Pull Me Closer (Suits in Pursuit) (15 page)

He continued his delicious torture, enjoying that
she was probably beyond nervous by now, although she would never let on. “Okay, then I’ll just surprise you.”

             
“Mr. Christensen, I don’t know what you have planned or what kind of meeting you think this is, but I only have intentions to work on a game plan for how we can work together on the McBride account.” Her words were stern, and her hands trembled slightly.

             
He jerked his head toward her, his nostrils flared, heat radiating from his pores as his fiery temper reared. “Now you’re back to calling me Mr. Christensen again? Come on Kerrigan. Don’t be childish. You and I are going to spend lots of time together. In the interest of our work, I want you to be comfortable around me.”

He took a deep breath and cooled his tone
. “Tonight, I have different intentions for you and me that have nothing to do with McBride. I thought we should spend time together. You also said we needed to talk. I agree. We do need to talk.” His eyes never left the road.

“Despite what you wrote in your last email, you and I both know there is something happening between us. I
feel it, and I know you do too. You have no reason to be afraid of this or me.” He said, waving his hands between them. “I want you to trust me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

She
glanced up at him briefly, and then looked away, staring into the early evening sky. “You don’t
want
to hurt me, but if I don’t give you an opportunity to, then I’ll be sure you won’t. Now please just take me back to work. There’s no point to this evening.”

“I’m sorry Kerrigan, but that’s not going to happen. Tonight is about us, and you’re coming with me. Remember that elephant
you insist on ignoring? Well, our feelings are feeding him and he’s grown too large to ignore. Time to face the elephant.”

She swallowed hard, averted his gaze, but didn’t say another word.

Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up to an estate home with a gated entrance. The gates glided across the metal tracks and opened, and the SUV continued down a long driveway, which led to beautiful gardens graced by the presence of a magnificent house. One of the bays of the three-car garage opened and he pulled inside. She looked over at him and her mouth dropped open, her face painted with panic
.

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

Oh my god! I’m at Axel
Christensen’s house.
Kerrigan’s chest tightened, and she couldn’t breathe. The tension between them had been mounting, and she managed to push him away, but she never expected him to resort to an act of desperation this bold and daring.

The large heavy garage door screeched closed, and pitch-blackness surrounded them. Kerrigan couldn’t see anything, her eyes wide and searching. Her heart pounded so hard, she knew he could hear the hard thud against her chest. Cold air blew from the vent, sending a shiver up her spine and the goose bumps that had risen on her arms multiplied. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shielded herself from the arctic blast and him.
“I assume this is where you live. Why are we at your house? Did you forget something here?” She asked hastily, the nervous tension clinging to the end of her words sounded louder in the dark.

He opened the driver’s side door, cut
off the engine and faced her. The overhead light cast an eerie glow. “I need to be alone with you. I thought we could enjoy dinner. My housekeeper Emma rivals some of the best gourmet chefs in town.” He covered her folded hands resting in her lap and gently caressed her fingers. The sensation of his touch made her tingle from her fingertips, flowed through her core and down to her feet. She stopped breathing. She wished he didn’t affect her that way.

“And, I thought you could use a little fun. You
work much too hard. You’re always the first one in and the last one to leave.”

She frowned at him, her forehead furrowed—a question held in her eyes.
“Axel, I…”

He continued, halting her words. “
I pay attention to everything you do. You told me that you moved here for a change. I won’t let you slip back into bad habits.”

His concern penetrated her heart. “I appreciate your looking out for me.”

The tone of his voice softened, and his eyes burrowed into her flesh. “I also hoped we could spend some time together getting to know each other a little more, talking—just talking.”

Despite his protective nature, the danger warning in her mind rang out like a storm siren signaling impending disaster.
“I thought we were already getting to know each other. I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”

“I want us do something together
that isn’t work-related. We had fun hanging out at the baseball game. This is for us both.” Although he spoke with confidence, his words came out winded, his knee bounced restlessly, and his eyes darkened with an intensity she hadn’t seen before. Unmasked, his anxiety took the form of perspiration lightly glistening across his forehead. He shifted in his seat. “And, because I don’t want you on the roads so late at night, I’ve arranged the guest suite for you to sleep here overnight. I’ll take you back to the office tomorrow for your car.”

