“We can talk later,” he said, although he selfishly hoped there’d be less talking and more other things before the night was through.
“Thank you.” She leaned close, treating him to an up-close-and-personal whiff of her scent, one that was new to her but with a hint of the sweetness he always associated with this woman.
And as she pressed her lips to his cheek, his cock, which he’d managed to contain, now pressed hard and insistently against his pants. Thank God his jacket would cover the tenting or he wouldn’t be able to get out of the car.
She pulled back, then giggled, the sound light and airy and perfect to break the serious moment and put them in a better mood for the night.
Reaching over, she rubbed her fingers against his cheek. “Lipstick,” she murmured.
“Cover me in it any time,” he said in return.
Her sexy lips parted in an O just as the driver opened the door, breaking into their moment.
Kade stepped out of the car, holding Lexie’s hand as she did the same. He’d never thought about how he looked arriving at an event, but with Lexie on his arm, he was damned proud to be there.
“Those ships, they’re gorgeous,” Lexie said of a large 225-foot mural covering the back wall.
“It’s spectacular,” he agreed, hoping she wouldn’t ask who painted it.
Kade didn’t bother himself with art, so he couldn’t name the creator. He only knew, from previous years at this event, the mural was always a talking piece, and clearly Lexie agreed.
No sooner had they stepped into the ballroom than people came up to Kade. The co-chairs of the event, to thank him for his substantial donation, potential investors in Blink, all people he needed to be more than polite to—when all he wanted to do was find a private corner and be alone with Lexie. He glanced her way often, worried about ignoring or, worse, boring her. But each time he looked, she was interested in the discussion he was having, talking to someone’s wife while the men talked business, or waiting patiently for the person to have their say.
She didn’t whine or complain, for which he was grateful, but she also genuinely seemed to enjoy herself, and that had been his goal for the evening. Not his only goal, he thought, using a rare moment alone to look his fill of the siren in the black-and-white dress. He couldn’t take his eyes off the whole package, but he particularly liked the shorter hem in the front that teased him with the idea of lifting the dress higher and slipping his hands up her thighs and over her damp sex.
“Wine or champagne?” a passing server asked, breaking into his thoughts just in the nick of time.
“Thank you.” Lexie accepted a glass of champagne.
Kade picked up a flute for himself and turned to face her.
“Excuse me.” A man with a camera around his neck, obviously the hired photographer for the event, interrupted them. “May I?”
Resigned and aware this picture would show up somewhere in the papers or online tomorrow, Kade stepped closer to Lexie and wrapped his injured hand around her back. The photographer snapped a quick shot and disappeared, on to the next couple.
“Now where was I?” he asked, then held up his glass. “To … new beginnings.”
She hesitated before tilting her glass, touching his.
If he weren’t so sure the chemistry between them was hot and mutual, he’d be concerned with her reticence. But she was here, and when he wasn’t looking directly at her, she was sneaking glimpses of him. Whatever had her uncertain, it wasn’t a lack of attraction or desire.
“I like it when we’re not bickering,” she mused.
“Is that what we do? I thought it was you calling me out on asshole behavior.”
She grinned and took a sip, allowing the bubbles to slide down her throat. He couldn’t look away, his gaze drawn to the slender column of her neck, his hearing attuned to the purr of approval that escaped her lips. “Mmm.”
“If you make that sound again, I just might drag you into the nearest coat closet and fuck you senseless.”
She choked on a sip of champagne, and heat tinged her cheeks, her mouth parting in a silent O. Add in the sudden hitch in her breathing and he knew she was as into the idea as he was.
Not that he’d take her that way their first time, but he couldn’t deny the notion had distinct appeal. He reined in his inappropriate thoughts because his dick was standing at attention and they were in a ballroom full of people. Nothing had been discussed about taking whatever their relationship was to that next level. But he wanted to.
He placed his glass on the table just as a familiar voice called out his name. “Kade!”
He turned. “Dad!” he exclaimed, taken off guard.
“Dad?” Lexie asked, surprise etching her features.
Shit. He’d forgotten his father was also a major donor at this event because it was important to Kade. Say what you want about his father, but he tried to please his son any way he could.
“Don’t look so shocked to see me. I’m here every year, just like you,” his dad said.
But Kade had been so wrapped up in thinking about Lexie and in the issues with Julian, he’d forgotten. “It’s good to see you, Dad.”
His father pulled him into a bear hug, and Kade returned the gesture, aware of Lexie’s eyes on him the entire time.
“What did you do to your hand?” his father asked, concerned, as he glanced at the splint.
“Nothing. Just an accident.”
He frowned before meeting Kade’s gaze once more. “Well, it’s been too long. You really need to come visit your father.” Keith turned to Lexie, a wide smile on his face. “And who is the pretty young lady?” he asked before Kade could get a word in to introduce her.