However, she got no relief from the small symphonic band. The next one was a slow song.
“Care for another dance?” he asked.
She blinked up at him, wondering if he was feeling even a fraction of the tension that was burning through her.
He looked at ease, not desperate with lust.
She was not going to deny him. This might be her only opportunity. When the next gala rolled around, he might have a girlfriend. One day, he’d probably even get married. “Of course,” she said.
He tugged her closer with just the tiniest bit of pressure. Unlike the waltz, slow dancing did not require much thought. That left Ava free to catalog every little thing she was feeling.
They swayed together. He spoke to her, keeping his voice low. “I usually stay until the end. But if you need to go, I can take you home.”
“I want to stay,” she said. She understood why he wouldn’t leave. He wouldn’t want to insult any of the generous donors. Their money funded quite a few of the crucial projects they were working on at the lab.
Finally, the gala was over. They said their goodbyes, and before she knew it, they were back at her apartment. Once again, Eli came around to open her car door for her. The chilly evening air rushed in to greet her, and Eli helped her out of the car with care and then led her to the apartment entrance. Once they were inside the lobby, he took her hand in his. He held it in both of his hands. “Ava, I cannot thank you enough for tonight.”
“There’s no need to thank me. I’m glad we went together,” she said.
He let go with one hand and rubbed over his jaw. “No, I do need to thank you. These events are usually so tedious for me. I spend the entire evening counting down the minutes until they’re over. But not tonight. Your company was delightful.”
She grinned, basking in his compliment. Sometimes his language was so old-fashioned, but it just made him all the more endearing.
Your company was pretty pleasing as well.
He looked like he was going to kiss her. There was fire in his eyes, and she let hers slip closed, leaning in toward him.
7
Eli
This evening with Ava, it hadn’t taken much to turn him on. The sight of her, the way she smelled, the sound of her voice all had him spiraling.
And now, standing in front of her elevator with her small hand in his, he had reached his breaking point.
She was right there in front of him, with her pretty face turned up toward him and her eyes half-closed.
He was going to kiss her. He wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life, even his work. And she seemed to want it as well.
He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, watching her, gauging her reaction.
A tiny sigh escaped her lips. Her eyes closed all the way.
She wanted this, too. It was clear.
His cock throbbed.
He kept his hips away from her. He might be a dragon inside, but he was a gentleman, and he wasn’t going to grind against her in the lobby of her apartment building.
He pressed his mouth to hers again, this time applying more pressure. Her full lips parted, letting him in. He began to kiss her in earnest, moving his lips against hers. Until that point, she’d stood there, accepting the kiss but still passive.
That ended. She flung her arms around his neck and held on. When he felt her small body fit itself against the length of his, his dragon roared.
The beast inside him took over. He swept her into his arms.
Without breaking the kiss, he pressed the button for the elevator and carried her in. On the ride to the third floor, he kept his mouth over hers. Inside the tiny elevator car, there was more to her usual scent of honey and vanilla—now he could smell her arousal, too.
God, she was just as turned on as he was. Inside his tux pants, his cock pulsed. He needed to be inside her body as soon as possible. But he had to slow down and take care. She was not his girlfriend. He wasn’t prepared to stop whatever this was between them, not if she wanted it, too. But he had to make sure she wanted this just as much as he did, and she wasn’t just caught up in the moment.
With a shaky breath, he pulled away, cradling her in his arms just as the elevator doors slid open.
“It’s number four,” she breathed right against his neck.
He carried her to her door, placing her feet on the floor. She pulled her key from her handbag and got the door open for them.
Once the door was firmly closed behind them, he put his hands on her delicate shoulders. “Ava, do you want me to go?”
She licked her lips. “No. Don’t go.”
He reached up and ran his fingers over her flushed cheek. “You’re sure?”
She tipped her chin up. “I’m sure.”
His dragon roared.
Mine.
She wasn’t his, but he wasn’t going to battle his dragon right then.
He briefly took in the interior of her apartment. With his enhanced vision, he could tell that it was a bright, open space decorated in gray and white.
He skimmed the room and found what he assumed was the door to her bedroom. He lifted her into his arms once again.
“You look exquisite in this gown,” he said, kissing her neck as he pushed the door open.
She writhed in his arms, moaning. She clutched at him, wrapping her arms around him.
Gone was the serious young
