An Heiress for All Seasons by Sophie Jordan Page B

of sexy, persuasive Dexter Cameron, who presents her with the opportunity of a lifetime, Virginia sees it as a sign . . . but can she take it without losing her heart?

 
    V irginia threw her hands in the air and walked over to face him. “Come on, Dex! Be realistic. You need a team to fix this store. An army.”
    “So hire one.” He leaned toward her. “I need you. And you need me.”
    “I don’t need you.” She narrowed her eyes. There was no way she was going to tell him about dumping Owlton. Not right now, anyway.
    Dex slid off the desk and covered the few feet between them, frowning. “Yes, you do,” he said.
    She stared at his mouth, her legs suddenly feeling wobbly. “No, I don’t.” She raised her hands to his shoulders to steady herself.
    “You can choose to keep telling yourself that, or you can make a move.”
    “What do you mean by that?”
    “Move forward.”
    She took a deep breath. “I don’t know if I can.” The words came out raspy, and the look of irritation in Dex’s eyes changed into something much more focused. He hesitated for a moment and then leaned closer. “Make a leap of faith, trust your instincts, and take the job. You’ll have my full support.”
    As she gazed up into his steady eyes, she was all too aware of her fear. Because of cowardice, she never acted as if she expected anyone to take her seriously—and so they didn’t. It pissed her off. She didn’t like being pissed, especially not at herself. Dex took her seriously, didn’t he? She closed her eyes. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
    When she opened them, he smiled. “Great. Now . . . about moving forward?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Literally moving forward would be fantastic. I never got to kiss you back, you know.”
    “I . . . didn’t expect you to,” she said.
    “That might be, but the more I thought about your kiss last night, the more necessary kissing you back became to me. And now? I can’t think about much else.”
    She gripped his shoulders and gazed into his eyes. “To be honest, neither can I.”
    “Please tell me we can try again. Kiss me and see what happens.” His voice was low and thick.
    Virginia’s legs almost gave out from under her, and a shuddering breath left her body. She should be taking a step back, not contemplating kissing him again. Her body swayed forward, and she tightened her grip on his shoulders to steady herself. Just as she closed her eyes to think, his mouth descended, hot and sweet, angling over hers and stopping a hairsbreadth from her lips.
    “Mmm,” he uttered, the sound coming from deep in his throat, and it was all she needed.
    She pushed up onto her toes, her fingers laced behind his neck, and she kissed him. He tasted earthy—wild, almost—and that surprising discovery sent a shock wave through her brain. She kissed him again. “More,” she murmured, even though she knew she shouldn’t. His tongue invaded her mouth; he turned and, in one motion, lifted her onto the desk. Electricity sang through her body, and, as she twined her tongue with his, the idea of shouldn’t started to become hazy. Her hands threaded through his cropped hair and she leaned back—arching her breasts toward him—wanting Dex to press her down with his body. Please , she whispered in her mind, Please, Dex.
    His hands ran over her hips, but he didn’t move closer, so she deepened the kiss, letting her hands trail over his smooth jaw, the taut sides of his neck; then she slid her fingers around the lapels of his suit and tugged. With a groan, Dex pulled her against his chest again, his hands skimming up her back to gently tug on the blunt ends of her hair. She complied, letting her head fall back, and his hot, open mouth slid down her throat and nestled in the crook of her neck. He kissed her there, lingering.
    “More,” she gasped out loud, clinging to his shoulders.
    He kissed her throat again, his tongue branding a circle under her jaw. Then slowly, he pulled away. “We have to