Page 14 of Hate to Crave You
“I’m not all that hungry myself,” she said as she lowered the glass.
“Is that a fact?”
“Hmm. I think I’ll go use the ladies’ room.” She slid from her chair, pausing for a moment to make sure her legs would stay under her before she started to walk.
* * *
“Get a hold of yourself,”she told her reflection.
It didn’t matter that the man out there was beautiful and seemed to eat her up with his eyes.
She didn’t know him.
Their families were entwined in what could only be described as a bitter, ugly feud.
Sure, that didn’t have to involve them—she didn’t even fully understand why her parents and his couldn’t stand each other. She personally had nothing against Roman and judging by the way tonight was going, if she’d met him anywhere outside of how they’d met, if he wasn’t a Montrose, she’d probably fall for this heated flirtation playing out between them.
So why let your family stop you?
She stared into the eyes of the woman in her reflection, trying to understand just that. It was a simple question. And yet…it wasn’t.
Before she had time to come up with an answer, the door opened, admitting two women, both of them talking in excited, low whispers.
She nodded at them as she stepped back from the sink.
She needed to get back out there anyway.
To her surprise, she found Roman lingering near the grotto that housed the restrooms.
He caught her hand, and before she could so much as blink, he tugged her toward him. “I hope I don’t have to apologize for this,” he said in a low voice just before his mouth closed over hers.
He licked at the entrance to her mouth, a questioning sort of caress and without hesitation, she opened for him with a moan.
Roman reached up to cradle the back of her head with his hand and she found herself sagging into his embrace as the kiss deepened.
Thiswas a kiss.
There was no mashing of his lips to hers, no awkward attempt to half strangle her with his tongue.
No…hecourtedher with that kiss. His mouth was firm, but gentle on hers, and when he finally dipped his tongue inside, she tasted wine on him. It made her crazy for more and she arched against him, curling one arm around his neck.
A shudder went through him.
Her nipples tightened inside the silk of her bra and as music twined through the air, she found herself wanting to twine herself completely around him.
He was the one who broke the kiss, tearing his mouth from hers, but not breaking away. He stood there with his head pressed to hers, breath coming hard. “I want you,” he said in a low, seductive voice. “I wanted you the second I saw you in that boardroom. Say you’ll come home with me.”
Julianna knew there were a hundred reasons why she shouldn’t and only one of them had to do with the fact that she barely knew him.
But as she pulled back to peer into his pale, lovely eyes,noneof those reasons really seemed to matter.
What mattered was the fact that this man wanted her.
And she wanted him.
Reaching up, she laid a hand on his cheek, peering into his eyes as she studied him.
“I’ll come home with you,” she whispered.
