“You’re very welcome,” Emerson replied, thinking about how soft her lips looked.
She stood there, feeling like she should say something, anything. There was a long, awkward silence while she bit her lower lip, wondering what it would be like to kiss those hard lips or touch his fascinating chest.
She actually jerked backwards slightly when she realized what she was thinking. Goodness! Why had she let that thought form? How rude! She glanced at his mouth, then hurriedly away. She barely knew this man! She should not be thinking about kissing him!
“Well, thank you,” she said awkwardly again.
She turned around and was fumbling with her keys, trying very hard to get the key into the lock. His large, strong hand reached out and took the keys from her. Instead of unlocking the door, he took her hand in his, examining her nails. “You don’t get your nails manicured every week?” he asked softly.
She wanted to curl her fingers up into a ball so he couldn’t see her nails. It wasn’t that they were messy. But she did her own nails, filing them on Thursday nights and painting them carefully with clear nail polish. She didn’t need fabulous red or maroon nails. She didn’t think it was something to waste her time on. But now, with him looking down at her nails, she desperately wished she’d taken a moment to get her nails done by someone who knew what they were doing.
“No. I don’t really…,” she was flustered by his touch. And he was so tall! Even in her killer heels she still only came up to his chin. “You’re too tall,” she whispered.
His deep chuckle caught her attention. “It’s never been a problem for me before.”
She smiled, but she couldn’t see the humor. She was too nervous with him this close. “Can I have my keys back?”
“I’m going to kiss you,” Emerson told her, wanting to warn her for some reason.
She bit her lip and looked at his chest, trying to decide if she wanted that or not. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she finally came back.
“Let’s find out, shall we?” he asked her, but it wasn’t really a question. His hands moved to her arms, pulling her closer while his mouth descended towards hers. Slowly. So painfully slowly.
She should pull back. Put a hand on his chest to push him away. She should simply step out of his arms and tell him ‘no’ in a very firm voice. But she did none of that. She waited, barely breathing, for his lips to touch hers. She shouldn’t, but she wanted his kiss like nothing she’d ever wanted before. And when his lips finally touched hers, she sighed with the release of her breath. With trembling hands, she reached up and touched his cheek, feeling the roughness of his day-old beard under her fingertips.
At twenty-five years old, she’d definitely been kissed before. But none of those weak, momentary caresses could compare to what she experienced when his mouth touched hers. It wasn’t so much a kiss as it was a lightning bolt of desire that shot through her whole body. She trembled even while she moved closer, begging him to deepen the kiss. And when he obliged, she whimpered with the need that stormed her body, making her knees almost give out on her. It was too intense, too hot and she was shocked, but she couldn’t pull away. She couldn’t do anything but experience this man’s kiss and savor the moment.
When he finally lifted his head, she opened her eyes and looked up at him, not sure what to say. It was almost as if words would be wrong at this point.
She looked around, startled to realize that the birds were still singing and the wind was still pushing the leaves to clap as they danced in the sunshine. What was she doing? She looked up and realized that her arms had wrapped around his neck and his own hands were spread out on her back, pressing her closer. Goodness! She stepped out of his arms, feeling disoriented and stunned by how a simple kiss could distract her so completely.
“Yes…well…um,” she had no idea what to do next. She felt small and silly, as awkward as a teenager. “I’d better go,” she said, but it was only a whisper. She cleared her throat, trying to gain a bit more poise. Plucking her keys out of his hand, she spun about and slipped into her car. It took her several tries to remember how to turn on the engine but finally her fingers fumbled on the button and the small rental car roared to life.
She was grateful when the man stepped back because she was so flustered, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to avoid hitting him. Thankfully, she finally had the car turned around and was able to press the accelerator, speeding down the driveway and away from the man who had flustered her more than she’d thought was possible.
Chapter 2
Rachel sat uncomfortably in the rough, wooden chair, wishing she were anywhere other than here. This bar was for locals and being outside of the local community, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Well, that and the fact that she was still dressed in her business suit and red heels while the rest of the people in the bar wore flannel shirts and jeans with work boots that looked infinitely more comfortable than her three inch heels, which she planned to immediately throw into the trash when this maddening day was finally over.
She had just one mission now. She needed to introduce herself to Emerson Watson. If she could do that, get her face into his memory, she could leave here and introduce herself through a letter or phone call at a later date. Obviously, showing up at his house wasn’t the right approach since the man was rarely there. Which was ironic. If she owned that house, she’d probably never leave!
Rachel still didn’t understand how he could get so much done when he rarely worked. If she could just talk to him, pick his brain a bit, she might have a better understanding of how he worked. But that wasn’t to be, she knew. She’d have to approach him much more surreptitiously. Tonight was only an introduction, she told herself. Just a “meet, greet and get out of his way” event.
She twirled the glass of her white wine around in front of her, looking at the other patrons. They were all laughing and having a good time. It felt like everyone knew each other here. Sort of a “Cheers” type of environment. Which only made her feel even more awkward, since she didn’t know anyone.
When the doors opened up again, she looked in that direction, hoping to see an older, distinguished man with a frown or perhaps scowling eyes.
What she didn’t expect to see was Jack strolling casually through the doors. As soon as she saw him her mind screamed for her to hide. But there wasn’t any place to hide except under the table. As their kiss earlier today flashed through her mind, she actually considered hiding below the table as an option. She didn’t want to see him much less talk to him after that kiss. It had been too mind-blowing, too special. She wasn’t sure how to react to him now.