He didn’t like how readily she agreed with him. She was saying all the things he wanted to hear, and it was driving him mad.
“Now about the meeting this afternoon—”
He spun her around, crowding her back against the glass window as his mouth crushed down on hers. She softened in his arms, parting her lips as her arms rose to wrap around his shoulders.
Need pounded through him even as he tried to rein himself in. This was the office for Christ’s sake. The door wasn’t even locked.
But nothing, not sense or reason, could entice him to release her. Why had it taken four years to realize how perfectly she fit into his arms?
“What are we doing?” she whispered against his lips.
“Does it matter?” he replied.
There was a heartbeat of silence before she breathed. “No.”
Allison rose to her tiptoes, pressing her mouth more firmly against his. Her fingers tunneled into his hair as she rubbed her body against his. He didn’t even want to think about how many nights it would take to get her out of his system.
Her lips left his and she leaned back. Drawing in a deep breath, she stared up at him with her molten chocolate eyes.
“This is not how you usually prep for a meeting.”
“I’ve been living my life wrong.”
She scoffed at his words. “Be serious.”
Do I have to?
For the first time in his life, desire seemed more important than work. The office could survive a day or two without them. Who would know if they spent the day tangled in each other’s arms?
The thought was foreign enough to give him pause. John and the account had been the last thing on his mind. Just as he feared, his personal desires were impacting his working environment.
But even that reality didn’t stop him from saying, “I think it’s safe to say we’re not going to be able to go back to what we once were.”
“When we ignored any attraction and focused on work?”
“I don’t think it’s possible for me to pretend I don’t want you as much now as I did on Saturday.”
Allison drew in a shaking breath. “Where does that leave us, then? You don’t do relationships.”
“I don’t,” he agreed, stepping back. “And if that’s a deal breaker, I understand. I want to make it very clear that I will never be a”—he shuddered on the word—“boyfriend. I’m not interested in commitment in any way.”
She crossed her arms. “For a shrewd businessman you are making a terrible pitch.”
He smiled. She wasn’t wrong. “We need to be clear, Ali. I never, ever want to be the reason you’re hurt. It’s best if we lay all our cards out upfront.”
Silence stretched as she watched him. He held still under her scrutiny, waiting to see what her response would be.
“I’m fully capable of sleeping with you without falling in love with you.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“All that being said, I think there’s only one solution here.”
“Oh?”
She smiled. “We need to start having no strings attached sex on a regular basis. Friends with benefits, as it were.”
Had she really just said that or was his mind playing tricks?
But she stared up at him with those beautiful eyes, obviously waiting for an answer.
“You could do that?” he asked, disbelieving.
“Why does everyone think I get attached at the drop of a hat? I’ll have you know that in my youth I let three tomogatchis die without any remorse.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “My apologies. I had no idea I was dealing with woman so hardened by life.”
“Accepted.” She slid her hands up his chest. “What do you think of my offer?”
“I think it sounds perfect.”
Better than perfect. She was giving him exactly what he craved. Lust pounded through his body at the thought of having her in his bed again. The need was so strong it helped push back the misgivings pulling at his conscience. Nothing he’d learned about Allison in the past four years had led him to believe she could be the detached lover she claimed. She was as utterly different from the women he usually dated.
But on the other hand, who was he to make choices for her? If she said she could handle no strings, perhaps he should trust that she knew what she was getting into.
She smiled up at him, further quashing his doubt. “Focus on your meeting. We can iron out all the details later.”
Reaching up, she smoothed a piece of his hair back into place, with softness in her eyes he hadn’t seen before. At least, not when she’d been looking at him.
She turned to go, but he couldn’t help reaching out to catch her arm.