Fired by Veronika Bliss Page B

dry banter between us, and rolled my eyes.  “I don’t have any plans for the rest of the week,” I laughed.  His hand against my back held me firmly against his side, a light, easy touch that nonetheless controlled my every move.  Such an old-fashioned thing, and yet so utterly compelling that I gave in to it completely, safe and unstoppable and wanted.
     
    “Even better,” he whispered, so low that I wasn’t sure he’d even meant to say it out loud. 
     
    *     *     *
     
    Three hours later I was somewhere I never would have imagined:  arm-in-arm with Richard Sellers, carelessly laughing as he teased me about my little painted ducks as we left the ultra-trendy restaurant of some five-star hotel.  The meal itself had probably cost my entire month’s rent, and it was definitely the most sumptuous food I’d ever tasted.  The champagne had helped relax me as well, and somewhere between the duck breast and the creme brulee I’d fallen into an easy camaraderie with the eccentric billionaire.
     
    “I feel as if I’ve known you forever,” I sighed, glancing up at him and wondering how I’d found myself here.  “It’s not fair, really.  Now that I’m not working for that ridiculous company, I’ll probably never see you again.”  The thought of that, of never again seeing his gorgeous smile or hearing him tease me for my silly trinkets, filled me with an inexplicable sadness.  My fingers tightened around his arm unconsciously, and I sighed again.  But it couldn’t last.  As nice as the lunch had been, I wasn’t foolish enough to think it meant anything more.
     
    He pulled us to a stop, unconcerned with the throngs of people walking through the lobby who were now forced to flow around us.  He took my hands in his, ducking his head to catch my gaze.  We stared at each other for a few moments, and I tried to memorize the perfect angle of his jaw, the shadow of the day’s stubble already roughening his skin.  But his blue eyes were too undeniable, and I found myself caught by them once again.  “I told you already,” he murmured, reaching up to tuck a strand of dark hair behind my ear.  “It would make me quite unhappy to say goodbye to you, Regina.”
     
    My heart stuttered in my chest.  Part of me wanted to run out the door and as far away as I could get, because there was no way this could be true.  There had to be a catch.  He was rich and handsome and funny in a way that I understood perfectly, full of dry wit and sarcastic teasing that most people found alienating and I just found endearing.  He made me feel as if I were the most important woman in the world.  It just wasn’t possible for this to be real.  I swallowed hard, and lowered my head to stare down at his hand still clutched between mine.
     
    I heard him sigh, watched his hard chest expand as he inhaled sharply, and realized that he was disappointed.  He was upset because he thought I was rejecting him.  He cared.  About me.
     
    He started to gently pull his hand from mine, but I refused to let go.  Instead I reached up and grabbed his tie in one fist, lifting my chin as his eyes widened and he gave a startled little noise in the back of his throat that made my body tighten.  “Then don’t,” I said, meeting his gaze with a troublesome little smile of my own.  He blinked once as if he couldn’t quite understand what I meant, and then his lips twisted to match mine and I felt my heart pounding again.
     
    I pulled him down by his tie just as he reached up and plunged his hand into my hair.  Our lips met, and I couldn’t help my little groan of pleasure at the sweet taste of him.  The kiss began innocently enough, but it took no more than a few heartbeats for our arms to twine around each other.  He pulled me against him and I felt the hard muscles beneath the tailored suit, and he gave a playful little growl as he nipped at my bottom lip.  I opened my mouth and surrendered myself to the kiss as