Forbidden Passion Excerpt

“Can’t sleep either?” a deep voice asked softly.

Ciara jumped and spun around, finding him sitting on the sofa, wreathed in shadows. 

Falk stood up and, silently moved over to a shelf.  She heard him pour something, then he came towards her.  “This might help,” he offered.

Ciara took the proffered drink and sniffed.  “Whiskey?”

“It’s an excellent year.  There’s just a hint of smoke and an aftertaste of something I can’t quite put my finger on.”

Ciara sighed with relief when he moved back to the sofa and sat down.  “Why are you still awake?”

He shrugged and took a sip of his whiskey.  “Too many thoughts running through my mind.”

She sat down where she’d been earlier, tucking her robe around her legs.  Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice that she wasn’t dressed properly for a conversation with an attractive man.

Not that she considered him attractive.  He was.  But Ciara didn’t consider Falk to be her type.  He was definitely too dictatorial for her taste.  In the past, she’d heard him giving orders to his staff instead of asking politely.  Plus, he just seemed like the kind who enjoyed telling people what to do. 

“Why are you still up?” he asked.

She grinned, grateful that he couldn’t see her smile.  “Too many thoughts running through my mind,” she parroted. 

He laughed softly, nodding his head.  “The night is usually the time when I work through most of my problems.  The days are usuallyntoo busy with meetings and reports.  The night is when I have the peace to figure stuff out.”

“Not me,” she replied with a heavy sigh, taking a sip of the whiskey.  “It’s the time when I pound on my pillow in frustration.”

“I could resolve that frustration for you,” he offered.

Ciara had just taken a sip of her whiskey, but at his words, she choked. 

When she recovered, Ciara glared at him.  “That’s not funny.”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny,” he came right back.  “I was, again, offering to ease your stress from earlier today.”

Slowly, she shook her head, feeling her hair brush against the back of her neck.  In fact, every part of her felt more…alive.  Or alert? 

“No thanks.  I’m not into casual sex.”

He chuckled and she was grateful for the lack of light as her cheeks flamed with heat.

“I was only going to suggest a back rub,” he said, already standing up and coming around the low coffee table. 

Panicked, Ciara shifted, lifting her glass out of the way in preparation for standing up.  “I don’t…You don’t need to…!”

“Shut up, Ciara,” he growled as he sat down beside her.