Hands ran through his hair, soft fingers grazing his scalp, a sharp tug every single time they passed his nape. His hands gripped brunette tresses of hair, his head tilted… as flames spread down the side of his neck, simmering down his chest, lips pressing softly against his jaw, moving up, and up…
Teeth subtly nipped his ear, an eruption of heat followed, his breath deepened, jasmine and honey flooded his lungs, desire intensified, his closed eyes fluttered, his hand tightened…
Sweet lips softly lowered, a drugging wine as they sipped on his…
Again…
And again…
The wood groaned under his other hand, curled around the edge of the desk.
He leaned in, moving against her lips, drugging taste filling his mouth…
He wanted more…
Uncurling his fingers, he moved his hand to rest behind her, laid flat on the desk. He leaned his body forward, bringing them closer together as she drove him crazy.
Gripping her hair more tightly, his head bent as he deepened the kiss, flooding his senses more, hunger increasing….
Her hands grabbed his shoulders, a soft moan leaving her lips….
That sound driving him wild….
His beast demanding to feed to gluttony…
He indulged…
Hand curling along her hip, fingers grazing her bare back, he urged her further up, sitting her on the edge of the desk, grabbing her lower neck….
A force suddenly hit his chest, forcing him to step back.
His beast snarled….
He took a step back towards her…
She placed stopping hand on his chest, heat beaming through to his skin, but still, it gave him slight pause…
Looking at her, he saw the resolution enter her eyes once again; one he thought he had finally wore down.
She took a deep breath in.
"You need to stop," she started.
He raised his eyebrows, a hand running through his hair, frustrated.
All he wanted to do was kiss her…
Over…
And over…
And over again.
The beast clamouring for him to do so much more…
"Fine," she sighed, head facing upwards, "We both need to stop."
Stepping forward, he placed slight pressure on her hand, her touch seeping through more.
"Okay." Voice gruff, he agreed, despite his unwillingness to do so.
She shook her head, shocked at his compliance as well.
"You said that before."
A small smile played on his lips as he remembered grabbing her the moment she had followed him after he walked away into the office, the beast uncaged as he turned and gave into the urge, his name a whisper on her lips as he had kissed her, already ravenous for another taste, his hands full of her hair as he held her immobile for his assault.
"And the time before that."
A smile graced her face as well, the licks of flame in her eyes as they recalled how she had grabbed his face as she had been about to walk out of the door, pulling him in, kissing him with such passion the beast had purred, fire burning him as he ran his fingers down her back to tug her closer, as the kiss deepened, the door slamming behind them.
"And the time…"
Reaching across, he placed a feather light touch with his finger to her lips, quieting her.
"Point received." He replied.
He brought his other hand, placing it over Steffy's as it rested palm down on his chest, inches from his fast paced heartbeat.
Her tongue slipped out, a tentative lick on the pad of his finger, mouth opening to envelope his finger, hot suction following.
His breath sucked in…
Her eyes hooded…
His hand curled around her wrist, moving her wrist to his hip…
He swiftly stepped forward…
Finger released, he grabbed her jaw, leaning down…
A quick peck to her lips…
He inhaled her exhaled breath…
Another quick peck on lips so soft…
He swooped in, her lips parting at his urging as he delved deeper…
Kissed her harder…
Longer…
He held her hand, their fingers entwined, to his hip, insignificant distance between them, fire rising, scorching…
Her fingers grabbing his hip, she urged him forward…
He leaned back prolonging the distance…
Fingers sliding down to the base of her neck, thumb pushing her head back…
A touch of his lips at the corner of her mouth…
Cascading kisses down her neck, a gentle bite at her pulse point…
Her hand grabbed his forearm, nails biting into his skin…
Flames leapt…
Her head fell back further as he leisurely licked the bite…
Again she urged him closer, moving their entwined hands to his back.
He allowed it…
Stepping forward…
Close enough for heat to pulsate between them as they kissed…
His hand travelling town her bared back, currents of fire moving down…
Her hand found its way back, gripping his hair…
He kissed her deeper, pushing her up the desk, her legs caught between his…
His beast rumbled, the sound pouring past his lips and into her mouth…
As her hand travelled to his neck…
She tilted her face away from him, her hand pushing him back yet again…
He fought to control the beast in its discontent.
