Jane jumped, and then forced a laugh. Thankfully, her tripping over her own feet wasn’t out of the ordinary. “Oh, Mr. Arnold, you frightened me. I was finishing up some research on the new mine we were looking to buy in Belgium. I was coming to leave the file on your desk, but since you’re here,” she said, and handed him the manila folder.
His gaze narrowed as he took the file as if he wasn’t sure whether to believe her or not. “That’ll be all.”
“Yes, sir,” Jane said, and hurried out of the office, cautious to keep the paper with the phone number carefully hidden in her hand.
The rest of the day passed as slow as an eternity. When it was time to leave, Jane didn’t check with Richard as she usually did. She grabbed her stuff and left.
Just as she stepped onto the elevator, Elena moved beside her. They stayed together until they walked out of the building.
“Until later,” Elena whispered with a smile.
Jane paused and scanned the area, hoping for a glimpse of Banan. As if he knew she was looking for him, he stepped out of the shadows.
She couldn’t stop the smile from pulling at her lips, or the relief in knowing he was there. His answering grin made her stomach flutter with awareness.
Her gaze was locked with his, and she was about to cross the street to go to him when someone bumped into her shoulder, spinning her as it knocked her to the ground.
Jane landed hard, scraping her knee and palm. She looked up to the cold, blue eyes of a man just before he pushed through the door of PureGems.
“Jane,” Banan said as he gripped her arms and lifted her to her feet.
“Did you see him?” she asked. “Did you see that creepy guy?”
Banan’s body stiffened. “What man?”
“The one that ran into me.”
“There was a group of people who walked between us. I didna see who knocked you down. Come. Let’s get you home. I’ve got to keep my distance, even though I’d rather take you to your flat myself.”
“It’s okay,” she said as she climbed into the taxi he’d hailed for her.
Banan leaned in. “I’ll be right behind you.”
He was true to his word. Jane had just gotten out of the cab when Banan came into view down the street. She walked up the stairs to her flat but left her door unlocked.
It wasn’t but a few minutes later that his large frame filled her tiny flat. She wasn’t sure what to say to him, so she looked through her medicine cabinet for some peroxide and antibiotic cream.
“You’re hurt,” he said from behind her.
Her eyes closed at his nearness, at the pure maleness of him. “Just a little.”
“Let me.”
He took the bottle of peroxide and gently held her hand over the sink as he poured the liquid over the scrapes. Jane didn’t feel her cuts any longer. Not with Banan touching her.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him while he dabbed a towel at the scratches. When his thumb stroked the sensitive skin of her wrist, she shivered with need.
Breathing became impossible with him so near. She wanted to run her hands over his chest, wanted to comb her fingers into his hair. And she wanted to kiss him with a desperation that bordered on madness.
And then his fingers caressed her jaw before sliding around her neck and into her hair. Her gaze lifted to his, and the gray of his eyes had turned molten.
He still held her injured hand between them, which was the only thing separating their bodies. His heat enveloped her, encircled her.
Surrounded her.
His scent, his body, his very essence was sinking in her, through her. All the while, he continued to slowly pull her toward him.
“Jane,” he whispered as his gaze dropped to her lips.
A sigh escaped her when his head lowered to hers. He brushed her lips with his once, twice before he took her mouth in a soul-stealing kiss.
He kissed with a skill that sent her senses reeling. His lips were soft yet insistent. She was enthralled from the first touch of his mouth.
His tongue swept into her mouth, each touch a seduction. She was sinking under the weight of his desire. Falling. Tumbling.
And she never wanted it to end.
Chapter 7
Banan moaned, the taste of Jane sweeter than he could ever have imagined. He released her wrist so his arm could wrap around her waist to her back. Which allowed him to press her tighter against him.
He loved the feel of her soft curves. As good as she felt, having her hands wrap around his neck while she met his kiss was even better.
A low groan rumbled from his chest as her nails gently scraped his scalp. He tried to keep the kiss slow and casual, but his hunger for her, his yearning was too much. There was no holding back with Jane.
He deepened the kiss, inwardly grinning with masculine pride when she moaned and pressed against him.
His need goaded him into putting her onto the counter and taking her right there, right then. It was so tempting. He could picture the scene in his head, which only made his cock swell even more.
Banan gripped her hips, ready to lift her onto the counter, when his mobile phone vibrated in his pocket.
It was harder to end the kiss than he could have imagined. And when he opened his eyes, it was to find hers closed, her lips swollen from his kiss.
Slowly her lids lifted, and her dark gaze met his. The desire he saw made his balls tighten with a rush of pure, unadulterated need.
He might have ended the kiss, but he wasn’t ready to let her out of his arms. Banan reached into his back pocket and pulled out his mobile.
“Aye?” he barked into the phone.
There was a slight pause on the other end of the line before Elena said, “Ah…is everything all right?”
He sighed, and then wanted to curse when Jane stepped out of his arms and backed away from him. “Aye,” he answered Elena.
“Jane seemed…well, anxious when we left work. I wanted to know if you’d spoken with her?”
Spoken? No, Banan didn’t remember words. He recalled the kiss very well, however. He could still taste her on his tongue, could still smell the clean scent that was Jane’s alone.
“Banan?” Elena said.
He couldn’t look away from Jane as he answered, “We just reached her flat. We’ve no’ had a chance to talk.”
“Call me after you do,” Elena said, and ended the call.