EMMA'S POV
The raw, exhilarating certainty of his kiss was a shock to my entire system. It wasn't the tentative, fragile connection of a first date; it was a physical acknowledgment of an emotional contract that had been forming between us for months. He had kissed me with the focused intensity he used to close a merger, and it demanded my full attention.
"I'm tired of waiting, Emma," he'd said. The words echoed in the empty apartment, and I finally understood that the waiting was his strategy, his form of control—he hadn't pushed me until I was ready to meet him halfway.
"That was… a very effective executive decision," I managed, my voice still breathless. My hand remained on his chest, feeling the heavy, steady thud of his heart.
He didn't smile, but the intensity in his dark eyes didn't waver. "Is that all I get? A professional review?"
