The Hunter(19)
I sank down on to the sofa, totally confused. What the hell just happened? Why did he look in pain when his body was so clearly enjoying our embrace? Why did he look angry when he caught me looking at him? Why was he sorry? And why did I feel so bereft when he broke our contact?
I couldn’t think of a reasonable answer to any the questions that my mind threw at me. When my heart rate returned to normal, I stood and slipped on my heels. I bent and picked up Angel’s camera, just as Mr Wilde came out of his office. He saw me and smiled warmly. “Sorry about that,” he said. “Did you get everything you needed?”
“Huh? Um, no,” I mumbled before shaking my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts. Be professional Issy! He means the photographs! “I, uh, I didn’t know whether the conference room was free so I haven’t photographed it yet.”
“Ah, I see. Well, it is free now. Mr Hunter and I had finished our meeting so be my guest,” he smiled, kindly.
I was about to refuse and excuse myself when he continued. “If you want to photograph it without any occupants, you should do it now. Since your redesign, it is in constant demand. Mr Norman and I almost came to blows over whose turn it was this morning.”
His eyes twinkled and I knew he was joking so I laughed politely. “Well, if you insist. I shan’t be long.”
“I need to get home. I am taking my wife to the ballet,” he rolled his eyes. “Ask Clark to lock up when you’ve finished.”
He locked his office door and bade me goodnight. As the echo from his footsteps faded, I headed into the conference room. I was even more delighted with this room than the reception area. It was dominated by a mahogany desk that could easily seat 20 people comfortably. The same white quartz covered the floor and the outer wall was now totally glazed. At the touch of a button, the clear glazing clouded over to block out the sun’s glare and to cut off the breathtaking view over Manhattan.
I took some photographs whilst the glass was transparent, wondering if I would ever fail to be excited by the view from up here. Checking the display to ensure that the quality of the last photo looked okay, I decided to change the setting of the glass. “Obscure,” I said, as I pressed the button, and as if my magic, the glazing frosted over.
“I have been called worse,” that oh so deep and sexy voice murmured behind me.
Oh my god! “I meant the glass,” I croaked as I gestured weakly to the window with my hand.
A husky chuckle filled the air, but it did nothing to diffuse the tension. I willed my heart to maintain its slow steady rhythm and it did, for a minute.
“I apologize for my behavior earlier,” he said suddenly.
“What do you mean?” his unexpected apology, threw me off guard and I turned to face him.
He was leaning against the doorframe, arms folded against his chest, looking at me somewhat cautiously. I noticed that the expertly tailored black suit that he had worn during our very recent encounter had been replaced with a slim fitting sleeveless black tee that emphasized his broad shoulders and slim waist .I let my eyes slide down taking in his black combats that hung from his narrow hips and down his long legs. God, with his change of clothing and that styled to perfection post sex hair, he looked like a rock god. I thought I might just faint with desire. I found myself silently willing him to throw me onto the huge conference table and take me there and then, fast and hard. I realized that I was almost panting.
My hungry eyes sought out his face and, once again, our gaze locked. Even at that distance, I could see that his eyes were the soft, midnight blue that intrigued me so much. I realized that I wanted to close the distance between us, just so that I could lose myself in them. Once again, his arching eyebrow broke the spell and made me curse inwardly. What was it that made me act like a teenager around him? “Damn my sex ban!” I thought bitterly, desperately blaming that for the reason of my lack of self control.
“Excuse me?” he drawled, his mouth twisting with amusement.
Oh my god, did I just say that out loud? I looked up, horrified. Just kill me now!
“Can I help you?” I snapped irritably. I was annoyed that he seemed to be enjoying my mortifying behavior.
“Oh, I sincerely hope so,” he murmured sexily.
It was my turn to raise an eyebrow and he gave a deep throaty chuckle. The atmosphere instantly relaxed and he smiled warmly. “I understand from Doug Wilde that you are responsible for the transformation of this room and the reception area.”
“Yes, that’s right,” I replied, realizing that now he had relaxed, my head felt clearer. I could breathe and speak … and control my lustful thoughts. Relief flowed through me. I was back in control of myself.