think you and I would do well together as lovers.”
He blinked. Was his horny imagination getting the better of him? “Did you say what I think you said?”
“Yes. What do you think?”
He shook his head. “No. Not a good idea.”
“Why not?”
He cringed at the hurt in her eyes, and tried to soften the rejection. “It’s not that I don’t find you attractive. I do. But we have to work together every day. Adding sex to the equation isn’t a good idea.”
She lifted her chin, defiant. “I think you’re wrong. I can be a professional and do my job during the day and sleep with you at night. People do it all the time.”
Really? Was she that experienced with situations like this? “I don’t. Besides, I’m not exactly in the market for a relationship right now.”
“I’m not talking about anything serious. Just fun and sex.” She smiled. “I’m not ready to get serious about anyone, either, which is the reason I picked you. And it would only be for a few months—no more than six.”
He should have ended the discussion already, but her determination intrigued him. And what man wouldn’t be turned on by the idea that a woman wanted him that much? “Why is that?”
“In six months I plan to take an extended trip to Spain.”
“Another item on your list?”
“Yes. But I promise to find someone to take over my job here before I go, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
A relationship with a built-in expiration date. The idea was absurd, yet at the same time, held a certain appeal. He studied her a long moment, as if by staring at her enough, he’d figure out what was really going on inside that gorgeous head. “I didn’t think women thought that way,” he said.
“Thought what way?”
“About casual sex and temporary relationships. I thought those were male fantasies, while women were all about hearts and flowers and settling down.”
“Some women, maybe. Even me at some point in my life.”
“But not now?”
She shook her head. “I have too many things I want to do, things to learn and accomplish, places to see, people to meet. I can’t do all that if I’m tied to a relationship.”
Right. She made it sound so simple, but he couldn’t believe intimacy between two people was ever that simple. “I’m flattered,” he said. “But I still say no.”
Her expression clouded. “You’re not attracted to me?”
“I told you I am. Very.” He leaned toward her, eyes locked to hers, telegraphing just how strong the attraction was, how much he wanted her. Her pupils were dilated, her lips slightly parted like a woman overtaken by passion. At that moment it was all he could do not to clear his desk and start removing all their clothes. “A man would have to be dead not to be attracted to you,” he said, his voice low. “Last time I checked I still had a pulse.”
“Th-then what’s wrong?” she stammered.
What was wrong? He blinked, trying to remember his objection to her absurd proposition. He took a deep breath, but all that did was fill his head with the scent of her, flowery and feminine and setting off sparks along every primitive pathway between his brain and his sex organs. His body, at least, had already made up his mind about Lexie.
He tore his gaze away from hers and summoned his old willpower. Reasoning returned as his head cleared. “I’ve always had a policy of not mixing business with pleasure,” he said. “I don’t see any reason to back off from that now.” He almost winced. He sounded like some old coot with a steel rod for a backbone.
Instead of being angry, she looked amused. Superior. As if she knew how much he was bluffing. “Didn’t you ever hear ‘rules are made to be broken’?”
“Not by me. Not now.”
“Why not?”
“Because I said so.” Now he was channeling his father. He gripped the armrests of his desk chair and tried again. “Look. One of the things this job and my years as a cop have shown me is how screwed up life gets when people take too many chances and risk too many complications. They start out thinking they can handle it—one more hot check will take care of everything. One more time fudging on the books and they’ll be out of it. One more drink and they’ll stop. The next thing they know, they’re in too deep.”
Her expression told him she wasn’t buying it. “We’re not talking embezzlement or bank robbery here. We’re talking about two intelligent, healthy, single adults who are attracted to one another getting together to have a good time.” She leaned toward him, her voice low and breathy. “When was the last time you had a really good time?”
Words stuck in his throat. His pulse pounded at his temples and in his groin. He was close to giving in. Too close.
He pulled himself away from the edge, shoving his chair back and standing, putting some distance between them. “It doesn’t matter. I have a business to run and I can’t be distracted.”
He waited for anger, or even tears, but she surprised him by smiling—not the warm welcoming look he’d seen so many times before, but a slyer, knowing expression. She rose and looked him up and down. “All right, Nick. You’ve made up your mind and I respect that. For now.” She turned and moved to the door.
Fear that this might be the last time he saw her gripped him. “Wait,” he called. “Will you be in Monday morning?”
She looked over her shoulder at him, that same self-assured smile still in place. “I’ll be here. And just so you know, I’ll be making every effort to convince you to change your mind.”
He swallowed hard. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Oh, but I do.” The smile broadened. “Six months is a long time, Nick. I hate to think of spending all that time alone, don’t you?”
When she was gone, he sank into his chair, the strength in his legs deserting him. He was breathing hard, as if he’d just run up four flights of stairs, and his head was spinning. So much for his blasted self-control. He’d attempted to lay down the law and all he’d done was wave a red flag in front of her. Now she was determined to change his mind.
What man stood a chance against a determined woman like Lexie Foster?
3
NICK TOLD HIMSELF he’d turned down the promise of a temporary affair in the interest of keeping a good assistant, which in his previous experience, had always been more difficult to find. But as he worked side by side with Lexie during the following week he wondered at the wisdom of his decision.
She was still an excellent assistant, charming his clients and keeping the office running smoothly. But now, in addition to lusting after her in silence, he was constantly reminded of what could be his if he could only ignore common sense and convention. The
