space seemed to telescope around them, blocking out everything else. The smoke, the crowd, even the blare of the music faded until all she could hear was the steady thump-thump of the bass echoing the thud of her heartbeat.
She felt her nerves prickle in anticipation. Desire, hot and heavy, unspooled through her body. Her very skin felt weighed down. Her thighs flushed with warmth.
Who knew that laughter could be such a turn-on?
Their feet stopped shuffling across the floor. That ridiculous grin seemed frozen on her face for an instant, but then it faded, melted away by the intensity of his gaze. There was a spot just over his ear where his otherwise straight hair curled. Before she couldthink, her fingers had moved to his temple to tease that wayward lock of hair.
He took her hand in his, stilling her fingers. He cleared his throat, and she expected him to say something, something funny maybe, something to lighten the tension between them, but he said nothing.
Who had ever imagined that she'd feel this needy lust for a stranger? Not just a stranger, but a cowboy. A Texan. When she'd sworn she'd never even set foot in this damn state again. She so hadn't seen this coming.
That's when it hit her. Here, tonight, was a night out of time. She would never be here again. She would never see him again.
In this strange place, with this man she didn't know, she had complete immunity. Freedom from her well-planned life. From her routines and her expectations of herself.
Tonight she could do whatever she wanted with no consequences. She could allow herself to do what she would normally never do. She could be stupid and reckless.
Without giving herself the chance to harbor second thoughts, she rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. His mouth moved over hers with a heated intensity. The sensual promise in his kiss made her shiver. She arched against him, letting her body answer the call of his. She slipped her hand into his and walked off the dance floor, tugging him along behind her.
As she wove her way through the crowd, the tempo of her blood picked up. After a lifetime of carefullyplanning, of controlling her actions and emotions, he could be her one rebellion. Tonight could be a vacation from her life.
And even if this was a mistake, he'd make sure she didn't regret it.
Two
Two months later
"Y ou've got to stop moping around," Jonathon Bagdon said, then added, "And get your feet off my desk."
Ford, who'd been sitting with his work boots propped up on the edge of Jonathon's desk while he scraped the tip of his pocketknife under his nails, looked up for the first time since his business partner walked in the room. "What?"
Jonathon swatted at Ford's boots with the leather-clad portfolio he'd been carrying. "Keep your feet off my desk. Christ, it's like you're ten."
Ford's feet, which had been crossed at the ankles,slid off Jonathon's desk. He lowered them to the floor and ignored the insult.
"The desk is worth twenty thousand dollars. Try not to scuff it."
Finally Ford looked up at his friend, taking in the scowl. He glanced over at Matt, the third partner in their odd little triumvirate, who sat on the sofa, with one leg propped on the opposite knee and a laptop poised on the knee. "Who shoved a stick up his ass this morning?" Ford asked Matt.
Matt continued typing frenetically while he said, "Ignore him. He's just trying to bait you. He doesn't give a damn about the desk."
Ford looked from one to the other, suddenly feeling slightly off-kilter. Together the three of them formed FMJ, Inc. He'd known these men since they were kids. They'd first gone into business together when they were twelve and Jonathon had talked them into pooling their money to run the snack shack at the community rec center for the summer. One financially lucrative endeavor had led to another until here they were, twenty years later, the CEO, CFO and CTO of FMJ, a company which they'd founded while still in college and which had made
She felt her nerves prickle in anticipation. Desire, hot and heavy, unspooled through her body. Her very skin felt weighed down. Her thighs flushed with warmth.
Who knew that laughter could be such a turn-on?
Their feet stopped shuffling across the floor. That ridiculous grin seemed frozen on her face for an instant, but then it faded, melted away by the intensity of his gaze. There was a spot just over his ear where his otherwise straight hair curled. Before she couldthink, her fingers had moved to his temple to tease that wayward lock of hair.
He took her hand in his, stilling her fingers. He cleared his throat, and she expected him to say something, something funny maybe, something to lighten the tension between them, but he said nothing.
Who had ever imagined that she'd feel this needy lust for a stranger? Not just a stranger, but a cowboy. A Texan. When she'd sworn she'd never even set foot in this damn state again. She so hadn't seen this coming.
That's when it hit her. Here, tonight, was a night out of time. She would never be here again. She would never see him again.
In this strange place, with this man she didn't know, she had complete immunity. Freedom from her well-planned life. From her routines and her expectations of herself.
Tonight she could do whatever she wanted with no consequences. She could allow herself to do what she would normally never do. She could be stupid and reckless.
Without giving herself the chance to harbor second thoughts, she rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. His mouth moved over hers with a heated intensity. The sensual promise in his kiss made her shiver. She arched against him, letting her body answer the call of his. She slipped her hand into his and walked off the dance floor, tugging him along behind her.
As she wove her way through the crowd, the tempo of her blood picked up. After a lifetime of carefullyplanning, of controlling her actions and emotions, he could be her one rebellion. Tonight could be a vacation from her life.
And even if this was a mistake, he'd make sure she didn't regret it.
Two
Two months later
"Y ou've got to stop moping around," Jonathon Bagdon said, then added, "And get your feet off my desk."
Ford, who'd been sitting with his work boots propped up on the edge of Jonathon's desk while he scraped the tip of his pocketknife under his nails, looked up for the first time since his business partner walked in the room. "What?"
Jonathon swatted at Ford's boots with the leather-clad portfolio he'd been carrying. "Keep your feet off my desk. Christ, it's like you're ten."
Ford's feet, which had been crossed at the ankles,slid off Jonathon's desk. He lowered them to the floor and ignored the insult.
"The desk is worth twenty thousand dollars. Try not to scuff it."
Finally Ford looked up at his friend, taking in the scowl. He glanced over at Matt, the third partner in their odd little triumvirate, who sat on the sofa, with one leg propped on the opposite knee and a laptop poised on the knee. "Who shoved a stick up his ass this morning?" Ford asked Matt.
Matt continued typing frenetically while he said, "Ignore him. He's just trying to bait you. He doesn't give a damn about the desk."
Ford looked from one to the other, suddenly feeling slightly off-kilter. Together the three of them formed FMJ, Inc. He'd known these men since they were kids. They'd first gone into business together when they were twelve and Jonathon had talked them into pooling their money to run the snack shack at the community rec center for the summer. One financially lucrative endeavor had led to another until here they were, twenty years later, the CEO, CFO and CTO of FMJ, a company which they'd founded while still in college and which had made
Similar Books
Dragon Seeker
Anne Forbes
Once & Future King 05 - The Book of Merlyn
T. H. White
Private Lessons
Donna Hill
Callie Marries Four Brothers
Nikki Palmer
The Salzburg Tales
Christina Stead
Over the Darkened Landscape
Derryl Murphy
His Forbidden Princess
Jeannie Moon
Blood in Snow
Robert Evert
Saving Her Destiny
Candice Gilmer
Bite
Jenny Lyn