Page 41 of The Price of Scandal

I gripped him by the lapels of his coat and kissed him back as if there was nothing else in the world I’d rather be doing. As if there were no demands waiting for me outside that door. No family responsibilities. No concerns over perception or next steps.

I kissed him as if this moment was the only one that mattered.

Derek’s body pressed against mine was the only sensation I had to concern myself with.

Sorry, Mom. I’m too busy being seduced to worry about image and reputation.

He was lean and rangy. Made to wear fine suits and slim ties. His height was lovely. Most men I dated were eye-to-eye with me when I was in heels. But Derek had inches to spare.

Our tongues twined in an instinctive dance, and my senses were full of him.

Wrestling control back, he kissed me thoroughly, hungrily. Tongues mating, lips bruising. My breath was his. His hands slipped inside my jacket and coasted over waist and hips.

“We need to stop,” I said, kissing him with a desperation that was quite frankly terrifying.

“Absolutely. It’s vital that we stop kissing immediately.” His tongue danced back into my mouth.

Oh, God.He was hard. His erection pressed against my belly. I’d seen him naked already. And now I wasfeelinghim. Was this a planned seduction? Some master plot designed to coax me into letting my guard down?

If it was, it was working quickly. Less than twenty-four hours, and I was allowing him to kiss me. Hell, I wasforcinghim to kiss me.

What would the board say if they could see us wrapped around each other? Derek one day into his babysitting job. Me two days off a company-derailing scandal. If I was this hard up for physical contact, I could have Daisy or Luna hook me up with an acceptable one-night stand. I couldnotpursue a physical relationship with my fixer.

As if sensing my mental gymnastics, Derek pulled back and cupped my face in his hand. He brushed his thumb over my swollen, half-devoured lips. “You’re incredible,” he whispered.

My head moved in a half nod, half shake.

“We can’t do this again,” I told him. “Your advances are officially unwelcome.”

“Yes, that’s the message I got loud and clear,” he said lightly. His thumb skimmed under my lip, and he looked at me almost fondly.

“Get that look off your face immediately,” I commanded.

He grinned and my knees nearly went out from under me. A smiling Derek Price was dangerous, a weapon of mass destruction.

“I’m serious, Price. This isn’t happening. We aren’t happening.”

“Not until you’re ready,” he promised.

* * *

“You looklike you just got ravaged in a closet, boss,” Jane said, eyeing us in the rear-view mirror when Derek and I climbed in the back seat of the Range Rover.

I shot him a frosty glare. He grinned devilishly.

“Emily was on the receiving end of several hugs from her study’s subjects,” Derek said smoothly. He tugged the tie out of my hair, and as I shoved his hand away, I wondered if I was imagining the possessiveness in that move.

One mistake of a kiss did not entitle the man to any further physical contact.

“Must have gotten a few victory kisses, too,” Jane mused.

Grumbling under my breath, I pulled out my lipstick and compact to right the damage that one steroidal pheromoned Derek Price delivered.

It was four o’clock in the afternoon, and I’d faced the media, delivered an award, confirmed a significant scientific achievement, and been kissed senseless in a storage room.

For the first time in my adult life, I felt like calling it an early day and going home to hide in my bedroom.

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