“What are you talking about? You can’t just quit and leave. You don’t even have a ride to the airport.” He urged her over to the sofa, but she didn’t sit down.
“The jet’s picking us up in the morning,” he continued reasonably. “If something’s happened—if you have a problem at home—I can get the plane to fly in for us tonight.”
Her throat tightened. “There isn’t a problem at home. The problem is me, Reese. I’m the problem.”
“What is it, Kenzie? Tell me.”
Her eyes burned, began to fill with tears. She drew in a ragged breath. “I have feelings for you, Reese. I’ve done everything in my power to ignore them. I’ve managed until now, but I can’t go on any longer.” She shook her head. “It isn’t your fault. You’ve never done or said a single thing that wasn’t absolutely professional. The problem is mine, and as hard as I’ve worked to deny it, I can’t pretend anymore.”
Reese didn’t move, just stood frozen, staring at her as if she’d turned into another woman, someone he had never seen before.
Embarrassment slid through her, but she refused to stop until there was no way she could possibly turn back. Until this moment, she hadn’t realized how deeply she had come to care for him, how totally impossible it would be to continue working for him.
“I don’t know how it happened,” she rambled on. “Little by little it just did.” The tears in her eyes slid down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, but I can’t keep pretending it doesn’t bother me when you look at me without the least bit of emotion, like I’m a piece of furniture that just takes up space in the room. I can’t arrange your dates for you then imagine the two of you together. I can’t go on this way any longer.”
Reese’s beautiful blue eyes seemed to burn right through her. Suntanned hands reached out and caught her shoulders.
“I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you’re standing here saying the exact same words I’ve wanted to say to you. You can’t pretend anymore, Kenzie? Well, neither can I.”
And then he pulled her into his arms and his mouth came down over hers.
For several seconds, shock held her immobile. When a rush of heat slid through her, desperation, longing, and a coil of hungry need all poured into the scorching kiss she returned.
Reese groaned. Cupping her face in his hands, he deepened the kiss, turning it hotter and wilder, and somehow unexpectedly sweet.
“Reese...” The whispered word came out on a sigh when he broke the kiss long enough to press his mouth to the side of her neck.
“I have feelings for you, too, Kenzie. I know I shouldn’t, but dammit, I do, and I’m tired of pretending those feelings don’t exist.”
Reese kissed her again, ravaging her mouth, his lips softer than she had imagined and at the same time firm enough to take complete control. The kiss was everything she had yearned for and more. But she hadn’t forgotten this was Reese. To him she was just another woman, another conquest.
Trembling, she pulled away. “Are you...are you sure you want to do this? What...what about your date? She must be expecting you.”
“I canceled.” His eyes remained on her face. “Last night, too. You’re the woman I want, Kenzie. It took me a while, but I finally figured out no other woman is going to erase you from my mind.” He took her mouth again, plundered it, drew her to the length of his long, hard frame.
Kenzie moaned. No other man was going to erase Reese from her mind, either. She craved him, hungered for him in a way she had never known before. She reminded herself this was Reese and whatever he felt for her wouldn’t last.
It didn’t matter.
Not tonight.
Making love with Reese was the only thing that could set her free. The only thing that could purge him from her heart and mind. Maybe afterward, she could move on.
“I didn’t know,” Reese said, pressing soft butterfly kisses to the corners of her mouth. “You never gave a single indication I meant anything more to you than just your employer.”
He meant more. Too much more. She went up on her toes and kissed him, a wet, hot, searing kiss that told him how much she wanted him. Her fingers were unsteady as she unbuttoned the front of his starched white shirt and pulled it free of his slacks, ran her hands over his six-pack abs and the lean bands of muscle on his chest.
“Reese...oh, God. I’ve wanted to touch you this way for so long.”
Hard muscle bunched beneath her fingers. Reese kissed her again, briefly this time, caught her hands and held them immobile in both of his.
“We don’t have to do this now, Kenzie. We can start over, take things slow and easy, get to know each other.”
But Kenzie already knew Reese. She knew he was a man of honor, knew how much he loved his family, how well he treated his employees, even his competitors. She knew that although he dated a lot of women, he was always up-front with them and never took advantage.
Now he was worried he was taking advantage of her.
“There’ll be consequences,” he continued. “We’ll need to figure things out. There are no guarantees—you and I both know that.”
They both had failed marriages. People changed, things didn’t always go the way you planned.
“There’s no way to know how this will work out,” he said, “but I promise you, I won’t let you and your family get hurt.”
Fresh tears filled her eyes. He was being up-front with her, telling her the truth, preparing her for the inevitable. It didn’t change things, didn’t make her want him any less. She swayed toward him, slid her fingers into the silky black hair at the nape of his neck, went up on her toes, and very softly kissed him.
“I know you, Reese. And I’ve wanted you for so long. Please...give me this one night.”
Those incredible blue eyes turned smoky. “Kenzie, honey. Are you sure?”
“I need this, Reese. I need you.”
He ran a long, suntanned finger down her cheek, tipped her head back, and his mouth claimed hers. For several long moments, he nibbled and tasted, altered his kisses between soft and sweet, and hot, long, and deep. She slid the white shirt off his shoulders and ran her hands over his naked chest.
Hard, lean muscle flexed and tightened. She thought of the beautiful tattoo on his back, imagined tracing the intriguing lines, imagined pressing her lips against his hot skin.
Reese pulled her soft yellow top over her head, unhooked her bra and tossed it away, and his hands closed over her breasts. Fresh need poured through her and a noise that sounded like a plea slipped from her throat.
“Reese...”