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  “Hey,” he said softly and reached out to cup her cheek, gently making her face him once more.

  She shifted on the bed so she was now laying on her side, and Ivan did the same. They stared at each other for long seconds, his hand still on her cheek, his thumb moving along the outline of her lips.

  His touch felt good, intimate … perfection.

  “Talk to me,” he softly. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  She wanted to be honest with them, to just lay it out there.

  Now is the time, now is the perfect time when we’re both vulnerable and relaxed, content and sexually stated. Just tell him how you feel. He’ll understand. And if he doesn’t then you’ll know where you stand.

  “I guess I’m confused about how I feel for you.” She saw this flash of worry move across his face. Delaney quickly leaned in to kiss him, to reassure him.

  “Shit, not what I wanted to hear,” he said.

  “No, it’s not like that. I’m confused because of my feelings for you. They are strong, Ivan. Consuming. I’ve never felt anything like them before.”

  He didn’t speak after that, but she could see it was because he wanted her to finish, to lay it all out for him.

  “I don’t care about what anyone says. I don’t care about any of that because I want you. I want this for more than what we’ve been doing.”

  She took a deep breath and let that sink in. He didn’t say anything but he watched her intently.

  Ivan sat up, keeping his body facing her. She could see him thinking over her words, maybe thinking about how to let her down gently, how he didn’t want more than just these couple of times.

  She sat up as well, feeling vulnerable and exposed right now, which had nothing to do with her being naked.

  “Say something, anything.” She hated this silence.

  And then he smiled, a small one that had her breathing out because she knew he accepted all of this. She could see it on his face.

  “What would you say if I told you I didn’t want this to just be a sexual thing either? What if I told you I wanted you as mine, that I don’t care what anyone says, that I challenge them to try and stop me from seeing you?”

  Her heart jumped to her throat, and she knew she probably looked stunned.

  The truth was, she hadn’t expected to hear this from him. She expected Ivan to say he wanted nothing more than the sex they’d had. But what he said was he wanted her, wanted to claim her, and that nobody would stop him from making that a reality.

  “I’d say I want that too, Ivan.”

  “And I want everyone to know, Delaney. I want to make it known you’re mine, because I’m proud of that fact. I don’t care about the job; I don’t care about a promotion. And it took our night together for that to really sink in.” He leaned in so they were only inches apart now. “Be mine. Say that no one else can have you.”

  The breath left her slowly at his words. Every part of her was on alert, was high, was tight.

  This was what she wanted.

  “I want that. I want to be yours.”

  “Say it again,” he said gruffly, the arousal moving between them.

  “I’m yours,” she whispered.

  He growled low and leaned in to kiss her. “Let me show you how much I want you.” He grinned and started moving down the mattress, taking the sheet that covered her with him. He grabbed her ankles and pulled so she was now on her back.

  And then he placed his hands on her inner thighs, pushed her legs apart, and looked up from between them, this wicked glint in his eyes and a smile on his face.

  Ivan leaned in and ran his tongue up her center, licking her as if she were a lollipop, flattening his tongue as if he were savoring a melting ice cream in the summer months. Delaney let her head fall back and closed her eyes, moaning at the exquisite pleasure that coursed through her instantly.

  “Say it again,” he groaned against her soaked flesh.

  “I’m yours.”

  And then he devoured her, and she knew he wouldn’t let up until she was a writhing mess on the bed and begging him to stop.

  But in all reality, she wouldn’t. She never wanted this to stop.

  Chapter 14

  By the end of the week, the snow had melted and it was time to face reality. Ivan pushed his tie up before adjusting his cuffs. He’d spent the past week with Delaney in her home, making love, fucking, and just being with her. They’d even gone in to work together.

  It had been a fucking dream. Exactly how he imagined it would have been with her.

  Even when she hated him and he found her so irritating, he’d wanted her. He’d always tried to hide it. The snowstorm had brought them together and now, he wasn’t going to let her pretend they weren’t together.

  She was nervous though.

  Last night Delaney had tried to convince him to keep their relationship a secret. He got it. She was nervous in case it didn’t last and she didn’t want to be the work gossip. What Delaney didn’t know, but he did, was that there was no way this wasn’t going to work.

  He’d been hiding a lot from her for so long. Finally, being with her was a dream come true. There was no way he would mess that up.

  Once he was ready, he pulled out his cellphone and dialed her number. Not only were they working but tonight it was the office Christmas party. He wasn’t taking a change of clothing, but she was taking a dress that she wanted to change into.

  “Hello,” she said.

  Just hearing her voice was enough for him.

  He adored her.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Are you at work already?”

  “Not even close. I’m about to leave. Half an hour or so and I’ll be there.”

  “Okay.”

  “You’re nervous, aren’t you?” he asked.

  She laughed. “A little. I can’t wait to see their faces though. We’ve spent a lot of time arguing and being rivals and now we’re together.”

  “I’ll see you there, babe. Don’t chicken out on me, otherwise I will cause a scene.”

