Bound By His Desire (12 page)

‘I asked what you were doing here, Nick.’

‘The dance can wait.’

‘No, it can’t. I want to dance and I want to dance now.’ Pam ground out as she made a move to pull away from him.

He smoothed his hand up her back until he connected with the warm flesh of her back. ‘I’ve come to get you.’

With a gentle tug, he had her flush against his body. Her hands rested on his chest and she craned her neck so she was looking up at him. For a moment there was clarity in her vision; maybe she hadn’t had as much to drink as he’d thought.

‘You always spoil my fun.’ She all but shouted at him. ‘Why are you here?’

He smiled; feisty Pam was in the house. As he stared down into her face he lost himself in the green pools of her eyes. The sounds of the music thumping through the club faded out of his conscious hearing. He reached one hand out and gently cupped her cheek.

‘I told you, I’ve come for you.’

Confusion glazed her green eyes and a sigh rippled through her.

‘Why do you do this to me?’ she asked, and leaned up to take possession of his lips. Surprise at her bold move kept him still for a moment, before instinct took over. He sipped at her, enjoying the sweet taste of her lips. A combination of the cherry gloss she wore and the champagne she must have drunk. He gathered her closer and weaved his fingers through the soft locks of her hair. He wanted to lose himself in her. For once he didn’t want to think about all the reasons why this could be wrong. He was tired of being sensible. He never let himself lose control with a woman. For Pamela he was willing to. She fired his soul like no other had ever.

He trailed his lips to her neck, enjoying the essential Pam he was getting to sample.

‘Nick,’ she moaned, and it broke the thrall he had been trapped in from the moment her lips had touched his. He lifted his head and saw they were attracting the attention of the people Pam had been talking to. He recognised some of them as people from the office. He could imagine what the main topic of conversation around the water cooler would be on Monday. Somehow, he didn’t think Pam would appreciate it. At least he didn’t have to worry about someone trying to slip something in Pam’s drink. He was grateful some of them had been there to keep her safe.

Pam laid her head on his shoulder, her body relaxing against his. He could tell she was getting tired.

He nodded to the people standing near them. ‘See you Monday. And this,’ he waved his arm around the club, ‘stays here.’

There was a collective sound of agreement from everyone present. Satisfied Pam would be able to hold her head high at the office, he turned them away from the group and threaded his way through the crowd. He wondered if she was actually aware of what was happening. Any thoughts of taking up where they had left off with the kiss were rapidly departing. He had a feeling the champagne she’d been drinking had caught up with her and she was becoming more unaware of her surroundings with each passing second. When he had Pam in his bed, and he would, he wanted her to feel and remember every touch and every caress he gave her. In her current state he didn’t think that was likely.

They got outside and the doorman flagged down a cab for them.

‘Where are we going?’ Pam mumbled into his shoulder once he had her settled on the bench seat beside him.

He reached up and stroked her hair. ‘Home, sweetheart, home.’

She shook her head, the movement dislodging his hand from her hair. ‘I don’t have a home, I’m selling my house. When it’s sold I’ll be free.’

He didn’t know if it was fact or the alcohol talking but her words piqued his interest. What had she meant by free? Now wasn’t the time to discuss it.

The cab drive to his apartment passed in silence. Pam had settled herself against his shoulder and he could feel her body slowly drifting into sleep. He tightened his hold around her shoulders. The fabric of her dress was thin and silky against his touch and his fingers ached to push the fabric aside so he could feel her warm flesh.

The cab stopped and he gently woke Pam. ‘Sweetheart, time to wake up.’

Pam opened her eyes, and what he saw in the green depths had him brushing her lips softly with his. He pulled away before he was tempted to take it further and ravish her in the back seat of the cab. Not a good idea.

‘Let’s get you inside,’ he murmured against her forehead, where he lightly touched his lips again.

He opened the door and slid across the seat, his arm firmly around Pam. He helped her out and made his way to the front door of the building.

As he reached the door, Rob opened it quickly.

