Page 58 of His Long-Lost Baby

My heart skips a beat, and I look into his eyes, hoping he can see it in mine. “Yeah.”

The corners of his mouth turn up, and he invades my space, backing me up against the wall. People mill around us, but James is acting like they aren’t even there.

“Good,” he murmurs.

As I look up at him, I know that I can’t resist any longer.

“I do feel the same way,” I say, my voice barely audible above the noise of the crowd.

Relief floods his face, and he pulls me into a tight embrace.

As his arms wrap around me, I feel like I’m finally home.

Everything else fades away, and all that’s left is James and me, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

We pull back from the embrace, and James looks at me with a newfound intensity. “I want you, Billie,” he says, his voice low and husky. “I want you like I’ve never wanted anything before.”

My body responds instantly, my heart racing as desire courses through me. I can feel the heat pooling between my legs, and I know that I want him just as much as he wants me.

Without another word, he takes my hand and leads me out of the crowded ballroom and into a quiet corner of the hotel hallway.

As soon as we’re alone, he pulls me in for a searing kiss, his lips claiming mine with a hunger I’ve never experienced before. I moan into his mouth, my arms wrapping around his neck as I melt into him.

He breaks the kiss, his eyes dark with lust. “I need you,” he whispers, his breath hot against my skin.

And I know that I need him too. For lack of a better word, though, it’s complicated.

Really, really complicated.

He clears his throat and reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone. “Billie, there’s something I want to ask you.”

My heart is pounding in my chest, my mind going a mile a minute.

He licks his lips. “Actually, wait. Before I do that, let’s get out of here. We should celebrate.”

“What about the rest of the conference?” I glance over his shoulder, at the other end of the hall where people continue to spill out from the conference room.

“To hell with the conference. The presentation is done. The rest is just decoration.”

I nod and trail my fingers over his chest. I need to tell him about Quinn. I need to hear his explanation for leaving her.

I also feel like I need to throw up.

Once the truth comes out, there will be no going back. The potential James and I are walking into could be completely shattered.

I need to be okay with that. I started this journey to protect Quinn, and I will end it with the same goal in mind.

“I need… I need to talk to you about something, too,” I croak.

He frowns slightly. “What?”

“About…”

Oh, God. Why can’t I get the words out?

“You know what?” I laugh, but it sounds high-pitched and fake. “Give me just a couple minutes, will you? I need to run to the ladies’ room.”

“Of course.” His hand slips out of mine. “I’ll wait here for you.”