  This made her laugh.

  “You’re one of a kind, Ivan.”

  He hung up, grabbed his car keys and drove to work. Traffic was busy and already there were morning shoppers again.

  He pulled into work, humming a Christmas tune that had been playing on the radio.

  Delaney was nowhere to be seen, but that was okay.

  He stayed in his car waiting and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

  She finally arrived, taking her spot beside him.

  Climbing out of his car, he rushed to her side, opening the door and holding out his hand.

  “This is going to take some getting used to,” she said.

  “That it will but I’m up to the challenge.”

  She stared at his hand and he saw how nervous she was. He waited, though, patient.

  Delaney took his hand and he couldn’t wipe the smile from his lips as she did.

  “See, wasn’t so bad.”

  She took a deep breath, closing and locking her car.

  Hand in hand, fingers locked together, they walked back to the elevator that would take them up to their floor.

  “Did you have a good night?” he asked.

  “I missed you.”

  He’d had to eventually go back home to change, not that he wanted to. He’d have rather been with her and stayed the night. Changing clothes was becoming a bit of a problem.

  “Don’t you think they’re going to stare?”

  “Of course they are.”

  He didn’t let go of her hand.

  “Ivan?”

  “It’s okay. I’m not letting you go. Don’t let them ruin this for us. I want you. You want me. We’re not going to let them spoil this, not even a little bit.” He pressed a kiss to her hand.

  The elevator doors opened, and he smiled as they stepped off and onto their floor.

  As they passed people, they were greeted and asked if they were okay.
<
br />   A couple of the guys stopped to talk to him.

  It seemed to take the floor a few minutes to see that he was holding Delaney’s hand and had no intention of letting her go.

  He didn’t stop at his office but went straight to Delaney’s. Opening the door for her, he kissed her knuckles right there in front of everyone. He gave her a wink and turned to leave.

  They were indeed being watched and he found it the most amusing thing.

  Entering his office, he fired up his computer and got straight to work. Throughout the morning, he found himself looking for her.

  Delaney was the kind of worker who spent most of her time on her feet. He saw her now, talking on the phone, her head set on, hands on hips. She’d removed her heels. She had confessed how much she hated them and even the suits she wore.

  When she was home, she always opted for jeans and a long shirt.

  He liked the suits, as they molded to every single curve and they made him ache to take her, to pull her over his desk and to fuck her.

  Now that had possibilities. He wondered what her take was on a bit of office play. Looking at his desk, he could easily imagine her bent over it, the skirt she wore around her back as he spread her legs wide, staring at her pretty pussy.

  She would be so wet for him.

  He’d drive her to an orgasm and watch her come apart before sliding his cock balls deep within her. He loved it when her cunt pulsed around him. It was like her body was begging for him to pound her.

  His phone buzzing on his desk caught his attention.

  “Ivan’s office,” he said.

  “You need to stop looking at me like that,” Delaney said.

  She perched on her desk, staring right at him with that wicked glint.

  “Can’t help it. You know it’s those suits. They drive me crazy.”

  She chuckled. “You’ll drive me crazy. Come on. Get some work done or I’ll be the one lonely around the mistletoe this year.”

  Chapter 15

  All day Delaney had been expecting the other shoe to drop. Every time there was a knock on her door, she expected the higher-ups to question her about her relationship with Ivan. She expected her coworkers to be bossy about what was going on with them.

  But no one confronted her.

  No one said anything.

  They just watched.

  She stared at herself in the mirror, the lighting in the bathroom fluorescent and unflattering. She hadn’t wanted to go back home to change for the Christmas party, so she brought her dress with her. But now that she had it on, she felt like it was a little too much.

  Although she knew what to expect from these parties, Delaney had picked it out specifically because she wanted to look beautiful for Ivan. She cared for him deeply, the relationship moving so fast that it was a whirlwind around her. But she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

  She felt free and open with him.

  She felt alive.

  And the way he touched her, talked to her, looked at her, told her he felt the same way.

  Was there such thing as love at first sight? There certainly was hate at first sight, because that’s how she’d felt when she’d first met him. But over time her hate had morphed into desire. And now it was a hell of a lot more than them having sex.

  She was falling for Ivan and there was no way to stop it. She didn’t want to.

  She rested her hands on the sink and leaned forward, looking at the subtle makeup she’d applied. She ran her fingers along the bun at the nape of her neck she’d secured just moments ago. It was classy but easy, and it showed off the lines of her neck.

  And she had a feeling Ivan would like it, especially since he seemed to have a little fetish for sucking and licking at her throat.

  She felt her face get hot, saw her cheeks turn red. All she could think about was Ivan and all the wicked things they’d been doing for the past week. This romance had been a whirlwind, made her weak in the knees.

  And Delaney didn’t want it to end.

  She pushed away from the sink and smoothed her hands down her dress. It was black and lacy, the bodice right above her cleavage, amplifying all her curves. She felt sexy in it, and it was far more revealing than anything she’d ever worn.

