you?”
“Whatever time you think we should be there.”
“I’ll pick you up at your place around six forty-five.”
She shook her head. “I’ll meet you there at seven.”
He didn’t like it, given the sudden frown that drew his brows together.
She snuggled against him and toyed with the hair on his chest. “What’s the address?”
“Trying to distract me?” He turned onto his side and curled an arm around her, hauling her against his chest. “You have to do better than that.”
She reached between them and found him growing hard again. “Am I getting warmer?”
His laugh was shaky. “I am.”
“It’s almost midnight. I really should be going,” she said, curling her hand around him and feeling him twitch.
“I don’t think so.”
Before she could reply, he had her on her back, her wrists pinned to the pillows, and she knew she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
D ALLAS SLOWLY OPENED HER EYES . She blinked at the unfamiliar teak armoire and the valet beside it. The walls were painted a taupe color. Not white. This wasn’t her room. Where the hell was she?
She felt movement in the bed. Warm skin brushed her bare back. Remembering where she was and who wascurled against her, she smiled. Briefly she closed her eyes again. How could she have fallen asleep? She really had to go home. She still had some work to do for the meeting tomorrow evening. Just another few minutes, she decided and slowly turned over to face him.
Eric was still asleep, his lips slightly parted, his chin dark with stubble. She instantly recalled the slightly rough feel on her bare breasts and shivered.
He stirred and she lay quiet, waiting with mixed emotions to see if he’d waken. If he did, they’d probably go a third round. As enticing as that sounded, they both had to get up early tomorrow and he had a big presentation to make to a new client.
Her gaze went to the digital alarm clock and she bit back a curse. It was already after one-thirty. She had to go. No more fooling around. She slowly slipped out of bed and quietly gathered her clothes in the dark. To avoid waking him, she carried everything to the bathroom and dressed there.
When she was finished, she went to the kitchen, where she’d seen a notepad by the phone. She thought for a moment about what she wanted to say and then scribbled him a note.
The obvious place to have left it would be on her vacated pillow, but she dared not wake him. Instead she anchored a corner of the paper under the coffeemaker and then she grabbed her purse. She got to the door, hesitated and then, cursing herself under her breath, snuck back to his room for a final irresistible peek.
He was still sound asleep, his beautiful chest bare,the sheet bunched at his waist. Tempted to crawl back in beside him, she took a deep breath and then backed away from the door. With foolish reluctance, she let herself out.
9
D ALLAS FILLED TWO PITCHERS with water and set them next to the coffeepot on the credenza against the wall. She counted the number of chairs at the long conference table and hoped twelve would be enough. Then again, if they weren’t, that would still be a good thing. The first meeting had been held at her apartment, but the number of women interested in improving their work conditions had swelled to the point that Dallas could no longer accommodate everyone.
Fortunately her sister had offered the conference room at the law firm where she worked. Like the rest of the family, Dakota thought Dallas was nuts for shunning her MBA and choosing manual labor. But at least she accepted Dallas’s choice and was sympathetic to the plight of women who worked in male-dominated jobs. She was also the least snobby of the Shea clan. Although she had her moments.
Dallas checked her watch. The women would start arriving at any minute. She unwrapped the tray of cookies she’d picked up at the corner bakery.
“Hey.” Dakota poked her head in. “Everything okay?”
“Perfect.”
“Whatever time you think we should be there.”
“I’ll pick you up at your place around six forty-five.”
She shook her head. “I’ll meet you there at seven.”
He didn’t like it, given the sudden frown that drew his brows together.
She snuggled against him and toyed with the hair on his chest. “What’s the address?”
“Trying to distract me?” He turned onto his side and curled an arm around her, hauling her against his chest. “You have to do better than that.”
She reached between them and found him growing hard again. “Am I getting warmer?”
His laugh was shaky. “I am.”
“It’s almost midnight. I really should be going,” she said, curling her hand around him and feeling him twitch.
“I don’t think so.”
Before she could reply, he had her on her back, her wrists pinned to the pillows, and she knew she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
D ALLAS SLOWLY OPENED HER EYES . She blinked at the unfamiliar teak armoire and the valet beside it. The walls were painted a taupe color. Not white. This wasn’t her room. Where the hell was she?
She felt movement in the bed. Warm skin brushed her bare back. Remembering where she was and who wascurled against her, she smiled. Briefly she closed her eyes again. How could she have fallen asleep? She really had to go home. She still had some work to do for the meeting tomorrow evening. Just another few minutes, she decided and slowly turned over to face him.
Eric was still asleep, his lips slightly parted, his chin dark with stubble. She instantly recalled the slightly rough feel on her bare breasts and shivered.
He stirred and she lay quiet, waiting with mixed emotions to see if he’d waken. If he did, they’d probably go a third round. As enticing as that sounded, they both had to get up early tomorrow and he had a big presentation to make to a new client.
Her gaze went to the digital alarm clock and she bit back a curse. It was already after one-thirty. She had to go. No more fooling around. She slowly slipped out of bed and quietly gathered her clothes in the dark. To avoid waking him, she carried everything to the bathroom and dressed there.
When she was finished, she went to the kitchen, where she’d seen a notepad by the phone. She thought for a moment about what she wanted to say and then scribbled him a note.
The obvious place to have left it would be on her vacated pillow, but she dared not wake him. Instead she anchored a corner of the paper under the coffeemaker and then she grabbed her purse. She got to the door, hesitated and then, cursing herself under her breath, snuck back to his room for a final irresistible peek.
He was still sound asleep, his beautiful chest bare,the sheet bunched at his waist. Tempted to crawl back in beside him, she took a deep breath and then backed away from the door. With foolish reluctance, she let herself out.
9
D ALLAS FILLED TWO PITCHERS with water and set them next to the coffeepot on the credenza against the wall. She counted the number of chairs at the long conference table and hoped twelve would be enough. Then again, if they weren’t, that would still be a good thing. The first meeting had been held at her apartment, but the number of women interested in improving their work conditions had swelled to the point that Dallas could no longer accommodate everyone.
Fortunately her sister had offered the conference room at the law firm where she worked. Like the rest of the family, Dakota thought Dallas was nuts for shunning her MBA and choosing manual labor. But at least she accepted Dallas’s choice and was sympathetic to the plight of women who worked in male-dominated jobs. She was also the least snobby of the Shea clan. Although she had her moments.
Dallas checked her watch. The women would start arriving at any minute. She unwrapped the tray of cookies she’d picked up at the corner bakery.
“Hey.” Dakota poked her head in. “Everything okay?”
“Perfect.”
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