The hard muscles of his solid body were sending her into a frenzy. The masculine scent of his aftershave was driving her wild with desire. When she found the courage to open her eyes, she saw that they had ended up wrapped up in the huge velvet curtains backstage.
They were draped so heavily that there was no way anybody could see them.
This was so wrong. So illicit to be holding on to her boss like this. But if nobody could see...
He hadn’t pulled away. She didn’t want him to. Arching her back, she looked up and realized that Simon’s lips were hovering inches above hers.
Her pulse quickened. The pull of this man was so magnetic that she couldn’t let go of him even if she wanted to. All these years apart, and he still managed to make her body react to his.
Without another thought, she closed the gap and let her mouth meet his. Let her lips brush feather-light against his.
What was wrong with her? Forget being found out—kissing her boss was definitely going to get her fired.
But his words in the speech had awakened something in her that she didn’t even know was there. For years she had been trapped in a loveless marriage. And now, here was a man who appreciated her.
No. Not her. Someone else. The girl she used to be. Simon didn’t know the real her.
That didn’t seem to deter him, because instead of pulling away he groaned.
The sound spurred her on. Her mouth pressed harder against his and she slipped her tongue into his mouth. When their tongues entwined, she thought she would catch fire.
Simon’s hand slid up and held on possessively to the nape of her neck while his tongue explored her mouth expertly. Damn, she’d never been kissed like this. Kissed like she was the only thing keeping him alive.
His tongue collided with hers. Simon was seducing her utterly with his mouth and she was melting in his arms. Delight slid down her spine. Even when they had dated, they had never shared a kiss this passionate. This blatantly sexual.
From the way he possessed her with his tongue, she knew that if there was a bed nearby Simon would throw her onto it, rip her clothes off, and she’d let him do it.
Finally, he broke the kiss. Stared deep into her eyes while she struggled to figure out what to say. Struggled to breathe.
“Heather Monroe,” he gasped out. “It is you.”
Chapter 7
“Talk to me, Heather. Tell me the truth,” he commanded once he caught his breath. Simon might have pulled away to end the kiss, but his arms were still wrapped tightly around her.
Heather was trembling against him. She seemed so fragile. So breakable. Right now, she looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Her hazel eyes went wide with panic. “I...” Her voice trailed off.
He kept his gaze on her face. Noticed that she wasn’t wearing her glasses today. She’d probably put her contacts in like she often did for important occasions. That had been her habit back when they were teenagers. And he was almost certain that the woman he was holding onto so tightly now really was his long ago high school sweetheart. The girl who’d made the life he’d created for himself possible.
“It is you, isn’t it?” Pressing her might only make things more awkward, but he wasn’t about to let this go. He was going to pry the truth from her perfect lips even if it killed him.
Her mouth opened but no words came out. Those lush lips were already distracting him. They were swollen from their kiss. A kiss she had started, but he hadn’t wanted to end. Why had he? Idiot! Returning that kiss had been dangerous, but with the way she made his heart pound it would’ve been a dangerous mistake to not kiss her back. Because he had to know. Had to know why this woman was so familiar to him. So familiar and yet still such a mystery. Denying that kiss would have been like a starving man refusing to eat.
Heather lifted her hands up to his chest and pushed him back. “We shouldn’t discuss this right now.”
He let go of her, let her slip away from him. Let her turn her back to him while the heavy velvet curtains swallowed them up. Nobody could see them like this, but there was a chance they could be overheard. Even over the sound of the applause and Linda giving a speech thanking everyone.
As he gazed at her, Simon realized that he didn’t care if anyone heard them. Right now, he was so desperate for the truth he was willing to risk a scandal. The press discovering them together like this could ruin his chance of Dover’s new product ever getting off the ground. Destroy everything he had worked so hard to build. But he needed to know if he was going crazy or if Heather really had lied to his face.