out?”
“Not yet. Maybe you could come over to my apartment sometime and we could make it together.”
“Are you inviting me on a date?”
“Do you want me to invite you on a date?”
Did he?
The sound of her breathing picked up. Went raspy and irregular. He figured she was giving in to her claustrophobia again.
“Stop visualizing the walls closing in on you,” he commanded.
“How did you know that’s what I was doing?” Her voice sounded odd. Was it fear? Or something else?
“I’m getting pretty accomplished at reading you, Melanie Marchand.”
“Now that’s a scary thought.” She sounded like her old self.
“Would you like me to turn the light back on?”
“No, no, that’s okay. I can handle it.” Her breathing chugged faster.
“Melanie, are you all right?”
“Could I…um…just…,”
“Just what?”
“Would you mind if I rested my head on your chest? I hate being such a baby, but I think I would feel safer.”
“Sure,” he said, even though he wanted to tell her no forthe sake of his sanity. He dropped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. She shifted her head, her silky hair trailing over his skin.
She might feel safer, but he didn’t. Robert had to bite down on his bottom lip to hold back a groan of pleasure as her body heat warmed him. The last thing he wanted was to get things stirred up between them again.
“May I ask you a personal question?” she ventured several minutes later.
“You can ask.”
“But you might not answer.”
“That’s right.”
“Fair enough.”
“What’s the question?”
“Why did you move to New Orleans?”
“Your mother offered me my dream job.”
“There’s more to it than that,” she said, tracing a circle over his heart with the tip of her finger.
Stop doing that, he wanted to shout. Please stop doing that. You’re pushing me to the edge of reason, woman . But he said nothing, not wanting her to know exactly how much power she had over him. Revealing your weaknesses was never a good idea.
“I needed a fresh start,” he said.
“Fresh start? From what?”
“You sure ask a lot of questions.”
“I know it’s none of my business, but I’ve worked with you for four months and I hardly know anything personal about you—well, except for how you lost your virginity—and I’m curious what makes you tick. Was there something you were running away from? Say, a scandal, perhaps?”
He laughed. “A scandal? Me? Sorry to disappoint you, but no scandal. I guess I’d finally just had enough rain in my life.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” he lied.
The thing of it was, Robert didn’t like talking about his past. It was over and done with. No use crying over spilled milk and all that.
“Oh. I forgot to tell you,” Melanie said, before he could decide what and how much to divulge to her about his past. “I need to switch my day off from tomorrow to Thursday.”
“No problem. I’ll cover for you.”
“You’re sure it’s okay? Because I have to do this thing for Charlotte.”
“We’ll be fine. Go do what you need to do.”
“I don’t want to do what I need to do,” she said glumly.
“What is it that you have to do?”
“I told Charlotte I’d be her stand-in at a silly bachelorette auction.”
“A bachelorette auction?”
“It’s for a charity that my grandmother Celeste runs, so it’s pretty difficult to get out of it.” Melanie groaned. “I really hate these uptight, stuffed shirt, high society shindigs. My sisters were all debutantes, but not me. Luckily, by the time I came along, my grand-mère had gotten it out of her system and pretty well let me be.”
“Men will be bidding on a date with you?” Robert’s voice rose slightly. He hated the idea of Melanie being up for grabs to the highest bidder, worthy charity or not.
“Yes.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Why, Robert, are you jealous?”
He heard the levity in her voice. Was she laughing
“Not yet. Maybe you could come over to my apartment sometime and we could make it together.”
“Are you inviting me on a date?”
“Do you want me to invite you on a date?”
Did he?
The sound of her breathing picked up. Went raspy and irregular. He figured she was giving in to her claustrophobia again.
“Stop visualizing the walls closing in on you,” he commanded.
“How did you know that’s what I was doing?” Her voice sounded odd. Was it fear? Or something else?
“I’m getting pretty accomplished at reading you, Melanie Marchand.”
“Now that’s a scary thought.” She sounded like her old self.
“Would you like me to turn the light back on?”
“No, no, that’s okay. I can handle it.” Her breathing chugged faster.
“Melanie, are you all right?”
“Could I…um…just…,”
“Just what?”
“Would you mind if I rested my head on your chest? I hate being such a baby, but I think I would feel safer.”
“Sure,” he said, even though he wanted to tell her no forthe sake of his sanity. He dropped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. She shifted her head, her silky hair trailing over his skin.
She might feel safer, but he didn’t. Robert had to bite down on his bottom lip to hold back a groan of pleasure as her body heat warmed him. The last thing he wanted was to get things stirred up between them again.
“May I ask you a personal question?” she ventured several minutes later.
“You can ask.”
“But you might not answer.”
“That’s right.”
“Fair enough.”
“What’s the question?”
“Why did you move to New Orleans?”
“Your mother offered me my dream job.”
“There’s more to it than that,” she said, tracing a circle over his heart with the tip of her finger.
Stop doing that, he wanted to shout. Please stop doing that. You’re pushing me to the edge of reason, woman . But he said nothing, not wanting her to know exactly how much power she had over him. Revealing your weaknesses was never a good idea.
“I needed a fresh start,” he said.
“Fresh start? From what?”
“You sure ask a lot of questions.”
“I know it’s none of my business, but I’ve worked with you for four months and I hardly know anything personal about you—well, except for how you lost your virginity—and I’m curious what makes you tick. Was there something you were running away from? Say, a scandal, perhaps?”
He laughed. “A scandal? Me? Sorry to disappoint you, but no scandal. I guess I’d finally just had enough rain in my life.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” he lied.
The thing of it was, Robert didn’t like talking about his past. It was over and done with. No use crying over spilled milk and all that.
“Oh. I forgot to tell you,” Melanie said, before he could decide what and how much to divulge to her about his past. “I need to switch my day off from tomorrow to Thursday.”
“No problem. I’ll cover for you.”
“You’re sure it’s okay? Because I have to do this thing for Charlotte.”
“We’ll be fine. Go do what you need to do.”
“I don’t want to do what I need to do,” she said glumly.
“What is it that you have to do?”
“I told Charlotte I’d be her stand-in at a silly bachelorette auction.”
“A bachelorette auction?”
“It’s for a charity that my grandmother Celeste runs, so it’s pretty difficult to get out of it.” Melanie groaned. “I really hate these uptight, stuffed shirt, high society shindigs. My sisters were all debutantes, but not me. Luckily, by the time I came along, my grand-mère had gotten it out of her system and pretty well let me be.”
“Men will be bidding on a date with you?” Robert’s voice rose slightly. He hated the idea of Melanie being up for grabs to the highest bidder, worthy charity or not.
“Yes.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Why, Robert, are you jealous?”
He heard the levity in her voice. Was she laughing
Similar Books