"Steffy," he whispered, his thumb circling her skin just below her jaw.
"I…," she took a heavy breath.
Her hand moved to his shoulder, pulsing heat penetrating him.
"We…," she stopped yet again.
Silence followed, and he waited, patient.
She finally turned her head, their eyes colliding, awareness jolting yet again.
More alive…
More potent…
He breathed in, calming down the urge to kiss her again, her scent making it harder…
Slowly driving him mad…
"I won't kiss you again," he promised. She scoffed in response, tilting her head, her eyebrows raised.
"I won't," he reiterated, moving his hand to the base of her hair.
Moving in closer to her, his eyes locked onto hers…
The sentient awareness rose…
"No matter how much I want to," he breathed on her lips.
Placing a kiss on her cheek, he stepped back, coldness washing over him the moment her hands left him.
"I should be getting back to Genevieve," she said as she stood straight.
"Okay."
As she passed him, her scent travelling with the wind to tease his senses once more, he couldn't resist the urge his beast created in him.
Raising his arm, he let his fingers slightly grasp her arm…
She stopped…
He pulled her back, slowly, her back to his front, his mouth by her ear…
Running his hand to the spot just between her shoulders, he felt the jump in her as the electricity hummed between them…
Lightly trailing his hands down her spine, he watched her…
The way her head slightly fell forward, the way her breath stopped, only to start up again, a faster, shorter pace…
"I'll see you tomorrow." He whispered on her nape, resisting the urge to place a kiss there.
Steffy took a step forward…
Stopped…
Her head turned back to look at him…
Her eyes full of unmistakable hunger
He felt his eyes heat in response…
"Tomorrow," her parting words as she then turned, the office door bringing in the sounds of the dancefloor, bringing in with it a dose of reality.
Grabbing his phone out of his pocket as he walked towards the door, reality came knocking a little bit harder.
Seven missed calls from Katie…
A week later
She was avoiding him.
He knew it and she knew it. They both did. He assumed that she would have wanted to talk it out with him, acknowledge its existence. Instead the past week had passed in his witness of her evasive manoeuvring techniques.
Every single time Steffy had to present him with a concept, or a stage plan, or some other glitch in regards to the fashion show that was fast approaching, she always made sure that someone else was present. He didn't know how she did it, but she did. He sat there, across from her, the sight of her so close taunting him, listening to her, barely caring about the details, wanting her to, urging her to just…look at him.
Simply…
Wanting…
Her...
He knew the end result for the show would surpass even her expectations. He had unshakable faith in her fashion prowess.
Every time she just sat there, focused on everything but him.
It made his beast …irate.
He felt it, stronger with every exposure to her presence, that unwavering energy between them, a foretelling running down his spine before she walked into the room, heightening the moment she stepped in, increasing every second she was in his company. He could tell she was as aware of it as he was, her hand constantly running across her neck whenever it pulsated to another higher frequency, heightening.
Genevieve, a constant companion for a majority of their encounters always gave him a perceptive look whenever their eyes passed each other, plus another one whenever she entered or left the room. Steffy had no doubt informed her of their history, and what had become their present.
He didn't care…
He just wanted her to do something, anything…
Some deity must have deigned to hear his request a few days later when, walking the ladies to the elevator, Genevieve excused herself, informing Steffy she would meet her back at Forrester. The look of surprise that flashed across her face told him that this had not been an original part of her plan to avoid him for yet another day. He spotted Justin in the corner of his eye as he followed Genevieve into his office. The ding of the elevator signalled its arrival, and before she even had the chance to formulate some kind of excuse to get her out of getting in, he placed a hand at her back, nudging her forward into the carriage space.
As she stepped in front of him, no doubt having felt the tingle of his hand as much as he had felt the sudden thump of his heart, he waited for the elevator doors to close.
She started to turn around, only to find herself backed against the wall in the corner, her jaw secured in his hand, her hands flat on the mirror behind her, his arm beside her head, somewhat caging her in.
