Seduced by the CEO

“It does.”

“And I’m not an expert.”

“Not unless there’s something you’re not telling me.” She let the comment dangle, wondering if he’d decide to divulge something new.

A gust of a breeze came up, and she brushed her loose hair out of her face.

“There is something I’m not telling you,” he said in an oblique tone than triggered a shimmer of sexual awareness.

“What is it?” She found herself holding her breath.

The silence stretched, so she looked up. He was closer than she’d realized. His gaze was warm and intimate.

The awareness increased, warming the surface of her skin while paradoxically raising goose bumps.

Without a word, he brushed a stray lock of hair back from her temple.

His callused fingertips seemed to hum against her skin. His touch felt good. It felt sexy.

“You’re incredibly beautiful,” he whispered, easing slightly closer.

The statement took her by surprise. “I’m mostly dusty.”

He smiled. “I can’t see any dust. But I can see your gorgeous eyes, and I can see your beautiful lips.”

His smile disappeared, and he ran the pad of his thumb across her lower lip.

“Soft,” he whispered, leaning in.

She drew in a breath and held it.

His palm slipped up, cradling her cheek, his fingertips easing into her hair. He bent his head.

She stilled, waiting.

The kiss started soft, but soon heated between them. Her fingers curled into her palms, and she stretched up. Her lips parted, and he firmed his own, bracing his free hand across the small of her back.

She opened wider, and his tongue flicked in. She met him with her own, angling her head. She raised her palms to his chest, sweeping them upward, marveling at the definition of his pecs, then the breadth and strength of his shoulders. Her arms wound themselves around his neck.

He pressed their bodies together, her breasts against his chest, his thighs hard against hers. The kiss was sexy and deep, oddly familiar. She wanted more from him, even as she acknowledged this was happening at lightning speed.

He seemed to sense her hesitation.

He broke the kiss, drawing back.

“Wow,” she managed.

“Wow,” he echoed, gazing into her eyes.

The sun was completely gone now, and soft darkness surrounded them, a shaft of yellow light coming from a small window in his house.

He kept his arm around her, still holding her close. “You should come out with me.”

She hesitated, unsettled by the sudden shift between them. “I don’t usually...”

“Kiss like that?”

“Date customers.” Though she had to admit, she couldn’t remember a kiss like that.

“You’ve only been in business a year,” he said. “It can’t have come up that often.”

“I suppose,” she was forced to agree.

“Has it ever come up?” he asked.

“Not really.”

“So you don’t have a rule against it.”

“I don’t have a rule for it either.”

“Where do you want to go?” he asked.

She cocked her head. “I haven’t said yes.”

“I figure I’ll increase my odds of a yes if you like where we’re going.”

The logic made her smile. “Take a stab.”

He smoothed her hair again. “No help from the lady?”

She struggled not to react to the intimate touch. “No help.”

“Navy Pier. Ferris wheel and a pretzel dog.”

She was surprised, but also intrigued. “You’re inviting me out for a pretzel dog?”

“I’ll throw in some ice cream.”

She put a note of astonishment in her voice. “You expect me to say yes to that?”

He didn’t look worried. “You don’t strike me as a symphony and Le Petit Soleil kind of girl.”

She wrinkled her nose and gave a little sniff. “That’s only because you’ve never seen me clean. It’s an unfair bias if you ask me, and not worthy of you, Riley.”

Uncertainty finally appeared in his eyes. “You’d prefer the symphony?”

She’d liked teasing him. “Your first instinct was right. Add the fireworks, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”