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He smiled and reached up to wrap a strand of her hair around his finger. “Trust me. The pleasure was all mine.”
After he disposed of the condom and they cleaned up, she curled up against him. That was when an apprehension bordering on panic filled him. Not because he was worried about the aftermath. What worried him was the here and now.
Rowan fit. Inside his embrace, in his business dealings, in his life, and that scared the crap out of him. This was a one night stand. It couldn’t be more. Besides, he didn’t do relationships; they always ended with some gold-digger wanting money and power more than the man. While he found it hard to believe she could turn that direction, he couldn’t discount it.
He’d taken her to new heights, she’d said. He knew that feeling. He’d never come so hard before. Never had such an overwhelming need to be inside a woman, to feel her walls holding him tight. Every sensation had been tenfold what he’d felt in the past. Hell, his fucking heart even swelled or, at least, felt like it had.
Rowan had a keen mind and a smoking hot body. How could he give that up and return to their boss/employee relationship? They’d both said this would be a one time thing. He wasn’t sure he could walk away and never know this intimacy with her again.
He’d blown the pledge but didn’t care one bit about that right now. This time with her had been worth every penny of the hundred grand he’d lose. Telling the guys would mean some significant razzing, especially if he was the first to fold.
Yet none of that mattered. All he wanted was to be right here, holding her through the night. Another thing new to him.
Yep. He was completely and irrevocably screwed. Instinct reminded Gerard that good things never stuck with him. He lay awake well into the night, holding Rowan, hoping that wouldn’t be the case here.
She felt so good.
Chapter Thirteen
The flight and drive back to San Francisco were quiet. For her part, Rowan was filled with confusion and needed time to think, and not about the job, though that would come soon enough. The man sitting beside her confused the hell out of her.
She glanced at his profile as he checked his phone now that they were back in a service area. He’d been solicitous of her this morning, concerned for her comfort, but distant. Back in professional mode. Completely different from her quaking insides. She woke up to an empty bed, though his side was still warm. He’d spent the night holding her in his arms. That brought a smile to her face, then memories of what they’d done had filled her with that satiated, happy post-coital bliss. She’d stretched her arms over her head, reveling in the feeling just as he’d come from the bathroom, fully dressed. He’d frozen, eyed her with a feral need, and had taken a step toward her before the shutter came down, and his face went carefully blank.
“We should get back to the office,” he’d said, walking out of the bedroom. That was all.
Rowan had rolled to her side and curled into a tight ball to keep the hurt from overwhelming her.
We should get back to the office. That’s where his focus had turned. Gerard, always the quintessential host, hadn’t been unkind. But any hint of the emotion she’d seen last night was gone, replaced by the financier and mega-businessman she’d first come to know.
She’d gotten up. Showered. Dressed. Packed.
Last night was over. Today, they were back to all business, and that was what she’d signed up for. Sadly she couldn’t make the switch as easily as he could. Last night had shaken her to her core. She’d made love to her boss, seen a side of him she never thought she’d see, and that was a huge problem, since she was falling for that side of Gerard. He could be considerate, willing to listen to alternatives, and caring. Oh, so caring, especially in bed.
Had something happened between last night and this morning? A momentary panic filled her. Had he found out about her heritage before she could tell him? No. There was nothing but a landline at the cabin, and she’d never heard it ring. Which made her wonder if everything he’d done at the cabin had been designed to prime her for last night. Had he played her? Rowan might never know, since he’d clearly reverted to their former relationship. There would be no small talk, no heart-to-heart.
Well, she could do that too. She hoped.
David pulled into the Barrett Financial Building executive entrance, which she had heard led directly into an elevator.
“Thank you, David,” she said when he helped her from the car and got her suitcase out of the trunk. “I appreciate the rides.”
“You’re very welcome, Ms. McCarthy.” He said her name like he could hear the falsehood in it. She closed her eyes for a moment, calming herself. She really needed to tell Gerard, to not have any secrets between them. She’d wanted to this morning. His standoffish attitude had changed that. Maybe she should talk to him now?
He waited by the elevator door for her, a deep scowl on his face. She joined him and they stepped in. As the car started to rise, Rowan turned to him. “Gerard—”
“You probably should call me Mr. Barrett here,” he said, looking everywhere but at her.
Well, that sat in her stomach like molten rocks. “Fine. Mr. Barrett,” she tried again. “We need to talk.”
“Last night was last night. We both knew that. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“But—”
He looked down at her then. “Ms. McCarthy, we cannot talk about last night. At least, not here.”
“I’m not—”
“Leave it be.” The authoritative tone he used shut her up very effectively. Damn him. Frustrated that she couldn’t get a word in edgewise, Rowan held her tongue. The elevator doors opened seconds later on her floor.
