Jo Leigh - One-Click Buy - September Harlequin Blaze

Her body, which seconds before had been tense and resistant, turned fluid and supple at his touch. She was clay-pliant and malleable. Anything he asked of her she would willingly do.

Wait a minute, whispered the voice in the back of her head, what about turning over a new leaf? What about no longer rushing in headlong where angels feared to tread?

Right. As if she could slam the brakes on when Liam was kissing her like this.

Don’t you want to be something more than everybody’s good-time girl? Aren’t you afraid this will jeopardize your working relationship? Or that you could lose your job over this?

Nah, she didn’t care about any of that. All she cared about was the magic of this moment.

And you wonder why no one takes you seriously.

But Liam took her seriously. He’d made her art director of his ad campaign.

Maybe that’s just because he was hoping to get into your panties.

Hush.

Determinedly shoving the ugly little nay-saying voice aside, she closed her eyes, made her mind blank and inhaled him.

She explored his mouth, taste by taste, texture by texture, layer by layer. He tasted honest and clean. His flavor was all masculine substance-solid and efficient.

Katie had to hand it to him. He was one helluva great kisser.

His lips soared her higher, flying her to a glorious realm where fantasy and reality merged into frenetic excitement.

He tasted like summer vacation, like long, hot nights in the backseat of a big old American car. Like Fourth of July fireworks-dazzling and explosive. He tasted like hard work and commitment and trustworthiness. His taste made her feel safe and supported and honored.

He kissed with the power and authority of a man completely in control of himself. And she realized his self-control frightened her because she had no control of her own. He scared her because she found herself wanting something she could not even identify. Something she’d never wanted before.

His lips hummed with strength and go-getter magnetism. His kiss whispered of all that could exist between them if she just had the courage to close her hand and make a fist. To take a tentative step toward something more than fun and frivolity.

She wished she could frame this moment in time, hold on to it like a snapshot. Kiss him on and on and on forever.

The thought jolted her. This quick jog on the wild side had landed her in mental quicksand. Should she flail around and try to get free? Or should she embrace the fall?

Suddenly, the struggle was taken out of her hands.

Liam broke the kiss, pulled back, stared down at her.

“What?” she whispered, peering up into his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

He stroked his index finger down the length of her jaw, then stopped and pressed his thumb against her lips. “We have to stop now, or I won’t be able to stop.”

“Why stop?” she asked as the weight of his thumb caressed her cheek.

He drew in a ragged breath. “Our first time together was sex-crazed and anonymous. I want us to take our time and to get to know each other before we do this again.”

“But I like sex-crazed and anonymous.”

He had one arm around her waist, one hand tilting her chin up to meet his gaze. He was looking at her as if she were special, like something to be treasured. No man had ever looked at her like that before. Katie held a breath.

“That might be the case,” he said. “But you deserve so much more. No matter how much I might want to, I’m not going to have sex with you again.”

“You’re not?” Why did it feel as if he were denying her keys to Shangri-La?

“No.” He shook his head. “Not now. Not yet. Not until I know everything there is to know about you.”

She laughed because she didn’t know what else to do.

“I’m serious,” he said.

One look in his eyes told her it was true. She felt a rush of panic so strong that if she hadn’t been naked underneath his bathrobe, she would have bolted straight out the front door.

But the ringing phone saved her from replying.

He let her go, easing his arm from around her waist and stepped to the cordless phone docked on the glass end table beside his leather couch.

“Yes,” he answered. “Okay, thanks. Please send someone up with them.” He ended the conversation, turned back to her. “That was the dry cleaner’s downstairs. Your clothes are ready.”

Yes!

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he said with the same take-charge manner she assumed he used to run his real-estate empire. “You’re getting dressed and I’m driving you back to Sharper Designs. Because I have an appointment at three, I won’t be able to review your designs for the ad campaign. With that in mind, I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at eight for a business dinner meeting. So have your proposal ready.”

“I have plans,” she said, just to be ornery. She didn’t have any plans beyond her usual Saturday-night clubbing, but she balked at being ordered around. Even if it was by the most eligible bachelor in Boston.

“Then cancel them.”

“I ACTED LIKE a self-important, arrogant ass,” Liam confided to Tony as they jogged together in the park on Saturday morning.

“She got to you, so you reacted out of instinct. Doing what you do best. Taking charge, bossing people around. It works on the job, not so great when it comes to romance.”

“I can’t explain it, but something about that woman brings out the caveman in me.”

“You feel protective of her.”

“Yeah.”

“And you can’t stand the thought of her dating someone else.”

“Yes,” Liam admitted through gritted teeth. The mere thought of some other man touching Katie twisted him inside out.

“She drives you so crazy you can’t think.”

“Exactly!”

Tony chuckled.

“What? It’s not funny. It’s irritating.”

“You’re falling for her.”

“I’m not,” he denied hotly. “It’s just that she’s so damned sexy.”

“So have a casual fling with her.”

“I tried. I couldn’t go through with it.”

“Why not?”

“She looked so vulnerable. Like she trusted me completely. She doesn’t know me. She shouldn’t trust me so easily.”

“Why do you care?”

“She has no idea how terrific she is,” Liam huffed as they rounded the home stretch of their five-mile run. “As an artist and as a woman. You should see her graphic designs. Amazing.”

“What’s she like?”

“She takes chances. I like that about her. She’s upbeat and energetic and full of surprises. Lively, spontaneous, freewheeling.”

“In short, all the things you aren’t.”

Liam dodged a park bench. “Yeah.”

“So what do you want from her?”

Good question. One he’d spent the night pondering as he’d tossed and turned and remembered their incredible kisses.

“Sex?” Tony asked.

“For sure.”

“But you want something more or you would have just done that again.”

“Maybe,” he admitted.

“Commitment?”

“Hey, wait, slow down. Slow way, way down. All I’m saying is that she’s interested me more than any woman has in a long time.” If ever.

“So you’re looking for a little romance? Nothing more than a good time.”

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

“But you don’t really know how to romance a girl because you’ve spent your entire adult life getting ahead, amassing your fortune. And when you’ve had relationships in the past, it was up to the woman to put forth all the effort to keep you interested.”

“Something like that.”

Tony hooted. “I love it. Now you’re sweating because you’re scared that you’re not exciting enough for her.”

His best friend had seen right through him, but he was loath to admit it. “Don’t be ridiculous.”