He’d been an idiot to kiss her in the office. He should have waited. Then he wouldn’t have to endure a near constant state of arousal in the office or sweat drenched sheets caused by erotic dreams with Elise as the star.
She sighed and leaned into him.
Luc crushed her against him and deepened the kiss. He was starving. He wanted more than to have her in his bed. He wanted to possess Elise. He didn’t just want to, he needed to. It was a hunger, burning inside him.
For the first time in his life, he found himself admitting that he liked a woman. Liked and not just lust. Okay, so he did lust after her, but the point was his relationship with Elise was nothing like his engagement to Margot was.
He’d been able to tolerate Margot. Barely. But… with Elise? He enjoyed being with her. She didn’t grate on his nerves. She complimented him. She made him smile, frown, seethe… laugh. When he was with her, he felt… an emotion he didn’t want to name. Whatever it was, it felt damn good. And right. He’d made the right decision that night he let Margot storm out of Andersen Corporation.
A tiny, irritating voice niggled at the back of his conscience. He hadn’t told her about the second part to his deal with his grandfather. Damn. He should have told her the night he’d asked her to marry him. But if he had, Elise would have said no and then he wouldn’t be standing in his grandfather’s driveway, kissing her like the she was the last meal he’d ever have.
Would it be so bad if she were the last meal he’d ever have? One that consisted of commitment, monogamy, and one happily ever after that’d guarantee him the one and only spot in the list of lucky bastards worthy of her charm?
It was possible. Hell, it even might be probable. If—and that was a big IF—he continued to ignore his noble bastard of a conscience and kept his mouth shut long enough to make it to the wedding.
And more importantly, his body reminded him with every beat of his heart, the wedding night. When she would become his and his alone.
Oh yeah, he could so make this happen. And he’d start by doing what he did best.
Making sure the fairy tale princess received exactly what she craved in the innermost core of her hopelessly romantic heart.
CHAPTER FIVE
Elise pulled back her chair and stopped herself before she sat on a small box of chocolate someone had left in her seat. She picked up the box, then sat down and opened it.
“Oh, he didn’t,” she whispered, grinning. The box wasn’t filled with chocolate. It was filled with pen caps. Elise poked through the assortment and chose the tastiest looking cap. A prickling sensation raised the hairs on the back of her neck and she turned around.
Luc leaned against the wall of her cubicle, a sly smile gracing his handsome features. “Taste good?”
“Mmm, delicious,” she answered. “Thank you.”
His gaze dropped to her mouth. “No. Thank you.” He drew in a deep breath, a look of longing on his face. “Did they call about your car?” His voice was thick and laced with Southern charm.
Elise swallowed, fighting the urge to squirm in her seat. “Yes. Hawke said it was bad, but he fixed it.”
His gaze jerked back to her eyes. “Hawke?”
“The mechanic.”
“Oh.” He smirked. “What kind of name is Hawke?”
“Um, a nickname.” Elise bit her lip and felt the heat creep into her cheeks. If he didn’t stop looking at her like dessert she was going to… do something she shouldn’t. “They used to call him Hawk-eye, because they said he had hands like a surgeon. His real name is Harlen.” Elise refrained from telling Luc what her mother had said about Hawke’s hands. “Mom started calling him Hawke when they, um, started dating.” Dating? Oh boy, that was definitely stretching the truth. Hawke was Moonbeam’s latest initiate into her free love philosophy.
“I see.” Luc pushed off from the cubicle wall. “When are you supposed to pick it up?”
Elise glanced at her watch. “Donna said she could give me a ride over there in a few minutes.”
“I’ll take you.” He grinned at her surprised look. “I’m curious to see what kind of man your mother would date. Give me five minutes and we’ll go.” He disappeared into his office.
Elise stared after him for a good thirty seconds, clutching the box of pen caps to her stomach. She still couldn’t believe this was her last day at Andersen Corporation and in six days she would be married to Luc. “I must be insane,” she muttered, then went off to find Donna. She found Donna in the break room, told her about the change in plans then went back to her desk to get her purse.