“Yeah. You can say that.” She sighed. “I have some really terrible memories of this room. Of being on a desk.”
“If you hate it, why did you keep the office? You could work somewhere else.” He didn’t understand. He was ready to help her move. Anything to stop her pain.
“I believed I was strong enough to keep the bad memories at bay. I’ve made this bar my own. I thought I could make the office my own too.”
That made a tragic kind of sense but he hated that she tortured herself with those memories every day. “You should at least change things around,” he growled.
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Tell me you’ll at least think about it?” He hated the idea of her surrounded by painful memories.
“I will.” She looked at him, her brown eyes serious. “I owe you an apology.”
He shook his head. “No, never. I owe you one. I pushed too hard.”
“No. You don’t. You didn’t.” She pushed him back a step and, in one fluid move, dropped her feet to the ground and stood.
Close, she was so close. Ash tried to step back, to give her room, to protect her from the desk and all the memories it held.
Her hands rested on his hips and she stopped him. “Is this okay?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
She pressed her lips to his.
Ash held still, not wanting to spook her.
Her kiss wasn’t soft or tentative. Her hands were sure, the pressure steady as she pulled him closer.
“Kiss me back, damn you,” she growled against his lips.
“Yes, ma’am.” That was the invitation he’d been waiting for. Tightening his arms around her waist, he parted his lips against hers. She nibbled at his mouth, little nips that tested and teased.
Two could play at this game. Sliding his hand into her silky hair, he cupped the back of her head. Pulling her flush against him, he took control of the kiss.
He started as she had, little nibbles. Not really bites, though. More like little scrapes along her lips. Not enough to damage—he’d never hurt her. Just enough to sensitize already sensitive skin.
When she gasped in surprise, he took advantage and deepened the kiss. Her tongue darted out to tangle with his, shifting control back to her.
Her cyberhand grasped his shoulder and he marveled at her control. What would it feel like when she had that kind of control on his cock?
Their mouths played an erotic game of hide and seek. As her tongue teased his, she shifted her hips against him. Small movements at first. The warmth between her legs barely brushing over him. Little teases that sent the blood flowing from his head to his lap.
Not that his head had anything to do at the moment. He was running on pure instinct.
She tugged his shirt free from his pants with her other hand, then slid her palm against him. The press of her naked flesh on his back made him gasp. She captured the sound with another drugging kiss.
If one small skin-to-skin touch had that much power, full-body contact would probably fry all his circuits—biological and mechanical. He was okay with that.
Chapter29
Taryn moved slowly,savoring the moment, remembering where she was and who she was with. Every cell in her body screamed for her to rub against him again and again, until they combusted. She took that as a good sign, but after last night, she still wanted to take it slow.
Okay, maybe just a little slower.
Her nails scraped lightly over the back of his neck. Once, twice, they passed over a small lump, just below the base of his skull.
Ash stiffened.
