missed?’He gestured towards the piece of paper she was holding out to him.
‘Yes.’ She perfunctorily handed it over, then impatiently hovered as he scanned down the printed list.
‘That’s fine. Thanks again,’ he murmured.
‘I’ll say goodnight, then.’
Without further ado she slipped on her raincoat, arranged the strap of her bag securely over her shoulder, then exited the office without so much as a backward glance at either him or Layla.
Striding back into his private office, Drake dropped the paper onto his desk and then called out to his guest to come and join him.
‘I get the feeling that your secretary’s going to view me as enemy number one should I ever dare visit you here again … especially without an appointment.’ Stepping into the room and then quietly closing the door behind her, Layla shaped her mouth into a lopsided and rueful smile.
‘She runs a tight ship.’ Drake grinned. ‘She doesn’t like it when her captain goes AWOL.’
‘I can’t say I blame her. You probably missed several important appointments today.’
‘Do you really think I care about that right now?’
Planting himself directly in front of her, Drake could no longer resist the impulse to be closer. Watching her talking and smiling with his colleagues had been excruciating torment because he hadn’t been free to touch and hold her as he yearned to do. He hadn’t even dared catch her eye in case he revealed his longing in front of the people he was ultra-careful to keep his private lifea firmly closed book to. At any rate, he fully intended to make up for that self-denial now.
He started by cupping Layla’s small, delicately made jaw, and straight away saw her eyes darken and grow even more lustrous beneath the long ebony lashes that swept down over them. His pulse quickened. The sensual silken texture of her skin beneath his fingers made him long to explore all of her without restraint, to drown in her beauty and get drunk on it without the fear of consequences to either his heart or his conscience.
‘You mesmerised them out there,’ he told her. ‘You’re going to be the talk of the place for weeks to come.’
‘I hardly think so.’
‘Then you clearly don’t know a lot about the male of the species.’
‘That’s probably true.’
Her dark eyes were troubled for a moment, and Drake could have kicked himself for reminding her of her dishonest ex-boss.
‘Returning to the present, I hope you haven’t made any plans for the weekend?’ he commented, lowering his voice, holding her gaze with invisible ties that hungrily bound it to his.
‘Why’s that?’
‘Because I’d like you to spend it with me.’
‘All of it?’
The wonderment in her voice made Drake chuckle. ‘Yes, all of it. And I’ll make sure you get home early enough on Sunday that you can get to bed at your usual time.’
‘So you’re expecting me to stay the night with you? I mean … not just one night but two?’
‘Think you could bear it?’ He hated the doubt that suddenly surfaced in his mind. He wished he could shoot it dead. ‘My house has several guest rooms. If you’d rather we didn’t share a room until you get to know me better, then I want you to know I’ll respect that.’
‘Thanks.’
The gratefully innocent smile she gave him told Drake that he’d said the right thing. He was immensely relieved. He didn’t want any more of their days or their evenings together to end in quarrels or disappointment. He’d rather suffer the torment of frustration than that.
‘Do I get a kiss for being so thoughtful and considerate?’ he teased, smiling.
In answer, Layla reached up on tiptoe and pressed her lips softly against his. Even though his first impulse was to ravish and plunder now that she’d agreed to his request, he summoned some stoic restraint from God only knew where and deliberately kept the kiss on the right side of slow and tender. But even so his hands moved up and down her back, and now and
‘Yes.’ She perfunctorily handed it over, then impatiently hovered as he scanned down the printed list.
‘That’s fine. Thanks again,’ he murmured.
‘I’ll say goodnight, then.’
Without further ado she slipped on her raincoat, arranged the strap of her bag securely over her shoulder, then exited the office without so much as a backward glance at either him or Layla.
Striding back into his private office, Drake dropped the paper onto his desk and then called out to his guest to come and join him.
‘I get the feeling that your secretary’s going to view me as enemy number one should I ever dare visit you here again … especially without an appointment.’ Stepping into the room and then quietly closing the door behind her, Layla shaped her mouth into a lopsided and rueful smile.
‘She runs a tight ship.’ Drake grinned. ‘She doesn’t like it when her captain goes AWOL.’
‘I can’t say I blame her. You probably missed several important appointments today.’
‘Do you really think I care about that right now?’
Planting himself directly in front of her, Drake could no longer resist the impulse to be closer. Watching her talking and smiling with his colleagues had been excruciating torment because he hadn’t been free to touch and hold her as he yearned to do. He hadn’t even dared catch her eye in case he revealed his longing in front of the people he was ultra-careful to keep his private lifea firmly closed book to. At any rate, he fully intended to make up for that self-denial now.
He started by cupping Layla’s small, delicately made jaw, and straight away saw her eyes darken and grow even more lustrous beneath the long ebony lashes that swept down over them. His pulse quickened. The sensual silken texture of her skin beneath his fingers made him long to explore all of her without restraint, to drown in her beauty and get drunk on it without the fear of consequences to either his heart or his conscience.
‘You mesmerised them out there,’ he told her. ‘You’re going to be the talk of the place for weeks to come.’
‘I hardly think so.’
‘Then you clearly don’t know a lot about the male of the species.’
‘That’s probably true.’
Her dark eyes were troubled for a moment, and Drake could have kicked himself for reminding her of her dishonest ex-boss.
‘Returning to the present, I hope you haven’t made any plans for the weekend?’ he commented, lowering his voice, holding her gaze with invisible ties that hungrily bound it to his.
‘Why’s that?’
‘Because I’d like you to spend it with me.’
‘All of it?’
The wonderment in her voice made Drake chuckle. ‘Yes, all of it. And I’ll make sure you get home early enough on Sunday that you can get to bed at your usual time.’
‘So you’re expecting me to stay the night with you? I mean … not just one night but two?’
‘Think you could bear it?’ He hated the doubt that suddenly surfaced in his mind. He wished he could shoot it dead. ‘My house has several guest rooms. If you’d rather we didn’t share a room until you get to know me better, then I want you to know I’ll respect that.’
‘Thanks.’
The gratefully innocent smile she gave him told Drake that he’d said the right thing. He was immensely relieved. He didn’t want any more of their days or their evenings together to end in quarrels or disappointment. He’d rather suffer the torment of frustration than that.
‘Do I get a kiss for being so thoughtful and considerate?’ he teased, smiling.
In answer, Layla reached up on tiptoe and pressed her lips softly against his. Even though his first impulse was to ravish and plunder now that she’d agreed to his request, he summoned some stoic restraint from God only knew where and deliberately kept the kiss on the right side of slow and tender. But even so his hands moved up and down her back, and now and
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