Page 96 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I

Her eyes… I thought they were green.“What elephant?” I ask, fighting the urge to kiss her.

Her face turns red. “The elevator. Sex.”

The way she’s looking at me is cute.Damn it. Where else have I seen her?Then she looks down bashfully.

“As far as I'm concerned, all the elephants in New York City are at the zoo or the circus, not in my office.” I crack a smile so she can see that I’m joking. I don’t want her nervous or worried about letting me have her last night. What she gave me was a gift, and I’m still cherishing it.

She lifts her pretty face. Her smile does something to my heart that I haven’t felt in a long time. I'm glad I can make her loosen up a bit.

“You should sit,” I say. I’m unable to stop observing her, and I know it’s making her extra nervous.

“Sure.” Her gaze roams my office. “And nice office. It’s really plush.”

“Plush?” I like that word.

“Yes. Plush.”

We’re smiling at each other. My body is slowly moving forward. I want to fall into her. It would be nice to be between her thighs.Crap. I lean back in my chair.Get it together, brother.

I clear my throat. “So—products. What do you have for me?”

“Ah, yes,” she says, flipping open her notepad. “Umm…” She runs a finger through her hair and studies the page like she’s confused about something.

“It’s okay, Lark. Take your time. No pressure,” I say, thinking maybe I’ve made her nervous. The fact that I ache for her is probably rising from my skin.

She closes her notebook and sits up straight. “Should we start with the video game since it’s what we’re working on right now? I can give you the ins and outs. Let you know how we’re working with marketing and production and so forth.”

Is she really that unrattled by last night?

If I were acting normally, I would advise her to not be repetitious. I already know the plan. She’s supposed to give me new ideas. But after what happened last night, I think I knocked her off her game. My instincts told me to reschedule our meeting—but I couldn’t. I wanted to see her. I also want to keep her all to myself for as long as possible.

“Definitely. Just start from the beginning,” I say.

I’ve been watchingher lips as she repeats everything Mason told me this morning. But she’s more thorough. If only I could kiss her. I picture myself spreading her across the sofa near the window. I would undress her slowly, taste her skin. She was so damn soft last night. I want to stop her from talking by shoving my tongue down her throat.

But I can’t. After the elevator, I don’t want to make her feel cheap. I’m not a pussy-hound. My reaction to her is novel. Even my cock being hard at this moment, in this sort of situation, is new to me.

I squirm to get comfortable in my pants. “What are you doing tomorrow morning?” I blurt.

She stops midsentence. “Huh?”

“Are you still a runner?”

“Yes.” She sounds strained.

“How about we go running and then have breakfast?”

She directs her unfocused gaze out the window. I wonder what I said to make her look that miserable. Maybe she doesn’t want to date.

She’s looking at me again. “I can’t tomorrow.”

“Sunday, then?” I quickly retort.Damn, did I sound desperate? I am desperate.

“Umm…” She looks tortured.

I should let her off the hook. But I’m not done yet. There’s still dinner tomorrow or Sunday night. If she says no to both, then I’ll just come out with “What about my bed tonight?”She’s gotta sleep.

“Okay,” she finally says.