Page 23 of The Thorne at My Side
She stands and starts pacing the short wall of the conference room. Maggie reminds me of a caged animal. She’s backed up against the wall and using all her restraint to stay composed. What I wouldn’t give to see her unravel.
"Senator Quinn is running for president of the United States and we have worked, I have worked, tirelessly to make the fact that she's a single woman irrelevant. To make the fact that she can think for herself her top asset as the leader of the free world. Now she's gone and hired an AI service backed by the sleaziest media company in the country that is well known to steal from peter to pay paul and pocketing plenty in between."
"Nice alliteration," I joke and she storms over and gets in my face.
"Are you going to keep making jokes or are you going to help me figure out how to tell the American public, tell the wholefucking world, that my boss is using a computer to write her speeches and that it won't effect her political decisions?"
Maggie's chest is rising and falling and there are only inches between us. The air crackles and before it can explode, I grab her face in my hands and pull her mouth to mine.
My fingers curl around the back of her head and I hold her there as she opens her mouth to me. Everything else fades away as I taste her. The bitter tang of her iced coffee softened by a hint of vanilla floods my senses and I crave more. My body hums when her hands dig into my ribcage holding me to her.
I spin us and prop her ass against the table and she lifts her leg to hook it around my hips. I grind my growing erection into the space between us and swallow her moan in my kiss.
Before I completely lose my mind I break us apart and rest my forehead against hers. Slowly she slides her leg back down to the floor and her hands grip the side of the table instead of me. Both of our chests are heaving like we just raced the 100m.
That kiss was pure passion, energy, connection. I don't know what to do with this newfound craving. I roll my head and peck one last kiss to her lips before stepping back and walking out of the room.
I rake my hands through my hair as I walk down the hallway to the elevators. Kissing Maggie Collins was not on my agenda today but fuck me, that was incredible. As I step into the elevator I turn around and look back toward the office. Maggie is standing in the doorway watching me. Her arms are crossed but one hand is up near her face and her thumb is brushing across her soft pink lips as she studies me. The doors close leaving me with the image of her and her mouth.
Impulsive physical interactions are not my M.O.. Usually PDA is limited to a hand on the small of a girl’sback as we walk into or out of an event. And that is less about wanting to be connected with my date and more about the optics. It’s polite.
As the elevator descends my entire body pulses with energy. Maggie’s lips, her soft core, her taste, her sounds are imprinting themselves on my brain. I savor each for a moment before I start to plot ways to kiss her again.
CHAPTER 9
A fake date is better than none.
MAGGIE
The elevator doors close across Austin's face and I see the questions racing through my mind in his eyes.
What the hell just happened?
Who is this man?
When can we kiss again?
I have never done anything that uninhibited in my life. It was like my sex drive took over.
I got increasingly wound up all morning. Every stress-laden thought about work was met with two lust-laden ones about Austin.
When his hands bracketed my face, the word “finally” flashed in my mind. Our crash landing of a kiss made all the previous turbulence worth it.
That was, without a doubt, the best damn kiss I've ever experienced. It was intense and wet and I melted into his solid body. It has awoken something in me. A wild kind of hunger.
I don’t rely on guys to meet my needs. I can do it all by myself. That kiss tells me Austin would know how to meet my needs and then some.
I followed him out to the hall expecting to confront himabout the kiss that both shook and steadied my world but when I saw him comb his hair back with his fingers like he regretted it, I froze. Then he turned and I watched feelings dance through his expression as he took me in. The look in his eyes made me doubt he was feeling remorseful.
My lips are still buzzing twenty minutes later when he and his team walk back into the conference room. I bite down hard on my lip to stop myself from smiling at him like a schoolgirl with a crush. As much as my body might want to engage with Austin again, I need to stay focused. He’s charming, attractive, and kisses like a Marine returning from deployment, but I have a job to do.
"We've got an idea for a joint statement," Javé, his teammate, says as they file into the room. I actively look anywhere besides at Austin.
"Let's hear it," Sam says.
"While unexpected, Senator Quinn has always been a leader when it comes to embracing change. Her use of AI technology in her campaign will elevate the conversation," I scoff and everyone turns to look at me.
"Sorry, go on," I mutter through clenched teeth and look down at my notes. Sam kicks me under the table and then scribbles something in her notebook.