‘Thanks, Rob.’

As he walked through, Pam stumbled and he quickly scooped her up in his arms, enjoying the feeling of having her there again.

‘Is Miss Bishop all right, sir?’

Nick looked at the woman in his arms. ‘She’s fine, just a little too much excitement for one evening. She’ll be fine in the morning.’

He wasn’t sure how he was going to be in the morning. Not after tasting her and having her in his arms. He couldn’t go back to keeping her at arms-length. It was impossible. He’d had a taste and feel of heaven and he wasn’t going to let that go.

Pam woke slowly. Her head was pounding and she was sure she had a whole basketball team in her head bouncing the damn ball around. Something warned her that once she opened her eyes, another team would join in and it would make things worse. Much worse.

She rolled to her side and became aware of her state of undress and the fact she was in her bed. The last thing she coherently remembered was being in Nick’s arms and kissing him. The pounding in her head eased a little bit when she recalled the feel of being back in Nick’s arms. So warm and safe, like she’d found nirvana and hadn’t wanted to let go. Their lips all but devouring each other. With a shaky hand she brought her fingers to her lips. They felt the same.

She pulled her hand away and tried to decipher through the fog in her brain exactly what happened after Nick had turned up at the club.

I’ve come for you.

The words echoed in her mind. Had he really said that to her? Or were they words she wished he’d said to her? Did it really matter if they were true or not? They had kissed. She was home in bed in her underwear, which could only mean one thing — Nick had undressed her.

She squirmed in embarrassment as it finally hit her: she’d passed out like a common drunk and Nick had had to put her to bed. There was no way he was going to be interested in taking anything further with her. Why would he, when she couldn’t handle a few glasses of champagne without acting like a fool?

Had she initiated the kiss? Had Nick had been totally embarrassed by it? She wanted to discount the thought because she recalled he kissed her back. Or maybe that’s what she wanted to remember. Maybe he had been trying to let her down gently. After all, she had been standing with some people from the office. Relief had filled her when she’d turned up to the club and had seen them standing in the line. They’d been happy to see her, too. They’d welcomed her as if she’d been working with them for ages and not a week. They were totally fine with her joining them. What must they think of her now? It didn’t matter. She was only here for a short time and, after last night, it was pretty likely Nick was going to send her back to Perth, so she may as well prepare herself for that. He probably didn’t appreciate his assistant throwing herself at him in front of his employees. But she would fight him on it. She would ask for a second chance. She had found she liked the challenge of working with Nick. She wanted to experience all the places he’d tempted her with when they had first discussed her taking this position. She wanted to see the world and she knew this job would be the way to do it.

Determined to put all that had happened the previous evening behind her, she cracked opened her eyes. The pounding, though still there, seemed to be co-operating with her efforts to get moving, as it had softened with every passing second. Throwing back the covers, a cool waft of air swept over her body, bringing it to wakefulness.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed she gasped, like she had every morning she’d woken here, at the view of the city of New York. The urge to pinch herself to make sure she was dreaming had definitely subsided, and she gave herself a few moments to enjoy seeing the city in the morning sunshine.

Pam hoped her house sold soon. Then she could enjoy more views like the one she currently woke to every morning. She would have to give the real estate agent a call and see what was happening. It may only be the start of the weekend in New York, but it was halfway through it back in Perth. She could call later today but it might be better to wait until Monday to find out what the status of the deal was. Hopefully it would be good news and she had an offer on the house. Then she’d be able rid herself of the debt and begin to see the world, with Nick by her side.

Pam pulled herself up short with that thought. Nick was her boss. She had to remember that, no matter how tempting his lips were. No matter how attractive she found him. No matter how her dreams tempted her to believe he’d come for her last night at the club.

Nick was out of her league and it would do her good to remember that. He wouldn’t be interested in a virgin.

Pam was on her second cup of coffee, contemplating what to do for the day, when Nick wandered into the kitchen. She gripped her mug tighter at the sight of a bare-chested, bare-footed Nick, in low-slung soft denim jeans that tempted her hands to touch and find out what hidden treasures lay behind the material.

