Million Dollar Devil (Million Dollar #1)(34)

I inhale sharply when his tongue flicks over the tip of mine.

What the . . . oh gawwwd.

I grab fistfuls of his shirt and try to make the kiss go faster, suddenly wanting nothing more than this, but James slows me down. His tongue smoothing, calming.

I’m trembling head to toe as he leads the kiss. It’s like he doesn’t want to be rushed, like we have all the time in the world.

He peels his lips away from my wet ones and looks down at me with dark-blue eyes, sliding his fingers under the fall of my hair. He studies me for what feels like forever. I can see every dark fleck in his blue eyes as I study him back, unsure that this is happening. Here. In broad daylight. In NOT a dream.

He lets out a rough growl, my hair fisted in his hand as he leans back down again.

I shudder on contact, letting him seize my lips again. Fisting his T-shirt, harder this time. The heat of his mouth, the touch of our lips, I’m swimming in it. In him. He’s so electric I gasp as the fire spreads through my veins, and this time I pull back too.

Our eyes meet again—hold. “What is that for?”

“For being irresistible.”

“I shouldn’t . . . ,” I breathe out.

“Fuck this, I shouldn’t have started it. It’s in the contract. But I couldn’t stop thinking of you last night.”

Fuck the contract, I think, my eyes slipping down to his perfect pink lips, wet and red with the heat of our kiss.

He knows what I want.

“Give me one more, heiress.”

He tilts my head back, parting his mouth wider, smothering my lips with his a third time.

I’ve never been kissed like this. Or kissed anyone back like this.

He kisses me as if this kiss is his whole reason for being . . . and me? As if it’s my reason for existing.

His hand slides from my hair to grip my nape—and he devours me as I loosen my fingers and flatten them on the hard planes of his chest.

I can’t get enough of him. The taste of him. The feel of him.

It’s as if lately I’ve wanted nothing but to see him again. Pretending that I wanted to see him to change him—when I didn’t realize until this very second that NO. NO. I was wrong. All I wanted was to kiss him.

He cups my jaw in his hand now, holding me still as he savors me. His stubble rasping against my cheek as he moves to trail a path of kisses down my neck, then back up. To catch my gasping breaths as he returns to kiss me.

I hear myself moan. Shaking from the heat of his kiss, and how much I want him.

When we pause, I stare at his mouth. His mouth that’s red and swollen by how much we’ve kissed. Right here. Very un-Elizabeth-like.

I have to peel away with effort, panting as I wonder what got into him.

What’s gotten into me?

HE did.

He has gotten to me.

He studies my lips with hooded eyes, his eyelids heavy, his pupils so blown up his eyes are nearly black.

My throat feels swollen and thick.

“Have a good day?” he asks thickly as he runs his gaze over my face.

“Yes. You? Beat anyone up?” My voice is just as thick and very faint.

“No. But it’s still early.”

“So it’s . . .” I’m unsure. “Not a good day?”

“Oh, it’s a good day.”

I lick my lips, returning his devilish smile as I shake my head and try to recover.

“It really is,” I admit.

Realization dawns.

We just kissed like crazy. During work hours. In my apartment. And if I had my way, I’d do more than that.

What the fuck is wrong with me? It doesn’t matter if the contract will forgive me for having this fling. Sleeping with the face of our new line—what would Dad think of me if he found out? Do I really want to bring my whole future down because I can’t keep my hormones in check?

I need to keep a distance from sexy devil James Rowan because of my dad. Because of me. Because I don’t trust myself with him and he’s so not what I need in my personal life.

“I . . .” His hands are still on my face. He looks at me like he wants me.

Like he knows I want him back.

“I haven’t been in a relationship in a long time. Maybe not ever. Not really.” I shake my head, forcing myself to step back as I try to explain. “See, sometimes it’s hard to know what I’m worth to the guy I’m dating. Or why he’s even dating me. I’ve never been . . . like this with a guy. Like I am with you. Relaxed. Able to let my guard down.”

“Why? You’re perfect.”

“This isn’t perfect to my dad.”

“It’s perfect. In any language, you’re perfect.”

I exhale as I walk around my desk, flushing in every part of me. “Well, now we want to make YOU perfect,” I say, flushing when there’s a rap on the door and Michael yelling.

“Honey, open up! I’ve got a ton of stuff in my arms, and I don’t want to faint out here!”

James smiles, rubbing a thumb along his thoroughly kissed lips as he goes to open the door.

Jimmy

Michael and two of his assistants are setting everything up in Lizzy’s spare bedroom. While Lizzy’s pretending she didn’t just kiss me right here.

Pretending I didn’t catch her watching my videos just now.