Chapter 14 NANCY
THE RANGE ROVER WAS STILL PARKED out front when we walked out into the sticky, sun-drenched afternoon, the air around us fizzing with tension.
I slid into the welcome air conditioning and tried to gather my thoughts.
I’d just enjoyed one of the most intense yet amazing hours of my life with this gorgeous man, and it terrified and excited me in equal measure.
Alex sat a little closer than before and draped an arm over the back of the headrest to face me, his gaze so focused it was impossible to look away from.
He reached out tentatively as if waiting for me to pull back.
When I didn’t, he cupped my cheek. His skin felt warm and surprisingly rough, likely from rowing.
I rubbed against the scratchiness and closed my eyes.
“May I kiss you?” His whisper was breathy, and I realised he was nervous too.
My lips parted, searching for a word that didn’t materialise, so instead, I nodded.
His warmth enclosed the space before his lips touched mine, feather-soft, grazing back and forth.
Then he took my mouth as if starved. The sudden change in intensity stripped my breath, but damn, for all the hype about a first kiss, this was worth the twenty-two-year wait.
My trembling hands slid up his face into the mane of silky hair I’d been dying to run my fingers through since the first day I met him. He shifted with me, his fingers brushing down my neck and around to my back, where his palms flattened, pressing me to his chest.
A beat thumped in my blood so furiously I hoped he couldn’t feel the turbulence beneath my skin.
But he didn’t even pause. Instead, his hands continued their descent, sliding down my back all the way to my bottom.
He caressed gently at first, then clutched my ass through my dress’s cloud-like fabric and swept me weightlessly onto his lap.
I gasped, but while my mind suppressed panic, my body surrendered.
Straddling him, I felt the bulge of his building erection pressed against my thigh where the miniskirt had shifted up, soft Italian cotton eagerly brushing my nylons. Our lips writhed, and I moaned into the kiss, driving him on.
He traced my lips, requesting, seducing, then sealed his mouth over mine.
I relented with a whimper, parting for him, and he dipped his tongue, sending a jealous ache between my legs.
The taste of champagne, coupled with his intoxicating scent, made me reckless and punch-drunk.
My hands remained embedded in his hair, uncertain whether to keep him sealed to my lips or wrench him back.
His fingertips found the heel of my boots and began to travel along the seam. I gripped him tighter, trying to stop the unnerving sensation shooting through my stomach, like jerking awake at the edge of a dream.
Then his hand stopped on my thigh.
Alex pulled back slowly, his lips red and swollen from our kiss, and looked down at the lace welt of my hold-ups. The growl of desire he let out was so bass that I shook. I felt his cock flex as he teased the soft fabric, and my head fell back. Delirious. Torn.
A hand travelled up my body, caressing the edge of my breasts before reaching my throat. I froze, my adrenaline spiking, but he continued around to my braid, pulling me forward to rest on his brow.
“Shall I keep going?” His voice was deep and barely contained.
I nodded against his skin, dying to breathe within the enclosed space.
Alex’s hand slid across the lace to the skin of my inner thigh. Then he kissed me passionately as his middle finger traced the dampened silk of my—
I shoved forward, launching myself off his lap and into the footwell with a thud—legs splayed, hair mussed, and panting through staggered breaths—terror covering my face before I could hide.
“Jesus, Nancy! Are you alright?” Alex clasped my arms.
Our eyes locked for a second, then I looked away. “I’m fine. Sorry, I lost my balance.”
He helped me back to the seat, his hands coming to rest on my flank. I tensed and pulled down the short skirt, suddenly aware of the ripe sweat under my arms, making me feel dirty.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked, leaning forward to cover his hard-on.
“No, no,” I tried to console. “I just… I need to take it a bit slower.”
He nodded, but he couldn’t quite look at me. “Of course, I’m sorry. I got caught up in the moment.”
“Me too. It’s okay. I’m fine,” I said, as my arms drew around my body.
The car stopped outside the basement lift, and we paused in the darkened space, knowing there was more to say, but neither of us found the words. Alex looked away, then climbed out and presented his hand. I took it and shuffled off the seat, feeling mortified.
He checked his watch. “I’m going to have to go now.”
“Where to?”
“I have meetings in Canary Wharf this afternoon. I’m unlikely to return to the office before the end of the day.”
“I had a wonderful time,” I blurted, immediately wanting to kick myself. “Lunch was…special.”
Alex’s face softened into a smile. “You’re special, Nancy, that was showing off.” He leaned in, and I hoped he would kiss me again, but he moved around to my cheek, pressing his lips against my skin chastely before withdrawing and getting into the back.
I turned away and called the lift to the top floor, waving to Evelyn as I walked to the secure room. Then, I lost myself in work, trying to ignore the lingering fear.