Tempting the New Boss(54)

“What are you trying to say?”

And then he ruined it all.

“I’m trying to say I want to have sex with you again…”

Yep, there he was. She really had to get to showing him the door. “Thanks for bringing me back to reality.”

But he added, “And I am trying to say that. I am. But it’s the fact that I want to. I don’t know why and maybe it’s biology or chemistry or whatever, but I don’t feel like myself at all when I’m with you, and I hate it and I like it and I want it. I want you. Not to be my lawyer, and that’s not because you slept with me. It’s because you hate it, and I don’t want you to hate it. I just want you to be with me. Whatever it takes.”

“Hmmm. Is Marcia going to be calling my cell now, offering me a million dollars if I stay with you?” she joked. “At least that would take care of my student loans, and it’d be just chump change for you.”

“Is that an option?”

“No!” She threw up her arms in exasperation.

“I was just asking.” He smiled when he said it.

“What does Marcia say about all this?” she asked, feeling defensive that he had discussed her with his uber-assistant.

He scoffed, looking out the window again. “I don’t believe everything Marcia tells me.”

“What? What does she tell you? I’m a gold digger?”

He looked back at her, his big, blue eyes so beautiful. “She says I’m in love with you.”

He hurried on. “But of course that’s ridiculous because I don’t believe in love. And especially not love at first sight. Not that it would have been first sight with you because I barely noticed you then. Not in the office, not really, although you were doing that thing with the pearls that was incredibly hot.”

She’d have to work with him on that ruining thing.

“That’s okay. I don’t believe in it, either,” she lied. She did. Of course she did. What child of two people happily married for fifty years didn’t believe in love?

One of them wasn’t like, well, like Mason was. Or even, like, well, like she was.

And she and Mason weren’t in love.

He took her chin in his strong, warm hand and kissed her, long and tenderly, his other hand sifting through her wet hair, undoing Brandy’s efforts. It was tingly and nice and special.

And for the first time, some hope for them welled up in her chest.

“But I feel something for you,” he whispered against her ear. “I do.”

“Don’t ask me if we can have sex again,” she begged. “You’ll ruin it.”

He dropped his hands from her face and said, “I won’t. I’ll go back to my room now, and you can go out to dinner with your family or whatever you were going to do, and we’ll talk about all this tomorrow. Okay? We’ll talk.”

He was so sincere she laughed. “Don’t go. My family told me I should sleep. They’re not expecting me for dinner.”

“They aren’t?”

“No, but I’m starving. Why don’t you order some room service? A burger and fries for me and then whatever you want.”

She listened as he picked up the phone and fumbled through it, proud of him for not calling Marcia to coach him.

When he hung up, he said, “About a half hour. Maybe more. Apparently, they’re busy.”

“Perfect. So while we’re waiting… We can have sex again. In fact, I’m insisting on it. Just don’t ask again, okay?”

What she didn’t tell him was that it might be the last time. For a while anyway. She had to make up her mind what to do about this situation. Just as she was a modern feminist who didn’t sleep with the boss her first day on the job—uh, well, she didn’t believe in doing it anyway—she also didn’t believe in letting Price Charming —or in this case, Prince UnCharming—sweep her and her student loans off her feet.

She had to figure this out for herself.

But she wanted him. Now. Again.

He narrowed his eyes at her as she tugged him into the bedroom. “This isn’t some kind of trick question or test, is it? Because I really have had a tough two days. You can cut me a break, can’t you?”

“Absolutely.”

She texted Brandy to say she was going to “sleep”—putting it in quotes to give Brandy a sense that something else might be going on—and to call the room if she needed to get a hold of her. Then she switched off her phone and threw her arms around his neck, loving the way he leaned into her, his whole body becoming loose and fluid, the tension draining from him.

“Well, I’ve had a wonderful two days. Except for the plane crash, I mean. A really fabulous, cool, special two days.”