a woman whose career was so important.
She took a bite, the fork entering her pretty mouth, and when he pulled it away he noticed that she’d closed her eyes. She savored that bite of cake the way he wanted to savor her. He wanted to linger over every curve of her body, wanted to explore each inch until he knew her better than she knew herself. And he would.
If she trusted him, he’d do his best to live up to that for as long as he could. He knew himself well enough to know that eventually he’d let her down.
He’d done that most of his life when it came to relationships, but for the first time he didn’t want that to happen. He wanted to be a man that she’d always be able to look up to.
“Thank you,” she said. “That was delicious.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. He put the fork down and signaled for the check.
He hadn’t realized that by playing games with her, by seducing her slowly and trying to find her weaknesses, he’d find his own.
With her wide violet eyes and her full red lips, she’d drawn him into her web. And a part of him would be happy to stay there. But a bigger part of him knew that weakness lay with emotional dependency.
Not the small weaknesses that made up character flaws but the bigger ones, like needing Ainsley, that were something that could cost him the competition with Henry and Geoff. And possibly the success of the retail group.
Ainsley was dangerous.
Looking at her sitting across the table from him, it was hard to believe it, but she was. She made him want things that weren’t work-related. She made him want to sit at home at night in front of a fire with her curled up by his side.
She made him want to think about the future with her and maybe having some kids. And that was a very frightening picture. Being a parent and being successful just didn’t go together.
Nine
F inding herself sitting outside her house with Steven again, she had an odd sense of déjà vu. Her emotions were all in a jumble and she was worried about what she might do or say. For the first time in a long time she felt out of control. She wanted Steven and that desire was taking over every part of her.
She wanted to be smart and charming—Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday. But she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she’d come off as more unsure and awkward.
“Haven’t we been here before?” she asked.
“I believe we have,” he said.
He’d turned the car off and turned to face her. It was a lane dimly lit by streetlamps. The light from one of them illuminated his face but kept part of it in shadow.
He was a mystery to her. Even after all her research about him, she still couldn’t figure him out. He sat with hisbody turned toward her and his arm resting on the steering wheel.
“Invite me in,” he said at last.
She was going to, but why did he make everything he said sound like an order? “Why are you so bossy?”
“Because men who aren’t don’t get what they want.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“You really don’t know?”
She did know what he wanted, but somehow saying it out loud would make it too real and she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that. “To come inside.”
“Indeed.”
“Would you like a drink?”
“Would you?”
She laughed. “I think I need one. You tie me up in knots.”
“Do I? I think that’s a good thing,” he said.
“Why?”
“You do the same thing to me,” he said, reaching over to caress her face.
“Oh.”
“Oh?” He leaned in. “You have the most kissable mouth.”
He rubbed his lips against hers gently. The kiss was nothing like the one he’d given her earlier—so demanding and bold. This was soft and seduced her by degrees. Slowly. He kissed her as if he had all the time in the world, which he probably did. They had all night.
He pulled back, opened his door and came around to open hers. She gave him her hand and then climbed out of the low-slung sports car. She led the way up her walk to her front
She took a bite, the fork entering her pretty mouth, and when he pulled it away he noticed that she’d closed her eyes. She savored that bite of cake the way he wanted to savor her. He wanted to linger over every curve of her body, wanted to explore each inch until he knew her better than she knew herself. And he would.
If she trusted him, he’d do his best to live up to that for as long as he could. He knew himself well enough to know that eventually he’d let her down.
He’d done that most of his life when it came to relationships, but for the first time he didn’t want that to happen. He wanted to be a man that she’d always be able to look up to.
“Thank you,” she said. “That was delicious.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. He put the fork down and signaled for the check.
He hadn’t realized that by playing games with her, by seducing her slowly and trying to find her weaknesses, he’d find his own.
With her wide violet eyes and her full red lips, she’d drawn him into her web. And a part of him would be happy to stay there. But a bigger part of him knew that weakness lay with emotional dependency.
Not the small weaknesses that made up character flaws but the bigger ones, like needing Ainsley, that were something that could cost him the competition with Henry and Geoff. And possibly the success of the retail group.
Ainsley was dangerous.
Looking at her sitting across the table from him, it was hard to believe it, but she was. She made him want things that weren’t work-related. She made him want to sit at home at night in front of a fire with her curled up by his side.
She made him want to think about the future with her and maybe having some kids. And that was a very frightening picture. Being a parent and being successful just didn’t go together.
Nine
F inding herself sitting outside her house with Steven again, she had an odd sense of déjà vu. Her emotions were all in a jumble and she was worried about what she might do or say. For the first time in a long time she felt out of control. She wanted Steven and that desire was taking over every part of her.
She wanted to be smart and charming—Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday. But she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she’d come off as more unsure and awkward.
“Haven’t we been here before?” she asked.
“I believe we have,” he said.
He’d turned the car off and turned to face her. It was a lane dimly lit by streetlamps. The light from one of them illuminated his face but kept part of it in shadow.
He was a mystery to her. Even after all her research about him, she still couldn’t figure him out. He sat with hisbody turned toward her and his arm resting on the steering wheel.
“Invite me in,” he said at last.
She was going to, but why did he make everything he said sound like an order? “Why are you so bossy?”
“Because men who aren’t don’t get what they want.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“You really don’t know?”
She did know what he wanted, but somehow saying it out loud would make it too real and she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that. “To come inside.”
“Indeed.”
“Would you like a drink?”
“Would you?”
She laughed. “I think I need one. You tie me up in knots.”
“Do I? I think that’s a good thing,” he said.
“Why?”
“You do the same thing to me,” he said, reaching over to caress her face.
“Oh.”
“Oh?” He leaned in. “You have the most kissable mouth.”
He rubbed his lips against hers gently. The kiss was nothing like the one he’d given her earlier—so demanding and bold. This was soft and seduced her by degrees. Slowly. He kissed her as if he had all the time in the world, which he probably did. They had all night.
He pulled back, opened his door and came around to open hers. She gave him her hand and then climbed out of the low-slung sports car. She led the way up her walk to her front
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