by Jaci Burton
"Leg work? What kind?" Shannon leaned back in the leather chair and sipped her coffee.
"For example, last night we spent some time at the casino down the street to get a feel for their setup, and maybe grab a few of their brochures and handouts." Which, Melissa reminded herself, she'd promptly forgotten to do. Where was her head these days?
Not that her thoughts needed an answer. She already knew where it had gone last night. Straight to Aidan.
"Great idea. I'd love to take a peek at the marketing brochures and your overall plan when you have it drafted. It will help me develop the public relations angle so we're consistent."
"Definitely."
They talked about sales and PR ideas for a few more minutes, until Shannon piped up with, "So, how do you feel about my brother?"
Melissa nearly choked on her coffee. "Excuse me?"
The corners of Shannon's lips curved. "You like him, don't you?"
"Of course I do. He's sharp, professional, really knows the sales aspect of the hotel business."
"Not what I meant, and I think you know that."
It figured Shannon was too smart to be waylaid, but Melissa wasn't certain she was ready to discuss how she felt about Aidan. As it was, even she couldn't figure out her feelings for Aidan. "Why don't you tell me what you meant, then?"
Tapping a long fingernail against the china cup in her hands, Shannon said, "I have a feeling there's something more than just business between you two."
"No, there's not," Melissa lied, unable to meet the probing stare of Shannon's blue eyes.
"Hey, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. If you two want to dally, that's your business."
"We're not dallying."
She arched a brow. "You're not?"
"No. We're not. Well, not really," Melissa admitted.
Shannon laughed. "But you'd like to?"
"I don't know." Which was the truth. She was so confused about which direction to head it made her crazy.
"Let me give you some advice," Shannon started, then turned when the door opened and Aidan walked in. His gaze flitted to both Melissa and his sister, and he nodded.
"Mornin'," he mumbled, then averted his gaze and headed straight for the coffee.
"Good morning." Melissa figured she might as well start friendly, then she could work her way up to steamy.
Shannon seemed in no hurry to leave. "You look awful," she said to Aidan, who glared at her.
"Gee, thanks." He stared down into the steaming brew in front of him.
But Shannon was right. He didn't look well at all. His face was drawn and dark circles had puffed up under his eyes.
"Don't you sleep at night?"
"No. I'm a vampire."
"You sure look like one."
Aidan lifted his head and glared at his sister. "Is there a point to this inquisition?"
Shannon grinned. "Not really."
"Don't you have work to do? Preferably somewhere else?"
"Maybe."
"Good."
"Then again, I might just want to hang out here with you two all day and listen to the marketing angles."
Aidan rested his head in his hands. "I need aspirin."
Melissa watched the exchange, fascinated at the comfort level Aidan and his sister had with each other, despite the overt sniping between the two of them. She felt no tension in the room. It was almost as if this type of banter were a normal occurrence for the siblings.
A pang of remorse squeezed her heart. She'd missed out on so much being an only child. And now that she was more or less estranged from her parents, who were both cold as a Boston winter anyway, she felt more alone than ever before.
Shannon's husky laugh brought Aidan's head up. When she stood, Aidan did too and she wrapped her arms around her brother, who hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.
"Brat," he said.
"Ah, you love me." Shannon smiled at him.
Aidan shook his head and smiled back. "Get out of here, will ya? I have work to do."
Shannon stopped in front of Melissa and said, "He's all yours and good luck." With a glance over her shoulder at Aidan, she added, "Looks like you're going to need it."
"Thanks a lot." She'd need good luck, all right. In more ways than one.
After she left, Melissa returned to her seat, wishing she'd had the chance to finish her conversation with Shannon. What was it she was going to advise Melissa about?
She turned to face a scowling Aidan.
"Ready to get to work?" He turned toward the binders on the table.
Not really. She wanted to talk about last night, about how stupid she was to push him away. But she also sensed now was not the right time.
"Sure. Let's do it."
