by Timms, Lexy
And more importantly, what was I going to do about it?
Suppose that Erin was right. Maybe Abby really was into me. Maybe she hadn’t fled the office because she was appalled by the fact that we had kissed. Maybe she had fled because she was afraid that it would develop into something more. Maybe she thought I was going to push her.
She didn’t strike me as a one-night-stand kind of girl. She probably wouldn’t appreciate how badly I wanted to ravish her right here, to lay claim to her in every way, to sit her up on my desk and press myself into her in the most intimate of ways. At least, not yet. She deserved more than that.
But what about me? What did I want, and what did I deserve? Was this just about sex? Or was there something more to Abby that made me want something different than what I normally wanted from the women I met?
I already knew the answer to that question, I realized with a sinking feeling to my heart. If I didn’t care about her as something more than just a one-night stand, then I wouldn’t be so worried about her right now. I didn’t know the first thing about her; I didn’t know where she might have gone off to if she was upset. And that bothered me, even more than I wanted to admit.
Even if all Abby wanted was a one-night stand, I suddenly realized that that wasn’t what I wanted. Not with her. So I had to fix things with her. But I didn’t know how.
I just hoped I could figure all of it out before it was too late and I really messed things up with her.
I glanced at my watch and swore when I saw how late it already was. This morning’s drama had apparently taken longer than I had realized. The shareholders I was due to meet with first were probably already in the conference room waiting for me. And for Abby.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, wishing my advisor was there by my side. Then, I forced a smile on my face and headed out to meet all of them.
For the first time ever since I had taken over this company, the work I did here felt hollow, less important than something else in my life. I wasn’t ready to examine that too closely, though. Not just yet. I pushed those thoughts away and tried to concentrate on the meeting.
Chapter 16
Abby
I FELT NERVOUS GOING into work on Tuesday morning. I just didn’t know what to expect from Daniel. And what’s more, I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about that kiss from Monday morning. The kiss I had initiated. Because the more I thought about it, the more sure I was that the whole thing was my fault. He might have brushed his fingers along my skin, but I had been the one to cross the office. I had been the one staring at his lips, wanting that kiss with every fiber of my being.
Could I keep my hands off him today? I was embarrassed that that was even a question.
I was never the kind of girl to chase guys like that. I had never been as interested in those stupid tabloid articles as Leanne and some of the other women I knew were. But now, I had to wonder: Was it truly that I had never been interested, or was it more that I never thought that someone like Daniel McGregor could possibly be interested in me?
I still didn’t even know if he was interested in me. I definitely didn’t think he was interested in me as anything more than a quick and easy romp in his office. I certainly wasn’t the kind of eye candy he usually had on his arm at club openings or anything else.
I hadn’t talked to Leanne about any of this. By the time I had gotten to her place the previous day, I had already told myself all the things that she would say to me. She had warned me about my new boss once. I didn’t need to hear the same warnings all over again. Nor did I want to fight with her about the fact that she was the one who’d wanted me to apply for this job in the first place. Nor did I want to listen to her try to tell me that of course Daniel McGregor would be interested in me. She would only say it because she was my best friend. But I knew that I just wasn’t his type.
It didn’t matter. He was my boss. Things between us needed to remain strictly professional.
I was reminded even more of that when I arrived at work that morning. I had spent so much time dithering about what to wear (and trying to tell myself that it didn’t matter) that I had ended up taking a cab rather than rely on public transportation like I normally did. It seemed like every outfit I put on that morning came across as too sexy or too frumpy or too...something. And as I got out of the car and the flashbulbs started going off, I was uncertain about my outfit again.
How the fuck did they all know about the kiss?
But that wasn’t what they were asking me about, I realized. “Are you Daniel McGregor’s new advisor?” one of the women asked, shoving a microphone in my face.
“Can you tell us anything about working alongside the man?” another reporter asked.
“Any good gossip from inside the building?”
“We haven’t seen him around town much lately. Any chance you know who’s keeping him busy?”
I stared around at the group of them. The mob of them, really. There must be a dozen of them, maybe more, between me and the entrance. Nothing I had ever done, and nothing that Daniel or Erin had told me, could have prepared me for this.
There was no way I was getting through without answering at least some of their questions, I realized with a sinking heart. I just hoped I wouldn’t say something I regretted. Something that they could twist into something else.
Something that totally gave me away.
“Yes, I’m his new advisor,” I told them. “But as for gossip, no comment. Now, please, I’m going to be late!”
But my words only seemed to stir them into even more of a frenzy. They pressed toward me, until I had no choice but to take another couple of steps back away from the building. I reached for my phone, intending to call Daniel and figure out just what I was supposed to do.
Before I could even get my phone out of my pocket, though, there he was! He pushed easily through the paparazzi, and once they realized who it was, they all gave him a little more space. He carefully kept his face averted from the cameras even as he grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the building. He didn’t stop until he had pushed me into the elevator in front of him, following me in and jabbing the button for McGregor Enterprises’ offices.
