Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(72)

Chapter4

The banquet was being held in two separate ballrooms that had been opened up to create one large space, specifically to accommodate the massive number of guests attending. When Connor and Catalina arrived at the door, they found that their names had been added to the list by the friend of Connor’s who had gotten them invited to the event, and they were given their table and seat numbers.

As they walked through the gracious room, through the rich and luxurious décor, she looked around and felt slightly out of place, and it made her lean a little closer to Connor, who loved that she sought comfort from him, but was intent on keeping their bond platonic.

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Are you nervous?”

She nodded subtly and looked at him, biting her lower lip slightly which made him desperately want to do the same to her. “I’m a little nervous, aren’t you?” she asked honestly.

He shook his head. “No, I’ve been to several of these kinds of things before, and this one is no different. It’s just a bunch of wealthy people trying to push their own agendas and add names and faces and money to their own political stances. I’m just here for the food and the event. Just like you.” He nodded down at the camera on her shoulder.

She smiled and laughed then and nodded. “So look at it like a job?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. He nodded and gave her a wink and she felt the butterflies stirring inside of her, though she tried to keep them down.

They took their seats at the table they had been assigned to, and they were both glad to see that it was in a perfect location for her to photograph the speakers that would be addressing the crowd throughout the night.

Dinner was served, and it was undeniably the most exquisite meal she had ever seen or eaten. She felt like she was in some kind of living dream, sitting at such a fine table, beside such a gorgeous man who was completely enraptured by her, in a room where a live orchestra was playing off to one side, and where she was working at her dream job. None of it actually seemed that real to her, but she enjoyed every single moment of it all the same.

When they had eaten their fill and indulged in a few glasses of champagne each, he looked at her, as he had been doing all night, trying to make himself remember all of the reasons he had given her why they should remain platonic, and he threw just a little caution to the wind and asked her to dance. She grinned at him and nodded, and he took her by the hand and walked her toward the dance floor where the live orchestra was performing excellent renditions of American Songbook classics.

As they stepped onto the dance floor, he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her toward him just a little, taking her hand into his and turning her slowly around the dance floor as the orchestra played, ‘The Way You Look Tonight’.

Connor smiled down at her and shook his head a little. She gave him a grin back and tipped her chin up toward him.

“What?” she asked curiously, wondering what he was thinking.

“This song… it couldn’t be more perfect. No matter what happens with us, I’m never going to forget the way that you look tonight,” he told her softly, his eyes captured by her gaze. She smiled back at him and shook her head.

“I’m never going to forget the way that you look tonight either. Very James Bond. Very handsome, bordering on strikingly beautiful.” She gazed up at him through her thick eyelashes.

He lowered his brow and gave her a funny look. “Men aren’t beautiful, are they?”

She raised one of her brows to counter him, smiled and leaned close to him, sliding her hand along the top of his shoulder toward his neck. “You are,” she told him quietly, and he caught his breath and turned his head away from her slightly.

They had been able to keep up most of the pretenses of a platonic relationship all throughout the day until that point, and it was then that all of the champagne they had indulged in during their dinner feast began to make them light headed and warm.

The music continued and they swayed together, closer and closer as the songs wrapped them in romantic strings of light and hints of romantic love. Catalina had finally gotten so close to him during their dancing that his mouth was almost against her cheek, and in his champagne-induced bliss, he told himself that one kiss on her cheek was not going to do any damage, or cause any problems, and that if she didn’t mind it, it was simply a show of light affection toward her.

He turned his head slightly, his warm breath on her skin, and he pressed his lips softly against her cheek. She closed her eyes and let the feel of his gentle kiss sweep through her, carrying her on romantic wings as she swayed in his arms, and it was the most natural thing in the world when she turned her face slightly toward his and kissed his cheek in return, making him hold his breath as the feel of her lips on his skin sent a wave of warmth through him.

A moment later, they had each hesitated as long as they could before giving in to one another and turning their faces toward each other just enough that their lips brushed lightly, touching only part-way before they turned fully to one another and he covered her mouth with his, kissing her tenderly and sweetly as he stopped his dance with her and held her there on the floor. Everything in her still felt as if it was dancing and twirling all through her, making her rise up off the ground, and she held herself to him a little more tightly.

He held her closer, and parted her lips with his, tasting her tongue before teasing her a little with the tip of his and then deepening their kiss. It was a long, slow, sensual kiss and they savored each other before they parted from one another, their eyes locking on each other as they tried to catch their breath.