"Why've you been avoiding me?"
"You know why," she responded back.
"You don't want to talk about it?"
"I don't think there is anything to talk about."
He forced her head back, leaning into her, their faces closer together.
"Bullshit."
"Come on Bill. Just forget about it. Pretend it didn't happen, let it go."
His beast, agitated each day he had not heard her sweet voice, felt her wondrous touch, kissed her addictive lips ….growled at the suggestion.
"And if I can't?"
She didn't respond, a frustrated sigh leaving her mouth.
"And if I won't?" he asked again.
Her silence persisted.
"And if I refuse to?"
She tried to look to the side, away from him but he kept his grip on her jaw firm.
"And if I don't want to?"
He asked, her green eyes showing specks of slight exasperation, struggle and…
Craving…
He stepped closer, his body barely brushing hers, his hand sliding to connect with her nape, his thumb by her ear.
"What then?"
The emotions played again in her eyes, her breathing growing short, fast, laboured…
Tilting his head, he leaned in close until his nose touched hers, and looking into her eyes, he told her the truth he was coming to realise.
"This feeling, this… whatever it is… between you and me… it is existent."
She began to slowly shake her head, as if denying it would make it go away. She lowered her eyes, breaking away from his gaze, attempting to disconnect from him.
Something inside him, deep inside him, refused to let her.
Dropping his head down until his eyes met hers once more he declared,
"It's not going away, it's here, and it's happening," his voice hoarse and soft.
She closed her eyes.
The ding of the elevator had him stepping back from her a second before the doors slid open, the ground level reached.
As she walked out of the elevator, he told her,
"Stop avoiding it, stop avoiding me."
The doors slid shut on her looking back at him, uncertainty in her eyes, craving ever present.
Now days later he found himself across the desk once more. The fashion show, scheduled a mere fortnight after the Forrester takeover, was looming on the horizon, the venue undergoing preparations, final modifications being put on the designs.
"Caroline finished adding her touches on the designs, with Ridge's input to make it appeal more to the male demographic." Genevieve continued to brief him and everyone present on the developments and bumps in the road they had encountered.
Steffy sat next to her. He could tell with his peripheral vision that she had her hand running along her neck, as it had been for the last two minutes. He could feel the increase in the pull and he had ben trying his best to avoid looking her way, despite the manner in which his beast would purr when he did.
Fifteen long minutes later, they wrapped up the meeting, everyone leaving except the debriefing team from Forrester, Justin and Wyatt. Genevieve looked at Justin, who seemed to have been surreptitiously avoiding her gaze throughout the whole meeting. Bill smiled on the inside, knowing his friend had no idea what he was in store for, and hoping he had the steel conviction to ride it through. He had a feeling the French designer would be good for him, spice him up just enough.
Wyatt had become Bill's partial liaison at Forrester Creations, having helped his mother establish herself in the company; he had given him the opportunity to prove his acumen in managing his fashion aspects of the job, allowing him to be the voice of the Spencer interests. He was off to the side, talking to the rest of the debriefing team, Steffy among them.
Knowing they would inform him if any other paramount decisions were reached, he left the conference room, heading for his office, the tycoon in him already working on how best to achieve the business deals he wanted sorted out before the end of the month. Having become lost in the work in front of him, he was standing at the edge of his desk, screens uploaded with images of his deals, his mind sorting out how he was going to dip his toe further into the….
He felt the tug in his chest…
He heard the soft click of his door…
Energy banked in him…
The definitive sound of heels approaching…
Jasmine and honey seeped into his lungs…
Turning around, he saw her approaching him, with measured steps, contemplation written on her face, in her eyes…
He stood still…
Waiting…
Steffy sauntered up to him, her eyes on his, her hands coming to rest on his forearms as they held the desk
She lifted herself unhurriedly…
Her lips met his…
Soft and sweet…
A brush across his…
No deeper…
Yet powerful…
She stepped back and he saw a conviction enter her eyes as she raised her hand, rubbing it across his lips.
A small smile on her lips, she turned around and began to walk away.
