Her eyes shifted away from his. ‘I...don’t know. I just think a man like you...I’d have remembered...that’s all.’
He smiled at her flustered response, deciding he definitely liked her flustered. ‘I like that you think I’m unforgettable. I aim to make that thought a permanent reality for you.’
‘Trust me, you already have,’ she quipped.
Narciso got the distinct impression it wasn’t a compliment.
He stepped forward. She stepped back. Her eyes widened when she realised she was trapped against the wall of the lift. His pulse thundered when her gaze darted to his mouth and then back to his eyes.
‘Somewhere along the line, I seem to have made a bad impression on you. Normally I wouldn’t care but...’ He stepped closer, until the warmth of her agitated exhalations rushed over his chin. Her scent hit his nostrils and he nearly moaned at the seductive allure of it.
‘But...?’ she demanded huskily.
‘But I find myself wanting to alter that impression.’
‘You want me to think you’re a good guy?’
Laughing, he slid his hand around her trim waist. ‘No. Good is taking things a touch too far, amante. I haven’t been good since...’ he blunted that knife of memory again ‘...for ever.’
Her darkened eyes dropped to his mouth again and Narciso barely stopped himself from groaning. But he couldn’t stop his hands from tightening on her waist. In contrast to her lush hips, her waist was so tiny, his hands spanned it easily.
‘Then what do you want from me?’
Before he could succinctly elaborate, the lift doors slid open. The double doors leading into his suite beckoned. Beyond that the bedroom where he intended to make her his.
He grasped her wrist and tugged her after him. Using the smartwatch to activate the smaller panel, he pressed his thumb against the infrared scanner and pushed the doors open. He didn’t bother to shut it because the doors were automatic. Security was exemplary at all Q Virtus events, especially the private suites. He had the whole floor to himself and no one would disturb them unless he wanted them to.
And he had no desire for any interruptions—
He noticed she’d stopped dead and turned to find her staring at him.
‘You’ve brought me to your suite,’ she blurted.
The pulse pounding at her throat could’ve been excitement. Or more likely it was the trepidation he’d seen earlier.
‘Very observant of you.’
‘Know this now—I won’t be indulging in anything...illicit with you.’
‘Since we haven’t established exactly what it is we’ll be doing I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves.’
‘I wish you’d stop toying with me.’
His shoulders moved with the restlessness that vibrated through his whole being. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to work this hard to get a woman to acknowledge her interest in him. ‘Fine. Do you deny that there’s something powerful and undeniable happening between us?’
‘I don’t want—’