Sarah turned her hand in his and squeezed his fingers lightly. “That’s what friends are for.”
He walked with her up to her apartment. Sarah unlocked the door and opened it, reaching inside to turn on the light before she turned to face Rome again. Her smile was gently sad, for she hated to see the night end. It had been, for all its lack of drama, one of the best times of her life. “Good night. It’s been fun.” More than fun. It had been heavenly.
“Good night.” But he didn’t leave. Instead he stood in the doorway, soberly regarding her. He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek with his forefinger, then slid his hand around to cup her chin in his palm. He leaned toward her, and Sarah went weak with anticipation, her eyes widening as fevered delight shot through her. He was going to kiss her again. Lightly his mouth touched hers, his lips moving with tender expertise over her parted, breathless mouth. His warm taste filled her, and Sarah’s lashes fluttered, then slowly closed. With a zephyr of a sigh she swayed into his arms; he needed no more encouragement than that. Locking his arms around her, he pulled her up against his chest and gradually deepened the kiss, as if he were wary of going too fast for her, giving her time to accept or reject each new move.
There was no question of her rejecting him. It wasn’t in Sarah’s makeup to say no to Rome in any way. She felt the heat of his body burning her through the layers of their clothing, and the warmth was a beacon that drew her closer. She wound her arms around his neck and eagerly accepted the more intimate intrusion of his tongue. A naked, wanting heat began building in her, and she wanted to be closer to him, to mold herself against him so tightly that his flesh would be hers.
His hands moved restlessly over her back, wanting to seek richer ground but restricted by the tight control he kept on himself and the situation. Sensing her safety with him, Sarah kissed him with undisguised hunger, not caring that he might look beyond the obvious explanation for her behavior and arrive at the correct conclusion that her attraction to him went beyond sex. But sex with him would be so good, she thought giddily, clinging to him. His experience was obvious in the firm but gentle way he touched her, the leisure with which he approached every caress. If he’d taken her into the bedroom right then, she’d have followed him without a murmur of protest.
But he lifted his mouth from hers, though he sighed and rested his forehead against hers for a moment before reaching up and disentangling her arms from about his neck, then setting her away from him. “Now it really is good night. I’m going to be in bad shape if this goes on much longer, so I’m stopping it here. I’ll see you Monday morning, at work.”
Quickly Sarah reached for her composure, drawing it about her like a garment, and she tried to disguise the raggedness of her breathing. Her body felt betrayed, but he was right: it had to stop there, or it wouldn’t stop at all. “Yes. Good night,” she breathed, before stepping into her apartment and quietly closing the door.
Rome went to his car, but sat in it for a long time before starting it and driving away. No, she wasn’t cold at all, despite the way she looked and that ice-queen manner she used. He hadn’t wanted to leave her; all his senses had been clamoring for the comfort to be found in her soft, warm body, but to his surprise, he’d found that he couldn’t take her as casually as he’d taken the other women who’d been with him the last two years. She was Diane’s friend, and Diane had loved her; his conscience wouldn’t allow him to treat her as a sexual convenience. Besides, he really had enjoyed having dinner with her. She had a surprisingly keen sense of humor, and when she relaxed, she was really lovely, with her eyes sparkling and her soft mouth curved into a smile.
And when she kissed him, she’d kissed him as if she meant it. The unquestioning response she’d given him had almost driven him beyond the boundaries of his control. The feel of her soft hips pressing into him was enough to make him forget everything but the warm female body in his arms. Far from diminishing on closer acquaintance, the physical interest he’d felt in her for years was intensifying every time he saw her. He’d seen her long white-gold hair in a shimmering halo around her shoulders, and now he wanted to see it spread across a pillow as she lay waiting for him, her slim, graceful body bare, her mouth swollen and pouty from his kisses. A possessive surge made him grind his teeth, and he thought of the cold shower he’d have to take before he’d be able to sleep. If he’d stayed with her, he’d be relaxed and sleepy by now, all of his tensions drained out of him.
But she wasn’t just any woman. He couldn’t use her and then toss her aside. Apart from the fact that they had to work together, he wanted more from her than that. A one-night stand wouldn’t do it with her; he wanted to unlock all her secrets, thrill time and time again to the sweet, hot way she melted against him. He thought of having an affair with her, and was surprised to suddenly find himself wondering if an affair would be enough to satisfy him. He wanted to know everything about her; he wanted to completely shatter her cool control and learn all the things that he could do to give her pleasure. He was adrift, and he needed Sarah right then more than he could comprehend, in all ways.
It was more than just physical, he realized abruptly. He could talk with her; she was intelligent, amusing, but there was the added bonus that he didn’t have to talk to her, because she had a quality of serenity that made silence possible. Whenever he looked into the shadows of her exotic green eyes, he had the feeling she understood everything, without words.
But she was a dedicated career woman; she’d made it pretty clear over the years that she did just fine on her own, thank you, without a man making demands on her time. She’d probably reject out of hand any hint of seriousness from him, so he had to keep it light, casual, let her become accustomed to being in his company. He had doubts, though, about his ability to keep it light whenever she turned into his arms and answered his kisses so ardently. He wanted to throw her across a bed and kiss her from her head to her feet, feast his senses on the sleek womanliness of her body. But what would she say?
Maybe she wouldn’t reject an offer of an affair. She was, after all, a modern, adult woman; if her response to him was anything to go by, she was willing to have sex with him, but he knew from working with her that she kept her personal life strictly separated from her business life. That would be one strike against him, but he thought he could eventually convince her. He’d take it slowly with her, not rushing her, letting her lower all those defenses of hers. He couldn’t say why, but he sensed that she was wary with him, deep inside where he couldn’t see. Perhaps she was wary with all men. Diane had wondered aloud sometimes if Sarah hadn’t had a married lover and been burned pretty badly by him.
There was a well-camouflaged vulnerability about her, and he wondered what fool had been stupid enough to have all that pale glory in his bed and let her slip away from him.
Sarah hadn’t expected to hear from Rome again that weekend, so when she answered the phone the next afternoon and heard his voice, a thrill of pleasure sang through her. Before she could do more than say hello, however, he cut across her greeting.
“Sarah, Henry’s had a heart attack, a bad one.”
Shocked, Sarah almost dropped the phone, and she tightened her grip on it. Her boss hadn’t seemed the sort to be struck by heart trouble. He was a small man, wiry to the point of thinness, and very active. He was an avid golfer, jogged every day, and in Sarah’s memory had never indulged in any of the excesses people were warned against. He wasn’t the dynamic man that Rome was, but Sarah was fond of him. “Will he live?” she finally asked quietly, going straight to the most important question.
“It’s touch and go. His wife called me; I’m at the hospital now.” Someone in the background said something to him, and Rome said, “Hang on a minute.” He covered the receiver with his hand, reducing his words to a muffled jumble of sounds. Then he came back to her, his voice brisk. “He took some reports home with him this weekend that we’ll need Monday morning.