further into the chaos that was rampant in her mind. Something was telling her to run, but the stronger message in her mind was to find out all those mysteries that she’d been thinking about for the last week.
Reaching up, she let her fingers slide into his hair, feeling the softness, her fingers touching his jaw, his hair, his ears and caressing his neck as she found answers to the desperate questions that had been plaguing her nights after their last meal. She didn’t want to know, but each time her fingers encountered another texture on this man, her body shivered, reacting and falling just a little deeper under his spell.
“No!” she called out when his hand touched her breast at the same time his teeth nipped at her ear lobe. It was too much and she couldn’t understand what was happening to her. The feelings were frightening and she called out a halt, grateful when Alec allowed her the space. Helen pulled back and, in his surprise at her reaction, he allowed her the freedom.
Alec watched in stunned surprise as she backed up, her eyes wide with fear and desire. “Helen?” he asked, taking a step closer but she shook her head, holding her shaking hands up in front of her and closing her eyes. She swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to gather her wits and explain.
“Have you never…”
“No!” she interrupted him and steadied herself against his desk. “No. I haven’t. I need to go.”
She started to move toward the door but he stopped her by the expedient way of simply stepping in front of her. “I won’t let you go. You need to stay and talk to me. If we need to go to a restaurant where others can see us then that’s fine.”
“Alec,” she said, starting to reach up and touch his chest but she pulled her fingers back before she made contact with him. Unfortunately, he was having none of that and took her hand to press it to the middle of his chest. She shuddered and tried to pull her hand away but he wouldn’t let her, in fact he moved closer. “I can’t,” she whispered. “You wouldn’t understand. Please just respect the fact that I can’t do….this….” she said awkwardly, “with you.”
“I won’t accept that. And I do respect you. I respect you enough to know that something is holding you back from a relationship with me. I need you to tell me what that is so I can eliminate it.”
Helen had to laugh at his arrogance. He honestly believed there wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix and make right. Or at least right enough in his mind. “That’s very admirable of you but this isn’t one of those things that can just go away.”
Thankfully, the phone rang at that moment. He sighed and stepped back, releasing her hand. “We’re not done with this conversation. We’ll finish it as soon as I can get rid of whoever is on the phone.”
He turned his back to her and walked around his desk, picking up the phone and snapping out a greeting. Helen listened to him for a moment, trying to decide when would be a good time to escape. He turned around to sort through some documents and Helen knew that this was the perfect time to simply slip out the door.
But she didn’t. She stayed right where she was and waited, watching in amazement as he discussed numbers off the top of his head, demanding more information and it was as if she could see the wheels turning inside his mind as he analyzed the data and made decisions. The commands were about dollar values that she couldn’t even comprehend, in terms and financial jargon that she’d studied only vaguely in school but had no practical knowledge of. She was simply in awe of his amazing intelligence and it startled her to admit that to herself.
She saw him glance in her direction and it surprised her so much, she almost flinched. What exactly she was waiting for, she wasn’t sure. Would Alec listen to the promise she’d given to her very old-fashioned father ten years ago?
Reaching up, she let her fingers slide into his hair, feeling the softness, her fingers touching his jaw, his hair, his ears and caressing his neck as she found answers to the desperate questions that had been plaguing her nights after their last meal. She didn’t want to know, but each time her fingers encountered another texture on this man, her body shivered, reacting and falling just a little deeper under his spell.
“No!” she called out when his hand touched her breast at the same time his teeth nipped at her ear lobe. It was too much and she couldn’t understand what was happening to her. The feelings were frightening and she called out a halt, grateful when Alec allowed her the space. Helen pulled back and, in his surprise at her reaction, he allowed her the freedom.
Alec watched in stunned surprise as she backed up, her eyes wide with fear and desire. “Helen?” he asked, taking a step closer but she shook her head, holding her shaking hands up in front of her and closing her eyes. She swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to gather her wits and explain.
“Have you never…”
“No!” she interrupted him and steadied herself against his desk. “No. I haven’t. I need to go.”
She started to move toward the door but he stopped her by the expedient way of simply stepping in front of her. “I won’t let you go. You need to stay and talk to me. If we need to go to a restaurant where others can see us then that’s fine.”
“Alec,” she said, starting to reach up and touch his chest but she pulled her fingers back before she made contact with him. Unfortunately, he was having none of that and took her hand to press it to the middle of his chest. She shuddered and tried to pull her hand away but he wouldn’t let her, in fact he moved closer. “I can’t,” she whispered. “You wouldn’t understand. Please just respect the fact that I can’t do….this….” she said awkwardly, “with you.”
“I won’t accept that. And I do respect you. I respect you enough to know that something is holding you back from a relationship with me. I need you to tell me what that is so I can eliminate it.”
Helen had to laugh at his arrogance. He honestly believed there wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix and make right. Or at least right enough in his mind. “That’s very admirable of you but this isn’t one of those things that can just go away.”
Thankfully, the phone rang at that moment. He sighed and stepped back, releasing her hand. “We’re not done with this conversation. We’ll finish it as soon as I can get rid of whoever is on the phone.”
He turned his back to her and walked around his desk, picking up the phone and snapping out a greeting. Helen listened to him for a moment, trying to decide when would be a good time to escape. He turned around to sort through some documents and Helen knew that this was the perfect time to simply slip out the door.
But she didn’t. She stayed right where she was and waited, watching in amazement as he discussed numbers off the top of his head, demanding more information and it was as if she could see the wheels turning inside his mind as he analyzed the data and made decisions. The commands were about dollar values that she couldn’t even comprehend, in terms and financial jargon that she’d studied only vaguely in school but had no practical knowledge of. She was simply in awe of his amazing intelligence and it startled her to admit that to herself.
She saw him glance in her direction and it surprised her so much, she almost flinched. What exactly she was waiting for, she wasn’t sure. Would Alec listen to the promise she’d given to her very old-fashioned father ten years ago?
Similar Books
