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“I’m much nicer when no one is creating a corporate disaster during my vacation.”
“I wasn’t complaining.” Erin let her eyes move over Claire. “I like a woman who knows how to take charge.”
Claire set down her sandwich. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”
“When?”
“Come to the rental after you close.” Claire’s voice lowered. “I’ll meet you at the door, pin you against the wall, and kiss you until you stop thinking about everything you left unfinished at work.”
Erin’s pulse quickened. “That’s how you plan to help me relax?”
“That’s where I’ll start.” Claire leaned closer. “Then I’ll slide my hand inside your pants and make you come before I let you anywhere near the bedroom.”
Erin’s thighs pressed together. “This office door locks.”
Claire glanced toward the closed door. “Ingrid is twenty feet away, and your store is full of women buying lingerie.”
“I’m aware of the obstacles.”
“Good. You can spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about what happens when there aren’t any.”
Erin drew a slow breath. “What time should I come over?”
“Seven.” Claire picked up her sandwich. “If you make me wait, I’ll return the inconvenience once I have you naked.”
Claire calmly returned to her lunch, leaving Erin to wonder how she was supposed to walk back into the shop and discuss vibration settings as if her wet panties hadn’t just become a serious problem.
She folded the sandwich wrapper neatly, brushed crumbs from her trousers, and stood. “I should go handle Marcus’s draft before he sends the client something that requires an additional apology.”
Claire kissed her and then collected her coat from the velvet chair, said goodbye to Ingrid, and pushed through the front door into the bright cold.
Erin watched her cross the parking lot and climb into her SUV. Claire disappeared around the curve where the road bent toward the rental.
At seven, Erin would follow that road, and she was certain that Claire would be waiting to pin her against the wall exactly as promised.
She was far less certain about anything after January first.
Chapter Fourteen
Claire closed the laptop at six-thirty and carried it into the bedroom. She left it on the desk, silenced her phone, and set both aside for the evening. Work could wait until morning.
The rental’s living room looked different without her legal briefs spread across the coffee table. She had lit the fireplace an hour ago, turned on two lamps instead of the overhead light, and set out the bottle of wine Erin had brought on Christmas Day beside two glasses. A charcuterie board waited in the refrigerator, piled generously enough to make up for whatever Erin had forgotten to eat during the afternoon rush.
The promise Claire had made in Erin’s office had occupied her thoughts all afternoon. Every time she pictured Erin pinned against the door, anticipation tightened in her chest and settled between her thighs. By seven, she had adjusted the same throw pillow three times and checked the window often enough to confirm waiting had never been one of her strengths.
Headlights swept across the front windows at exactly seven.
Claire watched Erin’s car settle into the drive. The engine cut and the door opened. Erin walked toward the house in her dark coat with her hair loose around her shoulders. Claire’s pulse climbed with every step. She opened the front door before Erin could knock.
Erin opened her mouth, likely to offer a greeting, but Claire didn’t let her finish. She caught Erin’s wrist and pulled her across the threshold, swung the door shut with her free hand, and pressed Erin back against it in one continuous motion. The door clicked beside Erin’s hip. Claire’s mouth found hers before the sound faded.
Claire pinned her against the door, pressing close as one thigh slid between Erin’s. Her kiss carried all the hunger she had held onto since lunch. Erin’s bag slipped from her shoulder and landed on the floor. Neither woman looked.
Claire opened Erin’s coat, pushed it from her shoulders, and let it fall beside the bag. Erin reached for her waist, but Claire caught both wrists, raised them above her head, and pinned them against the door in one hand.
Erin’s breath broke against her mouth. “You promised you’d—”
“I remember exactly what I promised.”
