CHASING TROUBLE

“She usually was,” he acknowledged ruefully.

A frown appeared between those blue eyes. “Was?”

Nicholas gave an affectionate smile. “Yeah. She died years ago. I was much younger then,”

Caroline drew her breath in sharply as she heard the pain underlying the practicality of Nicholas’ tone. “I’m sorry for your loss,” she murmured finally.

“Thank you,” he accepted gruffly. “And I’m sorry about my comment earlier. It was inappropriate,”

Caroline took in a deep breath. “I may have been a little…impolite to you at the party on Saturday evening.” she said.

“May have been?” he taunted softly.

“I was impolite,” she conceded.

“Any particular reason why…?”

“Does there have to be a reason?” Caroline stared at Nicholas, totally aware of how close he was now standing to her. Close enough for her to inhale the heady combination of the lemon soap and sandalwood aftershave. Close enough that their arms were almost touching. Close enough that Caroline was now fully aware of the heat emanating from his body. Close enough that Caroline could barely breathe for wanting to close that short distance between them and lose herself to the feel of those sensuously chiseled lips devouring her own.

Instead she rushed into speech. “I was rude-and I apologize.”

He arched dark brows. “Does that mean you’ve reconsidered and are now willing to give me the benefit of the doubt…?”

“I’m not sure I would go that far,” she said warily.

“Liar,” Nicholas murmured huskily. He’d seen the way those luscious blue eyes had darkened, the slight flush appearing in her cheeks. Her lips were slightly moist and parted. As if waiting to be kissed.

As if she realized that was Nicholas’s intention, Caroline took a step back and away from him. “I really do have to go now. If you need be to help you with anything -”

She broke off as Nicholas took another step forward, until they were now once again standing so close they were almost touching. She gave a determined shake of her head. “Mr Connelly,”

“Nick,” he corrected,

“Nicholas”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Nick,” he repeated,

Caroline was a bit frustrated, “Nick,” she bit out, “if you’re trying to intimidate me then I think I should warn you-”

“Warn me of what…?” Nicholas murmured throatily, even as he raised one of his hands to cup the warmth of her cheek, before moving the soft pad of his thumb over the softness of her lips, feeling the warmth of her breath against his fingers as he parted those lips in preparation for his kiss. His own arousal intensified at the feel of that sensual warmth against his skin. His shaft was hard and pulsing, demanding.

Caroline’s eyes were wide, deep amber pools as she stared up at him. “I should warn you-”

“Yes…?” Nicholas prompted softly, holding that wide and startled gaze with his own as his head began to lower towards hers.

She breathed softly. “I really should warn you-”

“Warn me later, hmm?” he dismissed gruffly, before finally claiming those full and pouting lips with his own.

Caroline totally forgot what it was she wanted to warn Nicholas about as his other arm moved firmly about her waist and he pulled her in tightly against the heat of his body, angling her face up to his before his mouth finally took possession of hers.

Nicholas’ kiss was everything that Caroline knew it was and more… The kiss was not in any way a gentle exploration, but an instant explosion of the senses, taste, smell, feel, and it felt so good to be against the hard heat of his body as they kissed hungrily, deeply, lips devouring, tongues dueling.

Caroline tightly gripped Nicholas’ shoulders, her legs feeling weak as he crushed the ache of her breasts against his chest. Heat pooled between her thighs as she felt the hard throb of his arousal pressing insistently against her.

The sky could have fallen at that moment, the building collapsed around them, and she wouldn’t have noticed, too lost in the heat that consumed them both as Nicholas’ hands moved down to cup her bottom and pull her in more tightly. He ground his erection against and into her even as their mouths drank greedily of each other.

Caroline was on fire, her inner ice melting, and her fingers became entangled in the dark hair at his nape as she returned that heat, needing, wanting- She wanted Nicholas Connelly…!

—————-

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry! I had no idea…!”

Caroline wrenched her mouth free of Nicholas to push against the hardness of his chest in an effort to free herself as she heard that startled gasp from the other side of the room. Her cheeks were aflame with embarrassed color as she turned to see the middle-aged woman who worked in one of the offices close by -now standing in the open doorway, her eyes wide with shock at having interrupted them in a moment of intimacy.

Caroline’s efforts to free herself proved totally ineffective as Nicholas’ arms tightened about her. “Let go of me!” she said fiercely under her breath.

His only answer was to give her an amused glance before turning to look at the woman still standing in the doorway. “Did you get everything ready in the file?”

The woman looked flustered. “Well, yes I am. You asked me to let you know when I was done and I called but you weren’t answering so I came up to tell you because you said it was important. I- Yes, the file is ready, sir.”

In stark contrast, Nicholas appeared completely at his ease as he nodded.

“Thanks, Lena, I’ll let you know if I need anything else from you,”

“Mr Connelly. Ms Anderson.” The woman didn’t meet either of their gazes before she quickly turned and left the room, closing the door briskly behind her.

“I asked you to let go of me!” Caroline instructed, agitated as she once again pushed against the solid muscle that was Nicholas’ chest. That particular moment of madness was definitely over.

“Do I have to?”

Was he crazy? “Yes!” she replied.

“Why?”

Caroline glared up at him. “Because I asked you to.”

He regarded her with amused eyes. “And do you always get what you ask for?”

Sometimes Caroline got a lot more than she asked for! For instance, she hadn’t asked to be attracted to this man.