The hell she didn't. Her pounding heart and hitched breaths said otherwise. "Kiss me, Tori. Kiss me once. And if it isn't as good as I think it's going to be, if you don't want more, I'll walk away."
It was a lie. There was no chance of that. He wanted her far too badly to ever give her up, but she needed the comfort of that small fib.
"You won't tell them I lied?" Her voice all but pleaded.
"Not if you kiss me."
She took a shaky breath. "All right. Just this once."
His whole body leapt with anticipation. This was the start of his life. One kiss. One woman. Forever.
He waited as she rose on her tiptoes, her hands brushing against his face. She studied him as if memorizing the moment. Fingertips moved along his jawline before her thumb skimmed his bottom lip.
"I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world, Tori." He wasn't going to play around or pretend he wasn't in love with her. She should know that during every moment of her life, from this day on, he would be thinking about her, wanting her.
"And I think you're crazy. I'm taking the dress and the jewelry back." She brushed her lips against his.
He scowled as she pulled back. "No, you're not and that wasn't a kiss."
"Hush, I'm not done." Again, her mouth briefly met his. "And yes, I am taking them back. That's not negotiable."
"You think this is a negotiation?"
"Isn't everything?"
"No, love. Some things aren't up for negotiation. Some things require dominance, and it's time I show you what I mean." He cupped her nape, fingers clamping around her delicate neck, and lowered his mouth to hers. She'd used the word conquest before. He was going to show her what it really meant.
* * * *
Tori's heart raced as his head dipped lower and his lips crashed over hers. She felt a rush of arousal burn through her veins. She didn't need to be more aroused. She hadn't been thinking clearly from the moment she realized she was alone with Callum and that he wouldn't play politely anymore.
He knew she'd been lying about her engagement. She looked like a fool, but he wasn't laughing at her and telling her she'd never needed protection against him. No. He was proving her point by invading her space and making her whole body come to life under his touch.
His mouth covered hers, heat flashing across her skin like a lightning fire.
She'd been kissed before but never like this. Softly at first, but Tori felt his leashed strength. When he kissed, he didn't just move his lips. His whole body engaged, teasing her to slide against him. With big hands, he drew her deeper into his embrace, caressing her back, down to cup the curves of her hips. Seemingly of their own volition, her arms wound around him, her breasts crushed to his hard chest.
Tori lost herself in his scent and taste, in feeling both desired and adored. She shouldn't kiss one of her employers, shouldn't encourage this man. But they were alone; no one would see them. It was only a kiss, and she owed him for his silence. She didn't have to give him more. She certainly didn't have to give him her heart. Why couldn't she just bask in this one moment?
With a sigh, she surrendered to his embrace. The instant she did, everything changed. The predator in him pounced, as though he scented her submission. Too late, Tori realized she and Callum shared far more than a mere kiss and she was in danger.
As he pressed deeper into her mouth and his tongue touched hers, she couldn't seem to care about the reasons giving into him was a terrible idea. She could only feel.
The kiss turned carnal, their mouths mating. Tori had no real experience with this sort of passion, so she followed his lead, toppling into a dizzying whirl of need. It felt like the times she'd spun around and around as a child until euphoria took over.
She shoved aside the thought that now, like then, she'd eventually fall down.
As Callum tightened his hands on her hips, she met the stroke of his tongue and brushed her body against his, so lean and strong. She caressed the strength of his back, sinking her fingers into the solid bulges of muscles under his wool tuxedo coat. Having that material between them felt wrong. She wanted her hands on his skin, to know how hot it ran when he was aroused and how smooth it would be under her touch.
Over and over he kissed her, their breaths loud in the silence. Then he nipped at her lips and pulled back to stare into her eyes. The jolt of their connection zinged through her like an electrical charge. Tori couldn't catch her breath.
"Tell me you feel it, too," he demanded in an impassioned whisper.
"Yes." The word fell from her lips.