As they regained their balance, she saw that most of the furniture that had been stored in the vast space had been cleared out. It was just a ballroom again, with tables and stacks of chairs scattered at the back, awaiting the next party.
‘What are we doing here?’
He cast a sideways smile so sexy it made her shiver. ‘I thought we could just, you know … hang out for a while. And I know this room is always empty, so …’ As he spoke he set the book down and then walked backwards, pulling her gently across the room. She followed without resistance, her gaze locked on his. ‘Last night turned into something completely unromantic,’ he continued. ‘And we can’t have that.’
When they’d nearly reached the back wall he stopped, pulling her into his arms, one hand behind her back, the other holding her hand. Instinctively, she placed her free hand against his shoulder. Through the crisp cotton of his button-down shirt, she could feel his muscles move when he spun her in a circle.
‘What … Are we dancing?’ She laughed up into his eyes.
‘Can’t you hear the music?’
She cocked her head to one side. ‘No.’
Pulling her closer, he swirled her in a circle, making her giggle.
‘I don’t think you’re really trying,’ he whispered very quietly in her ear. His teeth brushed her earlobe – her whole body tingled. ‘Try harder.’
She tilted her head to one side to give him free access to her neck, as his lips travelled down as far as the collar of her prim cotton uniform blouse, and then up behind her ear to the downy hair at her temple, then back along the sharp edge of her jaw. It was a long, exquisite torture, and by the end, she was leaning into him; willing him not to stop.
When he reached her lips and whispered. ‘Can you hear it now?’
‘I think …’ Her voice came out hoarse, breathy. But she wasn’t really thinking any more. She was feeling.
Standing on her toes, she tangled her fingers in his silky hair and pulled him harder against her. As her lips parted to his, she felt all his muscles tense, and then his arms tightened around her. He held her so tightly she couldn’t breathe but she didn’t care. She wanted him to touch her everywhere, to kiss her everywhere.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, his arms loosened and his hands slid to the waistband of her skirt. Without lifting his mouth from hers, he began pulling her shirt loose.
Trembling, she slid her hands down to his chest. She felt his heart race when his fingers made their way under her shirt to the warm skin of her back.
‘You’re shaking,’ he whispered, his eyes dark as smoke. ‘Are you OK?’
Not trusting her voice, she nodded against his neck, breathing in his scent of sandalwood and fresh air.
‘Your skin is so soft.’ His voice sounded wondering as his hands stroked her back, sending shocks of sensation through her. ‘I want to kiss you there.’
‘I want that too.’ Her voice sounded so faint she wondered if she’d said the words out loud.
But she must have, because he groaned deep in his throat and pulled her down to the floor until they knelt, facing each other, still kissing.
‘I don’t want …’ He pulled her tightly against him – so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’
A frown flitted across her face. ‘You wouldn’t ever do that.’
With one finger he traced a line from her forehead, down her nose, along her cheekbones and then back to her lips, which he lightly circled.
‘I just … care about you, Allie Sheridan,’ he whispered, looking at her lips. ‘A lot.’
Her breath caught. ‘I care about you, too, Carter West. A lot.’
With her right hand still resting against his chest, she lifted his hand with her left and placed it against her heart so he could feel it pounding.
‘See?’ she said. ‘We both feel the same thing.’
His eyes darkening, he kissed her so hard she fell backwards, and they both tumbled to the polished wood floor. They rolled over until she was on her back, looking up at him. His fingers came to rest on the first button of her shirt. His eyes held hers.
Asking.
Wordless, she nodded, and he carefully unbuttoned it, kissing the skin until goosebumps rose beneath his lips. Her breath came in short gasps, as his fingers rested on the next button.
She was breathless to the point of dizziness. Are we really going to do this?
At that moment, someone opened the door.
Allie thought her heart might have stopped. Carter’s eyes warned her to stay still, not that she needed more incentive. Lying half stretched across her body, he was like a reclining statue – his breathing so shallow she could hardly feel his chest move.
She couldn’t see who it was – her view was blocked by a table and a stack of chairs. Then she heard Jerry’s voice – he was talking so quietly she could only make out snippets. Hearing no one else, she realised he must be on the phone.
‘… can’t talk right now … situation is serious … Raj Patel is providing security … I don’t see how anyone … No!’ His voice rose on the last word.
Carter’s eyes widened, but he didn’t move.
Jerry was speaking again. ‘… all we can. The grounds … secure.’ A pause and then he nearly shouted. ‘I’m not going to argue with you. You can take this to Orion …’ As if realising he could be overheard, he lowered his voice to a harsh whisper, and after that they couldn’t make out what he was saying. They remained frozen in place, barely breathing, communicating with their eyes, until he stopped talking.