He wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Richard is not worth these tears, Rachel.”
“I know. He’s not worth anything, but now I’ve lost everything, Chris.”
“How?” The urge to pull her into his arms was strong.
She breezed past him standing in front of his coffee table. “How can I go back to work knowing they were all betting on sleeping with me?”
Chris rubbed the back of his neck. “Then don’t go back to work.”
“No, you don’t get it.”
“Do you know what I don’t get? Why you keep backing away from me.” He took a step closer to her. She stepped back, moving around from the coffee table. The tension in the room thickened. His cock tightened at the sight of her in the cocktail dress. He’d been with her when she brought the dress. Chris had needed a date for a function, and Rachel had agreed to go with him. He’d brought the dress himself and had her on his arm. The night had been magical, and one of the few times he’d forgotten about his responsibility with her.
She wasn’t his responsibility. Rachel had never been anything more to him than a friend. He wanted so much more, and he was determined to get what he wanted.
“What are you doing?” she asked, backing away. Her back hit the nearest wall, stopping her from running from him.
Pressing his palms to the wall on either side of her head, Chris gazed into her dark brown eyes and then down at her plump, heart-shaped lips. Fuck, she was so beautiful and sexy. He wanted her badly.
If he did this, then their relationship would be over.
“Chris, what are you doing?” she asked. He cupped her cheek then sank his fingers into her hair, fisting the length.
“I’m doing what we should have done a long time ago.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. Her gaze went to his lips before jerking back up to look at his face.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
She shook her head, and he stopped all denial by pressing his body against her. Rubbing his cock against her stomach, Chris watched her reaction. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him.
Tilting her head back, he didn’t give her room to move or to mistake what he was doing.
“This has been a long time coming.”
“You sleep with everything that walks.”
“I didn’t think I could have you,” he said, being honest with her.
She gasped, trying to jerk back. He stopped her from hitting her head on the wall.
“This shouldn’t be happening,” she said. Her voice became a whisper as she looked at him.
“Why not?”
“You’re Claire’s—”
“She’s dead, and she wanted me to be happy.”
Rachel swallowed, and he watched the movement. Her throat looked so tempting. Leaning forward, he stroked his tongue along her pulse, feeling it jump beneath his touch. Her moan erupted out of her lips, making him harden further still.
“We can do this, Rachel. We can be together. We will be together.”
He wasn’t taking no for an answer. Rachel was his woman, and all they’d been doing was wasting time with each other.
Moving his hand from the wall, he cupped her large breast through her dress. Her nipple hardened, pressing into his palm.
“Richard doesn’t deserve you. No other man deserves you.” He didn’t deserve her, but he wasn’t going to let her go.
“And you do?” she asked, sounding incredulous.
“I know you better than any other person. You know this, and so do I.”
“You’re Claire’s.”
“No.” He spoke the word through gritted teeth. “I’m not Claire’s.” She needed to stop seeing her sister when it was only him that was left. Cupping both of her cheeks, he tilted her head back, focusing on her. “But I could be yours.”
They’d never kissed, not once. Staring at her plump lips, Chris felt his heart pounding against his chest. He was going to do this. No more fighting or hiding from what she evoked inside him.
“This can’t happen,” she said.
Drawing closer to her lips, Chris made a decision. “This can happen, and it will.”
He slammed his lips down on hers not giving her a chance to pull away. She whimpered the instant his mouth was on hers. Tightening his fist in her hair, he tugged on the length wanting to shock her in some way.
Chris felt the need to possess every inch of her. She’d been on a date with another man, and he couldn’t accept the thought of her with someone else. No one deserved to be with his woman.
Letting go of her hair, he ran his hands down her back to cup her ass. She didn’t open for him, and he released her lips long enough to order her. “Open your lips for me, baby. Kiss me back, touch me.”