Page 51 of Silver Fox's Christmas Scandal

"You grew into someone who can hold her own with investors three times her age and win deals that seemed lost. You grew into someone I trust completely with the most important aspects of my business." I reached out to brush a strand of hair away from her face. "You grew into someone remarkable."

The space between us disappeared, and I was kissing her before either of us could think better of it. She kissed me back with equal hunger.

Every rational thought in my head evaporated.

It wasn't the only reason I'd brought her back to my hotel room, but this had been our habit over several business trips now. I'd rent two rooms but we only used one, and after being reminded of the reasons it wouldn’t work between us, I only found myself wanting her more.

The moment her mouth opened under mine, all thought of restraint disappeared.

I backed her through the balcony doors into the room and kicked them shut behind us.

Her kiss was urgent, and I welcomed it, pulling her against me until the soft line of her body fit tight against mine.

The dress she’d worn to the presentation hugged her curves and it was beautiful, but it was a barrier I wanted removed.

My hands traced down her back to the hidden zipper, lowering it until silk whispered against her skin.

She shivered and let it slide down to the floor, leaving her in lace that made my chest seize with raw need.

“Tessa,” I growled as I reached for her again.

She tilted her head back against my hand, her breath quick. “What?”

“You don’t know what you do to me.” My lips brushed the corner of her jaw, down to her throat, tasting the heat that pulsed there. “Every time you walk into a room, I can’t think about anything else.”

Her fingers curled into the front of my shirt, tugging at the buttons until they slipped loose one after the other. “You’re not supposed to say things like that,” she whispered. "I'm your employee."

“I don’t care what I’m supposed to say.” The shirt fell away, and I covered her again with my mouth, needing her response more than air.

She gave it freely.

The boldness that had carried her through the meeting carried her here too, and when I laid her back across the bed, she went with me without hesitation.

Her hair spread across the white sheets, her lips parted, her body arching toward me as if she’d been waiting for this moment all day.

My hand moved over her stomach, and a mental picture flashed through my mind—her skin rounded, her body full with my child.

It was so arousing to me that I had to close my eyes for a moment, steadying myself.

I had no right to imagine it, but the need to claim her that completely, to leave nothing of her untouched, burned hotter than anything I’d ever known.

I lowered myself over her, meeting her gaze. “You’re mine tonight.”

“Yes,” she breathed, no hesitation at all.

I kissed her deeply, letting the sound of it drown out every rational thought.

My hands roamed lower, sliding over the lace until I felt the edge of her thigh-highs and the heat of her skin beneath.

She shifted under me, restless, opening herself as though to invite more, and I obliged with a hunger that startled even me.

I broke from her mouth only long enough to trail down the line of her throat, tasting her pulse, then lower to the swell of her breasts, my teeth grazing lightly over the lace before I pushed it aside. She gasped, arching up into me, fingers burying in my hair.

“Lucian,” she whispered, the sound frayed with need.

I answered with my hands, stripping away the lace until nothing separated us.

The sight of her bare on my bed unraveled me.