that flash of beta guy again and it confused her.
With a sigh, he took the stack and set it all on the copier. He put his hands on her again, her hips this time.
“I’m really fine,” she whispered, wanting it to be so. Wanting it to be so quite badly.
“Yes.”
She shifted a little closer, needing the contact, needing…so much.
“Don’t.” His voice was low, gruff, and he tried to hold her off. “I’m all sweaty.”
“I don’t care.”
“Tess.” But he pulled her just a little closer, waiting until she tipped her head up to his.
“You know what?” she whispered. “I think I lied. I don’t think I’m so fine. It…” She closed her eyes and saw the gray room. Saw Reilly standing in Eddie’s kitchen with a gun. “It keeps coming back.”
“I’m sorry.” He looked her over, his jaw going all tight and bunched and sexy when he took in the bruises on her throat. “I’m really sorry.”
Something deep within her curled, warmed. Ached. “Maybe you should go back to snarling at me.”
“I don’t snarl at you,” he said, grimacing. “I never mean to, anyway. Not at you.”
Oh, no. He was making her melt again, melt into a boneless heap. The way he looked at her, as if she was something he needed to run from and run to at the same time… Without permission, her arms snaked upward around his neck and held on for dear life so that he couldn’t change his mind and back away. Her chest brushed his. So did her thighs. And everything in between.
Every single erogenous zone in her body stood up and took notice.
His fingers tightened on her hips for one moment, then he dropped his hands from her and stood back.
Which was a good thing. It reminded her why she was here. Work. Just work.
She didn’t want to feel this tug for him. She wanted him to go far, far away and leave her to that work before she forgot her entire humiliating experience with him at Eddie’s and did something stupid.
Like kiss him for a third time.
Oh, no. No, the next time they kissed, he was going to initiate it. He was going to want it. Because she already knew that if he did kiss her, she’d give in, she’d let him do it. She’d let him kiss them both senseless.
And then he’d walk away. Pretend it didn’t happen. She didn’t have to be ex-CIA to know that.
But he didn’t kiss her.
Not even once.
T HE NEXT DAY Reilly was on his way into the office when Cheri called him on his cell phone.
“Oh, honey. Glad I caught you. I’m not working for you today.”
Reilly had already gone for his run that morning and was eating his way through a fast-food breakfast as he drove. He knew the two cancelled each other out, but he didn’t care. He ran because it felt good and he ate what he ate because it tasted good. “Are you sick?” he asked her.
“I’m never sick.”
Oka-a-ay. “Attitude adjustment day?”
“Why would I need that, I don’t have an attitude.”
“So it’s…a woman thing?” he asked warily, not really wanting to know.
“Reilly, I’m working for your father today. He’s behind, and—”
“What?”
“And I’ve got you all caught up, so—”
“But…” This was so far from what he expected, he couldn’t think. “You work for me.”
“Yes,” Cheri said with that calm reasonableness she had, that made his brain feel like she was scrambling it. “But he needs me.”
“But…”
“Reilly, honey, honestly. Tessa could do my job blindfolded. You’ll be fine.”
He nearly missed his turnoff. “But Tessa isn’t my office manager. You are.”
“And I need a day off.”
“To work for Eddie.”
“That’s right.”
This made no sense. “You want to work for the man who deserted you when you were a pregnant teenager.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Cheri said, making an annoyed sound. “Look, it’s time you knew this. I’m the one who jumped his bones when I was sixteen. And I’m the one who—”
“Jeez!” He nearly rear-ended the car in front of him.
With a sigh, he took the stack and set it all on the copier. He put his hands on her again, her hips this time.
“I’m really fine,” she whispered, wanting it to be so. Wanting it to be so quite badly.
“Yes.”
She shifted a little closer, needing the contact, needing…so much.
“Don’t.” His voice was low, gruff, and he tried to hold her off. “I’m all sweaty.”
“I don’t care.”
“Tess.” But he pulled her just a little closer, waiting until she tipped her head up to his.
“You know what?” she whispered. “I think I lied. I don’t think I’m so fine. It…” She closed her eyes and saw the gray room. Saw Reilly standing in Eddie’s kitchen with a gun. “It keeps coming back.”
“I’m sorry.” He looked her over, his jaw going all tight and bunched and sexy when he took in the bruises on her throat. “I’m really sorry.”
Something deep within her curled, warmed. Ached. “Maybe you should go back to snarling at me.”
“I don’t snarl at you,” he said, grimacing. “I never mean to, anyway. Not at you.”
Oh, no. He was making her melt again, melt into a boneless heap. The way he looked at her, as if she was something he needed to run from and run to at the same time… Without permission, her arms snaked upward around his neck and held on for dear life so that he couldn’t change his mind and back away. Her chest brushed his. So did her thighs. And everything in between.
Every single erogenous zone in her body stood up and took notice.
His fingers tightened on her hips for one moment, then he dropped his hands from her and stood back.
Which was a good thing. It reminded her why she was here. Work. Just work.
She didn’t want to feel this tug for him. She wanted him to go far, far away and leave her to that work before she forgot her entire humiliating experience with him at Eddie’s and did something stupid.
Like kiss him for a third time.
Oh, no. No, the next time they kissed, he was going to initiate it. He was going to want it. Because she already knew that if he did kiss her, she’d give in, she’d let him do it. She’d let him kiss them both senseless.
And then he’d walk away. Pretend it didn’t happen. She didn’t have to be ex-CIA to know that.
But he didn’t kiss her.
Not even once.
T HE NEXT DAY Reilly was on his way into the office when Cheri called him on his cell phone.
“Oh, honey. Glad I caught you. I’m not working for you today.”
Reilly had already gone for his run that morning and was eating his way through a fast-food breakfast as he drove. He knew the two cancelled each other out, but he didn’t care. He ran because it felt good and he ate what he ate because it tasted good. “Are you sick?” he asked her.
“I’m never sick.”
Oka-a-ay. “Attitude adjustment day?”
“Why would I need that, I don’t have an attitude.”
“So it’s…a woman thing?” he asked warily, not really wanting to know.
“Reilly, I’m working for your father today. He’s behind, and—”
“What?”
“And I’ve got you all caught up, so—”
“But…” This was so far from what he expected, he couldn’t think. “You work for me.”
“Yes,” Cheri said with that calm reasonableness she had, that made his brain feel like she was scrambling it. “But he needs me.”
“But…”
“Reilly, honey, honestly. Tessa could do my job blindfolded. You’ll be fine.”
He nearly missed his turnoff. “But Tessa isn’t my office manager. You are.”
“And I need a day off.”
“To work for Eddie.”
“That’s right.”
This made no sense. “You want to work for the man who deserted you when you were a pregnant teenager.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Cheri said, making an annoyed sound. “Look, it’s time you knew this. I’m the one who jumped his bones when I was sixteen. And I’m the one who—”
“Jeez!” He nearly rear-ended the car in front of him.
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