coloring.”
She didn’t respond—she couldn’t.
“It’s the one you liked, the design you grabbed off my desk when Cavelli was here,” he reminded her, holding the dress under her chin. His gaze moved over the dress, and she saw in his eyes that he was imagining the material hugging her curves.
That look was the only thing that kept her focused in the moment.
“I wouldn’t take it even if it came with a Porsche and a lifetime supply of Jimmy Choos.”
Kaiser’s eyebrows went up in surprise and then he laughed, a wonderful sound, shaking his head as he hung the dress back on the rack. “You are a jealous little thing, aren’t you?”
She tried to resist when he moved to embrace her, but his lips tracing her jaw line, his teeth nipping at her earlobe, quickly changed her mind.
“I shouldn’t tell you this,” he murmured, the heat of his breath on her throat making her shiver and arch against him, her arms sliding around his neck. “But since that day in the trailer bathroom, I haven’t been able to even think about any woman but you.”
She thought her heart actually stopped for a moment.
He can’t really mean it.
Heidi moved her head back to meet his eyes, looking for the truth there and finding it. Could it be true? The heat of his gaze fell to her mouth, his head inclining and she held her breath and waited, motionless, wanting to know it was him, that he was the one who wanted this, wanted it as much as she did, and he did, he did, she was sure, finally, sure he did…
“Heidi, I—” He looked confused, surprised by his confession and the magnetic pull between them, his lips coming so close to hers she actually closed her eyes with hungry expectancy. Finally! Finally! Her breath caught as his hands pressed the small of her back, pulling her in tight against his hard, lean length, and that’s when—
“Damnit!” she swore, not sure what she was more angry about, the ringing phone or Kaiser as he stepped back, releasing her. Reluctantly, she reached across her desk to answer the call, glancing back, but Kaiser was focused again on the dresses.
“Yes, Mr. Cavelli,” Heidi agreed. “Please hold.” She pressed the “line one” button and it began to blink. “Roberto Cavelli for you, sir.”
Kaiser nodded. “I’ll take it in my office.” He didn’t look at her as he strode by and Heidi sighed, dropping the phone back on the cradle as his office door shut and line one’s blinking light turned solid again.
She slipped into her desk chair with a dejected sigh and stared at the rack of dresses in front of her, chin in hand, contemplating her ongoing dilemma. Lenny had called again last night, urging her to tell Kaiser the truth about the designs. She’d still been flying too high from yesterday’s “punishment” to even care and she remembered guiltily that she had given him some vague, lame excuse to get off the phone.
Lenny kept talking about the truth, but the truth was, telling Kaiser was a bigger risk than she was willing to take. She had played out the worst-case scenario in her head. She could see Kaiser not believing her, accusing her of simply having another jealous fit—he already believed that was her reasoning behind the Andrea-meet-coffee incident—and then firing her. What would she do then? A few weeks ago, this job was just an opportunity…now? Jeopardizing this job meant sacrificing her heart.
How did I get in so deep, so fast?
She didn’t know the answer, but she knew she was more willing to watch her dresses walk down the runway attributed to someone else than she was willing to give up her chance—and she knew that’s all it was, an outside chance, playing the odds, buying her ticket in the lottery every day she came in to work—that Kaiser might really feel something for her.
The phone rang and Heidi jumped, startled out of her thoughts. She grabbed it quickly, pushing the button for “line two,” and didn’t even
She didn’t respond—she couldn’t.
“It’s the one you liked, the design you grabbed off my desk when Cavelli was here,” he reminded her, holding the dress under her chin. His gaze moved over the dress, and she saw in his eyes that he was imagining the material hugging her curves.
That look was the only thing that kept her focused in the moment.
“I wouldn’t take it even if it came with a Porsche and a lifetime supply of Jimmy Choos.”
Kaiser’s eyebrows went up in surprise and then he laughed, a wonderful sound, shaking his head as he hung the dress back on the rack. “You are a jealous little thing, aren’t you?”
She tried to resist when he moved to embrace her, but his lips tracing her jaw line, his teeth nipping at her earlobe, quickly changed her mind.
“I shouldn’t tell you this,” he murmured, the heat of his breath on her throat making her shiver and arch against him, her arms sliding around his neck. “But since that day in the trailer bathroom, I haven’t been able to even think about any woman but you.”
She thought her heart actually stopped for a moment.
He can’t really mean it.
Heidi moved her head back to meet his eyes, looking for the truth there and finding it. Could it be true? The heat of his gaze fell to her mouth, his head inclining and she held her breath and waited, motionless, wanting to know it was him, that he was the one who wanted this, wanted it as much as she did, and he did, he did, she was sure, finally, sure he did…
“Heidi, I—” He looked confused, surprised by his confession and the magnetic pull between them, his lips coming so close to hers she actually closed her eyes with hungry expectancy. Finally! Finally! Her breath caught as his hands pressed the small of her back, pulling her in tight against his hard, lean length, and that’s when—
“Damnit!” she swore, not sure what she was more angry about, the ringing phone or Kaiser as he stepped back, releasing her. Reluctantly, she reached across her desk to answer the call, glancing back, but Kaiser was focused again on the dresses.
“Yes, Mr. Cavelli,” Heidi agreed. “Please hold.” She pressed the “line one” button and it began to blink. “Roberto Cavelli for you, sir.”
Kaiser nodded. “I’ll take it in my office.” He didn’t look at her as he strode by and Heidi sighed, dropping the phone back on the cradle as his office door shut and line one’s blinking light turned solid again.
She slipped into her desk chair with a dejected sigh and stared at the rack of dresses in front of her, chin in hand, contemplating her ongoing dilemma. Lenny had called again last night, urging her to tell Kaiser the truth about the designs. She’d still been flying too high from yesterday’s “punishment” to even care and she remembered guiltily that she had given him some vague, lame excuse to get off the phone.
Lenny kept talking about the truth, but the truth was, telling Kaiser was a bigger risk than she was willing to take. She had played out the worst-case scenario in her head. She could see Kaiser not believing her, accusing her of simply having another jealous fit—he already believed that was her reasoning behind the Andrea-meet-coffee incident—and then firing her. What would she do then? A few weeks ago, this job was just an opportunity…now? Jeopardizing this job meant sacrificing her heart.
How did I get in so deep, so fast?
She didn’t know the answer, but she knew she was more willing to watch her dresses walk down the runway attributed to someone else than she was willing to give up her chance—and she knew that’s all it was, an outside chance, playing the odds, buying her ticket in the lottery every day she came in to work—that Kaiser might really feel something for her.
The phone rang and Heidi jumped, startled out of her thoughts. She grabbed it quickly, pushing the button for “line two,” and didn’t even
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