at me, sweetheart.” The gentle tone of his voice caused her tears to fall faster. Why wouldn’t he just go away and leave her alone?
“I… can’t.” Dear God, could the day get any worse?
It had been years since she’d allowed anyone to see her shed a tear. But here she was crying like a baby. And in front of her new boss, no less. She’d never been more humiliated in her entire life.
Why couldn’t he find what he’d forgotten and leave? At least, long enough for her to pull herself together.
He cupped her cheek and turned her head until their gazes met. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t realize you were this upset by the situation. Please don’t cry. I’ll sleep in my truck if it will make you feel better.”
His sincerity touched her deeply and for reasons she didn’t care to analyze, she couldn’t allow him to think her emotional display was because they’d be spending the night in the same room. “It’s… the movie.”
Glancing over his shoulder, he turned back to smile at her a moment before he reached out and took her into his arms. “That one always does a number on my mom, too.”
“W-what are you doing?”
“It’s all right, Alyssa.”
The sound of his deep voice saying her name with such tenderness sent a shock wave straight to her core and she didn’t even think to push away from him. “How did you… know my name?”
“It’s in your personnel file.” He pulled her to him, then smoothed his hands down her back in a comforting manner. “And don’t go getting any ideas about me replacing you. I reviewed all of the managers’ files.”
“Why?” God help her, but with his strong arms wrapped around her and her cheek pressed to his wide chest, she wasn’t sure she cared why he was going through hers or anyone else’s file.
“I was trying to decide what team-building activities would best serve each manager and their department.” His warm breath stirred her hair and sent shivers streaking up her spine. He hugged her close. “Cold?”
Unable to form a coherent sentence, she nodded. Even if she could have found her voice, she wasn’t about to tell him the real reason she trembled.
But when he pulled back to look down at her, she knew he wasn’t buying her excuse for a minute. “Are you sure?”
With his intense hazel gaze holding her captive, she wasn’t sure of her own name, let alone what he’d asked her. “W-what was the question?”
“It doesn’t matter, Alyssa.” His sexy drawl caused her insides to feel as if they’d been turned to warm pudding and as he slowly lowered his head, she couldn’t for the life of her remember why it should.
As his mouth brushed over hers, her heart skipped several beats. She should call a halt to this insanity and send him outside to spend the night in his truck. But for reasons she couldn’t begin to explain, she wanted Caleb’s kiss, wanted to feel his hard body pressed to her. And when he settled his lips more fully over hers, she threw caution to the wind and melted against him.
As he explored her with a tenderness that stole her breath, tiny electrical impulses skipped over every nerve in her body and she couldn’t have stopped him if her life depended on it. Didn’t even want to.
His kiss was slow and thoughtful and warm tingles filled her when he traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue. He was asking permission to deepen the kiss and without so much as a thought to the consequences, she parted to give him access to her tender inner recesses.
A heady warmth began to swirl through her veins when he slipped inside to caress and coax her into a response. She knew she was playing with fire, but as he teased her with featherlight strokes, temptation never tasted as good as Caleb’s masterful kiss.
When he lowered her to the mattress, her stomach fluttered with the first stirrings of need and her nipples tightened in anticipation at the feel of his hand cupping her breast through the fabric of her silk pajamas. She wanted his hands on her body, wanted to feel his hair-roughened flesh pressed to her sensitive skin.
Tugging at the collar of his shirt, she was startled out of the sensual haze in her addled brain by a feminine moan of frustration. Had that sound really come from her? Dear heavens, what was she doing?
Embarrassed beyond belief, Alyssa pushed against him. “I can’t. Please stop.”
Caleb looked as dazed as she felt. “It’s… all right, sweetheart.” He cleared his throat and sat up. “It stops right here.” Rising to his feet, he smiled. “I think I’ll go get that cup of coffee. Are you sure I can’t bring something back for you?”
It appeared that he was going to act as if nothing had happened between them. Unsure whether she was disappointed or relieved, she decided to take his lead and ignore the fact that they’d been making out like a couple of hormone-crazed teenagers.
She shook her head. “N-no, thank you. I think I’ll turn in for the night.”
He stared at her for several seconds before he reached down and lifted her chin with his forefinger. “I’ll try not to disturb you when I return.”
“I sleep pretty sound.” His touch was doing strange things to her insides and she sounded as if she’d run a marathon. “I doubt that you’ll make enough noise to wake me.”
“I didn’t say anything about making noise, sweetheart.” His deep chuckle and mischievous grin sent her pulse racing. “There’s a big difference.”
Alyssa felt as if her heart suddenly dropped to her stomach, then bounced back up to pound at her ribs when she realized what he meant. Before she could find her voice, Caleb gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, then picked up his boots and walked across the room and out the door without a backward glance.
Staring at the closed door, she had to force herself to breathe. Now she knew for certain that she’d landed on the other side of the rainbow. Either that, or she and Caleb had both been taken over by aliens. After all, they were in Roswell, where the unexplained was not only accepted, it was expected.
But as she reached up to turn off the bedside lamp, she shook her head. She knew what had gotten into her and it had nothing whatsoever to do with friends from a faraway galaxy. From the moment Caleb Walker had strolled into her office, she’d fought it, tried to ignore it and even denied its existence. But the truth was, she was attracted to her new boss.
She burrowed deeper into the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. What on earth was she going to do now?
In the past few minutes, she’d abandoned the two most important rules she’d set for herself. She’d allowed one of her coworkers to witness her emotional side and she’d practically thrown herself at him when he’d offered her comfort.
She sighed heavily. There was no way around it now. Her departure from Skerritt and Crowe was not only inevitable, it was imminent.
Closing her eyes, she tried not to think of the damage she’d done to her professional reputation and willed herself to relax. She probably wouldn’t be able to sleep, but at least she wouldn’t be sobbing like a baby when Caleb returned this time.
