five years ago. We’d gotten big enough it was hard for me to keep track of everything by myself.”
“How can you confine yourself only to the business side of the firm? Don’t you miss the creative side of your work? I would.”
“Edie may be creative director, but I have a hand in every piece of work, every image, every word that goes out the door. It’s my name on that door, after all. So I don’t miss the creative side. I still do some of it.”
“I can only hope someday I have someone working here who loves the business side as much as I love the creative side. Until then …” She let the sentence drift off.
“You’ll get there.”
She gestured to her computer. “If I have enough of these projects, maybe I will.”
“Sounds like I should let you get back to work.” He rose from the chair.
Walking him to the door, she said, “Thank you again for the coffee. I need all the caffeine I can get today.”
“It was only an excuse to see you again. You do know that, don’t you?”
She didn’t say anything, merely looked up into his brown eyes and smiled.
“You have beautiful eyes,” he said as he traced around them with his forefinger. “And wonderful cheekbones. Then there’s this mouth. I’ve thought about it a lot since yesterday.” He trailed his finger over her cheek and then to her top lip. “What I realized was, I didn’t taste it nearly enough yesterday. I’d like to correct that omission.”
He didn’t want to rush her, but he needed to kiss her again, needed to feel her mouth against his. He started softly, sweetly, not knowing how far she would want him to push. But her lips parted without any urging from him, and when her body relaxed against him, he responded with a swift exploration of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. She tasted of coffee and the same sweetness he’d discovered when he’d kissed her in his SUV. She sighed into his mouth and her arms went around him.
He pulled her closer and shifted his mouth to make it possible to nibble on her lower lip, then, taking his time, he deepened the kiss. The temptation to keep going, to find out what her skin felt like under the T-shirt she wore, was strong. Maybe even to see how comfortable that little couch of hers was with the two of them horizontal on it.
But he knew he couldn’t push that far that fast. So he nipped at her lip again then kissed where he had nipped before drawing back from her. She frowned slightly, as if disappointed the kiss was over. Smiling, he dropped a kiss on her forehead and said, “If I don’t go now, I’m quite likely to do something that will seriously interfere with either of us getting any more work done.”
“Yes. I guess we should both get back to … to … whatever.” She didn’t move away from him, however, but continued to look up at him, her eyes wide and unfocused. He wanted to kiss her again, to make sure when she went back to work she wouldn’t forget who had made her feel that way. But before he had a chance to act on his impulse, the door to the office flew open and whacked him in the back.
Melody barged in. “Catherine, you haven’t answered the email I sent about the links to the research you were—” When she saw who was standing there, the doorknob still in the small of his back, she stopped talking and flushed a deep red. “Oh, Mr. Russo. I thought Catherine was alone. I’m so, so sorry. Maybe I should come back later.”
“No harm, no foul, Melody. And it’s Dominic.” He smiled at the obviously rattled woman. “I brought Catherine coffee, but I was just leaving.”
“Coffee—right. Don’t forget yours,” Catherine said. She grabbed his cup from her desk and handed it to him. “Thanks again for the latte.”
“Any time.” He was almost out the door when he thought to add, “I hope Noah has a good tournament today.”
“Thanks. I have my fingers crossed for him.”
• • •
The silence left by Dominic’s departure went on for several
“How can you confine yourself only to the business side of the firm? Don’t you miss the creative side of your work? I would.”
“Edie may be creative director, but I have a hand in every piece of work, every image, every word that goes out the door. It’s my name on that door, after all. So I don’t miss the creative side. I still do some of it.”
“I can only hope someday I have someone working here who loves the business side as much as I love the creative side. Until then …” She let the sentence drift off.
“You’ll get there.”
She gestured to her computer. “If I have enough of these projects, maybe I will.”
“Sounds like I should let you get back to work.” He rose from the chair.
Walking him to the door, she said, “Thank you again for the coffee. I need all the caffeine I can get today.”
“It was only an excuse to see you again. You do know that, don’t you?”
She didn’t say anything, merely looked up into his brown eyes and smiled.
“You have beautiful eyes,” he said as he traced around them with his forefinger. “And wonderful cheekbones. Then there’s this mouth. I’ve thought about it a lot since yesterday.” He trailed his finger over her cheek and then to her top lip. “What I realized was, I didn’t taste it nearly enough yesterday. I’d like to correct that omission.”
He didn’t want to rush her, but he needed to kiss her again, needed to feel her mouth against his. He started softly, sweetly, not knowing how far she would want him to push. But her lips parted without any urging from him, and when her body relaxed against him, he responded with a swift exploration of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. She tasted of coffee and the same sweetness he’d discovered when he’d kissed her in his SUV. She sighed into his mouth and her arms went around him.
He pulled her closer and shifted his mouth to make it possible to nibble on her lower lip, then, taking his time, he deepened the kiss. The temptation to keep going, to find out what her skin felt like under the T-shirt she wore, was strong. Maybe even to see how comfortable that little couch of hers was with the two of them horizontal on it.
But he knew he couldn’t push that far that fast. So he nipped at her lip again then kissed where he had nipped before drawing back from her. She frowned slightly, as if disappointed the kiss was over. Smiling, he dropped a kiss on her forehead and said, “If I don’t go now, I’m quite likely to do something that will seriously interfere with either of us getting any more work done.”
“Yes. I guess we should both get back to … to … whatever.” She didn’t move away from him, however, but continued to look up at him, her eyes wide and unfocused. He wanted to kiss her again, to make sure when she went back to work she wouldn’t forget who had made her feel that way. But before he had a chance to act on his impulse, the door to the office flew open and whacked him in the back.
Melody barged in. “Catherine, you haven’t answered the email I sent about the links to the research you were—” When she saw who was standing there, the doorknob still in the small of his back, she stopped talking and flushed a deep red. “Oh, Mr. Russo. I thought Catherine was alone. I’m so, so sorry. Maybe I should come back later.”
“No harm, no foul, Melody. And it’s Dominic.” He smiled at the obviously rattled woman. “I brought Catherine coffee, but I was just leaving.”
“Coffee—right. Don’t forget yours,” Catherine said. She grabbed his cup from her desk and handed it to him. “Thanks again for the latte.”
“Any time.” He was almost out the door when he thought to add, “I hope Noah has a good tournament today.”
“Thanks. I have my fingers crossed for him.”
• • •
The silence left by Dominic’s departure went on for several
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