Shawna Delacorte - In Forbidden Territory

“No…” A sizzling second of eye contact told her more than she wanted to know about the sexual magnetism of Tyler Farrell. A little shiver of trepidation tried to work its way to the forefront. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Do you have plans for this evening?” The tightness returned, like a band pulling across his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. “I could pick you up at Mac’s house at seven o’clock.”

“That will be perfect.”

Ty watched as she got in her car and drove away. He took a deep breath and held it for a moment. He slowly exhaled as he entered the building, crossed the lobby and walked down the hallway, but it did nothing to calm his inner turmoil. Angie Coleman had made a definite impact on his senses and he wasn’t sure what to do about it.

He paused at Mac’s office, leaning casually against the door frame. “I’m back from lunch.”

Mac looked up from his work, glancing over Ty’s shoulder. “Where’s Angie?”

“She left. I suppose she went back to your house.”

“Thanks for filling in for me and taking her to lunch.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mac.” Ty flashed his patented smile. “It was certainly my pleasure.”

“I’ll have to make it up to her tonight. Maybe take her out to dinner or something.” Mac glanced at the clock on his desk. “If I can get out of here at a decent hour.”

“No need for you to quit earlier than you want to just so you can rush home to an empty house. I’m taking Angie out tonight.” He cocked his head and tried to suppress his grin. “You know…pizza and a movie, just like you suggested.”

Ty noted the cautionary look on Mac’s face, but didn’t want to start a conversation about it. He didn’t want his business partner asking what his intentions were toward Angie. He didn’t want to think about what his intentions were, to define the disjointed feelings and sensations that had been floating around inside him from the moment he had seen Angelina Coleman framed in the office door.

Angie checked the clock. She still had about an hour before Ty would be picking her up. She had spent the afternoon working on her resume. When Mac had told her he was busy and wouldn’t be able to take her to lunch, she had been disappointed. She wanted the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with him, dig into the operational procedures of the company, create a viable niche for herself in the organization, then pitch the idea to Mac about hiring her.

She wanted a job with Mac’s company, but she didn’t want him to hire her just because she was his sister—to once again come to her rescue, to take care of her. She wanted to prove herself to him and earn a job based solely on her own merit. She wanted him to respect her as a capable adult rather than protect her like a child. She wanted his approval.

Then her thoughts turned to Ty. If she had an ally within the company she just might have a better chance of Mac paying attention rather than in essence telling her to run along and play—to not worry her cute little head about anything. That was what had happened six months ago when she had first broached the subject of a job with Mac’s company. She’d had her mother mention the job possibility to him. It was right after she had broken off her engagement. Her insecurities were at odds with her aspirations. She had been too scared and intimidated to approach Mac herself. All he had done was laugh and say how cute it was of little Angie to want to go to work for him. At that moment it was obvious to her that she needed to prove herself first if he was ever going to take her seriously.

Ty was not family. He wouldn’t have any preconceived notions about who she was or what she should be doing with her life, what predetermined category she should fit in. She furrowed her brow into a slight frown for a moment. At least she hoped Mac hadn’t put any preconceived ideas into Ty’s head. If she could enlist his help, she was sure the two of them could get Mac to listen to reason and shed his old notions.

Angie glanced at the clock again, then put away her work materials so she could get ready for her date with Ty. She paused a moment, a reflective mood coming over her. Date…it wasn’t a date. He was just being polite, seeing that she wasn’t having dinner alone while Mac worked on his deadline project. That was all it was. Nothing more. She closed her eyes and an immediate image of his dazzling smile and good looks popped into her mind. The same sensation she experienced when he had clasped her hand began to spread across her skin. Her breathing quickened and a tingle of excitement told her there was something very special about this man whether she wanted it to be that way or not.

She brushed the last stroke through her hair just as the doorbell rang. She rushed to answer it, stepping aside as Ty entered the house.

“You didn’t say where we were going.” She glanced down at the simple skirt and blouse she had chosen, then made eye contact with him. The glint in his hazel eyes sent a little shiver through her body. “I hope I’m dressed okay.”

“You look gorgeous.” He forced a calm to his voice that he didn’t feel as he blatantly stared at her. She was far more than merely gorgeous. She had brains and personality in addition to stunning looks. He had never been involved with a woman who had it all. Involved—that word had popped into his mind without him realizing it. Where had it come from? He certainly wasn’t involved with Angie. She was his best friend’s sister, a best friend who also happened to be his business partner. A business partner who had managed to tell him “hands off” without ever saying a word.

He tried to shut out the feelings coursing through him, feelings that admittedly were mostly lust. But there was a hint of something else, too. Something he couldn’t quite grasp or define. Something that made him nervous. His attention became riveted to her perfect mouth, her slightly parted lips tinted with a soft russet color. He felt himself being drawn in against his conscious will.

He leaned his face into Angie’s. It started as an innocent brushing of his lips against hers, but it ignited a burst of unbridled desire. Ty wrapped his arms around her and captured her mouth with a kiss that did nothing to hide the passion coursing through his veins. Her body stiffened in his arms followed by a moment’s hesitation.

A touch of panic invaded his reality. Had he just made the most colossal blunder of his life? Was this going to cost him more than he had anticipated? Possibly even the friendship of his best friend and business partner?

Angie’s initial shock quickly vanished. Ty’s kiss held everything she had imagined it would and was everything she feared it might be. She slipped her arms around his neck and allowed the sensuality of his magnetism to flow through her. It was the last thing she had anticipated at that moment, but certainly not an unwelcome turn of events. Her thoughts faded into the background. Her breathing quickened. Her only conscious reality centered around his lips on hers and the fire he lit inside her. It was the type of heated desire her ex-fiancé had never been able to ignite in her, a sexy aura he had never possessed.

The kiss lasted for what seemed like forever before Ty finally broke the contact. It was a kiss unlike any she had ever experienced—a kiss that demanded more and promised everything in return. It was also a kiss that frightened her in its magnitude and the way it sent waves of longing crashing through her body. She took an unsteady step backward in an attempt to escape the lingering warmth of his embrace and the connection of their bodies pressed together. She nervously ran her fingers through her short hair. A kiss like that could only lead one place and she was not prepared to let that happen regardless of how attractive and desirable she found him.