She swallowed hard.
“Axel, I don’t know what to say. Do I have any choice?”
Okay Kerrigan, Axel wants you. Breathe. Don’t panic.

He
lifted her hand and brought it to his lips, dusting it tenderly with a kiss. “Kerrigan, you always have a choice. I just want you to give me a chance. Dinner is ready. Let’s go eat. I know you’re uncomfortable. If you’re still feeling unsure after dinner, I’ll drive you home tonight and send for your car tomorrow.”

“Just one question, is this how you treat all the special ladies in your life?”
she asked.

His blue eyes sparkled magnificently drawing her in.
“You’re the only lady in my life. I want you Kerrigan, no one else.” Axel spoke so definitively and sincerely that his words jolted her. He offered no further explanation or apology, simply stated his feelings as fact.

The driver’s door flung open and then slammed shut. He
bolted to her side and offered his hand to help her out. She couldn’t believe he had gone through such great lengths, to spend time alone with her, but if he thought he was getting lucky tonight, he would be sorely mistaken—blue balls and all.

Still stunned,
she followed him down the hall. A heavenly aroma greeted them on the way to the kitchen. As they made their entrance, she glanced around noticing the expensive solid oak cabinetry stained in deep chocolate contrasted by nickel hardware. The glass tile backsplash added character, and a pop of color with its vibrant teal, green and blue toned hues.

An older woman who grabbed
Kerrigan in a tight embrace before she could object greeted them.

“
Welcome, Kerrigan!” The woman spoke her name without introduction.

The warmth of the woman’s
hug, although unexpected, eased some of her tension away, the familiar feeling like the safety of a mother’s embrace. She stiffened realizing that becoming too comfortable could be hazardous.

Releasing her, the woman placed her hands on Kerrigan’s arms,
eased back and studied her face. “Oh! Axel, she’s as lovely as you said. It’s so good to meet you. I’m Emma. Axel says the nicest things about you all the time.”

Axel closed his eyes tightly and winced. It had never occurred to
her that this strong, confident and domineering man could embarrass, but there it was riddled across his face. She didn’t know what to make of this interaction, this night of strange surprises. Slowly, he opened one eye at a time and rejoined them.

“It’s nice to meet you
too, Emma,” she said, with a question in her voice. “He says nice things about me?” She glanced at Axel again and smiled. She enjoyed seeing this side of him.

Axel
’s face turned to stone. “Yes, I make it a point to talk about all my employees and what’s happening at work.”

“He
truly does dear. But you, you hold a special place in his heart.” Emma gave Kerrigan a wink.

He grabbed her forearm and tugged her toward another doorway, yelling over his shoulder to Emma as they left.
“Okay! We’re heading to the dining room now. Kerrigan has had a long day, so let’s get her fed,” Axel said, his tone gruff.

Axel made it clear that he wanted
to spend time alone with her and break down the barriers between them. Now, trapped in his house, forced to spend an entire evening with the man, she would have no refuge from her emotions or from him.

She was perplexed and had more questions than answers. What was it about him that drove her to the brink of insanity? Why couldn’t she have been attracted to a reasonable man who was safe? Was she a glutton for punishment? Sure they shared more things in common than they had differences, he made her laugh, he was kind and gentle yet firm and commanding when he felt the need to take charge, and he was hot as hell. Why did she have to be attracted to the only man who was certain to break her heart? He was everything she wanted, but not anything she needed.

Dazzled, she shuffled from one foot to the other. “May I wash up first?” she asked.

He
gently placed his hand on the small of her back and led her down a hallway. “Yes, of course. The restroom is the first door on the left.” A slow crooked smile crept onto his lips while his eyes skimmed her over. “I’ll be in the dining room.”

As soon as she closed the door, she covered her face with her hands.
Oh my god!
Damn Ashley for being right about everything!
What should I do?
He was after her. With that knowledge, her stomach twisted, legs went weak, and heart beat wildly inside her chest. Under normal circumstances, she would have taken the time to note the charming character of the restroom, but this situation was anything but normal.

