His Millionaire Maid(12)

But, as if he knew and wanted to torment her, he released her nipple and began to lick the valley between her breasts. The sensation was novel to her, and she clutched his shoulders for support. Joe’s thick black hair tickled her breasts as he slowly inched his way down toward her belly button.

Instinctively she wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him into her. As his groin made contact with her, the unmistakable bulge in his pants pressed up between her thighs, perfectly poised at her entrance. Holy mother… Her brain almost fried as she registered his size and hardness and position. Just two layers of fabric lay between them.

The image of Joe’s erection triggered the first stirrings of panic. Any moment now Joe would slide his hand inside her pants, and once he touched her down there she’d be lost. She’d agree to everything and anything he wanted. Anything. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t imagine doing with Joe, and that was pretty damn exciting—but at the same time it was out-of-this-world scary.

Alarmed, she pushed an arm out and knocked over a mug filled with pens. It thudded to the ground, the noise breaking the spell. Joe’s head lifted from her stomach. His hazy eyes fixed on her, and she could almost see his rationality returning. Blinking, he slowly straightened, his hands falling away from her, and chilly air cooled the fire that burned in her. She pushed herself off the desk and, with a belated rush of modesty, crossed her arms over her breasts. Talk about shutting the stable door after the horse had bolted.

Without a word, Joe retrieved her sweater from the floor and carefully pulled it over her head, helping her arms into the sleeves like she was a three-year-old.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice wooden. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

He was still treating her as if she were an immature child and he the responsible adult. That wasn’t fair. She grimaced at him. “Why not? I enjoyed it.”

His hands curled into fists. “As usual, you’re not considering the big picture. You’re my employee. I never, ever cross the line with my employees. It’s unprofessional and unethical, and it can lead to messy, expensive sexual harassment claims, which I really don’t need.”

“I don’t see the problem.” She’d been alarmed at how quickly things had heated up between them, but now that he’d drawn back, perversely she wished he hadn’t. “It’s not like I’m going to sue you.”

“How do I know that for sure?”

“Because…” She didn’t need the money or the bad publicity, but Joe didn’t know that. “Because I wouldn’t.”

“That’s so reassuring,” he snapped sarcastically. “But besides that, it’s also bad for my other employees if they see me fooling around with you.”

“No one saw us.”

Joe’s face darkened. “And you’re forgetting the biggest reason of all—you’re bad for my concentration, and I never, ever repeat the same mistake.”

She scowled back at him. “I’m getting sick of your never, ever rules. Why can’t we have some fun? We’re not hurting anyone.”

“And that’s all this is? Some harmless fun?”

“Sure.” She widened her eyes at him. He wasn’t the only one who could be sarcastic. “I’m not expecting you to fall in l-love with me.”

Shoot, why had she stammered on the word “love,” as if it meant something to her?

A wary look shadowed Joe’s face. “You can’t say it, can you?”

“Can you?” Instantly she was back on the offense.

“I have no intentions of saying that word.” He backed away as if she were a live grenade. “Christ, how did this conversation end up here?”

“You kissed me, and we both liked it, but you don’t want to take it any further.”

“God, Nina. You’re such a…a minx, it’s too hard to think straight around you, but you need to know I mean what I say.”

Joe pushed his fingers through his hair, making it even more tousled and sexy. Nina’s heart contracted in an odd spasm. Why did every little thing about Joe affect her so much?

She gave herself a shake and straightened her sweater. “Fine, if you say so. I’m not that hot at seduction anyway.”

He blinked, as if he hadn’t expected her cooperation, and gave her a lopsided, sexy smile. “I wouldn’t say that, but I’m glad we agree on something.”

She ignored the melting sensation his smile invoked. “We won’t do it again. This was a one-time incident that won’t be repeated.”

“Remember that the next time you feel like dropping your towel and parading naked in front of me.” He paused, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “There’s only so much temptation a man can take, you know.”

“Well, I only did that because you were being so annoying.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Is that how you normally deal with annoying men?”

“You’re a special case.”

