Heat flares in her eyes. “If I’d known you felt like that, I’d have asked you to get your hands dirty ages ago.”
She moves toward me at the same time that I lower my head, and our lips meet.
Ahhh… I shouldn’t, I mustn’t… but it’s impossible not to. Her pale pink lips are incredibly soft. I kiss her slowly, wanting to take my time, enjoying each press of my lips against hers. She gives a little sigh, her lips parting, and when I brush my tongue across her bottom lip, she opens her mouth wider and invites mine in. So I deepen the kiss, and our tongues slide against each other, sensual and sexy.
She tastes sweet, and her subtle perfume rises to ensnare me. Lifting a hand, I slide it against her cheek and cup her face, and she murmurs her approval, her breath whispering across my lips.
Eventually, I lift my hand, and we study each other for a while.
“You know what I’m going to say.” My voice is husky with held-back desire.
“We shouldn’t,” she says.
“Yeah.”
She hesitates, then says, “Coulda, shoulda, woulda.”
My lips curve up. I’m still touching her face, and I brush my thumb down, across her lips. She opens her mouth and closes her lips around my thumb, taking it inside. Her tongue slides over the end, and then she sucks gently.
“Fuck,” I murmur as my erection springs to life.
Her eyes meet mine as she continues to suck. They’re incredibly striking, and I find myself held captive in their violet depths as my body stirs and responds to her tongue.
I want her. There’s no question about that. I wanted her even before she revealed exactly how smart she is. But now Icraveher. There’s nothing as sexy as an intelligent woman.
She’s still a Rutherford. The thought crushes me. Her work has impressed me immensely, but that doesn’t mean I want to go ahead with the company partnership. I’m going to have to fight my father over that. He’ll adore Maddie once he finds out she’s as much of a nut about improving yield as he is.
But although I’m interested in the science, it’s not the most important thing to me. Feeding the world isn’t my priority. I’m sure that makes me a lesser man, but what matters to me before anything else is that our company remains strong and secure, and out of Tom Rutherford’s hands. Because of that, I can’t get involved with his granddaughter. I just can’t. There’s no way this ends in a happily ever after.
Carefully, I remove my thumb from her mouth, but I can’t stop myself brushing it across her lips again. They glisten, and I nearly groan out loud.
“Such principles,” she says. “How frustrating.” She’s teasing me.
“You should go to bed,” I tell her, a little desperately, needing to put space between us.
“I’m not tired. And anyway, I’m on the sofa, remember?”
“I’m a gentleman. I’ll take the sofa.”
“We could both sleep here. Maybe we should see if we fit.” She lifts up and, before I can stop her, she pushes me back.
“Maddie…”
It’s too late; she’s rising and leaning over me, and within seconds she’s lowered down on top of me. I can’t lie back though because I’m still on the corner cushion, so I shift down, and she shifts to the side, and I turn a little to give her room… By the end, we’re almost on our sides facing one another, she’s squished against the back. I’m close to falling off the edge, and we’re a tangled mess of clothes and limbs.
“Hmm,” she says, “not sure we could sleep like this.” She places her hand on my ass, pulls me closer, and hooks a leg over me. “To stop you falling off.” Now my erection is pressed between her legs, and her eyes widen as she feels it. “Doesn’t seem as if the Captain’s cock is interested in sleep anyway,” she observes.
I give her an exasperated look. “I wonder why.”
“Seems as if he wants some action.”
“He does. Very much. But he’s not getting any.”
She tugs up the hem of my polo shirt and slips her fingers beneath it onto my skin. “We’ll see.”
I close my eyes and groan as she strokes her hands around my ribs and up my back. Oh man, it feels good to have her hands on me. “Maddie…” I whisper.
“What happens in the South Island stays in the South Island,” she murmurs back, and then she presses her lips to mine and kisses me.
