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deliberately trying to wind her up. She should be used to being excluded from male jokes but this felt more personal.
    “Sven?”
    He smiled at her. “Yes, my lady?”
    “If you don’t tell me what you are getting at, I’m not going to order you any dessert and I’m going to tell the driver you’ve decided to walk home.”
    He stood up. “Perhaps I should start walking, then.”
    She grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down again.
    “Fine, don’t tell me. Be a jerk.”
    He winked at her as he settled back in his chair. “Do I still get dessert?”
    Sven insisted that the driver take her home first. Thea sat beside him in the back of the maglev vehicle marveling that he could move after all the food he’d eaten. His feet were crossed in front of him and one of his arms lay along the back of the seat.
    Whenever the maglev turned a corner, his wrist brushed against her hair.
    To her surprise, after the driver opened the door, Sven followed her out of the vehicle. She touched his arm.
    “You don’t have to walk me to the door, I’m a big girl.”
    He covered her hand with his own. “It is my pleasure.”
    She sighed and allowed him to follow her into the building and up the stairs to her second floor apartment. She paused at the door and turned to face him.
    “Thanks for coming out to dinner with me. It was fun.”
    When she went to turn away, he touched her cheek.
    “If this was a date and not a business meeting, would I be expected to kiss you goodnight?”
    Her heart rate increased and her nipples hardened with anticipation. “If I let you, yes.”
    He took a step closer until she was pressed up against the door.
    “And will you let me?”
    23

    Kate Pearce
    In response, she lifted her head and closed her eyes. She heard his sharp intake of breath as he bent toward her. His kiss was as bold and thorough as she had expected.
    He tasted of beer and garlic and so male that she wanted to kiss him forever. Her body reacted instantly and she slid her hand into his thick auburn hair to bring him closer.
    Soon close wasn’t enough. As his mouth ravaged hers, she struggled to slide her hand beneath his coat to touch his back. He groaned into her mouth and picked her up until her mound met the hard demanding length of his cock. She couldn’t help but rub herself against him, moving her hips in the rhythm of his thrusting tongue.
    His hand clamped over her ass and held her still as he continued to kiss her until she wanted to rip off his coat and climb inside his skin. It had been so long since she’d felt so passionate about anything, let alone a man. With a moan, she wrenched her mouth away from his.
    “Do you want to come inside? I…want you too.”
    He stared down at her, his mouth swollen from her kisses, his hard body pinning her to the wall. He closed his eyes as if he couldn’t bear to look at her.
    “I cannot.”
    Thea licked her lips and he groaned.
    “Thea, I cannot. I would be…”
    She pushed him away as a wave of embarrassment flooded her. She’d been on the verge of allowing him to fuck her in the corridor. So much for her reputation and her insistence that she only intended to be his friend. So much for her much repeated demands to be treated as one of the boys.
    She manufactured a smile. “It’s okay. I was out of line. I should never have kissed you in the first place, not that it wasn’t fun, but as you said, this is strictly business.”
    He held out his hand. “Thea, you don’t understand, that’s not why I stopped.”
    She turned her back on him to key in the code to her apartment. Her hands were shaking so badly she almost couldn’t manage it.
    “Goodnight, Sven. See you in the morning.”
    She managed to shut the door in his concerned face and sank down to the ground.
    Oh god, she was so pathetic. She’d wanted him so badly. He’d been everything she’d imagined and more. The ache between her legs increased and she whimpered. She opened her zipper and slid her hand down