He never even broke stride. “In the normal course of events, neither do I. For you, I’m willing to make an exception.”
Under different circumstances she’d have found his comment amusing. Without the warmth generated by his embrace, the cool San Francisco air allowed her to regain an ounce ofcommon sense and she pulled free of his grasp. “Wait. Just wait a minute.”
She watched him fight for control. “I’m not sure I have a minute to spare.” A swift grin lit his face with unexpected masculine beauty. “Will thirty seconds do?”
She thrust her hands into her hair, destroying the elegant little knot she’d taken such pains to fashion a few short hours ago. There was a reason she couldn’t go with him. Areally good reason, if only she could bring it to mind. “I can’t be with you. Ineed to get back inside. I—Ihave obligations.” That was it. Obligations. Obligations to... She released a silent groan. Why thehellcouldn’t she remember? “I think I’m obligated to do something important.”
Sev shot a perplexed glance toward the ballroom. “As am I.” His mouth tugged into another charming smile, one she found irresistible. It altered his entire appearance, transforming him from austere man-in-charge, to someone she’d very much like for a lover. “Since you don’t know me, you won’t appreciate what I’m about to say, but right now, Idon’t give a damn about obligation or duty or what I should be doing or saying or thinking. Right now, finding the nearest bedroom is all that matters.”
“I’m not sure—”
He slid his arms around her, pulling her close, and her hands collided with the powerful expanse of his chest. Everything about him seduced her. The look in his eyes. The deep warmth of his voice. The heated imprint of his body against hers. “Perhaps this will convince you.”
He lowered his head once again and captured her mouth with his. Where before his kiss had been slower and more careful, this time the joining was fast and certain and deliciously skillful. He teased her lips apart and then slid inward, initiating a duel that she wished could go on forever.
Her hands slid upward to grip the broad width of his shoulders. She could feel the barely leashed power of him rippling beneath her palms, could sense how tightly he held himself in check. And she found that she wanted to unleash that power and break through those protective safeguards. What would his embrace be like if he weren’t holding back? The mere thought had her moaning in anticipation.
He must have heard the small sound because he tensed. Acompelling combination of desire and determination poured off him. His kiss deepened as he shifted from enticement to an unmistakable taking. He wanted her, and he expressed that want with each escalating kiss. If they’d been anywhere else, she’d have done something outside her realm of expertise. She’dhave surrendered to his seduction and given herself to him right then and there.
She’d never experienced anything that felt so right, not in all her twenty-six years. How could she have doubted? How could she have questioned being with this man? She belonged here in his arms and nowhere else. She wanted what only he could offer. More, she wanted to give him just as much in return. As though sensing the crumbling of her defenses, he lifted his head and stared down at her with dark, compellingeyes.
“Come with me,” he insisted, and held out his hand. “Take the chance, Francesca.”
How could she refuse him? Without another word of protest, she linked her fingers withhis.
Chapter Two
Francescaremembered little of their passage from the balcony to the front desk of the hotel. She existed in a dreamlike bubble, every word and action touched with enchantment. From the moment she put her hand in Sev’s, the insanity that invaded her earlier came crashing back with even greater intensity. After he collected a key card and made a brief stop at the gift shop for supplies, he led her to a private elevator that whisked them straight to the penthouse suite. It wasn’t until she stepped inside that a modicum of common sense prevailed.
“Perhaps we could have a drink and get to know each other,” she suggested. “Take this a little slower.”
To her surprise, he didn’t argue. Maybe he felt the same way she did, overwhelmed and off-kilter. Desperate to regain his footing in this strange new land they’d stumbledupon.
“Let me see what they have in stock.” He checked the selection of wines and chuckled, thedeep, rich sound tripping along her nerve endings. He hefted one of the bottles. “Well, would you look at this. Here’s something you might enjoy. They actually carry one of my family’s labels from Italy.”
“You’re vintners?” she asked in surprise.
“My extended family is.” He smiled, the relaxed warmth and humor causing her system to react in the most peculiar way. “I have a huge extended family. You probably couldn’t mention a single field of interest where I couldn’t find one of my relatives in that business.”
“Even the jewelry business?” she joked. Since he’d been at Timeless Heirlooms’ showing, he must have some connection to the jewelry industry.
He gave her an odd look. “Especially the jewelry business.”
Before she could ask the next logical question—why he’d been present at the showing—he handed her the wine. Their fingers brushed and she caught her breath, the sound a sharp, urgent reaction to his touch. The fragile glass trembled in her grasp and without a word she set it on the closest surface. Slowly, ever so slowly, her gaze shifted to meet his and time froze.
How was this possible? How could she experience such intense feelings for a man sheknew nothing about? She’d always kept herself guarded, had made a point to develop previous relationships slowly and with great care. Emotional distance promised safety. This—whatever this was—promised excitement, yet threatened danger.
Spending the night with Sev would change her, mark her in some indelible fashion. And yet, even knowing all that, an uncontrollable yearning built within, sweeping relentlessly through her, ayearning she had no more power to resist than the tide could fight the forces that drove each wave toward shore.
She gave up the battle. Stepping into his arms, she surrendered to his embrace. Relief surged through her, catching her by surprise. It took an instant to identify the cause and realize that it felt wrong to be apart from him, that on some level she needed to touch him and have him touch her. That without him she felt adrift and incomplete.
Without a word, she helped him remove his suit jacket, the heavy silence broken only by the sigh of silk. His tie followed. She tackled the buttons of his shirt next. It felt so peculiar to stand before him and perform such an intimate, domestic chore. This should be a wife’s pleasure. Or a lover’s. She was neither. Or did a one-night stand qualify her as his lover?
His shirt parted, the crisp white of fine cotton juxtaposed against the tawny darkness of his skin. Her hands hovered for an instant, creating an additional contrast of cream against rich gold, before she flattened her palms against hard, bare flesh. She splayed her fingers across the rippled warmth and slid them upward, sweeping his shirt from his shoulders. Desire hummed through her veins and reverberated in her soft murmur of delight.
“Nice,” she whispered.
“I plan to make it nicer.”
