I Promise by Adrianne Byrd Page B

too?” Christian asked, amazed. She sipped her drink, grateful for its coolness as it slid down her throat. Pride gleamed in his eyes.
    â€œYeah. And as of now it’s my only full-time job.”
    â€œYou’re no longer with Opulence?”
    This time, she didn’t mistake the melancholia that possessed his features.
    â€œI’m afraid not.”
    Unsure of what to say, Christian pulled her gaze away and took another glance around her, while nodding her head. “Actually, I think this place fits you just the way it is.”
    â€œReally?” Jordan crossed his arms. “And why do you say that?”
    â€œIt’s evolving.” She returned her eyes to his. “I have a feeling you’re doing the same thing.”
    They shared a kind smile as their gazes locked. A strange emotion fluttered in her stomach and she was certain that he could hear the loud pounding of her heart.
    â€œI’d better go and pack,” he murmured.
    Christian nodded.
    Jordan didn’t move.
    Neither did she.
    His tender gaze caressed her face. Then she made the fatal mistake that always seemed to do her in. Her eyes lowered to his lips. Her knees quivered but the weakness never made it to her head.
    Once again, the memory of their kiss flooded her mind, desire twisted in her body. A hunger she had only discovered in the short time that she had known him returned and threatened to destroy her.
    Jordan’s emotions warred. His mind screamed for him to go slow. One false move could scare her away, but his heart wanted him to seize the moment. Had he imagined that magical moment in the gardens?
    Were her lips still as sweet as he remembered? Was her skin as soft? There was one way to find out. His head descended.
    The loud shrill of the telephone jolted him back into reality.
    Jordan blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
    The phone rang again.
    â€œExcuse me for a moment.”
    When he turned away, Christian released the rush of air that had been trapped in her lungs. She leaned weakly against the archway. This wasn’t a good sign. What had possessed her to agree to drive cross-country with this man?
    â€œCalm down, Charlotte,” Jordan said, smiling into the phone. “Yes, I know that this is a weird time to take a vacation. But I have every confidence that Quentin and Lewis can take care of things while I’m gone.” He turned so he could continue to watch Christian out of the corner of his eye.
    â€œYou’re overexaggerating. I won’t be gone long. A week at best.”
    Christian finished her water, then rubbed the sweating glass across her forehead.
    Jordan’s gaze lowered and assessed her long, shapely legs. She had well-defined, muscled calves and he wondered whether she had trained as a dancer.
    His gaze traveled higher to study the definitions of her backside.
    â€œJordan are you there?” Charlotte shouted into the phone.
    â€œYeah. Yeah. I’m here.”
    â€œWhy are you breathing so heavily?”
    â€œI—I’m in a hurry to get packed and everything. You don’t mind telling the guys in the office I’ll be gone for a week, do you?”
    â€œSure. No problem. But if you ask me, this is no way to start our first real week of business.”
    Jordan laughed. “Remind me not to ask you.”
    When he returned to the living room, he found Christian seated on the sofa, flipping through the spread of magazines from the coffee table.
    â€œJust give me a few minutes and we can finally get this show on the road.”
    She smiled. When he left her alone, she dispensed a sigh of relief and rolled her eyes heavenward. “God give me strength.”
    Â 
    Alex’s courage abandoned her as she met Malcolm’s curious stare. Her vision blurred and she pulled her body erect. The right thing to do never came easy.
    â€œTalk to me,” Malcolm urged.
    â€œI don’t understand why you can’t see what’s right