She di
d the only thing that made sense to her at the time, and she had to act quickly. An escape through the window wasn’t an option. Her hands glided over the curve of her hips. The women on her mother’s side of the family always prattled about being stacked with hips that could catch a man and birth his babies. The joke didn’t seem so funny now. Anchored against a wall, she pulled out her cell phone from her handbag and dialed Ashley.

Ashley answered on the second ring. “Hey Kerri.”

Kerrigan whispered into the phone’s speaker. “Ash, please just listen. No jokes right now okay? I’m in a predicament, and I need your advice,” she pleaded.

“
Aren’t you out with Axel right now? What? Let me guess. You’re in his bed trying to decide which position he should have you in first,” her tone indicating her amusement at Kerrigan’s heightened state of mania.

She
couldn’t find the right words, and she didn’t know exactly how to explain her situation. “Close enough. Didn’t I tell you that he wanted to discuss our work relationship?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Well, he lied.” Speaking in rapid clipped sentences, she whispered as much of the evening’s events in incoherent fashion, starting with what happened in the office. “I think he wanted me to know he was aroused. He didn’t apologize, and he didn’t even seem embarrassed.” Ashley cackled so loudly that Kerrigan had to mute the phone until she was done. “Kerri, what did you expect the man to say, ‘sorry, you gave me a hard on’?” Ashley laughed again.

Kerrigan rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t professional behavior.”

“Uh, I don’t think Axel is very interested in behaving professionally with you. I think he’s interested in X-rated behavior with you.”

Sinking to the floor in a squat, she let her frustration bleed through the phone. “Ash, I’m at his house right now, and
I’m freaking out. What should I do?”

“
So, you really
do
want to know which position he should have you in first,” Ashley said and then snorted.

“No!
Cut it out, Ash! He kidnapped me. I have to get out of here. I can’t fit through this damn window. The hallway opens into the foyer across from the dining room, where he’s waiting for me. Even if I managed to sneak pass, an alarm might sound when I open the door. Plus, I don’t think I could propel the metal security gate. Do you think he has watch dogs?” Her voice trembled, on the verge of tears.

“Okay. Okay. Okay.
Kerri, you need to calm down. The man likes you. His attraction to you isn’t that terrible. Is it? Actually, I think it’s romantic. Just go with it. You’re freaking out because you like him too. I don’t think Axel is the type to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Getting up from her squat, she
stood, and paced the bathroom floor. “I just don’t know what to do or say. I can barely speak around him. I’m a bumbling idiot. Oh, why is this happening?” She pressed her right hand against her forehead.

“First of all, I hate you and so does every single woman who has ever laid
their eyes on Axel Christensen. Secondly, stop thinking. Go with your heart. I’d tell you to go with another part of your anatomy, but I have a feeling that will happen soon enough.”

“
This isn’t funny. I’m terrified.”

“Kerri, relax. He’s just a
man who likes you. Granted he’s fine-as-hell, smart and super rich, but underneath it all, he’s a vulnerable man like all the rest. Be yourself and stop calling me.”

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly.
“Okay. Thanks Ash. If you don’t hear from me again, just remember where I told I’d been taken.”

“Kerri, you’re
crazy. Now go get some of Axel’s rod! Goodbye.” Ashley laughed again as she hung up.

She appreciated her friend
, but sometimes Ashley was simply too much. Kerrigan stared at her reflection in the mirror. What did he see in her? She washed her hands and fixed her hair. Taking another deep breath, she opened the bathroom door and walked out, heading toward the dining room.

Axel was seated when Kerrigan approached
. He stood as soon as she made her entrance. He appreciated seeing her walk into the room in all her flustered glory. Pulling out the tufted parsons chair next to his, he held out his hand to help her into the seat. She tried to withdraw her small trembling hand from his immediately. He wrapped his fingers tightly around hers; firmly clutching her delicate hand so that she couldn’t escape, and then he looked into her eyes. Those hazel eyes—he could get lost in them. The moment was surreal, one that he had fantasized about so many times in the past year that he wondered if she were actually there. When she blinked, it jolted him back to reality. A rush of excitement and jittery nerves coursed through his gut, as though someone had just knocked the wind out of him. The feeling passed in an instant, and he regained control of his emotions.