chair, her eyes narrowing, then finally focusing on him.
"Ali." Faith shook her head, startled at his closeness, and the fact that he'd touched her.
She should have known he was in the room. Something in the air had changed, shifted with his presence. She'd felt it but had chosen to ignore it to concentrate on her work.
"You have been avoiding me," he accused with a smile, hitching one hip to the corner of the desk.
"No," she lied, turning back to the computer. "I've been doing what you're paying me to do. Working."
"Ah yes, working. I believe I've heard of that word." She glanced up just in time to see the amusement in his eyes, and realized he was teasing her.
She ordered her shoulders and hands to relax. They'd tightened up the moment she realized he was near.
He reached over and picked up her soft drink, taking a sip. Instantly, he made a face. "This is disgustingly warm."
"True, but I don't have time to go running around to get another."
All she had to do was complete the hook-up to the new server, and then she'd be halfway home, at least for this job. The balance of the job would take a few days, and she planned to let one of her other consultants handle it. She had no wish or desire to be this close to Ali on a day-to-day basis.
She couldn't trust him.
More importantly, she couldn't trust herself. Not after the other night at the black-tie gala. She knew it, and she intended to do something about it, which was why she'd been working at such a feverish pace, so she could let someone else complete the job. She had to avoid Ali at all costs.
She'd done a good job thus far—until about three minutes ago when he'd sailed into the room, bringing his masculine intensity with him, causing her brains to scramble and her temperature to rise.
"What are you doing down here? Besides mooching my soda." She took her glass from him, took a sip, then realized he was right, it was disgustingly warm.
"Actually, I came to see if you'd deliberately been avoiding me, or if perhaps you'd been abducted by aliens."
Still trying to concentrate, she glanced away from the monitor and up at him with an annoyed frown. "What?"
"Aliens," he repeated, realizing she was somewhere else, thinking of something else. He admired that kind of intense concentration and dedication, but he did wish she wasn't quite so surly all the time.
It was the first time in his life a woman had actually, deliberately ignored or avoided him. It wasn't just a challenge he couldn't resist, but something more, something about Faith Martin had stirred him in a way other women had not.
In spite of his fears about his own reaction to her, he was also a man, with a healthy male ego. He found Faith not just a challenge, but an intriguing puzzle he wanted to solve.
"What about aliens?" she asked with a shake of her head, finally registering his words. "And why are you bothering me?" she demanded, not wanting to encourage him to stay.
She was hot, tired and incredibly irritable. She'd skipped breakfast and lunch, and now had a splitting headache. She really was not in the mood for jokes or flirtatious banter. "I'm busy."
Shaking his head, Ali laughed. All of his other employees nearly shook in their shoes when they saw him; she merely snarled at him.
"Yes, I can see that you're busy," he said, glancing over her shoulder to see what she was doing. He didn't have a clue. "And in a good mood again, I see."
Faith rubbed her throbbing temple, then blew out a breath. His presence was only adding to her irritability. She may have been deliberately avoiding him, but that hadn't meant she hadn't seen him.
In this morning's paper, in the middle of the society pages, there he was, arm around another long, leggy blonde.
From the dizzying array of pictures so far this week, Ali apparently hadn't been too bothered by her refusal.
In spite of Kadid's enlightenment, Ali's behavior served to confirm her worst suspicions about him and his character. His parents might be
"Ali." Faith shook her head, startled at his closeness, and the fact that he'd touched her.
She should have known he was in the room. Something in the air had changed, shifted with his presence. She'd felt it but had chosen to ignore it to concentrate on her work.
"You have been avoiding me," he accused with a smile, hitching one hip to the corner of the desk.
"No," she lied, turning back to the computer. "I've been doing what you're paying me to do. Working."
"Ah yes, working. I believe I've heard of that word." She glanced up just in time to see the amusement in his eyes, and realized he was teasing her.
She ordered her shoulders and hands to relax. They'd tightened up the moment she realized he was near.
He reached over and picked up her soft drink, taking a sip. Instantly, he made a face. "This is disgustingly warm."
"True, but I don't have time to go running around to get another."
All she had to do was complete the hook-up to the new server, and then she'd be halfway home, at least for this job. The balance of the job would take a few days, and she planned to let one of her other consultants handle it. She had no wish or desire to be this close to Ali on a day-to-day basis.
She couldn't trust him.
More importantly, she couldn't trust herself. Not after the other night at the black-tie gala. She knew it, and she intended to do something about it, which was why she'd been working at such a feverish pace, so she could let someone else complete the job. She had to avoid Ali at all costs.
She'd done a good job thus far—until about three minutes ago when he'd sailed into the room, bringing his masculine intensity with him, causing her brains to scramble and her temperature to rise.
"What are you doing down here? Besides mooching my soda." She took her glass from him, took a sip, then realized he was right, it was disgustingly warm.
"Actually, I came to see if you'd deliberately been avoiding me, or if perhaps you'd been abducted by aliens."
Still trying to concentrate, she glanced away from the monitor and up at him with an annoyed frown. "What?"
"Aliens," he repeated, realizing she was somewhere else, thinking of something else. He admired that kind of intense concentration and dedication, but he did wish she wasn't quite so surly all the time.
It was the first time in his life a woman had actually, deliberately ignored or avoided him. It wasn't just a challenge he couldn't resist, but something more, something about Faith Martin had stirred him in a way other women had not.
In spite of his fears about his own reaction to her, he was also a man, with a healthy male ego. He found Faith not just a challenge, but an intriguing puzzle he wanted to solve.
"What about aliens?" she asked with a shake of her head, finally registering his words. "And why are you bothering me?" she demanded, not wanting to encourage him to stay.
She was hot, tired and incredibly irritable. She'd skipped breakfast and lunch, and now had a splitting headache. She really was not in the mood for jokes or flirtatious banter. "I'm busy."
Shaking his head, Ali laughed. All of his other employees nearly shook in their shoes when they saw him; she merely snarled at him.
"Yes, I can see that you're busy," he said, glancing over her shoulder to see what she was doing. He didn't have a clue. "And in a good mood again, I see."
Faith rubbed her throbbing temple, then blew out a breath. His presence was only adding to her irritability. She may have been deliberately avoiding him, but that hadn't meant she hadn't seen him.
In this morning's paper, in the middle of the society pages, there he was, arm around another long, leggy blonde.
From the dizzying array of pictures so far this week, Ali apparently hadn't been too bothered by her refusal.
In spite of Kadid's enlightenment, Ali's behavior served to confirm her worst suspicions about him and his character. His parents might be
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