Business Affairs by Shirley Rogers Page B

minutes alone. Give her the time she needed.
    He’d search for the right moment.
    And he’d pray that he’d find the right words.

Seven
    â€œW e need to talk.”
    Alex’s senses went on alert. He hadn’t expected Jennifer to confront him. His gaze met hers and she didn’t look away. Hell, she didn’t even flinch. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what she had to say.
    When he’d finished his shower and come back into the room, the food he’d ordered had arrived. Jennifer had taken the time to place it on the coffee table. Following her lead, he’d sat across from her and they’d eaten.
    They’d talked, sure. About work. A little about his family. More about hers.
    Just not about what had happened between them. Because he’d never garnered the nerve to apologize. Now it was too late. She’d taken the bull by the horns.
    â€œAll right.” Alex studied her guarded expression.Every muscle in his body tensed as he waited for her to speak.
    â€œAlex…” Sitting on the edge of her seat, Jennifer hesitated, searching for the right words. She’d rehearsed them over and over again in her mind, but saying them out loud wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped.
    She couldn’t tell Alex the truth. Now that she knew what it felt like to make love with him, she was selfish. She wanted more. As soon as the road was clear, they would be headed back home. She was going to make the most of her time alone with him. If she had her way, she’d never leave this room.
    But if this was going to work, she had to be sure Alex had no knowledge of her feelings for him. He had to believe she wanted the same thing out of their weekend he did.
    Sex and nothing more.
    Her gaze rested on his handsome face, and oh, God, she fell in love with him all over again. Tears sprang to her eyes. Dammit, she was going to cry. She sniffed, willing them away. She didn’t want Alex to know just how much making love with him meant to her.
    â€œWhat happened between us…” She began again, “Well, I don’t know what you think of me, but I don’t make a habit of inviting men to my bed.”
    â€œI didn’t think you did, Jen.” Alex held her gaze, saw the tears in her eyes, hated knowing he was the one who caused them.
    Jennifer wanted to cry even more. He’d shortened her name once or twice over the weekend while they were skiing. But in bed, while he was inside her, he’d said it over and over again. “Neither of us meant for this to happen, but—”
    â€œI don’t think I want to hear what’s coming next.” He knew she was wrestling with something, and it was killing him not knowing what was going on behind her beautiful hazel eyes. Leaning toward her, he took her hand. “I don’t think I could stand it if you had regrets.”
    â€œRegrets?” Smiling at him through the tears that crested her eyes, she shook her head. “I don’t. I mean, not like you think. I still want—” she gestured toward him “—this to happen. I mean again. If you want to.”
    Relief flooded Alex. Oh, he wanted to. Right this second wouldn’t be fast enough. Before she could say anything more, he leaned forward and took her hand. “That’s a relief, because you were sounding like you didn’t.”
    At his touch, Jennifer’s skin grew hot. He had that effect on her. “Oh, no. Don’t think that. It’s just…I need you to promise me something before we, um, have sex again.”
    Wondering where she was going, he gave her a long, searching look. “Anything.” He frowned, not liking the way the word sex sounded when she said it. It had a passing tone to it that made him feel uncomfortable and just a little bit irritated. All right, maybe he wasn’t interested in anything permanent. Why should he be surprised to learn she wasn’t, either? And why