That sentence awarded her yet another angry glare. Okay, poor choice of words. Maybe another couple cups of coffee and getting down to work would loosen Aidan up a bit.
Or, maybe not. Four hours later he still hadn't surfaced from his irritated mood. Melissa couldn't figure out if she was to blame for his current state, or something else entirely.
Frankly, she was too cowardly to ask him, afraid he'd jump down her throat if she got the slightest bit personal. He'd spent the entire morning steering her away from any conversation about the two of them, despite her best efforts to subtly weave last night's events into their marketing strategy.
By lunchtime she'd figured out that he was well and truly pissed at her for pushing him away last night. From the way he was acting, it was clear he'd decided that a personal relationship with her was a colossal waste of his time.
"Hungry?" she asked, hoping for some sort of feedback other than grunts.
"No."
At least it wasn't a grunt.
"I'm starving. Would you like to go get something to eat?"
Head buried in paperwork, he shook his head and mumbled.
"Was that a yes or a no?"
"I said no."
Wow, when he got grumpy, he got very grumpy. "Fine. I'm taking an hour. I'll be back."
No answer. She heaved a sigh and left the conference room, glad for once when the humid air hit her as she walked outside the hotel. Anything was better than the freeze-out she'd endured in the conference room.
*
Aidan shuffled papers around the mahogany table, staring at his haggard face in the reflective top. He looked horrible. No surprise considering he hadn't slept more than an hour or two last night, and those had been fitful at best.
First, Melissa had churned his insides out at the casino, then stroked him with her hot little hands until he'd come all over, followed by her abrupt about face and the return of the ice queen. Then in all his fury he'd gone home and thrown himself on the sofa, intent on drowning his sorrows with a couple beers and a wrestling match on TV.
But did that happen? No. The infernal magic leaped upon him and he'd found himself in Melissa's bathroom, forced to watch and feel her masturbate with a goddamn hairbrush.
A hairbrush. Not his cock, which had been hard and aching for her. He sure didn't rank high on her to-be-fucked list, did he?
His guts felt twisted in ten different directions. He didn't know what the hell the woman wanted, and frankly he was tired of trying to figure it out. By the time dawn rolled around this morning, he'd resolved that trying to have a little fun with Melissa Cross wasn't worth his time. For the remainder of the time she was here he'd give her professional courtesy only. No kissing, no touching and absolutely no sex.
And dammit--no magic. He was already tied way too closely to her on a psychic level. Time to pull their connection apart so he could sleep at night, and maybe find a willing participant to satisfy his sexual desires.
Melissa wasn't even close to willing, so she was off his list.
He snorted out loud at that one and scrubbed his hand over his face. Right. Like he even had a list. But if he had, she wouldn't be on it. She wasn't interested at all.
Except this morning she'd smiled at him, l
ooking fresh and damned attractive in a short-skirted suit that showed off her legs. She hadn't seemed at all irritated about what transpired last night, and in fact tried to bring it up on several occasions.
What kind of game was she playing with him now?
The door opened and Melissa came in.
"It hasn't been an hour," he grumbled, refusing to look at her. He didn't want to see that golden hair streaming down her back, or the way the suit she wore brought out the bright sparkle in her eyes, or her long, lean legs. If he didn't look at her, he wouldn't have to feel her as if she were part of him.
"I know. I brought the food back with me. I got a sandwich for you in case you changed your mind. I didn't know what you liked, so I bought turkey, figuring that would probably work for just about anyone. But if you don't like it I'll trade my sandwich for yours."
"I told you I'm not hungry."
She ignored him, chattering on while unpacking paper plates, napkins and wrapped sandwiches. "I know you told me that. But it's here if you want it."
Truth was, he was starving. But damned if he'd let her fuss over him as if she knew exactly what he needed.
If she really knew what he needed she'd be naked and lying spread eagle on the conference room table right now so he could have her for lunch.
