“Anna,” he broke in, his voice suddenly intense and urgent. “That’s precisely why I can’t stay at FrogLeap. I can’t stand it that you treat me as if nothing ever happened between us. I can’t bear the thought that after such an incredible night together you can sweep it all under the carpet and carry on as before.”
Stunned, she gaped at him. “But that’s what we agreed,” she said faintly.
“I know, but I can’t do it. It’s killing me, Anna.”
“Killing you?” She frowned. “I hardly think so. You haven’t done or said anything out of the ordinary as far as I can tell.”
“That’s because I’m a good actor. But I can’t act forever.” He paused to rifle his fingers through his hair, and for a moment he seemed tired and tense. “I can’t hide my feelings forever.”
“Feelings?” A wild emotion gripped her heart, something that felt like a mixture of hope and fear.
Giles closed the gap between them and clasped her shoulders. The feel of his hands against her bare skin sent waves of desire crashing through her.
“Anna, I came here to ask you if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight.”
“Dinner.” She could only echo him, amazed at what she thought he was really asking her.
“Yes, dinner.” A faint smile eased some of the tension from his face. “I want to take you on a proper date. Lots of proper dates where everyone can see us and see how crazy I am for you.”
She started to shake as confirmation of what she’d secretly yearned for began to trickle into her brain. “Oh, Giles,” she murmured. “I would love to go on lots of proper dates with you.”
Relief spread across his face. “Thank you.” Leaning forward, he placed a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose. “You’re gorgeous.”
“I’m sweaty and smelly and a total mess.”
“Like I said, gorgeous.” His gaze swept over her. “I almost had a heart attack when you opened the door wearing so little. That tank top moulds to every inch of you, darling, and those shorts are enough to give me a heart attack.”
She laughed breathlessly. “I was cleaning the house.”
“Excuse me, but if you tried cleaning around me in that getup, you’d never get anything done.”
He wrapped his arms around her and dipped his head to press a tender kiss on her mouth. She melted into him, giddy with disbelief at the sudden turn of events, and kissed him back with all the fervour she’d been forced to suppress these past weeks. The kiss was threatening to get out of control when her mobile phone started to ring. She was tempted to let it go to voicemail until Giles reluctantly loosened his hold on her.
“You’d better get that,” he sighed.
“Always the professional,” she teased him as she reached for her phone.
“Anna,” Lionel’s voice boomed in her ear. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
“Um, no.” She took a couple of steps away from Giles in order to regain her composure. “What can I do for you, Lionel?”
“I realised I forgot to tell you something important at our meeting. Do you have a current passport?”
“Yes, but why?”
“We want you to represent FrogLeap at the tech con in San Francisco next month.”
For a few seconds Anna was speechless. Only experienced managers went to the con, and as a newly promoted project manager she’d never thought she’d be chosen this year, but today was turning out to be full of surprises. After a moment, she sputtered out her thanks.
“You deserve it,” Lionel assured her. “We’re all expecting big things from you, Anna.”
She repeated her thanks before she ended the call and spun back to Giles with an enormous grin.
“I’m going to the tech con in San Francisco!”
His face lit up. “Darling, that’s wonderful.”
She flung herself in his arms and kissed him passionately. After a few blissful moments, she drew back to look at him.
“But what about you? Are you sure you can’t stay at FrogLeap?”
Giles shook his head. “No. We both know that’s not an option. I want you, Anna.” His eyes grew sober again. “I suspect if you knew exactly how much I want you, it might make you a little nervous.”
“Nope. You know me; I don’t scare easily.”
“Glad to hear it, because I’m not joking, Anna. I want something serious with you.”
Her breath hitched at the deep sincerity in his expression. “Why me, Giles? You’ve been a bachelor all these years. Why settle for me?”
“God, woman, I’m not settling for you.” He squeezed her waist, his face intent. “You’re smart, intelligent, ambitious, loyal, hard-working, honest, drop dead gorgeous, and the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I’d be the luckiest man in the world if you chose to be with me.”
His heartfelt words dissolved her bones so she had to cling to him, and it was no hardship having his powerful chest to support her.
“And you are an incredible, unique man,” she whispered back, cupping his face between her hands. “No other man would do what you’ve done, passing up on the job he wanted just to be with me.”
“Anna, I can always get another job, but there’s only one you.”
His eyes burned with conviction as he lowered his mouth to hers and allowed his lips to convince her of the truth.
~THE END~