All Work and No Play(8)

He inhaled a breath, filled with an incomparable feeling of satisfaction. God, she could puff up his ego with a mere blush. The skin of his chest warmed where her fingers brushed against his shirt.

“Have you made up your mind about that button?” he asked, emboldened by what she’d confessed to him.

“This button?” She sounded puzzled as her hand stilled against his shirt.

“Are you undoing it? Because I’d like to be somewhere more appropriate than this street when you do.”

“When?” Her gaze flew up to clash with his. The blushing Anna was gone, and the prickly, wary one was back.

He slid his hands slowly down her back, following the curve of her spine, and finally settled his palms around her hips. She felt perfect in his grip. For a second he allowed himself to imagine how she would feel moving beneath him, naked and svelte, skin against skin.

“We both know one little kiss isn’t enough to satisfy us.” He forced a calm tone to conceal his raging need.

“I see.” Her head tilted up. “Is that your considered, thousand-dollar-an-hour consultant’s view?”

“Precisely.” He kneaded her hips, and was rewarded by a full body tremor she couldn’t hide. “In this consultant’s view, there’s only one solution to our problem.”





Chapter Four


Anna found it difficult to breathe. Where was all her self-composure, her common sense? It was so hard to think when Giles had his hands wrapped around her hips, caressing her and sending hot waves of lust through her. Those hands of his promised her strength, virility, and decadent delights.

In the shifting shadows he stood tall over her, his naked desire clear despite the dimness. He wanted her, plain as day. But he wouldn’t press her if she refused. This was something she instinctively knew without having to wonder. Giles would allow her to make up her own mind, and he’d abide by her decision.

But what decision was that? What was she to do with this highly inconvenient urge to rip his clothes off and wrestle him to the nearest bed?

“Anna?” Giles traced a finger across her cheek. “We don’t have to do anything, you know.”

She became aware that she’d been lost in thought for some while and that Giles must have taken her silence for refusal.

Not do anything? She pondered this option and quickly shook her head.

“Ignoring it won’t make the problem go away,” she said. She inhaled as Giles’ finger slid slowly down her neck, spreading exquisite pleasure across her skin. Lord, how could she make the right decision when she was being so thoroughly turned on? With a deep breath, she pulled away, dropping her arms to her sides, and regret flashed in Giles’s eyes as the gap between them widened.

“What, then?” he asked, tension threading through his voice as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants. “You want me off your project?”

“Of course not!” she burst out. “I could never get everything done without your help.” That fact was crystal clear. She rubbed her upper arms, nervous about telling him the truth but knowing there was no other solution. “But even with both of us working together, the truth is, I—we—aren’t likely to meet our deadline because this—this thing between us is messing with our concentration and interfering with our ability to focus on work.” She halted and chewed on her lower lip. “Well, maybe it’s just me that’s affected. You probably—”

“No,” he interrupted with a quick shake of his head. “It’s me, too.”

She swallowed. Good to know she wasn’t the only one suffering from the most serious bout of inconvenient and unresolved sexual tension she’d ever experienced.

“Okay. Well. So I have a proposal to put to you.” She hesitated, and Giles stiffened, tension radiating off him. His was such a large presence, and she was intimately aware of his body vibrating with anticipation just inches away from her. Awareness dried her throat, causing her to lick her lips anxiously. “One night,” she said, surprised at how steady her voice sounded. “One night together. No names, no pack drill.”

He sucked in an audible breath, making her aware of his rising chest. “Only one night?”

“To get it out of our systems so we can focus on work.”

“Are you sure one night is enough for that?”

She flushed briefly. “One night is all I can offer you. And after that we never speak of it again. Not to anyone, not even ourselves. It will be as if it never happened. I can’t stress that enough.” She fixed her gaze on Giles’s face. “No one must ever find out about this, do you understand?”

“Loud and clear.”

