The picture she painted was heartbreaking, and it explained so much about the bitter old man who’d disrupted our party tonight. I got up and moved to the window, looking out at the tree farm that stretched into the darkness.
“What you’ve built here is incredible.” I meant it. Even knowing what I was supposed to do to this place, I could appreciate the generations of work and love that had gone into creating something this special.
“With the right investment, maybe we can make it what it once was again.” The hope in her voice tore at my heart.
I turned back to face her, already planning my next moves. “I’ll go back to New York this week and get a proper offer drawn up. Something concrete we can work with.”
“Do you have to leave to get the offer?” Her eyes looked into mine.
The question caught me off guard, partly because of what she was asking but mostly because of the tone in her voice. Was that longing I heard? Was she actually disappointed at the thought of me leaving?
“Never mind,” she said quickly, tucking her hair behind her ear in a gesture that was becoming familiar to me. She gave a soft laugh that didn’t quite mask whatever she’d been feeling. “Of course you have to go.”
Sylvi looked so damn beautiful sitting there in that green dress, her legs curled beneath her in those black nylons. She’d kicked off her boots when we’d come inside, and now all I could think about was what it would feel like to slowly peel those nylons off her legs and to feel her bare skin under my hands.
I didn’t think about what I was doing. I just moved to where she was curled up in the corner of the sofa and reached down to trace her cheek with my thumb. Her skin was like satin. When I cupped her chin to make her look up at me, I could see her pupils dilate slightly.
“I don’t have to go tonight,” I whispered. “Our time is ours.”
She drew in a surprised breath. That small sound did something to me that made rational thought nearly impossible. Iwasn’t going to wait for permission. I knew what we both wanted and I was taking it.
When I kissed her, it was like coming home and losing myself at the same time.
CHAPTER 29
SYLVIE
The moment Kent’s lips touched mine, every rational thought I’d been clinging to dissolved completely. This kiss wasn’t like the tentative one we shared the other day. This was desperate. Ravenous. It was like he’d been fighting his hunger for days and couldn’t contain himself any longer.
I never imagined I would do something as impulsive as this. Kent was practically a stranger. I had every reasonnotto let this happen. Emmy’s warnings, the business deal, my own carefully constructed walls. But all I could think about right now was the one reason why I should. Because this kiss felt so damn good.
And when would I ever get the chance to have a man like Kent Bancroft again?
Never. That’s when.
I was just as desperate for him. Never had I experienced chemistry like this. I wanted him more than I wanted air.
His hands framed my face as his tongue swept into my mouth. I heard myself make a sound that was half gasp, half moan. The taste of whiskey and spices lingered on his lips, mixed with something that was purely him. When he pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes were dark with desire.
“Sylvie,” he breathed against my lips. “Tell me to stop if you don’t want this.”
Instead of answering with words, I reached up and pulled him back down to me, kissing him with all the pent-up longing I’d been trying to ignore. I heard his sharp intake of breath, felt the way his hands tightened on my face before sliding down to my waist.
He lifted me from the couch with an ease that made my stomach flutter before settling me on his lap so I was straddling him. The position brought us impossibly closer. I could feel exactly how much he wanted me, pressed against my core. The sensation made me arch against him instinctively.
“Fuck,” he groaned, his hands finding the zipper at the back of my dress. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
I did have some idea, actually, given the hard length I could feel beneath me. But before I could tell him that, his mouth was on my neck, finding that sensitive spot just below my ear that made me shiver. His teeth grazed my skin lightly before his tongue soothed the spot.
“Kent,” I whispered, my hands fisting in his sweater.
“I know, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”
The endearment sent warmth flooding through me as he slowly drew down the zipper of my dress. Cool air hit my bare back, making me realize how overheated he made me. His hands were warm against my skin as he helped me out of the sleeves, letting the green velvet pool around my waist.
I should have felt exposed sitting there in just my black lace bra, but Kent looked at me like I was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and it made me feel powerful instead.
“You’re perfect,” he said reverently, his hands skimming up my sides to cup my breasts through the lace. When his thumbs brushed over my nipples, I gasped and pressed closer to him.
