'Things were personal between us,' he said, his deep voice husky. 'Nothing's personal, right?' I said, remembering how he'd just failed to show up one day. 'I'm going to offer Lei Yeung whatever it takes to make her go play in someone else's sandbox.' He walked to the windows and looked out at New York.

We'd gone from distant and impersonal to searingly intimate in a heartbeat. The back view was just as splendid as the front. You think I didn't recognize you?' He turned away, but that didn't lessen his impact. Enough that you didn't recognize me earlier.' I felt his touch through the silk of my navy blouse. His right hand slid out of his pocket and then down my arm, from elbow to wrist.

His hands were in his pockets, his head bowed over me. He walked right up to me, standing face to face, a little more than a head taller even though I wore heels. I felt his breath in my ear as he said, 'How long are you going to pretend you don't know me, Gia?' Pushing the door open, I stepped inside, holding on to the handle so there was no mistaking that I wouldn't be staying. How had I ever had the courage to take on such a man? I was relieved when we reached the conference room, the door handle feeling blessedly cool as I pushed it down. It was hard to believe I'd had him in my bed. I felt a terrible yearning, the almost desperate need to touch him. He didn't say a word, and I was afraid to say anything either. 'I'll show you to the conference room.'Īs he followed me, I could feel his gaze on my back, my ass, my legs. Yeung will be out in just a moment,' I continued. Rutledge,' I greeted him formally, because he still hadn't acknowledged that he remembered me. I told myself I could have been anyone and gotten that look from him, but I didn't believe it. He was a hard man, cut from a ruthless cloth.Īs I approached him, he looked me over from head to toe. There was nothing soft about Jackson Rutledge. Had I really thought they were soft and warm? I'd been blinded by that lush, sensual mouth and wicked dimple. His eyes were a brown so dark, they were nearly black. His dark hair was close-cropped on the sides and in the back, slightly longer on the top. I should've known it wouldn't turn out well.īut god, he was magnificent. I'd gone out with some classmates, and he was attending a bachelor party. His expertly tailored suit showed off his tall, powerful frame. He was studying a display of our best-selling cookbooks when I rounded the corner. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play

Afterburn by sylvia day