They both knew she was taking a bigger share of the risk than he. If the managers at FrogLeap discovered she’d slept with their highly paid consultant, it would be her reputation that would suffer, not his. Giles would move on to other assignments and other companies, whereas she could be left with a permanent stain on her professional reputation.

But in the short term it was worth the risk, wasn’t it? Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. God, she’d never had to make such a tough decision. But then again, she’d never been so sorely tempted by a man.

“Well?” She shook her hair back and aimed for a nonchalant stance, reluctant to show him how nervous she was.

Giles seemed not to share her anxiety. He leaned towards her, hands still buried in his pockets as if he didn’t trust them anywhere else. “Of course I accept,” he said in a low, firm voice. “And it goes without saying that you can depend on my discretion.” He let out a soft sigh as though he couldn’t believe what was happening, and his eyes warmed on her, causing her stomach to flip as his attraction wove through her, stronger than ever. “Where would you like to go? Your place or mine?”

“Yours,” she said instinctively. “It’s closer.” She knew he lived in Potts Point, a five-minute taxi drive away at this time of night, whereas it would take at least twenty minutes to get to her Leichhardt apartment. Also, going to his place meant she could leave when she wanted and on her terms.

With a smile, he draped one arm around her shoulders and drew her gently towards him. She quivered, her body eager for the contact. Her head tipped back automatically against his arm, and it seemed only natural for him to bend over her and kiss her, a light, feathery kiss that left her tingling for more.

“Let’s go,” he muttered, and the dark hunger in his voice made Anna shudder even more.

***

Her heart was beating in her throat like a hummingbird when Anna entered Giles’s apartment. She glanced around but barely took in anything, her senses consumed by the man closing the door behind her. She was vaguely aware of high ceilings, white walls, and a striking abstract painting before Giles cupped her elbow and steered her down the hallway, pausing at the entrance to a spacious living room.

“Uh, would you like a drink?” The hesitation in his voice surprised and charmed her. She’d assumed Giles was a smooth operator at this, but it seemed—at least with her—he wasn’t so suave.

She reached up to stroke his jaw, enjoying the feel of his stubble breaking through at this late hour. “No drink,” she murmured. “Just you.”

His fingers laced through hers and gripped her firmly before he towed her further down the hallway and pushed open a door to his bedroom. The room was airy and minimally furnished to make a bold statement. White walls, dark stained wooden floorboards, a big bed with a padded leather headboard and piles of crisp white linen.

She had a second to take it in before his urgent hands spun her to face him, and finally he kissed her. It seemed like forever since they’d kissed in the street. His mouth moved hungrily over hers, seeking and giving, warm and voluptuous. Standing on tiptoe, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his, eager for every inch of contact. When his tongue stroked against hers, fire streaked through her veins. She purred her pleasure, and he gripped her even tighter.

Still kissing her, he walked her backwards until the back of her knees met the edge of the bed. He paused, lifting his head to gaze down at her. In the buttery glow of a bedside lamp his eyes sparkled like the sea, and a lock of chestnut hair fell untidily over his brow.

“Anna.” His earnest tone contrasted with the wild emotions zigzagging between them.

“Giles.” She tried to match his solemn note but couldn’t. Recklessness had her surging up, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him with her as she let herself topple backwards onto the bed.

He broke the fall by bracing his arms on either side of her, his face so filled with surprise she couldn’t help chuckling. “What’s the matter, Giles? Didn’t you expect me to go through with it?”

Propping himself up on one elbow, he gazed down at her, his weight easily pinning her to the bed. “I don’t know what to expect from you.”

She writhed under him, enjoying the sensation of his body compressing hers. Through the thin fabric of his trousers she could feel muscled thighs and a swelling groin. The image made her skittish with anticipation and brought with it also a small burst of nerves. It had been a while since she’d been with a man. But that didn’t matter, did it? Sex was like riding a bike. Once you knew how to, you never forgot. Or so she hoped.