“Thanks.” I was doing my best not to blush but it was impossible. The way Drake looked at me never failed to make me feel desirable and self-conscious all at the same time. It was just too bad I already felt like I, well, belonged to someone else.
Drake cleared his throat and I glanced up in surprise because this was the first time he sounded less than his usual confident self.
“So…this is going to come out of the blue but I’d really love to take you out sometime – celebrate your future promotion maybe?”
“There’s no promotion,” I protested laughingly.
“But seriously, how about dinner?”
“Uhh…” And that was when I noticed Constantijin standing just a short distance away, his gaze shuttered. Oh, shit! Had he heard Drake asking me out?
Drake turned around curiously, following my gaze and was visibly startled when he saw Constantijin looking at us. “Mr. Kastein,” he murmured in greeting.
Constantijin gave us a curt nod before walking back to his office.
Shit.
This was so not good.
Turning to Drake, I stammered, “I’m sorry I can’t. I’m…I’m going out with someone already.” There. I had said it. Oh my God – I had said I was going out with Constantijin Kastein!
Disappointment colored Drake’s tone, making me feel guilty as he said graciously, “Ah. My loss then.”
When he walked away, I glanced at the door to Constantijin’s office expectantly, waiting for him to come out. But minutes passed and he didn’t.
Oh.
Head bowed down in dismay, I slowly walked toward where George might still be waiting. Was he mad? Did he think I was---
The door to Constantijin’s office opened as I almost walked past it. Before I knew it, I had already been hauled inside, the door slamming shut behind me, and Constantijin was scowling at me, a look of fury and jealousy in his face as he pushed me to the wall.
“Constantijin!”
“Did you say ‘yes’?” he snarled, his hands slamming against the wall at each side of my head, effectively imprisoning me in the circle of his arms – and I knew that there was no better place I’d like to be.
Shaking my head, I said breathlessly, “No.”
I so badly wanted him to kiss me now. In fact, I expected him to. Whenever he was jealous, that was what he did. But this time, he kept staring at me and I was starting to get nervous.
Constantijin suddenly stepped away.
My heart stilled.
“This isn’t going to work.”
Shit. Fuck. Damn. What was he saying?
It was ironic how those words also made me realize I was halfway to falling in love with Constantijin – had been so from the very start.
But I had my pride. So I pushed myself off the wall and said stiffly, “I see.”
“It’s useless,” he continued, raking a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Yanna, I know I promised but---"
"It's okay," I told him tonelessly. What else was there to say? I sure as heck wasn’t going to beg him to come back.
Constantijin’s face showed his surprise. "It's okay?"
I forced myself to look nonplussed. "Yes."
He looked at me, eyes narrowed. "Then what's your answer?"
"I---" Wait. What did he say? I cleared my throat. "Well..." What did he mean?
"I don't need you to say you’ll go out with me right away but if you could just give me a goddamn clue about how you feel," he muttered.
Constantijin tossed me an accusing glance. “The whole week had been f**king hard. It was hell not to touch you even though I had you alone with me all those nights. I wanted you to realize that it isn’t just sex between us. I was willing to wait but when I saw that boy hitting on you again---”
He glanced at me, as if waiting for an answer. When I still didn’t – couldn’t – speak, he growled, “Say something, for f**k’s sake!”
How could I when he had totally taken me by surprise? When he said things weren’t working between us, my heart had died. And then now, he was saying in not so many words that all that he couldn’t go on without me giving him even the smallest sign that we still had a chance to be together.
I wanted to laugh hysterically.
A chance?
Didn’t he know he had hundreds of them, with how crazy I was about him?
I looked at him and felt my heart melting even more. He made my heart feel like ice cream fried by a desert sun, all soft and gooey with just one emotion-filled glance from his silvery eyes.
I inhaled deeply several times.
Okay, I'm ready for this.
Not.
I inhaled several times more.
"Yanna?" His tone was alarmed.
I supposed I looked like a ghost right now. I could actually feel the blood leaving my system and I was just contemplating what I was about to do. This was such a huge step for me.
“I…I…” I couldn’t say it!
So I decided to just do it instead.
“Yan---” He grunted, his turn to be taken by surprise as I flung myself at him, my lips fortunately landing squarely on his lips. My tongue immediately darted inside his mouth, and I felt him gasp against my lips. That had me smiling and I closed my eyes in utter bliss when Constantijin recovered from his shock and took over, his hands immediately hauling me close as he deepened the kiss, his tongue dancing with mine.
“Is this for real?” he whispered against my lips.
“Yes,” I choked out.
The kiss changed from sweet to hot in an instant. Constantijin had my blouse unbuttoned in seconds, throwing it with my bra to the floor, and then he was staring at my br**sts almost worshipfully.
“Constantijin.” I could feel myself blushing all over at his stare.
“Hold your br**sts for me,” he ordered, his voice strongly accented.
With shaking hands, I followed his command, plumping my br**sts up as if waiting for his approval.
A low sexy growl escaped his mouth, making my toes curl, and then he was sucking my already pointed nipple. I threw back my head and moaned.
This made him suck harder and of course it made me moan louder. It was a cycle that had us both panting in desire in seconds. He swept me in his arms and mine went around his neck. I was still breathing hard, my br**sts crazily sensitive and aching every time I bounced in his arms as he moved.
Constantijin used his foot to pull his executive chair from behind the desk and into the middle of the room. He lowered me gently to it and I watched in breathless fascination as he pulled my skirt and lacy briefs down, tossing them to the floor as well.