  She left the bathroom and made her way toward the elevator.

  The company had rented out the entire fifth floor, a banquet hall that was gorgeous and almost whimsical. Every year they had a Christmas party there, and although she never did anything for Christmas because she was alone, this was something she looked forward to.

  Once in the elevator, she pressed the button for the fifth floor, the doors closing and a second later she was descending. Her heart raced, and her hands were slightly shaking.

  She didn’t know why she was so nervous. They’d held hands and kissed in the office. It wasn’t like people hadn’t seen them. But she knew that they would make it even more obvious tonight, where everyone would see them touching and holding each other.

  No doubt people would ask questions because they weren’t in a “business” setting. They’d be nosy, bombard her with questions about what was going on, and she’d have to answer them. She’d be truthful, because even though she hadn’t initially wanted anyone knowing, even though the fear of getting in trouble for mixing business and pleasure together was a very real threat, she cared about Ivan more than she ever had about anyone in her life.

  Once the elevator reached the floor and the doors opened, she stepped outside. The sound of holiday music could be heard the closer she got to the hall. Her heels clicked on the ceramic tile, her heart picking up rhythm the closer she got.

  She saw the opened doors, the sight of twinkle lights having this magical feel. As she stood there, not yet entering, just watching as everyone danced and laughed, oblivious as to how nervous she really was, she thought about Ivan and what she wanted with him.

  Everything.

  I want a future with him. I want a life with him.

  She swallowed, her throat tight, her mouth dry. Would he want that too?

  She felt someone behind her, and a moment later a hand curled around her waist. She knew it was Ivan instantly, and turned around to see his handsome face smiling down at her. He was in the same suit he’d had on all day, but God did he look good. A three-piece black suit, white shirt, and a red tie.

  He dressed smart, sexy.

  She’d always thought that.

  Before she could say anything, he pulled her in and kissed her until she was breathless. For long moments he fucked her mouth, slid his tongue along hers, made her so damn needy she felt herself grow wet, and her nipples harden.

  He pulled back and she stood there, her eyes still closed, her lips still tingling.

  “You ready for this, baby, for all of this?”

  Delaney opened her eyes and smiled. “I don’t think I’ve been readier than I am right now.”

  And that was the truth.

  Chapter 16

  “Are you sure about this, Ivan?” Paul, one of the executives, asked.

  “Am I sure about what?” His gaze was on his woman as she circled the party, taking a few moments with each person.

  Earlier in the day, they’d had that business meeting and he’d brought up how essential it was for there to be a survival kit of some kind on the premises at all times, throughout every single weather season.

  Much to everyone’s surprise, Delaney had agreed with him. Not that he had any doubt she would. They had agreed it was important for all staff after what they had gone through.

  “You and Delaney.”

  “You got a problem with my relationship?” Ivan asked.

  “Before you guys got snowed in, I don’t think we could even leave you in a room without the two of you finding something to fight about. Now you’re saying you’re in a relationship with this woman. Ivan, Delaney is a ball buster. She’s hard working, stubborn, determined, and she is always one step ahead of the game.”

  “And that’s why I lov
e her.”

  Ivan laughed at the shock on Paul’s face.

  “What? You didn’t think it had gotten that far yet.”

  “All due respect, Ivan, you don’t know her.”

  He turned to look at Delaney. She stood at the drinks table, sipping on a glass of champagne. He noticed this at every single party they’d attended. Where a lot of their colleagues got completely trashed and were unable to talk let alone walk, Delaney always had the same glass of champagne that if she finished, she’d replace with water in the fountain to make it look like she was still drinking. He, himself, couldn’t stand to be completely out of it. He liked to keep his wits about him.

  “Actually Paul, you guys don’t know her. Not even a little bit.”

  They saw the ball buster, the determined, career-focused woman, because that was what she needed to be for them to take her even a little bit seriously. To him, she was so much more than that.

  “If you’ll excuse me.” He put his glass down and made his way over to her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her close. His lips went to her neck.

  “You startled me,” she said.

  He smiled. “I want to dance with you.”

  “Ivan, no one’s dancing.”

  “Who cares? It’s almost Christmas and I want to dance, baby.”

  He took her hand, and they found a small spot, not caring who saw them, if anyone did. The entire office floor would see them, but he wasn’t talking business, not now. His focus was on Delaney.

  “Did you enjoy your talk with Paul?” she asked.

  “Are you worried?”

  “I thought there was some kind of company policy about not, you know, fraternizing or getting together. I can’t think when you look at me like that.” She laughed.

  The sound was beautiful to hear.

  “I believe there was one in place but after Richard, the CEO, married his intern, I think they changed the rules. We’re at work all the time. How can we possibly find love with anyone else?”

  Well damn, the rules had changed? It wasn’t “wrong” for him to be with Delaney?

  “Well, I’m starting to think you’re a bit of a romantic at heart,” she said. “I wish I had known this earlier today.”