IGNITING DESIRE - BURNING FOR YOU SERIES

The moment their eyes met, something dangerous ignited.

Callie Morgan had never believed in love at first sight. Lust? Sure. A fleeting pulse of attraction? Absolutely. But what roared to life inside her the moment she laid eyes on him was far more treacherous. It was raw, it was primal-and it was immediate.

He stood across the crowded lobby of the Carlton Hotel, dressed in a crisp black suit that molded to his tall, broad-shouldered frame like it had been stitched by sin itself. His hair was tousled to perfection, dark like espresso, and his jaw was the kind that made women stare too long and forget to breathe. But it was his eyes that undid her. Piercing and dark, like they held secrets no man had any business knowing. He wasn't smiling. He didn't need to. He looked at her like he already knew what she tasted like.

Callie blinked, tried to look away.

She couldn't.

The moment held. A beat too long.

She was here for work-her first luxury event as an independent event planner. The stakes were high, her nerves already rattled, and now this stranger-this devastatingly hot stranger-was looking at her like she was tonight's entertainment.

She sucked in a breath, turning her attention back to her clipboard, praying he didn't walk over.

He did.

"Excuse me," he said, his voice like velvet smoke, low and intimate. "Are you in charge of this event?"

Callie glanced up. Dear God, he smelled good-woodsy, clean, and expensive. She forced herself to stay professional, even as heat coiled in her belly. "Yes. I'm the event planner. Can I help you?"

"I hope so," he said with a smirk that curled the edge of his mouth in a way that was both maddening and irresistible. "I'm looking for the executive suite. I was told to check in here."

She flicked her eyes to his luggage-sleek black leather, monogrammed. "You must be a VIP guest. I can walk you over."

"Appreciated," he said smoothly. "I'm Jace."

Callie hesitated for a second. The name sounded familiar.

She froze. Jace Bennett.

Oh hell. Jace Bennett.

Billionaire investor. The man whose name was attached to half the building projects in the city. The client backed the company that hired her. Her stomach twisted.

And here she was, ogling him like he wasn't forbidden fruit dressed in Armani.

She extended her hand. "Callie Morgan. Welcome to Carlton."

His hand engulfed hers-warm, confident, a slow slide of heat-and lingered for just a second longer than necessary. Her pulse kicked.

He noticed.

"I like the way you say my name," he murmured.

She blinked. "I didn't say it."

"You did. In your head."

She laughed, nervous and breathy, and turned on her heel before she did something ridiculous like melt. "Follow me."

The walk to the elevator was short, but the silence was loaded. Every step next to him was like walking beside a storm about to crack open the sky. He didn't talk. He just watched her, and she felt it-every slow, sweeping glance that skimmed over the curve of her waist, the swing of her hips, the bare skin at the nape of her neck.

She tried to stay cool. Tried.

The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped inside. The moment the doors shut behind them, the tension tripled.

He stepped closer. Not touching-never touching-but close enough she could feel the warmth of his body. Smell his cologne. Imagine things she had no business imagining.

"Is it always this hot in here?" he asked, voice low and lazy.

Her breath hitched. "It's the suit."

"Ah." He glanced down at himself. "Too much?"

"Only if you're trying to kill someone with it."

He chuckled, a sound rich and masculine. "Tell me, Callie, are you always this charming, or is it just me?"

She turned to him, brows raised. "Are you always this forward, or am I just lucky?"

His eyes darkened. "Depends on what kind of luck we're talking about."

The elevator dinged.

Thank God.

Callie practically fled the moment the doors opened, stepping out into the quiet luxury of the penthouse floor. She walked him to the double doors of the executive suite, her heels clicking on the marble.

"This is your room," she said, suddenly hyper-aware of how alone they were on this floor. "Everything's been prepared per your assistant's requests. If you need anything else-"

"I need something."

She looked up.

He was watching her again, gaze searing. Intimate.

"I need to know if you're single."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Callie," he said, voice dropping. "You've got this look in your eyes. The way you bite your lip when you're nervous? It's distracting as hell. And I'm trying to be a gentleman here. But you're not making it easy."

Her lips parted.

He took a step closer. "Tell me to back off. Tell me you're not interested. And I'll walk into that suite and shut the door."

She should've. God, she should have.

But her mouth was dry. Her heart raced. And the part of her that had been numb for far too long stirred with a hungry purr.

"I'm not dating anyone," she whispered.

That was all the invitation he needed.

His hand slid behind her neck, tilting her chin up, and his mouth found hers in a kiss that was all heat and danger and want. Her breath caught as his lips pressed into hers-soft at first, testing, teasing-then hungry, urgent. He kissed like a man who didn't play games. Like he already knew how to unravel her.

Callie moaned, her hands gripping the lapels of his jacket as his tongue swept into her mouth. Heat surged between her thighs. She forgot who he was, why she shouldn't be doing this. All she knew was the way his body felt against hers, hard and unrelenting. The way her skin sparked under his touch.

Then reality crashed down like ice water.

She pulled back, breathless. "Wait."

He froze, breathing hard, his hands still framing her face.

"I-I can't," she said, chest heaving. "This isn't... I'm not that girl. And you're-God, you're my client's investor."

His jaw tensed. But he didn't look angry. He looked intrigued.

"Then I guess we'll have to pretend this didn't happen."

She stared at him, heart pounding, lips swollen.

He turned, swiped his key card, and stepped inside the suite.

But before he shut the door, he looked over his shoulder. "But if I were just some guy... I'd already have you against this wall, making you scream my name."

The door clicked shut.

Callie stood there, trembling.

The forbidden spark had lit something inside her.

And now... it was only a matter of time before it burned out of control.