Her stomach growled, reminding her that she’d barely eaten any dinner last night, far too shook up to have an appetite, and that so far today had only been able to stomach some tea and half a protein bar. But she honestly didn’t think she could keep any food down right now, as edgy and nervous as she felt.

It was past one o’clock before Ian made an appearance, and her heart almost stopped beating when she saw him striding down the hallway towards her desk. God, he looked magnificent, she thought almost desperately, so incredibly handsome and sexy in a charcoal gray suit and burgundy tie. He was as poised and regal as ever, betraying no sign of the passionate, aggressive lover she’d seen all too briefly last evening.

Their gazes locked and held until he inclined his head towards his office. “I’d like to speak with you in my office please, Tessa.”

She shot to her feet in agitation. “Yes - of, of course sir.”

Tessa clasped her hands in front of her, anxious to still their trembling, and preceded him inside his office. She’d been mentally preparing herself for this moment since last night, and just hoped she wouldn’t do something foolish, like start to cry.

But what she absolutely hadn’t prepped herself for was the way Ian swiftly shut and locked the door behind him, and then swept her into his arms. She gasped in surprise, her hands drifting up to rest on his upper arms as he gazed down at her with an almost desperate look in his eyes.

“Just tell me,” he pleaded, “that you don’t regret what happened last night. And that whatever this is between us - that you feel it, too.”

Tessa was astonished at his impassioned words, the very last sort of thing she had expected him to say. Despite her shock, she was still able to whisper, “No. I – I don’t regret it. And yes - I feel it, too.”

“Thank God.”

And with those fervently uttered words, he took her mouth in a hungry, possessive kiss, his arms banding about her so closely that she could hardly breathe. She slid her arms inside his suit jacket, holding on to him tight, and a groan rose up from her throat as he continued to plunder her mouth with his seeking tongue.

She heard him give a soft chuckle as he finally released her mouth and murmured in her ear, “Easy, darling. We don’t want the whole office to hear you.”

Tessa gazed up at him in bewilderment. “What?”

Ian smiled at her tenderly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re very vocal when you’re aroused. You didn’t know?”

She was horrified, not realizing how loud her moans of pleasure must have been, and shook her head. “No, I had no idea. Oh, God, I’m sorry. How embarrassing.”

He threaded both of his hands into her hair, holding her head still as his eyes bored into hers. “I’m not complaining, love. In fact, those little sounds you make are extremely sexy and a tremendous turn-on. And when I take you to my bed, with all of this beautiful hair spread out on my pillow, you can moan as loudly as you like. In fact,” he added huskily, as he kissed his way down the side of her neck, “I look forward to exploring a hundred different ways to make you moan in pleasure.”

“Mmm.” She sighed with delight as he kissed her again, his mouth moving on hers more slowly this time, lingering, savoring the taste of her. She was very quickly becoming addicted to his masterful kisses, loving the way he held her so tightly in his strong arms, and the hunger he displayed with each embrace. She hadn’t had the opportunity as yet to process the mindboggling notion that this dynamic, brilliant man was actually attracted to her. But for now, Tessa didn’t let herself think about that, and instead gave herself up completely to Ian, kissing him back with every pent-up ounce of passion in her body. She was wild for him, desperately needy, clutching the fabric of his shirt in her hands as she tried to get even closer to him, almost crawling up his body as she held on to him fiercely.

Ian was gasping for breath as he gently eased her away from him a few inches, his eyes wide with astonishment. “Christ, Tessa. Have a care, darling. I’m a lot older than you are, after all, and not at all certain that I’ll be able to keep up with you.” He ran a long finger over her trembling lips. “What a passionate little thing you are. I would never have guessed that someone as shy and sweet as you was really a tigress in disguise.”

She felt her cheeks flame in embarrassment and glanced away. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It’s just - been a long time for me. I didn’t mean -”

“Hush.” He placed two fingers over her lips, silencing her. “I wasn’t complaining, love. Far from it. My God, you’re probably going to wear me out very quickly but it will damned sure be worth it. And,” he added severely, “I don’t ever want you to apologize for anything. Especially not for wanting me. Understood?”

She nodded and he removed his fingers before taking her hand in his.

“Let’s sit over here, shall we? In separate chairs, I think,” he said dryly. “We have a few things to discuss, and if you’re within arm’s reach talking is going to be the very last thing on my mind.”

Ian led her over to the sitting area in one corner of his expansive office, urging her to sit in one of the large leather chairs while he took a seat a safe distance away on a sofa.

“The first thing I need to do,” he began, “is apologize for the way I ran out of here last evening like the place was on fire. That was completely inexcusable of me, Tessa. I can’t even imagine what you must have thought when I left without a word.”

Tessa picked nervously at a piece of lint on her skirt. “I thought - well, that you probably regretted what had happened and -”

“No.” His denial was emphatic. “Not even the slightest regret. What happened, Tessa - it’s what I’ve wanted for a long time now.”

Startled, she glanced up at him. “How long?”

“Forever, it feels like. Specifically, though, two years and four extremely long months. In other words, darling, I’ve wanted you from the first moment we met. You’ve been my obsession, my one desire, ever since you started working here. And I never imagined that I could be in a position to tell you how I felt. Not when you were a married woman.”

Tessa stared at him in disbelief. “All this time? I can’t - I mean, I never even thought you noticed me, I always assumed I was just one of your employees. And not a very important one at that.”