Chapter 55

In a way, it felt like I was signing away my soul. But with a final flourish, it was done. I bit my lip as I silently handed him the paper.

The prick actually paused to read it.

And yet, it didn't dampen my desire for him. After all, I knew he was a prick long before tonight.

I gave the bed a nervous glance, wondering if I should fold down the bedspread or…?

Zane said, "If you think we're staying here, think again." He reached for my hand. "Now, come on."

While leading me out of my room, he mentioned, almost as an aside, that my severance pay was already deposited into my account.

So, he'd known all along that I'd say yes?

Talk about cocky.

Unwarranted? No.

But maddening? Yes. A million times yes.

As we walked, hand-in-hand, down the hall toward the elevators, I gave a final glance over my shoulder. "But what about your room across from mine?"

"What about it?"

"You weren't really sleeping there, were you?"

"Hell no."

"So what were you doing?"

"Watching to make sure that fucker didn't bother you."

Insane or not, a warm, happy glow settled over my heart. But too soon, I recalled something that Carla had told me just this morning. "But what about Tiffany?"

"What about her?"

I glanced away. "I, uh, heard she stayed in your room last night."

"You mean my suite? Yeah. She stayed there."

My steps faltered. Crap.

But then, Zane spoke again. "But I didn't."

"Really? Why not?"

He squeezed my hand. "You've gotta ask?"

I felt myself smile. "So what happened? Were you doing her a favor? Like in case the senator got belligerent or something?"

"No," he said. "I was doing me a favor."

"What do you mean?"

"If the senator showed up at their room, I had someone waiting."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I wanted to talk to him." An edge crept into Zane's voice. "Without an audience."

That sounded vaguely ominous. I gave a nervous laugh. "Without a witness, you mean."

"Something like that."

Now, I just had to know, "What were you planning to say?"

"Nothing I want to repeat."

"Oh, please," I said. "There's nothing you could say that would shock me."

We'd just reached the elevators, and he turned to face me. "You think so, huh?"

As I looked up to meet his gaze, everything else faded into the background. In his eyes, I saw the promise of secrets and surprises, and all sorts of things that shouldn’t be discussed in public.

Without breaking eye-contact, he reached to his side and hit the button to summon the next elevator going up. While waiting, he pulled me close and nuzzled my neck.

Into my ear, he whispered, "You're mine. You know that, right?"

If he meant to shock me, he'd definitely succeeded. I pulled back to study his face. He actually looked serious.

But what did that mean? His for one night? For a weekend? For longer? Or was it just a pretty thing to say?

I might've asked, if only a sudden ding didn't break the spell. I turned to see the doors slide open, revealing an elevator that was already crammed with people.

And everyone was staring.

At Zane.

Not me.

Thank heaven.

Oblivious to the attention, Zane guided me into the elevator and wrapped an arm around my waist as we turned to face the front. Together, we ignored the whispers behind us as the elevator carried us upward to whatever would happen next.

With every stop, the space became more sparsely populated, until it was just him and me. He was behind me now, cradling me against him as I watched the numbers climb until they reached the penthouse level.

He pulled away and took my hand, leading me out of the elevator and into the posh hallway beyond. I didn't know how many suites were up here, but I did know that the doors on this floor were spaced much farther apart than they had been below.

With every step, I was feeling more nervous – but not so nervous that I wanted to turn back. In hopes of breaking the tension, I said, "Wanna hear something funny?"

Before he could even respond, I plunged onward, "Charlotte thinks you dragged me to New York because of Professor Lumberjack."

He gave a gentle tug on my hand. "Dragged you, huh?"

I gave him a tug right back. "Oh, you know what I mean." At the memory, I had to laugh. "After all, you didn't give me a whole lot of advance notice."

When Zane said nothing in reply, I said, "But she's crazy, right?"

Almost to himself, Zane said, "Not any crazier than Fergus O'Neal."

My steps faltered. "Wait, how'd you know his last name?" I stopped walking and turned to face him. "I didn't even know his last name. Is it really O'Neal?"

Zane gave a tight shrug, but made no reply.

I didn’t know whether to smile or frown. "Oh come on. Tell me."

"All right. You want the truth? He's your roommate's boyfriend, right?"

"You know he is." I studied Zane's face. "In fact, I'm wondering if you know more than I do."

"All I know is this." Zane squeezed my hand. "I couldn't leave you alone with those people."

"What do you mean?"

"The guy has access to your house."

"So?"

"So, I didn't want you sleeping – or hell – even walking around where he could get to you."

It was so sweet and so crazy that I didn't know what to think. "Wait a minute," I said. "Was that the reason you wouldn't let me leave the office to pack?"

He gave me a wry smile. "No comment."

I couldn’t help but smile back. "Hey, that's my line."

"Not anymore."

This much was true. And the strangest thing was, I wasn't nearly as disappointed as I thought I'd be. I had to admit, Zane was right. Whatever happened next would change our work relationship forever.

In truth, it was already changed. There was no going back now – not that I would if I could.

He reached out and took my other hand in his. "Jane, listen..." He gave both of my hands a tender squeeze. "I don't want you going back there."

"Back where?"

"To your house."

"Why not?"

"For one thing, because I don't trust those people."

I tried to laugh. "Yeah, me neither."

"And, for another. You don't belong with them." His gaze was warm, and his voice was a caress. "You belong with me."

My lips parted, but I didn't know what to say. I wasn't even sure what he was getting at, but I didn't have time to dwell on it, because soon, his lips sealed mine with a kiss so tender, and so amazing that I could hardly think, much less speak.

That was fine by me. I didn't want to think, or even talk. I wanted to feel more of this – more of him. More of everything. And yes, I wanted to feel him inside me.

Like now.