Paired With His Fate

CHAPTER 7

Adriana fell into the long kiss.

Marcus. She clung to his strong shoulders as he tilted her head to find a deeper angle. All sense of time and place vanished. As did her reasons for avoiding this moment.

The man masterfully reduced her to a puddle of sensation, desperate for his touch. Why had she denied his requests to take their relationship to the next level so many times? Because she was deranged, obviously.

His hands slid silkily into the crevice at the small of her back and she moaned. Oh, she did appreciate his foresight in gifting her with a backless dress. She wrapped her arms around him in kind, reveling in the feel of his body under her fingertips.

A rush of emotion melded with the kiss, swamping her with its odd mix. This was Marcus she was kissing, the man who had become her friend, a mentor. And something much more, she suspected. She trusted him, cared for him.

Far too soon, he lifted his lips a fraction of an inch from hers.

"Adriana," he murmured. "Come home with me. Don't say no this time."

The larger implications sank in. Marcus wanted to be with her. If they became lovers, would she lose her determination to helm Cheer Up? Or was this an opportunity to have the best of both worlds—romance and purpose?

The only way that would happen was if he could admit she'd changed. If he could love the woman she was now.

"You're thinking too hard," he chided gently with a smile. "I can hear the gears turning in your head. I just want to spend time with you."

She smirked. "That's not all you want."

"It is. But I will not deny that I'd like at least part of that time to include me undressing you and loving every inch of your body."

His pointed words sent a burst of heat through her center, and a shudder rocked her shoulders. He tightened his arms around her and she wanted so much more than to be friends and colleagues, but were they both ready for it?

The only way to find out was to take the next steps.

"What if I said I want that too?" she confessed.

"I'd say hallelujah." His grin stole her breath as he hustled her into the limo. "And then I'd say, 'step on it' to the driver. Or I would if I wasn't too busy doing this."

And then he swept her into his embrace once again, sending her to heaven with his mouth alone. She couldn't wait to get to the undressing. Tomorrow was soon enough to worry if this was a mistake.

***

Marcus's house in Preston Hollow defied description. Mostly because Adriana never got a good enough glimpse of it. She was too busy kissing the master of the house and laughing softly over his jokes.

Pulling on their joined hands, he led her through a maze of lushly appointed hallways until finally he ushered her through a set of heavy double doors. He clicked them shut behind him and flicked the light.

Shelf after shelf of colorful leather-bound books soared to the twenty-foot ceiling. Four plush couches formed a square in the center, inviting a reader to recline with a title in comfort.