Free Romantic Acquisition by Elizabeth Lennox

happen that way.”
     
    “ Kate, I’ve already told you, w e’re going to be lovers.  It’s inevitable.  There’s too much attraction between us for anything else.”
     
    Kate shook her head, but he was right.  Unfortunately, her mind wouldn’t let her accept them.  “We can fight it.  Ignore it.  W e can’t give in to it.”
     
    “I want you,” he said and leaned closer.
     
    “No.  You don’t .  You can’t ,” she whispered, but her eyes were watching his mouth descend closer to hers. 
     
    His lips touched hers a moment later and she couldn’t argue anymore.  She didn’t want to.  She opened her mouth on her own this time, not waiting for him to ask.  His tongue instantly invaded her mouth and his hands pulled her closer.  She wasn’t leaning against her car anymore.  She was leaning against him and she could feel his body react.  Her own was melting against the heat his inspired within her.  She felt like she was on fire.  Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer, wanting to feel all of him, wanting something she knew deep down she couldn’t have.  But she could have this kiss, this moment and she didn ’t want to deny herself that. 
     
    “Kate, come home with me,” he said, his hand moving from her waist to rest just under the curve of her breast, his mouth moving across her mouth to her neck, her ear, nibbling on her lobe. 
     
    “Just kiss me, Carlo, please don’t ask for anything more than that,” she begged.
     
    And he proceeded to do just that.  His mouth moved back to hers, his tongue mating with hers, his hands moving up and down her sides.  Kate groaned as his knee slipped between hers, spreading her legs so she was practically riding him.  The feeling was so erotic she almost lost control. 
     
    They heard laughter as the doors to the building opened and other guests left.  Kate jumped back, feeling like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head. 
     
    “I have to go,” she said and opened her car door. 
     
    Carlo let her get into her car, but bent down before she could close the door.  “You know what’s going to happen, Kate.  Stop fighting it .  We’re both in pain now but we could be spending the night together instead , satisfying our need for each other .”
     
    With that, he gently closed the door and walked away to his own car that wasn’t parked far from hers. 
     
    Kate drove home with shaking fingers.  She was only slightly more in control when she pulled up into her garage.  The night was long and she slept fitfully, images of her and Carlo making love together flitting through her dreams, keeping her from fully resting.
     
     
    Monday morning, Kate was a mess.  She wanted to avoid the conference room altogether.  She walked to her office and sat down.  Carlo could rot for all she cared.  She was not going in there and that was that.
     
    A half hour later, David called her into his office.  She groaned, knowing what he was going to say.  She walked into his office a few minutes later and saw Carlo sitting in one of the chairs in front of David’s desk.
     
    “What’s up, David?” she asked, taking the only other seat. 
     
    “Carlo wants to check out the other stores and I was hoping you could help him.”
     
    Kate got a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach.  “What do you mean?”
     
    “I mean, take him up to the Maryland and Virginia stores first.  Show him around, help him understand the operation.  Then head out to the stores in the other states.  Give him the information he needs to finish up this process so we can all move on to the next step.”
     
    Kate was in a panic and wasn’t sure how to get out of it.  Travel all over the country? Stay in hotels only a few feet away from him?  She was having enough trouble when they lived miles away.  How was she to control this situation when he was in the room right next to hers?  “But what about my department