He was scowling, and I felt terrible, realizing that I must have handled things all wrong. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I never should have talked to them. I didn’t tell them anything, though. About yesterday or...anything else.”
Daniel looked over at me in surprise. His expression softened. “I trust you,” he said simply. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that first thing in the morning. The press likes to hang around the building and try to corner my staff to get information about me for their articles and gossip columns.” He paused and ran a hand through his hair, looking guilty. “I should have warned you.”
I frowned, not upset that he hadn’t warned me but more just confused. “I haven’t had a problem with them before,” I said slowly.
“They’re not there every day,” Daniel said. “And the building security clears them out of here usually. But they’re apparently short-staffed today.” His tone let me know exactly what he thought about that.
I reached out toward him and then froze, realizing it was the same gesture he had made the previous day, the same one that had made the sexual tension between us spike so high that we had ended up kissing right there in his office.
I took a hasty step away and then laughed breathlessly, remembering that that was just what he had done. But he didn’t step closer to me, and he didn’t initiate another kiss. I was almost disappointed. I pushed that feeling away and tried to remember what we had been talking about.
“I guess paparazzi are just the price that you pay for success, huh?” I asked him.
“Guess so.” Daniel sighed, but I barely heard him.
I had been carefully avoiding thinking about that kiss, but it seemed like I couldn’t stop thinking about it, no matter how hard I tried. I could even still feel a tingle on my lips if I thought too hard about it. And I
realized right then and there that no matter what else it might bring about, I wanted to do it again.
The trouble was wondering just what else it might bring about. Would the paparazzi find out about it? Anyone could have easily walked into Daniel’s office the previous day while we were locking lips, and if the paparazzi frequently waited outside the building to find out the gossip from Daniel’s employees, who knew who might see something and tell the media.
Could I trust the rest of the office’s employees? I didn’t even know half of them, and those I did, I didn’t know well enough to know whether or not I should trust them.
Daniel seemed to trust them, I reminded myself as we walked into the office and past the line of desks. Plenty of people greeted Daniel as he walked past, and he said good morning to all of them, asking about their spouses and their kids. It was clear he only worked with people that he liked. So he had to trust them, didn’t he?
But I kept circling back around to Matt and Leanne’s warnings. They thought I should be careful, that maybe I should reconsider going to work for Daniel. They thought that he was bad news, and that my involvement with him could affect my future business prospects. I was worried that they might be right about that, if information about me made it into the tabloids.
Suppose that information about us didn’t make it into the tabloids, though? What if we were careful?
Well, I still knew I wasn’t his type. I still knew that he wasn’t going to commit to more than a one-night stand with me. My gut told me that he wasn’t a terrible guy, and something about the look in his eyes after our kiss the previous day had made me think, maybe for just a moment, that he might not be thinking about just sex with me. That was just wishful thinking, though. That was just what I wanted to believe.
But my gut had been wrong before. He might be every bit the asshole that the tabloids made him out to be. This might all be a game to him. Kissing me might have been nothing more than a joke. Now, if only I could quit thinking about it.
Daniel cleared his throat as he shut the office door behind us. “I hope yesterday didn’t make you uncomfortable,” he said quietly. “I was acting on impulse when I kissed you.”
I looked over at him in surprise and saw just how earnest he was to make sure that I didn’t feel uncomfortable. But I was sure that I had been the one to kiss him, not the other way around.
Daniel grimaced when he saw my surprise. “I know I shouldn’t have done it, there’s just something about you that made me act without thinking. I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
I shook my head. “Don’t be sorry,” I said. “I’m the one who started it. I’m the one who was being unprofessional.”
Daniel stared at me and then gave a quick shake to his own head. “Abby,” he began, but I cut him off with a laugh.
“Don’t worry about it,” I told him. “It was a good kiss, anyway.”
I didn’t know what possessed me to say it. Here I was, sure that I probably shouldn’t be letting myself get tangled up with Daniel. I knew that it was only going to end with me hurt. But the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, like I was just begging for him to hurt me.
Sure enough, Daniel got a cocky smile on his face. “I can do better,” he said confidently.
I ducked my head, but something about the way he said it flared my competitive spirit. “I can do better too,” I said, even though I knew that the last thing I needed to do right then was to flirt even more with him.
Daniel took a step closer to me, and the heat in his eyes was unmistakable. “Maybe you’ll just have to prove it,” he said.
I grinned at him and took a step back. “Maybe I will,” I agreed, “but maybe you’re going to have to work for it if you want another kiss.”
“What did you have in mind?” Daniel asked.
I shrugged one shoulder coolly, nonchalantly, as though my heart weren’t trying to beat out of my chest at that moment. “You’re the boss,” I reminded him.
