He’d been very tempted to throw caution to the wind and seduce her right here, right now. But he’d decided even before she’d arrived that he wasn’t going to touch her before their marriage. He was going to do everything in the proper order. Not quite what he was used to, yet anticipation wouldn’t hurt and would make the night they eventually shared even more spectacular.
Anna stared at him and then at the little box in his hand, then reached out for it.
But he pulled it away before she could take it.
“Uh-huh. You have to give me your answer first.”
He was teasing, of course, yet only for the pleasure of seeing the heat of her temper flare. Obligingly it did, those sparks flickering in her eyes, which he found deeply satisfying.
“Of course I’m going to marry you. I’ve already told you I will. I even signed that wretched contract.” Anna said,
“No, “I even signed that wretched contract” is not the right answer. Say “Yes, I’d love to be your wife, Cedric”.”
Her straight brows drew down. “That’s just ridiculous,”
“No,” he said, a little irritation creeping into his tone, before trotting out his standard reply. “Like I said, I want us to do this the right way,”
Anna’s gaze was very sharp all of a sudden, making Cedric feel as if she’d somehow managed to prise off a piece of his armor to reveal the skin beneath it.
It was not a comfortable feeling and he wasn’t sure how she’d managed it. He was usually the one who discomfited people, not the other way around.
“Well?” he demanded when she didn’t say anything more. “I can wait here all day if I have to.”
He didn’t actually want to remain on one knee in front of her all day, and the fact that he’d even done it at all was something he didn’t want to think about. But he wasn’t a man who backed down, and she needed to understand that. For a long moment they simply stared at each other and he thought that perhaps he would have to be stuck here all day, when she suddenly said,
“In that case I’d love to be your wife… Cedric,”
He didn’t miss the deliberate use of his name. Just as he didn’t miss the jolt of electricity that arrowed down his spine as she said it. It sounded sensual and sexy, and it made him hard.
You’re letting her get to you. No, he wasn’t. So he liked her saying his name? It didn’t mean anything. And if it made him hard, then again, what of it? It was only going to make their one night even better. He inclined his head in acknowledgement of his name, but gave her no other sign of how it affected him, because that was another bit of power he didn’t want to give her. Instead he allowed her to take the box out of his hand, waiting as she lifted the lid.
A ring sat in the midnight-blue velvet. A beautiful, clear yellow diamond in a heavy white gold band set with tiny smaller white diamonds. He watched her face as she stared at the ring, conscious of how the satisfaction inside him became heavier, settling down to lie deep in his bones, becoming a certainty.
“This is…beautiful,” she said huskily. “I can’t-”
“You can.” He said. Because he would have this.
“I….”
He took the box from her, discarding it on the floor as he extracted the ring. Then he reached for her hand and gently slid it onto her finger. It fitted perfectly.
Her skin was warm on his and when she looked at him he felt another electric shock of desire go through him, along with an intense feeling of possession. As if he’d known all along, even from the moment he’d seen her by the lake, that this woman was destined to be his. Perhaps it should have disturbed him, because he’d never once felt the slightest twinge of possessiveness over a woman before. He simply hadn’t cared enough.
But he wasn’t disturbed. It felt right. It felt as if it was meant to be.
Colour rose in her cheeks, a deep and pretty pink, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. And he thought that might make her jerk her hand from his and walk straight out of his office. But she didn’t. Instead her gaze dropped to his mouth, and suddenly everything slowed down, time becoming thick and syrupy as honey.
Her gaze flicked up to hold his, full of glitter and sparks. Then she leaned forward and lightly, so lightly, as if testing, brushed her mouth over his.
Cedric didn’t move, didn’t breathe, and honestly, he wasn’t sure if he could. Her kiss went through him like light, like the dawn breaking over frozen- solid ground. A warm ray of sun, heating him up, melting him. And he almost moved. Almost reached for her and pulled her to the floor of his office, almost gave in to his own hunger, the depth of which he hadn’t guessed at till now.
Almost.
But there was still a part of him that wouldn’t countenance such a loss of control and so he remained on one knee, frozen where he was on the floor, his hands curled into fists as her lips brushed over his and then away.
Her gaze was molten, smoky with heat, and he thought that perhaps the kiss had pushed her to the edge, just as it had pushed him. And that maybe she wanted him to keep on pushing, because there was a distinct challenge in her eyes.
But no, he wasn’t going to let her goad him into it. A night he’d demanded and a night he’d have. And that would happen when he wanted it to happen, not her.
So Cedric smiled at her, letting her know that he could see what she was trying to do, and that it wouldn’t work. Then he rose to his feet and moved unhurriedly over to the coffee table where the champagne and glasses were.
Anna didn’t say anything. Yet he could feel the pressure of her gaze on his back.
Had he made her hungrier? Made her mad? He hoped so. That fire in her burned so bright and he wanted it so very badly.