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‘Are you trying to flatter me into submission now?’ she asked, aiming for flippant, but getting breathless instead.
‘Is it working?’
‘It doesn’t need to,’ she said as the air continued to clog in her lungs. ‘You’ve already got me exactly where you want me.’
‘Not quite.’ He touched her cheek with his thumb, then skimmed it down the side of her face.
She shivered instinctively, the naked need in his eyes shocking her. But still, she couldn’t step away from the flame.
‘I want you back in my bed, Charlotte.’ He trailed his thumb across her lips, and they trembled. ‘And I think you want to be there, too.’
His hand settled on her neck, that dangerous thumb stroking the giddy pulse in her collarbone.
She should tell him to take a hike. It’s what they’d agreed to. But how could she? When they both knew he was right. And she’d never been a good liar.
The lift bell pinged, and a breath gushed out of her lungs.
Saved by the bell, literally.
The doors opened onto a lavish lobby area, accented in vintage mahogany and butter-soft leather. The staggering view across the Hudson River to Jersey City looked impossibly enchanting despite the throb of sound and fury coming from the DJ manning the decks in the party space beyond. The view, though, was nowhere near as heart-stopping as the glint of purpose in his eyes.
Could he see her need? Feel the pulsing ache which had been driving her nuts since he’d appeared in Lake Como?
Probably!
‘Showtime,’ he murmured.
But as he took her arm and led her into the party, it wasn’t the strobe lighting, or the wall of noise, or the press of bodies making her heart pound.
It was the giddy pulse of arousal—and something more—every time he introduced her as his, every time his palm settled possessively on her back or her hip or her waist, every time he leaned close to shout something witty or provocative above the throbbing beat of the music—and everything his words kept echoing in her head, a tantalising promise, impossible to deny.
I want you back in my bed, Charlotte. And I think you want to be there, too.
I’m out of the bet. I don’t want it. You and Adam carry on without me.
Zane deMarco was out of the running for Helberg.
Cade knew he should feel elated as he watched the guy disappear after the pretty brunette from Helberg’s HQ—who was not the date who had arrived at the event on deMarco’s arm. This development was better than anything Cade had hoped for when he’d cornered Zane on the balcony outside while Charlotte was in the restroom. But the stunned look on Zane’s face when the Helberg woman had stormed through the crowd towards him, looking ready to murder the corporate raider, had soured the moment somehow.
What was going on between deMarco and the Helberg chick? And why did Cade feel unsettled about the way whatever it was had made Zane throw in the towel so easily?
Stepping back into the party, he spotted Charlotte coming out of the restroom. Something deep and visceral tugged hard in his gut. And he headed through the crowd of dancers towardsher, determined to forget about the damn bet for the rest of the night.
She’d done her part this evening without an argument. Acted like they were a couple for the cameras and then danced with him—her slender body gyrating in his arms, effortlessly seductive, while also being frustratingly just out of reach.
Everything was working out just how he wanted it. So why did he feel so on edge?
Her gaze locked with his as he reached her, and he saw something fierce and yet guarded in her eyes. Something which sharpened the arrow of need in his gut. And suddenly he knew why.
He’d been by her side all evening, inhaling her intoxicating scent and feeling her shiver of response every time he touched her—those casual, intimate touches between couples that were supposed to be for show, but hadn’t been, ever since he had cornered her in the elevator.
He grasped her hand. ‘We’re done here.’
Her eyebrows shot up. ‘Excuse me?’ she said, as if she didn’t know exactly where tonight had always been heading.
‘We’re leaving,’ he added, tugging her through the crowd.
The elevator in the entrance area had too many people to catch it, so he slammed his palm against the emergency exit and took the stairwell.
