A Baby for the Billionaire(37)
“I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“You have a way of making a man reevaluate his priorities.”
She blinked. “I never have before.”
“Then you weren’t paying close enough attention, Ms. Reporter.”
His lips claimed hers before she could respond.
Chapter Twelve
The retort on the tip of her tongue died as she melted into his arms. Why oh why did he have to feel so damned good? Her hands slid up his chest, feeling the planes of hard muscles beneath her fingers. She itched to push the material up and run her hands along his hot, bare skin. Heat ignited inside her. What would it be like to push him backward on a bed and straddle his hips? She wanted him beneath her as she leaned down to lap at his bronzed skin.
She inhaled his personal blend of sandalwood and something uniquely Walker. It didn’t provide the clarity she’d wanted. No, if anything it made her head swim even more. What was it about this man that made her crave him like a drug? She’d spent so many years with him, doing everything in her power not to think about him sexually. And now it was like they’d both mutually gone insane and thrown all logic to the wind.
But why now? Was this just his way of getting a little stress relief without having to leave the comfort of his own home?
The thought had her tearing her mouth from his with a hoarse cry. Pushing him away, she stumbled over to the couch and gripped the edge of it for support.
“Clara…”
Straightening, she cut him off with a slash of her hand. “Stress again?” she demanded. “Must be just another slip you’ll write off in the morning. I must tell you, I can’t be as casual about this as you clearly can. I can’t kiss my best friend and then pretend it was meaningless.”
“I can’t either,” he said, taking a step toward her. “And I don’t want to try.”
“Then what is this?” she demanded. “What’s happening?”
He closed the distance between them with careful steps. “Do we have to define it? Can’t we just enjoy the moment?”
She shook her head. “This will change everything.”
His eyes were on her mouth. “Is that such a bad thing?”
“We’re too different,” she tried. “You view relationships as a prison and I…”
“You want more.”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “All that’s true. But on the other hand…”
He pulled her back into his arms.
Dammit, she cursed as his lips touched hers. She knew this was a mistake, and yet her body clearly hadn’t received the memo.
“This is crazy,” she whispered against his mouth.
“A very bad idea,” he agreed.
“You’re good at those.”
“Yes. But it doesn’t change the fact that I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Thinking of me how?”
He reached out to tug a piece of hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing gently against her cheek. “In a way, I promised myself I never would.”
“Why would you make a promise like that?”
“Because I can’t lose you. Not ever.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You won’t lose me,” she vowed, running her hands up his arms.
“You don’t know that,” he replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “We’ve worked very hard to keep our relationship platonic.” He leaned forward until his lips brushed her ear. “And what I want to do to you has nothing to do with friendship.”
She shivered. “You’re not the only one who’s been thinking about crossing lines.”
“No?” he murmured when she drew back enough to face him.
“No,” she agreed. Raising a hand, she ran a finger over his lips, touching him more intimately than she’d ever dared. “You may have always viewed me as sexless, but I can’t help the way I feel about you.”
“Sexless is the last word I’d use to describe you,” he replied, pressing a tiny kiss to her questing fingertips. “I’ve never met any woman as hard to forget about as you are. You drive me crazy, Clara. Seeing you in my home every day, watching you with Hunter, dreaming of you every night. It’s driving me insane.”
“Sounds like you should do something about it, then,” she whispered.
“That’s the conclusion I came to as well.”
“Makes sense.”
“Right?” His lips hung a breath away from hers. “But I need to be clear. If we go down this road, I can’t make any promises. Not right now. Not with Hunter and everything going crazy in my life. Can you handle that?”
Could she?