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Standing to the side when the butler opens the door to the Chairman Suite, I watch as she walks inside and heads straight for the wall of glass ahead.
“Oh, wow,” Cassidy marvels quietly at the night-time view of the city. The old, historic buildings boast a warm, golden glow, making the sky appear darker, even with the snow clouds rolling in thicker in the distance.
I allow the butler to show me around the accommodation, pointing out all the unique facilities, like the spa shower and jacuzzi tub. After he opens the bottle of champagne waiting for us and pours us a glass each, he excuses himself, leaving Cassidy and me alone at last.
“If this is your hotel room, what’s your place like?” She turns from the view of the city to me.
“This is all Laiken and Kami,” I tell her, putting the champagne glass down on the dining table beside the tall windows before I move to stand closer to Cassidy. “My brother has a habit of going over the top, and I think his wife is probably too sleep deprived to care about what he’s doing behind her back.”
“I see,” Cassidy murmurs down at her champagne, swirling it around the crystal glass a few times before she levels me with a wary expression. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to stay here? I don’t want to cause any problems.”
“You’re my guest, Cassidy. It’s my room we’re sharing, so what does it matter what anyone else thinks or feels?”
She shrugs, and I hate that she’s so defeated right now. I’ve known her for all of six hours, but I already miss her spark.
Stepping in front of her, I take the champagne she’s not drinking and place it down next to mine before I clasp both her hands in mine. I can’t stop touching her, and when I do, I’m having to fight the urge to do it again, as if she’s the lifeline I didn’t know I was searching for.
“You know, I’ve never cared much about other people’s opinions before, and today is not the day I’m going to start.”
Cassidy’s eyes flit up to mine, her lashes fluttering as she gnaws on her lip a tad too hard so that it blanches slightly. Her lips aren’t overly plump, but her cupid’s bow isn’t all that defined, making them appear fuller.
I’ve watched those lips more than I care to admit. Resisting the urge to touch them is getting harder, and when she bites them like this, it makes me hungrier to taste them. Drawing a deep breath, I hold it deep in my lungs as I cup her face, stroking my fingertips along the side of her neck while I gently pry her lip free from her teeth with my thumb.
“So goddamn beautiful.” The words whoosh from my chest on a sigh, as though I’ve been holding them in all my life.
“Is that why you want me here, Leif? Because you think I’m pretty?” Manicured brows pull tight while her mouth twists, trying to hide the smile threatening to break free.
“No, darling. I want you here because I want to get to know you.” Stroking her cheek, I draw a lazy circle around the turned-up tip of her nose. “Because whether you believe it or not, fate put you in my path for a reason, and I’m determined to make the most out of it.”
Cassidy sighs, her gaze dropping to my lips. I wait a few seconds, expecting her to pull away, and when she doesn’t, I bring myself closer to her. The hand on her face tightens while I grip her waist with the other, holding her in place as I lower my lips to her cheek and breathe her fruity scent into my lungs—sweet strawberry and caramel apples with a hint of something zesty and tart to level all that sugar that pounds through my veins when her hands rake up my sides.
Pressing a light kiss to her soft skin, I trail my lips to her ear. “For the record, I said you’re goddamn beautiful, Cassidy Morgan. I could watch you every fucking second and never get tired of this face.”
“You’re an audacious flirt, Leif McAllister,” she says, voice hoarse, and her cheeks taking on a light flush when she pulls back to look me in the eyes.
“Maybe I am, but what I said is the gospel truth.”
“Is it?”
I lower my mouth within an inch of hers and reply, “Yes, it is.”
My hands slip into the messy waves at her nape and beneath the hem of her sweater. The warmth of her smooth skin seeps through me, sparking a bone-deep need to hold her closer, tighter. A greed I’ve never known before overtakes my senses, twisting in my gut, coiling itself around my muscles until I’m wrapping myself around her.
There’s not an ounce of fight from Cassidy when I curl her hair around my fist and gently tug to lift her face back to mine. As I drown in her eyes, I’m coming back to life. There’s no rush. No now, then, and after. This really could be forever I’m staring at. It could be eternity that’s calling me, urging me to taste, to take… to own.
“Cassidy,” her name rolls off my tongue.
I want to kiss her more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
Ghosting my lips over hers, I suck in her short, hot breaths.
“Give me this weekend,” I tell her, brushing the tip of my nose with hers. “Let me make it better for you. I can make it worth your while.”
“Leif…” she sighs heavily. “It’s… I… given the circumstances, I don’t think that’s possible.”
“Give me a chance. Let me try.”
“And then what? What happens when we’re done here?”