“I’m glad I’m special.”

Her stomach tingled again. Uh-oh. The buzz Joe was giving her was bad news. Just moments ago they’d agreed not to act on the attraction between them, but then immediately she couldn’t help flirting with him. And he was flirting with her, too, no mistaking that.

“I’m going to bed,” she said, backing away from him.

Joe nodded. “Good night, then. You should have an easier day tomorrow. Mondays the restaurant and bar are closed, and we don’t have any guests booked for the night. After you’ve cleaned the rooms, you can take the rest of the day off and relax.”

I definitely need a break, Nina thought as she made her way back to her bedroom. But if Joe was going to be around, she doubted she’d be able to relax.

…

Heat flushed through Joe, raising a light sweat on the back of his neck. His heart rate quickened as if he were jogging, but all he’d done was catch sight of Nina sunbathing in the courtyard next to the bar. The weather was unexpectedly warm, and she wore a loose orange T-shirt and tight black leggings. Stretched out on a wooden bench, she exuded a feline grace that had Joe’s attention shackled.

Earlier, he’d tried to do some paperwork in his office, but his concentration had evaporated as soon as he’d sat at his desk and been reminded in vivid detail what he and Nina had done on that slab of wood. His memories had refused to subside, along with the bulge in his groin that throbbed insistently as he remembered the hot, silky feel of Nina’s body writhing beneath him. Distracted and frustrated, he’d gone to the bar to get himself a can of Coke, but only succeeded in fanning the fire when he spotted Nina outside.

As he watched, Nina arched her toes. The curve of her bare feet transfixed him; he wanted to run his fingers over her delicate ankles, then wrap her legs around his hips before burying… His palm burned against the cool Coke can. Before he could reconsider, he grabbed a second soda can from behind the bar and walked out into the courtyard.

Nina sat up, her expression edgy as he approached.

“Want a soda?” He offered one of the cans to her.

“Uh, sure.” She took it gingerly, as if afraid to make physical contact with him.

The kinetic buzz between them clearly wasn’t one-sided. Maybe she also couldn’t stop thinking about last night. Drawing her knees up, she motioned to him to sit beside her. He perched on the edge of the bench and popped the tab of his drink, not able to relax with her slender, Lycra-clad legs so close to him.

Tension hummed from Nina as she circled the top of her soda can with her fingertip. She darted a glance at him, opened her mouth as if about to say something, then closed it.

The inn was deserted, and a vine-covered trellis screened the courtyard from the street. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves.

Joe cleared his throat. “Nice weather we’re having.”

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s beautiful today.”

Christ. They’d been reduced to discussing the weather, and all because of what had happened. He turned to face her.

“Look, about last night. We have to put it behind us. We both did some stupid things—you dropping your towel, and me reacting like a…” He groped for the right description of the tremendous force that had gripped him last night, which was still heaving just beneath the surface. “A caveman.”

Yeah, as soon as he’d clapped eyes on Nina’s naked body, a primitive urge to ravish her had all but overpowered him. Only by stomping out of the room had he managed to control himself, but when she’d followed him to his office, he hadn’t been able to help himself kissing her, caressing her, and only a minor miracle had stopped him from taking her right there on his office desk.

“A caveman.” Nina’s lips curved into a small, delicious smile.

His groin stirred. He shook his head. “You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“You’ve got to stop this”—he flicked a finger between them—“this flirting.”

“I’m not flirting with you.” Indignation flared in her vivid blue eyes.

“You just gave me a coy smile and said ‘caveman’ in a breathy voice. That’s flirting.”

She swung her legs to the ground and sat up, her spine ramrod straight. “Sounds like wishful thinking on your part. I know when I’m flirting with a guy, and I damn well was not flirting with you. If I smiled at all when I said ‘caveman,’ it’s only because I was thinking what a good caveman you’d make, what with all that lovely, thick hair of yours and your broad shoulders and your big, muscly arms…” Her voice trailed off. She sucked in her lower lip, looking guilty. “Okay, I admit that last part was a bit flirty.”