couldn't resist," he finally admitted.
At least ten feet lay between them now. The fronds of a potted palm jutted in front of Penny's face. There seemed safety in distance, but his eyes were enough to melt her and she suddenly wished the limo hadn't been dark, that she'd had the pleasure of gazing into them as heatedly then as he gazed at her this moment.
"Can't now, either," he said, getting to his feet. He closed the distance between them before she could even think, let alone protest. He reached for her hand, pulled her up next to him, then lifted his palms to her face.
Don't. The word echoed inside her, but didn't make it to her lips. It was an automatic response, but not what she really wanted.
The kiss was as gentle and fleeting as the one just a minute ago, but this time Penny savored it and let the pleasure trickle warmly through her body. "Oh…" she breathed. "This isn't me."
"Yes, it is," he assured her, and she had no choice but to believe him when his next kiss came stronger, laced with the same thick desire she'd felt from him in the limo. She remembered the power, the restraint she'd felt in his kisses because she felt it now, too. And as she let herself get lost in the sensation of his mouth on hers, she longed to ask him to let go of that restraint and do everything to her.
"Your hair," he murmured in her ear as he sprinkled hot kisses just below. "It feels different than the other night."
Penny could barely find her voice. "I … curled it then."
"It feels so silky. And it smells so good. I thought it was your perfume, but it's your hair."
"Sh-shampoo," she managed, yet his breathy hot voice had turned her knees to jelly and she didn't want to talk anymore. Lifting one hand to his cheek, she led his mouth back to hers. As much as she loved being kissed other places, right now she needed to feel his magnificent kiss on her lips.
She'd never imagined such powerful chemistry could exist between two people, but it had the other night, even in the dark, and it pummeled her now, too, making her feel completely won, completely weakened, completely at his mercy.
That's when he pulled back, breaking away from her. "Oh God," he said, his gaze planted behind her as things came to a grinding halt. "I'm sorry."
She followed his eyes to the desk, to the large vinyl portfolio Martin had given her to store her paperwork on the system design. The words Schuster Systems were emblazoned across it in bold gold lettering.
"It's okay," she said, trying to come to grips with all of this—his fabulous kisses, and the fact that, for both of their sakes, she should not have accepted them.
"No, it's not." He shook his head. "I can't do this."
"Neither can I."
"I shouldn't have. I don't mean to be a jerk."
She spoke quietly, gazing again into eyes she thought more beautiful each time she looked at them. "I don't think you're a jerk. I think we're just … in a weird situation." She paused, trying to clear her head. "We shouldn't be working together alone like this."
"I know, but how would we explain that to Martin?"
She glanced down. "That's the only reason I agreed to it—I couldn't figure out a way not to without looking suspicious." Raising her eyes back to him, she sighed. "But I think you should probably go now."
"Definitely."
Penny watched from the same spot where she'd stood kissing him a moment ago as he moved to the desk and hurriedly packed his laptop and the notes he'd taken during the day. Cramming it all in a leather bag, he strode to the front door, and only then did he stop to peer back at her.
"Penny," he said, looking desperate now, "I'm really sorry about kissing you. It was way out of line, weird situation or not. I just…" he sighed "…well, never mind."
I'm just so madly attracted to you I couldn't stop myself, Ryan had wanted to say, but no good could come from that much honesty. He couldn't believe what he'd done, how much more difficult he'd just made things for both of them. What had
At least ten feet lay between them now. The fronds of a potted palm jutted in front of Penny's face. There seemed safety in distance, but his eyes were enough to melt her and she suddenly wished the limo hadn't been dark, that she'd had the pleasure of gazing into them as heatedly then as he gazed at her this moment.
"Can't now, either," he said, getting to his feet. He closed the distance between them before she could even think, let alone protest. He reached for her hand, pulled her up next to him, then lifted his palms to her face.
Don't. The word echoed inside her, but didn't make it to her lips. It was an automatic response, but not what she really wanted.
The kiss was as gentle and fleeting as the one just a minute ago, but this time Penny savored it and let the pleasure trickle warmly through her body. "Oh…" she breathed. "This isn't me."
"Yes, it is," he assured her, and she had no choice but to believe him when his next kiss came stronger, laced with the same thick desire she'd felt from him in the limo. She remembered the power, the restraint she'd felt in his kisses because she felt it now, too. And as she let herself get lost in the sensation of his mouth on hers, she longed to ask him to let go of that restraint and do everything to her.
"Your hair," he murmured in her ear as he sprinkled hot kisses just below. "It feels different than the other night."
Penny could barely find her voice. "I … curled it then."
"It feels so silky. And it smells so good. I thought it was your perfume, but it's your hair."
"Sh-shampoo," she managed, yet his breathy hot voice had turned her knees to jelly and she didn't want to talk anymore. Lifting one hand to his cheek, she led his mouth back to hers. As much as she loved being kissed other places, right now she needed to feel his magnificent kiss on her lips.
She'd never imagined such powerful chemistry could exist between two people, but it had the other night, even in the dark, and it pummeled her now, too, making her feel completely won, completely weakened, completely at his mercy.
That's when he pulled back, breaking away from her. "Oh God," he said, his gaze planted behind her as things came to a grinding halt. "I'm sorry."
She followed his eyes to the desk, to the large vinyl portfolio Martin had given her to store her paperwork on the system design. The words Schuster Systems were emblazoned across it in bold gold lettering.
"It's okay," she said, trying to come to grips with all of this—his fabulous kisses, and the fact that, for both of their sakes, she should not have accepted them.
"No, it's not." He shook his head. "I can't do this."
"Neither can I."
"I shouldn't have. I don't mean to be a jerk."
She spoke quietly, gazing again into eyes she thought more beautiful each time she looked at them. "I don't think you're a jerk. I think we're just … in a weird situation." She paused, trying to clear her head. "We shouldn't be working together alone like this."
"I know, but how would we explain that to Martin?"
She glanced down. "That's the only reason I agreed to it—I couldn't figure out a way not to without looking suspicious." Raising her eyes back to him, she sighed. "But I think you should probably go now."
"Definitely."
Penny watched from the same spot where she'd stood kissing him a moment ago as he moved to the desk and hurriedly packed his laptop and the notes he'd taken during the day. Cramming it all in a leather bag, he strode to the front door, and only then did he stop to peer back at her.
"Penny," he said, looking desperate now, "I'm really sorry about kissing you. It was way out of line, weird situation or not. I just…" he sighed "…well, never mind."
I'm just so madly attracted to you I couldn't stop myself, Ryan had wanted to say, but no good could come from that much honesty. He couldn't believe what he'd done, how much more difficult he'd just made things for both of them. What had
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