Melissa sat and ate, reviewing the notes they made this morning about the new brochures. Aidan eyed the sandwich she'd pushed across the table at him. His stomach finally grumbled loud enough to catch her attention. When she arched her brow so smugly at him, he thought about refusing to eat, then felt childish about the entire thing so he grabbed the sandwich.
He had to admit he felt much better after downing some food. At least appetite-wise. The rest of him still suffered, and it appeared that pain was going to continue.
After they'd gotten back to work, Melissa made a point of leaning against him, or touching the sleeve of his shirt, or peering over his shoulder while he made some notes on the laptop as she was doing right now.
In fact, if she got any closer to him she'd fall into his lap. She stood behind him, her breasts pressed against his back. She'd long ago discarded the suit jacket, claiming the conference room was hot. The room was not hot. He'd dropped the thermostat five degrees in the hopes she'd put on her jacket so he wouldn't have to look at her in that white, nearly see-through top, all silky and clinging to her breasts, her shoulders bare and oh-so-damn-kissable.
And she smelled so damn good he couldn't concentrate on the designs in front of him. Like lavender--sweet and soft and too fucking sexy for his weak body to handle.
"I think this one looks great," she said, her minty breath caressing his cheek as she leaned in to point at the brochure on the left side of the screen. "It contains all the elements we're looking for--sharp, classy, colorful, yet not ostentatious."
Huh? Like he had any idea what she was talking about. The soft skin of her arm brushed against his, prickling the hairs on his arm. Her ponytail fell across his shoulder and he inhaled her scent. With every breath she took her breasts pressed against his shirt, the thin cotton no armor against the feel of her heart pounding rapidly against his back.
"What do you think, Aidan?" she asked.
Think? Who the hell could think? His cock pulsed and twitched, clamoring for his attention. If he had a hammer he'd beat the fucker into submission so it would quit distracting him.
"Aidan?"
"What?"
"You didn't answer me."
"What was the question again?"
"The brochures. Do you like the one on the left?"
He was going mad. Couldn't keep a thought in his head for more than five seconds, with the exception of a thousand visions of Melissa. About undressing her, piece by delectable piece until he had her naked and ready for him. About putting her on her knees and letting her sweet mouth release the pounding ache in his cock. About throwing her on her back and thrusting his tortured penis so deep inside her she'd scream for mercy.
Maybe he could bend her over the table, lift her skirt and ram his cock in her from behind.
Brochures? What brochures?
"I don't know, Melissa." Abruptly he pushed away from the desk. She took a few steps back as he turned to face her, trying not to focus on the way her nipples strained against the nearly transparent silk of that flimsy excuse for a blouse. How could she be so bold as to wear near-underwear in the office? She might as well be topless.
"Are you all right?" she asked, frowning.
"Fine. Why?"
"You just groaned." She took a step toward him. "Does your stomach hurt? Maybe it was the sandwich. Should I get you something?"
Christ she was making him crazy. "I gotta go," he said, grabbing for his jacket.
"Go? It's only two o'clock."
"I...I have another appointment. I forgot until just now. Sorry. We'll meet again in the morning."
Like a wimp pursued by the school bully, he hightailed it out of there as fast as he could, loosening his tie as he exited the conference room.
Once in the safety of his office, he blew out a breath and tried to calm his raging nerves.
Aidan Storm had never run in his entire life. But his new resolve to steer clear of Melissa, coupled with her sudden transformation into a sex siren, had his cock and his brain at odds and ready to do battle.
He flopped into his chair and rested his head in his hands, fisting his hair as if the pain of pulling the strands would somehow clear the fog that had settled in there today.
Sex or sanity? He wasn't sure which part of him would come out the winner. He only knew this squall building inside him over Melissa was going to reach hurricane proportions very soon.
*
Melissa smiled, figuring she'd done her job well today.
Granted, Aidan hadn't exactly fallen all over his feet in an effort to drag her off to the nearest bed, or broom closet, or whatever, but she had made progress. Clearly her nearness affected him. At least she hoped so, because sidling up close to him had her damn near doing a striptease on the table in order to get his attention.
