He moved into the room, forcing her out of the door, and as it shut, he grabbed her, kissing her again and feeling that shift in his soul. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, there was something special about this woman. She tasted of sugar, coffee, and a feminine perfume that was unique to her being. It was delicious, intoxicating, and he had trouble ignoring the way she reacted to him.
Her breasts pressed against his chest, heavy and thick, her nipples hard, and she moaned into his mouth, arching against him and making him want so much more. He wanted to feel her moving beneath him, learn every nuance of her body, explore and memorize every curve. And he couldn’t, not now. She was leaving, and he wouldn’t stop her.
And there was no way he was going to do this quickly enough to get her to the airport on time. He wanted to take his time and bask in her. He’d already blown his gentleman act here. He needed to slow down before he got lost in the moment and did something that would push her away for good.
Easing off the kiss, he made his ministrations tender, not wanting Mickey to think he was pulling away for lack of desire. Slowly, he backed off, and he stared at her, gasping for breath as her chest heaved, their faces inches apart. “I should have done that sooner,” he told her with a lopsided grin.
Her eyes searched his face, for what he had no idea. “Why?” she asked, still breathless and seeming a bit tipsy. He doubted she’d been drinking at this hour, and it gave him a heady pleasure to think that he’d done that to her.
“Because I don’t want you to leave,” he told her simply. Stepping back so she didn’t feel trapped by those words, he tried to explain, “I don’t know what it is about you, but I’m very drawn to you. And the idea of you flying out of here and out of my life for good makes me ache, Mickey.”
“You can always look me up when you’re in town,” she hedged, sounding hesitant and as if she was looking for the right answer.
“Or, we could exchange numbers, and we could keep in touch. I don’t want to look you up. I want to be sure you know I’m determined to be there, with you, soon. I want to stay in touch, get to know each other better.”
She smiled at him. “I’d like that.”
Relief flooded him, and his shoulders eased, the tension falling away. He kissed her again, feeling as though he’d taken the first step in recovery. Maybe he could love someone else, even if it wasn’t his precious Aiyana. He only had to remember they were two different people. He felt like he’d been hiding behind his mate’s memory since he lost his family, and now, he wanted to move past it. He could honor her in other ways, but the way Mickey made him feel warned him not to walk away.
He kissed her again, long and slow, and he had to stop as his arousal became too potent. “You have to go.”
“I know,” she told him with a sigh. “But at least I’m not going home disappointed.”
Chapter 9
Mickey pulled her car into the office parking lot and rolled it into park. She slid the key from the ignition and stepped out the door, making a beeline for the entrance. As she approached, she could already see Sarai standing at the door, waiting for her. She hurried to the entrance and Sarai swung it open with a smile.
“It’s good to have you back,” Mickey greeted Sarai as they embraced. Mickey had returned home three days ago, but Sarai had still been out ill, and this was the first day she’d been back in the office. Mickey hadn’t realized how much she missed her friend until now, seeing her again and wanting desperately to share the success of the trip. Both professionally and personally.
“I missed being here,” Sarai said, propping a hip on the table in the break room as Mickey went about making her coffee. “So, tell me all about it. Was it beautiful? I haven’t heard anything on the tabloid shows, so I’m hungry to hear about it.”
Mickey beamed. “There were absolutely no media leaks. We were locked down, and everything went perfectly. I already have some of the raw footage to look at, so you can see. It was gorgeous, and they couldn’t have picked a better setting. Stephan has really created the perfect luxury getaway.”
Sarai raised a brow at her. “Stephan? Who is Stephan? There’s a certain quality to your voice when you say his name.”
Mickey blushed deeply. “He’s the owner of the Aiyana Hotels. He was there to personally oversee his own staff and offer as much assistance as possible. This is great publicity for his hotels, too, when it comes out. The fact that there were no leaks makes it a prominent destination for anyone who wants discretion.”
Sarai smirked. “I don’t think that’s the only thing he gave his personal attention to. So, what was with theownerof the Aiyana Hotels doting on you like he did? Was it just the soup?” she asked. Mickey chuckled, glancing away as she felt her cheeks burn slightly.
“Oh, hush! Just stop. I’m sure it was… you know, just him trying to be nice,” she said.
“Oh, bull crap, Mickey! I wasn’t born yesterday, hun.”
“The event was a major success, and I’m thankful that he helped as much as he did,” Mickey said, trying to avoid the conversation Sarai was steering toward. Again, Mickey’s flush deepened, burning her cheeks. But she couldn’t hold back her smile. “We danced. Then he took me to dinner. We kissed, and we exchanged numbers.”
“Ah, yes. See? I could tell you were glowing with a different light. Tell me, what does Stephan look like?”
Just the sound of his name made her giddy, and she bit her lip, trying to figure out how to describe him to Sarai. “Broad and tall, long dark hair. Eyes you can get lost in. And he’s such a gentleman, like Alistair.” She shook her head. “I wasn’t looking for anything, and really, it’s just casual. He lives in Australia, and I’m here, for goodness sake. But there’s something there. I just don’t know what it is.”
“I think you have the hots for Stephan.” Turning beet red, Mickey opened her mouth to protest, but Sarai held up a hand to stop her. “I can’t fault you for that. If he’s that good looking, charming, and richer than a chocolate mousse with caramel topping, I probably would be, too, especially if he wanted to wine and dine me but was a perfect gentleman about it. But the way you talk about it, I think there might be more.”
Rolling her eyes, Mickey shook her head. “The logistics of it is just wrong. I can’t bank on anything. And now that we have this wedding behind us, the work is going to flood in. I don’t have time to develop a relationship with feelings and commitment.”
“Mickey. We have an entire team. We’re not going to become workaholics. And there is an Aiyana Hotel about five miles from here, in case you forgot. He can here as often as you want, on business, I’m sure. And if things go really well, you could probably convince him to move here.”
“Not what I’m looking for,” Mickey protested.
Why would he come all the way to Colorado just for you, Mickey? There must be so many women he would have met at different places, and you’re just one of them. It was just a kiss… nothing more nothing less,Mickey thought, and she was missing the taste of his mouth already.
