely business oriented. But when he’d stop her in the hallways, his hand would brush her back, his fingers casually touching her, gliding across the bare skin of her upper arms or her overly sensitive lower back. When she gasped or trembled, he would suggest, in a very low, business-like tone, that they should meet for dinner at his hotel suite.
“Can’t do that,” she whispered.
But then, he’d touch her again. It was the soft, gentle touches, nothing out of the ordinary, that were driving her insane. He even touched Lawrence’s arm, just as casually, so Andi couldn’t even argue that he was singling her out for special attention.
But Lawrance didn’t seem to lose his concentration at the casual touches from their boss. When Laith brushed against her in the hallways, when he stopped her for a question, shifting ever so slightly to block out the rest of the world, Andi would have to grit her teeth and fight her body’s need to move even closer.
Several times, Andi had to rush into the bathroom and close her eyes in order to catch her breath and get her body back under control.
It was made even worse when Andi realized that, whenever Laith was nearby, she’d stop working and just stare athim, admiring his broad shoulders or strong back. She’d watch how he used his hands while speaking, remembering the way he’d touched her with those fingers, thinking back to the frantic touches and demanding kisses, the way he made love to her with his whole body and mind.
It was driving her crazy!
So, by the time everyone packed up for the night, Andi was literally shaking with anticipation. Especially when Laith walked into the conference room, carrying a pile of reports. “Andi, can you explain why the indirect contribution for June is off by five points?” he asked as he placed the report next to her.
Lawrence and Jennifer paused. “Want us to wait?” Jennifer asked. They’d all agreed to meet up at a restaurant a few blocks over for dinner.
“Go ahead without me,” Andi told the others. “I’ll catch up.”
They filed out of the conference room, leaving Andi alone with Laith.
“This…the, uh, five percent difference is caused by…!” She stopped, tilting her head back to look into his eyes. His dark eyes stared right back, his gaze heated, as if he might be thinking about something completely separate from the indirect contribution rates.
When she realized that they were just staring into each other’s eyes, the tension and awareness throbbing between them, Andi tried to form words, but they wouldn’t come. And when she saw the mirroring heat, the need and yearning, in his eyes, Andi couldn’t help but react. She grabbed his tie and pulledhim down, kissing him. He allowed it for a moment, and then took charge, pulling her into his arms and kicking the conference room door closed.
He ripped off his tie and gathered her hands together. He pressed her hands against his chest.
They stayed like that for a long moment, both feeling their need pulsating between them. Then he shook his head, mumbling something that she didn’t catch. A moment later, Laith’s eyes turned dark. With determined movements, Laith grabbed her wrists, winding the tie around them.
“Laith?” she whispered, watching without resisting. In fact, he felt her awareness intensify as she watched him knot the silk tie.
“I’ve been watching you walk around the office, looking so gorgeous and sexy,” he tightened the silk tie around her wrists firmly. “You kissed me at lunch,” he shifted her skirt until it was bunched around her waist, then lifted her onto the conference table and spread her legs wide, stepping between them. “You had the audacity to torment me with a kiss, then leave me without anything more to sustain me for hours.” He ripped her panties off, ignoring her gasp of protest as he stuffed them into his pocket. “Now, you’re going to pay the price.”
