Sorrow and understanding filled his dark brown eyes. His jaw flexed as he tried to find the words to say. “Oh, Emily. I wish I could fix everything for you.”
He wrapped his arms around her and for one moment, she stiffened, unsure whether she deserved the comfort of such a man. But then the warmth of his chest seeped through her blouse and it was all over. She melted into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck.
The smell of his tangy aftershave filled her nose. She buried her head in the curve of his neck as he leaned down and pressed a scorching kiss to her jawline. Desperation filled her and all at once she needed him. Needed him to kiss her and never let her go. Needed him to wash away her sorrows. She clung to his shoulders and laid a trail of kisses along his jaw, her chest rising and falling in rapid breaths.
“Emily...” Michael growled.
Her heartbeat quickened and she worked her hands up the back of his head into his hair. It felt soft beneath her fingers, like feathers. Michael’s hands encircled her waist, pulling her closer to him.
“Emily,” he said again, his voice deep and husky. He growled when she kissed his earlobe, his hands gripping her waist even tighter. “Emily, I can’t.”
She stopped suddenly and pulled back, just enough to look up into his eyes. “You can’t?”
“I can’t do this to you,” he said, dropping his hands from her waist and straightening up. He raked a hand through his hair and groaned. “It isn’t right.”
She blinked through fresh tears, her heart blossoming. Michael truly was an honorable man. Here she was, throwing herself at him in her hour of desperation, and he was being the voice of reason. Not every man had that kind of will power.
She dropped her hands from around his neck and smiled sheepishly. “I guess I got a little out of control. I’m sorry for that.”
“Jeez, Emily, you have nothing to be sorry for.” Michael grimaced and placed his hands behind his neck in a frustrated posture. He pinned her with an intense gaze that sent shivers down her spine. “Believe me, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing right now than pushing you up against that wall and kissing you thoroughly.”
Her cheeks burned and she had to reach out to the counter to keep from swaying in place. “Then, why don’t you?”
“I can’t.” Pain flashed in his eyes. “You don’t understand, Emily. I came here to...”
His gaze trailed toward the floor and he opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again with a frustrated sigh.
“You came here to...?” Emily took a step closer to him, not understanding what the problem was. She liked him and it seemed like he felt the same. It was simple.
“I came here...” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Finally, his gaze met hers and his shoulders dropped. “To see how you were doing. But I really should be going now.”
Emily’s brow wrinkled in confusion as Michael practically ran toward the exit. He paused for one moment in the doorway to throw her an intense gaze over his shoulder, one filled with longing and regret, and then he was gone. Inside her head, she heard a whisper of doubt. A tiny, niggling feeling that doused her with cold water.
She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d chased the man of her dreams away.
Chapter Ten
Emily bounced restlessly on her feet and peered over the crowd. Most of them were dressed in suits and holding cameras or microphones. A few held notepads. Lights flashed as a few photographers clicked away at the massive lobby of Linex Investments.
“Tell me why we’re here again?” Lydia demanded, staring grumpily down at her fingernails.
They’d just started packing the office that morning and she’d been in a sour mood ever since she’d unplugged her desktop for the last time.
Emily made a face. “I want to hear about this new matchmaking app that’s putting us out of business,” she said through her teeth.
Today was the big reveal of Linex’s matchmaking app. Emily raised to the balls of her feet, attempting to get a view of the small makeshift stage and podium that had been placed against one of the cool, gray walls of the lobby.
Already, she hated the place. There were no warm colors or inviting aspects of Linex Investments. Instead, it had been built with cold steel and gray tones shooting up overhead, as if they were inside a giant freezer. Even the temperature was frigid. She shivered in her grungy t-shirt and rubbed her arms for heat.
“How is that going to help?” Lydia asked with a grimace.
“I want to look it in the eyes, so to speak,” she replied. She sucked in her cheeks and wrinkled her nose. “Stare the monster in the face. Maybe then, I’ll feel better. Or, at the very least, I’ll have a better idea of what’s to blame for my company’s demise.”
Lydia gave a hollow laugh and returned to examining her fingernails. Emily’s insides twisted with anticipation as the crowd grew around them. Finally, a hush went over the reporters and she strained to listen.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out this afternoon.”
Her breath caught in her lungs. She knew that deep, masculine voice. She’d know it anywhere by now, although it had been days since she’d last heard it. She closed her eyes, praying she wasn’t right.