Page 51 of The Billionaire's Vow

Giselle stared down at the key, then back up at him, torn between resistance and understanding.“Well… when you put it that way, I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“None.”

Then he kissed her.

It was soft, coaxing, but this time, she didn’t pull back.She leaned into him, responding with a tentative warmth that made his pulse kick up a notch.Not as close as he wanted—but closer.And that was enough.For now.

Patience, he reminded himself as he clenched his fists, keeping them rigid at his sides while his mouth moved over hers—nibbling, soothing, teasing, coaxing.But not touching.He knew that if he let his hands get involved, he’d cup her breasts, pull her against him, press her softness into his hardness, and he wasn’t ready to give in to that temptation.Not yet.

When she sighed and pulled away, her lashes fluttered, her voice husky as she murmured, “Thank you for dinner.Again.”

“Same time tomorrow?”he suggested, watching her closely.

Her lips curled into a slow smile before she nodded.“Yeah.That would be nice.”

And then she walked away.She didn’t know the address.She wouldn’t even know which way to go.But he’d anticipated this.After last night, he knew Giselle would bolt the second she felt the heat between them start to smolder.So he’d assigned a guard to lead her to the apartment.

Oh, he didn’t think she was a virgin—nor did he expect her to be.He certainly wasn’t, and he never understood why any man would want a woman to be untouched.But he was certain of one thing: Giselle had never experienced passion like this before.Hell, he hadn’t either.Not with anyone.

Which led to a question that nagged at the back of his mind.

Was he taking things slow with Giselle because he wanted her to get used to what he planned to give her?Or was he taking things slow because, for the first time in his life, he was the one who needed time to adjust?To be what she needed?

Chapter 21

Amonth.Thirtywholedays.Giselle had been at her new job for a full month, and shestillhadn’t identified the people involved in the theft operation.She’d figured out the how and the when, but not the who.Or…not all of the “who”.

Frustration burned through her as she poured over data day after day, working closely with Tommy and his security team, but the leader of the scheme remained elusive.

She and Tommy had uncovered four of the culprits.His team had even refrained from arresting them, wanting to track their next moves.But those men were just the foot soldiers, the ones physically pulling boxes from the shipping containers and setting them aside.Tommy had tapped their calls, emails, and texts, so they knew exactly when the merchandise was being rerouted, repackaged, and given new shipping labels.

But that was where the trail went cold.

The packages never arrived at their fake destinations, and the shipping labels changed constantly, preventing tracking.Tommy’s crew was running all over the country, trying to intercept shipments that kept vanishing.They’d even placed tracking devices in a few boxes—only to watch those signals blink out somewhere along the way, disappearing without a trace.

“This is driving me insane!”she announced, stomping into Dimitri’s penthouse that evening.She tossed her purse—a gorgeous new leather tote she adored—onto the entryway table and marched straight for the kitchen, where Dimitri was cooking.

Fisting her hands on her hips, Giselle glared fiercely at Dimitri.“I can’t figure it out.You need to fire me and hire someone better.”

In response, he leaned in, his hands coated in batter, and kissed her.Gently at first, then more firmly, then teasing.She moaned, pulling him closer by his shirt, needing more.

She parted her lips, deepening the kiss, pressing closer, silently urging him to finally take the next step.

His mouth lingered.Warm.Tempting.Promising.

Then he pulled back just enough to brush his lips against hers.

“Hello,” he murmured against her mouth.“How was your day?”

Giselle eyed his hands, then a wicked idea struck her.She slid her palms up his chest, her fingers curling slightly over the hard ridges of muscle.

“It was frustrating,” she purred, her eyes flashing up to his.“What are you going to do about it?”

His breath caught.

A low growl vibrated in his chest as he stepped closer, still holding his messy hands away from her.His eyes darkened, heat flaring so intensely that her pulse jumped.For one dangerous second, she thought he might finally lose control.

Over the past month, she’d become far more familiar with Dimitri’s body.They hadn’t had sex.Yet.But every night, he would pull her into his arms and they would kiss until they were gasping for release.