Daniel laughed easily and openly, and I found myself watching his face a little too closely. Damn, he was gorgeous when you got past that professional exterior, or past the arrogant image of him that the paparazzi liked to paint. “If I’m the boss, why should I be the one who needs to work for it?” he pointed out teasingly.
I had to admit, he had a point there. But what I was really thinking about, just then, was how fun this is. And how interested in me he seemed. Was I ready to chance it all on what could very well be just his attempts to get me into bed with him? I suddenly decided that I was. For all that it might hurt me to realize that this was nothing more than a one-night stand, at the same time, I wanted it. Where was the harm in that?
I stepped back toward him, reaching out to run my palms up his chest, feeling the fine material of his shirt beneath my palms and the firm, warm muscle beneath the shirt. “I guess you’re right,” I told him breathily, my voice betraying just how badly I wanted this. “Maybe I’m the one who should be working to prove to you how much better I can kiss when I’m not surprised.”
“Tit for tat, that’s the way I do business,” Daniel said, his voice gone husky with desire of his own. “You show me what you can do, and I’ll show you what I can do in return.”
I grinned crookedly at him and leaned up on my toes so that I could kiss him.
If I had thought that there was passion in the kisses we had shared the previous day, it was nothing compared to this. No, this sent goose bumps running down my arms, my whole body on high alert as he moved his lips sensually across mine. One of his hands found its way down to my hip, and he wasn’t pulling me closer to him but merely resting it there. But that bit of contact sent heat pooling through my body.
His tongue slipped into my mouth, stimulating bundles of nerves I had never realized were even there before. I couldn’t help moaning, and he groaned in response to the vibration in our joined mouths.
We made out for a long few minutes, exploring each other’s mouths, getting to know what made the other person tick. There was something more intimate about this kiss than about any of the sex I’d ever had in my life, something about Daniel that made pleasure erupt in me from something as simple as a kiss. He didn’t have to take things any further for me to realize that I was hopelessly starting to have feelings for him.
But was it really hopeless? As Daniel pulled away, I could see the heat reflected in his gaze, but there was something tender about the way he rested his forehead against mine.
“Would it be a mistake for me to take you out to dinner on Friday night?” he asked.
Dinner? I tried to remember if I had ever seen anything about Daniel taking women out to dinner. But if he had ever done it before, with anyone other than the daughters of his business associates, then the paparazzi hadn’t found out about it.
Or maybe I had just missed that little tidbit.
I wanted to trust Daniel, though. I wanted to believe that he knew what he was doing. And I wanted him. Whatever way I could have him. Even if it ended up hurting when he finally told me that he was no longer interested in me.
So I grinned up at him, feeling that flickering warmth still there in my core. “I thought you’d never ask,” I told him, and when he grinned right back at me, I felt as though I had won some sort of prize.
Chapter 17
Daniel
“THIS IS WEIRD,” AUSTIN announced on Wednesday night as we were getting drinks. I looked around the bar, trying to figure out what he was talking about. It was hardly the first time we had gotten beers here on what many would consider to be an off night. Sure, there weren’t too many people in the place, but that was what I liked about it. It meant I didn’t have to worry so much about the paparazzi. They didn’t really care for places like this; they’d much rather catch me in compromising positions like dancing in clubs.
It seemed like any other night to me. I frowned at Austin. “What’s weird?” I asked.
“You,” he said, shrugging. “I think this is the first
time I’ve ever had your undivided attention on a night out. And you’ve been doing it the whole night.”
I couldn’t let him know how embarrassed that made me feel. “You make it sound like I’m a terrible friend,” I said.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Austin protested, holding up both hands before I could say anything else. “I just mean, it’s weird that you’re not making eyes at that redhead at the far end of the bar. She’s been trying to catch your eye for half the night.”
“I noticed,” I said drily. But I didn’t explain to him why I wasn’t interested in her over-the-top ways of trying to get me to notice her. She had even dropped a glass on the ground, acting like she was such a klutz. The bartender had been all over her. But I knew from the way she had glanced over at me both before and after that it was no accident.
I wasn’t interested. Sure, she was beautiful, and I could tell that she was willing. It would have been easy as anything to get her to go home with me at the end of the night.
But that just wasn’t what I wanted. It didn’t interest me that night. Maybe I’d just had too much random sex with too many random people lately. Or maybe it was Abby.
I still couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her, and every desperate attempt to grab my attention that this redhead did only made me think of her more. I was comparing and contrasting them in my head, and Abby was the clear winner of the unofficial and unwarranted competition. She was never so heavy-handed in her attempts to flirt with me.
In fact, the previous day, when I’d started flirting with her, telling her that I could kiss her better? What ensued was just perfect. Natural. Comfortable. And somehow still sexier than any other flirting I’d been engaged with in my whole life.