“Wow,” she says quietly, and I nod my head.
She had to have felt that too, there is no possible way she didn’t.
“Yeah,” I say, and pull her into my arms for one brief kiss.
My lips push up hard against her own. The plump softness of them makes me feel so damn hard, so damn in need of her. Words just can’t describe the pure, raw bliss of kissing her.
Pulling away, I watch her stand there with her eyes closed, breathing as heavily as I am, before she slowly blinks and looks up at me.
“Let’s go,” I say as I pull her along behind me down the cubicle row.
Thankfully Ariel isn’t about or she’d be all over us.
There’s a couple of other office lights on, but fuck whoever might be watching.
I just claimed my woman.
Fucking mine.
Mine and no other.
I don’t give a shit what I have to do to keep her, there isn’t a woman dead or alive who could have given me that feeling except for Zoe.
“Bry?” Zoe says quietly, and I turn to look into her eyes as I slam my hand down on the elevator button.
“Yeah?” I croak out.
She’s taking my breath away with those huge blue eyes staring up at me.
“Why do you look so…” she starts but stops, searching my face. “Intense and mad?”
“Because you should have never left last night, Zoe,” I say.
The anger at myself must be showing because she takes a step back from me. “But…”
“Look, let’s go to dinner and talk,” I say and pull her back to me as I try to soften my expression. “I just realized how much it would have sucked if I never saw you again.”
“Oh,” she says, and I can see that she doesn’t really understand what she does to me.
How she makes me feel like some huge fucking caveman. Her mine, me keep. Thump my chest and kill all opposition, kind of caveman.
Pulling her into the elevator with me, I slap the parking garage button.
We’re both quiet, contemplative, as we ride down, and when the elevator finally reaches our floor I pull her along again.
“What about my car?” she asks as I usher her over to my BMW and open the door for her.
“I’ll have it dealt with,” I say before shutting her door.
Yeah, I’ll have it dealt with alright. Right to the fucking used car lot. No way is she getting into any other car unless I’m driving it. She’s mine to keep and protect now, whether she likes it or knows it.
Jumping into my seat, I all but peel out of the parking lot. My stomach is rumbling for food as much as my mind is craving to drive her home and fully claim her.
“So, where we are going?” Zoe asks.
“The District House,” I say as I put the location in my GPS.
“What?!” she asks in amazement. “Don’t we have to like book a reservation a month in advance?”
“Probably, but I know Darren. I met him a couple of years ago in England when he was running a Michelin restaurant. I helped him get a couple of things done here in the states so he could open up a restaurant. I think I can snag a table from him,” I say with a smirk.
Sometimes it’s good to know good people in high places.
“Seriously?” she asks.
“Yeah, he’s a great guy who needed a helping hand. He brought over his brilliant sister, and they’ve made a big name for themselves, it seems. In a way, she’s a lot like you,” I say as I follow the guided directions on the GPS.
“You think I’m brilliant?” she asks, and I can tell she really does want to know.
She’s not asking like she wants to be complimented. She really wants to know.
“Yes, and I don’t give praise lightly, Zoe. When I wasn’t doing the interviews, I was looking at the job you’ve been doing.”
“Then why did you…” she starts to say.
“Because I wanted to hear it from your perspective, to see the what and why. You’ve got a brilliant mind and it shows. SpinToLove.com might not make it, but it won’t be because of you,” I say and weave around a slow car.
“Yeah, well, I might not be there until the end, though. Not if you gut the company like you’ve done in the past.”
“You’re going to be taken care of, Zoe. I promise you that,” I say, and reach over to hold her hand.
Her hand is so soft and small, the delicate fingers fit perfectly with my own. She’s hesitant at first, but when I don’t let go she kind of pulls my hand closer to her stomach and rests it there.
There’s a small smile is on her lips when I look over at her.
Fuck. I should not be staring at her while I’m driving. It’s far too easy to get lost in her the details of her face.