The next morning, thoughts of her still plagued his head, but he pushed them to the back burner, along with the dribbles of conscience that told him he should feel some fostered guilt regarding how he felt, on whose image it was that brought a stutter to his heartbeat.
He found that he didn't.
Backstage of Forrester was humming with movement, people rushing around, putting the final touches on the specifications, Genevieve working with Ridge and Caroline to deliver final alterations to the designs for the fashion show that was set to debut in no less than an hour. The press was clamouring outside, finding their designated seats. Justin was beside him, his eyes actively looking at the French designer.
"She's gotten under your skin," he said to his friend, loving the look of annoyance that passed his face.
"I wouldn't say that." He said, rebuking Bill's statement.
"How do you figure that? By the way you can't seem to stop looking at her right now?"
"Whatever." Justin snapped, causing Bill to laugh.
Justin looked at him, his eyebrows raised, letting Bill know what he was about to say. He beat him to it.
"We're not talking about me right now. We're talking about you." Bill poked Justin's shoulder to emphasize his point, snickering once again when his gaze snapped to Geneveive when her voice rose, alerting everyone at backstage that they had less than forty minutes to the show.
He stopped his snickering when the awareness slid down his spine.
She was here.
She was a sight for sore eyes, the time since he had seen her last seeming much longer than it had been.
Smiling, she walked over, giving her father a quick hug, his niece as well. They talked for a few minutes, Genevieve vividly gesturing with her hands to Steffy, who grabbed her hands, nodding her head, agreeing to whatever the designer was requesting. Genevieve's smile beamed as she clapped her hands together. Steffy shook her head, smiling as well as she walked away towards the office area, a heated look as their eyes locked briefly.
He found his feet moving towards her, yelling over his shoulder,
"I'll be right back Justin."
He heard the man's laughter as he walked away.
She turned into the first office. He followed her in.
Shutting the door behind him, he went to ask her if she was ready to knock the fashion industry on its feet.
Steffy pushed him back against the door before he had even got a word out, her fingers running up his neck, in his nape as she pulled his head down…
Her lips opening over his as she took…
And took…
And he found himself helpless to do anything but stand there, hands on her hips, pulling her closer as he gave it all…
Too soon for his liking she stepped back, pausing just to swipe his lip with her tongue, his beast growling at her action.
"There, now I'm ready," her voice soft.
She moved to step back from him, but he tightened his grip on her hips, pulling her flush against him, her breath rushing out of her at the act, but his beast demanded he claim, and plan to he did…
Swooping down he kissed her again, deeper, longer, slower, a muted gasp leaving her mouth as her fingers tightened in his hair, running down to grab his shoulders, back into his hair, pathways of heat flaming him from within…
Growling low, he pushed her back, smirking at how astonished she looked, not being able to resist dipping his head once again, biting the edge of her lip lightly, her hands tightening in his hair…
"Now you're ready."
He grinned at her, stepping out of the room and walked back towards where he had left Justin, a slight spring in his step.
His advisor was in a heated conversation with Genevieve. Bill reconsidered, turning to make his way to the showroom and take his heat. Genevieve's voice stopped him.
"Mr. Spencer, Justin was just looking for you."
Bill turned around; Justin's clenched jaw telling him he did not like being dismissed.
Genevieve blew him a kiss before she turned and returned to the models. Justin stared at her back for a moment, before he stormed over to Bill who had to resist the urge to smirk.
"Wyatt, Liam." He greeted his sons, taking his seat next to them, Ivy backstage helping with the show.
Wyatt exuded an excited vibe, no doubt itching to see the result of their hard work. And the theme of the show didn't hurt, neither did them rubbing it in Rick's face that he had been bested, Eric as well, even if he was an unanticipated casualty. Feelings of betrayal ran rampant between father and son, but he would soon get over it. He had no choice to.
The thought had him looking at Liam, who seemed happy in his current relationship. But there was always that possibility that he still held a torch for Steffy. And if he did…would he stand in the way of reconciliation between them?
His beast barked at the notion, answering from him, the Neanderthal in him beating his chest in fury at the thought.
Further musings were delayed as the stage darkened, the room quieted.
The show was set to begin…