His masculine smell, so earthy and potent, overwhelmed her senses, making clarity of thought almost impossible. Touching his firm, well-toned body was like waving her hand over an open flame.
Aidan had wanted her last night, but that was before she'd frozen him out. Now it was going to take some finesse, hard work and blatant seduction. Melissa wasn't sure she had it in her, but she'd give it a try.
She wanted some damn sex. Real, sweaty, between the sheets or outside in the park or on the side of the building sex. Messy, wonderful, mind blowing sex.
With Aidan.
No matter what she had to do, she'd get it. This was sultry New Orleans, the Big Easy. Where sex was hot and nasty and just what she'd needed for way too long.
And Aidan wanted her, of that there was no doubt. Yes, she'd bruised his ego last night, and would have to work hard to build it back up and make him understand that she really did want him. But she'd succeed.
Then, her dry spell in the sex department would be over.
Chapter Eight
Melissa strode purposefully down the hall, her high heels clipping along the parquet flooring of the Storm corporate offices.
For four days she'd been at this seduction thing with Aidan. Four unsuccessful, lesson in futility, utterly frustrating days. And she'd gotten absolutely nowhere. Not only was he still ignoring her, it seemed as if he couldn't spend more than a couple hours in the same room with her without running off to some meeting
His avoidance of her was so obvious it was painful. She'd done everything in her power to grab his attention. Shorter skirts, skimpier blouses, she'd even tried no bra and no panties. Not that he'd ever gotten close enough to take a peek. She could probably parade through the conference room naked and he wouldn't bat an eyelash. After all, he'd actually have to look at her to notice.
Not more than thirty minutes ago he'd made a mad dash out of the conference room, claim
ing he had a meeting with Logan. She'd steamed over his hasty exit for about a half hour, then decided enough was enough. This time, she wasn't going to let him run. She'd wait outside Logan's office and confront him.
Now that she stood in front of the double doors leading to The Rising Storm's private offices, she wasn't sure she could pull it off. What would she say, exactly? 'Excuse me, Aidan, but I've been trying to get you to fuck me and you haven't been paying attention.'
Laughter bubbled up her throat and threatened to erupt, but she tamped it down, not wanting to look as idiotic as she felt.
With a shaky breath she opened the doors leading into the private offices, and stopped dead when she heard Aidan's voice. It was coming from the office at the end of the hall. No doubt, Logan's.
Maybe she'd wait outside the doors so she wouldn't appear so obviously lurking. But then she heard her name mentioned. Unable to resist, she strolled closer.
"I don't care what your problem is," a booming voice sounded that had to be Logan. "We've got deadlines and you're sitting on your ass getting nothing done."
"Bullshit," Aidan replied, his voice tinged with anger. "The marketing plan is going fine. Quit obsessing."
"I'm not the one obsessing! You are. Over Melissa."
Melissa attempted to swallow but all the moisture had evaporated from her throat.
"Not true. She's my working partner in this venture, Logan, and nothing more."
"That's not what I've heard."
Oh lord. What had Logan heard? She should just hightail it back up to the conference room. This was the last place she wanted to be right now.
"You've heard nothing. Quit blowing smoke up my ass, Logan and get off my back about this project. I've got it covered."
"You'd better. And keep your mind on our target goals, not Melissa's ass."
"My mind is no where near Melissa or her ass. I've got much better things to do than waste my time on a frigid northeastern snob."
Snob? Frigid? Anger bubbled up inside her, threatening to explode. He had some nerve. She started forward, her first thought to defend herself, but at the sound of a hand on the doorknob, she panicked. Now was definitely not the time to have a conversation with Aidan. She spied an office door ajar, and hurriedly stepped in and closed the door, afraid to move an inch. She rested her head on the door and hoped Aidan wouldn't walk in.
"Shit, shit, shit," she muttered after Aidan passed by and left the offices.