She had rested her hands against that chest. Had rested her head against it. Knew the strength that lay beneath the business shirts he’d wore. For all her imaginings, though, seeing it was another thing.

He held a piece of paper in his hand, reading as he walked in, and he hadn’t noticed her standing against the counter.

‘Morning,’ she mumbled out.

His head jerked up in surprise, the paper falling silently to the floor. As his eyes narrowed, Pam wondered if she’d spilled her coffee down the front of her top. She quelled the desire to look down and check.

Nick took a couple of steps closer to her, the paper he’d been reading forgotten on the floor. ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked.

She noticed he spoke softly, conscious of the possibility of her having a hangover. Her shower had been a wonderful tool in clearing away the after-effects of a few too many champagnes. The coffee and toast she’d consumed had helped as well.

‘Fine.’ She rocked back on her heels, trying to stem the flow of embarrassment at the state he’d found her in last night. ‘I, uh, I want to apologise for passing out on you last night.’

Pam cringed at the words after they’d left her mouth. Couldn’t she think of something more sophisticated to say? No, she couldn’t. She acknowledged within herself she didn’t have worldly experience, and that included knowing what to say in uncomfortable situations. She’d never found herself in this sort of predicament before. It wasn’t one she wanted to find herself in again.

‘You’ve nothing to apologise for,’ Nick murmured on a soft laugh. ‘It was probably for the best.’

His words confused her. Why was it for the best that she passed out? No sooner had she finished the thought, than the meaning of what he truly meant sunk in.

She had initiated the kiss at the club and her passing out on the way home had saved her from Nick having to rebuff her clumsy attempts at seduction.

‘Are you working today?’ she asked, deciding it was best to leave all discussion of the previous evening behind. Nothing good was going to come of rehashing what might have been, what could have been and what actually was.

‘I’ve got to deal with a couple of things, but I thought,’ he paused and cleared his throat, almost like he was unsure of how she was going to take his next words. ‘I thought we could spend the day doing some of the touristy things — together.’

‘Touristy things?’

‘Yeah, you know, go see the Statue of Liberty. Visit Time Square during the day. Go to the top of Rockefeller Centre and have a picnic in Central Park.’

Pam was rendered speechless. The last thing she’d expected Nick to do would be play tour guide for her.

‘Sounds like a full day, but if you’ve got a lot to do you don’t have to play nursemaid to me. I can take an organised tour, that is if you don’t need me to help you with what you have to work on.’

She stood her ground as Nick stalked towards her. She kept her eyes locked on the cupboard above his left shoulder. If she looked lower she would be tempted to reach out and touch his chest, to see if it was as hard as it looked. A vague memory of her body resting against him filtered through her mind, like sunshine through the smallest crack in curtains. So fleeting she was unable to grasp it and find out if it was true or if it was a wish.

When he stopped in front of her, she held her breath, waiting to see what he was going to do next.

‘Pam,’ he paused. When it continued for a while, she finally looked up at him. A slow smile broke out over his face. ‘I want to do this with you. It’s the weekend and I’m not that much of tyrant to expect you to work continuously. Give me ten minutes and then we’ll leave.’

Words were impossible for her so she nodded her agreement. All she wanted to do was reach out and clasp her hands around his head and bring it down so she could sample his lips.

He moved backwards for a couple of steps, with the same stealth he’d shown walking towards her, before turning and heading back to where he’d come from, stopping only to pick up the piece of paper he’d dropped. She’d never known a man to move with such grace and ease.

When he left the kitchen, she gripped the kitchen counter and concentrated on breathing in and out. How on earth was she going to last the day without wanting to lose herself in his arms?

Nick watched the delight breaking over Pam’s face as the ferry got closer and closer to Liberty Island and the wonder of the Statue of Liberty. He felt the same way. There was something spectacular about the grand old lady watching over her city of Manhattan.