you’re most definitely and most delightfully not a man.”
She sat up, leaning back against the headboard. “I trained for it. For running the company, I mean. From the time I could talk. I’m sort of driven.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“Really?”
“No, not really. Of course I noticed. But driven why? What do you want out of all this?”
“Is this some smarmy way to get corporate secrets out of me or something?”
“No, I’m saving that technique for later. I’m just warming up. So what do you want? More money?”
She guffawed. “Money!”
“Well, it comes out pretty handy down here, bub.”
“What?”
“Don’t you know your Frank Capra?”
“I do, but whatever is the cynical Aaron Winston doing quoting ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’?”
“Trying to keep from attacking you by keeping the conversation going,” he answered honestly.
“So attack me! What are we here for, anyway?”
“Oh, I’ll be attacking.”
“Promises…promises.” She twirled a lock of her hair. “I like what you did out there to me, Aaron,” she said, almost shyly, in a way that uncomfortably reminded him this may not be her usual pace.
“Going down on you?”
She wrinkled her nose and he laughed.
“You’re so…” Shaking her curls, she finished, “Earthy, I guess.”
He took a deep breath. Christ, he’d show her earthy. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done that before either?”
“No, I have. I just don’t think the guy, my boyfriend at the time I guess you’d call him, knew what he was doing. It didn’t feel like that.”
He was suddenly acutely aware of how ridiculous all this restraint on his part was. But still he hesitated and she went on, as if she hadn’t just complimented him on the technique of his tongue between her legs.
“Okay, so what do I want?” She took up the thread of the conversation, bouncing a little up and down on the bed. “I suppose I want to make my dad and grandpa proud.”
‘They’re dead.”
“Now that’s the Aaron Winston I know. I know they’re dead. But don’t you think our loved ones can see us?”
“No.”
“Well, I do. So there’s that. But I guess I want to prove I can do it, can be a success.”
“Haven’t you proven that already?”
“Look who’s talking!”
He leaned over to give her adorable nose a peck. “Touché. I guess people like us never get enough. I’m not sure that’s an endearing quality.”
“Don’t lump me in with you!”
“I’ll try not to take offense at that.”
“No really. All that stuff you talked about—about eating up other companies and, ah—whatever—”
“I don’t think you were listening very closely.”
“It’s not like that for me. I only want my company, my family’s company.”
He felt just the slightest twinge of irritation at her for the first time tonight. “Not everybody is born with a company, princess. Some of us have to go out and get one.”
She looked about to respond, but then stopped herself. “Let’s drop it.” She came up on her knees and looped her arms around his neck. Light feathery kisses against his jaw followed. He should let it go, he really should. She was so obviously into this. But instead, he said, “Do you do this a lot? Go home with guys you hate?”
“You’re my first.”
“The first guy you’ve hated or the first you’ve gone home with?”
“Why do you keep talking?”
“I honestly don’t know,” he muttered. “You’re bringing out the knight in shining armor in me.”
“I’m not surprised. I bring that out in all the guys.”
“I sincerely doubt that,” he groaned. “Oh, honey, you’re not too drunk to know what you’re doing, are you?” He began to kiss her neck, hoping to coax the right answer out of her, feeling as if he would die if he had to give her up tonight. When she didn’t say anything, he pulled away and prodded lightly, “Because if you are, I’d have to be a gentleman and not take advantage of you.” He had
She sat up, leaning back against the headboard. “I trained for it. For running the company, I mean. From the time I could talk. I’m sort of driven.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“Really?”
“No, not really. Of course I noticed. But driven why? What do you want out of all this?”
“Is this some smarmy way to get corporate secrets out of me or something?”
“No, I’m saving that technique for later. I’m just warming up. So what do you want? More money?”
She guffawed. “Money!”
“Well, it comes out pretty handy down here, bub.”
“What?”
“Don’t you know your Frank Capra?”
“I do, but whatever is the cynical Aaron Winston doing quoting ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’?”
“Trying to keep from attacking you by keeping the conversation going,” he answered honestly.
“So attack me! What are we here for, anyway?”
“Oh, I’ll be attacking.”
“Promises…promises.” She twirled a lock of her hair. “I like what you did out there to me, Aaron,” she said, almost shyly, in a way that uncomfortably reminded him this may not be her usual pace.
“Going down on you?”
She wrinkled her nose and he laughed.
“You’re so…” Shaking her curls, she finished, “Earthy, I guess.”
He took a deep breath. Christ, he’d show her earthy. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done that before either?”
“No, I have. I just don’t think the guy, my boyfriend at the time I guess you’d call him, knew what he was doing. It didn’t feel like that.”
He was suddenly acutely aware of how ridiculous all this restraint on his part was. But still he hesitated and she went on, as if she hadn’t just complimented him on the technique of his tongue between her legs.
“Okay, so what do I want?” She took up the thread of the conversation, bouncing a little up and down on the bed. “I suppose I want to make my dad and grandpa proud.”
‘They’re dead.”
“Now that’s the Aaron Winston I know. I know they’re dead. But don’t you think our loved ones can see us?”
“No.”
“Well, I do. So there’s that. But I guess I want to prove I can do it, can be a success.”
“Haven’t you proven that already?”
“Look who’s talking!”
He leaned over to give her adorable nose a peck. “Touché. I guess people like us never get enough. I’m not sure that’s an endearing quality.”
“Don’t lump me in with you!”
“I’ll try not to take offense at that.”
“No really. All that stuff you talked about—about eating up other companies and, ah—whatever—”
“I don’t think you were listening very closely.”
“It’s not like that for me. I only want my company, my family’s company.”
He felt just the slightest twinge of irritation at her for the first time tonight. “Not everybody is born with a company, princess. Some of us have to go out and get one.”
She looked about to respond, but then stopped herself. “Let’s drop it.” She came up on her knees and looped her arms around his neck. Light feathery kisses against his jaw followed. He should let it go, he really should. She was so obviously into this. But instead, he said, “Do you do this a lot? Go home with guys you hate?”
“You’re my first.”
“The first guy you’ve hated or the first you’ve gone home with?”
“Why do you keep talking?”
“I honestly don’t know,” he muttered. “You’re bringing out the knight in shining armor in me.”
“I’m not surprised. I bring that out in all the guys.”
“I sincerely doubt that,” he groaned. “Oh, honey, you’re not too drunk to know what you’re doing, are you?” He began to kiss her neck, hoping to coax the right answer out of her, feeling as if he would die if he had to give her up tonight. When she didn’t say anything, he pulled away and prodded lightly, “Because if you are, I’d have to be a gentleman and not take advantage of you.” He had
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