Page 28 of On the Fly
In the background, she faintly heard an announcement that the rehearsal was complete, and something about dinner. Emma didn’t care. She relaxed into Ander, taking everything he so generously offered, his hand searing her lower back as he held her close. The sensual perusal of both tongue and teeth was neither slow nor fast. It was just right, as if they’d been doing this forever. Only the pesky need to breathe broke them apart. Ander stayed bent toward her, his strong arms wrapping tighter around her body as they both drew in deep lungfuls of air. She blinked her eyes open to stare into his baby blues. Their hearts beat as one.
“You kiss really well,” she said, wispy and breathlessly.
“I knew you would too,” he said, his gaze scanning her face as if he tried to memorize everything about her.
She stayed in his hold for several seconds longer until the strain of lifting onto her tiptoes sent a cramp down her calf. She lowered to her feet, a move Ander didn’t seem to like at all as he tightened his hold to keep her pressed against him. She unwound her arms from around his shoulders, sliding them down his chest where she rested her forehead against his beating heart.
“I told you so,” Gina said, passing them by. “You have an hour to dress for dinner.”
Her family, the bed-and-breakfast staff, the wedding all came slamming back into her reality.
“Skip dinner,” Ander said into her hair.
Emma sucked in a breath at the invitation. She wasn’t naïve enough to think he meant anything other than joining him for sex, and based on the reaction going on between her thighs, her body was more than up for the idea. Air left her lungs in a rush as the potential ramifications of those actions crashed into her.
“I can’t. You know I can’t,” she said with a hint of remorse in her tone, one she honestly meant. Most certainly not the outright refusal she should have given his suggestion.
“Later then. We’ll leave the after-party early. Promise me, and I’ll believe you.”
Her gaze met his, all the need and desire coursing through her was reflected in his blue stare. It helped to not be alone in the yearning. She nodded.
Holy torpedoes… six concentrated hours with the man and she planned to get naked with him. She’d known him mere days, but somehow, they felt connected by a lifetime of experiences in a way she couldn’t define. She grinned, and he grinned back, giving a single nod of his own. She didn’t have to say her commitment aloud. His response showed it had to be written all over her face.
Chapter 13
Emma seriously needed perspective in a big way. She stopped in mid-motion while applying her mascara and closed her eyes. Her body warmed and a slight smile ghosted her lips as she thought about the sweet afternoon she had spent with Ander. He was the best boyfriend she’d ever had, pretend or otherwise. He made her feel loved and cherished like she had never experienced before. He fit perfectly in her world.
Her eyes snapped open. She gave herself a hard look in the mirror. “You’re so dumb. He’s playing a part,” she said, scolding herself for the fairytale she built in her head. “And you don’t even know why he’s doing all this?” This Ander didn’t even slightly resemble the man from the plane. His disinterest and icy exterior had carried over into all their encounters…until he’d stepped up to act as her date.
Ander was a shrewd and powerful businessman who had his own agenda in everything he did. She didn’t care to be party to whatever lurked in his motivations.
She breathed in deep and mentally rebuilt those barriers around her heart as she continued brushing the mascara on her lashes. He’d sacrificed his weekend to help her. Maybe Ander was into her. There was seemingly no other reason for him to be doing all this except out of kindness. She’d figure out his angle eventually. Hopefully not too late to save her heart.
She’d enjoyed their day together. And she’d warmed toward him since their encounters on the plane and in the office. When they’d kissed, the sexual chemistry had been off the charts. And the promise for later… Well, she assumed he meant sex.
She paused the mascara brush again so she could roll her eyes. Of course, he meant sex.
Ander was a complicated man who very clearly liked the chase if the effort he’d put out over the last two days were any indication. He’d systematically broken down the barriers between them. His tenacity no doubt made him formidable in business. But Ander could easily have sex with half the female population on his command. Handsome as sin, sometimes kind, and pockets of hard-earned cash. Why he’d put in the effort for her confounded her, but he had.
Did she care that she could be a conquest? Maybe. Well, more like absolutely, but would it stop her? People had casual sex all the time. She didn’t, but others did. Maybe she could just enjoy the now without questioning so much.
The quiet knock on the bedroom door sent her nerves skyrocketing and her gaze skidding to the solid wood between her and the person on the other side. She forced herself to take a deep calming breath then slid a hand down the mid-section of her fitted dress before pushing the brush back inside her mascara tube. “Come in.”
Ander opened the door in a playful way by sticking his head in first with a hand covering his eyes. “Is it safe?”
“You’re silly.” When his hand fell away, he slowly pushed the door open the rest of the way while his eyes scanned the length of her body.
“You’re beautiful.” The words held such reverence that the heat of a blush rose in her cheeks, and she had to force her gaze down to avoid the genuineness of his appreciation. Angry, distant Ander was easier to ignore. His charming side had her heart reacting, tying her closer to him, which meant this would be anything but casual for her.
“That’s something I’m not.” Both hands slid down her belly and she clasped them together to keep from fidgeting.
“Then you’ve been lying to yourself.” Again, he sounded unguarded and truthful. Only out of need to leave this part of the conversation behind, she lifted her gaze, giving his body the same once-over he had hers. He wore a dark, well-fitted suit with a crisp white shirt and no necktie, the top button opened to reveal a little of his strong neck. Like she’d come to expect, the cut of the suit looked tailor-made just for his body.
“You look nice.”
“Damn right I do.” He grinned boldly, doing a three-sixty pivot so she could see all sides of him in his suit. “See? I can take a compliment.”
She rolled her eyes and started for the bedroom door. She walked around him, ignoring his latest round of I’m-so-perfect and stepped out into the hallway. “I think there’s a difference between being appreciative of a compliment and adamantly agreeing with the praise.”
