"Don't do that," she said, surprised by the sound of yearning in her own voice as she reached for him. "Don't go away."
"I'm right here," Tehar replied. "I'm not going anywhere."
She shook her head.
"You always do that," she said. "You keep yourself so far removed from everything around you. What happened that you feel like you have to stay so distant? You can be here, with me."
Her hand was on his cheek, his skin warm under her fingers, his pulse racing. She could feel it in his chest where her other hand rested. He held on to his self-control just long enough for them to slip out of the conference room and into the hall.
In the dark of the studio hallway, he pressed her against a closed door, his hunger for her suddenly voracious, uncontainable. Kathy felt her heart leap at the thrill as her back met the wood, and then his mouth was on hers and she could think of nothing else.
He was taller than her, his body a warmth that seemed to surround her, consuming her in a world of his touch and his heat and the spicy scent of his cologne. One hand was on her hip, squeezing, pressing her up against him, the other in her hair, pulling her closer.
There was a clumsiness to the desperation of it, the press of his teeth sharp, their breath ragged when they stopped long enough to take it. It was so far removed from his usual aloof formality that it left Kathy stunned and intrigued.
His lips found her throat and Kathy bit off a moan, remembering how exposed they were, even in this shaded hallway. Tehar seemed to remember at the same time, but couldn't make himself pull away. Instead, he picked her up, continuing to kiss her as he fumbled his way down the hall and forced open the door to his office.
He shoved everything off of his desk with one impatient sweep of his arm and laid Kathy across it, the cool wood a shock against her skin as his kisses fell from her mouth to her throat to her breast.
She shouldn't be doing this. She knew it was a mistake. She wasn't so drunk that she couldn't control herself. But she wanted this, wanted him. She had for a long time. And to have him suddenly so close was a temptation she couldn't refuse.
She gave in.
No longer just reacting, she pulled at his clothing, eager to feel his skin under her hands. She roamed the plains of his chest, muscles of his arms and stomach, enjoying the way they leapt when she trailed delicate fingernails across them.
He held her so tightly it was though he were afraid if he loosened his grip for even a moment she would melt away. But she wasn't going anywhere. There was nowhere she'd rather be. Her hands caught his hair and pulled him down against her and she released a needy, fluttering moan, the first of many.
By the time they regained their self-control, they were both quite sober and the party had long since ended. Alone, they slipped through the dark, empty building as he walked her to her car.
"Come home with me," Tehar asked, his eyes still intense. She could feel the heat there like she could still feel the ghost of his lips on her skin. He held her hand, reluctant even now to let go.
"I shouldn't," she said, better sense winning out despite how much of her wanted to banish it forever. "I want to, but…"
He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again she could already see him distancing himself. He nodded and let her hand slip out of his.
"You're right," he agreed. "I think we both know that this should never have happened."
"I'm glad it did," Kathy said softly and a flash of something almost like pain crossed Tehar's face. He pulled her closer and pressed a brief, chaste kiss to her cheek.
"Be safe," he said, stroking her hair as he stepped away. Then he hurried off to his car, leaving her alone in the suddenly very cold parking lot. Kathy drove home with nothing but him in her thoughts.
She opened her apartment door to find Tessa asleep on her couch, surrounded by the remains of their Valentine's feast. A classic horror flick was still playing on the TV. Kathy tried not to wake her friend but stumbled taking off her shoes.
"You're back!" Tessa said, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes, her voice gravely. "How'd it go? What time is it?"
"Wow! You must have gone more rounds than a championship boxer. Congrats!"
"Can we not talk about it?" Kathy pleaded, embarrassed and a little heartbroken.
"What happened?" Tessa asked, picking up on Kathy's feelings at once. "I thought you'd be happy. You've had a crush on that guy for ages."
Kathy shook her head and sank onto the sofa, realizing she did need to talk about it, as much as she didn't want to.
"Yeah, and I never acted on it because it wouldn't work. He's my boss. He built this company on his reputation. Neither of us would risk our careers on an inter-office relationship. It's just not going to happen."
"But it did happen," Tessa pointed out. "It just happened! It's obvious you both want this. It should have been obvious when you decided to have a baby together."
"That's different," Kathy said in flat denial. "And tonight was a mistake. It won't happen again."
"And why's that?" Tessa asked.
"Because I know what I want," Kathy said firmly. "I want my career. I want this baby with no strings attached. I got turned around because I thought I wanted a relationship too, but those things just aren't compatible. Especially not with him. Tomorrow, it's going to be like this never happened, and we'll go back to the business relationship which is all both of us wanted in the first place."
"Is that really what you want?" Tessa asked. "Really?"
"Yes," Kathy said, trying to convince herself as much as Tessa. "We can't be together and have what we want. That's all there is to it."
She went to bed and slept restlessly, tossing and turning for an hour as she fought with herself over what she really wanted. When she did sleep, she dreamed of Tehar. She dreamed of being with him in a world where only they existed, where the only thing that mattered was her hands on his body, his lips on her skin, their limbs tangled around each other forever. It didn't make things any easier when she woke up.
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