Chapter 7 Sebastian #2
The project manager returned to me and cleared his throat when I didn’t immediately stop watching the direction Kayla had disappeared in.
I fixed a neutral expression on my face and turned to him, setting my mind back on business. “It seems to be coming along well.”
“Oh, absolutely. Everything will be finished in the next week.” He consulted his clipboard, flipping a page then two, and finally returning to the front. “Yes, everything is perfectly on schedule, and there are no issues at all.”
I nodded like that was what I’d expected to hear from the contractor, and we discussed the final finishes for a few moments—detailed things that were necessary to get the atmosphere exactly right, and he made a few suggestions as well as adding a few more notes to his clipboard.
He grimaced a little when I mentioned the last-minute name change, but that was quickly concealed behind a professional smile.
By the time we’d finished talking and he moved away, his next set of guys had arrived for the overnight shift, and I checked my watch. Time to find Kayla if I wanted to make our dinner reservations on time.
Finding her wasn’t difficult. Her scent teased me as I followed it up the steps toward my office. She was standing in front of my desk, looking at my chair when I entered, and flashes of skin were visible where her hair cascaded over the low back of her dress.
I drew a long, low breath. It was like viewing perfection, and my chest tightened. I reached toward her, wanting to touch her, to run my hand from her shoulder and down her arm, caressing her.
Her skin would be so soft, so smooth... I wanted to follow that hand with my mouth, my tongue. Worshiping her…
But I stopped myself.
Instead, I merely stepped closer, clasping my hands behind my back so I didn’t accidentally pull her toward me, spin her, and plunder her mouth with mine, rigidly maintaining my control.
It was all I had left.
“You look amazing, Kayla.” I whispered the words in her ear, and she jumped, but she didn’t turn around.
Her breathing quickened as her heart rate increased. The little signs of human arousal were all visible to me, but still I held myself away. I had to.
“That’s very forward behavior for my boss.” Her light, casual words belied the tenseness with which she held herself, and I leaned a little closer, inhaling her soft scent.
She wore the strong perfume, but a soft soapy smell lingered beneath that, and farther down still was the natural aroma of her skin. It called to me like a siren.
“What if we want more than just an employee-boss relationship?” I kept my voice low, and she shivered slightly as I finished speaking.
She spun to face me, and I drew back, the movement quick. I didn’t grin at her, though. I’d meant every word.
Even though I shouldn’t have spoken them at all. But damn my control…It was no match for being in the same room as Kayla right now.
She laughed, the sound quick and sharp. “There’s no way in hell that would work, Mr. Dupont. I’m contracted to your family. It would be like you owned me. Shit—you do. I’d be a hooker.” She finished speaking and jutted her chin toward me defiantly.
“Don’t you ever say anything like that.” My words were tight and angry.
“A hooker? What the hell are you thinking?” I whirled away and paced to the door before shutting it and pacing again.
“The contract you referred to is simple business. All services are laid out professionally and you are compensated for each of those.”
She didn’t say anything, but she watched me, her eyes narrowing slightly as they met mine. There was uncertainty there. Uncertainty and challenge.
I reacted to the challenge right away, my irritation receding. “The contract is business,” I repeated softly. “Choosing to be with me would be all about your pleasure. Your decision.”
Her heart rate picked up again, the sound a soft melody to my ears. Her skin glistened a little, and she ran the tip of her tongue over her lower lip. The signs of her nervousness excited me, and suddenly I wasn’t sure if I saw her more as the object of my desire or as prey.
I blinked and stepped back, unsure when the two had overlapped in my head. How had this happened? I had to have this woman, to claim her as mine.
But I had time for the game, and I had patience.
After all, she wanted me as much as I wanted her. I didn’t need to push things tonight.
But then she took a tentative step toward me, barely even a movement.
Only it was like she was offering herself directly to me.
I saw her challenge and I raised it, closing the distance between us until my chest nearly pressed against her breasts, and our body heat mingled in the small gap between us.
She inhaled a sharp breath and her gaze met mine as I lowered my head. Our lips were almost touching. Just one taste… One. Only one. Surely that would be okay, right?
But no.
I had to control myself in this moment, even if I’d already given in to the decision of making her mine.
As I took a step back, air rushed from her. I could almost smell her disappointment and her relief as I offered her my hand.
“Dinner?” I asked.