inside calmed her nerves a touch, but as soon as the door began to open inward, her stomach felt scrambled and scared.
There he was, tall and imposing as usual. He was wearing dress pants, with a stark white shirt tucked in. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone casually, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He was still in dress shoes, though, and overall had the appearance of a wealthy man unwinding after a busy day. Which, thought Bella, was exactly what he was. His face was set in a stern expression, his mouth firm and unsmiling, his eyes boring into Bella as she attempted a smile. Evening shadow gave his face a rough look.
“Bella.” His voice was low as he uttered her name. “Thank you for coming over.”
“Of course,” she murmured, meeting his eyes but blushing furiously as she did. What was wrong with her? Get it together , she urged herself. There was no way she had a chance against him if she blushed and stammered every time he spoke.
“Please. Come in.” He stepped aside, gesturing into the foyer.
Once again Bella was struck with how beautiful his home was, simply but elegantly decorated. Today, a fresh bouquet of flowers graced the table in the entrance, gorgeous white blooms mixing with lush greenery. “Those are pretty,” Bella said, gesturing at the flowers.
“Thank you. Come, Bella. Let’s speak in the living room.”
Bella followed him, noticing how confident his walk was. In the living room he pointed at the elegant gray couch, and she sat awkwardly, crossing one leg over the other. Instead of sitting down, Kane walked to the wet bar along one wall. It looked big enough to be in a real bar, and bottles were stacked behind it, high-end liquors, from what Bella could tell. “What will you have, Bella?” he asked casually, gazing over at her.
“Oh. Um. Anything.”
“You must have some preference. Would you like wine? Or perhaps beer? A mixed drink?” His gaze intensified, his brown eyes boring into hers. Even from across the room she could feel his strength, could feel the power behind this man.
“Whatever you’re having,” she finally managed, despite the fact that her stomach was filled with butterflies. Mostly because of what he’d discovered her doing yesterday, but also because every time she thought of that, she remembered the video and what was happening in it. She remembered her fantasies, about being the girl bent over his desk. And thinking about that now, in his presence, was terrifying and insanely nerve-racking, and made her pussy tingle despite the fear of not knowing what he wanted to discuss.
“Hmmm,” he said. “Will you excuse me for a second, Bella?”
“Yeah,” she muttered. She watched him retreat from the room, heading down the hallway. It was impossible not to notice the way his pants fit him so well, perfectly tailored for his body. And it was impossible not to notice his ass, so firm underneath the expensive material of his slacks, and his long, confident stride. His back was wide, his shoulders strong. His dark hair was just long enough in back to touch the sparkling white collar of his shirt, and Bella was struck, once more, with how handsome he was.
As soon as he left the room she breathed deeply a few times, trying to relax and regain even a hint of confidence. She’d need it, she knew, for whatever this conversation was going to be about. What if he talked about yesterday, about the video she’d watched? If he brought it up, she was sure she would actually die of embarrassment. But she had to face the music, whatever the tune, so she breathed out and steadied herself.
Every single ounce of courage she’d just mustered, though, evaporated the second he came back into the room. To Bella’s horror, she saw he was holding the bottle of Mortlach, that gorgeous teardrop-shaped bottle that no longer held expensive liquor, but instead the cheap whiskey she’d poured in there yesterday. Fuck , she thought. Oh fuck fuck fuck