“That’s cheating,” he said.
“Cheating how?”
“You should have…” He made a lifting motion with both hands.
“You could have told me.”
A slow, secretive smile grew on his face. “Then you would have covered up.”
She smiled back, just as secretively. “Then you wouldn’t have signed away a fifty-thousand-dollar light fixture.”
“For fifty thousand dollars, you should have to strut around looking sexy all night.”
“Not in the contract.” She patted the two signed napkins.
“My mistake.”
She chuckled. “It’s cleavage, Derek. Every woman at the reception tonight showed off the same thing.”
“Not my mother or aunt Eileen.”
“Every woman under the age of fifty.”
“It’s not the same thing.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“There’s that opening again.”
“Are you trying to flirt with me?”
He stared into her eyes for a long, silent moment. “You want me to?”
Danger signs flashed through her mind. No way she was walking into that one. “I want leather upholstery for the dining-room chairs.”
“That’ll put you over budget.”
“How can you know that?”
He tapped his forehead. “Mind like a steel trap. I remember the cost and the square footage required, and the outrageous labor charges.”
He did, did he?
She reached up and pulled a couple of pins from her hair, raking her fingertips through the tangled curls. Maybe she could get him to reconsider….
He watched in silence, his gaze following her every movement. His nostrils flared. “It won’t work. But nice try.”
“Taking down my hair wasn’t a bribe,” she lied. “I’m tired, and my head’s getting sore. It’s after midnight.”
His eyebrows crept up. “Uh-huh. Another nice try.”
“How long’s it been since you had a date?”
“A what?”
“A date. You’re sure susceptible to a woman who’s sitting here doing nothing but minding her own business.” She fought a grin.
“I’m not susceptible to anything.”
“Uh-huh.” She scooped up a small amount of the chocolate mousse with her index finger, then placed it in her mouth, swirling her tongue around the rich cream, then slowly pulling the fingertip back out through her pursed lips. She was shamelessly copying a scene from a movie, but it must have worked because Derek’s eyes darkened.
“Stop,” he growled.
“Stop what?” She reached for the mousse again.
His hand shot out and he grabbed her wrist. “You’re playing with fire.”
“I’m eating dessert.”
He stared deep into her eyes.
The heat of his hand seared her skin. Her pulse leaped and desire sizzled in her blood.
What was the matter with her? She was locked up alone with him for the foreseeable future, and she was acting like some kind of siren.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I’ll stop.”
“Good decision.” He slowly released her wrist. He sat back and stared out the window, across the black lake to the star-studded sky.
“Derek…”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
