A blast of heat and need shot through him, rocking him to his bones.
She still had the door open, one hand gripping the knob as if for support. Her wary gaze was locked on him and Shane nearly regretted coming over here. Nearly.
"Afraid to close the door?" he teased. "Worried about what might happen?"
She slammed it shut. "No."
Turning her back on him, she walked to her sofa, sat down in one corner of it and drew her knees to her chest. Focusing her attention on the television set, she proceeded to ignore him. Completely.
What kind of twisted guy was he that he was enjoying this?
He took a seat on the sofa, too, but watched her instead of the TV. "I just thought we should talk."
"Ah," she said, not taking her eyes off the old movie on the television, "because it went so well earlier today."
"No, because it didn't."
She sighed, tightened her arms around her updrawn legs and said, "Shane, there's absolutely nothing left to say, you know?"
"We can't just leave it like this, Rachel."
Finally she shifted a look at him and he saw her eyes, green and soft, and felt a ripple of something warm move through him.
"I know," she said quietly. "I've been thinking about it all night."
Shane's insides fisted. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like what was coming next. The expression on her face warned him that whatever she was thinking, it wasn't pleasant. Still, he'd never been a coward. "And what did you come up with?"
"There's really only one thing to do."
"Yeah?" Wary now, he kept his gaze fixed on hers and saw regret flash quickly across the surface of her eyes. He braced himself and even then, he wasn't prepared for what she said next.
"I'm turning in my two weeks notice."
Chapter 8
"What?"
It did Rachel's heart good to see how shocked he was by her resignation. But it didn't change anything. In the last couple of hours, she'd done a lot of thinking.
She'd sat through George Bailey's problems, watched the resolution and cried when Clarence got his wings. But somewhere during her movie marathon, she'd come to grips with what she knew she had to do.
Her heart ached, but there was simply no other reasonable option. If she stayed at The Buzz, working with Shane, she'd never be able to move on with her life.
She'd always be in love with him. No other man would be able to compare to him, so she'd end up alone and watching old Christmas movies in the dark by herself.
So as painful as this was, there really wasn't any choice.
"What're you talking about?" Shane demanded, jumping to his feet and glaring down at her. "You can't quit."
"I just did." She met his gaze squarely and hoped he couldn't read on her face the misery she was feeling.
"This is your solution? Running away?"
"I'm not running, I'm sitting."
"If that's a joke, I'm not smiling."
"Neither am I," she said, unfolding her legs and pushing off the couch. Starting to feel just a little bit cornered, she made a move to walk into the kitchen, but Shane's hand on her upper arm stopped her in her tracks. She stared down at his hand for a long couple of seconds before lifting her gaze to his.
He let her go, jammed his hands into his pockets and muttered, "You can't quit on me, Rachel. Not because-"
"You can't even say it," she said with a slow shake of her head. "Because we had sex, Shane. And I think it's a pretty good reason to quit."
"I don't." He pulled his hands free of his pockets, scooped them both through his hair, then let them fall to his sides. "Damn it, we're a team. We work great together. You really want to throw away four good years because of one night?"
No. What she wanted was to have more than one night, but she couldn't very well tell him that, now could she? Just as she couldn't tell him that it would be impossible for her to pretend indifference to him now that she knew what it was like to be in his arms. How could she arrange his dates with other women when her own heart would be breaking?
"No." One word, firmly spoken. "You don't need me, Shane. You won the competition. You're the head honcho now."
"Which means I'll need you even more."
"No, it doesn't. You're just used to having me there. You'll survive." She wasn't entirely sure she would, but that was her problem.
"Don't do this, Rachel."
"I have to."
"I won't accept your resignation."
She smiled. At the core of him, Shane Elliott would always have a healthy ego.
"That won't stop me."
"What will?"
"Nothing."
He stepped in close. So close that the scent of his cologne reached for her, dragging her in closer for a deeper breath. She closed her eyes. If she looked up into those green eyes of his, she'd be lost. If she saw his mouth only inches from hers, she wouldn't be able to resist taking another taste of him.
His hands dropped onto her shoulders and she felt the heat of his touch slide deep within her.
"I won't stop trying to change your mind," he warned, his voice deep, ragged.
"I know that."
His hands tightened on her. "Look at me."
"I'd rather not," she admitted.
He sighed. "I came over here tonight to-I don't know. Apologize for last night?"
She winced.
He stroked one hand over her hair, his fingers sliding through the silky strands. "But now that I'm here with you again, an apology is the last thing on my mind."
"Shane-"
"Open your eyes, Rachel."
She did and instantly felt swamped by the emotions churning in his gaze. Her stomach dipped and rolled, her heartbeat jumped into a fast gallop and a curl of something warm and delicious settled low inside her. "Shane, this isn't a good idea."
"Probably not," he allowed, lowering his head infinitesimally.
She licked her lips, heard her blood humming in her veins and knew without a doubt that if she let him kiss her, she was only asking for more trouble. Being with him again would only make their inevitable parting that much harder.
And yet …
She'd wanted more than one night with him. This was her chance. This was her chance to have him seduce her. The night before had been her idea. Tonight, Shane was the one taking charge. Showing her how much he wanted her.
And if she couldn't have his love, then tonight, she'd settle for being wanted.
He kissed her and Rachel leaned into him, giving herself over to the glory of his mouth on hers. To the solid strength of him towering over her. To the feel of his hands sliding down her back and beneath the waistband of her pale green sweats.
His big hands cupped her bottom and pulled her tight against him. So tight that she felt his erection, hard and thick, pressed into her abdomen. Swirls of longing, of need swept through her like the ripples on a pond after a stone's been thrown in. Over and over again, sensations crested, fell and rose again.
She moaned and twisted her hips against his. In response, he pulled her even more tightly to him, grinding his mouth against hers. His tongue claimed her, mating with her own in a wild, frenetic dance of desire that pulsed in the air around them both.
Rachel's fingers dug into his shoulders and she held on for all she was worth.
Her knees wobbled and the world tipped slightly off-center. But she didn't care.
Nothing was more important than the feeling of Shane's arms around her, his body pressed to hers.
Laboring for air, Shane broke the kiss, stared down into her eyes and gave her butt a squeeze. "Yes?" he asked, his voice broken with need.
"Oh, yes," she said and leaped at him, wrapping her legs around his hips and hanging on as he started for her bedroom.
One corner of her brain couldn't believe she was doing this again. Compounding one mistake with another exactly like it couldn't be the right thing to do. But then again, if she was quitting her job anyway, she might as well make the most of the time she had with the man she loved.
Reaching down between their bodies, she slid one hand down to the zipper of his slacks and when she pulled it down, he sucked in air like a dying man trying for one last gasp. Her fingers curled around the hard, thick length of him and he tucked his face into the curve of her neck. His teeth and tongue worked at her flesh as if the very taste of her meant life itself.
Rachel saw stars exploding behind her eyes. Every square inch of her body felt alive with sensation and almost too sensitized. And she wanted more.
Now.
"Can't wait," he muttered thickly and stopped just outside her bedroom door. He set her on her feet, dragged her clothes off and tossed them to one side, then lifted her again.